The next day, after we had settled down, we decided to spend our first official day having a picnic in the woods. As we walked deep into the woods, I was completely in awe on how beautiful the scenery was. We sat down, and I looked up to see the beams of light shining through the trees. "It's so magical here," I said.

"Well I'm glad we were able to make this trip work," he said smiling.

I was looking around when I thought I saw something pointing up into the sky. I stood up and looked around the trees when I gasped in amazement. "James, look," I said. James stood up next to me. Towering before us in the not-to-faraway distance was a castle. "James, you didn't tell me there was a castle here."

"I also didn't tell you that I've never been this far out in the woods away from the cabin before."

One thing that James and I have in common is that we're both pretty adventurous. So we decided to take a closer look at the castle. As we ventured toward it, I started to get this bad feeling, as if we were being watched. We walked around the gate when I whispered, "Has it ever occurred to you that someone might still live here?"

"Maybe." I put my finger to my lips to make him talk quieter. There was an awkward pause. "Why are we whispering?"

"Because let's say someone did live here, and we were to get caught. It's better to be safe than sorry."

We came around to the side of the castle, and on the other side of the gate was the most gorgeous garden I've ever seen. "Look at those roses," I said, "They're so beautiful."

James turned to look at me. "They're not as beautiful as you," he said. He turned back to the garden. "You really like these roses, don't you?" I nodded my head. "Alright then." He climbed the gate, and headed towards one of the rose bushes.

"James! What the hell do you think you're doing? James!" I whispered. But he didn't hear me. He plucked one of the roses, and turned to me smiling, holding it up like a trophy. I smiled back, and motioned him to hurry back to the other side of the gate. But before he could approach me, a vicious shadow suddenly leaped out of the door and attacked him.
I gripped the bars in fear. James was struggling in the grip of his captor. When they stopped moving, he stood up and I quietly gasped. He literally wasn't human, but an animal. He stood at over 6 feet, with piercing green-yellow eyes, sharp fangs and claws, and rough brown fur, wearing an outfit of a prince. "How dare you steal from me!" he growled.

"Let him go, you hideous monster!"

Both guys looked up at me. James looked at me as if he was saying, "What are you doing?" But the Beast's face was frightening and intimidating. He smiled a wicked, almost lustful, smile that made my skin crawl, as if he wanted to eat me or something. He let go of James, and stood up, his back hunching over. I slowly backed away, but he grabbed my wrist through the bars with his paw. He pulled me as close to him as the gate would allow us. I turned my head away so as not to look at him, shaking and breathing heavily, as I felt his warm breath upon my neck. "You're afraid of me, aren't you," he said quietly. I looked at him for a split second, and then looked away again, nodding.

"Let go of her!" James shouted, running up behind him, trying to pull him off me. He knocked James down, letting go of me. He grabbed him by the shirt.

"Don't think I'm going to let you go so easily. You'll rot in the dungeon before you'll be free."

As they made their way inside the castle, I came up with an idea. "Wait!" I shouted. Both guys turned around. "What if I took his place?"

James looked at me as if I was nuts, but the Beast looked surprised. "Would you really do that?" I nodded. He looked at James, then me, then back at James, throwing him to the ground. "I'll be right back. Don't even think about leaving." He looked back at me. "Both of you." He turned around and went inside.

James stumbled to his feet, and ran to me. "Sam, are you insane?" he whispered. "What are you thinking?"

"I know what I'm doing. I have a plan for both of us to escape."

James leaned against the gate, and we both looked up, straightening up, when the door opened again, and the Beast came out with keys. When he opened the gate, I grabbed James' wrist, and we ran away like holy hell.

We ran into the woods, and I turned around to see the Beast following us. Suddenly, out of nowhere, two monstrous arms grabbed me from around the waist, pulling me away from James' grasp. He covered my mouth with his paw so I couldn't scream. James fell to the ground as we ran away, calling my name as he shrank further into the distance.

The animal carried me back into the garden, locked the gate, and let go of me. I felt so weak and heavy, that I fell to my knees and hung my head, gripping my hand on one of the bars. "James!" I shouted out, crying.

Finally, a low voice from behind me said, "Come with me." I looked up and turned around. He looked down upon me with a sense of pity in his face. "Allow me to show you to your room." All I could do was look up at him and breath heavily. He approached me, holding his arm out, but I refused, using the bars to help me up.