Finding Beauty (Rewrite)

Chapter 50

~Beauty~

Beth was a second away from crumbling into pieces. If the cops came through the radio saying they had Teigan she surely would.

Jacobs left an officer in the room with her. She was scrolling through her phone - waiting for updates she said - and glancing up at Bethany every few minutes. This time their eyes met and the officer looked as if she was debating if she should say something. Beth raised her eyebrows, eager to have something break the heavy silence in the room.

"Grayson seems like a very brave man. The way he has fought for you over all these months has been truly inspiring." The officer tentatively placed down her phone and sat back in her seat. "Not everyone is lucky enough to have someone like that in their lives."

"Grayson?" That hadn't been the name she anticipated to hear. It took her back to the brunch that felt like centuries ago. It was hard to think back on how he was acting then and feel lucky to have him. Still, she could acknowledge that she had heard from numerous people upon returning of how hard he had been fighting to bring her back. Even if she hadn't felt the same way, she could admit he had proved his love for her. Someday he would make someone really happy. It just couldn't be her - not in that way.

"Yeah. If this plan of his is successful then he might be a contender for some kind of an award. He's a real hero."

Beth stopped breathing. It was him. This was because of Grayson.

He must have stormed over to the police station when the second brunch was over. Had she driven him to this? She rejected him so he decided he would get revenge on her? He had to know she had feelings for Teigan at this point. To him, he was the Beast and there was no sense in it but still, he knew. The worst part of it was that in Grayson's head this decision was perfectly reasonable. There was not a person on earth who could convince him this was a mistake. He was going after a criminal. It was justified.

But if he captured Teigan, if he killed him, then all those people trapped as roses would remain that way forever. He'd be taking on all of Teigan's mistakes as his own.

"You alright?" The woman leaned over the table. "You look a little pale."

The door to the interrogation room opened and in walked Jacobs. He should have been on the scene of the trap. His presence implied something was wrong and because of that Bethany's state only worsened.

"Officer Kelly," he said, nodding at the officer seated with Beth, "You're excused for now."

Beth and Jacobs both watched as the officer left the room. A few seconds after she disappeared, Jacobs motioned for Bethany to follow him.

"Quickly."

The two maneuvered through the station with an amount of stealth that Bethany wouldn't have thought was necessary for a higher up. Jacobs was purposefully trying to keep as little eyes on them as possible. He didn't say anything until they were out of the station and Beth was questioning if she should still be following him.

Outside was a car she recognized with a familiar little woman in the driver's seat. She motioned for the two of them to get in. Beth got into the backseat with Jacobs. Once they were driving Jacobs' appearance began to melt away. His features became outlined in purple and soon his gray hair was replaced with blonde ringlets. His wrinkled features were pulled back into flawless porcelain skin.

"Carina," she started, gaping at the enchantress, "What is going on? Why is she here? Do you know who she is?"

"Unfortunately, I do."

At the wheel, Carina was expertly maneuvering through traffic. The speedometer was dancing dangerously close to the limit on the city streets and though the weather was only slightly humid, sweat was running down her forehead.

"Bethany, I understand why I may not be everyone's favorite person but I am trying to fix the mess I've made."

It was a bit of a shock hearing those words from someone who was so self righteous. Beth didn't know what the cause of this change of heart was but if it meant helping the one she loved then she wouldn't question it. "By saving Teigan?"

"Yes." The enchantress bit her lip. "And Grayson."

"You two better hold onto something back there." Carina made a sharp turn, sending the two of them against the left side of the vehicle. Bethany strapped herself in as the witch held the overhead handle.

When the car righted itself, the enchantress continued. After fixing her hair out of her face, that was. "I think I should start by being open and honest. My name is Cassandra. I'm a shapeshifter who can give others the ability. Hence, what I did to Teigan."

"I'm not some all-powerful being. I was born in Nashville and was put into some experimental trails that gave me my abilities. My life in hiding after I escaped was bland so I took it upon myself to find meaning in cursing Teigan. I say all of this to prove I have no idea what I'm doing. I messed up and I'm sorry."

While it was nice to hear that the enchantress - or Cassandra - was owning up to her mistakes, it was hard to focus when at any moment Teigan could be shot dead by police officers with Grayson laughing over his corpse. Beth almost wished Cassandra was some super powerful witch because then she could stop everything with a wave of her hands. Her human nature only meant that they were more helpless than she had originally thought. And if the one who cast the curse didn't know how to break it then how could Teigan?

"You mentioned Grayson. What did you do to him?"

Cassandra averted her gaze out the window, smoothening her skater dress. "I wanted to help him find you since I thought you were in danger with Teigan. I may have led him on a wild goose chase of sorts that may have led to a deterioration of his mental state."

Carina snickered as they stopped at a red light. "You are a walking tornado. Ever thought of staying out of people's business?"

Choosing to ignore the statement, Cassandra turned back to Beth. "I don't know why the curse hasn't broken yet but I will help save Teigan the best I can."

Beth prayed that Cassandra's best would be enough.