Belle

Her lips ghosted over mine for a moment. I could feel my pulse jump as I waited for that inevitable moment when our lips would connect. I had been waiting, begging for it. My entire being was consumed by her every waking moment. The millimetres between us felt like oceans that begged to be crossed. I could feel her start to move, but it was away... away from me... away from the passion that was sure to erupt from us. My eyes opened as I watched her shake her head. The only sound was of my heart breaking into pieces and I didn’t know how to continue.

The blinking of the curser was taunting me. I had been staring at it for a good twenty minutes unable to find even the smallest of inspirations to write what comes next. I had been in a slump for weeks. I slammed my laptop shut and looked out the window at the familiar view of the countryside. The same old boring town I had spent most of my life trapped in. The best thing I ever did was leave this place.

But now I’m back. Trapped again in the mundane life that the people here seemed content in. I had always wanted more than this life. I wanted adventure. I wanted fantasy. I wanted to disappear into the books I cherished and live a life most could only dream of. I was starting to think that those books were the closest I was ever going to get.

I got up from my desk. I needed a change of scenery. I got dressed in a pair of blue jeans, a plain white shirt and an oversized knit sweater. It was towards the end of fall and the chill of winter was starting to set in. I pulled my curly brown hair back into a low ponytail and secured it with a sky blue scrunchie. I ran my fingers over my earring collection selecting a pair of dangling daisies I loved. I threw my worn brown leather bag over my shoulder and headed out the door.

I walked into town right to main street. The small town didn’t have much to it but had just enough where it didn't need to rely on a large city for much. It was one of those towns where everyone knew everyone. You couldn’t do anything without being subjected to the town’s gossip. I ignored them. I couldn’t care less about what they thought of me.

I walked into my favourite place in town, the bookstore. I was greeted by the beaming old clerk. Mr. Walters was one of my favourite people in town. He was always there with the latest releases and had the best taste in books. He also wasn’t a gossip which endeared him to me even more, “Belle! Weren’t you just here a few days ago?”

“Oh, you know me, just flying through books.” I smiled as I walked through the stacks. I knew exactly what I was looking for.

“Well make sure you leave time for your writing. I am always looking to expand my Belle Deschamps section.” He said. I wasn’t sure why he bothered stocking my books. No one in this town wants to read lesbian fantasy. I’m the only lesbian here. Still, he is one of my biggest fans right behind Papa. My books did just fine without his help though. In fact, I had been topping bestsellers lists since my first year of high school.

“I’ll be sure to send you a signed copy of my next one for your collection.” I smiled as I made my way to the counter with my book in hand.

“The Hobbit? Surely you’ve read this one before.” He said as he looked down at the book.

“I have. It’s one of my favourites, but I uh… lost my copy.” I said, not wanting to get into the reason why. I had lost most of my book collection after my place in the city had been engulfed in flames. I had to mentally brace any time I thought of those flames and all I lost. Mr. Walters reached over to give my hand a squeeze.

“This one’s on me.” He said.

“Oh no. You don’t have to. I want to buy it.” I argued but he wasn’t having it.

“I’m not taking your money Belle.” He smiled, pushing the book towards me. If all the people in this town were more like him, maybe I wouldn’t hate being here so much, “Now, go enjoy the day and tell your dad I say hi. Also, he needs to make his own Scrabble moves and not have you make them for him.”

I laughed. He and Papa were always playing Scrabble online. They had quite the rivalry going on between the two of them. “I promise. Thank you so much Mr. Walters.”

“You know you can call me Peter.”

“I know, but I like Mr. Walters better.” I waved goodbye as I exited the store.

With my book in hand, I made my way to the bakery. The owner was a notorious gossip, but she made the best pastries out of anyone in town. I got myself a pain au chocolat and a chai tea before I left. I went over to the fountain in front of town hall. The beautiful white statues and white stone made it one of my favourite places to relax. I sat on a bench with my tea beside me, my pastry in one hand and my book in the other. This was exactly what I needed to get over my writer’s block.

I sat there for a while, I was not even sure how long when I think about it. I tended to get lost whenever I was reading. Especially when I was The Hobbit. Tolkien is just on another level in my book. I did end up being rudely interrupted when my book was stolen from my hands.

“The Hobbit? Why are you reading The Hobbit when you can watch the movies?” The oaf known as Gaston said as he squinted at the cover. He was built like a gorilla and had the intelligence of one too. Actually, the gorilla was probably smarter. The women in town seemed to be completely enamoured with him, but I did not understand it. I suppose he is physically attractive with his perfectly groomed black hair, trimmed beard, blue eyes, and muscles, but his absolute stupidity would kill any attraction for me if I was even attracted to men. He couldn’t even seem to grasp that I would be pissed that he closed my book without a bookmark or any way to save my page.

“Well, when you can read above a second-grade level, it can be quite enjoyable,” I grabbed the book back from him and shoved it into my bag. I grabbed my tea and tried to put as much distance between me and Gaston as possible.

“Watching movies can be fun, especially when there’s two of us, in the dark, under the covers.” He winked. I bet he thought he was so smooth with that line. I just rolled my eyes and kept walking. He didn’t seem to take the hint and kept following me.

“What do you want Gaston?” I asked once I reached the turn to go onto my road.

“Just my civic duty of walking a pretty girl home. You never know what could happen out there.” He said, stepping closer to me. I was suddenly very glad that I hadn’t cleaned out my purse and pulled out the pepper spray I kept in there and held it up ready to hit him in the face. “What? You going to pepper spray me?” He asked.

“If you don’t leave me alone, yes.” I gave him my best withering look, “Now, I have it from here. If you continue following me, I will pepper spray your ass without a second thought.” I turned away from him and made my way back down my street. I may look like sunshine and rainbows, but that doesn’t mean I had to act like it.

I looked back only once to make sure Gaston wasn’t following me on my way home. I’m not stupid. Even in a small town, bad things can happen to women walking alone. I hurried back into my house and locked the door behind me.

I heard the footsteps of my father and quickly slipped the pepper spray into my purse again. He was leaving for a business trip today and didn’t need to worry about me any more than he already did.

“Belle! Mon Chou! I thought I was going to have to leave without saying goodbye!” His thick Quebecois accent filled the room. He was a kind man, short, stout, with a balding head of grey hair and a full mustache. I leaned down to give him a hug. I got my height and build from my mom, tall and thin. She could have been a model, but her heart was in engineering where she met Papa. The stories of the two of them on their adventures in science filled my childhood. Even now, after she’d been gone so long, Papa’s heart still belonged to her.

“Sorry, I lost track of time Papa,” I said as I pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“What book was it this time?” He laughed.

“The Hobbit.” I grabbed his scarf and wrapped it around his neck, “Now you better drive safe. I’ll see you Sunday morning!”

“I always drive safe.” He left leaving me all alone. I was used to being alone, especially lately. I turned the deadlock and double-checked the windows were locked. My overactive imagination was running wild and making me more paranoid than usual.

I went to my laptop to see if I could finally finish the chapter I’d been stuck on. Yet, no matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t figure it out. I went through about ten versions, and they were all terrible. I had been stuck in a rut ever since I came back to this small town. Nothing I wrote even sounded like me anymore.

Eventually, I gave up and began making dinner. I put on some music to try to fill the silence. It was always my least favourite part about being alone. The absolute quiet. Just myself and my thoughts. Sitting down to dinner, I kept the music on and my book in one hand. It ended up being a nice night of relaxation. One I definitely needed.

*****

Gaston

I stood there standing outside Belle’s window waiting, watching. I could not understand why a girl as beautiful as her brothered with reading. I didn’t need her to be smart. She just needed to smile and look pretty. I didn’t understand why she kept brushing me off either. No woman had ever turned me down. I was at the point where I was close to just taking her, but I had been told that would look bad. No, I had to figure out some other way to have her.

“It’s going to snow soon. You don’t want to leave tracks.” LeFou said from behind me. I looked back at the small man. He was such a weak man with too much weight on his frame. Every time I saw him I questioned why I would even have him in my pack, let alone have him as my Beta, but there is no one more loyal than LeFou. I knew he would never attempt to challenge me. He also kept an eye on the boring shit I didn’t want to do without complaint.

I began stalking off to the woods, shedding my clothes as I went. LeFou didn’t even need to be told to pick them up, he just did it. He knew his place, “Mark my words LeFou, I will have Belle. One way or another, she will be mine.”

*****

Author's Note:

Alright, there's chapter 1 for you! I hope you are ready for my absolute favourite Disney Princess's adventure. I have been wanting to write Belle's story ever since I first started this series and am so excited for you to read it.

Be sure to let me know what you think! I am kinda having fun writing from the villain's pov.