Finding Beauty (Rewrite)

Chapter 36

~The Beast~

Teigan could have really used some clarity.

He had thought the plan to save someone was going to work. He had tremendous faith in it. For once, he had allowed himself to hope that he wouldn't spend the rest of his life as a beast. After this stunt had failed, he was beginning to reimagine what his life would look like from then on. Gone were the fantasies of being reunited with his mother, getting a job, being out and about - his existence would be reduced to hiding or catching bad guys. Not only would he be held hostage by his appearance but he wouldn't have the superhuman abilities that allowed him to do something with himself by fighting crime.

He had begun thinking deeply about life without the curse because of Bethany.

After the two had finished watching a thriller, Beth and Teigan had stayed up a while longer talking about what he would want to do when the curse broke. It was something he had never thought about until she asked.

"What do you mean? Surely, you've daydreamed about it at least a little!" she said, craning her neck over the couch pillow to glance at him. She was laying across the couch much like she was her first day at the house but this time she was smiling.

"I never thought I stood a chance at breaking the curse. In my head, I didn't have any reason to change and what the witch said was so vague - I didn't know what to do with it."

Not to mention, it took a whole year to even come to terms with what happened - to fully accept it as reality and not some nightmare he had yet to wake up from. Going after criminals wasn't his attempt to break the curse but to hold onto a sense of purpose . It was also to live up to his father's expectations to some capacity. He could never join the military or the police force but he could do his best with the hand he was dealt. He hadn't cared what the witch thought while he was doing it. He did it because he needed to.

"Then think about it now. What would you do?"

Teigan leaned back into the couch where he sat beside her, holding back a yawn. He thought about it for a moment and then answered, "I wouldn't go back to college. I hated school."

"Fair enough."

"I'd find a career I'd like." He thought about the path he was on before the curse blocked it off. If he was honest, he wasn't exactly passionate about the life he had ahead of him. Actually, he hadn't been passionate about anything for quite some time. "I wouldn't be a police officer. I don't think I ever wanted to do it for myself."

"What about woodworking?"

He smirked down at her. "Because I made you a bookshelf?"

"Teigan," she dropped the strand of hair she was playing with and stared at him, her brown eyes ablaze. "It's a beautiful bookshelf and you made it in one morning."

"Thank you."

"You could run your own furniture selling business or sell your work to furniture stores." A sheepish expression took hold of her face. "Sometimes I go out in the shed and sneak a peek at your latest creations. I know that the bookshelf wasn't a one off."

Tiegan gaped at her.

"That's right. I know about your secret hobby."

He turned from her, tugging on the drawstring of his hoodie. "Which one is your favorite?"

"I like the chest with the branches carved into it. It outlines the lid beautifully. You know, I never would have pegged you as someone artistic."