The Glass Mask

by E L DuBois

  Just when she thought he had gone as low as he can go, he did something worse. His abuse had always been directed at Beauty, and she ignorantly assumed that he would not hurt the Princess in any way. Deep down, she knew what he was capable of, but had held out hope it would not bleed over onto the Princess. Beauty would never understand just how deep the wickedness of the Beast ran.

  The Beast got a summons to meet his probation officer about the recent charge, and he knew that he could be headed to jail. Instead of facing it like a man, he decided to run like a coward. This required Beauty and the Princess to move once again.

  Everything was loaded into a moving truck in the cover of night and placed in storage. They bounced from hotel to hotel until Beauty found a small two-bedroom apartment. They only had a mattress, TV, and black curtains on every window. The Beast’s paranoia was fueled by the drugs. With only one vehicle and the Beast not allowing Beauty to drive, he still drove her to and from work. That was the only time he left the apartment. He would drop Beauty off at work and then go run with his drug buddies. She was not sure what he did, exactly, when he was gone. She had her suspicions though, because one night, while he slept, she lay awake staring at the ceiling. The pain from a recent brutal rape made her insides ache. His phone was beside his head and she saw it blinking. It was a text message from a female drug dealer with a limp. Beauty only knew of this woman and her disability because the Beast had become friends with her on social media and made it a point to tell Beauty about his connection.

  The text was vile.

  “Sure, we can trade. The kids can play while we do it.”

  When Beauty scrolled up and read the conversation, she saw the Beast was offering to exchange sex with the dealer for drugs, and he was offering to do it while the Princess was with him. Beauty thought that old feeling of surprise at the extent of how far he would go would creep in and shock her, but it didn’t. She felt nothing but a greater need to protect the Princess from this monster. She would find an excuse to have the Princess stay with the Queen more. Beauty was losing her child to protect her, but what choice did she have? Unless the Beast got caught or died, she was stuck with his sadistic ass. When had she become so immune to this kind of life? Her actions had become so unlike her. She really was not a person anymore.

  Chapter 23

  Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end?

  THAT DAY STARTED out like any other. Beauty woke before dawn, dressed in the dark and the Beast began their drive to her job. He had been on the run from the law for about four months at this point. The Beast always drove too fast. He had no driver’s license. He had lost it before Beauty met him, and he never applied for a new one. Still, he pushed the limits. It was just another way for him to follow his own rules. The Beast believed no one had the right to tell him what to do. Beauty mentioned his speeding, when it happened, but he never listened and that day, it would be his downfall.

  The red and blue lights lit up the darkness behind them and the Beast tensed. It was dark in the vehicle, the only illumination coming from the red and blue lights. Beauty could see actual fear in the Beast’s face. For a moment, she thought he might try to outrun the police.

  “Unbuckle, we are switching places.”

  Beauty stared at him, dumbstruck.

  “What?”

  His shout echoed in the small space.

  “I said unbuckle, bitch, we are switching places. They will not ask for my ID if I am not driving.”

  Beauty did as she was told and slid across the console and onto the Beast’s lap. As she took the wheel and put her foot on the gas, the Beast slipped into the passenger seat. They managed to switch without losing speed. Beauty buckled her seatbelt and began to slow down. As she pulled over to the side of the road, the Beast appeared calm and innocent.

  A tall, young officer approached Beauty’s window.

  “Ma’am, do you know why you are being pulled over?”

  Beauty smiled politely.

  “No, Sir.”

  The officer’s face softened at Beauty’s smile.

  “You were going sixty-three on a fifty-five.”

  Beauty tried to look remorseful. “Oh, I am sorry, Officer. I am running late for work and did not realize I was speeding.”

  The policeman nodded with understanding. “I need your license and insurance, please.”

  “Sure, Officer, no problem.” Beauty handed him what he needed, and he headed back to his police cruiser.

  The Beast seemed to visibly relax a little.

  The wait for the officer to return seemed to take forever. When he finally approached Beauty’s window again, he handed her ID and insurance back without a word. She met his eyes. She could see something in them. It was then she noticed a second officer approaching the passenger side. She glanced in her side mirror and saw another police cruiser. When had that arrived? Her officer sounded very monotoned.

  “I am just giving you a warning today.”

  Beauty smiled. “Thank you, Sir, I promise to slow it down.”

  Before she could start the vehicle, the officer approaching the passenger side opened the Beast’s door.

  “Can you step out of the vehicle, Sir?”

  The Beast shot Beauty a killing look as he unbuckled his belt and stepped out. Beauty could hear the new officer questioning the Beast.

  “Do you have ID?”

  “No, Sir. I was not driving, why do you need my ID?”

  “What is your name?”

  The Beast hesitated and gave the officer his name. He was named after his father and did not add the second. Beauty knew the Beast hoped the officer would see his father’s information and assume it was him. She knew better.

  “Can you walk over to the car with me while I run your information?”

  The Beast followed the officer, never looking back at Beauty.

  Beauty turned to the officer still standing at her window.

  “I am going to open your door.”

  Beauty nodded mutely, unbuckled her seat belt, and turned to look at the officer. His eyes were crinkled around the edges, a pinched look on his face. Beauty had to avert her gaze. She felt like he could see all the dirty, shameful things the Beast had done to her.

  Cars zoomed past as Beauty stared at her feet. Finally, the officer spoke.

  “You are going to be ok now.”

  Beauty’s brain was slow to register his words. She was going to be ok? When was the last time she was ok? Tears began to stream down her face and she stood. The officer placed a hand under her elbow to steady her. It was then she glanced toward the cruisers and saw the other officer cuffing the Beast and placing him in the back of one of the cars.

  Beauty almost collapsed. Was it from relief, fear, or exhaustion? She did not know. The officer closed her door and cautiously helped her away from the vehicle and to the safety of the grass beside the road. She was still crying and only managed a stilted sentence.

  “How? H--How did you know?”

  The officer’s tone was sympathetic.

  “I saw you switch places and knew something was up. I took one look at you, then him and I knew you were in trouble. When I ran your name and saw you had no record, I knew for sure it was something with him. I saw a male name on the insurance card and ran it, and his charges and pending warrant came up. So, I called in for back-up. That’s what took me so long. I was waiting for him to arrive. I must ask, did he make you trade places?”

  Beauty nodded.

  “Yes, Sir, I had no choice.”

  The officer looked at Beauty, seeming to weigh if she was telling the truth. He finally nodded and gave her a tight-lipped smile.

  “Ok, then you are free to go. We will deal with him from here.”

  Beauty glanced at the cruisers.

  “He’s going to jail and will not be getting out anytime soon?”

  The officer nodded again.

  “Yes, Ma’am. He is going straight to booking. I doubt he will get a bond since
he’s a flight risk.”

  Beauty gave the officer a small smile and wiped the tears from her face. She moved toward her vehicle in a daze. All that kept running through her brain was the word free.

  She was free. Beauty sat in her vehicle until both police cruisers pulled onto the road. She watched them drive away until she could no longer see their taillights. She thought, “I’m free.” A broad smile spread across her face as she turned the key in the ignition.

  That morning, Beauty drove herself to work for the first time in a very long time.

  Chapter 24

  She dreamed impossible dreams, followed her heart

  and created her own little fairy-tale…

  WITH A RENEWED sense of hope, Beauty quickly made a new life for her and the Princess. The Beast tried calling, but Beauty changed her number. She got a job seventy-miles away from where the Beast was serving his sentence, and one hundred and sixty miles from where she had lived in hell. She found a beautiful little cottage in her new town and started the Princess in a proper pre-k private school. She smiled every day and held her Princess tightly every chance she got. They were happy.

  The holidays were approaching, and Beauty was excited about them for the first time since she had met the Beast. She had decorated their little cottage with furniture she found at second-hand stores. The Beast had not paid the storage bill, so she had lost all her expensive, antique furniture and hand-me-downs, but Beauty did not dwell on the past. She looked forward, not back, and made their little cottage a home.

  The Queen would drive to visit and spend time with them. There was a renewed love between Beauty and her family. She began to feel the pieces of her soul coming back. What the Beast had done to her often creeped into her mind, but she pushed it back. Beauty refused to let his darkness taint her new light.

  The Drama Queen reached out to Beauty via social media, but Beauty blocked her. Then, the Wicked Bitch of the West tried to contact her. Again, Beauty blocked the attempt. The only family member of the Beast that Beauty would speak to is his Grandmother. She was from his father’s side of the family, and a sweet little woman who was genuine, and understood Beauty’s trauma. She had lived in the same situation for forty years with the Beast’s grandfather.

  Beauty trusted the Grandmother and her motives for reaching out to Beauty. She wanted to send the Princess a present for the holidays. Beauty said she would allow this if the Grandmother promised to never give the Beast her address. The Grandmother agreed, and Beauty allowed her to send the Princess a present.

  It was shortly after the new year that the first letter arrived. The Grandmother had deceived her. Beauty called the woman to ask her why she would do such a thing. She knew what the Beast had done to Beauty and the Princess. The little old woman swore to Beauty that she had not given the Beast anything.

  “Then how did he get it?” she had asked. “Please tell me you did not write it down and leave it next to the phone.”

  The little old lady was silent.

  “Oh, how could you?” Beauty was almost in tears.

  “I did not think, dear. I am so sorry. The Drama Queen was here for the holidays. She must have seen it and written it down when I was not looking.”

  Beauty hung up on the woman and with shaky hands, opened the letter.

  My Dearest Beauty,

  I love and miss you so much. I am so sorry for everything I did to you and the Princess. My time in here has made me realize what a monster I was. They’re making me take classes to help with my anger issues. The doctors have also regulated my medication and I am a different person now. I want to be the man you and the Princess deserve. I got my mom to send me pictures of my girls and I look at your beautiful faces every day. I promise to be a different person. I am a different person. I love you, Beauty. I truly love you and I know I took you and our daughter for granted. I am so sorry for all of it. I am sorry for the drugs. I am sober now and can barely remember all that I did, but I know it was bad and I hurt you. I am sorry. I will never be that way again.

  Love,

  The Beast

  Beauty let the letter fall to the floor as she felt the darkness that was the Beast creep in. She prayed he would leave her and the Princess alone. She prayed he would stay in jail forever... but most of all, she prayed that she would hear no more from the Beast. She hoped that would be the only letter she would receive.

  Chapter 25

  If you keep on believing, the dreams that you wish will come true... NOT!

  EIGHTY-EIGHT DAYS. That’s how long Beauty got to be happy. The letters kept coming and they were all the same. The Beast made declarations of love and promises of change. Beauty did not care. She threw them all away. After a while, she stopped reading them and went on with her happy life. She should have read the letters. If she had, she might have had time to run.

  It was her birthday and she was excited to spend it with the Princess and the Queen. The Queen had started spending so much time with Beauty and the Princess that she had rented a cottage right next door. She would come to visit for three or four days at a time and Beauty could not have been happier. They had planned a laid-back night of dinner and a girl’s movie, when the knock came at the door. Beauty and the Queen shared a look. Maybe it was the sweet lady next door.

  The Princess took off for the door like little children do. She was bubbling with energy as she swung the door open. Beauty was only steps behind her, when she stopped dead in her tracks.

  The Beast.

  The Princess looked up at him, her little hand still on the door knob.

  “Daddy”?

  She then looked between Beauty and the Beast. A slow weary smile crept onto the Beast’s face.

  “Happy Birthday, my Beauty.”

  The Queen had gotten up from her seat and stepped toward the door. Beauty barely registered her as she passed. Her eyes were locked with the Beast’s. He had not stepped into the cottage. He stood perfectly still, staring at her. Beauty felt rooted to her spot. Her feet would not move. She felt like she was stuck in a nightmare.

  Then, a grating, detestable voice came from behind the Beast.

  “MY LITTLE PRINCESS! YOUR AUNTIE HAS MISSED YOU SO MUCH!”

  Of course. The Drama Queen. She brought him here. The oversized woman moved past the Beast and scooped up the Princess. The little girl had no clue of the evil that held her. She just laughed and hugged her aunt who had always fawned over her. The Queen looked at Beauty and searched her face. Obviously, no one knew what to do, and they were all looking to Beauty to determine how this was going to go. What did she do? Her instinct was to grab the Princess and run, but the Beast blocked the doorway.

  The Beast addressed the Queen.

  “So good to see you, Queen. Thank you for taking care of my girls while I was away. Did you get my letters?”

  This caught Beauty’s attention and she turned to her mother.

  “He sent you letters?”

  The Queen nodded slowly.

  “He sent me and your father letters. He apologized and said he had changed. I did not want to say anything. I was afraid it would upset you.”

  Beauty just gaped at her mother. The woman who had told her time and again how bad the Beast was for her.

  “You should have told me, Mother. Did you know he was coming here tonight?”

  The Queen shook her head vehemently.

  “No, no, I knew he would probably try when he got out, but I did not know he would get out so soon. I thought we would have more time. That is why I’m next door. I knew you would need me when he came. I knew that if I was here, you would have me if you needed me.”

  Beauty just stared at her mother like she was a stranger. She had never told her mother the extent of what the Beast had done, so the woman had no clue what the monster was capable of.

  This is not happening.

  That was the last thought on Beauty’s mind before the room spun and she hit the floor.

  Beauty could hear the hushed murmured
tones of people trying to talk quietly. It sounded like forced, polite small talk. The Queen and the Drama Queen. The Queen could not stand the Drama Queen so that explained the forced politeness. Someone was stroking her hair and her head rested on a warm leg. She smelled him before she opened her eyes. She knew who was touching her and whose lap she rested on. Beauty did not want to open her eyes. If she opened her eyes... it would all be real.

  Please God, do not let it be real. Beauty opened her eyes and stared up into the ice blue ones of the Beast. His face was fuller. He had put on weight and sobriety agreed with him. The Meth had left no scarring on his face, which was lucky for him. A slow smile started on his lips.

  “There she is. My beautiful girl is awake.”

  Beauty shot up out of his lap and tried to shake off the groggy feeling in her head. She scooted as far from the Beast as she could and looked around the room for the Princess.

  “Where’s the baby?”

  The Beast’s tone was gentle.

  “She is sleeping, baby. You scared us all pretty good and your mom took her and put her to bed.”

  His eyes were crinkled, and she saw a gentleness in them she had never witnessed. Not even when he had been pretending to be the Boy. She was looking at the Beast, but not looking at him. It was like another person inhabited his body. Even his mannerisms were different.

  His face expressed love and tenderness, and Beauty was taken by surprise. She felt the same when he would do something so heinous she could not believe it.

  Beauty felt like she was living in an alternate universe. The Beast was not the Beast. The Drama Queen was in her house and talking to her mother. Everyone was acting like this was normal.

  “Excuse me, I need some fresh air.”

  Beauty tremblingly got to her feet, the Beast standing with her as she walked toward the door. She said nothing to the Beast. She felt like her clothing was too tight and she could not breathe. Taking big gulps of air, she tried to clear her head, but no matter how much she tried she couldn’t catch her breath. She was hyperventilating and bent over, placing her hands on her knees.