Once Upon a You | A Beauty and the Beast Retelling ✔️

14 | Enemy (Bea)

A group of burly men in rugged camouflage outfits burst into Lu's cottage, rifles in hand, their eyes scanning the room. "New Town Parks and Wildlife Department!"

Fear and fury grip my heart as their aggressive presence fills the air.

"How may I help you?" Lu stands tall, as she emerges from the study, Z-man in tow. Her voice is steady, defending her home.

"We got an anonymous call that you're harboring a mountain lion which has been seen on the prowl at the outskirts."

So that's what Gus' game was. He never said I could turn into a dangerous feline, but he reported Lu? That no good despicable arsehole.

"A what? Are you hearing yourself, mate? Had a bit too much to drink?" Z makes a cuckoo sign, twirling his finger near the temple.

"We're teens. Why would we be harboring a mountain lion, as you say?" Lu tries to reason with them. "I mean, the animal might be in the neighborhood, I really can't tell for sure but... In my own home? Most certainly not."

Ross pulls me back into the kitchen, as chaos erupts in the living room. We can hear the park rangers searching every corner, objects pouring on the floor as their boots stomp on the wooden parquet.

"How did they know?" I mouth at Ross, not daring to word my doubts out loud.

"It's all my fault." He trembles, his tension palpable. "Gus must've overheard me on the phone this morning, meeting up with Z-man to go and buy our Snowball Dance suits."

"But that doesn't explain..."

"No, listen. I was so stupid. Now I remember saying loud and clear that we'll head to Lu's place later and he... He must have heard I mentioned your name."

"You mentioned me?"

"I just told Z we'll need to stop by the bookshop for your book, too. I'm so sorry, Bea."

"Don't beat yourself over it." I squeeze his hand. "It was a perfectly normal thing to mention in a conversation. That is, when you don't have an obnoxious brother who's eavesdropping on you with evil intentions."

"What do we do now?" He looks so small and lost. High-tension situations aren't his thing, I can tell.

I peek at the crowd looking for our friends and the first thing I spot is Z's unruly raven hair - a homing beacon. When he glances towards the kitchen door and gives me a little encouraging smile, a mix of relief and sudden comfort rushes through me.

"They're both okay," I whisper.

Ross nods, wordless. This is how Ross is. He hovers in the distance, always my lingering shadow, yet always giving me space. Allowing me to deal with things on my own terms.

But they'll be coming in here next. They can't see me like this. And I know just what I have to do.

I shift into a mountain lion, my impulsive decision fuelled by the need to protect Lu's home. I'm gonna distract them and get them away from my friends.

Having swiftly transformed in the kitchen, I burst into the living room, catching the hunters off guard. Their rifles instant-point at my massive body, tension thick in the air.

Z-man leaps before me. "Hey, hey, don't shoot! Don't shoot her!"

I roar at them in anger. One of the men loses control over his rifle. A sound of a single gunshot rings out and I pause to look back, only to be struck with horror.

Z, with a silly expression on his face, a tranq dart embedded in his neck, stumbles and collapses to the floor, hitting his head on the table in the process.

Blood pools around his temples.  

A mixture of shock and sorrow floods my being but there's no time to linger. A second ranger is already pointing his rifle at me. I swerve through the door, hoping the manoeuvre is enough to evade the bullet's path. Adrenaline courses through my veins as I navigate the half-familiar terrain, the instinct to survive guiding my every move.

As I expected, the park rangers are hot in pursuit, but they aren't fast enough for me. Their shouts fade into the distance and I hear their Jeeps give chase. I'm determined to lead them away from Lu's home, and I head to the nearby forest. 

The thick trees become my ally, their dense foliage providing cover as I navigate through the underbrush. The scent of the wild fills my nostrils, reminding me of the freedom and resilience of nature. I push my feline body to its limits, agile and swift, leaving the rangers struggling to keep up. My heart beats in sync with the rhythm of the forest, a primal connection to the world around me. After I make sure my trail is meticulously covered, I seek refuge in a tall tree, its branches offering solace and a vantage point.

I take a moment to catch my breath and observe my surroundings.

Rustling leaves and gentle breeze provide a soothing backdrop but nothing eases my weary mind. It keeps replaying the haunting scene of Z-man's fall, that sickening thud of his head hitting the table, that tranq dart piercing his neck. 

Guilt consumes me. Dammit, Ross' friend sacrificed himself to protect me. He's hurt because of me. His blood-covered face is a reminder of the price I paid for my safety. I should've never accepted to stay at Lu's home. I put Z in danger. Ross will never forgive me.

He and I have been in close proximity for too long these past weeks. It's rearranged my molecules, made me unsure of things I thought I was certain about. Example: how much I like not just his arms or his stomach but him, and the way he looked at me when he told me I was "kind of great." But that's absurd. Isn't it?

How could any man love a beast?

Even before I was... this, I definitely wasn't the perfect high school girlfriend material. Quick tempered. Prone to fury. Angry at myself but taking it out on others. I growl. I should stay away from Ross Thorne. His life will be wayyy better without me, because I'm nothing but fucking trouble.

It's just hard to remember that we can never be, when I think how our thighs were touching or when a sunray caught the softest angles of his face.

I whine and place my head on my paws.

A/N: Theme song: Imagine Dragons x J.I.D.  "Enemy (Arcane)"