Beauty and the Beast

Chapter 1

There's something to be said about the softness of the pages of a book that's been reread a hundred times. The page was as light as a feather; smooth like marble; soft like fur. Bringing the book up to my nose, I inhaled the wonderful scent that reminded me that this book has been passed down from my mother and her mother before her.

Absentmindedly, I played with the braid that landed just above my breast as I read the beautiful words of Jane Austen. Trailing my hands down I brushed out the wrinkles that were forming on my dress that was fanned out across my father's old chair. The fabric was light blue with a white bust. Sighing, I looked down at my too big of breasts and silently cursed not having my mother's body so I could have fit into her old clothing with ease instead of them always being too tight. Not that I minded too much, it was the only clothes I had left.

My father had died only a few years after her from falling sick with the same disease. Though I don't remember either of them, my brother always saved stories to tell me. He would tell me how father had helped him create his first invention and how our mother would tell him stories every night before bed. I wished to have those times with them, but I knew that times with my brother were better than nothing at all. Though he was only ten when my father died and I was three, he has taken care of me every day since.

My fingers traced the message on the back page as I finished the book. The same message was written from my mother.

Though we will never meet in this life time, know that I will always be with you my darling Ella.

I sighed before closing the first edition of Pride and Prejudice that now belonged to me after years of being passed down. The thought of my mother only brought bittersweet memories of growing up with just my brother, Charles. He was a very trying man, being an inventor and all.

Standing up from the falling apart chair, I placed my book on the small wooden table that we used for both a coffee and dinner table. My head snapped in the direction of the basement at the sound of a big crash. Charlie!

Quickly, I ran down the rickety stairs of the cold, dark basement to find my brother in the middle of the room with dirt and soot all over him. In front of him was what looked like one of his new inventions, which was now covering most of the floor after it had crashed to the ground. Smoke was all over the room but, thankfully, there was no fire.

Looking back up at Charlie I could see his wide-eyed expression through the smoke. "I can explain." He held up his hands to me.

I raised an eyebrow at him before folding my arms across my chest. "Please do." Biting my lip, I stopped myself from laughing.

Charlie reached behind him and rubbed the back of his neck; suddenly looking nervous. After a few minutes he sighed and put a smile on his face. "You caught me, I've got nothing."

Laughing I shook my head before walking over to help him get out of this mess. Reaching down, I picked up his fishing hat that he never left home without, though he's never fished a day of his life. Placing the hat over his light brown hair, I looped my arm through his and walked upstairs with him, not even minding that I was probably full of dirt and soot just like him.

Once we got upstairs I went to the kitchen to make him a pot of tea. Our stove was small and barely worked, but it would have to do for now until brother could sell one of his inventions. I had a job at the library but it didn't pay well but at least I could afford some bread and milk for dinner. I worked mostly for my enjoyment; that and for the free books.

The whistling of the kettle snapped me out of my thoughts about the library. Bringing the tea over to Charlie, I picked his feet up and settled them on the chair he wasn't sitting in, right in front of him at the table. "Ella, I wish you would go out and talk to some of your friends instead of staying here taking care of your older brother all the time."

I sighed. This was a conversation that had grown old much like the man in front of me. Though he was only 27, he looked to be over the age of 35 with all the stress he's been under with trying to fix his latest invention. Walking over to the sink, I grabbed a wash cloth and wrung it out. Kneeling in front of him I wiped off all of the dirt and soot on his face.

"I would much rather make sure you were okay than go out and meet people who only think of you as a fool." I said after I made sure his face was clear of any cuts or bruises from the mess.

Though it seemed harsh, the fact that everyone who lived around here thought of my brother as a fool was true. They thought he was a dreamer and that all of his madness was just a waste of time. Even if I didn't always agree with his way of thinking and his inventions had never brought food to our table, I would never shoot him down the way people around here have always done. Some had even gone as far as breaking his latest inventions. That was back when he used to fix them right in the yard and it caused him to move down to the basement. What kind of people break a man's hard work?

"Ella, those people are only speaking the truth." He put his hand on my cheek as he flashed me a sad smile.

Shaking my head I stood up from my kneeling position. "I refuse to believe them. You have worked hard your whole life. If mother and father believed that you could achieve greatness then I shall believe the same. I crave for the day that you prove all of those men wrong."

Charlie chuckled before shaking his head, obviously not believing that he could achieve such brilliance; I believed otherwise. He had always been an inventor and back when he first started, people watched him with excitement and wonder. Now people only laugh at him from his recent 'failures'. What they cannot see is that all those failures only lead him one step closer to success. I know that, as did my mother.

Placing the cloth back on the counter, I went down with a broom and dustpan to pick up the mess in the basement. I shook my head when I saw the broken pieces all over the floor. What could have possibly went wrong for him to have it explode this way? I pressed my lips together at the thought of how crushed he must have been to have all his work be wasted in front of him. Don't worry, Charlie. You'll have your day.

I was almost done with the basement when I heard a knock upstairs. Looking up the stairs in confusion, I walked over to try and listen to who it could be.

"Out of my way, boy." A deep voice said.

The floor boards creaked from the strain of whatever weight was upstairs, not that you needed much for these floors.I shook my head at the thought, it was just another thing that needed to be fixed around here. While some people laughed at how poor we were, I embraced it. Our struggles had only taught me that even if the world isn't always fair, we were still blessed with the gift of having each other and a roof over our heads.

"Ella doesn't want to see you, Ashton." Charlie yelled.

A booming laugh that made me shiver in disgust bounced off the walls.

"How could she not want to see me? Women love me."

Oh great, he's here.