Hey everyone I know it's been a while since I updated this story. Almost a month actually. But like I put in my profile I pre-write all my chapters beforehand and I haven't really had time to write anything. But I'm here now so I hope you enjoy this chapter. Also if your OC is in this book and they aren't exactly like how they are in your stories that's because I tried to fit them make them like characters from Beauty and the Beast since that's what this story is.
Nero belongs to DemonSlayerShadow666
Zara belongs to JessicaCiane
Alison belongs to -Dying-Angels-
and Abra belongs to Manimatsu

It was a beautiful morning in the kingdom of Vale. All around the marketplace people were hustling to and fro trying to buy their goods and chat with their neighbors.

At the edge of the village, in a small cottage, a young woman was emerging. This girl, clad in a black dress with a white apron and a bow in her hair, was named Blake Belladonna. Blake may have been very beautiful but that didn't stop her neighbors from gossiping about her.

For starters Blake loved to read and reading wasn't really a hobby that the villagers enjoyed, and secondly she always wore that bow in her hair, always. However a few villagers knew why she wore that bow. Blake was a Faunus and under her bow was a pair of black cat ears. A lot of villagers were Faunus but, like Blake, they preferred to keep their features a secret. Those who had animal ears hid them under bows or bonnets or hats, ones with tails would wrap them around their waists like a belt or tuck them in their skirts, if they had claws then they wore gloves, and if they had fangs....they just never opened their mouth.

As Blake made her daily trip to the bookstore, nose buried in a book, she tried to be oblivious to the whispers and stares of the villagers near her.

"Look there goes Blake, reading again," Alison said, "I bet you she's insane."

"She's definitely odd but I wouldn't go as far to say she's insane," said Abra.

Turning to her friend she added, "at least she doesn't dream about a man that may or may not exist."

"You don't know that," said Alison, "and I keep telling you the man I keep dreaming about is real. Every time I dream about him I feel like I've met him in reality."

The two girls continued to argue as Blake continued walking. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the last person she wanted to see but thankfully he seemed to preoccupied with something else to notice her.

"Isn't it wonderful Ilia?" Cardin Winchester asked his friend.

Ilia, who had been to busy watching Blake as she walked by, snapped out of her trance and looked at Cardin.

"I'm sorry what?"

"The mirror," he said, "isn't it wonderful?"

Ilia looked at the mirror that was hanging off the merchant cart they were standing in front of, "I don't know. I guess?"

"Well I think it's fabulous," he said, "I can see myself perfectly in it. And I was right, I don't have a bad side."

Ilia had to fight the urge not to roll her eyes.

In the mirror's surface Cardin noticed someone walk by and he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"There goes Velvet. You know I don't know why she wears that stupid bonnet. Everyone can see those ugly rabbit ears of hers. I don't know why we let those ugly Faunus live in our village. If it was up to me I would make them be run out of town and forced to live on their own. Don't you agree?"

Ilia felt her fingertips turn red and the roots of her hair turn yellow like they did whenever she got angry. Taking a deep breath she suppressed her emotions and felt her fingers go back to her light brown skin tone and her hair go back to its dark brown color. Speaking through gritted teeth she said, "yes I one hundred percent agree."

Of course she really didn't though. She hated the way the dark haired human man treated the Faunus but she couldn't reveal that she was a Faunus herself. Lest she wanted to be ridiculed. So she was forced to agree with every hateful comment Cardin said whether she agreed with him or not.

Ilia noticed him staring at the giant clock in the center of town and she facepalmed, keeping Cardin on one topic or even one thought was almost impossible since he had the attention span of a gerbil.

"Ilia isn't now about the time Blake crosses this spot?" He asked her.

Ilia nodded.

"Well then where is she?"

"She actually already walked by," Ilia said.

"What?! Why didn't you tell me?!" Cardin demanded.

"Because you were admiring your reflection and you told me never to interrupt you while you're doing that," Ilia said flatly.

Cardin thought for a moment and realized that she was right, "Well regardless how am I supposed to get Blake to fall in love with me if I don't spend every moment with her?"

"Well have you ever thought that maybe you should find someone else? Like maybe Zara for instance? She seems to like you," Ilia said gesturing to the blonde young woman who was standing across the road from them and was staring at Cardin with a dreamlike expression on her face. Cardin looked at Zara for a few moments before shaking his head.

"I mean Zara is pretty but she's not like Blake. Blake is perfect."

"Ok well maybe consider that Blake hates you?" Ilia asked.

"That's ridiculous. Everyone likes me," said Cardin, "now c'mon before she leaves."

Ilia tried to call after him but he was already speed walking toward the book shop. Inwardly she groaned, this was going to be a long day.

Across town Blake finally reached the bookshop. Pushing the door open she found Nero, one of the shop's employees, up on a ladder shelving books.

"Good morning Nero," she said.

"Oh hey Blake," Nero said stepping off the ladder and onto the floor. "Did you finish that book I lent you already?"

Blake nodded and set the book down on the counter, "it was so amazing. So do you have anything new?"

Nero laughed a little, "no not yet."

"That's ok," Blake said reaching for a thick novel on one of the middle shelves, "I'll borrow this one."

Nero raised an eyebrow, "you've already read that one twice."

"I know. But I love it. A man with two souls with each one trying to take control over his body. I can never put it down when I read it," she said smiling.

Nero smiled at her as well, "Well if you like it so much then you can keep it."

Blake looked surprised, "no I can't."

"I insist."

"Well thank you." Blake said.

She began to exit the bookshop which unfortunately caused her to walk right into Cardin and Ilia.

"Hello there Blake," said Cardin.

Blake rolled her eyes,"Hello Cardin."

She tried to walk away which only caused Cardin to grab her hand. Blake scowled and yanked her hand out of his tight grip.

"What do you have there?" He asked taking the book out of her hands.

"That would be a book," Blake said without an ounce of emotion in her voice.

He began flipping through the pages with a look of confusion on his face, "how do you even read this? There's no pictures. And it's printed in some weird language."

Blake rolled her eyes and flipped the book right side up, "maybe you shouldn't read it upside down. And about the pictures most people like to use their imagination."

Cardin shut the book and through it to Ilia, "ever think about getting your head out of your imagination and focusing instead on more important thing?"

"Like what? You?"

"Exactly!" Cardin said, "and speaking of me. Do you want to go to the tavern and see all my trophies?"

Blake shook her head and took her book back from Ilia, "I have to get home and help my dad."

"Oh yeah is he still making those....doohickeys?" Cardin asked her.

Blake looked annoyed, "those 'doohickeys' are gonna help a lot of people just as soon as my dad finishes them."

Suddenly a loud explosion rocked the village and Blake didn't have to guess where it was coming from

Cardin smirked, "Yeah hows that going?"

Blake quickly ran in the direction of her home and Cardin turned to Ilia, "she wants me Ilia she just doesn't know it yet."

Ilia groaned, she did not like where this was headed.