Beast Below
A Danger To Myself
The sound she’d made, the look of pure pain that had crossed her face, the half-transformation that her body endures. It all haunts me, follows me around, wakes me up at night. And the only thought that followed me around was "It’s all your fault. It was all. your. fault." I couldn’t hear anything else whenever I thought about. Her half-woman, half-beast form lay passed out in the garden between the cottage and the rest of the world. I can’t stop thinking about it.
“Bennett, get her up. I no longer want her in our home,” Leanza had said, her voice full of self-importance and pride. Her voice was always full of self-importance and pride, though, so that was no different than any other day. I stared at the girl, who had passed out from the pain in the tall, silky grass of Leanza’s enchanted garden. I never dared lay claim to anything within the wall, except for my journal and sketchbooks. Nothing else belonged to me. Not even I belonged to me. I was Leanza’s property, had been since I was 16 years old.
“Where should I take her?” I asked.
“I don’t care, Bennett, just get her out of my garden!” Leanza snapped, and stalked back towards the cottage. The plants always seemed to move away from her, cowering in fear as she passed. It was no surprise though. Her garden seemed to fear her. It always fell deafeningly quiet whenever she walked through it, as if the plants knew what she could do. Her long black medieval-styled dress, which she’d conjured herself out of a spiderweb and a few gems from the garden, brushed the dark purple bush that’s sweet pink fruit had the ability to heal almost any wound.
I watched as she swept away and finally after several moments of thick silence, I heard the creaking hinges of the cottage’s front door swing shut. I knelt before the girl and brushed her blonde hair out of her face. She really was gorgeous, despite the wings that had begun to form between her shoulder blades and the scaled tail that had also began to grow from her tailbone. Her skin was soft, even the rough patches where her scales had begun to appear had the feel of satin beneath my fingertips. The tree overhead cast a shadow across her face. I eased my arms underneath her neck and the bend of her knees.
“Shhh,” I whispered as I gently lifted, standing up with her. I cradled her against me as I headed for the far wall. I had to take her somewhere safe. I headed towards the west edge of the wall, which edged with the long since abandoned Marshall property, opposite from where I watched the girl drop into Leanza’s garden. I just had hoped that maybe she’d get in and out of the yard before my mentor noticed. I suppose her luck wasn’t that good. I know mine never has been. That’s how I ended up here, learning under the wicked witch herself. But, I digress.
I pushed myself up and over the stone hedge, careful not to hit her head on anything. That would be the least of her worries though, if I did. She wasn’t going to have it easy, not until I could fix this. I had to. Maybe then, if I could make things right, I would be able to sleep at night. But that’s unlikely, since I’ve never been able to sleep at night. When I sleep, I’m dangerous. When I’m awake, at least I have a tiny bit of control over my powers, but once I let myself relax, all semblance of control goes out the window. I’m too dangerous to let myself completely go anymore. I don’t remember the last time I woke up feeling like I had gotten any rest. What does it feel like, I suppose I will never know.
Then there’s the issue with my nightmares.
Glancing down at the girl in my arms, this felt like one of them. In fact, this is exactly one of my nightmares. I caused this. This is all my fault. All. My. Fault.
“Bennett, get her up. I no longer want her in our home,” Leanza had said, her voice full of self-importance and pride. Her voice was always full of self-importance and pride, though, so that was no different than any other day. I stared at the girl, who had passed out from the pain in the tall, silky grass of Leanza’s enchanted garden. I never dared lay claim to anything within the wall, except for my journal and sketchbooks. Nothing else belonged to me. Not even I belonged to me. I was Leanza’s property, had been since I was 16 years old.
“Where should I take her?” I asked.
“I don’t care, Bennett, just get her out of my garden!” Leanza snapped, and stalked back towards the cottage. The plants always seemed to move away from her, cowering in fear as she passed. It was no surprise though. Her garden seemed to fear her. It always fell deafeningly quiet whenever she walked through it, as if the plants knew what she could do. Her long black medieval-styled dress, which she’d conjured herself out of a spiderweb and a few gems from the garden, brushed the dark purple bush that’s sweet pink fruit had the ability to heal almost any wound.
I watched as she swept away and finally after several moments of thick silence, I heard the creaking hinges of the cottage’s front door swing shut. I knelt before the girl and brushed her blonde hair out of her face. She really was gorgeous, despite the wings that had begun to form between her shoulder blades and the scaled tail that had also began to grow from her tailbone. Her skin was soft, even the rough patches where her scales had begun to appear had the feel of satin beneath my fingertips. The tree overhead cast a shadow across her face. I eased my arms underneath her neck and the bend of her knees.
“Shhh,” I whispered as I gently lifted, standing up with her. I cradled her against me as I headed for the far wall. I had to take her somewhere safe. I headed towards the west edge of the wall, which edged with the long since abandoned Marshall property, opposite from where I watched the girl drop into Leanza’s garden. I just had hoped that maybe she’d get in and out of the yard before my mentor noticed. I suppose her luck wasn’t that good. I know mine never has been. That’s how I ended up here, learning under the wicked witch herself. But, I digress.
I pushed myself up and over the stone hedge, careful not to hit her head on anything. That would be the least of her worries though, if I did. She wasn’t going to have it easy, not until I could fix this. I had to. Maybe then, if I could make things right, I would be able to sleep at night. But that’s unlikely, since I’ve never been able to sleep at night. When I sleep, I’m dangerous. When I’m awake, at least I have a tiny bit of control over my powers, but once I let myself relax, all semblance of control goes out the window. I’m too dangerous to let myself completely go anymore. I don’t remember the last time I woke up feeling like I had gotten any rest. What does it feel like, I suppose I will never know.
Then there’s the issue with my nightmares.
Glancing down at the girl in my arms, this felt like one of them. In fact, this is exactly one of my nightmares. I caused this. This is all my fault. All. My. Fault.