Bo and the Beast (Book #1) (Completed)

26. A Brief Respite

Upstairs, Bo stepped into her room, still decorated with roses and smelling as if she was inside a bloom itself. A few of the petals had begun to wilt, but for the most part they were as vibrant as when they'd placed them there. She crossed to her bed and lay down for a few moments, but soon found that she was too restless to stay put. Sitting up, she tried reading a bit from the third book in the Knight's Conquest series, but then sighed and snapped the cover shut. Somehow the air felt stifling, like she was drowning in nothing.

Getting to her feet, she crossed to the french doors and picked up the Beast's rose that still lay across the handles. She slid it into her pocket and then opened the doors to the narrow balcony. The cool air kissed her skin as she leaned against the railing and calmed her restless heart. The sun had made a reappearance early that morning, and she took a deep breath of the clean air. The rain hadn't yet evaporated from the ground yet, and so everything still glistened with a million tiny beads of water. The wet stone felt cool against her palms, and she savored the air that felt so sweet in her lungs.

As she closed her eyes to better take it all in, she heard the sound of whirring behind her. Immediately her mood soured. Dent and his cronies had taken to "cleaning" her room every few hours, which she knew was just the Beast making sure that she didn't try to escape. She was getting real tired, real fast, of the Service-Matons barging into her space without warning, and bustling around while she tried to relax or read. They would straighten her already pristine closet and shine her spotless tub with ruthless efficiency. It was getting to the point where Bo was ready to scream at the sound of their stupid motors coming toward the door.

Sighing, she went back into the room to fetch her book from the bed. The Service-Maton, this time Chan, watched her from the closet, scanning her with a laser. "All's well, miss?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"Yup, just like every time, Chan," she replied, as she took her book back out to the balcony, the only place where she could get at least a semblance of peace. She sat down, facing indoors. A moment later, and Chan sheepishly exited the room and left her alone.

Bo rubbed her eyes and then let her head fall back against the stone behind her. Her gaze swept up the side of the house, where she noticed that there was a stone lintel above the french doors and only a few feet below the roof. While it didn't seem like anything to anyone else, to Bo it was just about the perfect width to act as a foothold. If she stood on the bannister, she could easily get ahold of the lintel and use it to haul herself up and over the roof edge.

She glanced back to her room, which was only going to be empty for a little while longer before the next Service-Maton made its rounds. She knew she probably shouldn't be sneaking off when they checked on her so often, but she also couldn't stand the thought of them watching her like little spies.

She tucked the book in her waistband and turned to haul herself onto the railing of the bannister. She took a moment to find her balance, ignoring the long fall to the ground should she tip over, and then turned her attention to the lintel above the door. Bending her knees, she lined up for a small jump and leaped to grab the edge of the lintel. Her fingers smacked into the stone, and though it stung a bit, it wasn't enough to dissuade her from scrambling to get her foot onto the ledge as well. When she had enough leverage, she hauled herself up to grab the edge of the roof and pull herself up.

The stone blocks were warm in the sunshine and she took a moment to let the breeze stir her hair. The roof was a series of sharp peaks and valleys, with the tops of the tall window peaks blocking anyone's view from the ground. It was ideal for hiding from robot eyes.

Bo picked her way a few feet in, and settled into a nook, leaning back to feel the sun on her skin. She cracked the book open, continuing from where she'd left off. This time she got into the story, losing herself in the world now that she didn't have to worry about being interrupted by a cleaning robot. She read for about an hour until her eyes began to droop. The sun felt so warm and gentle, so unlike the fierce and aggressive rays she was used to, that her body began to slip toward sleep. She struggled for a little bit, wanting to finish her book, but eventually the pull of a warm nap became too much for her to resist. Closing her eyes, she rolled onto her side and let the sun carry her into a gentle sleep.

--

The saturated light of sunset awoke Bo hours later. Her head swam with interrupted sleep, and she pushed herself to her elbows with a groggy groan. Rubbing her eyes, she squinted at the pink sky and then examined the strange patterns the shingles had left on her skin. She took a moment to fully wake up, and then tucked her book back into her waistband and climbed down to the balcony.

Her boots hit the stone with a dull thump, and it only took her a few moments to realize that she was not the only one making such noises. Her eyebrows drew down as she listened more closely, walking into the bedroom while she did. The noise came from somewhere downstairs, which was odd as the floors were thick and made of stone. It wasn't normal that she could hear anything when her door was shut.

She walked out into the hall, listening as the sound of thudding grew louder. It was joined by the beeping and voices of the Service-Matons, which she could hear now that she was out of the room. They sounded frantic, and there was definitely more than just one. It sounded almost as if the whole fleet of robots were beeping away somewhere downstairs. She wondered if they'd malfunctioned and were going crazy cleaning things. A lopsided smile stretched across her lips at the thought.

By that time, she'd reached the top of the main staircase and could see down to the foyer. The robots were flashing by with such speed they were almost blurs. They didn't seem to be doing any cleaning, just scanning anything and everything with their lasers and beeping in shrill symphony. It reminded Bo of when she'd tried to break through the forcefield. She started down the staircase, wondering if she could find Dent or Madame to ask what was going on, but before she could get far the front door slammed open with a bang.