Beauty looks up seeing the servant in the reflection of the mirror. The worry and concern is showing plainly on his face and voice as he says, "Miss Beauty what is wrong?"
Beauty voice breaks as she replies, "Everything everything." She touches her reflection in the mirror and then says to the servant, "Leave me Anton. I do not wish to be disturbed." She sees him start to say something and reach out towards her. The butler stops and his hand drops limply at his side.
Reaching the door he says, "You have a visitor waiting downstairs. The..."
Beauty turns to look at him with surprise, having never seen him at a lost for words before. "Where? What is it about?" she asks him. Beauty's mouth drops open receiving the second shock in as many minutes. Her lifelong butler and more then that, her friend and confidant’s face and body showing worry. Strangely, a merry twinkle plays in his eyes at the same time.
"Beauty, Miss... Just come downstairs." He says with the look of worry winning over the happiness in his eyes as he closes the door behind him.
Quickly Beauty slips on a pair of ripped jeans and a tee and hurries down from her tower to the sitting room. She finds her parents waiting for her scowling at her. "What, who is it?" Beauty asks breathless from running down the stairs, looking from one to the other.
Beauty's father frowns at her clothing and in a cutting voice says, "How dare you come down here dressed like that! Like a common gutter urchin." He advances toward her, his face red and pointing his hand towards the door. "Go get out of here and dress like a lady. Not like some tramp and hurry back down. Don’t you know who is waiting for you in the drawing room? The countess… She’s here interview you about joining her household and you come dressed like that." He turns to Beauty’s mother and says, "You talk some sense into her." as he walks away.
Beauty looks at her parents and says, " What makes you think I would want to join someone's household anyway? You must be joking…”
Beauty's mother comes forward and taking her by the arm and says in a hissing voice, "Now look Beauty, I have stuck up for you and defended you all these years. This is a good move. You need to do this for me, for us."
Beauty looks at her mother and nods once, "Okay mother... for you and father." She turns and goes out the door. Instead of heading back to her room to change, she goes to the drawling room doors. Throwing them open with a crash she says her voice dripping with sarcasm, "Your ladyship, I don’t want to be your maid or join your household. So piss off." The figure standing in the room facing away from Beauty does not reply or move as she defies her parent’s wishes.
After Beauty’s rant, the figure turns around facing her. The young woman sees the Goddess, one of her dream standing before her. "Hello Beauty. And goodbye Beauty." she smiles coldly and walks pass Beauty, nods once to her parents who came out from the sitting room to see what to commotion was all about, and out the door.
"Please...I'm sorry." Beauty begs the retreating figure following her Goddess out the front door, when she realizes what she did. Without a word the woman gets into the back of a Rolls-Royce and drives away leaving Beauty reaching a hand towards her saying over and over "Forgive me please...my goddess...come back." she cries watching her world and chance to "become" lost by her own words and actions. She crumples to a heap as she faints on the front steps of the manor.
When Beauty comes around, she finds she has been moved and is resting on a chair by the fire. She can catch the scent of her goddess in the room. Opening her eyes, she sees her two parents hovering over her like a pair of vultures waiting for her to die. She listens to them rant and rave at her. Her mother about how will other people thing about their status and how ashamed she is of Beauty. Her father about how worthless a daughter she is and how he should throw her out on the street like the trash she is.
Beauty looks up, sees Anton standing in the background, his face showing more pain then he showed when her puppy died when she was five. She still remembers that day, the two of them burring him and having a little funeral for him. Even then, the sadness Anton had does not even come close to the hurt in his face. Next to the lost of the goddess, his hurt cuts her deeper then any words her parents can level against her.
Beauty's father storms off in a huff and disappears into his domain as her mother cries tears of family embarrassment and shame. She too retreats into her sunroom to tend to her prize flowers to calm herself leaving Beauty shell shocked and alone. Only her treasured friend remained with her, as always. He looked at her wondering what gotten into his little one who he helped raise as if she was his own.
Anton goes to her, gives her a hug, and speaks softly to her, "I know you feel trapped Beauty, but there are better ways to get what you want sweetie. You know I will help if I can." He reaches up to stroke her face and rid it of her tears. "Go back to your room and don't worry about your parents. They will get over this... they always do. I will be along shortly."
Beauty smiles at him weakly and hugs him. She knows he would be here for her if no one else will be. She thanks him and runs back upstairs. Back in her room, Beauty takes off her clothes to stares at herself in the mirror. Seeing what she saw in her dream in the mirror and knowing, she did not match it. The perfection and beauty that was HER, is just now a dream and a haunting memory. It nags at her, her behavior. If she had known who was waiting, she would have run downstairs to embrace her. Instead, she did the most horrid thing anyone could ever do.
Mad at herself, she throws one of her awards that is on a nearby table and smashes her mirror and the ugly image within it. Beauty crawls into the bed, grabs Mr. Fluffy, her bear, tight to her as she cries.
Anton enters the room and sits on the edge of the bed. "Now, now sweets... you need to calm down." As Beauty looks up at him, he offers her a glass of wine. "Drink this and let it calm you down... listen to Anton." Beauty takes the offered glass and drinks it all down in one shot. "That’s my girl," he says taking the glass from her hand and setting it down on the bedside table. "Now lay back..." Anon says as he pushes her slowly backwards so she is lying on her back. "Close your eyes... go to your special place... that's it Sweetie." Anton strokes her hair lightly as Beauty falls asleep.
Beauty wakes up realizing she had to make it right. Her goddess was real and she belongs with her. She knows what she must do. The path is clear to her. She would have to go talk to her. Yes, go see her and explain...beg even if she had to. The goddess would have to let her in, take her away, to make her into beauty, like in the dream.
Getting up she sees Anton cleaning up the broken mirror. She grabs her leather jacket, keys, and her bag. As she starts out the door, Anton’s words stop her in her tracks. "Sweetie... Not going to kiss me goodbye?" he says jokingly.
Beauty never kissed Anton before and their relationship had always been platonic in nature. She turns and flows against him looking up into his eyes. Anton smiles and hugs her tight and then playfully ruffles her hair breaking the tender moment. Beauty blushes at her wanting the kiss and turns to leave. Anton reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a piece of folded paper. "You'll need this," he says stopping her and pressing it into her hand.
Beauty looks at the paper and finds it is an address with driving directions below. She looks at him in surprise and gratitude. "I have to try." Hugging him tight Beauty clings to the one she considers her father more then her real father and hurries pass him to the front door forgetting about the kiss.
As Beauty reaches the front door, she can hear her father bellowing behind her. She does not stop, her mind focused on explaining to the goddess her error. Jumping in her car Beauty floors it spraying her father with gravel from the spinning tires as she drives away.
Anton smiles to himself as she speeds off in her search for her happiness, her destiny. He has been in the service of the one she is seeking for years and it was his recommendation that got Beauty ready for what could be possible. He steps back from her window and makes a phone call. "She is on her way." He nods a few times and smiles. "As you wish it, shall it be done." He hangs up the phone with a smile knowing he did a good thing and goes about his duties at the house.
The trip to the goddess's estate takes less than two hours. On the outskirts of the city, there lies her domain and castle. A big iron fence and gate surrounds her inner sanctum, protecting it and her from unwanted guests and curious eyes. Only by invitation is anyone allowed to have an audience with the countess.
Beauty gets close as she can and presses the call box button near the main gate. Looking up into the camera she says, "Please... I need..." The well thought out words of explanation flee her mind leaving it blank. "I need to see the countess. I need to explain something."
A tiny voice from the other side says calmly, "Is she expecting you miss?"
Beauty shakes her head but before she can say anything more the voice continues, "I am sorry no one is allowed in without an appointment."
Beauty screams in frustration at the voice, "Please she will see me. I need to talk to her. Tell her Beauty... her beauty is here" Beauty says in desperation, the tears of remorse and frustration flowing freely down her cheeks. "Please... goddess..." her voice breaks and she rests her head on the steering wheel sobbing uncontrollably.
"Someone will be down to talk to you shortly." the voice says after a short time.
Beauty looks up and sees a cart driving down the long driveway with a couple of people in it. As it gets closer, she gets out of her car and stands at the gate her hands holding the bars looking in. In the cart, Beauty can see a large man and a woman sitting in the passenger seat. The woman's skin has a glossy black look to it. The man gets out of the cart and coming forward says in a cool but menacing tone, "I am sorry miss. I must ask you to leave." Beauty does not pay the man any attention as she with a spark realizes who the woman in the cart must be. "Lucinda?" she calls loudly enough for the woman to hear. The woman glances at Beauty, picks up a radio, and talks softly into it. The man turns and looks at the woman as he listens to his radio. She makes a motion with her hand and he turns back to Beauty. "Miss, I must ask you to leave now or you will be removed." Beauty reaches through the bars, "Please tell the goddess I am here... That her beauty has come home..." her voice becoming more loud and shrill as she calls frantically talks to the woman. She hears a car pull up behind her and turns to see a pair of police get out.
Beauty turns back to the gate and tries to wiggle her way through them. The security guard backs up a bit taking out his truncheon to push Beauty back away from the bars. The two police officers walk up and try to get Beauty away from the gate as well. "Miss, please come with us." One of them says as he reaches for her arm. "Don't make us arrest you for trespassing ma'am." The other one warns as they pry her from the gate.
Beauty looks past the men to the woman still sitting in the cart, who is not giving her a second look. Her heart falls thinking she made some kind of mistake. If it had been Lucinda, surely she would let her in knowing it was Beauty. With tears in her eyes, she agrees to go with the police officers. The male guard goes back to the cart and then it drives off back to where it came from. "I'm sorry officers, I..." she tries to explain but cannot seem to find the words. Going back to her own car, she gets in. The two officers log the incident once they get back into their own Panda car and make room for Beauty to back up. Beauty feeling defeated drives home and the police follow her to make sure she does not return.
Beauty sits in her car, feeling crushed and humiliated. She looks up and sees her father standing at the front door his face red. As she gets out of the car, she looks back to the end of the drive to see the police car sitting there the men inside clearly watching her. Beauty walks up the steps and looks at her father. She does not think she has ever seen him so mad. "Do you know who called?" he says to her as his arms gesturing angrily. "The police... What have you done now?" he follows her into the house and slams the door behind them.
Once inside, the police drive away and back to their patrol beat. Beauty turns to face her father and yells at him. "I didn't do anything... I only wanted to make it..." She stops knowing he would not understand. She storms off before her father could do anything else to her. Her father yells after her until she disappears upstairs into her tower. Beauty falls on her bed crying and feeling frustrated. Why would she not see her? She has to go make it right. As her tears fell, Anton walks in. He sees her lying there in her despair and sees her pain. It wrenches him to see her like this. He knows how to comfort her.
Going over to her, he sits on the bed and pulls Beauty into his arms for a hug. "There, sweetie." He says stroking her hair and wiping her tears away. "It will be okay, your father will come around." Beauty was glad he was here to settle her fears but it was more than just her father she was crying about. He could tell that as well. "What troubles you my dear? You know you can tell me."
Beauty, her voice broken through tears tells him of her trip, the humiliation of being turned away, and the police following her home to make sure she does not go back. "Ohhhh Anton. What am I to do? She does not want me." With that final admission to herself and Anton, she breaks down into uncontrollable tears, clinging to him tightly. Anton strokes her hair cooing softly to her, calming her.
Once Beauty is settled down a bit Anton says, "You should rest my dear to calm your worries and fears." he says softly before getting up. "Wait right here." Going to her bathroom, he gets a flannel, runs it under some cool water, rings it out, and brings it to her. He sits down next to her dabbing her forehead with it and then places it on her forehead. "Now listen to Anton Sweetie." he starts. "Just relax." he says as he watches Beauty start to loosen up and her eyes close. "I will be right back." he says as he gets up and gets a cup from the bathroom and fills it with something to drink. Anton comes back with the glass and helps Beauty to drink some of it. "Just rest Sweetie, find your special place... feel how calm it is there... So relaxed... At peace... " Anton watches as he talks seeing Beauty going deeply under the drug and his words.
As Beauty relaxes, she finds herself slipping away, her mind swirling with thoughts of the goddess and home. She could feel someone caressing her lightly on her cheek. Opening her eyes, the goddess stood above her in all her glory. It was her stroking Beauty’s cheek. She sighs and feels peace again. Beauty goes to speak and the goddess put her fingers on her lips. "I know my child...you are not ready to come back to me. You must make yourself ready for me to accept you back into my kingdom...to become beauty again."
A thousand questions run through Beauty’s mind as she hears this. The goddess bends down and kisses her on the lips before pushing her away and saying, "Come back to me my beauty. Come back." With that she is gone leaving Beauty alone with a new hope and mission, to find herself for her goddess. The temple starts to fade into the darkness and swallows Beauty up.