The Frog and The Beast

The Beast Chapter 1

Gray Fullbuster. That was my name for eleven years, until the day my parents died in the tragedy known as Hurricane Deliora. It was one of the most devastating events to ever strike Fiore, New Hampshire, claiming over a thousand lives. I can still picture myself sitting in the backseat of our car when a massive wave crashed over us. The next thing I remember is waking up in a hospital bed, the grim reality settling in as I was told that both my parents were gone.

The only relative I had left was my mother's brother, Nathaniel Grisham. Her family had never approved of her marrying my father, but Nathaniel despised him. So much so that when he took me in, he insisted I change my name to Glen Grisham. At first, I resented it, but what choice did I have? My uncle was all I had left.

Nathaniel was a strikingly handsome man, just as my mother had been beautiful. In fact, everyone on her side of the family was stunning. And of course, I was beautiful too—cool, popular, and rich. My friends at school had even elected me their prince. Well, not a real prince, but the prince of the spring dance. I still remember the day we filled out the ballots for the spring court; my friend Lyon and I were both running for the same position.

Lyon was a star athlete, the quarterback on the football team, and undeniably good-looking, but his family was far from special.

"You've got that stupid grin on your face again," Lyon said, shaking his head.

"What stupid grin?" I replied, feigning innocence.

"You know the one. You look like you've already won, giving the paparazzi a chance to snap your picture."

"And that's a bad thing?" I grinned wider.

"You shouldn't be allowed to live."

"Why, thank you." I considered voting for Lyon just to be nice, but I was certain he'd vote for himself.

I folded my ballot over, hiding my choice from Lyon.

Then a voice rang out from the back of the room.

"This is disgusting!"

We all turned to see one of those creepy goth girls, Kagura.

"There's something fundamentally wrong with this world," she declared, standing as if making a speech. "It's the twenty-first century, and this kind of elitist travesty is still being perpetuated."

"It's just a ninth-grade dance ballot," Lyon interjected. "To choose the royalty."

"Exactly," Kagura shot back. "Who are these people? Why should they be treated as royalty? Based on what? The people on this ballot were chosen for one reason only—physical beauty."

"Sounds like a good reason to me," I said to Lyon, not bothering to keep my voice down. "It's a democratic process, lady. This is who everyone chooses."

Kagura stepped closer, her eyes fierce. "They're sheep, following the herd. They vote for the so-called popular people because it's easy. Surface beauty is always easy to recognize. But if someone is braver, stronger, smarter—that's harder to see."

Her words ignited a fire within me. "If someone's so smart, they'd figure out how to look better. You could lose weight, get plastic surgery, even get your face scraped." I emphasized the "you," making it clear I was talking about her. "People shouldn't have to look at ugly people."

"Glen, I think that's going too far," Lyon whispered urgently.

"Is that what you think?" Kagura raised a dark eyebrow. "That we should all transform ourselves to fit your standards?"

"Yeah," I replied defiantly. "That's exactly what I think. That's what I know."

"Then it's a good thing people only look at you with their eyes, because if they looked with their hearts, they'd see you're by no means a prince. You're a beast."