~Beauty~

Gale's eyes are an ocean blue. The color swims around in his irises in smooth waves until it leaks out and trails down his face like tears. They continue to travel and then reach the ground where they form a puddle. The puddle's shape remolds into his signature black mask. The mask was used to cover up his face, the face of the man I ended up loving. He no longer needs it so I'm not upset as it melts into a rose. The rose isn't red. It's blue. Like his eyes.

The blue from the petals of the rose drip off and form an ocean. Sand blows in to meet the water and I find myself staring at the beach Gale had brought me to the day he let me go. Two sets of footprints form and radio music plays softly in the background. Then one set of footprints disappears leaving me to feel hollow inside.

An excruciating sound bombards my ears.

Boom!

The explosion of the building.

Dead, my mind reminds me. He's dead.

It's been two weeks and I still can't understand it.

Someone shakes my shoulder.

"Belle," they say. "Don't tell me you fell asleep! Are you really that bored?"

My eyelids open to be met by Gabrielle's figure with her ginger colored hair falling just past her shoulders, petite body, and enchanting green eyes. This is her natural state. Carina was never 'Carina'. She was Gabrielle. A forever 18 year old princess from the 14th century who ended up becoming an Enchantress.

She isn't much different from Carina. Honestly, the biggest change is in looks and after my whole experience this year, I've learned that looks aren't important.

"No, I'm not bored. Sorry, I just didn't get much sleep last night," I answer rubbing my eyes. Scowling, Gabrielle marches back to my closet.

"Sleep is extremely important. Prom is tomorrow and you need to look your best," she teases. She continues to shift through the vintage dresses she brought me from a shop she use to own named Rosalind's Magic Shop.

"I know. It's just I got some news on Grayson." She snaps around instantly making sure to give me her full attention.

Gabrielle was nice enough to help out Grayson. She felt partly responsible for his break down since she had some influence here and there. She let him find out about magic. She let him receive visions when he touched the roses in Gale's forgotten garden and she admitted that she shouldn't have. Learning that a whole other realm exists on top of losing your best friend does a number on your mental health. Furthermore, she sent him the note about going to the masquerade to find me. Giving him false hope also messed him up.

I asked her why she did it in the first place and she explained that she thought she was helping. She was trying to get Grayson to find me because at the time, she thought things with Gale and I wouldn't work out and wanted me to return back home. In a way, she was trying to save me from my kidnapper by sending Grayson. Only, I didn't need saving.

But anyways, because of all this she felt like she should help Grayson and used her magic to get him off the hook for arson and attempted murder. I'm not sure how. It all happened kind of subtly but I'm grateful. She also cleared my whole involvement so I could get back to my life.

"What kind of news?" She shifts from foot to foot.

"He's moving away. In fact, he already left." I reach over my night stand and take out of the note wedged in between my books. "Here, he sent me this."

Gabrielle unfolds the letter and reads it aloud,"Dear Belle, I'm writing this to tell you I'm leaving. I'm not sure where I'm going but I have to go. I want to heal, I want to get better. I'm not proud of what I've become. I love you and that will never change but being around you, being in this city, will only hold me back. I'm sorry I'm not saying goodbye in person, I just can't bear to face you after everything I've done. For now, I wish you the best. Love, Grayson."

I take a breath and collapse onto my bed. "I'm happy for him. I'm happy he's starting over but I can't help but think he took Gale's chance of starting over."

Gabrielle lays next to me and sighs. "I hear you. I wish things didn't end up like this. I've done my fair share of curse casting and this is by far the most crappiest ending."

I feel like everything in my life has shattered. Almost everything in it is broken and I'm left to fix it without the people that were initially involved. It's all messed up.

I give her a sad smile before sitting up again. "Enough of the sad talk. Prom is tomorrow and I haven't even picked out a dress."

Sometimes it seems wrong to just carry on knowing Gale is gone. But I have to live my life. Besides, the whole reason why he let me go was so I could live it. That's what I'm going to do. For him and for myself.

Gabrielle uses her magic to lift up all the dresses from their hangers and display them in front of me. One is too pink, one is too short, one is too granny, and one is just plain ugly.

"Take your pick."

Biting my lip, I shrug. "I don't know... there are just so many options."

Her shoulders slump. "You hate them."

"No, it's not-"

She shushes me and presses a finger to my lips. "Do not lie or I'll give you a Pinocchio nose."

Giggling, I give up. "Okay, you got me."

"No worries," she assures. She grasps my arms and pulls me off the bed. She straightens my posture and strolls around me in a studying manner. "I'll have tailor one myself and I think I have just the right idea."

I lift an eyebrow. "You do?"

"Yes!" She flashes a bright smile. "I'll be back tomorrow to make you look like a princess." She grabs her stuff and begins to exit my room just as my mother enters it.

"Bye, Miss Anderson!"

"Bye, Gabrielle," my mom says with a healthy smile. "You'll have to tell me how you met that girl. She's very nice."

I manage a sad laugh. "Trust me, mom. You don't. It's a long story."

_____________________

The school building stands in front of me. I haven't been here since the day my mother was kidnapped. It's weird to be back here but it feels nice. Nothing's changed with it. It's clear I haven't missed much, still a smelly New York school.

"You look beautiful, Belle." Gabrielle nudges me with a twinkle in her eyes. "Let's go in."

We go up the steps side by side, our dresses trailing behind us. She was right. She did have the right idea when creating my dress. It's absolutely stunning.

It's a yellow ball gown. The fabric is soft and smooth like silk. The skirt goes down to the floor and the sleeves hangs off my shoulders. Light, gold, sparkly designs are formed on the bottom of the dress and if you look closely you can see they are roses. My hair is styled in a half of up, half down hairdo. The top half in a neat bun and the rest down in loose curls.

Not wanting to draw any attention, Gabrielle settled for a simple pink dress. No one would ever suspect she's an Enchantress who once turned a man into a beast.

As we enter the ballroom in the school, I receive the most attention I've ever received in my life.

Everyone stops what they are doing. They stop dancing, they stop talking, they stop eating. I haven't been seen by these people since I got kidnapped. Most of them thought I was dead. Most of them hated me. But here I am, back from the grave. The girl they thought was trash, nothing more than the daughter of a drug addict, showed up better than ever, looking like a princess.

I smile and lift my head up. The people start to divide, creating a path for me. I here whispers, I get looks but for the first time in a while I don't mind them one bit. I like them.
I reach the end of the path and find a single red rose laying on the floor. It's beautiful and just lays there, it's red petals contrast against the gold colored floor.

My eyes automatically tear up. Someone must have dropped it. It's a simple flower to most people, something you give to your date. I almost wish it could be that simple for me but now this one sight might be enough to wash all my makeup off.

It reminds me of Gale, of his mother, of Ryan and Tyler Daniels, of Grayson, of everything that has happened. It's overwhelming. It's so hard to move past it. It would be easier with Gale but he's gone and that's the worst part.

"Are you alright?"

I lift my head to face the stranger in front of me just as a single tear runs down my face. "Yea. . . It's nothing."

I quickly wipe the tear away and realize that Gabrielle isn't around. I must have lost her in the crowd. The stranger is still in front of me so I suppose I should explain a bit more. I must seem strange to him. A girl shouldn't cry on her prom night.

"I just really miss my friend right now," I mumble while picking up the rose.

"She must have been very special," he says his voice deep yet soft.

I chuckle while stroking the petals. "He. He was very special. This rose just reminded me of him. I wish he was here right now."

"What if he was? What would you say to him?" Now, my interest is peaked. I take a good look at this guy. He's worth noting. It's very kind of him to check up on me.

He's wearing a tux. He's taller than me and maybe a bit older. The beginning of a beard rests on his face and black hair seems to be effortlessly styled. Something like a smile is fighting it's way onto his lips.

He's handsome. Gorgeous.

"I would tell him-" My words fail.

This stranger's eyes. . . their blue. Not like the sky, a deeper shade. It holds pain and love that go farther than the ocean. They hold kindness. They hold warmth. They hold human compassion. They hold familiarity. They hold my eyes in their embrace.

My heart falls to my stomach. My breath catches. His name, his beautiful name, falls from my lips.

"Gale?"

He smiles big, like he was waiting for me to say it. "Yes."

But the Gale I knew died. The spell never broke. I'm wonderstruck. I step forward and touch his hair, run a finger over his cheek. I don't feel the bumpy lines that use to be there. Instead, there's smooth healthy skin.

A laugh escapes my mouth.

"It really is you. . ." I can't contain myself. I almost already missed the chance before. I won't miss it again. Apparently, he's thinking the same thing.

His lips meet mines for a sweet kiss. It feels like home.

"Belle, I lost you for a-" I pull away to see Gabrielle grinning. "Oh, I see you've found him. Nevermind, carry on."

"You knew?" I ask, feeling a twinge of betrayal.

"I found out this morning," she says strolling closer to us. "I saw him at a tux shop and recognized him."

My head spins. "Wait, so Gale knows about you being an enchantress now?"

She nods folding her hands in front of her. "I told him everything."

"And no hard feelings," Gale adds, lifting a shoulder.

"He asked me to keep it to myself. He wanted to surprise you tonight."

"But I don't get it. How are you here?" The image of Gale in that burning building and the sound of it exploding plays in my mind. "The last petal fell and you. . . you died."

I sniffle. Gale catches my face in his hands.

"The last petal did fall but at the same time as the curse broke. The building didn't explode because of the fire. That was the curse breaking." My mind slowly begins to piece it all together.

"It was awesome, Belle! I was transforming back into my normal human self and there were these bright lights shooting out of me and all these magical things in the air!" He explains making big hand gestures and exaggerated facial expressions.

I laugh at his boyish-ness. "That's great but what broke the curse?"

Gabrielle gasps beside me, her eyes widening. I can practically see the light bulb hovering over her head. "Gale, what did you do right before the curse broke? You saved Grayson! You didn't have to. In fact, you could have let him die, he was trying to kill you. But you didn't. That was selfless and to break the curse you had to perform an act of selflessness!"

Gale blushes. "It was kind of selfless. . . wasn't it?"

The rose in my hand reminds me of something I hadn't thought of. Before I can ask it Gale answers reading my mind.

He reaches into his tuxedo's jacket pocket and pulls out a folded newspaper. He opens it, displaying the front cover story.

40 Thought To Be Dead Criminals Found In Garden: No One Knows How They Got There. Not Even Them!

Gale's old rose garden of criminals must have turned back into humans once the curse broke.

"Does this mean that your mom is back?!"

Gale nods, eagerly. "It's why I didn't come to you instantly. I had to take care of some things."

"Oh my goodness! I'm so happy for you!" I can't help but hug him.

"I've gotten most things sorted out. Now, I need to sort things out with you," he says, his voice becoming serious.

I hear Gabrielle excuse herself as Gale gently takes my hand and leads me towards the dance floor. He rest his arms on my waist and rest mine around his neck. We fall into the same dance we did on the beach.

What does he want to tell me? My heart flutters nervously.

"Belle, you once told me that you wanted to travel the world. I thought that I wasn't going to be a part of that because of the curse but now that's it's broken. . ." He bites his lip, meeting my eyes shyly. "I sold the mansion and I was hoping you would. . . come see the world with me? We can go see the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Canyon, and the Amazon. . ."

Travel is something I've always wanted to do and since I missed senior year, I didn't get to apply to any colleges so what's holding me back? Nothing. I want to be with Gale and there isn't any curse that can get in the way of that.

"Yes," I declare. "I want to travel the world with you."

He smiles big and so do I. This is perfect. Not a happy ending but a happy beginning.

"I love you," he says tucking the rose behind my ear.

"I love you, too."

My story seems like something straight out of a fantasy novel but really this tale is as old as time. The tale of someone who overcame insecurities, doubts, abuse, and challenges. The tale of the beauty nestled deep inside every human being. The tale of how love, no matter the kind, can overcome anything. The tale of finding beauty.

Author's Note-

OH MY GOODNESS! YOU AND I JUST FINISHED THIS BOOK! AH!

Love you all and thank you for reading my book!