Page 7 of Bella and Her Beast
I wince at the sting from the antiseptic he applies to my side. My erratic breathing calms to a normal pace, and I lie there allowing the healing to begin and my body shifts back to its human form.
CHAPTER THREE
ISABELLA
The sun peers through my blinds, bringing me from my sleep. Who am I kidding? I’ve been up since one am, not being able to shake the events of last night. Two guys asking me for change, then trying to mug me, only to have a wolf, I guess, scare them off and try to attack me.What the fuck? Did that really happen?My thoughts have been on that same loop all night. Unable to free my mind from this line of thinking, I convince myself to get out of bed and start my day. I turn on the shower and start my music selection. Today we will be singing in the rain to the ladies of R&B. My hope is that their smooth melodic voices can help put my mind, body, and spirit back at ease. I almost called the cops last night, but I’m sure they wouldn’t believe me if I said a wolf was on the loose.
The steam rises from the streams as they fall and I know the temperature is just right. I step in, letting the droplets serve as my medicine for a weird night that I can’t explain. You could chalk it up to full moon madness and things were just weird. I lather up with my body wash and look for any other foreseeable explanation. I’ll just blame it on the phenomenon of the full moon. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. The water teases my scalp as I let it caress me and my tresses. Reaching for my coconut oil moisturizer, I open it and squeeze a quarter size into my palms before applying it to my curly coif. Once I am satisfied, I shut off the water, grab my microfiber towel and wrap my hair ahead of grabbing my drying bath sheet and wrapping it around my body then stepping out.
The lyrical songstresses continues to soothe me with their wide array of vocal ranges and I sing along with them. Soon, I feel I’m back to my normal self and that’s how I want to be. The forecast predicts a beautiful sunny day today, so my ensemble is simple. A pale blue dress fitting for the season, paired with nude strappy sandals, is my choice. I put on my usual adornments, minus my good luck necklace, and squirt my favorite body spray all over. The removal of the cloth from my head and a few minutes finger combing and fluffing my hair ends my regimen of getting dressed. Since I’m weary, I grab my glasses to wear and don’t fumble with my contacts today. I lock my door using the biometric pad, start my car, and drive to work.
* * *
Joy strollsin looking just as tired as I do. Most would think she’s up late with a man, but she’s working on a Master’s in Psychology and the only thing keeping her up late is studying. Her field of choice and her need to disprove any beliefs is the reason I agreed to her bet. I can’t wait to throw this back at her and more importantly, get my necklace back.
“Ooh chile, what were you doing last night if you look like me after hitting the books until the wee hours of the night?” Joy questions when she arrives.
“These two guys tried to mug me last night missy, so I will take my necklace back.” I hold out my hand waiting on the goods.
“Picture or it didn’t happen,” she snidely replies.
“I wouldn’t even ask for it back if it weren’t true. Just give me my stuff.”
“Well, we can ask our stalker customer since he hangs out late, anyway. Maybe he saw what happened.”
“No one was around. They waited till I got off work, asked me if I had some change, before trying to take my bag.”
“How did you get out of that situation? I’m so glad you’re safe, Bella.” She opens her purse and hands my jewels to me.
“This big crossbreed between a dog or wolf intervened, thankfully.”
She looks at me with pressed lips. “Really, Bella? Look, if you just wanted your family heirloom back, all you had to do was say so.”
“I’m gonna pull up the camera and show you,” I reply, with a bit of attitude. I access our security feed and go to the playback feature, playing last night’s capture. I show her the two people who tried to harm me, but the video goes to static and fades to black when I was saved and then attacked the creature, only to pick back up when I pull away.
“Oh, girl. I’m so sorry. I still say this is just a coincidence, but I see how your faith is strong and I don’t want to test that. Did you call the cops on the two men?”
“I wanted to, but I wouldn’t be able to address questions about how or why they left without sounding like a loon. And the fact that this tape is messed up right as thebeastappeared, makes it sound even more like a setup.”
“It’s pretty evident to me they approached you. Maybe they did set you up, and it was a prank.”
I turn away, taking a seat at the desk and rub my temples aggressively. “No, it wasn’t like that at all. The thing snarled at them and I swear one of them pissed his pants.”
She giggles and I look at her, not a smile on my face.
“But when it came near me, it wasn’t aggressive at all. It leaped toward me, and I stabbed it with my knife. It got away, though.” My mind recalls last night repeatedly.
Joy places her hand on my shoulder and assists me with closing the clasp on my jewelry.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there,” she speaks kindly.
I shake off the moment right as the delivery driver arrives.
“Well, I’m here and alive so all’s well. Hey Sam,” I speak with enthusiasm, when he drops off three boxes.
“Isabella, Joy. How are my two favorite librarians?”
“We are good. How about you?”
