Unsightly

by Amber Garza

  Jasper’s dad was quiet for a minute. He stared at his hands, clearly mulling over her words. Then he lifted his head. “Where is my son now?”

  Brows furrowing, Nina said. “We already told you.” Every word was said slowly and with enunciation, as if she worried he wasn’t retaining the information. “He’s right here.”

  Anger mottled the old man’s face. “The boy in those pictures is not that young man right there.”

  “The spell was broken,” Jasper spoke, pointing to me. “By her.”

  “What do you mean?” His father asked.

  “The curse had a way of being broken. True love.”

  “And it worked? This true love?” He said the words “true love” as if he thought they were funny.

  “Yes. It did,” Jasper said firmly. “Look.” He pulled out the snapshot of his mom. “Tell me you don’t see the resemblance.”

  “This isn’t proof.” The old man refused to take the picture.

  “Jasper is happy to take a paternity test if you need proof,” Nina said.

  “His name is Jasper?” A look of awe passed over the old man’s features. “Maria had a brother named Jasper who died when she was a little girl. I was the only person outside of her family who knew that.” He looked at Jasper as if seeing him for the first time. “Did your mother name you?”

  Jasper nodded.

  “You have my grandfather’s nose.”

  Nina heaved a sigh of relief. Jasper visibly relaxed beside me. I released the tight hold I had on his hand. A warm palm landed on my shoulder.

  When I turned, Nina was smiling at me. “Let’s give them a few minutes alone, okay?”

  I looked to Jasper for permission. When he nodded, I let go of his hand. Then I gave him a quick peck on the cheek before following Nina out of the room.

  “You think it’s smart to leave them alone?” I asked once we’d stepped into the hallway.

  “They’ll be fine. Trust me.” Her hand rested on my arm. “Let’s take a walk. You have to see the creek. It’s beautiful.”

  I was dying to have a look around. I’d never been on an estate so gorgeous. Hesitantly, I peered back into the bedroom. Jasper was talking, appearing relaxed.

  “C’mon,” Nina pressed.

  “Okay.” Trailing Nina, I made my way down the long hallway. Below us the marble floors were as shiny as glass. Our heels clicked with every step. When we reached the end of the hallway, Nina stopped. Lifting her arm, she pulled down on a hook in the ceiling, and a secret door opened. Above us was another spiral staircase, but this one was much smaller. It reminded me of something you’d see on a boat.

  “This leads to the roof,” she explained. “It’s the best place to see out over the property.”

  “How did you know about it?”

  “One of the maids showed me when you were in with Maxon.” Nina lifted herself up onto the staircase, and I followed suit.

  When we reached the top and stepped out onto the roof, my breath hitched in my throat. Nina was right. It was stunning up here. I couldn’t wait to show Jasper all of the flowers and trees below us. From this vantage point, I also had an unobscured view of the mountains. Reaching into my pocket, I fingered my new cell phone. I knew a cell phone photo would never do this view justice, but I still had to take a few pictures. “This is so beautiful. I can’t even imagine living here.”

  Nina’s fingers closed around my arm, her fingernails piercing my flesh. “Imagining is all you’ll ever do if I have any say.” My head swung toward her. She glared hard, her face scrunched up in a look of pure disgust. “Did you really think I was going to let you take everything away from me? You may have changed Jasper from a beast to a man, but the two of you are not taking this estate. You’re not getting the fortune.”

  I shook my head, confused. “Nina, what are you talking about? I’m not trying to take anything from you.” My head spun, trying to wrap my brain around what she was saying. I thought Nina loved Jasper. I thought she wanted what was best for him.

  “You may not be trying to take anything, but you will. Once the old man dies, he’ll leave all of this to Jasper. I know him. All he’s ever wanted was a son to inherit his fortune.” Bitterness dripped from her voice. “And if you’re still around, Jasper will want to share it with you. But if you’re gone, then who is left to share it all with? Jasper’s faithful, loving nurse.”

  Dread sunk into my gut. “I’m sure Jasper is planning on sharing any fortune he gets with you, Nina.”

  Nina snorted. “Are you for real? Have you seen the way Jasper looks at you? It’s only a matter of time before he tosses his old nurse aside.”

  The hold she had on my arm tightened, and she dragged me forward a little. The edge of the roof was dangerously close. I fought her off, flailing my arm until her grip loosened a bit.

  “What are you doing? Let go of me!”

  “Oh, don’t worry.” A sick smile spread across her face. “I’ll let go of you in a minute.” Confusion filled me as she once again tried to drag me to the edge of the roof.

  “I don’t understand. Why are you doing this?”

  She laughed, shoving at me. I teetered on the balls of my feet. Throwing my arms out, my nails connected with Nina’s skin. Once I’d righted myself, I kicked Nina in the shin. Squealing, she let go of me and reached down to touch her leg. Taking advantage of the moment, I took off running toward the staircase. I had almost reached it when Nina grabbed me around my middle, tackling me. When I landed, my head hit the floor. Pain shot through my head, and spots filled my vision.

  Disoriented, Nina picked me up. I was surprised at how strong she was. To look at her, you wouldn’t think it. Blinking, I struggled to regain composure. My head swam. Grabbing me by my hair, Nina forced me to stand and then she thrust me forward until we were back to the edge of the roof.

  “Jasper’s never going to forgive you for this,” I said as a last-ditch effort to save myself.

  “Forgive me for what? It’s an accident. You were so excited about the view that you got a little too close to the edge and fell off. I did everything in my power to save you, but I’m only an old woman. There wasn’t much I could do.”

  My stomach soured. She had it all figured out. Had she been planning it all along? Why?

  “Layla!” A woman ran across the grass hollering my name and waving her arms.

  When recognition slammed into me, my mouth fell open. It couldn’t be her. It didn’t make any sense.

  18

  THE WITCH

  “NINA?” HOW COULD there be two of them? For a moment, I stared dumbfounded at Nina racing across the grass. Then I turned to the woman holding me.

  “Who are you?” I asked her.

  She smiled, transforming into a woman with fiery red hair and emerald green eyes. I would’ve been freaked out a few weeks ago, but today it didn’t seem as weird. I’d already watched one person change before my very eyes. What was one more? “I’m Colette.”

  Colette? Why did that name ring a bell? After a second, it hit me. “Ah, so you’re the one who put the curse on Jasper?”

  “I never cursed Jasper. I cursed Maxon.”

  “Only your curse didn’t hurt Maxon. It hurt Jasper.”

  “Oh, trust me. It hurt Maxon. Do you know how many times he tried to have a baby boy? Why do you think he had so many wives? Why do you think Maria died? It was during childbirth with one of those freaks she kept spitting out.”

  Bile rose in my throat. I backed up, moving nearer to the staircase. If I could keep her talking, then all I had to do was distract her enough to get back inside. Then I could get to Jasper and we could hightail it out of this crazy place.

  “But why put the stipulation on it then? Why say it could be broken with true love?”

  “You think I wanted one of Maxon’s beastly children to find love? No, I wanted Maxon to fall back in love with me. Then the spell would be broken, and then maybe we could have a son together. It’s not that I never wanted Maxon
to be happy. I just didn’t want him to be happy without me.” Her logic was disturbing, just like she was. “I never even knew any of his boys had lived until I saw you on the news. Then I knew I had to find Jasper. It was clear you loved him, and I worried that you would break the curse. Once I found you, I saw that I was right. That’s when I devised this plan. I got rid of Jasper’s nurse and I became her. Well, at least I thought I got rid of her,” she mumbled this last part under her breath.

  “Why?” I still didn’t get it. “Pretending to be Nina wouldn’t get Maxon to love you. You saw what he felt about Nina. He’s upset with her for hiding his son from him.”

  “Oh, you naïve girl. I don’t want Maxon’s love anymore. It’s too late for that. Now I just want his fortune. Since he knows he has a son who’s not a monster, he’ll leave everything to Jasper. And with you and the real Nina out of the way, Jasper will draw up a will giving everything to me, the woman he thinks is his nurse Nina. And then I can live happily-ever-after.”

  “Your plan has one fatal flaw,” a voice sounded behind me.

  I spun around to find the real Nina stalking in our direction, eyes blazing. “I’m still here.”

  “Yeah. That is puzzling.” Colette stroked her chin.

  “That’s the thing about you, Colette. You’ve always underestimated the power of love. Maria knew how to love. I know how to love. You never have.”

  An arm closed around my neck. I had been so focused on Nina that I hadn’t been watching for Colette. She pulled her arm so tightly around me that it crushed my windpipe, stole my breath.

  “Colette, let go of her now.”

  “It’s like I told dear Layla here.” Colette stepped backward, taking me with her. My feet dragged on the ground. I tried to let out a yelp, but nothing came out. “I’ll be happy to let go of her.” My stomach lurched as she shoved me backward.

  “No!” Nina yelled.

  I struggled to keep myself from falling, but it was no use. My feet slipped on the edge and my body toppled over the side. As I started to fall, I threw my arms out in a desperate attempt to grab onto the ledge. My hands were slippery, but somehow I managed to close my fingers around it. I exhaled when I realized I was still alive. Sure, my body was dangling precariously from the side of the house, but at least I hadn’t plummeted to my death. Yet.

  “You’re next,” Colette said. “Ready to join your little friend.”

  “Over my dead body.”

  “Exactly what I’m hoping for.”

  I heard scuffling and grunting. Sweat slid down my face and back, and my arms tired. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could make it. With all my strength, I attempted to pull myself up over the ledge, but I couldn’t do it. It was taking all my strength just to keep holding on. I wished I’d taken PE class a little more seriously, especially when we did pull ups on the bars. My upper body strength was clearly lacking.

  A scream pierced the air. A body flew past me over the railing. When I dared to look down, a body was sprawled out over the ground, blood pooling around her head. Relief swept over me when I took in the red hair and pale skin. Then I felt sick. The woman may have deserved her fate, but it was still sad. The entire situation was.

  “Layla.” Nina peered over the side, extending her hand. “Grab on.”

  Reaching out, I allowed Nina to pull me up. It was a struggle, but finally I made it up over the ledge. Once I did, I slumped onto the ground and let out a long exhale. Nina sat down next to me.

  “Thank god I got here in time.”

  Taking giant gulps of air, I calmed my racing heart, and tried not to think about how close I’d come to death.

  “Colette thought you were dead. What did she do to you?” I asked, once I’d regained composure.

  “A couple of days ago, a woman showed up at our door selling cookies. Jasper was at your house for the day. I knew immediately that something was fishy about it. I wasn’t even going to open the door at first, but the woman wouldn’t stop knocking. No one has ever come to our door in all the years we’ve lived in the forest. Well, other than the police last month. While I was trying to figure out who the woman could be, I remembered that when I used to work for Maria and Maxon, Colette had shown up in disguise multiple times. Once, she even poisoned the butler in order to make her way in. Ever since you were on the news about Jasper, I’d had a feeling Colette might come out of the woodwork. Jasper was her creation in a sense. So, I thought the woman at the door was probably Colette. When she offered me a sample cookie to try before buying a box, I was certain it was poisoned. However, I knew if I refused it she’d find a different way to get at me. Colette had always been tenacious. At least this way I’d be the one in control. If she caught me off guard, I wouldn’t stand a chance. So, I took the cookie, pretended to take a bite, then pretended to pass out. She picked me up and carried me into the woods where she had dug a large hole. After throwing me inside it, she left me for dead. Only, I wasn’t dead, clearly. However, I was stuck in a hole. It took me days to climb out. Once I did, I went back to the house, but you guys were gone. When I found Maxon’s address written on a piece of paper in the kitchen, I knew where you were. Jasper had taken our only car, so I rode my bike into town and took a taxi here.”

  “Wow,” I breathed, taking in her story. “That means that Colette is the one who orchestrated this whole thing.”

  Nina nodded. “I never would’ve encouraged Jasper to meet his dad. The guy is scum.”

  Touching her arm gently, I said, “You’ll do anything to protect him, won’t you?”

  “Yeah,” she said softly.

  “Why?” I asked the question I’d been curious about for awhile. “I mean, you gave up your entire life for Jasper, and I’ve always wondered why.”

  “I didn’t give up anything.” Nina rested her head against the railing behind us, and stared up at the sky. “I started working for Maxon and Maria as a live-in nurse after my husband and son died in an accident. For years, I had no one in my life, and I was drowning in grief. But then I was handed this amazing gift. A wonderful child that no one wanted. It was like I finally knew what my purpose in life was. My purpose was to love Jasper. To take care of him and keep him safe.” A smile passed over her lips.

  “He’s lucky to have you, Nina.”

  “And I’m lucky to have him,” she said.

  We sat in silence a moment. In the distance, birds chirped, wind whistled through the trees and the water in the creek rushed over the rocks. I thought over all the things Colette had said to me when she was disguised as Nina. Even though the words had come out of Colette’s mouth and not Nina’s, I wondered if Nina had had similar thoughts. “Nina,” I said, turning my head. “I don’t know what my future with Jasper holds, but I just want you to know that you’ll always be a part of it. In my mind, you’re his mom. You’re the most important person in his life, and I’m not trying to take your place.”

  Smiling, Nina patted my thigh. “I know, dear.”

  “Okay.” I grinned. “I just wanted to make sure.”

  “I appreciate that.” After another moment of quiet, Nina stood abruptly. Then she grabbed my hand and pulled me up with her. “Let’s go find Jasper. I’m ready to go home.”

  “Me too,” I agreed. Before we headed back inside, I turned to Nina, “Thank you for saving me.”

  “Jasper loves you. He would have been devastated if anything had happened to you,” she said by way of explanation.

  “I can’t believe that woman tried to ruin Jasper’s life a second time. Jasper’s going to freak when he finds out.”

  Nina put her arm out. “I don’t think we should tell him.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “He’s been through so much, Layla. And today couldn’t have been easy. I don’t want him to find out it was all because of some deranged witch that was out to get him. I just want to take him home and move on with our lives. Put all this ugliness behind us.”

  I nodded, understanding. Until reality hit.
“But what about the body? When it’s discovered, aren’t the police going to suspect me? I mean, surely someone on staff here saw me go up to the roof with her.”

  “I’ll handle all of that. Don’t worry about it.”

  A week ago, I’d never put my life in Nina’s hands. Heck, even a few days ago I wouldn’t have. But she saved my life today, and I wanted to trust her. So, I nodded.

  When we made it down the stairs and halfway down the hallway, Jasper caught up to us. His eyes were wild, his expression one of concern.

  “There you are. I was worried. I’ve been looking everywhere.” His gaze fell to my forehead, and he rushed forward, his hand gently touching it. “What happened?”

  I had forgotten about hitting my head. It seemed so insignificant in the grand scheme of things. “Oh, um…Nina and I went up to the roof and I hit my head on the staircase on the way up.” I offered a self-depreciating laugh. “Clumsy me.”

  He stared at me a moment as if he didn’t believe me. Then his gaze cut to Nina, and she nodded as if to confirm what I’d said. His gaze then returned to mine, and he offered a tight smile.

  “How did it go with Maxon?” Nina asked.

  His expression was sober, his lips a straight line. “Let’s just say, I’m glad I wasn’t raised by him.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Jasper.” Nina sighed, her hand lighting momentarily on Jasper’s arm.

  “It’s okay, Nina. You’ve been a better parent to me than that man ever would’ve been, and for that I’m grateful.”

  Nina’s eyes shone. Jasper glanced at me again, his eyes narrowing. “Okay. Well, let’s get you home and get some ice on that forehead. It doesn’t look so good.”