Finding Beauty (Rewrite)

Chapter 11

~Beauty~

The news channel said it was November 17. This meant she had missed the release of Shattered Iron, the last book in her favorite fantasy series. She tried to find a sense of comfort in the thought that she probably wouldn't have been able to buy the book until her babysitting check came in, which would be at the end of the week. She still had four days before her kidnapping would have officially caused her to lose out on a new read.

She'd spent the last few hours using a pad and pen she found in her room to jot down predictions about the series finale.

Roderin will break the half blood curse and choose to become fully human.

Nadia will be killed off in a battle scene against the Queen.

Lilia Darius will find that the Stone of Abberus isn't the cure after all.

Gosh, I need something to do!

"Dinner is almost ready!" Carina cheered over the music. She had been playing something Carribean while she cooked. "Why don't you wash up?"

Beth leaped at the chance of something to do. "Okie dokie." She washed her hands, singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in her head to make sure she washed them long enough. When she came back out she heard hushed voices coming from the kitchen so she stood behind the door and listened in.

"I apologize. I didn't think you'd mind!" The voice was Carina's.

Teigan responded. "Of course, I'd mind! It's unsettling to see my mother's clothing on her."

His mother's clothing?

She felt the cotton of the jeans beneath her fingers and cringed. She remembered the stacks of clothes in the room upstairs, it must have come from there. From what he said on their walk in the morning, it sounded like he grew up in this home. It made sense, except why did he still have his mother's clothing in the house? Why didn't she take it with her wherever she was?

She heard Carina sigh. "I'll go and buy her some new ones tonight then - on your credit card!"

"Fine."

Assuming it was safe to come out, she entered the kitchen. Carina pointed her to the dining table where Teigan was setting plates with his lips tightly pressed together. He still had his hoodie up like Beth always did when she was having a bad hair day.

They all sat down to enjoy - or in her case try to enjoy - their pasta. A silence fell in the room. It was worsened by the clinks of their forks against their plates echoing due to the high ceilings.

"So . . ." He nodded his head as if he had said enough for Beth to work with.

"So?"

"What do you do?"

"Like . . . my job?"

Carina sat back, clearly enjoying her view at the head of the table between the two of them or maybe she was getting ready to referee should a fight break out.

"Yes. Unless you don't have one and are going to school or something."

"Uh - I'm doing both. I was doing both." She paused for a moment but continued realizing that there was not a way for him to use this information against her. Besides, if she spoke more about herself, maybe he'd feel comfortable to do the same and she could use it against him.

"I go to college and work part time babysitting my neighbors kids a few times a week."

"Oh, babysitting!" Carina clapped her hands together, a nostalgic smile on her face. "That was my first job. Are they nightmarish? My first kids were."