The Beast Within (The Beast Withon Book 1)

by SL Perrine

  Just as I think I can sneak away, my cell phone rings. Before I can silence it, the boys start heading in my direction.

  “Hey, you guys lost?” There is that feeling again. It’s like a second heart beat in my stomach and like an invisible hand is grabbing me and pulling me towards it.

  I peek around the fence and see Chase and Nolan standing on the curb across the street. Just as I start to ask myself, I see Ty walking across the street toward the group of boys.

  Why are they here? They walked four blocks in the opposite direction of the school, why? I moved back behind the fence, not wanting Chase or Nolan to see me cowering. Some all-powerful princess I’ve turned out to be.

  I hear the commotion from around the fence. As I peek back around I see Chase and Nolan had followed Ty across the street and now the three are standing there, backs to me, as the group of boys are running away from them.

  “Well that was quick.” I say to myself. Now I wonder if I should let them know I’m here. But that invisible hand makes me remember, and I know Ty is already aware that I’m here. I stand and free my skirt of the leaves and dirt before walking around the fence to the where the boys stand.

  “Thanks.” I can feel the color rush to my cheeks as I speed walk past them and head for school.

  “No problem.” Chase says as casual as possible. “Need an escort?” He asks with a playful smile, he hooks my arm in his and begins to walk with me.

  “Don’t mind if I do.” I say as I go along with him. As we pass Ty I just look at him, and he doesn’t say anything.

  As we walk the rest of the way to the school we all remain quiet, Chase still holding my arm. I think Ty nudged him from behind at some point, because he tripped a little and had to let. This gave Ty room to slide up to walk next to me. He was careful not to touch me, and I him.

  I really wanted to talk to him about the dreams I’ve had. They seemed to be a bit of my memories from when I was younger and his stories rolled into each other. Whatever they were, I was not interested in having one at school.

  At lunch Robin is less than happy with me over my lack of team spirit when I see her to apologize about missing the game. I was ready for her usual comment about being on the squad being a commitment you just can’t shrug off, but then I remember the altered reality. She not only kicked me off the squad, she tells me that she doesn’t have room in her busy life for friends like me, and demanded I hand in my pom-poms.

  I had hoped later on in bio, that Callie would be a little easier on me. However, there was no such luck there either. Callie has too much on her plate to fit in a friend who’s not on the same path as she is. I did not really know what that meant, but I make myself think about how everything will go back to normal after this altered reality is reversed back to a normal reality.

  “Are you having a bad day?” I hadn’t felt it all day, but just before the end of day bell rang, there was that pull from the bottom of my stomach. As I turn around I see his face, and he’s smiling.

  “Is there something amusing about me having a bad day?” I ask bluntly.

  “No, I was just …” I look at him with a questioning glare. “You have toilet paper stuck to your foot.” He says as quickly as possible, surly to stop my mad gaze.

  Annoyed, I throw my bag on the floor and remove the tissue from my shoe.

  “I have not even used the girl’s room today. I should have just stayed home. Is there high school in Pylira?” I ask him very loudly. Considering the altered reality, at this point I did not much care who heard me.

  “Keep your voice down.” He grabbed my bag and hand simultaneously and walked us towards the nearest exit.

  “What? It’s not like anyone here knows anything. They don’t even question anything abnormal.” I protested.

  “Yes, but there still are others hiding in plain sight. Do you think you’re the only one who’s living in a world you’re not from? There are others here.”

  “Do you mean other like me, who have grown up here?”

  “Yes, at this point anything is a possibility.” He quickly pointed out. This at least seems to cool my bad temper.

  “If that’s the case, then they already know who I am. No sense in hiding from anyone.”

  “I know that, but buio have a way of being very convincing.”

  “Oh, you mean like the way you convinced me you weren’t here for an ulterior motive.”

  “I’m not.” He said letting go of my hand. I did not realize until he let go that the buzz of electricity was there. It hadn’t hit me like it did the last time.

  “I did not feel it that time.”

  “What?”

  “The jolt.”

  “Your feelings are compromised. Everything you feel is based from your emotions. Right now I’d say you’re a little upset.” He turns away from me.

  “There it is.” I said as I calmed down.

  “What are you doing?” He asks me as he runs both of his hands through his hair.

  “Making sure it’s real, and not some weird joke.” I say not sure of it myself.

  “You mean like a spell?”

  “Yes, that’s what you said the other day. You wanted to make sure it was real, and not a spell. Like someone spelled you to distract you from what was really going on. How do I know that’s not what this is?”

  “You really want to know?”

  “YES!” I’m screaming at him now. He stops, and just as quickly as I yelled his mouth is on mine, but not soft this time. His kiss is hard and needy, his hands fisted in my hair, as I wrap mine around his neck.

  When he lets go of me he backs away quickly. “I’m sorry. I did not mean to be so…”

  I held my fingers to my lips. I could still feel him there. They were burning as if the fire in my belly had reached all the way up to my mouth.

  “We both have heightened emotions right now. That wasn’t supposed to happen.” Just as quickly as before, our mouths are on each other, but this time I went to him. My fingers entangled his hair and his fingers knead my back.

  I released him, grabbed my bag from the ground and ran home. The farther I got from him the tighter the rubber band felt. This is how I knew he wasn’t following me this time. I did not want him to either. I needed to think. I really needed someone else to talk to about all this. I needed my mom.

  -15-

  “You knew we were following you?”

  “Yep.” The little girl swayed back and forth on her heels.

  “Why not say something to us then?” Tabby asked her.

  “I figured you would catch up to me and say something but you didn’t, so I thought maybe you just needed to see I’m not harmful.”

  “Why would we think you were harmful? Chris added.

  “Right now, anyone could be… anyone. You’ve had you guard down with me this entire time.” She said.

  “So, should we have had our guard up around you? Are you telling us you’re going to hurt us?” Chris asked.

  “No, I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Good.” Tabby added quickly.

  “I’m not going to hurt you, but I’m not exactly who you think I am either.” At the end of the last word the little girl suddenly grew two and half feet, giving her probably a full 6 feet by Chris’ estimation, then morphed into a fully grown man. Chris couldn’t help herself as she stood gawking at him.

  His black hair was spiked; his eyes were a sort of gold color. He had a straight lined chin, chiseled muscles and a tan that Chris would kill for. Chris and Tabby both speechless, did not move or say anything.

  “It’s ok; I’m a friend of luce maga. I’m not going to harm you.” He said.

  Finally Chris found her voice. “How do we know that?” She grabbed Tabby’s hand gearing up for a fight. “How do we know you’re not buio?”

  “See I knew walking this way was going to get us in trouble.” Tabby commented.

  “No, were not in trouble, there is only one of him.” Chris pointed out to her friend. />
  “I’m not I swear.”

  “Then why use a disguise?” Tabby asked.

  “Would you have trusted a man walking in the same direction you were?” He looked from one to the other. “No you wouldn’t.” He answered for them. “You would have assumed I were buio, and fought me. I had to show you I am of no threat. I could have let you alone with that group.”

  “Okay, so if you’re not buio, what are you?” Tabby asked.

  “I’m luce.” He said matter of fact.

  “Only women of luce are allowed to leave Pylira. So how is that possible, or did you disguise yourself to leave?”

  Chris asked him.

  “No madam. Tra monde is not that easily fooled. Can we start over? I’m Farlow, Prince of the fairies.” He ended with a bow. “I’m a light fairy, as dark fairies do not exist.” He added as he stood.

  Chris fell into a curtsy immediately. “We apologize, your highness.” She said quickly and tugged at Tabby, who reluctantly followed suit.

  “If only I had known you believed that so easy I would have opened with it.” He laughed.

  “It’s not that your majesty. I now see the sigil on your arm, that of the fairy Queen Renal.” Chris said in a low voice.

  “Please stand. I don’t like such formalities, not here anyway.” He grabbed Chris’ hand and lifted her to her full height. He stopped a moment to look into her eyes, and brought her had to his lips and kissed it lightly. Chris felt a little unnerved and lost all train of thought, and she felt the color rush to her cheeks.

  Tabby stood, and looked for the sigil. It was difficult to see, as it is the same color as his tanned skin, the scar from the sigil barely visible.

  “May I ask what you are doing here?” Chris found her voice.

  “I thought surely you would know that it is almost the time. When we heard the passage would be closing, I was told be on this side of it. My magic and direction is needed here.” Farlow answered as he gestured around making it known that he was talking about being in this world for the events that were soon to take place.

  “So we are going the right way after all.” Tabby said, “Onward east then, shall we?”

  “Tabby, he’s a prince.” She nudged her friend.

  “Yeah, in Pylira he’s a prince, here he’s just a guy who’s been playing tricks on us for a month now.”

  “Sorry, I did not think about that I guess. I just did not want you to be afraid of me. I need to keep track of you two.” He said looking at Tabby.

  “Why? What do you need us for? I heard there were a lot of luce maga here. That’s where were going, to meet them,” Chris stated.

  “Tabby, you want to fill Chris in?” Farlow asks Tabby.

  “I don’t need too. Chris knows my family is involved with this.” She says to Farlow.

  “Tabby and I have been friends for more years than she lived with her family. I know everything.” Chris added with a bit of sarcasm. She did not like the idea that this person thinks he knows more about her best friend than she did. Tabby and Chris were so close they considered each other sisters.

  “Okay, if you say so.” Farlow said looking at both of them in turn. “Shall we travel together then? I still need to keep watch of you two, consider it my job.” He said with a knowingly look at Tabby.

  “Fine,” Tabby shot back, “but know prince stuff here. Were just all regular people in this world… Got it?” She said with a finger pointed in his chest.

  “Yes, ur… yes.” Farlow choked out.

  “Okay then… Let’s go?” Chris asked the two.

  They spent the day walking in silence. It was clear to Chris that this Farlow was not going to let them get to far away, but he did let them fall back as he had the month prior. Maybe he figured if they were going to walk into any trouble, he’d be first to arrive.

  Chris was feeling a little uneasy about the way Tabby had addressed the royal prince. She was very callous whenever they had spoken of royalty in the past. She always said she had no use for the royals of Pylira.

  Chris had once asked when they were ten, where she had gotten her locket, since it has a royal insignia on the back. Tabby would only tell her it was very special to her. She would never say who gave it to her, but when she handed it to her a couple of years ago, she had gotten some pretty weird vibes from it while in tra monde. She had gone to Pylira briefly, and those whom she encountered had asked where she got it from.

  “It belongs to a friend.” Is all that she told them. After the third person asked her she tucked the locket behind her tee shirt for the rest of the time she was there. When she arrived back, she tried to ask Tabby about it again, and she just said it was given to her by someone very dear to her heart. Then she changed the subject and they never spoke about it again.

  Chris knew Tabby’s family was in Pylira, she also knew Tabby did not want them to know where she was. She had run away from home at eight and found a home with Chris and her family. Three years later the curse happened, and they were beginning their training to fight the mietitore.

  Tabby had been so worried Chris wouldn’t return she had given the locket to her, to make her promise that she would, so it could be returned. Tabby was the one who told Chris about the prophecy regarding the curse. When Tabby had learned of the curse from her mother, she left Pylira, and never looked back.

  Chris still wasn’t sure that it had anything to do with her or her family, other than the fact she was a luce maga, and she needed to protect those that needed her help. Her mother told her once that she would be the protector of a very important person. That such a person was the one who would make their Pylira as it should be.

  -16-

  “Are you going out tonight?” My father poked his head in the door way of my room startling me. I looked up from my English paper I’ve been perpetually ignoring all afternoon as it sits in front of me.

  “No dad, don’t think so.” I answer after a beat.

  I have not spent more than an hour at a time in the same room with Xander or my father in the last two weeks. Keeping up pretenses of their altered reality was starting to frustrate me. I really wanted to discuss everything with my father, and maybe get some answers, but that just wasn’t in the cards.

  “Okay, then don’t stay up too late. I’m headed to the lake with the guys for the weekend.” He took a long look at the paper sitting at my desk in front of me.

  “Okay, have fun.” I called back as he turned to leave the room.

  Fishing was my father’s only hobby right now. He and Xander had spent the last three weekends up at the cabin fishing with the guys from work. As an English lit professor at the local college, he said fishing released his work stress. As the lowest level mailroom clerk, Xander had more stress than the average 20 year old. Before all this happened Xander was training with dad and planning on attending college, not working at one. He was outgoing and had friends he hung out with. Now he lays around on his days off and plays video games, and goes fishing.

  Yes, things were very frustrating. As I sat and stared at my blank paper I realized I had to stop avoiding. The paper could wait; it wasn’t due for another two weeks. I had to go see the elders and practice magia. I had been avoiding Ty all week, since Monday’s confrontation. That subject was frustrating as well.

  I had asked Chase to help with the magic lessons. Being with Ty came with so much more unanswered questions, I need to focus.

  I decided against staying in. I looked at the clock, it was only 5 o’clock. I closed the paper in my binder and went to search for my shoes. Dad and Xander most definitely took the car, so I’d walk the four blocks to Ty’s house. This week so many new faces had appeared in town, but they don’t seem to be staying in town. So chances were a four block walk would be ok.

  I found my shoes right where I had taken them off when I got home from school, by the front door. I put them on and grabbed my bag. As I grabbed the door handle to open it I felt him. I pulled the door open and there he was. Ty was my loosel
y tied yet invisible rubber band.. I was starting to get used to it, so sometimes I wouldn’t notice how much it hurt to be far away from him.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked as I threw my bag straps over my shoulders.

  “I haven’t heard from you all week, thought I’d check on you.” He said as he ran a hand through his untamed hair. It was wet in only a few spots, as if he had run all the way to my house.

  “You’re all sweaty, you know you could have checked up on me over the phone, besides I’m heading out.” I said and stepped down out of the doorway.