“Where did you get it?” Ashley asked, still referring to the tiara. She sat in the chair next to mine.
Eva, Cassidy, and Greg pulled up patio chairs and sat as well.
Glancing at each person, verifying I had their full attention, I gave them a brilliant smile. “My mom and dad gave it to me for my birthday.” I spoke about it like it was no big deal. To me it wasn’t, but I knew it was a big deal to them. Picking up some tanning lotion, I held it out for Will. “Would you mind?”
“Not at all.” Will was always so accommodating, just the way a boyfriend should be. He put down his gift, shook the lotion and squirted some on his hands. Then he rubbed them together and placed his hands on my back. The lotion was cool against my warm skin.
I winked, knowing he liked when I did that. He rested a hand on my knee, his blue eyes sparkling with need. I pulled away. His hand was still covered in lotion. Will’s face fell. I knew it bothered him that I had no desire to get physical.
Eva crossed her legs, leaning into Greg. “I’m so sorry, Beatrice. I know you had your heart set on that yellow Ferrari.”
I laughed. It was hard and cold. “I got that too.”
Cassidy whistled.
“You driven her yet?” Will asked, massaging lotion into my shoulders. Some got on my hair. My maid Celeste had curled it and swept the front up, but the back was still down.
“Watch it,” I snapped, pulling the ends out of the way.
“Sorry.” Will sounded repentant.
“No, I haven’t driven the car yet,” I said, putting my sunglasses back on. “I’m thinking tomorrow or maybe the day after that.” There were several magazines on the table next to my chair and I picked one up, casually flipping through the pages. Of course I wanted to drive the car. Why wouldn’t I? But I didn’t want to take him.
“This is for you,” Greg said, handing me Eva’s present. I gave him my special smile, taking it. The paper was a bright yellow with an even brighter orange ribbon.
“Should I open it now?” I was playing demure. To fit in with regular people my parents had taught me at a young age what was expected during certain situations.
“Yeah.” Eva glanced at Greg. “We hope you like it.”
I tore off the paper and opened the box. Inside was one of the Fall collection Christian Dior bags. The colors morphed from red into orange and then yellow. It was gorgeous. Score one for Eva and the hot guy.
“Love it.” I set it back in the box and on the concrete ground.
Eva beamed with pride.
The look on Cassidy’s face told me that either the gift she got was too cheap or it was the same gift. Without focusing on her, I watched her push it back and under her chair.
“Do you want me to open your gift next, Cassidy?” I asked, purposely putting her on the spot.
Her already pale face got whiter. “No, I—I’ve brought the wrong gift. This one is for my aunt.” Her face turned red as my bikini. “I’ll bring you the right one tomorrow.”
I raised an eyebrow, telling her with my expression that I wasn’t happy with her efforts. “Whatever,” I sniffed, lifting my nose.
Ashley handed me hers. “Happy birthday.” Her present was long and thin, like a hefty envelope. It was wrapped in yellow paper with a black bow. It reminded me of a bee and I randomly wondered if she’d done the colors on purpose. I didn’t ask. When I took the box I waited a few seconds for her to comment on the color scheme, but she didn’t.
I could see she was a little worried. The skin around her eyes was tense, but she was also less willing to bow to my desires than the others. If the gift was lame it was because she’d had enough of my bitchiness and I would drop her like a hot plate.
“What could it be?” I ripped off the paper and opened the envelope. It was a trip for two to Belize. I was actually impressed. She’d remembered that I’d mentioned I’d wanted to go to Belize a few months ago. Maybe she wasn’t worried about me so much as something else in her life. “This is great. So unexpected.” Then I smirked. “I suppose the second ticket is for you?”
She played it cool. “Whoever. I’ve been to Belize a bunch of times.”
“Right. I’m sure I can find someone.” I set the envelope with the tickets in it on the ground next to the Dior bag.
The only one left was Will. He handed me his present. “It isn’t anything big, but when I saw it I thought of you.”
I took it and untied the ribbon. In the distance came a yowl, like a cat, only the sound was louder than a house cat. Living on the side of a mountain, it wasn’t uncommon to hear strange noises. There were bobcats living in the higher altitudes.
What was strange was the way Will glanced in the direction of the noise. “Afraid of bobcats?” I asked, smirking.
One of his eyes twitched. “No, not really.” He chuckled nervously.
Since the box was from Tiffany’s I expected to find diamond earrings or a tennis bracelet or even a pretty diamond necklace. I mean his dad worked in diamonds so believing I would get diamonds didn’t seem far fetched, even if whatever it was would seem trivial next to my amazing white and red diamond tiara.
I opened the box.
There were no diamonds inside. Instead I found a key chain with a yellow and onyx textured leather bee with palladium-plated wings on the end. I picked it up.
“Read the back. There’s an inscription,” Will said, leaning closer so that I could smell his spicy cologne over the strong chlorine from the pool. I turned the bee over and read aloud, “You’ll always be my Bea. ~ Love, Will”
It was corny and cheap and totally stupid. “Wow.” I forced myself to smile, internally debating what in hell I was supposed to do with it.
“You see,” Will said. “It’s a bee and you’re my Bea.”
I nodded, gritting my teeth. “I get it.” I bit my cheek. “It’s… it’s…” I studied his features, wondering why I even bothered to keep him around. He had black hair he spiked in the front with gel. His eyes were a dark blue and his lashes were black. He had olive skin and even though school had only been out a couple of weeks, he looked like he lived in the sun, his tan was so deep.
“You hate it?” His expression was filled with hurt.
It would have been proper to thank him and move on but I couldn’t. The present was stupid. Eva and Ashley had each spent several thousand dollars. His probably cost a hundred, if that.
“I don’t exactly hate it,” I said, and took a deep breath. Blowing out, I tossed the bee into the pool.
He gasped, his eyes getting wide.
“The gift is stupid, Will. My parents gave me an eight million dollar tiara and bought me a million dollar car. Ashley got me a trip and Eva got me a bag worth thousands of dollars.” I tossed the box onto his lap. “Don’t you care about me?”
Will’s mouth opened and closed, his eyes permeated with pain and anger. I turned away, watching the Tiffany’s bee sink to the bottom of the pool. “It’s pitiful.”
He stood, clasping his hands into fists, letting the box crash to the ground. “I’ve got to go.” He walked a few steps and glanced back. “Happy birthday, Beatrice.” A cruel grin spread over his face. It was a look I hadn’t seen on him before and I couldn’t decide if it was new or if I just hadn’t paid enough attention to his facial expressions before. “I hope you get exactly what’s coming to you.”
He stomped past Isaac, who carried a tray of drinks. “Are you leaving?” he asked Will.
“Hell, yes.” Will shot me a final glare.
Disappointment settled on Isaac’s features. His bright brown eyes locked on mine. They spoke volumes about how I should be more understanding, that I could show my friends, if not kindness, at least respect. But he said nothing, which was a damn good thing. It wasn’t his place. Isaac cleared his throat, set the drinks on the patio table, and walked away without a word.
***
Those who remained spent the afternoon with me outside, by the pool. Mrs. Dotts brought out a lunch of mar
inated salmon with mango-kiwi relish. After we ate and had a few cocktails, Ashley, Eva, Greg, and Cassidy swam. I didn’t. I wasn’t a fan of spending long periods of time in the water. No one mentioned what had happened between Will and me. They kept the conversation on easy stuff, like summer plans, parties, and college.
I hadn’t decided where to go yet. I had no idea what I wanted to study. Ashley was going back East to Harvard. She wanted to study law, which fit her perfectly. Most days she wore black horn rimmed glasses and kept her short, dark hair pinned back. She was short, like me, and had brown eyes, not like me. Mine were hazel.
Cassidy was going to the University of California, Berkeley. She said she was going to study the fine art of hot men and surfing. Her long blonde hair, green eyes, and unnaturally tanned skin would fit right in on the California beaches. She was also tall and super into working out.
Eva was staying in Utah to go to the University of Utah. When I found out that was where Greg went, I understood. It was hard to know what the true color of Eva’s hair was. She changed it monthly. Today it black with white streaks throughout. She had a tattoo of a butterfly with fangs on her left collarbone and her nose was pierced. Her clothes were edgy too. She said she wanted to work in a zoo, and her plan had been to go to Africa for a semester. But the way she kept looking at Greg, I wondered if she would now. Probably not, which was completely idiotic. She’d probably known the guy five minutes.
I didn’t know where Will planned on going to college. He hadn’t told me and I hadn’t asked.
I’d been accepted into a few schools but since I didn’t know what I wanted to study, I couldn’t decide which school to attend. My parents didn’t seem to care where or even if I went, unlike other kids’ parents, so I figured I had time. Maybe I’d go to Belize and not come back.
Ashley dunked Eva under the water. Eva screamed as she surfaced, spitting water out of her mouth.
“Don’t do that again,” Eva shouted, slashing Ashley with water.
Ashley gasped as though she couldn’t believe the nerve of Eva. “You’ve ruined my makeup!”
Greg jumped out of the pool and walked over to where I was sitting. He picked up a towel from the chair next to mine.
I decided to use the alone time to make my move. “Can you help me get some more wine?” I asked him, smiling sweetly, the way I always did when I wanted something.
“Can’t Isaac get some?” He glanced back at the pool, at the still fighting girls.
I pouted. “Yes, but I want some now.”
“All right.” He grinned, wrapping the towel around his waist so that it hung low on his hips. I knew this was going to be easy.
I took him down the back stairs into the cellar. It got cooler the deeper we went. “What’s your major?” I was trying to be conversational.
“Engineering, I suppose.” It was hard to see in the dim light, but his eyes seemed to take on a strange color, almost turquoise.
What did he mean, he supposed? Not that it mattered. I didn’t want to get to know him, I wanted to make out and mess around. Do just enough damage to remind Eva just how much power I had over anyone I wanted. I didn’t want sweetness, Greg’s life story, or anything personal. “How much longer do you have?”
Greg glanced up as though thinking about it. “A year, this time.” He gave me a strange smile.
I did the math on his age as I flicked on the lights. The walls to our wine cellar were made of stone. There were wood cabinets. The wine slots were wood as well. The floor was made of slate. “You must be twenty-one then?” I preferred older men. They weren’t as immature as the guys my age. They seemed less gushy with their feelings.
“My age is of no consequence.” He walked over to the wine rack. “Did you want red or white?” Greg pulled a bottle and held it out.
“Sure, whatever.” I slid up to him, putting my hands on his naked chest and tracing my fingers along his muscles.
“What are you doing?” He grabbed my hands, his strange eyes studying my face.
“Come on. Don’t you want to mess around?”
Greg released my hands. Sadness crossed his face. “Are you sure you want to?”
“Yeah. Are you kidding? You have to know you’re gorgeous.” I ran my fingers down his muscled arms. He didn’t move. “Don’t you want to?” I removed his towel, letting it fall to the floor.
“What about Will?” He put his hands on my waist. A strange tingle wriggled in the back of my mind. Like it was trying to tell me I’d forgotten something and was on the verge of remembering.
I ignored it. “We are definitely not together anymore. You saw what happened.”
Greg leaned down so his lips were next to my ear. “And what about your friend Eva? She and I are an item. We’ve talked about getting married. What about her?” His voice was soft and warm.
The irritating tingle came back but this time it was stronger. It felt like my mind was trying to tell me no, that it wanted me to run away. But that was ridiculous. I did what I wanted, when I wanted. And right now I wanted Eva’s boyfriend. “She doesn’t have to know.” I didn’t say I’d make sure Eva found out within minutes after he and I were finished. He didn’t need to know that. He didn’t need to know anything, except that I wanted him right now and that meant I should have him.
He sighed heavily. “Then it’s come to this.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.
I tried to kiss him but he pushed me away.
“Come to what?” I frowned, unused to being denied anything.
He kept silent, picking up his towel and wrapping it around his hips again. It was then I realized he no longer held a wine bottle. When had he put it back? I thought, a little confused.
Greg’s turquoise eyes were a mixture of sadness and delight. “When we designed your species we believed you were perfect. We thought you would be the precise combination of ferocity, tenderness, humility, generosity, power and love. I was most excited. Your kind was to be my finest creation.”
Greg ran a hand through his thick, dark hair. I watched, caught between being mesmerized and terrified, even though I had no idea why. Maybe it was because he was crazy. What did he mean perfect species? I was a human, not some beast that was bred to be domesticated like the house cat. He wasn’t making any sense and the tingle in the back of my brain had changed to an annoying buzz. I felt myself take a step back. The heel of my shoe caught on the grout between the slate slabs. I started to fall, but felt my body turn so I landed on my hands and the balls of my feet.
“Whoa,” I said, pushing myself up. I turned back to Greg. His body seemed to shimmer in the dim lights. Or maybe it was my head. I’d had more than my normal amount of alcohol. I covered my ears with my palms, pressing them against my temples. I hoped that would clear the incessant buzzing and whatever was going on with my eyes.
Greg leaned toward me. “Beatrice Cavanaugh?”
He said my name like a question. “Yeah.” I thought maybe he’d changed his mind about messing around and moved closer.
He held me at arm’s length. “It’s time you understood that being beautiful doesn’t give you the right to be beastly and that sometimes those who seem the most beastly are actually quite beautiful.”
I snorted. “Right. Whatever you say, Greg.” Obviously the combination of too many fruity drinks laced with alcohol and too much time in the sun was making me see things.
Greg’s distorted eyebrows rose. “For your vanity, your cruelty, and your cold unfeeling heart, a curse I leave upon you . . .” While Greg spoke his body changed from chiseled arms and legs to something less corporeal and more ghost-like.
The buzzing in my head was so loud that if he said more I didn’t hear him. Turquoise eyes watched me from within the dark mist that had once been Greg. The mist shot up, passed through the ceiling, and was gone.
Pain. The noise was pain. The buzzing sound all I knew. It seemed to engulf my body. I fell to my knees, pushing my palms more tightly against my hea
d. The room started to quake. The lights swung from the ceiling. Bottles fell from their shelves, crashing to the floor. Glass cut my skin. Wine broke free of the bottles. I watched it mix with my blood. One of the lights broke free, smashing against my forehead. Red liquid ran into my eyes. I closed them, forcing the world to go black.
I Was Ravenous
Two
I woke with a start, light bathing my face.
There was a quick knock at the door and then Celeste came in, carrying a tray with what I knew held my breakfast. “Morning, Miss Beatrice. Did you sleep well?” Her voice shook slightly and I wondered why.
Celeste sat the tray on my desk and pulled open my curtains.
“I guess.” I stumbled out of bed, making my way to the bathroom. After flushing I went to the sink to wash my hands. It was habit to check my reflection. As I let the water run through my fingers I studied my face. Flawlessly creamy skin. Perfectly pert nose. Red lips. And hazel . . .
I leaned in closer. My eyes were different. Usually I had a yellow ring around the outer edge, but today the ring was a thick orange. I dried my hands and stuck my face right up to the glass. And that’s when I remembered what’d happened in the wine cellar.
Greg and I had gone down there together. Then I’d tried to kiss him. And he’d . . . he’d . . . what?
For your vanity, your cruelty, and your cold unfeeling heart, a curse I leave upon you . . .
The words, his words played themselves over in my mind. He’d called me vain, cruel, cold and unfeeling. He’d said he’d cursed me and then he’d changed into something, like a ghost or mist. The wine cellar had shaken and crashed in around me. I’d been bleeding, hadn’t I?” I studied my face, checked my arms and hands. Not a single scratch was visible anywhere.
“What a jerk,” I whispered, trying to forget his words but they seemed to get louder. Whatever he’d changed into had vanished into thin air. It was unexplainable. A feat, until that moment I believed only happened in fairy tales.
“Mrs. Dotts sliced up some watermelon, cantaloupe, and strawberries. She also topped it with—”
A Beauty So Beastly Page 2