Beast by Tiffini Hunt Page A

jumped onto my bed and slowly and apprehensively walked over to me, sniffing the bed. Trying not to make a move was almost physically impossible for me.
    As he sneaked closer to me, he walked even more slowly. My heart began to pound and jumped into my throat. My breathing became sporadic and shallow as he crept right next to me, smelling my fur.
    When he did this, I instantly shut my eyes and held my breath. After surveying me for what seemed like an eternity, he finally rubbed up against my back, purring. Has he finally realized that it is me in this body?
    He walked around me and then stood on the nightstand. Still trying not to move, I kept my eyes on him. Buttons looked into my eyes and took a slow, wary step toward me. The next thing I knew, he was lying in my lap, purring.
    At this, I began to weep hysterically, which caused me to shake, and it was difficult to breathe. Here was my best friend and he finally accepted me for me while in this body.
    I slowly picked up my hand and brought it cautiously to his face. He moved his head to smell my hand. To my surprise, he began licking me.
    I wrapped my arms around him and bawled into his fur the way I had when I was young. He embraced me, nudging his head against my face.
    The next day, Buttons started following me around as he used to, leaving me only for a short time. The Invisibles must have been able to either read his mind or understand his meows, because he found his way around the castle better than I did.
    By my twenty-first birthday, I was over seven feet tall. My body grew bigger, and I became stronger. Because of my size, I was no longer able to lie on my bed. It became just a cushioned seat for me to sit on while I came to check on the roses.
    When my twenty-first birthday came, I did not want to celebrate my birthday any longer. So I did what I usually did on any other day. I walked around the castle after playing the piano that day and then made my way up to the roof. The sun was beginning to set, so the sky was filled with beautiful pinks and oranges. I lay down and closed my eyes for a brief moment.
    When I did this, I was transported to the Rose House. This time, I was in the middle of the conversation that I had heard the last few times the Rose House had come into my mind’s eye. Because I already knew where the voices were coming from, I turned my body toward the voice that I would hear first, which was over by the stove, hoping to finally see someone, or at least something.
    “I need more flour to make more bread, Papa,” a young woman said.
    Suddenly a young lady materialized, standing over a stove. She was wearing a white blouse and a long, flowing dark green skirt. Though her face was blurry, I could see that she had long auburn hair, which curled at the ends.
    “Okay, I will give you money to go to town to get some,” said what sounded like an older man.
    As I heard the older man, I turned toward one of the chairs by the fire. The gentleman had on dark pants and a grey button-down shirt. Like the young lady over in the kitchen, his face was blurry. But his hair was brown and curly.
    “Papa!” another young woman shouted after I heard a door open and close. “Have you seen the roses? I have been taking real good care of them. They look so beautiful!” she continued.
    Then I turned toward the voice of yet another young woman, which was coming in from the door in the back on the house.
    When I looked in her direction, I expected to see what I had with the other two people in the house. But, oh, was I wrong.
    The young woman who came into the house was the most beautiful young woman I had ever seen. A strange feeling surged through my body. My palms began to sweat, and my heart pounded. I suddenly forgot where I was and what I was doing, and I was breathless. It even felt as if my heart skipped a beat the second I saw her.
    She had long strawberry-blonde hair that flowed in the wind from the open door. Her eyes were blue-grey, as Papa’s eyes