“You as well,” Joe muttered, though the words running through his mind told a very different story. The knife beneath his sleeve felt cool against his skin. Maybe it was silly, irrational, to grab it from beneath the counter, but he felt better having something to protect himself from the scum. They could be nice to him one minute, cruel the next. He had learned to always have something nearby for instances like this.
This one was sending chills up and down his spine. There was something wrong, only he couldn’t put his finger on it. Regardless, they were alone, and it wouldn’t be the first time he was beat up just for being Jewish. “Can I get you something?” He was growing impatient. It was time to close and he wanted the Nazi out. The ones who meant him no harm ran in and out, ashamed to use his service. But this one was lingering.
“Yes, actually. I need you to come with me,” Walter said through a hideous smile. Joe felt the color drain from his face. He added, “We can either do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice.”
“Right now?” Joe gulped. He wasn’t ready for this, but then again, he doubted he ever could be.
“Yes, Joe. It’s time to move. Go get your sisters.” Walter gestured toward the stairs with his perfectly manicured hands. In the moment, Joe couldn’t help but note the contrast to his own hands which were calloused from work. “I will give you a few minutes.”
Walter turned around to take a seat, and with his back turned, Joe saw the opportunity he needed.
In one swift motion, Joe hopped over the counter and kicked the Nazi in the back of the knees, sending him right to the ground as he let out a cry of surprise.
From the ground, Walter let out a laugh. “Wrong move, Jew.”
Walter popped up and turned to face him once more. He stood at the ready with his knife positioned, but Walter did nothing. Instead, he gazed at Joe, sending shivers down his spine once more, and turned to walk out the door. It was worse than Joe expected; he’d been ready for a fight. He’d wanted a fight, but the Nazi had merely turned and left. He couldn’t help but think that this meant something much worse. He tried to push the panic to the back of his mind.
Perhaps the Nazi was trying to get him to leave on his own accord…
Later that evening, in the dull light of the second floor, Joe woke to a scream. It didn’t take him long to realize the source, and it made all the hairs on the back of neck stand up.
Hannah stared at him from the other bed, but her wide eyes had lost their last light. Her throat had let out the last human sound she would make in the world. Abby lay motionless beside her on the bed—gone moments before. There was a dark mass surrounding the two of them.
The creature looked almost human. It had the body of a man and bloodshot eyes, with an empty void in the center. When it saw Joe wake, it went back through the window from where it came. It shattered the opening as it fled, making it easy for Joe to follow. Without thinking, he reached under his mattress for his knife and jumped into the night. He had nothing left, and an idea of who it was.
Chapter 21
Anna
Anna woke feeling lightheaded. It was a good thing it was Sunday. She got up slowly, stretching before shuffling over to the dresser. Even the mirror told her she was not well, reflecting her pale face. She thought it must be the blood sugar thing again. But she couldn’t help but think that it was something else. She looked at her reflection again and noticed a dot of red on her neck hiding behind her hair. Blood? How could she have gotten cut in the middle of the night? It must’ve happened the day prior, she reasoned.
She dressed quickly , tied back her hair in a ribbon, and made her way into the halls. She looked around, trying to decide where to go first, when her stomach stepped in, growling loudly. and made the decision for her.
“To the kitchen it is,” she said to herself and made her way down the hall. The kitchen was one of the few places in the ever-changing castle that seemed to remain the same. To her pleasure, she found both breakfast and dessert—the cure all—chocolate. She took a hearty handful and stuffed it in the pockets of her coat before leaving the main building of the grounds.
The day at hand was brighter than the previous and she thought it would be a good one for exploring the gardens she’d seen beyond her window.
Besides, exercise will be good for my blood sugar, right? She would have to check the library later and see if she could find any information on diabetes. There had to be since the book collection was enormous.
The castle was vast, but the land surrounding it was even larger and it was booming with life. The boundaries of the castle’s property was clear marked, not from a fence or manmade marker, but where the living things of the grounds became dead things of the forest.
The gardens were a lively maze even in the dead of winter. It was only one of the many perplexing aspects of the castle. There were flowers, trees, and other plants of every variety. They attracted a wide array of bugs and birds that moved around from flower to flower and between tree limbs. Anna named the ones she could, but many were beyond her knowledge, ones only her mother would know. There were cobblestone paths that weaved in and out of each other and she spent hours exploring and enjoying the atmosphere. Even the sun was trying to peek out from behind the clouds, though on the grounds it never quite seemed to get there. Regardless, it's presence pleased both her and the plants that needed its nutrients.
There were almost too many paths to keep track of and before she knew it, she was lost. She started to panic a bit. What if I pass out again? It seemed unlikely, she thought, since she did have breakfast and she had a handy stash of chocolate in her coat pocket.
She tried not to dwell on it. The landscape was too beautiful to think such negative thoughts. She tried to focus on its captivating nature and wondered how such a marvelous place stayed so hidden from the world. She felt lucky to experience it.
Though she tried not to think of it, she recalled the last time she was alone in nature. She remembered the forest spinning above her, the hardness of the frozen soil as she fell. Stop thinking about it, she told herself angrily, but as hard as she tried, the thoughts kept coming back. As a child, she remembered, she’d pass out from time to time. All those episodes seemed to happen randomly—but she wondered now if they were connected to her disease.
She refocused her attention to the hedges and wildflowers; though she couldn’t help but notice they resembled the forest, looming high above, their green tendrils tangling around up into the sky, blocking her view. As hard as tried to focus on their beauty, her palms grew sweaty and she could feel her heart beating against her chest.
She realized she was going the wrong way, deeper into the thicket, as opposed to heading toward the castle. She noticed the flowers changing and the bushes lining the path were increasingly covered by beautiful black roses, like the ones outside the steps—the one her father had taken home for her. They started showing up like scattered stars, until they were abundant, and it became the colors that were few and far between. However, there were no creatures to feed off them and they did not turn their bodies up to take in the sunlight. In fact, they seemed to desire the night, as if they were rising with the moon.
Anna had been out most of the day and noticed that night was beginning to fall. One by one, the stars began appearing through the clouds in the sky. It was strange that as night approached, the clouds seemed to dissipate. The night sky was the clearest she had ever seen, and it was beautiful. She continued to wander until she reached a dead end where the paved stones made a circle underneath a full canopy of black roses.
Where else can I go? She stared at the structure hopelessly.
There was no hope of climbing the bushes since the thorns on the roses were larger than she had ever seen. Instead, she peered through her cage between the vines. There was nothing helpful beyond, merely a graveyard.
That must be the one where the family is buried, she thought. Its proximity and the encroaching night made her suddenly uncomfortable.
She sat down on the stones to take a breath, still looking between the thicket of rose bushes towards the graveyard, afraid to put her back to it. She could read the names on the stones and her heart skipped a beat when she saw one that read: ‘Leon.’
Families often carry down names through generations, she reminded herself. She laughed, but was cut short when something moved behind one of the stones—a shadow, and it moved quickly. It looked like it had two legs, but in the dim light it was hard to tell what she was seeing. Her heart raced, and she heard footsteps behind her.
This quickly sent her into motion. She would not be stuck with that thing out here all night. Turning, she cut herself on one the bushes, opening a gash in the palm of her hand. She winced from the quick stab of pain, but immediately forgot it. A figure was approaching from the lone path to the gazebo, she was trapped.
Anna turned around abruptly, facing the intruder, and their eyes locked.
“Leon!” Anna cried and ran towards him. “I got myself lost.”
Leon greeted her with a grimace and a bow and she couldn’t help but wonder if he felt awkward after how he acted the day before.
“I know my way around here, and when you didn’t show up for dinner, I knew you either hated me or you must be wandering as you do. I was lucky that it was the second one.” He sighed. “I am sorry for getting angry yesterday. My sickness makes me a little crazy sometimes—not that it’s any excuse.” He hung his head. “And we need to fix that cut of yours.”
“It’s okay and it only stings a bit; I’ll be fine.” She smiled. She wasn’t one to hold a grudge, and besides, she didn’t like the conflict. She had no reason to harbor ill will against him, and she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon so what good was being angry with him?
“No, your wound will be taken care of, that I promise. But, I will bring you back on one condition, otherwise you are on your own to make your way back,” he teased. “Will you join me for dinner?”
“No.” She smirked, enjoying the way his jaw dropped. “Yes, of course. I would love to. I honestly wasn’t sure if you would want me to.”
It was a long walk back to the castle and Anna realized she had come much further than she intended. The grounds were enormous and seemed to be a world of their own.
“I saw something, in the graveyard.” Anna felt silly bringing it up, but she couldn’t get it out of her mind. “Some sort of a shadow ... an animal, maybe?”
“Oh, I see.” Leon smiled and pulled his hand to his mouth. He whistled between his fingers.
That wasn’t much of an answer.
Immediately, she heard footsteps behind them and turned to see a shadow running toward them. It was shorter than a human, though still large enough to give her fright. She was not as afraid by its appearance this time, perhaps because it wasn’t in the graveyard and she wasn’t alone anymore.
The shadow grew closer and revealed itself. It was a large black dog—a velvet golden retriever with one light mark on its chest. She breathed a sigh of relief. It was only a dog, but a big one at that.
“This is Luna.” Leon smiled and patted the large dog on her head. “I call her the guardian of my soul. And my groundskeeper. She’s good at digging holes.”
Luna came to Anna to sniff her and licked her hand where she was bleeding, wiping it clean.
“Luna!” Leon shouted, and the dog fell in line on his other side, licking her chops.
“It’s ok; I love dogs,” she said with a smile. “She looks familiar, almost like my childhood dog Daisy. Daisy didn’t have that little white patch in the front though. She went missing quite a few years ago.”
The night was dark and chilly, but Luna didn’t seem to mind the cold as she followed them. It was almost creepy to Anna how similar she was to Daisy, and it didn’t pass her attention that Luna kept looking behind her, as if there were a fourth pattern of footsteps trailing behind them.
“Wait here,” Leon said and pointed to the couch of the sun room. It was the closest room to the gardens, though she had somehow missed it. She sank into the couch and Leon came back moments later with an assortment of bandages and other medical supplies that she couldn’t name.
He held out his hand for hers and she carefully placed it in his palm. Despite the stinging, she was very aware of his skin. It was soft, despite the callouses and scars she knew were there. She wondered what a man of such wealth ever had to do to create such scars.
She looked up to his face. His features were as pale as his hands, though she had to admit he looked healthy today. He looked up and held her eyes. His golden ones were lively but gentle.
“Let me know if I hurt you, okay?” She nodded but he wasn’t satisfied. “Promise me. I don’t know my strength sometimes and I don’t normally do this kind of thing.”
“I promise.” She smiled encouragingly.
She watched him as he carefully applied some cream to her wound. It didn’t hurt, it only felt cool on her skin. He took one of the bandages and tenderly wrapped it from her wrist to her knuckles. As he secured it, his fingers brushed hers lightly, sending a tingle down her spine. She was watching so intently that she almost didn’t hear him speak. In fact, she realized she might not have been breathing.
“Is this too tight?” His eyes displayed genuine concern and he cradled her hand between his.
“No, no. It’s perfect. Thank you.” She blushed and hoped he couldn’t tell. Anna’s wound was feeling much better, though she wondered if she was merely distracted from it. “I’m going to go freshen up. I’ll see you in a little bit.” She stood up faster than she had intended and ran into the hallway.
Anna took a few moments to find her bearings once she was away from him. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling, but she knew she had never felt it before. She hoped her hasty exit hadn’t hurt his feelings.
After gathering herself in the hall, Anna eventually made her way back to her room. Her adventures out in the gardens had dirtied her clothes and she wanted to change. As she opened her door, she spotted a dress laid out on her bed. Though she hadn’t been eager to take Leon’s other gifts, she had to admit this dress was quite beautiful, and she felt suddenly compelled to look her best for dinner that evening. And, after Leon’s bizarre explosion the day before, she thought it best to just wear it.
The dress was a deep maroon floor-length gown and as she stepped into it and pulled it over her shoulders, it felt like air on her skin. She fashioned the sash around her waist, completing the bow in the back with tendrils that fell to her knees. She walked to the mirror and she couldn’t remember ever feeling so beautiful. The bodice of the gown was covered in lace that wrapped gently around her shoulders. The sash cut off the lace and the soft fabric flowed outward with lace lining the bottom. Perhaps it was a bit much for dinner with someone who was technically her employer, but she felt pretty and looking her best wouldn’t hurt anybody.
Anna turned to the closet and opened it for the first time since her arrival. She was in search of a different pair of shoes to match. She finally settled on black heels and she even went so far as to pull a necklace from the jewelry box on the dresser.
Feeling satisfied, she made her way down the hall to the staircase. She stopped at the top and caught her breath at the sight of Leon below. He and Luna stared up at her.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She felt the familiar crimson color flush her cheeks.
“You look beautiful,” he said as she glided down the stairs. She was mesmerized by his eyes and couldn’t quite look away. As she approached the bottom, he held out his hand, and she placed hers in his. “I mean, you always do, but especially tonight.”
“Even with this thing?” She waved her bandaged hand in the air.
He smiled warmly. “Yes, even with that thing.”
Leon led her across the main floor and into the dining room, with Luna trotting along beside them.
Luna sat next to Leon throughout the meal and it made Anna happy to know that Leon
wasn’t completely alone. She’d always felt that having animals around brought more joy into a household, especially in such a large empty one as the castle.
Luna was a good companion, but surely Leon needed more. She wondered if he missed his parents, who she was sure had sat at this table and ate with him every night before they passed. She always thought of her own mother as she went through the motions of mundane activities at home. But Leon had lost his whole family and had no distractions like she did with her father and sisters. Leon had only ghosts. I wonder if I provide a distraction for him?
“Leon?” she said suddenly. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“I did.” The look in his eyes told her all she needed to know. It made sense why he seemed so aloof and quiet. It was his way of dealing with his tragedy, to shut himself in the castle and bottle it all up.
“I’m sorry.” It seemed like the only thing she said the past few nights. She reached her hand across the table to lay it on top of his, not knowing how else to respond. She thought better of it half way through, and removed her hand, turning her attention to the steak and vegetables in front of her. She took a sip of water and cut into her steak, slicing it into little pieces before eating it.
“It’s not your fault.” He must have sensed her discomfort because he placed his own hand atop hers and smiled. The gesture put her whole body on alert. "I told you, it was my fault. They all suffered from a disease, and I was cursed with surviving.”
“How?”
“A cruel twist of fate, I suppose.”
Anna didn’t want to pry any more, though she was still curious about his family. “I know you mentioned what happened, but you never said … did you have a brother? Or a sister?”
“A sister.”
“What was her name?”
“Sophia. She was sixteen; we were very close. Sometimes you remind me of her.”
“I do?” She opened her mouth to say more, but stopped, and stuffed it with a piece of steak. It bothered her slightly that he thought of her like a sister.
A Beauty Among Beasts Page 10