Read Beautiful Beast (Enchanted Fairytales) Online
Authors: Cindy C Bennett
He flipped the switch, shutting the treadmill off. She stumbled a little at the abrupt stop.
“Hey!”
“Are you trying to injure yourself?” he asked.
“Yes, Alex, that was my thought when I chose the most dangerous machine imaginable—the big, bad treadmill.”
He ran an indicative hand down her attire. “Jeans bind you. They aren’t meant for exercise. And slippers, really? Surely with your above-the-classes-you’re-taking smarts you can figure out they aren’t meant for workouts.”
Calli leaned over, hands on knees, breathing hard. “Yeah, well, we don’t all have a Daddy Warbucks to buy us the right shoes.”
“You had on tennis shoes earlier.”
“Can you go back to not speaking to me?” she asked irritably.
He turned to leave and she stepped off the treadmill quickly, putting a hand on his arm.
“I’m teasing, Alex. Please don’t give me the silent treatment again. I prefer you being mean to me than ignoring me.”
He looked down at her hand, then slowly brought his gaze to hers. “I can’t figure you out.”
“It’s not that hard, Alex. I’m pretty simple.” He opened his mouth and she held a finger up. “Let me rephrase that. I’m pretty
basic
.”
Alex bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling at her comment. This was the Calli he’d began to trust last night, but he knew there was also the Calli he’d heard this morning, and the Calli who snuck onto his property to glimpse the monster.
She stretched one of her legs, and he shook his head again. “Did you stretch before you exercised?”
She gave him a lopsided grin. “Um, no, not really.”
“Do you have a swimsuit?”
“That’s random. Feeling up to a swim, are you?”
“No, I’m thinking you need to get in the hot tub before your muscles knot up.”
“I’m thinking you might be right,” she conceded, surprising him. “Meet you there?”
Alex looked away. There’s no way he would let her see him in his swimsuit, but he supposed he could sit outside with her. He nodded and she walked out of the room, moving a bit like an old lady. A few seconds later, he heard her calling him. He hurried out and saw her standing on the second step.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“Um, just wondering if you’re willing to lend me a bit of a hand getting up the stairs. My legs are a bit noodelish.”
“Noodleish? Is that a word?”
“For my purposes, it is.”
She hooked her arm through his as they began their slow ascent. After about five steps, he grunted and leaned down, sweeping her up into his arms, ignoring the screaming pain that came into his right arm with the action.
“What are you doing?” she squealed, wrapping an arm around his neck.
“I’m
not
hitting on you, if that’s what you’re worried about. I just don’t have all night to try to get you up two flights of stairs.”
“Ha-ha,” she said sarcastically, but she didn’t complain again. When they reached her room, he set her on her feet.
“I’ll wait for you out here,” he said.
“No, come in. You can wait in my room and I’ll change in the bathroom.”
He would have refused, but she didn’t wait for an answer, just moved into the room, leaving the door ajar for him. He stood for a few moments before deciding he was being dumb. It wouldn’t hurt to wait inside.
He stepped in, and realized he hadn’t been in this room since shortly after they moved here seven years earlier. It brought memories of an identical room from a different place crashing over him. He’d forgotten how it was decorated—just like his mom’s in their last house. He should have stayed in the hall, would have moved back into the hall until the sheets showing with the turned back bed caught his attention.
He stepped closer and ran his hands across the cotton surface. He knew that there would have been silk sheets placed on the bed for her. It was a matter of pride for Meredith with guests to make sure they slept on the best.
That’s
what she’d been complaining about, wanting cotton sheets?
Calli opened the bathroom door and he stepped back guiltily. She had one of the towels wrapped around her body beneath her arms. He could see the blue straps of her suit above the white towel.
“Can I ask you something before we go back down?” she asked. He nodded. Her question was as unexpected as the sheets: “Can you show me how to turn the shower on?”
* * * * *
Alex was right. The warm water soothed her muscles.
Calli couldn’t exactly admit that she knew she needed to stretch but hadn’t because she didn’t want to get caught watching him. She also wouldn’t tell him how impressed she was that he’d carried her up two flights of stairs—and back down again—and wasn’t even out of breath. And even under threat of torture she would not admit that when he’d first swept her up into his arms she’d almost screamed out in terror.
“You’re not joining me?” she asked when they came out to the hot tub and he made no move to join her.
“I wasn’t the one who didn’t stretch properly,” he said.
“And you don’t do anything for pleasure, right?” she teased.
He looked off into the distance. “Not often,” he admitted.
Calli was stunned. She hadn’t been serious.
“Well, that’s just sad,” she said. He looked at her and she grinned. “C’mon, put your feet in at least.”
He didn’t answer, and she could see the battle raging in his eyes. Suddenly it occurred to her that the deformity of his face probably didn’t end there. He walked with a slight limp, so there was likely something similar on his leg.
“Alex,” she said, all teasing gone from her voice. “Please don’t . . .” Don’t what? Be afraid to trust her? Be afraid she’d laugh at him when he knew she came once before for that very purpose? Not sure how to finish her sentence, she changed her tact. “I’ll make you a deal.”
“What kind of deal?” He was suspicious.
“You put your feet in the water, and I’ll tell you why I was here that night, when you chased me.”
He looked ready to refuse, but curiosity got the better of him. He untied his shoes, slipping them off. Then, not looking at her, he pulled his socks off, and finally pulled his pant legs up just above his knees. A thick, ropey looking scar ran in a wide strip from the side of his knee and down the side of his calf. It wasn’t that bad. She’d seen worse.
He sat on the cement edge, lowering his feet into the water. He didn’t say anything, and she got the feeling he was ashamed of the scar. It wasn’t nearly as bad as what was on his face, which she looked at all the time, so she wasn’t sure why he was so ashamed.
“So,” she began, looking at him, compelling him to look at her. If she was going to confess, she wanted to make sure she was looking right at him. When he brought his eyes to hers, she continued. “I was with a group of friends, and one of them proposed we go to Mon—we come here.”
“Say it,” he said, low.
She took a breath. She wouldn’t insult him further by pretending not to know what he meant.
“Monster House,” she said. He blanched, and she realized how incredibly cruel the name was. Her shame ran deep, and she wished she could take back every single time she’d thought the name, or said it aloud. “I’m so sorry, Alex. I’m as big a jerk as all of them.”
“Well, aren’t you the lucky one who gets to see the monster up close.”
“Yeah,” she said, “I am.” She was sincere in her words. “Alex, if you’d just let people—”
“You said you’d tell me why,” he interrupted.
Calli blew out a breath. She told him the whole story, beginning to end—or at least the end where she tripped and hit her head. She didn’t leave anything out, other than naming her friends. He was quiet when she finished, and she moved to sit next to him on the ledge. She looked at him, at his melted face, wanting to ask him how he’d been so injured. Somehow, she didn’t think he’d want to tell
her
of all people.
“Alex, I know saying I’m sorry doesn’t help. But I really am.” She bumped his shoulder with hers, the one way she felt safe touching him. He finally looked at her. “I kinda think of you as a friend, now. And I would never do anything to hurt my friend.”
His eyes searched hers, and she realized that they were a very dark brown. She hadn’t noticed the color before. Apparently he decided to believe her, because he nodded.
“What about your friends? They left you behind.”
Calli shrugged. Honestly, it hurt that they had, that none of them had stepped forward when she was being bribed by Mr. Stratford.
“Would you mind sitting on my other side?” he asked.
“Sure. Why?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“I can see you better from my left eye. And hear better from that side, also.”
She stood in the tub and walked in front of him, climbing back up to sit on the opposite side—the side from which she could convince herself he was completely normal. And gorgeous, at that.
“Please don’t tell me you didn’t hear any of that, and I’m going to have to repeat it all again. One confession a day is enough.” She infused her words with long-suffering and sarcasm. He got the joke and grinned at her.
“I didn’t hear the ‘I’m sorry’ part, maybe you could repeat that part.”
Calli laughed at him and leaned down to throw a handful of water on him.
“Hey,” he complained. “I’m dressed.”
“Then wear your suit next time,” she said. Instead of responding, he splashed her back, and soon he was as soaked as she was.
* * * * *
Calli was surprised to see Alex in the dining room the next morning.
Even though she was stiff, she had slept well on the cotton sheets and been able to use the shower—which felt like standing under a heavenly, warm rainstorm—and therefore was in a much better mood.
“Hey, Alex,” she said. “Nice to know you’re human.”
He looked askance at her. “What do you mean?”
“Well, I haven’t seen you eat before.” She indicated his plate which held two eggs and a piece of toast. “I was wondering if your diet was something hideous that couldn’t be witnessed by outsiders.” She took her own filled plate and sat next to him—on his left side. “Don’t all monsters eat little babies and stuff?” She held her breath, wondering if he’d allow the teasing.
He didn’t say anything for a few moments, and she feared she’d gone too far. Then he shrugged and said, “Not babies, just potential baby chickens.” He pointed to the eggs with his fork.
Calli laughed and butted him with her shoulder. “I knew you had a funny bone somewhere in there, Alex.” He smiled.
“Wanna see something cool today?” he asked.
“As a matter of fact, I do,” she said.
“I’ll show you after lunch.”
“Wow,” she said. “Eating human food and cutting school. You’re full of surprises.”
“The new computer is being delivered after lunch. Palmer will be completely obsessed and consumed by that. We’ll just make another appearance right before his going home time and he won’t even know we were gone.”
“Yay for technology geeks,” she said. Her tone was light, but she was extremely curious about what he’d show her.
* * * * *
Alex wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing.
He thought maybe he’d been so long without a friend or companion outside of his school tutor that made him a bit reckless where Calli was concerned. He didn’t know if he could completely trust her, and yet here he was, doing just that.
Nerves got the best of him during their morning lessons. Luckily Palmer was distracted enough by the idea of a new computer coming that he didn’t notice. He thought Calli noticed a little, but she didn’t say anything.
They had lunch with Palmer as usual, though he was completely distracted. Then finally the computer came and Alex waved Calli to the door.
“We’ll be back,” he said to Palmer.
“Yeah, um. . . okay. Wait, what?” His words were followed by a wave in their general direction as he turned back to the computer, mumbling to himself.
“Where we going?” Calli asked.
“You’ll see.”
He led her up to the top floor where her room was. Once there, he took her to the back of one of the hallways and opened a closet. He shoved the coats in the closet to the side, revealing a door at the back. He glanced back at her, saw that she was curious but didn’t seem suspicious. Kinda weird. He’d be suspicious if someone led him into a closet.
He reached up to the low ceilinged light and pushed a button on the side, popping the lock on the door. It opened just a bit, and he pushed it further.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said, stepping forward.
“Stay close. It’s kind of dark on the stairs.”
She stepped into the closet and he pushed the closet door closed behind her. Once that door closed, the closet light went out. She immediately reached out and placed a hand on his back. Alex drew a breath. He hadn’t thought about that, that she’d need contact to follow him.