He rubbed his stomach as he remembered what had happened to him in middle school. Some bullies had knocked his glasses off his face and one of his female teachers had seen his face. She’s instantly fallen in love with Bellamy.
A few days after that when Bellamy was leaving school she’d somehow managed to catch him off guard and had held a rag doused with chloroform up against his nose, knocking him out cold. He’d woken up to discover that he was now inside of the woman’s apartment. She’d kept him drugged the entire time so that he was too weak to try and escape. His teacher had dressed him up in the most expensive suits she could buy and had touched him inappropriately. She’d stolen his first kiss.
Bellamy dug his fingers into his scalp as he tried to push the memory from his mind. He didn’t want to remember about that perverted old hag!
An anonymous tip to the police from someone who lived in the same apartment building as Bellamy’s teacher had saved him before things had gotten too out of hand. The police had come for him, and rescued him before his teacher could sleep with Bellamy. Bellamy considered himself lucky that he was still a virgin.
So the yeti girl wants me to be her new boy toy, huh? Bellamy thought bitterly. Why am I not surprised? It always ends up this way. He let out a heavy, resigned sigh. I just have to keep in mind that I’m doing this for Mother. I can do this. He unconsciously rubbed at his stomach again.
Bellamy selected a dark gray suit with a sky-blue, button-down shirt that matched his eyes. The tie he selected was a gray-blue color. He decided to add a Rolex watch to his wrist. He brushed his shoulder-length brown hair before tying it into a ponytail using a blue silk ribbon. If it’s a boy toy she wants - it’s a boy toy she’ll get. He was doing this for his mother after all. He had to keep her safe and out of the yeti’s clawed hands.
Twenty minutes later, Jett returned to fetch Bellamy, and then led him to the dining room. The dining room was enormous. There was a long, black obsidian table surrounded by eighteen armchairs that were made out of different semi-precious stones: lapis lazuli, turquoise, tiger’s eye, jade, red jasper, and rose quartz. The floor was black and white checkered marble. The dishware appeared to be made out of agate stones.
Bellamy was so captivated by the stone furniture that he barely even noticed the yeti seated at the head of the table until she cleared her throat loudly to get his attention. “Ahem!”
Bellamy was snapped out of his reverie by the sound. He’d been stroking his hand over one of the armchairs appreciatively. This one was solid jade. He flushed in embarrassment. “Oh, sorry,” Bellamy apologized swiftly. “It’s just…incredible craftsmanship.” He warily approached the head of the table.
The yeti’s silver eyes were pinned to him - following his every move. It was strange seeing a monster seated at the head of a fancy dining table as if it were ‘normal’. Even if she was a ‘cute’ monster. Cute? Bellamy mused, as he stopped walking. Where had that strange, unbidden thought come from?
Abigail Snow’s features were simian and she had this cute, button nose. The skin on her face was blue. Her fluffy white fur made him think of a rabbit or cat. But that’s where her animal-like characteristic ended. Her posture, poise, and mannerisms were those of a high-class lady.
Two place settings had been arranged on the dining table - one for the yeti and one for Bellamy. Bellamy sat down to the yeti’s left, and looked down at the plate of food with interest. The rabbit stew had been delicious so he was slightly excited about what would be served to him next.
This time it was a nice filet of salmon with a caper sauce, au gratin potatoes, and colorful steamed vegetables drizzled with garlic butter. It made Bellamy salivate, and he gulped. His crystal goblet was filled with red wine. This was high-quality cuisine alright. Food that he wasn’t really used to eating. A frown formed on his face at the thought. He’d feel more comfortable eating a hamburger and some fries.
Abigail noticed his displeased expression, and her eyes narrowed with irritation. “Is something wrong with the food?” Her tone seemed to suggest that was highly unlikely.
“Ah, no…it looks great. Thank you,” Bellamy quickly assured. The last thing he wanted to do was piss off a volatile yeti girl.
Abigail sniffed in an uppity manner. “Of course it looks great. Do you have any idea who cooked us this meal? The famous chef Kirsten Dixon.”
“Oh, yeah…she works here?” Bellamy questioned tentatively. He wondered if Kirsten was a prisoner there too.
“Yes,” Abigail said airily. “She’s my Head Chef.”
“Is she…human?” Bellamy asked quietly.
Abigail blinked. “Of course, she’s-”
“I mean, is she made of stone like the others?” Bellamy braced himself in case the yeti decided to attack him or something.
“Oh. Yes. She’s a stone statue like the others, for the moment.” A shadow fell over Abigail’s carefree expression then and she turned thoughtful. “Hurry up and eat before it gets cold,” she snapped.
“Sure,” the bookworm quickly agreed.
As they dined Bellamy watched Abigail eating out of the corner of his eyes. She was eating very slowly and very carefully. Using the utensils with her clawed hands must have been awkward and difficult, he realized sympathetically. Her back was incredibly straight and she knew which cutlery to use with each course. She was a lady. Or rather she had been a lady.
The more Bellamy continued to observe her the more obvious it became that Abigail Snow had the proper upbringing of a high-society lady. Bellamy suddenly became curious about the yeti who was now his captor. She wasn’t really a monster, was she? She’d been human once, probably. What had turned her into a monster? Bellamy wondered. He believed in curses after all. “You…you’re not really just a yeti, are you? You were…human once, right?” He gave her an expectant look.
Abigail’s gray eyes widened like saucers. “Yes…that’s right. How did you know that?” Her brow furrowed in confusion.
A cocky smirk formed on Bellamy’s face. “I doubt many real yetis would bother using a fork and knife.” He waved a hand at her and at how she was currently cutting a green bean in half with delicate movements.
Abigail looked down at her clawed hands and at what they were doing. “Ah, I suppose you’re right.”
Bellamy gazed at Abigail intently. “So…how did you get cursed like this?”
Abigail looked up at Bellamy with a start. “Cursed? You…believe in curses?”
The bookworm let out a low, bitter chuckle. “More than you know.”
“Well, the why doesn’t really matter. What’s done is done.” The yeti waved her hand through the air in a careless gesture. “And I don’t wish to talk about it. I’m more concerned with finding a way to undo the curse.”
Bellamy licked his lips and leaned towards Abigail, eagerly awaiting her response to his next question. “Do you know how?” If he’d known there was a way to break his own curse…he would have done everything in his power already to break it.
“As a matter of fact…yes,” Abigail revealed and a twinkle formed in her eye. “That’s where you come in, Bellamy.”
“Me?” Bellamy sat back in his chair, looking startled.
“Yes. I believe we can make a deal that will be mutually beneficial to the both of us.” A sly smile curled the yeti’s blue-painted lips. “So, tell me, Bellamy DeWinter, how much does your ‘love’ cost?”
“Excuse me?” Bellamy blinked in confusion.
“How much would it cost…to make you love me? For instance…” Abigail snapped her blue fingers. “Lazuli, bring it.”
A maid statue made out of lapis lazuli entered the dining room carrying a small wooden chest that resembled a pirate’s treasure chest, but on a smaller scale. She carried the chest over to Bellamy and set it down on the table next to his place setting. Lazuli opened the chest to reveal that it was filled with hundred dollar bills.
“How about a million dollars?” The yeti offered.
Bellamy gawked at the money. “Uh…”
“No? Still not enough?” Abigail snapped her fingers again. “Ruby.”
A maid statue made out of solid ruby entered the dining room with a chest next. She carried the chest over to Bellamy, set it down next to the other one, and opened it to reveal that it was filled with a variety of precious stones: diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires.
Abigail couldn’t stop the wide smile that was spreading across her face. No man could resist so much money. She had this cat in the bag, so to speak. “Will this be enough to make you love me?” Of course it would be…
Bellamy’s blood was boiling in anger and his body began to tremble. He clenched his hands into fists on his lap as he tried to contain himself. Abigail Snow wanted to ‘buy’ his love? In other words…she wanted to buy him. “Love isn’t something that can be bought!” he snapped hotly.
A flash of confusion crossed the yeti’s face and she frowned. “You don’t have to mean it. Maybe even a kiss would suffice-”
Bellamy slammed his hands down on the table with enough force to make the heavy stone tableware rattle. He stood up, his blue eyes blazing. “You…just want my body! You’re just like all the others! You really are a monster,” he sneered at her, his lip curling in disgust.
Abigail gawked at Bellamy in shock. She wasn’t used to anyone speaking to her with such blatant disrespect. When she’d been an heiress people had always spoken courteously to her because of her social status. And after she’d become a yeti people had treated her with respect out of fear.
Now this strange, nerdish young man didn’t seem to care that she could snap him in two like a twig if he rubbed her the wrong way. He was incredibly brave…or maybe just stupid. She watched in stunned silence as he stalked out of the dining room, leaving her behind in a state of bewilderment.
“Well, that didn’t work out at all like I thought it would,” Abigail grumbled as she began to unconsciously nibble on one of her claws. “I really don’t understand him at all. No human man should have refused that kind of money. Everyone has a price. And what did he mean by ‘others’? How…unsettling.”
***
Bellamy was royally pissed off. How dare Abigail ask him how much his ‘love’ would cost! She’s just after me because of my handsome face! Just like all the others! Bellamy fumed as he began to pace across his bedroom floor.
But then he stopped and frowned as he realized what he’d just been thinking. Wait a second; Abigail hasn’t seen my face yet. So this isn’t about my curse. It’s about her wanting to use me to break some kind of fairytale curse.
Bellamy didn’t know if he should feel more or less insulted. Either way, Abigail was treating him like an object and not a human being. How could someone think they could actually buy sentiment anyways? Just what kind of messed-up person would they have to be? What kind of life experiences had caused such bizarre notions to form in Abigail’s furry head? He wondered sourly.
I’m probably over-thinking things, as usual. Bellamy let out an angry huff. She’s just a monster…on the inside as well as the outside. I don’t know why I expected different.
Bellamy stripped off the expensive suit and tossed it to the floor. The Rolex and Ferragamos joined the pile on the floor next. It felt somewhat satisfying to treat those expensive items so carelessly.
The bookworm decided to turn in early and try to get some sleep. “Why is she like that…?” Bellamy murmured sleepily to himself before his heavy eyelids drooped and he fell asleep.
Perhaps due to his current line of thought, Bellamy DeWinter ended up dreaming about Abigail Snow’s past that night…
FLASHBACK
Abigail Snow’s family had always been filthy rich. Abigail’s father, Aspen Snow, owned a gold mine as well as a gemstone mine where Aurora Borealis quartz, red garnet, jade, and cabochon were mined.
Abigail’s mother, Holly Snow, was renown throughout Alaska for her beauty. Holly had long, platinum blonde hair that cascaded down her back to her waist, and intelligent silvery-gray eyes. Holly was always drenched in diamonds that Aspen had gifted her with. She literally seemed to sparkle when she entered a room, and was the envy of all the women who saw her. They would emulate her. They wanted to be her.
The glamorous Snows were the picture perfect high-society family. Unfortunately, not all the money in the world can buy good health, and Holly’s health was poor, her constitution weak. Like a man possessed Aspen had tried to find a way to improve Holly’s health. And when modern medicine failed him, Aspen turned to more… unconventional means. Magic. Charms. The occult.
It was around this time that Aspen had purchased the gemstone mine. Gemstones and semi-precious stones were known for their metaphysical healing properties - quartz was known to purify one’s aura, rose quartz could help a person find true love, turquoise and lapis lazuli were known for bringing a person luck and happiness, jade instilled wisdom, red jasper brought about justice, and black onyx protected one from negative energies and the Evil Eye.
When Abigail turned twelve, her mother fell gravely ill and became bedridden. Abigail remembered just how desperate her father became with finding Holly some kind of mystical ‘cure’ for her health.
Abigail recalled sneaking to her mother’s room one night, and opening the door just a crack to see that her father was seated at her mother’s bedside while holding her hand. “Don’t worry, my love. I will find a way to cure you. I will find it. You’ll see. I will save you. I promise.”
It? Abigail wondered curiously.
After that every night Abigail had gone to peek through her mother’s bedroom door she’d found her father already there with Holly’s hand in his, and he’d keep repeating that he would find ‘it’ and that he would save her.
One night, when Abigail had snuck to her mother’s room she’d been surprised to find that her father wasn’t there. She’d searched around the mansion for him and spotted her father acting suspiciously. Aspen made sure no one was watching when he opened a door that led down to the basement level of the mansion that was only used for storage.
Abigail counted to a hundred before following after her father. She descended the steps and entered a long, dreary hallway with doors on either side. One closed door towards the end of the corridor had light shinning underneath it, and Abigail headed in its direction.
Abigail placed her ear against the door to gauge where her father was inside of the room. He sounded pretty far back, and so Abigail risked opening the door and sneaking inside. Her eyes bulged at the sight before her, and she had to cover her mouth to stifle her startled gasp.
A mad scientist’s laboratory. Abigail thought to herself in awe. It was like something right out of a science fiction movie. There were several long worktables arranged throughout the room, and each appeared to have a different purpose.
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