Pentimento: a dystopian Beauty and the Beast (13 page)

"I," Iris pondered if she should just calm her down, or try to reason with her.

"Don't you get it, Iris? The Beasts live among us. That's how they see us and control us." Zoe's eyes looked painful. It was as if she'd wanted to widen them and stare at Iris, but her eyelids were too weak to do it. "I'm telling you, the Beast came in the room, pretending to be
him.
He was shocked I saw him for what he really is. I screamed and the nurses came in and pulled him out." Zoe craned her head, just a nudge, toward Iris. "They couldn't see him for what he really is." she whispered. "But I did. I bet he still fools you, Iris."

"Fools me? Who is he?"

"Colton," Zoe said, a shiver trembling through her body. Iris could feel it in hers too, like electricity. She had never seen someone so afraid before in her life. "Colton Ray is the Beast. You've always said it yourself. Remember when you said you thought he was one of them?"

The next week went very slowly. Iris spent most of her time at Zoe's house. She'd been released from the hospital after the doctors said she was fine. Zoe had been dramatically getting better after the night she told Iris that Colton was the Beast. Iris considered it a heavy sign that Zoe never mentioned it again, as if it had never happened. She'd seen Colton once after the incident, and she seemed fine with him. She even messed with him and told him Cody was much cuter than he was.

On top of her worries about Zoe, Iris had to deal with her father calling her every two to three hours. The man was worried they'd catch the red rose girl whom the Council decided to call "the Beauty." Iris was thankful for the concern, but wished her dad wouldn't worry so much. She really needed to get home to him soon. The man seemed a bit lonely without her.

Zoe wasn't hurt badly, at least not physically. She had proved to be as tough as Iris, if not tougher. Emotionally though, Zoe was devastated--now that the Colton/Beast thing was not an issue for discussion anymore. Zoe told Iris that what truly frustrated her about the night at Vera's house wasn't just the prank. It was that it could have been one of the best days in her life, since she and Cody had kissed briefly, and that she had been enjoying it. Zoe’s attachment to Cody seemed to be too much, too soon. But Iris wouldn't tell her. Anything to help Zoe get over the prank was good.

And as if your attachment to Colton wasn't so abrupt and insane, Iris.
Colton had been calling, messaging, and even throwing pebbles at Zoe's window, until her parents chased him away. Iris didn't even acknowledge him. Zoe meant the world to her and if she couldn't go and kick Vera's ass, at least she had to stay by her friend.

Cody had visited her twice. He seemed really concerned, and embarrassed he couldn't protect her. After that, Colton ended up sending Iris a text message, complaining about why Cody was welcomed and he wasn't. This was the only text message Iris answered.

"Remember when you said you needed time to get over Eva? I respected that. Now, I need time to feel comfortable with you. I know it wasn't your fault, but I can't help feeling this way. Please understand."

Colton hadn’t replied since.

"You should be going to school," Zoe said, sitting up on her bed. Most of her wounds had healed. It was only her enthusiastic smile that was missing.

"I don't care, Zoe," Iris said. "Since when did I? We'll go together. Doctor said you could be back to school the day after tomorrow. That's not far away."

"So you only go to school because of me?" Zoe smiled.

"Actually, yes. I can't think of another reason. It's not like I am fond of learning."

"And Colton?" Zoe said. "Wouldn't you want to go to see him?"

The question rather shocked Iris. Even though she'd seen her joke with Colton the day she left the hospital, his name never came up again. Iris stared into Zoe's eyes. Did she really not remember what happened? Had she been hallucinating? Iris hadn't asked Colton about the incident. It sounded absurd, and wouldn't have helped their relationship at the moment. After being harsh on him, she wasn't going to accuse him of being a Beast. "He's been amazing, Zoe." Iris hid her concerns. In a rare moment, she lied to her friend. "I mean, really. He is someone so different than the personality he portrays in school. It's just that I feel like I am cheating when I am with him. He is one of them."

"That's ridiculous," Zoe said. "The boy has changed since he met you."

You honestly don't remember claiming he was the Beast, Zoe?

"I know, but do you think he won't be friends with his elite bunch of friends anymore? Do you expect him not to talk to them when we go back to school? I guess I am expecting him to do something that makes me know for sure he resents the likes of Vera."

"I think that's not what this is about," Zoe said. "I think this is about him still being somehow attached to Eva."

"Could be," Iris nodded. "But how long will he be like that? I mean, he wants to know what really happened to her. We might never know what happened to the Brides, or who the Beasts are."

"Which reminds me. Who do you think this 'Beauty' is?" Zoe asked. "Did you see the red roses she gave the parents? They’re beautiful. I wonder where she got those."

"Glad you think they’re beautiful," Iris said. "I mean, I haven't heard anyone say that." Iris had never told her rose secret to Zoe, nor had Zoe seen the Ruins with her own eyes to connect the dots.

"Everyone thinks the roses are beautiful," Zoe ached a little. "They're just like me a couple of days ago, when I denied being curious and wanting to know the truth."

"And now you want to know the truth?" Iris leaned forward.

Zoe nodded silently. "I guess I'm going to act like you. I'll be another Iris outcast, rebelling against the rules that don't make sense, asking who the Beasts are, without giving a damn about the first commandment."

"And may I ask what changed your mind?" Iris was curious. Like always, she wanted to understand, to find a pattern that explained why and how people changed.

"Promise you won't laugh?" Zoe said, her old smile with the dimples in her cheeks had returned.

"I can't promise that. You know I can't lie."

"I'll tell you anyhow," Zoe lowered her eyes. "It's Cody."

"Oh?" Iris grinned.

"I can't explain it, but after we kissed at the birthday party, and after we had such a good time together, I felt so at ease with him. He isn't my knight in shining armor, not a chance. But I realized I don't want a knight in shining armor. I want someone like me, someone who talking to feels like going back home. Someone who likes me for who I am."

"Those are too many statements for a girl that went on a single date with him." Iris said.

"As if you and Colton took your time with liking each other?" Zoe frowned. "You see, there is some kind of a clicking machine that makes the chemistry work. It either happens, or it doesn't. You don’t need long to figure it out."

"I agree," Iris said, thinking about Colton. "So Cody is the reason why you decided not to care about rules and do what you want?"

"Yes. Because being with him made me feel like I deserve to know what this world really is. I feel like I have the right to know, because I realized I am going to share this world with someone else someday. I guess being alone makes one passive and not care about things."

"So it's this little thing called love that moves the world after all." Iris remembered how her father still looked at her mother's empty chair, as if she were still with him. Before her mother died, she'd seen them fight and argue on a daily basis. It looked like they couldn't stand each other sometimes. But it wasn't like that. They were deeply in love, and part of it was making each other's lives hell sometimes. It was just how the heart worked. The human heart, Iris reminded herself, wondering if the Beasts knew anything about it.

"By the way, I forgot to tell you something," Zoe said. "I actually discovered this talking to a couple of girls in Vera's party, right before they asked me to cut the cake. Cody was in the bathroom."

"I told you not to go, Zoe," Iris said.

"That's not the point. I learned my lesson," Zoe said. "It's something important. Remember when I told you Elia Wilson was about to become a master tennis player?"

Iris nodded.

"While talking to the girls at Vera's birthday party, I discovered that Eva was about to become one of the best photographers in The Second."

"That’s not something so special," Iris said. "A lot of girls are good photographers."

"That's true, but the girls told me that she was truly amazing. And that the Council was waiting to see how good she was going to do in college, to make a star of her. Eva took photographs of the Council members repeatedly. Something that no seventeen-year-old did before."

"So?"

"So the Brides, Elia and Eva, aren't shallow and rich beauties," Zoe said. "I know how we feel about Eva. She definitely deserved to be punished for treating us the way she did. But to be honest, they were special girls."

"I can't believe you're calling them special, with all the bullying they did."

"Here is where you need to be honest with yourself, Iris," Zoe said. "Eva wasn't a good person, but Elia never hurt us. Vera is batshit. What I mean is, we can't generalize ideas. Not all beautiful girls are airheads or snobs. What I’m saying is that the Beasts seem to choose intelligent women, morals aside."

"Saying that these girls are intelligent really bothers me, Zoe."

"I'm not saying this to make you feel bad about yourself. I know you don't like them, and I know none of them bothered attending your mother's funeral. But it's not like you just don't like them. You don’t like their kind; the rich, spoiled, sons and daughters of Council members. That why you snapped at Colton. Deep inside, you don't like where he comes from, and you need to fix that, Iris."

"Are you saying I am the bad person now?"

"Of course not. I love you, and I know how special you are. We all have our quirks, our little unjust feelings toward a certain kind of people because of something that happened to us in the past. We are human. We like to generalize things, instead of treating each individual on their own." Zoe inhaled deeply. It was a long speech. "It's okay."

"So, why are you telling me this?"

"Because Vera was friends with both girls. The Beasts took the two girls and didn't take Vera," Zoe said. "Eva and Elia were artists. Vera is shallow, has no hobbies, and loves to hurt others."

"Are you saying there is actually a basis the Beasts choose girls upon?" Iris wished Zoe had experienced her change of heart long ago.

"I can't put my hands on it." Zoe said. "But I have been trying to remember the girls taken last year. I knew a couple of them. They were also special. Gemma Underwood… remember her? She was taken about two months ago. She was one of the best upcoming painters in The Second, and guess what? She came from the same class as ours."

"I remember Gemma," Iris said. "She was really talented, and she wasn't that beautiful actually," she rested her head on her hands.

"Also Tina Remington. She was taken three months ago," Zoe said. "Tina was..."

"One of The Second's best swimmers," Iris interrupted her. "I remember her. But she was a real beauty and she had a great body."

"The point is… most of the girls weren't airheads," Zoe said. "The Beasts aren't choosing their Brides for beauty."

"That's some remark," Iris said. "So what does it mean? The Beasts pick girls with good genes? Not necessarily beauty genes, but talented girls who might produce smart and talented kiddos?"

"We don't know that the Beasts have children with them," Zoe said. "See? That's what I’m talking about. In order to figure out their secrets, you need to have an open heart and be fair in your assumption. You can't assume the girls are for breeding purposes. Maybe they are for something else."

"Maybe the Beasts are cannibals." Iris said.

"I am not going to keep assuming," Zoe said. "Let's start with what we know. They choose special girls and they have designed a wall of illusion to separate us from the Ruins, like you told me."

"That's not much."

"Actually, I think it is." Zoe said. "It's been more than a week and the next call might be tomorrow, or later. If the next girl is as special, this is an important fact."

"Sounds great, friend," Iris patted her. First Colton had the friends theory, and now Zoe had the gifted theory. Somehow, Iris knew both weren't right. "Welcome back. I almost thought I lost you."

"I was going to die, but I had to come back for you, to save your ass like always," Zoe pinched her, and let out a little moan. Her ribs still ached.

"I promise you, I'll kick Vera's ass someday," Iris said. "I think I'll glue Mrs. Wormwood's wig to her head. That would be gold."

"Ouch," Zoe said. "As much as we think we are the good girls, sometimes I feel like we are the bad ones."

Iris laughed. "I have to go now. Dad's been really worried," she said, and walked to the door. But Iris couldn't leave before asking her. "Zoe, do you remember Colton being the first one to visit you when you were first brought to the hospital?"

Zoe squinted, as if trying to see through the memory. "Colton?" she said. "Oh. Yes. I do remember. That was so sweet of him."

"Really?" Iris said. "Do you remember what happened? If he said something to you?"

"That's a hard one, Iris," Zoe laughed. "I was toast. I didn't even remember it until now, when you told me. Don't you think that’s strange?"

"Like you said, you were toast," Iris said. "So you don't remember him saying or doing something, reminding you of the Beasts?" Iris shrugged. It was an absurd question.

"You're joking, right? No. I think he told me to be strong and hang tight or something. I do actually remember that he was assuring me that you were on your way. Why?"

"Nothing," Iris said. "I just wondered how fast he arrived before I did. It made me rather jealous. I wanted to be the first person next to you."

The conversation with Zoe had melted Iris's heart toward Colton. She'd been hard on him and he didn't give up on her. Still, Iris in her stubborn mode, couldn't pick up the phone and call him. She wondered if she'd inherited this from her mother, who even though she loved Charles, liked everything done in the light of her own beliefs and principles. Also, there was this little uneasiness after Zoe's incident, thinking Colton was the Beast. Iris still had no explanation for what happened. Probably Zoe was in shock and when Colton came into the room, he reminded her of Vera because, in many ways, he was one of them. The only thing that seemed odd was Colton not mentioning the incident. But then again, everyone was in shock and it wasn't important to tell her he saw Zoe first.