Oh, friends...are you in for a ride today. It's the second to last installment of Beast + Beauty (!!!) so hopefully this will not disappoint. In case you need to go back and reread, here's part I, II, III, IV + V (I highly recommend rereading the last one before starting this).
PLEASE let me know in the comments what you think! As always, each one means the world to me...and there's quite a few plot twists in this installment. Which means the ending is the only part left..sniff sniff. Also, is anyone wanting a kiss? Or wondering if I've written one in or not? Hmm, pressing issues...
6
Alina blinked
hazily, staring at grimy concrete. Cold warehouse air pressed against her skin,
wet from the rain. A dizzying sense of déjà vu swept through her...was it
really only ten days ago that she’d lay here after the subway incident? But
there was no loud-mouthed teenager or gentle, dark-eyed man to help her…Adam.
“…let me know. I
don’t want them sneaking up on us,” Iain finished, turning away from a man by
the door.
Alina lifted her
head, every nerve in her body tensing. Now his attention was on her. She
pressed herself into the wall, wrapping her arms around her knees protectively.
He stopped by
her feet, staring down at her. “Get up.”
She didn’t move.
Iain clutched a
handful of her damp hair tightly and yanked her up. Despite her best efforts, a
whimper came through the duct tape at the sharp wave of pain.
He ripped it
off. Her mouth stung, as if he’d slapped her.
“I want you to
cry,” he breathed in her ear, holding up a phone in front of her face
tauntingly. His ice-blue eyes narrowed. “Because if you cry, he will come. To rescue his little
beauty.”
Alina glared at
him with burning hatred, desperately trying to blink back the treacherous tears
pooling in her eyes. “No,” she ground out between her teeth.
His hand twisted
against her hair again, this time almost yanking her backwards.
A horrible rip
met her ears and she nearly screamed as he jerked again. Black streaks swam
before her eyes; dizziness roared in her ears, threatening to engulf her.
“I can keep
going,” he said pleasantly. “And rip it out strand by bloody strand.”
“I - hate - you,”
she sobbed, using every ounce of her strength to remain upright.
“Not as much as
you will if you don’t obey.” He jerked his chin to the barrel-chested, tattooed
man standing guard by the door. The man nodded and exited.
Alina’s eyes
fixed on the door, cold fear running through her. They were alone. Oh, God.
Iain seemed to
read her thoughts. He released his fistful of hair, sliding his fingers through
it instead.
Slowly. Tauntingly.
Slowly. Tauntingly.
“See, if you
don’t do what I want and call him...” His finger slipped past the ends of her
hair and down her neck, grazing her collarbone.
She stared at
him, hypnotized with horror.
“...I’ll put a
bullet where you don’t want it.”
The door banged
open: a dirty, bruised man tumbled in, falling to his knees. The tattooed gang member stepped
in, standing just above him with a pointed gun. Mr. Barra looked up, blue eyes
widening in shock above his duct-taped mouth.
“NO!” Alina screamed, lunging towards her
father.
Iain slammed her
back into the wall and stepped back into her line of sight.
“Please, don’t –
don’t hurt him!” she moaned, sagging against the biting concrete.
He leaned in,
his breath hot and jutting on her wet cheeks. He shoved the phone into her
hands.
“Then call him. And
beg.”
She surrendered,
sliding down to the floor numbly. A string of numbers, already typed, stared
back at her from the screen. Forcing her shaking fingers to move, she pressed
the “Call” button.
Brrrrrrrring. Brrrrrrrrrring.
Don’t pick up, for the love of God, don’t pick -
“Who is this?”
Adam’s voice came on, harsh and demanding.
Alina bit back a
sob – no…I can’t...no, please...
“How did you get
this number? Who is this?”
Her breathed
hitched; she couldn’t hold back a whimper. “Adam...”
“Alina,” he inhaled sharply on the other end
of the line. “What’s wrong, are you okay?”
Tears blurred
her eyes. Her world was water and screaming pain - beneath it all, his voice in
her ear, rough and urgent and yet so gentle. The gentleness undid her.
“Adam –
I’m...I’m so sorry,” she sobbed
harder. “It’s Iain, he has my dad and me at the
warehouse – Adam, he’s going to shoot him...”
“Unless I come
first.” Flat, horrified acceptance.
She closed her
eyes. “Yes. But Adam, don’t...don’t come, he’s
going to kill you -”
The dial tone
shrilled as Iain kicked her, knocking the phone to the concrete.
“Don’t worry, little
beauty,” he spat. “He knows.”
His fingers
closed around the phone and he left, leaving those damming words hanging on the
air followed by the door’s grating screech.
Her father
shifted next to her, his blue eyes even larger with horror and slight
accusation. Alina raised a shaky hand and grabbed the edge of duct tape on his
mouth. She winced at his muffled yell and tried to force breath into her lungs.
Now she had to
explain.
These two have striven half the day,
And each prefers his separate claim,
Poor rivals in a losing game,
That will not yield each other way.
Alina rested her
forehead against her knees, trying desperately to withdraw within herself. Trying
to will away the musty air of the concrete room that crawled into her throat - gagging,
filling her mouth with the taste of dirt and old hatred. She was still nearly
deaf from her father’s shouting – he had not taken the story well, vacillating
between fury and terror at the number of times she’d stupidly endangered
herself.
A frozen silence
stretched out, taunt with bitter disappointment.
That’s all I do, she thought numbly. Disappoint. Alina blinked, horribly
aware that she was the reason both of the two men she cared about were in this
twisted situation.
After an
unbearably long time, the heavy tattooed man appeared in the doorway again. He
flung the door open.
Iain stepped in,
his mouth curving with satisfaction at the tear trails still wet on her face. “Ready for the
show, little Beauty?” He crossed over to her, light gleaming off of the gun barrel
in his hand.
She glared at
him with defiance and then tensed, seeing a familiar shadow move forward in the
door. Dark eyes and twisting scars.
“Adam!” she
gasped, rising up on her knees. “I’m so sorry, please forgive me -”
He ignored her,
staring at Iain. “You win,” he said calmly. “I’m here...now let them go.”
Iain’s mouth
twisted. “Getting soft, are we?” Something flashed in his eyes. “Funny how you
come when she cries,” he hissed,
pointing the gun at Alina’s head.
A muscle
clenched in Adam’s cheek. “Iain...”
The latter
stepped closer to Alina, jabbing the barrel into the side of her head. Adam’s
hand twitched, but his face remained blank.
“No – we’re
gonna fucking do this,” Iain snarled and Alina started at the raw fury bleeding
through his mocking tone.The gun shook against her head - his hand was...trembling? Why?
“You’re gonna give
me a reason why her life is worth saving when Kristin’s wasn’t.”
Adam put up his
hands slowly. “I know you’re angry at me -”
“Angry?” Incredulous
laughter burst from Iain's mouth. His voice rose a pitch higher. “You don’t
know the first fucking thing about anger,” he spat, pressing the gun against
her temple even harder. “You don’t have watch the man that your sister trusted - the one she thought she loved - get to
live while she rots in a grave!”
Alina gasped and
the room tilted. No…
Adam’s face
tightened, pain darkening his eyes.
“I trusted you!”
Iain shrieked. “I followed you, joined this gang...let you be with her. And you
watched her die!”
Alina stared at
him, shock numbing her. Adam’s gaze flickered down to hers sadly.
‘I’m not a hero – there’s nothing and no one that I
care about.’
“Kristin...made
her own choices. She chose to follow us that night, and she wouldn’t go back
home, even when I begged her. You want to blame me for her getting caught in
the cross-fire, so be it.”
He lifted his
chin, his large frame suddenly more imposing. “But I’ll be dammed if anyone
else pays for it but me,” he growled. “You don’t want a girl’s blood on your
hands...trust me. Let them go.”
Iain’s face
hardened, the fury giving way to cold hatred. “Fine. But this...” he gestured
with between him and Adam with the gun. “This ends tonight.”
He jerked his
head to the man by the door who stepped forward and yanked both Barras to their
feet, shoving them to the door. The man threw Mr. Barra out and grabbed Alina’s
wrist just as she broke free.
“Adam!” Alina half-sobbed,
half-screamed and fought against the heavy arm. “No - Adam – please, I’m so sorry!”
Turn around, look at me...please look at me.
He didn’t move.
And so her last view of him was the dimly lit room of cracked concrete walls, the
two figures silhouetted against the doorframe as Iain’s fist landing in his
face.
Adam crumpled to the ground.
Adam crumpled to the ground.
The door slammed
shut, swallowing her and her screams in darkness.
To-night the
winds begin to rise
And roar from
yonder dropping day;
The last red
leaf is whirl’d away
The rooks are
blown about the skies
“Absolutely not!”
Mr. Barra roared, turning on her. His eyes were livid with panic, his
mouth still red from the duct tape. Somehow her bookish, elderly father was
gone; the frantic man standing before her had summoned an inhuman strength to
pull her away from the warehouse and back to the shop.
He had trembled
almost as badly as her the entire way home.
“Dad, please -”
“Like...hell...are...you
going back there,” he ground through his teeth. He crossed to the door, turning
the bolt loudly for good measure. His hand shook; he clenched it tightly. “You’re
going to stay here and I’m going to call 911.”
Alina stared at
her father in horror. “You can’t tell the police – they’ll shoot him if Iain hasn't already! At best, they'll arrest
both of them!”
“He’s a
criminal, he deserves it. And what you’re wanting to do, it’s aiding and
abetting!”
“Dad, he saved
our lives,” she whispered. “Doesn’t that count for something?”
Mr. Barra shook
his grey head determinedly. “One act of kindness don’t make a hero. And don’t
think I can’t see that look in your eyes – it’s the same one your mother gave
me when we dated.” He stepped forward and grasped her shoulders firmly; his
voice softened. “You’re so much better than this – than him. I worked hard to
give you a good life. Not so you could throw away your chances on some
maniac...flinthead. You heard them, that other girl ended up dead!”
Alina laughed
bitterly, blinking back tears. “What chances, Dad? I work in a bookstore.”
He flinched,
confusion and the smallest amount of hurt staining his tight blue eyes.
She stepped back
out of his grasp and glanced around at the small shop that had been her world
for so long - despite the jab, she’d been happy here. As happy as one could be.
She turned to the door.
“Alina -”
The hoarse rasp
of his voice stopped her. For the first time in her life, there was fear in it.
The fear that had always been absent, even after the car accident. He’d always
been so calm, so sure against everything that life threw at him. Except for her
walking out the door, out of his life.
“Please…you’re
breaking the law. I’m begging you, don’t make me see you in jail or have to identify
your body. Your mother...”
There it was;
she’d been waiting for him to play that card –
“She wouldn’t
want this...we raised you to do the right thing.”
Alina closed her
eyes, drawing strength from her memory, from all those times she’d heard those
words, from the moment she’d hurled them at Adam in fright and anger.
Do the
right thing.
Her fingers
closed around the bolt and twisted.
She turned and
smiled sadly at him. At the man standing desolate and heartbroken before her
with his too-large sweater slumping on his shoulders, frizzled grey hair
standing on all ends.
“Why do you
think I’m leaving?”
The shop bell
rang behind her as the door clicked shut on her childhood and the only real
safety she’d ever known.
And,
even when she turn’d, the curse
Had
fallen, and her future Lord
Was
drown’d in passing thro’ the ford,
Or
kill’d in falling from his horse
fin.
fin.
This is wonderful, Grace! I love the plot twists, and the loving concern Mr. Barra shows towards Alina and how Adam goes to save them and everything. If you haven't written in a kiss, please do. ;) I'm looking forward to next week, although I know it'll be somewhat bittersweet since it's the last part.
ReplyDeleteDo yoi have any plans to do modern retellings of any other fairy tales? You're such a great writer and I'm sure people would enjoy them!
I am absolutely loving this!!! Beauty and the Beast is my favorite, and your retelling is magnificent.
ReplyDeleteAlso, there MUST be a kiss!!
Ah! On the edge of my seat! Well done!
ReplyDeleteHmm...i could live with a kiss...:P
This is gripping me! I've read quite a few rebellings but none like this. Your language is very vivid and I can see everything so clearly my heart starts pounding. Love love love!
ReplyDelete1) KIIIIIIISSS.
ReplyDelete2) This is seriously super good. I am very impressed and I love it.
I would love a kiss, if you haven't written one in there!! :D
ReplyDeleteI love how the story is progressing! Like another lady said, I can see everything in my mind so clearly with how you describe it! The plot twist with Ian's sister was really, really good, too. :) I can't wait until the next part (although it's bittersweet because it's the last..)!
I am just absolutely loving this! It gets me excited every Thursday when I see that you've posted a new installment. :) I'm going to be really sad that next week's the last one, but on the other hand, I totally cannot wait for it. dying to know what happens next!! :D (definitely hoping there's a kiss in there, yes ;)) This is just amazing!
ReplyDelete