by Anne Zedwick
She had to understand. She wasn’t bad, Dyret knew. He knew what it was like to be misunderstood, rejected, alone. He didn’t want her to feel the same. Under the fierceness of his monster skin, he was still human, and nobody could steal that from him. He still had a heart.
Dyret picked up the keys to her cell. They jingled in his huge, hairy hands. Evelyn jolted awake, her dark eyes flying open in alarm. She was on her feet in an instant, her eyes showing fear, pain, and anger. Her red lips stayed tightly closed as Dyret stepped into the cell.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” His eyes were kind, honest. When Evelyn didn’t reply, Dyret went on. “I need to tell you something.”
He was close to her now. He brushed his hand over her cheek. “It’s time you knew the truth. Maybe…maybe it will help you understand.”
Evelyn backed away from him, and sunk to her knees in the corner. She crouched there, ready to run. Her eyes flickered to the open cell door. The torchlight reflected off her eyes as she turned her head up to Dyret, the leader of the very group she had hoped to destroy completely. She still did not speak.
“We—the Beasts as you know us—we weren’t always like this. We used to be human, like you. I was only fourteen when it happened. A group of my friends and I were playing in a forest a long way from here, and we stumbled upon a tiny cottage. Well, really, we found it because we accidently set it on fire.”
Evelyn’s eyebrows lifted in surprise.
Dyret continued, “But anyway, three people were killed in that fire, people from the cottage. They were the family of…of a witch. She was the only one who survived the fire, and she cursed me and my friends. She turned us into, well, this.” He gestured to himself. “And she swore that if we weren’t killed by the townspeople, she would come kill us herself. Then we ran…it’s been eight years now. We don’t tell anyone what we are…what we used to be. We try to stay hidden. It is too dangerous to tell anyone who we are.
“Evelyn, do you understand now? We never wanted to hurt you or your family. I don’t want trouble with you. But you’ve killed almost all of us now.” Reluctantly, he laughed, “You’re a talented hunter. We never stood a chance against you, and still don’t. That’s why we took you here. Please understand…”
Evelyn didn’t move. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Her voice was untrusting and hard.
Dyret sighed. “I’ll show you.” His face and form shifted. His fur shrunk into his skin, and muscles pulsed in his arms. His red eyes faded to a brown, his facial hair smoothed away. His claws contracted into fingernails. His face contorted and he became…human.
Evelyn gasped.
Dyret then shifted back to his beastly form. “I can only do that for a few minutes…as time moves on, and years go past, I think the spell gets weaker. I can shape-shift for longer each time. But…it will never go away, I know. We still feel that there must be a cure, but we haven’t been able to find it. Evelyn, please understand. I was human like you once. I still am. It’s only my appearance that isn’t.”
Evelyn’s neck muscles throbbed. “How…?” She put her hands over her head. “I…that’s sorcery! You’re lying!”
Dyret sighed. “Evelyn, listen to me! This isn’t a lie! Can’t you understand that?”
“No! Let me go now! Or I’ll…break out and kill you all so you can’t hurt anyone else!”
“Evelyn…” Dyret’s voice was soft. It held no lie in it. “I was a human like you. Surely you can see that I’m telling the truth. What do I have to do to prove it?”
“Let me go! Stop eating the animals on my father’s farm! Never show your hideous face to me again! Then maybe I’ll believe you.” Even after all the days she’d spent in the dungeon, she hadn’t lost her spirit.
Dyret put his head in his hands. “Evelyn, I can’t…”
“You can’t trust me not to kill you all? Oh, it’s okay. I understand. You’re a monster that can’t stand up to a girl.”
Dyret glared at her, frustrated. “That’s not true. Would you just listen to me?”
“I have listened. I’ve listened to your lies. What more do you want me to listen to?” She crossed her arms.
“If I let you go, do you swear that you won’t kill us anymore?”
Evelyn’s eyes narrowed. There was a long silence. “Fine.” She said finally.
Dyret didn’t like the idea of letting her go, but after years of watching her, he’d seen many times that Evelyn didn’t break her word. She didn’t promise anything without thinking about it and fully intending to keep her promise.
He turned to leave the cell.
Evelyn looked at him, shaking her head. “You can lock me in here again. I don’t care.”
“You can go.” Dyret told her quietly over his shoulder. “You’re free to go.”
Evelyn jerked her hands back. “I can…?”
He nodded. “I’ve kept you her long enough.”
Evelyn wondered for a brief moment if he wasn’t the monster she thought she was, but she pushed the thought away. Of course he was. She stepped away from him.
“Evelyn?”
“What…?”
“I’m going to do everything I can to prove to you that I’m not a monster.”
“Whatever.” She pushed past him and dashed up the stairs. When a guard tried to stop her, Dyret yelled, “She’s free! Leave her alone.” He acquiesced, stepping aside and letting her slide out the door.
Out in the woods, Evelyn ran until she couldn’t take another step. She collapsed on the forest floor, leaves and sticks crunching under her weight. She couldn’t figure out what was going on. Could Dyret have been telling her the truth? She couldn’t understand why he would let her go just to prove that to her. He had to have some kind of evil plan or something. Evelyn heard a growl behind her and spun around, reaching for her knives. All she grabbed was empty air. She swore under her breath. Dyret had her weapons. Was this his plan? Have his other beasts kill her when she came outside?
A huge creature stepped into view. Evelyn’s eyes widened. It looked like a beast, and yet it was different. Its gleaming yellow eyes bore into her and huge fangs poked out of its black lips.
“Hello.” It said in a low growl of a voice.
Evelyn turned and ran; she didn’t know where to go but back to Dyret’s castle. Her cottage was too far away to escape to it. These woods were unfamiliar to her, but the beast would be sure to know them better than she did. She knew that she might be writing her own death warrant by going back to the castle if Dyret had sent this thing for her, but she didn’t know what else to do. So she ran as hard and fast as she could. The beast lumbered after her, crashing through the brush and roaring angrily.
“You can’t run, Evelyn!”
“I sure can try!” She yelled back. She asked herself, How did he know my name…? Although the monster bellowed after her, she did not reply again. Evelyn put all her energy into putting one foot in front of another. She was glad that she had foot-raced with David often.
When she reached the castle, she pounded on the wooden doors. She looked back worriedly; the beast was laughing as he ran toward her. He was so close…closer…closer…
A hairy hand pulled Evelyn inside and slammed the door closed. The monster outside slammed into the door. Evelyn found herself in the protective arms of Dyret. She gulped in air and subconsciously relaxed in the strong arms of her rescuer. Then she realized who it was and flung herself away from him.
“You set that up, you monster!”
“What?” Dyret let her step away. “Evelyn, I just saved you...that beast is not one of us.”
Evelyn was quiet. He had just saved her life…what else could he do to prove that he was trustworthy? He’d let her go, been kind to her, tried so hard to make her trust him and believe him. There wasn’t anything else he could do.
“Why won’t you believe me?” he pleaded.
“You’ve been my enemy for as long as I can remember. You can’t expect me to just…tru
st you!”
“I know that.” He sighed. “But I’m telling the truth. I was human. I only…” he looked down at himself and sighed, “look like a beast. Will you please just trust me?”
Evelyn nodded slowly. “O…okay.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “But if that’s true,” she paused, opening her eyes wide. “I killed your friends! Your friends…people that should have had a chance to live…” she sucked in a huge breath, realizing her mistake. She remembered how the beasts hadn’t looked at her with hatred, but with sadness as she killed them. She remembered how not a single one of them had fought back in any way that would have harmed her. She stumbled backward into the wall.
He’s not the monster…I am! She sunk to the floor, covering her face with her hands in distress. She broke out into sobs and couldn’t stop. Dyret knelt by her. Minutes that seemed hours passed when she managed to whispered, “I killed them…I killed them!”
Dyret wiped a tear from her cheek with his large paw. “It’s okay. You understand now. Everything is fine now.”
Evelyn didn’t shrink away from him anymore. “I destroyed human lives that should have stayed in this world…I…I…”
Dyret put his big, hairy arms around her. “It’s okay. Everything is okay.”
Chapter Three
Dyret told Evelyn that she could leave if she wished, but he also asked her to stay. Evelyn agreed to stay with him if she could visit her family for a while. He consented, so she went back through the forest to her little farm, mostly because she missed her brother, David.
Evelyn opened the small wooden door to her father’s cottage. She heard laughing inside and when she stepped inside, the laughter stopped. Her father and two of her brothers, Isaiah and Joshua, were inside playing a game. David was nowhere to be seen.
“Evelyn.” Her father’s voice was hard.
Evelyn knew immediately that he hadn’t even been worried about her. She felt hurt, but she pushed the feeling down. “Father.”
“Where were you, girl? There’s laundry piling up and your brothers have had to milk the cow and get the chicken eggs in your absence.”
“I’m sorry…I got…delayed…”
Isaiah and Joshua both snickered.
“Well, get to work, girl. You’ve got plenty to do.”
“No.” Evelyn’s voice was small. She felt like a scared rabbit standing up to a dragon as she looked into her father’s angry face.
“What did you just say?” Her father stepped forward, his mouth set in a hard line.
“Father, I’m not staying here. I won’t be here long.”
“What are you talking about? You can’t just leave, sis!” Isaiah jumped up, knocking chess pieces onto the floor.
“Yeah, you have to work here with us,” Joshua agreed.
Evelyn didn’t even answer them. “Where’s David?”
“He’s out looking for you,” Isaiah told her. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, amused at the banter.
“How long has he been gone?”
The door flew open, almost ramming into Evelyn. David stepped in. “I didn’t find her, but I’m going back out tomor—” He stopped when he noticed Evelyn. “Ev! I was so worried. Where were you? What happened? Are you okay?”
Evelyn almost fell into her brother’s arms. “David…”
David held her in his strong arms and glanced at his disdainful father and brothers. He whispered, “Shh…let’s go outside and talk, okay?”
Evelyn nodded against David’s chest. They turned and walked outside and sat on a hill overlooking the forest. David put his arm around his younger sister and brushed aside a strand of hair from her face. “Ev, what happened?”
“I killed people, David. People that deserved to live!”
“What are you talking about?” His voice was quiet and soft, a balm to Evelyn’s ears.
Evelyn took a deep breath. “All the Beasts. They were human.”
“What?”
“They’re not evil, David. Just misunderstood and cursed. And I killed so many of them…”
“Hold on…what…?”
“They made a witch angry and got cursed. Now they’re…well…the way they are now…” Evelyn put her hands on her forehead and put her elbows oh her knees. She took a deep breath. “David, I’ve killed so many of them!”
“You didn’t know. It’s all right, Ev. You didn’t know.” David hugged her close.
“David, I’m going to stay with them.”
David stiffened. “What?”
“There isn’t anything here for me, David. I have to leave. Father never wanted me. When mother died, my life became a nightmare. I protect you guys because you’re my family. I hunt for your food because I don’t want you to starve…I don’t have Isaiah, Josh, and Father’s love…I can’t keep living like this. And…I think I can help Dyret.”
“Dyret?”
“He’s the leader of their group.”
David sighed. “Evelyn, are you sure this is a good idea?” He peered at her with concern.
Evelyn nodded. “David, he’s broken, I can see it in his eyes. He’s misunderstood and lonely. He’s been living like this for eight years. I think I can help. I don’t know how, but I think I should at least be there if he wants me to. It’s the least I can do after what I did to him. Those beasts I killed were his friends.”
He kissed her forehead and stood there staring into her eyes. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“David…I don’t think that’s a great idea.” She couldn’t let the beasts think she had come back to kill them with back-up support. They’d kill David and then ask questions later.
Evelyn shook her head. “I don’t know how well Dyret would take that.”
“Why?”
She told him her concerns. She begged him with her eyes to believe her.
After a few moments, he got the message. He sighed, “Okay.” He pulled her against his chest. “Stay safe.”
“I will, David. Don’t worry.” Evelyn stood up. “I love you.”
David stood and hugged her again. “I love you too, little sister.”
Evelyn laughed, “You act like I’m leaving right away.”
“Well, I’m already worrying about you.” He gave her a cocky grin.
“I’ll stay here for a week. Then I’ll head back to Dyret’s castle. Oh, and David?”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t tell anyone that they used to be human. The witch could be looking for them.”
“Okay.”
Evelyn broke away from his embrace few minutes later. “Come on, let’s go in. I’m tired and hungry.”
David laughed. “Alright. Come on, princess.”
Evelyn smiled at the use of his old nickname for her. When they were younger, that was all she wanted to be. They went inside and had a quick meal of warm stew and bread. Evelyn went to bed after the meal. Her father and other two brothers didn’t say a word to her throughout the evening. They only glanced at her coldly on occasion.
When Evelyn woke, she stumbled out of bed and dressed in a short, lightweight blue dress. Gold thread swirled around the neckline in an intricate design. She quickly wove her hair into a floppy braid and went out to get breakfast. David was already there. He smiled at her and held out a bunch of grapes. “Want some?”
“Sure, thanks.” Evelyn took the grapes and popped them individually into her mouth slowly. Her mind was bursting as she tried to understand everything. She was still upset that what she had really been killing all those years weren’t beasts.
“You okay?” David’s eyes were concerned and his voice was soft.
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Do you want to go with me to the pond? Father took Isaiah and Josh to go get some firewood from the forest. They’ll be gone all day.”
“Sure. Sounds fun.”
They finished breakfast and mounted two horses. Evelyn gripped the coppery mane of her horse and laughed. “It feels like forever since I’ve been rid
ing bareback and without a bridle.”
David laughed too. “I remember when I first taught you how to ride bareback,” he grinned. “You got on the horse and fell off the other side!”
Evelyn smiled. “I seem to recall a time when you fell off your horse because you were talking instead of looking where you were going…”
He blushed. “I wouldn’t have if the horse didn’t try to go under a low branch!”
“If you were looking you could have avoided that…”
He laughed. “You’re right!” Then he kicked his horse. “Last one to the pond is a rotten egg!” His horse jerked into a full gallop.
“Hey! No fair!” Evelyn called as she leaned forward and urged her horse into a gallop. She caught up with David in a few minutes, and was soon past him. She heard him yelling after her between fits of laughter and urged her horse to go even faster. The pond came into view in the distance. Evelyn looked behind her. David was coming fast. He was still laughing. She smirked at him. His eyes widened and he yelled, “Stop!”
She yelled back at him, “Why?”
There was no answer, but he laughed even harder when the cold water hit Evelyn. Her horse had galloped right into the pond. Evelyn yanked on the reins too late. Her horse reared up, and she slid off the back end into the frigid water. Her horse stood in the water snorting and catching its breath. Evelyn sat there and laughed. “This is cold!”
David came up on the side of the pond, nearly falling off his horse from huge belly laughs. “Now who wasn’t looking?”
“Well, at least I won and you’re a rotten egg…” Evelyn shot back good-naturedly.
“A small price to pay for seeing you soaked because you didn’t pay attention to where you were going.” He dismounted, still chuckling. She reached her hand out for assistance. He stepped on the bank and extended his arm. She grabbed it and yanked hard. David tumbled face-first into the water. He came up sputtering. “Hey!”
Splashing her started a massive water fight. When they had called a truce, they realized that their horses had fled and it was growing dark. The dripping brother and sister staggered home, arms draped across each other’s shoulders, leaving a trail of water behind them.
