Adara and the Beast

by Emily Sharp

  Chapter Eleven

  It had been a week since Louise went on her rampage, and Adara found herself worrying about her more often than not. She really cared for the woman and was pleased at how far she had come since she had first known her. Her violent outburst that day was not only terrifying, it broke Adara’s heart. She was used to Louise's outbursts of pain and many times had heard the destruction of items. But the one last week lasted far longer than the others.

  Adara's heart broke hearing Louise cry out, calling herself a beast, and the anguish in her screams shook Adara to her very core. When Adara first laid her eyes on Louise, she did see her as a disfigured woman, her face terrifying, which Adara felt shame in admitting to herself. But lately, she had seen past those scars, and was getting glimpses of the woman beneath. The woman who was deeply hurt, who spoke nothing of her family. Adara knew Louise's father had passed away, but she never mentioned her mother and had snorted derisively when Adara had asked her about the woman.

  Adara recalled the time when Louise told her that the scars on her face ran into her very soul. And now, as horrible as it was, she could see it. Happy one moment, full of rage the next. Glimpses of light only to be replaced by dark storm clouds that gathered around her in the blink of an eye.

  Yet she was Adara's friend, and as much as Adara was repulsed by the woman’s outward scars and what brought her to her castle, she found that she did like Louise. And it was the reason she had requested for today’s journey.

  Today they were setting out for the guest houses, and the weather outside her bedroom window looked promising. The sun was out, the sky blue, and the temperature according to the weather report was in the low seventies.

  “Madam,” a quiet voice came to her ears. Adara turned around and saw Sofia standing there, her head hanging low. She had offered Sofia twice to have lunch with her over the last week, but Sofia had been busy each time.

  “Sofia, how are you?” she said, walking toward her, a smile on her face. She really did enjoy the woman’s company and missed it.

  “Fine. A letter arrived for you.”

  Adara smiled as she took the letter, and her smile grew when she saw who it was from. “It’s from my father. Please, come sit with me while I read it.”

  “I cannot, Madam, there is too much to do.”

  “Oh, you are fine,” Adara said, taking Sofia's hand in hers. The hand was cold, the grip weak, as Adara led her to the bay window. Taking a seat, Sofia sat beside her, her hands resting on her knees on the black dress pants.

  With excitement, Adara opened the letter, and began to read out loud.

  Adara,

  Things are going better than expected. I have managed not only to win favor with the various crews and departments, but with Louise herself. I am not only running things smoothly, I have improved them. But enough about me. I am glad to hear you are happy and enjoying your time there. I thank you for taking on my debt, and I am forever grateful.

  I will have a few days off for Christmas, and I want nothing more than to see you. Let us stay in the cabin and share it together. Louise may be pleased enough to allow this.

  Love,

  Dad.

  Adara smiled as she set the letter to the side, joy filling her heart. “I am going to ask her soon. I would love nothing more than to see my father!”

  Sofia nodded, not saying a word.

  “Sofia. What is wrong?”

  “Nothing, Madam.”

  “You are sad, I have noticed it about you lately. Your mother and brother are coming to this country, and you will see them for Christmas. You should be happy!”

  Sofia shook her head. “I will be staying here this Christmas.”

  Adara stood up, confused. “Why is that?”

  “I need to stay here and work.”

  Adara sighed. “No, I request that you go like we spoke about. No one will stop you.” Adara's heart sunk as Sofia rose up, her voice agitated.

  “Please do not interfere with my wishes.” She walked away, and Adara felt her heart sink a little. She was only trying to help her, and somehow she had offended her.

  “Sofia, wait please!” she called out.

  With her back still to Adara, she stopped and said, “Yes, Madam?”

  “I'm sorry. I only wanted to see you happy. I will not interfere again. Please, forgive me.”

  “It is fine,” Sofia said without turning around and then left the room without another word.

  Adara stood there puzzled, not understanding what had happened. Sofia had been down in the dumps, and Louise seemed to be slowly breaking out of her rage from last week. Try as she might, Adara could not shake the feeling that though a castle was meant to be magical, the place might just be cursed. With a sigh, she grabbed her coat and headed out of her room.

  ***

  The sound of gravel crunching beneath their feet was loud, interfering with Adara's thoughts as she walked with Louise through the last part of the gardens. It was just after one in the afternoon and having already eaten, Sofia's behavior had been on her mind since this morning.

  As she reached a small metal gate, Louise opened it.

  “Wait, before we go, I must ask you something,” Adara said.

  Louise turned around, her hair pulled back. Her hands went inside the light gray windbreaker she was wearing.

  “Yes?” Louise said, her voice back to its condescending way. The way it was when Adara first met her.

  “Sofia.”

  “What about her?” Louise said, a shake to her head.

  “She told me earlier that she is not going to see her family for Christmas.”

  “Interesting. I did not know.”

  Adara bit at her lip. “Really?” She wanted to believe Louise but knew that through her mood swings, her mind games still stayed the same.

  Louise shook her head. “This talk of friendship you speak about is becoming apparent to me to be false.”

  “Listen, what I meant…”

  Louise raised her hand. “Silence, please. You speak of these wild ideas of love and dreams and even this friendship we share. And like I told you when you first came here, it was an illusion you had.”

  Adara sighed in frustration. All progress Louise had made seemed to be quickly fading away. “I was only asking.”

  “Because behind every little thing that goes wrong, you believe I am behind it. Say no more, like your idea of beauty being beneath the skin, your ideas of friendship are just like it. False,” Louise said, her voice, like her eyes, accusing.

  Adara went to speak, to defend herself, but the glare coming from Louise caused her to quickly shut her mouth. Louise was partly right but not completely, and Adara just wanted a chance to explain herself. She watched as Louise took her transmitter and held it to her mouth, her eyes not leaving Adara's.

  “Sofia.”

  A few moments went by. “Yes, Madam.”

  “I have just been informed you are not going to California to visit your family for Christmas. Is this true?”

  Adara felt her heart drop, guilt overtaking her.

  “It is true, Madam. I wish to spend it here with you, if that is OK?”

  “Do what you wish. Let me know if you change your mind.”

  “I will, Madam. Thank you.”

  Louise returned the device to her side. “Now do you believe me?”

  Adara nodded, shame washing over her as she felt a single tear escape her eye. Why did she doubt Louise? She had made great strides, and like Louise had told her, Adara realized she was indeed fake. She held onto beliefs and dreams, but was not willing to see past them. And she had judged unfairly. The reality of it all confused her, and realizing how horrible she was, Adara wanted to make it right.

  “I do believe you, and I'm sorry. Please, I won’t question you again.”

  “Why do you cry?” Louise said, her head slightly titled.

  “Because I hurt you, and I don't want to hurt you.”

  Adara watched as Louise stepped
through the gate, not acknowledging her apology, which made the hurt even worse.

  “Come on, it’s a fair walk. Let’s get going.”

  Adara nodded, hearing the cold voice as she walked up beside Louise. She could not understand if Louise was still carrying the anger from last week with her, or was it Adara's accusations that hurt her? Or maybe it was both. Either way, she felt horrible for contributing to the woman’s anger.

  They began walking on a paved road, to each side wilderness, the road in front of them rising up as though it would lead straight to the mountain top in the distance.

  “I am sorry,” Adara said after a few minutes, her heart hurting for the pain she caused.

  “Friends forgive each other as you have told me. So, let’s not speak of it again.”

  “OK,” Adara said, feeling a little better.

  For the next ten minutes they walked in silence. Adara enjoyed the exercise, the fresh air, and the scenery around her. She had to admit, she was enjoying Louise’s company, even though it was silent. Adara had grown fond of her and hoped the sour mood she was in would soon go. She was surprised Louise had made it this far, with no pleas to turn back.

  “Stop!” Louise hissed, grabbing her arm, the grip tight.

  “What?” Adara asked, looking around, seeing no sign of danger. Louise held a single finger up to her own lips, and Adara strained to listen. The sound of an engine came toward them.

  “If it’s an airplane, I will take a rifle myself and shoot it down!” Louise cried out, tears rolling down her face. The sound grew louder, and Louise began to sob.

  Adara quickly pulled her in against her chest, comforting her. “Shh, I have you. It’s OK,” she whispered, her eyes looking around. And then in the distance, far to her left, a truck like the one that brought her here drove down the dirt road, leaving small brown clouds of dust in its wake.

  “It’s OK, it’s just one of your own trucks. No one saw you.” As the sobs continued into her shoulder, Adara stroked the golden hair on Louise's head, her heart going out to her. “You are safe, Louise.”

  A few moments later, Louise pulled back, her cheeks wet, but she was no longer crying. “Thank you.”

  “There is no need to thank me. Friends look after each other,” Adara said. She smiled, seeing the nod to Louise's head.

  “I am learning that. If it is true, then I ask one thing of you now instead of tonight.”

  Adara nodded knowing the question coming, and not wanting to reject her again.

  “Protect me forever. You need not love me, just be here with me. You don't even have to stay in the same bed as me, and I will never touch you. Marry me.”

  Taking her hands in her own, Adara tried to fight back the tears in her eyes. “I will always protect you when I can. But I cannot marry you. But forever I will remain your friend.”

  Expecting a harsh word to come out, she was surprised when Louise simply nodded. “I understand.” She let go of one of Adara’s hands, still holding the other. “May I hold this for support until we get there?”

  “Of course. Let’s go,” Adara said, and then they began to walk once again, the road ahead of them a sharp incline, the steps burning her calf muscles. She hated rejecting Louise, seeing the pain it caused. But Louise had asked every night since her arrival, and Adara believed she would not stop until the day she left.

  Once they reached the top, Adara smiled as she looked at the view in front of her. The numerous houses and building lay no more than a half mile or so ahead. Beyond that, she could see more of the mountains, fields around them stretching for miles.

  “It is wonderful, isn't it?” Adara said, looking over at Louise. She was weeping, the tears streaming down her face like a river. Without asking, Adara pulled her into her embrace again. “There is so much beauty around you, Louise, that you have missed out on.”

  “I know. I am working on it.”

  “And you are doing a great job. You should be proud of how far you have come. I have seen it.”

  “Really?” Louise said, her voice sad.

  Pulling back from her hug, Adara reached into her pocket and took out a tissue to dab at the tears on Louise's face. “Yes, you are, I promise. Now, let’s continue,” she said. Louise nodded and a smile was on her face, brighter than the sun shining behind them. Adara loved it when Louise smiled, for it was rarer than the rose that brought her here.

  For the next ten minutes they walked hand in hand, Louise letting everyone know through her device they were approaching.

  Adara smiled in appreciation at the cabins, many with trucks parked in front of them. Not far from the cabins was a house, two stories tall, and a large building of some sort next to it.

  “Who lives in that house?”

  “John and the other members of security. The grounds crew lives in the cabins.”

  Adara nodded as they walked in front of the cabins and headed toward the large building. It was as big as a warehouse, made of what looked like beige metal. There were a few windows running down the side of it and it had a large door up front, like a garage door.

  “Why do Thomas and Sofia stay in the castle?”

  “Because they are trusted. Now look at this,” Louise said as she removed her hand from Adara’s and lifted it up to show the ring on her finger. Adara had admired the ring before, wondering its significance.

  “The last diamond, twist it.”

  There were a row of six diamonds, and moving her fingers to the ring, Adara touched the tips of her first finger and thumb to the last diamond that sat next to Louise’s pinky. She hesitated, her eyes looking up at Louise, who nodded. When she gave it a gentle twist, the large doors of the warehouse creaked and then began to open.

  “That is amazing! You can do that all from your ring?”

  Louise nodded, a smile on her face. “I can control drones, entrances to the house and here, and there are a host of other things I can do with it. I will show you more in time, but for now, follow me.”

  Adara followed her through the doors and her jaw dropped in disbelief. A Learjet was parked in the middle of the large warehouse. To her left where numerous ATVs, dirt bikes, and other off-road vehicles. To her right were sports cars of Italian design.

  “Oh, that is beautiful!” Adara said, hurrying over to the purple Lamborghini. Its paint shone under the artificial lights above them.

  “It has but eleven miles on it. My father bought it for me for my eighteenth birthday, the color the only one in existence.”

  Adara turned to Louise, who had her arms crossed over her stomach.

  “It is a beautiful gift he gave you.”

  Louise nodded. “I suppose. You keep it.”

  Adara laughed. “I cannot take this. It was a gift for you, something special.” She watched as Louise walked over and opened the car door. Louise put a knee on the seat, and reaching in, grabbed a key. A moment later closing the door she faced Adara. Adara had received many gifts when her father had money. But to receive such a car for girl’s eighteenth birthday seemed a bit much. Though, if it made Louise's father happy, who was Adara to judge?

  “This gift brought me happiness when I received it, and now I want to pass that happiness on. It is my gift to you. Do not refuse it, it will break my heart.”

  Adara nodded. The car was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, but it was the way Louise had asked that made her take it. She could hear the happiness in her voice.

  “Very well then, I accept it. Thank you but I cannot give you a gift of equal value.”

  Adara watched the smile spread across Louise's face. “You have though. Your friendship is priceless.”

  “Oh, Louise,” Adara said, her heart soaring, tears welling up as she put her arms around Louise and hugged her. She felt Louise's hands come around her back and hold her. This was the Louise that she liked, the kind person who could understand and value things such as friendship. A moment later, their embrace broke, and Adara headed over to the plane.

  “
When did you get this?”

  “A year ago.”

  “Not bad. Most people have one in their garage,” Adara said with a laugh. Walking over to the ATVs, she stopped at a four-wheeler. It was red and black, the tires, like the rest of it, new.

  “Let’s go for a ride!” she said, turning toward Louise.

  “My bravery can take me only so far for one day. I do not wish to drive it. Maybe next time when we come back we can.”

  Adara nodded, throwing her leg over the padded seat.

  “Or you could jump on behind me and let me drive.”

  “You know how to drive one of these?”

  Adara nodded. “I spent a whole summer on one of them once. Come on, I will keep you safe.”

  She was rewarded with a smile, and a warm voice. “Very well then, where shall we go?”

  “We are princesses, we go wherever we want,” Adara said, and turning the key, the engine purred to life.

  “Yes, we are, aren't we?” Louise said as she climbed up behind Adara.

  “OK. Hang on tight, I don't want you to fall off,” Adara said with a laugh as Louise's hands came around her stomach, holding on tight. A feeling Adara had not felt for a long time came to her. It was the embrace of another woman that she had long desired. And the feeling was wonderful.

  Putting the ATV in gear, she turned the grip in her hand and the vehicle moved forward slowly as they headed out of the hangar.

  “I think we should head toward the gate near the castle first, get used to the smooth road, then go from there,” Adara said.

  “I trust your judgment,” Louise said, then laid her head against Adara's back. The feeling was back again, and Adara's heart raced.

  Swallowing hard, Adara gave the ATV some gas, and they picked up speed. When they got to the paved road, she raised her voice to be heard over the sound of the engine.

  “Here we go!” she cried out. The ATV shot forward and they took off, the scenery around them moving by quickly as they picked up speed. Louise was squeezing her tight, causing Adara to laugh.

  “Not so tight, I need to breathe!”

  “Sorry!”

  Then for the first time something magical happened, they both laughed in unison, the sound sweet to Adara's ears. All too soon the moment ended. She let off the gas and the vehicle rolled to a stop as it approached the gate.