Mysterious Emotions: chapter 2

Forte woke up at 3:00 in the morning after having shocking, pathologically frightening night terrors. He recalled the last time he saw Cherry before she left for home many, many years ago. The night he tried to brutally murder everyone. It wasn't just any murder, he recalled it all that evening. It haunted him nearly forever as he remembered it.

That evening was when Cherry came to sleep in his bed after he had made her into his right-hand girl. To do what he wanted and pleased since he was immobile and being bolted to the wall for ever so long. He had his apprentice, Reuben Fife, but no one suspected Cherry since she was new to the castle and younger than Fife, not to mention, very sweet and innocent. That is, until they met. Forte felt like it was his fault Cherry was so doomy and gloomy nowadays. She led a very happy-go-lucky life before but since he met her, he had ruined her youthful, everlasting optimism. That evening even made it worse. Adam had returned from sending Belle to the cold, dark dungeon after she had left the castle grounds to get a Christmas tree, breaking both rules Adam had set for him and Cherry to obey once they first came to the castle.

Trading their lives for Belle's father's was the hardest thing to endure for both girls, but Adam and Forte made it even worse on the girls. Adam had his beastly nature and could harm Belle with his frightening features, and Forte was horrendous enough to look like nightmare fuel for 10-year-old Cherry with his soulless, black eyes, his green laser powers, his echoing, baritone voice. Once Adam returned and the bells of the clocks outside leading to the village tolled twelve times, Forte got what he wanted, Adam was out of love with Belle and it was Christmas. The other servants were miserable due to the celebration being off when Adam found Belle in the middle of the forbidden Black Forest.

"Oh, my dear old friend, I told you not to feel for her, things were much simpler before she came along, before we dared to-" Forte stopped in mid-sentence to let out a sharp exhale. "Hope..."

"I thought she was the one..." Adam said solemnly, feeling guilty for what he did with Belle. His anger was unleashed upon her, but he was sad inside like the others.

Forte smirked as his plan worked, but it faded once he heard young Cherry cough and sputter. He glanced to her to hear that she wasn't feeling well due to being outside in the bitter cold winter with a blizzard coming. She had felt sick before Forte sent her out, and since he made her go outside, she was suffering even worse than before. If Forte had a heart, it would sink low in his chest and feel like it was splitting on ends as he felt empathetic for the only child he ever, truly cared about. The only one who really understood him. Before Cherry came to be his company, Forte mainly relied on Adam, but Cherry was a lot more friendly, helpful and supportive.

Cherry stumbled from the bed to take the enchanted mirror and check on Belle and friends abandoned in the dungeon all together. Forte tried to ignore his feelings for Cherry as he saw her cry like a depressed soul. He felt bad for the way he had treated her and if he had eyes, they would be stinging with tears now. But Forte felt since he was nothing but a giant heap of metal now, he had no time for emotions. Forte also felt since Cherry's parents had no idea where she was or what she was doing, he could adopt Cherry as his own child. He was trying to be a father figure to her since she was far from home and even cried herself to sleep her first night with him, hoping to see her parents again.

Forte then let his negative emotions take over as he watched his master go for the bell jar. "Ah, it tears me up to see you this way, Master, why do you torment yourself? There's the symbol of your dreaded curse, destroy it and end these adolescent notions of love and redemption. End your pain... Forever..." Forte looked back at Cherry hoping she would stop Adam. He really didn't want to do this to the one he considered his best friend, but he noticed Cherry was sleeping and still weeping, even her nose was running. "Yes.... Do it!" Forte commanded his master as he lifted the jar, exposing the enchanted rose, and manipulating Adam. "SMASH IT!"

Adam roared with all his might and Forte was hoping that would wake Cherry up so she could stop him. He then sharply sighed as he saw the child still asleep, but she woke up once Adam took his present from Belle. The court composer faked mocking his master, but then once Belle came up too many times, Adam left the dungeon and Forte felt like he wouldn't be needed anymore if Adam spent more time with Belle than with him. It was also very likely he'd never see Cherry again after the spell would be broken.

Forte then decided to make everyone miserable by playing his music of Beethoven's 5th loud enough to literally bring the house down. He didn't realize it, but he was terrifying poor Cherry. He noticed she was trying to get away, but he noticed that if she tried to get away, she'd be crushed to death by something. He then summoned his laser powers to lift her high above the ground so she wouldn't be brutally squashed. Forte enjoyed his reign as it went on, making a living nightmare, but then Adam lifted his keyboard, slammed it against him, making his powers fade and the old organ toppled over face-flat and was thought to be dead.

The court composer was unconscious, but he was certinately not dead. His memories flashed through his brain before that moment. From his birth, his father abandoning the family, his siblings mocking him, his true love who had gotten away to marry an inventor man, the curse, almost everything he despised. He felt like he was being tortured and on his way to Hell for his actions, but he didn't meet Satan or any other demons. He saw an angel before him who resembled Cherry and was peacefully singing to him and floating on a cloud. After hearing nothing but death and sorrow, Forte then heard Cherry's angelic voice telling him she was going home and if he wanted her to forgive him, he should meet her, but it seemed unlikely.

Forte then woke up after the music room doors shut and he saw himself on the cold, linoleum green floor. He tried to get up, but he was dead, right? Forte then saw he wasn't dead and he wasn't an organ anymore. He looked down to see his withering, bony, ivory hands for the first time in 10 years. He slicked his hands through his shimmering, silver hair and he looked in a cracked mirror to see he was human again. His pitch black, soulless eyes were staring back at him. He then cracked the door open to hear the others celebrating in the ball room. He saw Adam was human again with Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, Cogsworth and others. Sure, Forte could've gone downstairs with the others, but how? He tried to kill them all.

Forte then locked himself back in his room and waited impatiently for the sun to set. Once it looked late enough, he opened the door again and heard faint snoring and sound sleeping. He let out a sigh of relief as everyone else was asleep. Maestro Forte then disbanded from France and quickly made his way to America to find Cherry, he remembered everything about her and wasn't sure if she would remember him.

The painful times he would spend looking for her, it would be hard. He didn't just have to go to America, he had to go into the 21st century since he was in the 18th century. Not a lot of people knew this, but Maestro Forte was immortal which is how he survived his journey of looking for the sweet and innocent little girl he once knew, but once he found her, she was a depressing and emotional teenager. He felt partially responsible for her feeling that way, but soon enough they met up.

Forte tried to shrug off the memories and waited for the day to be over so he could spend some time with Cherry. The court composer grew lonely and bored, but he made himself a bowl of cold cereal and ate it. None of the neighbors bothered him, not that he didn't mind. The only company he really enjoyed was Cherry's company. They were both the same in ways, she was the only tolerable person in this time period who wasn't a zombie slave to being in an idiotic trap. It was 8:00, Cherry had now arrived at school, meaning Forte would have to wait six hours until he could spend time with the lonely Gothling.

Forte was used to being alone for several hours with no company, but his music and instrument. There were of course, also books to pass the time, but they weren't like her. Cherry's voice would ring in his ears like church bells on holiday mornings. Her very appearance would draw him to her like a vampire slave going for a bite on new prey for a delicious, luscious drink. He was sure she was very talented, her parents often spoke of her writing and artwork. He had never seen her hobbies exposed, but was hoping for one lesson he would someday learn more about her. Just six more hours to go, could he wait that long?