The Beast Within (Book One of the Changes Series)

-Porsha’s POV-

“…Please leave a message after—”

I pressed “End” on my cell, too angry to leave another message. For the last five weeks, I hadn’t heard from Danielle, not even a damned missed call. The few times I tried to go over to check on her, Nathan, or that so-called nanny, Gina, answered the door with an excuse readily available as to why Danni was otherwise engaged.

Not this time; I was ready to force my way in if I had to.

I passed crowds of teenagers on their way home from the local high school. I couldn’t help but be annoyed by the gridlock caused by the school’s release. My anxiety spiked. Maybe Danni had an excellent reason to ghost me? We’d been friends for the past four years, and in that time, we had never gone a week without touching bases with each other. No, if there were reasons, none of them were good. I was aware I always had a flair for the dramatic, but something in my gut told me Danni was in trouble.

Once the school and its children were a safe distance behind me, I sped up with a new sense of urgency.

I started down Danielle’s street and noted her car was in the side driveway, as it had been since this started. My stomach soured. What if Danni was hurt or worse? I had a hard time accepting Nathan would hurt Danielle. He worshipped the ground she walked on, right?

I climbed out of my car, straightening my skirt, and tried to clear my mind as I walked up the house’s driveway.

My determined knock left my knuckles sore.

Gina answered with the same fake smile that had greeted me for weeks. Anyone would think Gina was the picture-perfect nanny for the picture-perfect family. Judging by her powder pink cardigan and white orthopedic shoes, she had a horrid fashion sense. Which was just another reason to hate her.

“Hello, Mrs. Banks. I’m sorry. Mrs. Smith isn’t available at the moment, but I can relay another message for you.”

It looked as if she was past giving excuses.

“Is Nathan home? If he is, I need to talk with him, now,” I demanded.

The nanny’s sugary expression quickly soured.

“Mr. Smith is at work. I’m sure you could reach him at his office,” she said while closing the door.

I firmly pressed my snakeskin stiletto and hand against the door, “No, you don’t.”

“Excuse me, Ms—”

“Gina, it’s alright; let her in,” Danielle interrupted.

I was so busy trying to ensure the door hit Gina in the face, I almost missed Danni standing at the stair’s balcony. Gina let go of the door, jumping at the mention of her name.

She quickly regained her composure, “But you need your rest, and Mr. Smith said no visitors until you’re in a better place.”

I couldn’t really see Danni from where I stood. I walked into the house, closing the door behind me to find my view of her still blocked by the wall.

“A better place? What the hell are you talking about? Why am I even talking to you? Danni, what the hell is this loon talking about? I’ve never seen a nanny tell the mother—”

“Porsha, I can handle this. Gina, I’ll lie back down in a moment. How about you get ready to pick up the kids, and Porsha will leave when you do, okay?”

Gina apparently wasn’t fond of Danni’s compromise, shooting me a look full of disdain. I watched as the nanny disappeared around the corner.

Walking further into the house, I quickly scanned the surrounding rooms, looking for anything that would appear odd, but everything seemed fine.

Finally, past the wall, I lifted my head to meet Danni’s gaze. Shock couldn’t begin to explain what I was feeling.

Danni’s hair was a bed of tangles; she had lost weight, and the dark circles etched under her eyes made her look less than human. And it looked as if she had been wearing the same pajamas for days. I turned towards the stairs, ready to finally get some answers.

“What the hell is going on with you?”

“Porsha, I need you to stay downstairs. I’m sick and highly contagious.”

I stopped my ascent, surprised and hurt by her blatant lie.

“Oh really, what kind of contagious illness do you have?”

“I caught mono at work, and it’s a very persistent strain. So it will be safer for you to stay downstairs.”

“Well, I’ll take my chances,” I said while starting back up the stairs.

“Porsha, please stop.”

It wasn’t the actual words but the desperation in her voice. I retraced my steps, ending up where I started, covering my bruised feelings with a fresh coat of exasperation.

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

“I told you I was sick. What else would you like for me to say? I’m sorry I haven’t called you, but I would’ve after I felt a little better.”

My father always joked about my fair skin, especially once I got angry. He would say I looked like a lobster straight out of the pot. I only could’ve imagined what shades of red were plastered on my face right now.

“In a while?! Danielle, it’s been weeks since I’ve heard from you. We talked briefly on the phone over a month ago. The last thing you told me was I would hear from you the next day. I called the house, cell phone; I even called your job. At least I thought I was calling your job; apparently, you quit on them too. I know something is wrong, and I’m not leaving without some answers.”

“I don’t have any answers for you. I’m sick, and I‘ve been focusing only on getting better. If that isn’t a good enough answer, tough because that’s all I’ve got. I know you’re worried about me, but I can’t deal with this right now. I need you to leave, and don’t come back here until you’re invited, please.”

She didn’t give me a chance to respond before she turned and disappeared into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

I was left dumbfounded when Gina appeared around the corner, snapping me back into reality. By the gratified smirk on her face, she must’ve been listening from the kitchen.

“I’ll see you to the door, ma’am.”

I trailed behind Gina’s petite figure. She opened the door, looking over her shoulder at me. I took that moment to close the gap between us, towering over her with ease. Pushing past her, I heard the door slam behind me. I quickly covered the distance between the house and my car. I refused to look back for fear I would break into tears.

It didn’t seem like Danni was being held against her will, and she obviously wanted me to leave.

I hit the alarm to my cherry-red Alfa Romeo, which I hated. It was the last gift I received from my soon-to-be ex-husband. He used to say the car matched my coppery red hair, and that was how he knew I would love it. Too bad he missed the hundreds of times that I shared I hated sports cars. But right now, the car was my salvation. I took one last look at the house before I sped away.