The Beast and His Beauty

~The beast and his beauty~

Haley-

"Are you looking for a job?"

I turn around to give audience to the very familiar voice- Samantha the biggest snub in Oakland high.

I contemplated answering, for all I care about she might walk away while I'm in the middle of replying and make me look stupid in front of half of the school, but I do need a job, I really need one urgently.

"We'll discuss this in maths class." I say with a tone of finality and she gives a curt nod before walking off. I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding, her presence alone carried more power than the president's.

She was a no-nonsense person that everyone adored but couldn't approach, I'm still wondering how we got to have our lockers next to each other's, I guess my senior year in high school holds a lot for me.

I quickly shut my locker when I finally recovered from the encounter with Sam, what I couldn't wrap my head around was the fact that she was offering me a job. What does she need help with that would require my assistance anyways, she has half the school jocks as her best friends and literally the school students would turn themselves into a massive human carpet for her to walk on.

Calculating my steps I tried to walk away with my shoulders high to show the kids staring at me how much power I held but who was I kidding? I tripped halfway but I was caught by one of the nerds I share math with.

It's not nice to call people nerds.. but then.

As soon as I entered the class the bell went, I looked around for the empty chair and plopped down on it totally unwilling to attract stares.

"We're in math class." Sam's cold voice made me jolt forward in my seat, she scared me. How come I sat next to her? I didn't even see her and she usually sits with.. alright Addison stop belittling yourself, you're worthy of being sat next to.

"Yes I want a job." I tell her and she smiles in a freaky way and dips her hands into her black wet look bag and passed me a small black card.

"Meet me there after school, you resume work today." What the..

"I haven't actually taken permission from my mum." I argue paying attention to her perfectly manicured and polished black nails.

"Yeah I forgot, high school kids." She murmured the last part under her breath and I frown, what does she mean high school kids? Not everyone is actually spoilt. I turn my attention to the teacher who now rose up from his seat.

"Your assignments everyone." His frog like voice croaks in every corner of the classroom, I dig into my bag holding back the building laughter in me, I can't afford to have detention half way of second week of resumption.

Shit!

I left my math note on my reading table.

I bow my head on the table and wipe the tears about to spill, you may be wondering why my note would cause me to cry. Well I tend to forget a lot and people capitalize on it a lot and I feel really bad, words get to me the most, you feel me.

"Let me guess, you left your note at home." Sam says and I sigh.

"Sir Beckham I hope you don't mind, I left Haley's and my note on my reading table at home yesterday. She came over and forgot to take it back." She lies smoothly and everyone's head turns towards my direction including the heads of her friends. Exactly what I expected.. stares. Wasn't I good enough?

In my mind I access myself, I'm glad I decided to do a little makeover today and put on something nice. The eyes of my mates don't tear off me till Mr Beckham taps the board and soon I'm lost in my own thoughts of why Sam decided to talk to me and what she wants and everything that happened today, I feel like it's a dream.

**

"I got a job mum and I resume work today." I explain to mum while eating before I leave for the address Sam gave me.

"What's the job?" "Baby sitting." I lie, mum would never let me leave the house if I said I had no idea what I'd be doing.

"I haven't actually talked the details of the job with the person involved but I'll be doing so today." I tell her and she frowns. Yeah, no mother would like to hear that.

"The address is pretty close to Delaney's house." I tell her and her features soften. Delaney is an old time friend of hers who she meet about five years ago. They got very close over the years and so my statement gave her an assurance of my safety and well-being in general, mum thinks I'd get kidnapped someday if I'm not careful.

"I'm glad you've decided to get a job, I'm not saying that you were supposed to but I support you. I believe you're looking for a way to become independent earlier than I expected and I respect that, but I need you to know that no matter what I'm that shoulder you can always lean on." Mum says rubbing my shoulder and I sigh, I'm running late already.

"I understand you mum and trust me, I'll always lean on you when I need your support. Don't stay up late for me, I have the spare keys." I grab my fur coat and shrug it on pushing the plate further into the table and getting out of the house.

I walk a little before I sight a cab, I'd have loved to order an Uber if I had extra cash. I tell him the address and sit back into the cab watching the trees by the roadside go by quickly.

The drive there wasn't long, I fished out a couple of dollar bills and payed the cab driver before taking the card out to check the address and from what I see I can tell I'd have to walk a really long way.

I arrive the location (too long after) which is surprisingly a huge house with a white gate guarding the entire building, I can't even imagine what the inside would be like. Before I knock the gate it slides opens and I walk in and look around, cool no one was there. This is starting to creep me out, I walk further into the house and the beauty of the house amazes me, the house was like those in the movies. Massive swimming pool seated in front of the house, well trimmed flowers in the garden, a richly furnished pouch and a huge ass brown door.

Trying my best not to satisfy the urge to give the exterior a tour I guide myself towards the front door, as soon as my feet hit the door mat I sucked in a deep breath before attempting to ring the bell. The door swings opens and I gasped, is this house controlled by ghosts?

"You look like a stuffed doll." Sam greets from behind the door, I sigh trying to even out my breath. I am breathing like someone who just ran a marathon and my heartbeat is pounding in my ears.

"Come on in." I walk in my leg hitting the marbled floor, the scent of Jasmine wafted across the whole room. She shut the door and linked her arms in mine, another part of Sam no one in this world knows.

"How do you like the place?" She asks and I examine the room. White walls with nothing on the and expensive looking couches and a couple of bean bags in the room, typical high schoolers house. The interior actually looks nice and makes me feel homely.

"You live here?" I ask and she shakes her head. So whose house is this then? I'm tempted to ask but I bite my tongue.

"So the job is?" I ask walking to the couch after unlinking our arms

We both crash on seperay couches and let out a soft sigh as our butts hits the super soft couch.

"I've been monitoring you for months now and I decided you're the best person for the job." She announces. Should I be creeped out?

"I actually see the inside of people from the way they interact with others and I see you're nice and sweet and the perfect pick." What exactly is she saying? I have no friends and I only interact with people who approaches me and that sums up to majority of the people termed nerds.

"Nothing you see leaves here okay?" I'm taken back for a moment, is this some sort of secret society or what?

"Listen girl, you'll be taking care of Elon every afternoon into evening while I go do my work okay." Her bossiness plays back in.

"This Elon is who? Your younger brother?" I ask and she sighs and I gasp, I remember Elon he was the one that witch girl cursed about a year back. The news circulated round the school for days but no one knew what the curse was.

"Oh my God." My hands fly over my mouth in fear, he was a beast and those who say him reported that he looked very deadly like a beast. Is that who I'll be babysitting?

"You dare not run, that gates are automated and there's no escape and like I said no information leaves here or you're a goner." She says getting up and sitting on the table so she could look me in the eye. I looked around incase the beast was somewhere around, mum would cry if she hears of my death. Mum!! She warned me.

"Listen girl, I'll pay you very handsomely if you do the job well. We recently got rid of the girl who kept the afternoon shift."

"Got rid?" "Sacked I meant to say, listen Elon may currently look like a monster and may have animalistic urges but it doesn't change the fact that he is a human underneath all that. I assure you two hundred percent safety but there are rules to follow, no phones allowed in the house.." "What?" I interrupt is she kidding me.

"How do I get help if his urges kick in?" And why did she mean by animalistic urges?

"There is a land line milady, phone me whenever. His urges doesn't kick in unless he's pissed off.

As I was saying, you must keep at least two feet distance from him for your safety, after school rush down here and begin work, you can carry extra clothes in your bag but do not waste anytime before getting here, there are bathrooms where you can do your thing.

Try your best not to get on his nerves, he has burned down two houses out of rage already and please don't ever ask him what the curse is." She finishes off and I stare at her in the eye, I feel like this is a suicide mission plus I resume today.

"There are other rules to follow which I'll let you know as time goes by let me introduce you to him." She gets up and I do the same following behind her stiffly, we go up spirals of stairs and I'm exhausted when we get to the end.

"One more thing, he has the ability to read minds so keep your thought at home. Don't ever think around him." "How is that even po..." She pushes the door open and pushes me in.

"How may I help you?" A rock hard voice calls from behind and I shriek in fear, so many things in this house has put me in great fear.

Slowly I turn around not knowing what to expect as the Elon everyone has been talking about. I beheld the most scary creature I've ever seen in my whole life and I felt my getting sucked from me as I struggled to cry.

Sam's words floated in my mind,

'Elon may look like a monster and may have animalistic urges but it doesn't change the fact that he is a human underneath all that.'

I let every resentment for his current figure fly out through the window as I offered a shaky smile. I was still shaken, the witch was really a wicked soul. I really wonder what the curse.. NO THOUGHTS HALEY I caution myself unable to tear my eyes away from his gaze.

One of the rules went off in my head like a light bulb, two feets. My feets shuffled two feets away from his figure but Sam still stood there.

"I'd have loved to stay but I've got business to attend to, I'll see you later Elon." She does a three-sixty spin on her heels and leaves, my heart sinks into the pit of my stomach.

**

I awkwardly clear my throat,

"What do you want to have for dinner?" He turned his head towards my direction and instantly my fingers began to shake in anxiety, his face is emotionless.

"Whatever you're making." He says and nod leaving the room, this is the first time I've left the room since I got in. I literally ran down the stairs and went searching for the easy to find kitchen.

What would he eat? Grilled chicken breast? Does meat stir his animalistic urge?

"I'm still a human okay." I whimper and turn, I didn't see him follow me down the stairs how the hell was he so quiet?

"Why are y'all treating me like I'm some sort of beast? I know my appearance is beastly but that doesn't mean.. the fuck." He pushes down the plate rack and my heart begins to race.

"If you intend to treat my like a wild beast then get the hell out of my house." He walks closer and I feel my knees going weak.

"I am so sorry, please spare me." I beg unable to hear my own voice due to the sound of my heart beating in my ear.

"You know what?.." "Listen sir I don't really want to know anything, just let me leave here in one piece and I swear to keep this place and everything about it a secret." I begged on my knees, he seemed to tower over me even more now.

"Just get me dinner and be quick with it." He says leaving, I let out an involuntary sigh. I've been sighing a lot today. Signs of stress, what exactly can I say is stressing me?

I quickly get dinner done and I dish out the food giving him a larger portion, I meet him on the dinning table waiting for his meal. I gently place the tray in front of him and turn on my heels and walk away very quickly to get my own food.

I sit at the other end of the table and begin to eat, I didn't know I could cook this well. As if in agreement my hungry tummy growled.

"When does my shift end?" I ask trying to be civil and imagine he was a human which he is.

"Did Sam not tell you?" He asks and I shake my head, the tone of his voice makes it difficult to detect if he is pissed or not.

"Why the hell does your little ass mind always think about me as a beast?" I clear my throat bit I don't say anything.

"Meeting you is very overwhelming, considering rumors that have been spread I've been having double minds and..." I pause not wanting to go further.

"I'm Haley." I say changing the topic at once.

"Your work here is done." Sam's voice makes me jump, I'm getting scared by every thing. When did she arrive?

"I'll drop you off at your house." She says and I nod getting up, today has been an amazing day here filled with fear.

**

When I get home I meet mum in the living room, I know she has questions but she doesn't ask. She lets me drag my weary ass to bed and pass out.

______