Only Skin Deep

Dancing the Line

“The twins,” Belle said in a hushed voice, but her mother had already vanished back into the house to check on her other children. Belle stepped out into the street, joining the small crowd of people surrounding and attempting to comfort the screaming woman Belle now recognised as Mrs DeTamble.

“What’s going…?” Belle’s question trailed off when she looked up and saw what had captured the small village’s attention.

A dark figure, half shrouded by the fog that had come down from the hills, stood with his hood thrown back and his face grinning out at the night. A pair of pearly white fangs, sharp as daggers, protruded over his bottom lip giving his smile a deadly edge. His eyes were as black as the night itself and glistening with… with what, Belle wasn’t sure, and wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Her heart almost stopped in her chest when she saw he had a hold of Archie DeTamble by the scruff of his neck, whimpering quietly but barely moving.

“Do I have everyone’s attention?” the figure asked delicately, in a voice quieter than a breeze but that still cut through the air like a blade. “If so, I have a request…”

“You’ll get nothing from us, beast!” A voice boomed out of the darkness and the crowd parted as none other than Gaston Beauchamp stepped forward, his sword raised and pointed directly at the creature, whose smile widened.

“Is that so?” In one sharp movement he had jerked Archie towards him and leaned down, baring his fangs…

“NO!” cried Mrs DeTamble, who looked as if she might soon pass out from terror. The creature paused.

“No?” He lifted his head. “Does this mean you are to listen, this time?”

“What do you w-want?” asked Gaston, a slight tremor detectable in his previously confident voice. “We can give you… gold, and… and livestock…”

But the creature was laughing, throwing his head back and displaying his fangs even more clearly to the villagers who drew back a step. “Gold? You think I want gold? You fool…” His dark eyes roamed the crowd. “What I require is far more… precious…”

Belle’s heart hammered as those terrifying eyes appeared to land directly on her, and hold her gaze as if by magic. People turned slowly to look at her and shuffled back a step or two. The creature smiled once more.

“…her.”

“Belle is promised to me,” Gaston proclaimed, stepping forward. Despite knowing the absurdity of feeling annoyed at such a time, Belle bristled a little.

“Ooh, she does not look pleased with that,” the creature laughed. “But I don’t believe I was enquiring as to her availability.” He took a step towards Gaston, dragging the small child with him but his eyes never leaving Belle’s. “It seems that I require the services of a young lady such as herself… big castle like mine…” he winked at Belle, “…pain in the back teeth to clean.”

Belle’s body convulsed and the beast grinned wickedly. “And I’m afraid it’s her or the boy, and any other child that takes my fancy…”

There were scattered sobs from the village mothers, and cries of outrage from the fathers. Belle’s skin crawled but she straightened up to her full height and took a resolved step forward, barely having to think about what she was about to do.

“Then take me,” she said clearly, the confidence in her own voice surprising even herself.

“No, Belle!” Belle turned to see her mother at the door of their cottage, Angelique and Maurice clutching handfuls of her dress and staring in horror at their big sister. Hot tears pricked at Belle’s eyes but she feared too much for the villagers if there was a fight, if the creature changed his mind and simple savaged young Archie… she turned back to face the beast.

“Take me,” she repeated firmly, “but on two conditions.”

The creature raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Oh?” he asked. “And what might they be?”

“One…” Belle managed, wondering how on earth she hadn’t turned and fled yet, but then her eyes fell once more on Archie trembling by the beast’s side. “One… you harm no one in this village. The boy goes free and you no longer terrorise this place.”

The creature smiled. “And two?”

“I will be your servant,” she said shakily, “but I will not be your snack.”

To Belle’s surprise the terrifying man - if you could call him a man - laughed again, the alien sound echoing about the stunned village. “Spunky this one, isn’t she?” he said almost conversationally to Gaston, who was looked both outraged and upstaged. The beast began striding towards Belle. “Yes, she’ll do splendidly…”

Belle forced her feet to stay put, standing her ground as the creature approached. “No one will be harmed?”

He smiled. “You have my word.”

“Then… then you have mine.”

There was a hushed, terrified silence from the village behind her.

“Belle, you can’t…”

“Hush, Mama,” Belle choked, turning to face her family. “I hav-”

Belle words were cut short as the creature reached her and swung his dark cloak over his shoulder and around the two of them in a sudden flourish. Belle gasped in horror and felt a harsh pulling sensation as the breath was sucked from her lungs, preventing her from screaming. She could feel the beast’s presence close to her body, and she shuddered in disgust as the scent of fresh blood invaded her senses. The cloak was whipped from around her once more and Belle’s eyes widened as they took in, not the crowded village square, but a great towering mansion. Her legs gave way and she dropped to the floor, clutching her head and unable to process what had just happened.