THE BEAST QUEEN

Chapter one: The Meeting in The Wood

It's one of those days, you know the stay indoors, cold evening, and mild thunderstorms that bring a sense of peace, and slight melancholy to those who sit beside the window with a warm mug of your favorite hot chocolate and a favorite blanket. The noise of  the tv playing Halloween movie specials back to back settles in as background music to the constant crescendo of rainfall and thunder. My mother is baking my favorite homemade cookies, peanut butter, and chocolate chip to be exact. I pity anyone who never had a moment like this. I will pray one day They will bask in a moment so sublime and peacful. On this beautiful gloomy fall afternoon, where the outside is tinged in a deep shade of blue, I find myself existing. Uncomplicated, content, and unbothered to be alive right now; the dregs of midterms completely blotted out by the sound of rain and the fresh smell of cookies.  

"Noelani! come on and help me frost the sugar cookies for the church's fall bake sale" My mother's bell-like voice traveled from the kitchen. 

"Coming!" I shouted back, placing my mug on the coffee table beside the window seat that has been my roosting spot for the past few hours. I let the blanket I had around me drop into a heap on the floor, as I stood up and stretched out my aching limbs while walking towards the kitchen.  I groaned as a particularly taunt muscle of my body flexed then relaxed. 

I took a look at our cozy home, there are paintings, trinkets, and plants all situated all their own little spot. The interior of the house had all soft golden and brown hues with neutral colors; giving a sense of calm and peace. There is a fireplace that we love to burn in the fall and winter months; it gave the whole house ethereal tranquility that only exists in fairytales. I loved this house and I loved the town we lived in, this town is a small mountain town in the northern part of Montana. It has beautiful forests and mountain ranges that can be seen from every window of the house, but the best view, in my opinion, is from my room. I spend countless nights sitting in front of that window reading or painting.

I rounded the corner of the doorway that leads into the kitchen, I watch as my mother stirs a bowl of vanilla frosting. To say that my mother is beautiful is an understatement, she had soft golden skin and soft black curls that reached her lower back, her eyes are hazel with a catlike tilt that gave her high cheekbones an even more defined look. She had a beauty mark right below her eye, the same as me, it gave her a more vintage beauty look, her build is slender and elegant due to her love for dancing and running, which is something we both like to bond over. I look like an exact replica of my mom with a few differences that I supposedly got from my dad, my blue-grey eyes, and light brown hair, however, I couldn't be sure for I have never met the man.

Sliding in towards my mother, I playfully bumped her with my hip and giggled. She bumped me back and handed me the frosting for the cookies. 

" So, your ninteenth birthday is in a few days. Any major plans on what you would like to do?" My mother grinned at me. 

"Hmmm, I might just hang out with Danny and Olivia and go hiking in the valley. Maybe even take some pictures." Thinking about it, I started to get excited about how many beautiful mountain view pictures I can take.

"Honey, you do that almost every weekend! this is your birthday, don't you want to have a party?" My mom  placed her hands on her hips with a shake of her head

innocently shrugging my shoulders I went back to frosting the cookies, secretly placing a few to the side for personal pleasures later. 

I can feel my mother's narrowed gaze on me, but I continued to be unbothered until she turned back to her task of mixing the batter with a sigh, "If that is what you want then, who am I to say otherwise?"