Beastly: The Beast Within (Book 1)

Chapter 9

The founders ball has been held at the Lawson manor since the very first ball when Silas Lawson came to an agreement with the Quinn, Wells, Downing, and Sutherland families to share his land in peace. Every year the town gets together and celebrates the gift of their home. Miss and Mr. Scarswin are chosen every year, girls dream of this day from their very first ball to the moment they are of age to enter. It's like a Scarswin rite of passage to participate in the ball and an honor to win it.

Skyler parks in front of the Fawn house, the streets have an odd silence to them. The sky a little grayer, signs of a storm coming. Izzy stumbles out of the house carrying a box of vases. She carefully puts them in the trunk and rushes to the passenger seat.

"I know how it all started. And isn't it odd that I have a full-blown vision of the founders the night before the Founder's Day ball." She lets out in one breath.

Skyler starts to drive, "Middling Izzy, you're giving me the middle of a conversation we haven't had."

"Oh right." She laughs, "Ok I had a vision, more like a dream of the day the Downing, Quinn, Wells, Sutherland, and Lawson families all got together."

"Ok the day the town bill was signed, I know this."

"No Skyler, I now know who's what." She smiles, "The Downing line are vampires, Quinn line are wolves and you Sutherlands are hunters."

"Kyle Quinn is a wolf?" Skyler pulls the car over, "You're telling me I dated a wolf, like some teen drama show."

"Yea, you did. And my line are totally witches, we gave them the rings they wear."

"What about the Lawson's?" she starts the car up again and heads towards Lawson Manor.

"See that's the freaky thing, not once did I see what they are, or who gave them their rings. When asked what he is by Jacob Wells, Silas just shrugged the question off."

They pull up to the gates, LAWSON MANOR in large letters. Security open the gates and give Skyler a nod to drive on. "So, we're heading into a lion's den, without knowing what breed of lion we're messing with?" she looks at Izzy.

"Basically." As they drive closer to the mansion, they see Mayor Lawson waiting out front. "I will admit, I'm a little more frightened then I was before."

"Me too." Skyler parks the car and they wave at the Mayor.

The girls get out of the car trying not to show their newly found fear of Mayor Lawson. Izzy grabs the box from the trunk and heads towards the Mayor, "Hi Mayor Lawson, thank you for having us." She smiles.

"No Isadora, thank you girls for setting up. I know it's a big job but can it be done quickly? I'm not found of having so many people walking around the manor."

"It's no problem at all, we'll work fast." Izzy assures him.

"Fantastic." He gives them a wide smile, "Set up is in the back yard, I'll send Isaac out to assist you girls." Amos turns around and heads to the mansion.

One of the security guards ushers the girls towards the yard, a big guy with not even a hint of an expression on his face. He takes them past the small gate and locks it once they are through. The yard looks beautiful, a huge white dance floor at the center where the guests can be seen from every angle, tables placed perfectly near each other making a U formation, and fairy lights dangling down slightly and meeting at the center above the dance floor.

"Honestly Izzy, I have no idea how you talked me into this." Skyler whines and sits down. "I haven't done one of these in almost five years."

"That's even more of a reason to help me," Izzy places a slim vase filled with water and beautiful floating petals of aconitum, at the center of the tables. "You are a Sutherland, descendant of a founder. You can't finally be home and not attend the founders ball." Volunteers walk in and out of the Lawson house with boxes, placing dinnerware on tables covered in ivory cloths.

"What did you put in these?" Skyler swirls a vase swishing the purple flower inside.

Izzy leans into Skyler and whispers, "Aconitum it's supposed to be poison for wolves."

"Kind of a shitty place to bring that isn't it?"

She places another vase on the table, "You won't think that if Harley shows up again."

Skyler puts the vase down, "You don't think he'll actually show up here."

"It's a party, Harley never misses a party." Isaac's voice scares the girls. Skyler gets up quickly and hides the vase behind her back.

"It's not nice to eavesdrop," Izzy clears her throat as she pretends to fix the table cloth.

Isaac smiles, "I didn't come here to spy, just to help."

"Well..who said we needed your help, You weren't so keen to help at the diner." Skyler says matter-of-factly.

Isaac laughs, "This is for my father, your little supernatural crusade helps no one. Let it go."

"Just tell us what we want to know." Izzy steps closer and crosses her arms.

Isaac looks around for listening ears, "This is not the place. Trust me. Do your little decorating and go." He starts to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Skyler shouts.

"You said you don't need my help." He smirks as he walks into the mansion.

"Come on Izzy, lets get this over with." Skyler rolls her eye and heads back to the piled boxes.

The backyard is coming together beautifully, like a page straight from an upscale magazine. The vases really pulled the look of the tables together giving them a hint of color with its purple petals floating inside. The sun began to slowly set and the twinkle lights shined brighter.

"Do you really think Harley will show up?" Skyler rubs her throat remembering her last encounter with him, "it does seem like something he'll come and destroy."

Izzy grabs Skyler's arm, "We'll be ready if he does, I promise." She hands Hailee a small pouch with wolfsbane inside.

Six o'clock approaches fast, the yard is finally done and the waiters start to arrive and take their positions. Skyler and Izzy head home to get ready for what might be one of the most stressful nights of their lives.

So far....