Page 43 of Isabelle and the Beast

Theo shrugs. “It takes a long time to drive here. Daddy complains about the drive every time we come.”

“I don’t blame him,” Isabelle replies.

“They live in Brookhaven,” I supply. “It’s just down the mountain.”

“Oh, that’s not too far then,” she says. “I passed that town on my way. It’s so cute.”

“It is picturesque,” I agree. “My aunt lives there, and we visit her often.”

“Your aunt?” she asks.

“My father’s sister. She never married and she’s…well…”

“She’s crazy,” Theo pipes in, not taking his eyes off the snow. “That’s what Mama used to say.”

“Used to say?” I repeat. “What does she say now?”

“Nothing. Mama doesn’t live with us anymore.” Theo still doesn’t look up at me, just keeps making a bigger ball of snow.

I look over at Isabelle for confirmation.

She nods slightly, stepping closer to me and speaking softly. “Brigette said his mother left him and his father, and he hasn’t seen her in months.”

I turn my attention from Isabelle back to Theo. A pang fills my chest at the thought of what he’s going through. What a strange bond the three of us have—all motherless, but at different points in our lives and for different reasons. Theo, unlike Isabelle and myself, has a mother who decided to leave his family. Isabelle and I lost mothers who would have given anything to be with us longer. But no matter what, we all miss that critical piece of our lives.

And once again, I’m reminded that Isabelle has integrated herself into the lives and hearts of the staff. Meanwhile, I livehere and can’t tell the difference between Graham and Greyson.

But maybe I can change that. After all, that’s what my mother did. Once the castle was built and our staff chosen, she sat down with each of them to find out about their families and their lives. It’s why the employees consider this to be their home, as well, despite the fact that I don’t connect with anyone—aside from Lionel. And even that is a tentative relationship.

In an attempt to take the first step, I trudge over to Theo and start building a ball of my own. “So, what do you like about the Hulk?” I ask him.

I hear Isabelle approaching behind us, then she joins in and packs snow herself.

“He’s strong,” Theo says. “He gets all the bad guys.”

“Mm, yes,” I agree. “I like that about him, too.”

“He’s a good protector,” Theo continues. “And he gets mad sometimes, but he learns how to control it.”

“That’s very wise of you,” Isabelle says.

“Yeah, Daddy likes Hulk. He says I can learn lessons from him. Sometimes I get mad, and Daddy says it’s okay to be mad, like Hulk, but I have to learn to control the mad feelings and use it for good things instead of bad.”

I keep packing snow, but I never realized how much I had in common with the Hulk. And apparently Theo, as well.

We work for the next half hour on our Snow Hulk, which proves to be more difficult than anticipated. Getting the “Hulk Smash” pose is tricky, but thankfully the snow is wet and a little more moldable than powder. When we’re all done, Brigette comes outside and admires our handiwork. Theo wants to take a few pictures next to his creation while making the same pose. As Brigette snaps pictures on her phone to send to Theo’s father, Isabelle and I head back inside.

“That was fun,” Isabelle comments. The tip of her nose isturning red, her cheeks glowing. She’s so full of life, it’s hard to be unhappy around her.

“It…was,” I agree. I don’t want to leave her company, though. I’ve been in solitude for months, and now I want to spend every second with her. “What are you doing now?”

“Getting ready for the interview, I guess? Maybe I should call my dad to rehearse with me.”

“There’s no need,” I blurt. “I can help you.”

“Oh, really? Would you mind?”

There’s nothing I’d rather do, I want to say. Instead, I just shrug. “It’ll be a way to pass the time.”

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