Beast (4 page)

“What is wrong?” I overheard Deleena ask Russel as he ran back into the room with the water in his hand.

“I have not asked,” he whispered back as he handed me the water.

I grabbed the cup out of his hands, which caused water to spill all over the place because of my trembling. I took little sips at a time in between trying to breathe and crying.

As I attempted to relax, the servants brought out breakfast.

“Why do you not try to eat something?” Leala said to me.

After she said this, all four of us walked over to the dining table. I walked slowly behind the others, still sniffling, attempting to hold back any more tears.

Eggs, toast, crepes, and orange juice were spread out on the table. I was not hungry at all, but with all three of them surrounding me, begging me to eat, I tried.

After taking a few bites of my food, I dropped the fork, which clanked onto my plate. I slouched in my chair, staring at my food.

“They will show up soon, buddy!” Russel tried to reassure me.

I nodded in response, but I was not listening to what he said.

I kept replaying the dream in my mind over and over. How I hoped that it was just a dream!
But what if it was not? What if that is the reason they are not home?
I had to shake the thought out of my mind.

Leala was concerned. “What is wrong, honey?”

I did my best to not make eye contact with her as the lump grew in my throat.

“Can you tell us what is bothering you, please? We want to help you,” Deleena told me.

When I looked up at all three of them, I saw concern in their eyes, which were concentrated on me, studying my every move.

I took a deep breath and shut my eyes as I uttered, “Okay.”

I proceeded to tell them about my horrid dream. About how I saw my parents leaving the party, taking the trail into the forest. How the weather changed from a clear night to a strange storm with fog.

I told them in detail about the creature walking toward them and the chant. I would never forget the creature’s voice. It was crackly and deep, almost booming when it spoke. Just thinking about it sent a chill up my spine.

As I spoke about the part when the light shot out of the creature’s fingers, I burst into tears. The tears flowed down my face like a faucet that had sprung a leak. They fell onto the china, exploding and making more waterdrops on the plate.

“And then,” I said, attempting to speak the best I could, “th-the light sh-shot out of”—I sniffled—“its hands toward my parents. The second the light hit them, th-there was an explosion. A-and they fell to the ground like the driver of the carriage!” I wept harder.

Deleena, Leala, and Russel all looked at one another in shock. I could tell that they had no idea what to say to me. They gathered around me, rubbing my back and wiping my tears away.

“I-I think,” I said in between gasps for breath, “the light, um … I think it …” I tried to muster up the courage to say it. “It killed them.”

As those bitter words came out of my mouth, my stomach began to twist and turn, and the lump in my throat grew bigger.

Buttons came running into the room. He jumped onto my lap and purred. It almost seemed like he was trying to calm me down.

I was not sure what made me able to finally stop crying, but it took some time. I needed to see my parents, but no one had heard from them or knew where they were. Those working in the castle reassured me that my parents would be home any minute or that the party had lasted all night and they were still with their friends. I was not sure what to believe.

Later, I decided to go up to the library to look at the Rose House. I slowly climbed the stairs, taking them one step at a time. It took me awhile, but I finally reached the top. When I approached my father’s study, I stared intently at its door and then walked toward it. I stretched my arm out to touch it.

Very carefully, I moved my hand across the wooden surface to the knob. I wrapped my hand around it and attempted to turn it. Normally the door was locked, but this time it was not. I let go and jumped back.

After staring at the door a little longer, I finally turned and walked toward the library. As I struggled to push open the large doors of the library, Audric ran over to help me with them.

“Good morning!” he greeted me.

I could not say anything, so I just smiled and then walked over to the Rose House.

Standing by the table, I pulled a chair out, and then I brought it with me to the painting. After I placed the chair in front of the painting, I climbed onto it and stood on top of it, which made me eye level with the painting.

When I looked at it this time, I saw that something had changed. It was as if the roses had become deeper in color. And it almost looked as if more roses had grown.
But they cannot grow! I mean, it is a painting. It cannot change, can it?
I thought.

I was not sure how long I stood there just staring at it, but it must have been a long time. The next thing I knew, I was being called down for lunch.

I stepped off the chair and placed it back at the table. As I walked out, I thanked Audric for allowing me to have the time to myself. When I walked toward the stairs, I stopped at my father’s study. How I longed for him to walk out of the study with a fellow businessman. But I had no such luck.

Where are my parents? Are they really still with their friends, having so much fun that they do not want to come home yet?

As I walked down the stairs, I saw Buttons waiting for me at the bottom of the staircase. He must have heard me, because he perked up and stopped cleaning himself. Then he let out a big meow as if he were sighing.

Once at the bottom of the steps, I picked him up and carried him down the hallway with all the paintings and into the dining room. Once again, although the windows were open, the aroma of the roses did not fill the room. I became curious.

In the dining room, I set Buttons down and walked over to the windows. The roses were usually in full bloom this time of year. I opened one of the windows more so that I could stick my head out of it.

The roses did not look as they had the day prior; the day before, they had been lush and vibrant with color. Now they looked as if they were wilting from lack of sun or water; they had brown petals and drooping stems. But I watched our gardener water them every day, and they received a lot of sun during the day. It did not make sense.

“If these roses are wilting when they are in the soil and receiving nutrition from water and the sun, what are the roses in my room doing? They must be a lot worse off!” I mumbled to myself.

“What was that, sweetie?” Leala asked.

“Oh, nothing. I was talking to myself,” I explained.

She walked out of the kitchen with two plates in her hands. Deleena walked out after her, and Russel followed closely behind. They were setting the table by placing four plates down. I walked over to the table and then sat down as Leala placed a plate in front of me.

“Thank you,” I said to Leala.

She nodded with a big smile on her face. “Feeling better at all?”

“Not really.” I spoke softly with my head down, looking at my lap.

“Well, here, eat some lunch; then we will do something to get your mind off all of this! Sound good?”

“Okay.”

Once again, I hardly touched my food. To appease Leala, Russel, and Deleena, I took a few bites, but my mind was elsewhere. From where I was sitting, I could see the roses out of the window. I was completely baffled by them.

After finishing lunch, I went to my room to change my clothes, since I was still in my pajamas. I walked slowly from the dining room, through the hallways, and then up the stairs, toward my room.

Once at the top, I stopped and turned my body to the left, facing my parents’ room. I was about to walk toward their door, when something caught my attention. It was an aroma that I had not smelled before. The scent smelled kind of like the roses but was stronger and sweeter.

I turned away from my parents’ room, closed my eyes, and followed the unique scent. As I walked, I took in a big whiff; it was intoxicating. With my eyes still shut, I followed the perfume, which led me straight to my room.
What is in there?

I turned the knob to open the door. With a little push, the door flung open. At that moment, the scent burst through the doorway, surrounding me. It was almost as if I were in a whole different world. All I could do was enjoy the smell. It was the most amazing scent I had ever smelled before in my life. Once I was engulfed in it, my sorrow, frustration, and anxiety all disappeared and were replaced by giddiness.

I stepped into my room, still with eyes closed, trying to locate the source of the intoxicating fragrance. As I followed it, I ran into something. When I opened my eyes, I was at my night table.

There, sitting on my nightstand, were the most beautiful, full-bloomed roses. The aroma was coming from the roses my mother had put on the dining table and then brought up to my room the night before.

I stood there in awe. I had thought they would have been browning a little by now; I mean, the roses outside were wasting away. But not these. These roses were at the peak of life—lush and beautiful beyond words.

As I stood there, I forgot what I had come into my room for, because I was so lost in the fragrance. Never had I known that roses could create this perfume or look the way they did.
What is different about these roses? Were they like this last night?

All of a sudden, when I shut my eyes again, Mother popped into my head. I saw her as clear as day. She was wearing the purple dress with the beaded flowers. Her smile lit up the room. I heard her voice. She started singing the “Little Rose” song. Her voice rang through my ears.

“Mommy!” I screamed with excitement.

Once I opened my eyes, she disappeared. I was standing in front of my nightstand, with my bed on my right. But I felt no heartache after she disappeared.

I turned my back to the bed and sat down. The nightmare from the night prior came rushing to my mind.

I looked back to the roses, and the dream disappeared. I was filled with joy and happiness every time I looked at them. It was as if I were under a spell.
But how long will these roses stay this way?
They probably will lose their color and scent as the day progresses.

After gazing at the roses for some time, I looked down, finally remembering why I had come in there to begin with; I needed to change out of my pajamas. I walked over to my closet and stood there. Again I shut my eyes and focused on the scent of the roses.

I started to sway back and forth, which caused me to fall forward into my closet. I landed on a pile of clothes. As soon as I opened my eyes, I began laughing really loudly. I had not laughed like this all day. Then I attempted to stand back up to change my clothes, but no matter how hard I tried to pull myself up, something in me did not want to get up. My laughter then turned into giggling.

Apparently I made a loud crash when I fell, because Leala and Russel came running up the stairs.

“Are you okay?” Russel panted, out of breath from running up the two flights of stairs.

“I am fine,” I said, still giggling.

“What is so funny?” Leala asked.

“I have no idea!” I giggled.

“Well, I like this a lot more than the sad you we had earlier!” Russel and Leala agreed.

As they started to walk out of the room, they both stopped in their tracks. They caught the scent of the roses. Smiles appeared on their faces as they turned around to face me. The giggling became more intense. I was still on the pile of clothes in the closet.

“What is that smell?” asked Leala.

“It is the roses, Leala!” I squealed.

They turned away from me and walked toward the roses on the nightstand. Russel and Leala both sniffed, moving their faces closer to the flowers to capture more of the sweet aroma.

“That has to be the most wonderful thing I have ever smelled in my life!” Russel exclaimed, and Leala nodded in agreement.

“I know! They are the roses that Mother had on the dining table last night!” I said.

“Wow! They were not like this yesterday, were they?” Leala asked.

“Not that I can recall,” I answered. “But I do not care; they are wonderful now!”

I finally stood up and walked over to join them by the nightstand. All three of us stood still, eyes closed, just enjoying the perfume in the air.

“What are you three doing?” Deleena yelled.

We jumped because Deleena had startled us. She took a step into the room, catching the fragrance. We all watched her walk over to join us around the roses.

After gazing at the roses for some time, we all stepped away from them. Deleena, Leala, and Russel headed to the door. As I walked to my closet to finally change my clothes, I kept looking back at the roses. I could not stop thinking about them.

I stood in front of the closet, grabbed pants and a shirt, quickly put them on, and then ran to the roses. I took one last giant whiff of the aroma before running out of my room.