Belle the Beast Tamer

by Pauline Creeden

  Belle the Beast Tamer

  Wonderland Guardian Academy Book 2

  Pauline Creeden

  Belle the Beast Tamer © 2018 Pauline Creeden

  All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Belle the Beast Tamer

  When you can’t trust the people you rely on, where do you turn?

  Belle Parisi didn't know she was a shifter until she was twelve years old—the same day that her mother died. Since then, her father sent her to Wonderland Guardian Academy in Virginia to protect her from the same people who hunted her mother. Shifters become the animal that most reflects their inner being, and for her and her mother, a tiger was found at their core.

  Now at seventeen, she's more than ready to graduate and get on with her life, and maybe return home to the small town in Italy. But when she's caught shifting off school grounds, she's given a task instead of a punishment. Another shifter has been discovered hiding out not too far away in the Appalachian Mountains—a dragon shifter.

  Belle's not sure exactly what kind of personality brought out the dragon in the man she's hunting, but it couldn't be good...

  Chapter One

  My chest burned with fury and I could feel my body start to shift. Not here. Not now. I almost wanted to cry, but I knew I was stronger than that. Maybe if they didn’t make my control, my nature—who I was—I’d be able to handle confrontation a bit more gracefully.

  “Don’t forget to breathe, Belle.” the principal called from behind me.

  I opened my mouth then promptly shut it. This situation would not be remedied with any snide remarks.

  It wasn’t a secret that I struggled to stay in my proper place—I was at the Guardian Academy for a reason. Gripping the doorknob, I gathered all my willpower just to quietly shut the door to the principal’s office behind me. My head hung low, anger demanding attention while guilt tugged at the corners of my mind. This was the second time this week that I had been called into his office—why did this keep happening to me? Why did I keep messing up? And even more importantly, why did the principal seem to know every time I managed to have a slip up?

  I took a deep breath as the principal suggested and stood tall as I stormed down the halls and to my dorm room. My heart pounding and my chest heaving, I threw open my bedroom door and flung myself on my bed. Sure, I knew it was my own fault, and maybe I was being a bit dramatic. I broke the rules and went off campus grounds at night. Not only that, but I shifted and ran through the forest. It was a dangerous, foolish thing to do. It could have gotten me expelled, and I honestly wasn’t sure why the school hadn’t expelled me yet. I supposed it had to do with my father’s pleading and the same reason I often found myself receiving looks of pity from the school staff. I was the girl whose mother disappeared. I was bound to be a troubled kid, or so that’s often how my teachers behaved around me. I got away with far more than any other kid here ever could.

  Despite breaking the rules and living up to the staff’s expectations of being a ‘bad kid,’ I was quite intelligent and excelled in all my classes. I was often caught not paying attention and slipping notes to my friends, Jack and Jill. Or doodling in class. Sometimes I’d straight up ignore the teachers when they asked a question, saying, “I don’t know,” when the teachers knew full well I knew the answer. I was their shining student, only I didn’t want to shine before the rest of the class. I was bored and restless… I wasn’t learning anything new here, and I wanted to escape this place. I even asked my father a few times if I could just come back home, but he insisted this was the safest place for me.

  But still… It was so unfair! I frowned at myself. Knowing I needed to calm down, I took another deep breath and rolled to my side, sitting up in bed. Just as I was about to reach for my journal, my phone rang.

  "What now?" I muttered, though I knew. I didn’t even have to look to see who it was blowing up my phone with several texts and now a phone call. Sure enough, I looked at my caller ID and saw it flashing “Dad.” Of course, the principal would call my dad to tell him about my most recent little adventure, or as the principal liked to call it, “episodes of disobedience.” It seemed as if nobody understood just how restless I truly was. All I wanted to do was get out of this school and explore what lay outside the walls that often confined me. Reluctantly, I answered the phone.

  "I know," I said, before my father could even say hello. "It was wrong, and I shouldn't have done it. I promise I won’t have any fun this week at school. I won’t even hang out with Jill. I will start behaving and I won’t—"

  "Belle!" my father said, exasperated. "Can I say something here, please?"

  "Yes?" I replied hesitantly. I didn’t want to hear the disappointment in his voice, because once I did, I’d be able to see that broken look in his eyes, though he was thousands of miles away in Italy while I resided in Virginia at a school that specialized in all supernaturally talented, including my kind—shifters.

  "What happened?" he asked patiently.

  I took a deep breath and against my better judgment, explained, "Well, I know it was wrong. I was off-grounds... I was just filled with so much energy. I was bored, and I needed to go for a walk. I wasn't thinking of shifting when I left, but it just happened. I mean, I didn't lose control of myself. I chose to do it, but ..." I trailed off.

  My dad remained silent, waiting for me to continue my story.

  Finally, I said, "It won’t happen again, Dad. Promise!"

  "Hmm.” That was just how he was. I didn’t think he had ever once yelled at me, not even as a child. I frowned. The silence was worse. He was disappointed in me. I wished he’d get mad and yell at me instead. I was eighteen, graduating in six months. He wanted me to start acting like an adult, but when he was disappointed in me, it made me feel like a small child again.

  "I really am sorry. I know it wasn’t right," I said apologetically.

  “Oh, I know you’re sorry! But this can’t keep happening. I just get so worried about you. What if someone had seen you? What if you got hurt by another animal or shifter? I already lost your mother… I couldn’t bear to lose you, too."

  I frowned and looked at my mother’s ring, nervously twisting it round and round on my finger. I promised to be more careful and wished my father a goodnight. With the conversation weighing heavy on my heart, I decided to take a moment to unwind before tackling my homework. I brewed a cup of vanilla lavender tea—gently sipping it as my mind wandered.

  The wind rushed against my body as I ran against it, faster than I ever could in my human form. The sounds of birds as they chirped, the baby deer rustling in the bushes, terrified at the sight of the creature running in the woods, the feel of the earth beneath my paws, and the sense of an ancient wisdom filling my blood—it consumed me.

  My pulse quickened, and my primal instincts begged me to shed my human skin. No. I frowned as I pushed the memories away. If anything happened to me... if I became injured or hurt or lost... what would my father do? As
he hopelessly pointed out, he already lost my mother. I twisted the ring on my finger. It was all I had left of my mother… No. I couldn't let my thoughts go there. Too much guilt resided there.

  Instead, I finally decided to open my homework and forget—all of it. I’d lose myself in the monotony of schoolwork and read about mundane practices for shifters, math, history… All stuff I already knew because I always had my nose in a book—long before this school tried to teach me. It wasn’t the school’s fault though, and I truly did love it here, but I simply longed for more. With a sigh, I began to read. I studied until I grew tired enough to sleep and hopefully avoid the nightmares.

  *

  I overslept. Knowing I was going to miss my first class, I didn’t even bother to rush to get ready. May as well skip if I was going to be marked late anyway. I threw my blankets off and slowly got ready. Blinking away the exhaustion and sipping on a warm cup of tea, I grabbed a leather-bound book that was engraved Bella Parisi: a journal. I had started my days, writing in my journal, since I started attending school here in Virginia. Each day I wrote down three things I was grateful for and three things I wanted to accomplish.

  I grabbed the pen from a wire stand on my desk and began to write.

  Gratitude:

  Dad wasn’t too upset yesterday.

  I didn’t get expelled.

  The memory of shifting.

  Goals:

  Focus in class, or at least pretend to be.

  Don’t break any rules. No shifting!

  Finish reading my book.

  I had to laugh at how conflicting my list was. The very thing I was grateful for was the one thing I was avoiding. Shaking my head, I closed my journal and walked over to the mirror. I pulled my dark brown locks into a bun, tucking the stray hairs behind my ears. Then threw on a pair of jeans and a basic blue t-shirt. Continuing to take my time, I poured myself a bowl of cereal and opened up my favorite book, reading until it was time to leave for me next class.

  As I walked down the hall, Principal Hood caught sight of me. He raised his eyebrow and asked, “Missing class again?”

  “I didn’t sleep well. I woke up late,” I explained, head hanging low.

  “It happens,” Hood said with a gentle smile. “Just make sure you don’t miss any more classes. Okay?”

  I blinked. “What? You’re not giving me detention?”

  Laughing, he replied, “Belle, if I give you any more detention, you’ll be here long after you graduate!”

  I remained silent. Figuring Hood must be in an exceptionally good mood, I accepted his response with a smile and headed to my class.

  Once I arrived, I slipped into a seat next to Jill.

  “Missed you in Calculus,” Jill whispered with a smirk.

  “Missed copying my notes, you mean,” I teased.

  “Pretty much.” Jill laughed.

  Jill was one of the few friends I had at the school. It wasn’t that the people weren’t friendly, but I always seemed to find books more fascinating than the people. Just then their teacher walked in and began the class.

  “What can we gather about society’s potential perception of shifters in this story?”

  The story was about a man who shape-shifted into a wolf and killed a village. “They fear what they don’t know,” I explained then placed a hand over my mouth. “Sorry,” I said and raised my hand to be called upon.

  The teacher smiled. “No need to be sorry. It’s always a pleasure to hear from one of our quieter students.”

  Blushing, I continued, “But that’s true for us, too. Everyone, shifter or human… normal or special—we fear what we don’t know. As we should, because the world is dangerous, and you never know who can be trusted. People, even ideas, have to prove themselves trustworthy.”

  “And who do you trust, Belle?”

  “My father,” I replied without hesitation. “This school. The Guardians. My friends.”

  “What about specials as a whole?”

  I paused. “I suppose not. I don’t know all specials. How can I trust something I don’t know? That’s the whole point, isn’t it?”

  “Very good! Who’s next? What else can we learn from this story?”

  Hands shot up into the air ready to answer the question. Everyone had a similar answer, claiming the Guardians, police, and even their teachers as people they trusted alongside friends and family.

  Later that day, I sat impatiently at my desk in anatomy class. I doodled in my notebook, pretending to take notes. My classes usually went like this; I picked-up things quickly and often jumped ahead in the textbooks the school provided. It was because of this that I was so restless. School wasn’t a challenge to distract me. It was an annoyance that consumed the time I knew could be spent doing something else… like shifting…

  As the teacher announced the pages the class would be going over, I set my pencil down and turned to the pages, pretending to listen intently to the lecture. I was only listening enough to follow along—my main focus was a drawing of a deer I had seen on my run. Its big doe eyes and perfect, soft thin fur. Just then a woman entered the classroom, stumbling over herself, causing a great deal of attention.

  Ms. Merryweather, the school secretary, stepped in—a round woman with glasses too big for me face. She smiled sweetly, oblivious to her clumsy nature. Or perhaps she just owned it for what it was. Unfortunately, it made her the brunt of many cruel jokes. I could already hear the snickers from behind me. I frowned and started to doodle the bumbling woman on a new sheet of paper. Except I drew her in a beautiful dress with her hair done up—just as I was filling in the details of her glasses and shining eyes, the woman stopped whispering to the teacher and announced, “Belle Parisi, I am here to collect you.”

  Collect me? The whole classroom turned to look my way. Lovely. With a frown, I stood up, my shoulders straight and my head held high. Jack and Jill snickered as I walked past.

  "Up to no good again, eh?" Jack teased.

  Although I was a little unnerved by his comment, I offered a sly smile and said under my breath, “Always!”

  Jill shook her head, a smirk on her face.

  I knew they meant well, but it seemed like it was true; I was up to no good. What could it be this time? I wondered if perhaps Principal Hood had changed his mind about missing class earlier and perhaps he wanted to give me detention and lecture me. Anxiety of what was waiting for me at Hood’s office had my skin crawling. This would be the third time in the principal’s office this week. I had been caught far too often for skipping class or shape-shifting outside of school boundaries. My father would not be happy if they had called him again. At this rate, I may get my wish—he may pull me out of school. Unless I actually did get expelled…

  "Come along then. Follow me, Miss Parisi," Ms. Merryweather urged, waving at me with a bright smile, as if she wasn’t committing a social crime. Couldn’t she have waited until the end of class? It wasn’t as if I could point that out, and I figured even if I did, Ms. Merryweather would have a quote prepared—one that said not to care what others think or how it’s more important to love yourself than have others love you. I knew for a fact that Ms. Merryweather possessed a notebook filled with cheesy uplifting quotes for all occasions. She’d often try sharing them with the students when they arrived to meet with the principal.

  With a smile she began leading me away from my class. Once the door shut, I let out a breath of relief. No more eyes were watching me, but I was sure there were whispers back in the classroom. Whispers about the rule-breaker, the troubled girl who keeps her head in books and avoids social gatherings.

  Though I didn't mind being taken away from anatomy class much, I wished it was under better circumstances. The kind of circumstances that wouldn’t lead to discipline. Granted, I had no idea what these circumstances exactly were. I hadn’t done anything in the past day to warrant it. I tried to think of something positive. Maybe he just wanted to congratulate me on last week’s test scores? That was ridiculous. Ho
od wouldn’t call me out of class and to his office to tell me I was doing well. But he had already lectured me for what I did wrong, and I hadn't done anything since then—except miss my first class, but he said it was fine. I promised my dad I would behave, and missing class was mild compared to sneaking out. I had every intention of keeping that promise to my father. I wasn’t going to shift unsupervised again. I wasn’t going to leave the school’s grounds. Never again.

  As I entered the Principal Hood's office, I noticed that he schooled his expression, but I was positive I saw a sparkle in his eyes. Normally he was always firm or upset—I had never seen him like this. The sparkle disappeared, and he took a deep breath, something was so incongruent about the entire situation. Did something happen to Dad? I wanted to ask him, but the words got stuck in my throat. What the heck was happening?

  “Take a seat,” he said in a neutral tone. He didn't seem angry or upset, but something was off.

  I grew even more confused as I quickly noticed the two shadows in the room, tall figures with intense eyes and darkened countenances. Guardians. I was surprised—what would Guardians be doing here? Why would they want to meet me? My heart continued to beat even louder. Is this the punishment for someone who broke the rules as much as I did? Were the Guardians going to take matters into their own hands? I was sure everyone in the room could hear my heart about to explode out of my chest, but I clenched my teeth and remained silent. If I didn’t confess… if I remained silent, maybe I could work through this.

  It seemed like minutes had passed before Mr. Hood began speaking. "Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to join us, Miss Parisi."

  I nearly laughed, but quickly bit down hard on my tongue. Had I a choice in the matter? It wasn’t as if I could deny his request. A part of me wanted to state this, but instead, with the eyes of the Guardians looking upon me, I simply responded, "Of course."

  Hood nodded in approval. "You're probably wondering why we've brought you here..." Hood said, a gentle smile upon his face. And there it was again… that twinkle in his eyes. I tried to decipher what it could possibly mean, and though my mind argued it was a good thing, my heart was still filled with dread.