Finding Beauty (Rewrite)

Chapter 28

~The Beast~

There was only one mirror in the house.

His mother had thrown out the majority of them within the week of his transformation. After the initial disbelief, shock, and denial faded, she had done the act without him having to say a single word. He came out of his cave of a room one day and they were all gone. Later, when the house became desolate, he found them all in the shed. He broke them all in a fit of rage, leaving only one unharmed.

This one was a floor length antique that lived in Carina's room but she had brought it out for Bethany's use. He had somehow wandered over to it and was shamefully captivated by his own image. He was in a sleek black tux with a crimson red tie. It was a giant departure from his signature hoodie and sweats. He had grown accustomed to cutting his own hair but Carina helped him this time, leaving it long enough that pieces of it brushed against his forehead. With the elegant mask that covered the majority of his face, he really did appear to be a regular person attending a masquerade. It was a glimpse into what he used to be - physically, at least.

He was waiting for Bethany to finish getting ready and he felt two very different kinds of flutters in his chest. One was caused by the thought of something happening to her that night. It already infuriated him beyond measure that Tyler Daniels had found them and had made him feel unsafe in his own home. In the days leading up to the masquerade, he barely slept. At any slight noise, he was up checking the house, making rounds to be certain Carina and Beth were safe. He knew he couldn't leave Beth while he went to the party. She would be safer the closer she stuck to him. Tyler would have to pry her from him to hurt her. Normally, that would insight confidence in him but with his powers dwindling like they were - it was much more of a risk.

The other flutter in his chest was caused by something he'd never admit out loud. It was the silly notion that the two of them going to the masquerade party was similar to a date. Perhaps it was not having a snitch of a love life in ages that caused his mind to go there. Still, he felt stupid for the thought having the circumstances of it all. Under the mask, he was still a beast. Bethany would be unhinged to ever think of him in a romantic light. The two had managed to become friends by a miracle but there was no miracle that could make it more than that.

"Let's get this show on the road."

Teigan had been standing in front of the mirror when Bethany came up from behind him. He caught her reflection and was thankful for the mask sitting atop his face. He spun around, feeling even sillier for the flutter in his chest.

She was beautiful. Of course, he had already known that. Bethany was the kind of beautiful that was both understated and overstated - it was in your face without being obnoxious. The awareness of her beauty had always been there for him. All dressed up, she was a slap in the face.

"Woah," their words overlapped.

Bethany's dress matched the crimson red of his tie and it's straps fell off her shoulders. The skirt flowed out from the waist to the knees in ruffles like a rose. It was hauntingly stunning. He would have been more appreciative of her appearance had it not been that Tyler Daniels had picked the pieces out himself and left them at the doorstep.

"You look . . . amazing."

She ducked her head to hide her blush. "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself."

Teigan cleared his throat and straightened out his jacket. "Let's go over some ground rules before we get going."

Beth nodded. "I have a ground rule; Let's not get killed."

He had learned that behind every sarcastic comment lied some deflective emotion. He wished he could have done more to comfort her.

"That's priority number one. Priority number two is that we stick together. Don't wander out of my sight. I won't let him hurt you as long as I'm around."