Who Could Ever Love a Beast?

Chapter One: The Unexpected

"Catalina, where on Earth are the Kensington gowns?" Madame Colbourne shouted from the stairwell.

Catalina hurried down with three boxes in her hands, each one slightly heavier than the one beneath it. "Coming, Madame!"

"Hurry it up, child," she sighed exasperatedly. "I'm not getting any younger."

Catalina loaded the boxes into the delivery wagon quickly so as not to anger Madame Colbourne. As grateful as Catalina was for such an opportunity, it was quite exhausting having to tend to every need Madame threw at her. The old crone did nothing but point fingers and scold, mainly at Catalina.

"Those are all the dresses, Madame." Catalina wiped the sweat off her brow. "Shall I be off then?"

"I suppose so," Madame said, folding her arms. "Do get there quickly, you slowpoke. The Kensingtons are prime customers and I will not have your tardy tendencies ruin this for me."

"Yes, Madame." Catalina bowed her head.

"And if I get a complaint that the dresses arrived late or damaged, no supper for a week, you got that?"

"Yes, Madame."

"Now, get going. You've already wasted enough time," Madame huffed. "And if you're not back before sundown, I won't hesitate to drag you back."

Catalina mounted the seat at the front of the delivery wagon as Madame stomped back to her shop. She had made this trip many times before, so she practically knew the way by heart. However, Madame always seemed to be irritated with her for something regarding her methods. She'd yell at her for coming back with muddy boots or messy hair, saying it was "unladylike". Madame's idea of being "ladylike", however, required a certain economic bracket.

At the young age of 12, Catalina was sent to Le Meilleur from her home in Alegría. Her parents were struggling financially and hoped their daughter would have a better chance at life in Le Meilleur. Although disheartened by the fact that she had to leave her parents, she was grateful for the opportunity she had in Le Meilleur. There, she was taken in by Madame Colbourne as a seamstress in her dress shop. At the time, Catalina wasn't aware of how arduous the work would be. She was overworked by the greedy woman, told to sew dresses until her fingers bled. Although it was exhausting work, she was able to provide some money for her family as well as herself.

Yet, she despised it.

Every day, she woke up with more chores than the day before. Scrub the floors, clean the dishes, do the laundry, sew the dresses, cook the meals, urgh! It was a monotonous chain of misery that Catalina was forever bound to.

Six years had passed since the day she arrived in Le Meilleur, and nothing ever changed. Yet, despite all the hardships and exhausting days Catalina endured, she still held out hope. She longed for a day where she could go out into the world and try new things. She longed to grow flowers to admire. She longed to read books for enjoyment. She longed to dance to have fun. She longed for many things, but specifically, she longed for freedom.

After Catalina delivered the dresses to the Kensingtons, a wealthy family on the outskirts of town, she headed back towards the dress shop, only to be greeted by a dreadful storm. The winds picked up and trees began to fall, nearly squashing her poor horse. Catalina continued to traverse, no matter how cold and wet she became. Her determination knew no bounds.

Just as she was halfway through the treacherous woods, a tree branch fell across her path and snapped the reins holding her horse in place. With a loud "neigh", the horse galloped away, leaving Catalina stranded in the middle of the cold forest.