Finding Beauty (Rewrite)

Chapter 18

~Beauty~

Beth was wrapped in a cocoon of her own making. Her room had no windows yet the cold still found a way in. She was beginning to think that Teigan was trying to freeze her out - literally.

She didn't lose track of time in her downwards spiral of depression. In fact, she was aware of every single second passing. It was a second more to miss Grayson. It had been four days since she left her room. Four days since her video chat with Grayson. 

She was so excited to speak to him she hadn't thought about whether she was prepared for it or not. She didn't realize how much she had missed him. 

Teigan and Carina were respecting her space. When she got hungry she snuck into the kitchen and grabbed whatever was closest to her. Thanks to Carina whatever was most convenient to grab was always a plate of food specially saved for her once she caught on to what she was doing. 

Bethany wanted to be cross with the two of them but with a dry laugh, she acknowledged that she had to be one of the luckiest kidnapping victims in the world. She was lucky Teigan had even given her the chance to speak with Grayson and he was right when he said she knew it would eventually have to end. It didn't mean she had to like it though. 

On this morning when she went into the kitchen, she didn't find food but a fluffy white blanket of hope. 

Snowflakes landed gracefully against the window in the living room. She raced over to see that there had to be a foot of snow piled onto the ground. This was the first time she ever saw snow like this. In New York City, she was used to gray slush but what she saw was the whole winter wonderland cliche. The pine trees no longer looked so menacing covered in white. 

"Put on your boots." She spun around to see Teigan coming down the stairs. He was pulling a black hoodie over himself and showed no sign of shock to see her out and about after her mini hibernation. "Let's check it out." 

Her instinct was to give him an attitude. It felt right after how their last exchange went. However, she would have been lying to herself if she acted like she wasn't over feeling sorry for herself and desperate to see the snow up close. 

Teigan handed her a pair of boots and a coat to borrow - both a little too big. She followed him out to the backyard, inhaling a breath of the fresh air. The sun had come out and felt warm on her cheeks. 

Teigan was standing there with his hands in his pockets, face a blank canvas void of all emotion. Feeling mischievous, she scooped up a hunk of snow and packed it down. The iciness burned her fingers. 

"Hey!" she yelled at him. 

His brows crossed and he looked behind him like she might have been addressing someone else. "Yes?"

This, she thought, is for being a jerk. 

"You got some snow on your face!" She launched the ball at him and laughed as he scrambled away. 

"Um, I don't really want to . . ." 

She threw another one, not satisfied as the former one didn't reach him. It hit him right in the chest. 

A smile crept onto both their faces. 

"Okay . . . I see how it is . . ." He bent down, collected a huge chunk of snow, and squashed it in his hands. "You better run while you still can." 

She shrieked and ran, the snowball hitting her right in the back. She took cover behind a tree and when she snuck a peek at him she saw he was at work making a pile of snowballs. She made a few of her own and threw them at him. 

A snowball of his hit the tree and she laughed. "Come on! Mister Vigilante can't throw better than that?" 

"Oh, talking trash now, are we?" He made a big show of positioning himself to throw the next one, winding up like a baseball pitcher. 

She was so distracted by his antics she forgot to dodge and the snowball hit her straight in the gut. Losing her balance, she collapsed backwards into the snow. 

"Bethany!" He rushed over and peered down at her. "Are you okay?" 

"I've been shot!" she replied. With that, she dramatically faked her own death. 

He chuckled and fell into the snow next to her, sending a wave her way.

"Hey!" 

He laughed harder - it was deep and bouncy, like a kid's through a voice changer. "You look like an old lady with a beard!" 

She brushed the snow off of her. "Whatever!" Bethany let herself melt into the snow and closed her eyes. 

"While I got you here and in a good mood . . . mind telling what you actually do with the criminals you catch?" 

Apparently those few days in solitude had made her blunt. They had also given her time to think and come to the conclusion that he couldn't have killed them all. Teigan could be selfish and impatient - sometimes tempered - but not cruel or murderous. Besides, if there were bodies the police would have found them eventually. Ryan Daniels hadn't been found. 

"What?" He turned his head to face her. "What do you mean 'what do I do with them?' Don't you think I killed them?" 

"Not anymore." 

"Hmm." 

"Hmm?" 

"I'll tell you - but not today. Tomorrow." 

She wrinkled her nose. "Why tomorrow?" 

"Because today was too nice to ruin." 

She gave him a cheesy smile he didn't notice. The sentiment of the statement proved he wasn't as rock and roll as he claimed to be. It was exactly how she knew he wasn't a killer.