The Frog and The Beast

The Beast Chapter 10

As I collapsed onto my bed, panting from the exertion of my outburst, I felt the weight of the silence settle around me. The house, once filled with laughter and warmth, now felt like a prison. I could hear the faint creaks of the old wood settling, as if the house itself was mourning the loss of its former joy.

I glanced around the room, the remnants of my tantrum strewn across the floor. My teddy bear sat untouched, its button eyes gazing back at me with a kind of understanding I couldn't quite grasp. It was a reminder of a simpler time when my biggest worry was whether I'd get cookies after dinner.

Suddenly, a soft tap-tap on the window broke through my thoughts. Perched on the sill was a vibrant red bird, pecking at the glass. I glared at it, captivated by its beauty. It reminded me of a time when I, too, had felt beautiful, and that realization ignited a spark of anger within me.

I swung my legs off the bed, opened the window, and swiped at the bird with my claws.

"Get out of here!" I snarled at the exquisite creature. "Go away!"

The bird deftly avoided my claws, darting into my room with the grace of the wind.

"My goodness, no wonder Kagura turned you into a beast. You certainly behave like one."

I froze, scanning the room. Someone had spoken—a woman who seemed to know about my curse.

"Who said that?" I demanded. "Who's there?"

The red bird flew closer, and before my eyes, a swirling red mist enveloped it, transforming it into a stunning woman, perhaps a little older than me, with long hair the same vibrant hue as the bird's feathers, adorned in silver and gold. There was something eerily familiar about her, as if I had seen her before.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice laced with suspicion. "Are you another witch?"

"I was a bird just five seconds ago. What do you think?"

My anger flared. Another witch, likely here to make my situation worse. I wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

"Get the hell out of here!" I shouted, grabbing the broken alarm clock from the floor and hurling it at her. She dodged it with lightning speed.

"My, my," she tsked. "You really need to learn to control that temper of yours."

I lunged at her, but she sidestepped effortlessly, and I crashed into the corner of the wall.

"You know this isn't how you should treat someone who came all this way to help you."

"Help me?" I picked myself up, incredulous. "Help me what? Look even more hideous?"

"Well, I can't say I'm not tempted, now that I've officially met you and seen what kind of person you are. But lucky for you, unlike my sisters, reason governs my actions rather than emotion."

"Sisters?"

"Oh, you remember us, don't you? We're the three witches of Fairy Tail Academy—the 'ugly girls' you and your so-called elite friends tormented daily."

Recognition dawned on me.

"Holy crap, you mean you're Erza?! But how? How is it that you three were so unattractive at school and suddenly look like this?"

"Initially, it was to avoid suspicion. My sisters tend to use magic when their emotions get the better of them, which draws unwanted attention. We had to change our appearances to avoid detection. This time, I insisted we reveal our true selves to teach you a lesson. Clearly, that didn't work."

"Ya think?"

"Hey, don't take your anger out on me. Despite my disapproval of what Kagura did to you, you have no one to blame for this curse but yourself."