Some Beauty and the Kind-Of Beast

- 2 -

2 — Beauty

Felix and Marcelle are simply restless, meaning that the trip to and back from the city will take longer than usual. And the snow. Never forget about the perpetual snow.

Nova feeds the horses sugar cubes and soothingly talks to them. I grab my mother's arm as she passes.

"Come back safe, okay?"

She smiles at me. "Always, sweetheart."

My father stops behind her and places a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Donna. Now, what would you girls like from the city?"

Nova turns with a sparkle in her eye. "Can I have a new set of headphones? Or a new phone case. Either works."

My mother laughs and squashes her in a hug. "What if we can't find any?"

Nova thinks for a moment. "Front row tickets to the fashion show you're sure to land."

My mother smiles at her. "Done."

"And you, Donna?" my father asks.

I shrug, sticking my hands in the pockets of my skirt. "I don't know."

"She wants a rose," my mother stage-whispers. "But wait, she only wants it because we'll come back with it."

I smile at her. "Fine. But I want the prettiest rose anyone's ever laid eyes on — no less."

My father smiles and hugs me. "A rose it is."

Nova and I wave as they leave.

I know you must be wondering about the horse and cart thing. It's very common. The town is adorable and quaint, but it can be a bit backwards at times. The only person I know to drive a car is Carter, and that's because his family is as rich as the next town.

"Oh, God," Nova mutters, staring at the approaching figure. "I have homework to do."

And with that, she disappears, leaving me to get rid of Carter. "Hi," he says with an annoying grin.

"Will it be okay if I said bye?"

Carter's grin widens. "Funny. Listen, if you went out with me, I'd pay for your college tuition."

The bloody eavesdropper! Oh, I could strangle him! But . . . he does have good bait. Still, blackmail is no way to ask a girl out. The sun has begun to set, so I use the time as an excuse to get away. I end up telling him I'd think about it.

———————

I wake to the sound of Nova yelling my name. At first I wonder if I overslept and forgot to pack her lunch, but it's still dark.

I groan as I realise I fell asleep on the couch before I even changed, so now my skirt is the most crinkliest thing ever.

The sound of horses roaring in a rage — yes, roaring — makes me jump when Nova screams my name again. I rush outside to see her watching the riderless horses. They repeatedly leap onto their hind legs, tails swishing viciously as they make the most noise I've ever heard them make before.

With only another slight moment of hesitation, Nova grabs the reins of both horses and forces them down on all four hooves. "Where are my parents?" she demands.

Felix and Marcelle freeze, like a human who's seen a ghost. Something out there scared them so much, they won't even make a sound . . . and my parents are nowhere to be found.

Nova starts taking the broken pieces of the carriage that held all their goods off and taking the saddle off. At first, I think she's just letting them settle in, but after bolting the stable doors behind them, she heads inside the house with a determined look on her face.