Disclaimer: I own no rights to Beauty and the Beast, they all belong to Disney!

Chapter 3. The lifted veil

The rain had stopped and left everything crip and glistening in its wake. The concrete walkway had ended and I continued on. I didn't know where I was going, but it was like my body knew what my mind did not. While my legs pressed on, my mind angrily reviewed the situation that had passed.

How dare he! The rude, selfish, boy of a man! I said this over and over and over again. Houses towered above me, and their lawns spoke of the dollars spent in their perfection. This caused me to think of my own home-a tiny trailer with a rose bush my grandmother had given me. It was the one solitary bit of landscaping among the weeds that I had tried my hardest to maintain.

Suddenly, I felt it. The knots formed in the pit of my stomach-my eyes studied the roses and my hand shielded my eyes as though I was trying to make something out that I couldn't quite do. I looked back at the road, at the cars going down the road as if there was nothing in this vacant lot worth looking at. They didn't sense that there was something hiding here, as I did.

The roses were breathtaking. I was surprised that I could maneuver through the roses that seemed to blanket the entire ground, but somehow I was able to move about and miss the thorns that were visible below the breathtaking blooms. I walked along silently for a while until the fragrant stillness was too much to take.

'What are you hiding?' I said aloud, the words sounding strange as they met with the still coolness of the air. I'm losing it. I thought, I'm talking to plants!

But somehow, some way, it was as if the plants heard me. The rosy veil lifted and the lot was not small, not empty at all. It was just the peak of a large hill that sloped down to reveal a mansion. A Victorian-esque mansion that stood dark against the sun that had shown itself to help warm this cold day.

What was hidden had been revealed, but how? No amount of reading had prepared me for… What was this?! I almost imagined Mr. Rochester would come barreling out of the dark home like a woken bear. This was the stuff of fairy tales, not ordinary reality that surrounded me.

I turned around again, and the ordinary cars on the ordinary road were passing by this extraordinary scene before me. I pinched myself. Yes, I still remained firmly planted in reality.

I should go back. I told myself, Where it's safe. That is what a sane person would do. It's also what the scared part of my brain screamed at me to do. But the curious reader, ever longing for adventure in the great wide somewhere, whispered to me to discover the secrets that lay in this once beautiful place. That side won out in the end, and you can tell me as you hear my story, whether or not you agree.

The closer I walked towards the house, the larger the landscape seemed to be. The houses in my reality disappeared into a misty field, and every few steps I would look over my shoulder, as if I were Lucy looking to make sure she could still see the wardrobe doors open to her own reality among the wintery trees of Narnia. My own reality, the cars going by a road that led to, well, nowhere that I could see, still passed by. I could still run and escape, should the need arise.

Roses clung to dark walls for dear life. The sides of the home were cracking, and looked as though they could tumble any moment. The windows were dark except one, which had a faint light shining through coming from the second floor. Impulse had me step back a step or two at the sight.

There's something-or someone- in there, I gasped. I should go back! I was sure there was some sort of criminal living there. I search for anything to arm myself, and happen to notice a skinny stick. Oh yeah, I could really do some damage with this. I rolled my eyes. What if something did happen to me here? Would anyone ever find me? Something was causing this place to not be noticed by those living outside. Something spectacular was at play, and I knew I would forever wonder if I did not investigate it for myself.

I looked up once more at the rose covered Victorian mansion. I shakily crept up the stairs until I was faced with a heavy, wooden, ornate door with gold handles. My hand timidly reached out for the handle and the door creaked loud enough to give me another start. My heart thumped so loudly that I felt I could hear it echoing across the dark entryway ahead. Well, there went any upper hand of surprise.

The whole place was made of dark woods and red, Victorian floral wallpaper. The house must have been beautiful at one time, when it was new the couches and furniture must have shined. Now everything looked sad and sagged in places. A chandelier hung from the high ceiling, while a hundred years worth of dust sat on its once reflective crystals.

The room was incredibly dark, so I pushed back the velvety curtains and let the sun pour through the dirty windows. I gasped at the sheer size of the place. A large open staircase spread out before me. My heart was still beating as hard as ever, but my curiosity still won out in the end. As each stair was conquered, I noticed there were candles positioned here and there. Candles in a Victorian home weren't so strange, it was the fact that there was no dust on them. They had been used recently. The runaway criminal idea entered my mind once more and I clutched to my stick ever more tightly.

The second floor had candles lit as well, I noticed.

'Hello? Is anyone there?' I called. There was no answer.

I didn't see anyone, but that sinking feeling that someone was there became almost overpowering. I started the descent down the stairs in quaking fear, the sane part of my brain cheering for the decision to leave the place in shrouded mystery and get myself to safety. I went down the dark entryway, and opened the door to the sunlight. I took a deep breath and soaked in the clean crisp air, such a contrast to the old musty air inside.

I took a last, longing look at the beautiful roses covering the ground underneath me. 'They're so beautiful.' I decided to pluck one of the blooms as a memento to my tiny magical adventure and was about to turn to get onto the road of reality before me, until I stood in terror as I heard a growl.

Authors Note: In the next chapter, we will be meeting 'the beast'! I don't know how often I'll be uploading, as spring break is coming to a close, but I have the chapters handwritten, they just need to be typed out. Please let me know what you think-good or bad! Thanks!