Beauty and the Beast

chapter 6

so heres a new chapter, sorry it took so long. School has been really sapping up my time lately.

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It was only another 2 weeks until they would actually need that cottage. Almost everything from the furniture in foyer to the plates in the kitchen had to be sold. It was only after the Beaumont chateau was sold that Belle knew it was time to leave. Her father was still a nervous wreck, and her sisters were still in denial. So Belle rented a wagon, and packed all that they had left inside and hooked it up to their only remaining horse, Pivoine, an old mare that was past her years and no one wanted.

After saying good-bye to her dear friends in town, Belle now had a wonderful book on Roman history from John from the book store, and food, delicious food from Madame Cosette that they could eat during their travel. It was a week's journey to the small town where the cottage was. And with this old mare, might be two. So they had to leave quickly for there was only so much food that Belle's family could afford and places to stay. With one last sad look at her childhood home, she left. It was the beginning of a new life for Belle, and living in the past would not help her now.

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"Belle! Why can't we stop? We have been in here forever! We need a break!" yelled Arielle.

"Because we stopped an hour ago, Arielle. If we keep stopping, it will be a month before we get there, and we don't have that much food!!" Belle replied tiredly.

They were only 4 days into this journey, and Belle was already exhausted. Her father, Antoine, was still in shock, she still had to remind him to eat and drink, and make sure he wasn't too hot. Her sisters were being argumentative and whiney. Asking to stop every hour and eat more food than they needed to and refused to help with almost anything. The only thing that kept Belle going was that it was summer. Because it was, she didn't have to worry about frostbite or freezing to death, or even blizzards. But the thought of warm summer days could only do so much for Belle. And right now, it seemed her sisters wanted to break down patience, some way or another.

"Belle! Of course we have enough food! Stop worrying no stop so I can get out of this wretched thing!!" Said Isabelle

It was that sentence that was the straw that broke the camels back for Belle, it was the last straw and now, all her feelings, emotions, and thoughts came up like a flood.

She yanked the reigns back so hard, the poor mare was startled. Belle whipped around and looked at her sister, Arielle, her slim, beautiful face stuck up in determination, plump lips set in a frown. Her green eyes were narrowed, silently challenging Belle to disagree, and it was those eyes that did Arielle in.

"Enough food? Stop worrying?" she whispered. Belle started laughing humorlessly. "All I have I done is worry because you two wont get your heads out of your arse and actually see what's going on!! We are poor! We have nothing! We are so close to being destitute and impoverished, and if it weren't for the kindness of strangers, we would be!! Do you know how I got this damn cottage? Do you even care?!? Can you not see how our father can barely function because he is in a state of shock? Do you see how little food we have left, and how you stuff your faces anyway?!? Have you not seen how much I have done for this family?!?! How I have gotten nothing back, not even a simple thank you?!?!? Have you not seen anything besides your own selfish thoughts and wants?!?!?"

The speech started calm, but at the end Belle was shouting, fighting the tears that were begging to surface. She had to cut herself short before she said anything she truly would regret.

She looked at her sisters, and both stared at her with shocked expressions on their faces. Never, had Belle ever spoken to either in such a way. She rarely yelled or shouted, even as a child. And Belle's cry for support, her plea for help, had finally reached her sisters' ears.