The Beast Within (Book One of the Changes Series)

-Danielle’s POV-

I sat down on a small lumpy bed, scooting back until I was against the ironwork of the bed’s headboard. I was bored. Left with nothing to do but survey my current living space as I’d done every night for the past week.

The space reminded me of a cheap B&B. From the tiny misshapen bed with a hand-stitched quilted duvet to the Victorian lamp that didn’t illuminate anything other than the oak nightstand it sat on. I was halfway excepting a Bible in the stand’s top drawer, but I guess they decided against that cliché.

If I was at an authentic B&B, I would’ve been delighted with all of the homey fixtures, but I wasn’t in a real bed and breakfast. It was just an upgraded prison cell. No amount of niceties would make me okay with that.

I ran my hand over the patchwork quilt as my fingertips grazed a rough imperfection. I peered down to find a slight tear where the lavender diamond textile met the soft yellow triangles.

That was how anything ended up fucked. An overlooked tear morphed into an unfixable problem, unraveling until nothing was left.

I heard the mattress let out a screeched sigh as I moved off the bed, trying to ignore the quilt altogether. The thought of having so much in common with an ugly bed covering was more depressing than the dingy area I was trapped in.

My eyes focused on the drawer that shared space with my jailhouse toilet. Okay, the room might be just as depressing.

I sat on my porcelain throne, glancing past the soft gleam of the bulb dangling from the rotted ceiling at the only painting in the room. Over the past week, I had made a habit of staring at the large oil painting. The painted forest called to me, blurring the lines of where its world began and mine ended. Its trees were full of orange, rusty red, and burnt yellow leaves on either side of a winding dirt path that led to a majestic stream. It gave the illusion that the foliage could possibly litter my cell’s floor as it did in the painting.

My mind wandered, freeing itself from the confines of the room. It wasn’t long before my eyes drooped, heavy with sleep. I quickly fell into the welcoming darkness, reopening my eyes. I was now within the painting. I knew it was a dream, but I didn’t care.

Instead of drowning in truth, I traded it in for my mind’s imitation of the autumn air hitting my face. Completely invested in the mirage, I walked the path, listening to the crunch of the leaves under my feet. The smell of fresh dirt and coming rain tickled my nose as I reveled in my freedom. I felt my smile build from deep inside before it broke the surface as I took in all the rich colors around me.

With every step I took towards the creek, the forest opened up. As if I was creating what would be as I walked along. I bathed in the sounds of the babbling stream while the unseen wildlife scurried over the leaves and the birdsongs played their tune within the trees. I was at peace, but I knew even then it wouldn’t last.

The same sound of small animals’ paws padding around turned into scuffles of children’s footsteps. Excitement washed over me. It seemed to be coming from everywhere, but I surveyed the area anyway, spinning in circles. My eyes darted in every direction, hoping to catch a glimpse of the culprits. I knew who I expected it to be.

“Alexis, Cameron?” I yelled out.

The sound of pebbles falling into the stream caught my attention. My heart started to flutter when my eyes fell over my kids’ smiling faces.

“Cameron, you are so clumsy. Mommy caught us because you made the rocks fall into the water. I told you to stay away from the edge.” Lexi cautioned.

“Put a rock in it. Get it? Instead of saying to put a sock, I said to put a rock,” he snorted.

His eyes were bright with laughter.

Lexi wasn’t amused. “Mommy, tell him he isn’t funny.”

I was stuck, enjoying the sounds of my daughter’s voice and my son’s laughter while looking into their beautiful faces. Tears of joy fell from my eyes.

“Look what you did, nerd. You made Mommy cry again,” Lexi scolded her brother.

“No, I didn’t,” he angrily said, walking towards me.

When Cameron’s shoes hit the stream’s edge, my heart almost rose into my throat.

No, not again!

“Baby, get away from the water. I’ll cross and meet you on your side,” I urgently said.

“Mom, it’s not even deep,” Cameron said in a huff while Lexi reached out for his hand.

I looked at the water’s lazy current and the visible rocky bottom. “I know Camy-baby, it’s just the rocks can be slippery, so let me do it first, okay?”

He rolled his eyes right before Lexi finally got his attention and his hand in her grasp. I started walking to the edge, finding a set of stepping stones that led me to my children.

“Mommy, don’t get in the water,” Alexis warned.

I raised my head from the stones to reassure her. The stressed expression she carried was beyond her years. I needed to make it to them this time.

“It’s going to be okay, Baby-girl.”

I broke eye contact and jumped on the first smooth slated stone, and slowly progressed over the path.

Once I reached the halfway point, I felt confident enough to steal a look at my kids. A breath of relief escaped me when I saw they were still there, but Lexi’s worried expression hadn’t changed.

It would be different this time.

I had turned my attention back towards my movement and balance as one foot went after the other when the sound of a slight rumble of water seemed to grow. I tried to pick up my pace across the rocks, but the surface would become more slippery every time I did. I knew then that I wasn’t going to make it. The saddest part, somewhere deep inside, I knew all along. The once low rumble was now a deafening roar.

“Run back into the wooded area. I’ll find you! I love you both so much!”

“We know,” Lexi said before she and Cameron turned their backs to me, walking into the safety of the forest hand in hand.

I just stood there watching their figures disappear into the trees, turning in enough time to see a wall of water rushing in my direction. Once it hit me, the sheer force threw me into the air. There was nothing to be done. When I opened my eyes again, I was surprised to be lying on my dirty cell floor.