Beauty and the Beast
Chapter 4
By: L.V. Scarlette
(R)
-----
Oh, yeah I know that. I just think it would save us all if I give it a day between each
chapter. Thank you though. ^^
-----
A cool breeze caressed my face, stirring my eyes open. My eyelids felt heavy and stiff. I
tried to pry them open all the way. It worked, although I found myself half dreaming that I
was a turtle. So slow and dreamy. It was one of those strange thoughts that one would get
upon waking up. It was one of those thoughts that made you feel like you were still
asleep. That you could compare yourself to anything - think anything - without worrying
about the reality surrounding you.
That was when I truly opened my eyes. Reality. It was still a blurry thought, but it was
enough to knock a sense of responsibility into me. It was the responsibility I often thought
of every morning. My chores. Reality expected me to work. Sleeping in wasn't an option.
I opened my mouth and took in a deep breath. I tasted the cool air - so still yet burning
with sensations. My mind willed me to stand, yet the thought - the feel - of home kept me
still.
I closed my eyes and sighed. Warmth. Cool warmth. I wasn't sure how those two went
together, but I liked the way it felt. I convinced myself that I was home, that all those
memories - no, dreams - about the beast were nothing. I convinced myself that I found
Father. That he was home and safe. That all those troubles I went through paid off.
My eyes shot open. How could I have found Father? That would have meant that I must
have...
I sat up and looked around. My heart ripped right through my chest. I wasn't home! It
wasn't a dream. It wasn't a nightmare. It was all real, and I truly had bumped into
something that tucked me in what seemed to be a couch. My hands roamed blindly across
the blanket draped around me. It was still dark, but there were a few pink rays peaking
through the window curtains. With the faint light, I managed to make out pillows
scattered all around the couch. I also managed to catch a glimpse of numerous statues all
around me.
My eyes fell upon one statue. It was the statue of the girl I had seen in the ballroom. I
remembered that. She was there, silently watching me...
I quickly stood up. I forced a step forward as if I was trying to run away, but the thick
blankets caught my leg. The next thing I knew I was on the floor, chest down, hands
supporting my half twisted body. I blinked. I reminded myself that I was practically lying
down on the castle's floor. The beast's castle. It wasn't just any floor. It was probably an
enchanted floor, just like every other damned thing surrounding me.
I really felt like I was asleep to think such a stupid thought. Perhaps I was still half
asleep. I didn't care. As stunned as I was, I pushed myself up and tried to twist my way
out of the blankets. The sad part was they twisted around me even more. My heart was
racing. I didn't have time to think. I didn't have time to consider how the blankets were
wrapped around me. It would've been a wise thing to do. I knew it would've helped me
pull free, but I was too frightened to slow down. I had to untangle myself quickly.
I stuck my hand into the blankets and tried to pull myself away. I wasn't sure how I was
planning to do that, but it didn't work. It was like a dance. A psychotic dance. I managed
to pry my foot out, but I found myself turning around in panicked circles. The blankets
enveloped me like hot butter in one of Beth's warm buns.
I finally stopped. I was drenched in sweat. My breath was ragged, and my heart was
beating furiously. I looked around me. The blankets must've been a trick too! The cursed
things wouldn't fall off. I sat down on the couch, distressed and practically hopeless. I
found sitting down an odd task, for the blankets seemed too thick for me to bend
anything.
I bounced up a bit once my bottom had hit the couch. Graceless. Again. At least that
wasn't new. I finally gathered my thoughts together and slowly rolled to one side. The
blankets loosened, but the thought of rolling on and on until I was free wasn't very
appealing. I wriggled my way through the little hole I was in instead.
Darkness surrounded me. I couldn't breathe. Although the blankets were soft, it really
wasn't comfortable. The darkness was unnerving as well. What if I tangled myself even
more and suffocated myself? What if I couldn't find my way out of the warm mess?
Another thought struck me. What if the beast was around? What if I didn't see him?
I popped my head back out. My hair was sprayed all over my face. I let out a small sigh,
sending one of my strands dancing up into the air. I watched it fall back down. That was
what I felt like. I felt like a tiny speck tossed about and stared at.
I shivered at the thought. I kept thinking that the beast was watching me, but for some
reason I didn't actually feel like he was. It was a shocking yet calming thought, and it was
accompanied by another one.
Why didn't the beast kill me? Wasn't that the beast I had collapsed into last night? Why
did he tuck me in? Was it done in hopes that I would strangle myself and toss and turn
just as I had done?
That was it. I frowned and slowly pushed the heavy blankets down my legs. It happened
quickly, but it left my arms numb. I managed to wriggle my upper body free, but I
couldn't go anywhere with my thighs stuck together. I stood up. I figured it would help me
somehow. It didn't, so I sat back down. I kicked and tried to pull my legs out. They felt
heavy within the blankets. Sitting down didn't feel right either. It obviously didn't help me
free my legs, so I stood back up.
I twisted my hips and buckled my knees. One was never satisfied when desperate. No
position felt right. I sat back down again and bounced once my bottom hit the couch, just
as I had done before. The bounce somehow made it feel easier for my to tug. I felt my the
blankets loosen. I parted some of the blankets aside and managed to pull my right leg out.
Oh, how fortunate for me. I was tugging so hard that once I my leg slid out, my knee hit
my chin.
I rubbed my chin and growled in frustration. With one leg out it was easy for me to pull
the other leg free. And behold! I was sitting on the couch in one piece. The blankets were
thrown all over the surrounding floor. I could've sworn the beast had something to do
with the tangles.
I scurried away from the couch and ran toward the curtains. Without thinking, I pulled
the thick velvet aside. A burst of pink sunlight lit up the room. I turned my face away and
squinted, my hands thrown up in front of me. The sunlight was something I welcomed,
especially after the series of events I went through.
I finally managed to get a better view of the garden. It was bad enough that I was
strangely calm. I didn't want to feel safer, but the beauty before me betrayed that. The
garden seemed old, but there wasn't one cob web - not one weed - adorning any of the run
down fountains. The vines I had seen the night before were showered in roses. Peach
roses. There must have been millions of them, for I managed to catch a glimpse of more
peach dotted vines adoring the high walls in the distance. However, only a few of them
weren't buds. They weren't even fully bloomed.
I didn't have time to take note of anything else, for I remembered the reflection I had
seen the night before. I reluctantly stepped away from the window and noticed that my
heart was starting to beat furiously again. I figured it wasn't just my sisters who loved to
panic. I figured it ran in the family. Perhaps I just never noticed the panic within me.
I simply turned away and found myself staring right into the face of the female statue.
The raven beauty, frozen in such a beautiful yet cruel cast. She seemed so wise yet young.
She seemed so real - so alive - yet she seemed so lonely. It was if she had so much more
before and out of that shell -
I shook my head. Perhaps I was insane. Beauty could drive someone insane. Who
would've figured? Perhaps I was crazy from the start? I simply sighed and headed for the
large set of doors I ran out of the night before.
I paused just before I reached out to open them. I remembered that I had run into the
beast outside of those doors. Couldn't I just go back the way I went and walk right out the
main castle doors?
I turned around and stared at the other set of doors across the room, which as I had
learned, were leading right into the dining hall. They looked so gloomy and uninviting,
cascaded in the darkness. The sunlight barely touched them. It all looked so dreadful.
I sucked in my breath and turned back around. I pushed the doors before me open and
found myself walking through a familiar scene. I guessed that hall I was walking into was
the same one I ran through the night before. I remembered certain features, but everything
else was a blur. Least to say, I was surprised I even managed to take note of anything
despite my fear.
I let out a half shriek when I felt my knee bump into something cold. My hand shot up to
cover my mouth while the other immediately cradled my knee. I took a step back and
tried my best to examine my flesh. I couldn't see much for it was dark in that room, what
with all the curtains drawn up, but I could tell that there was a dark bruise slowly taking
place.
I wanted to curse, mutter every dirty word I heard Father say, but it just did not feel
right. It was a shame that there was room for pain but no room for expressions in the
beast's castle. I probably caught some sort of attention when I shrieked. I didn't want to
attract anything else with my vile language.
I leaned against a wall and waited for the pain to subside. I've had many bruises before,
but to be alone in such a dark castle with something that could slow you down? The
silence, the darkness...it made the throbbing pain all too obvious. I couldn't just have
walked on and ignored the wretched bruise. One could never continue with something all
too evident riding on their knees. Besides, the beast could've seen me.
I frowned. The beast probably already saw me. I didn't feel him, but I could never be too
sure. There was no room to think about that anyway. With the pain practically gone, I had
time to explore the castle and take care of more important matters - like why the beast
didn't kill me and where Father was.
I took a moment and glanced at what had hit me in the first place. It was a large, wooden
table. It had a few things on it...statues and the like...but there was nothing else that I
could make out. I didn't really care.
I ignored the table and walked on, this time with more caution. My eyes had adjusted to
the darkness, but I still did not want to take any chances. I approached the curtains and
pulled them aside. The whole place was showered with sunlight. I turned away again and
squinted as I paid attention to the furniture instead. Practically everything was wooden. A
few things needed some dusting, but everything else seemed luxurious. The carvings, the
precise places where every chair and the like were placed...it was all perfect. Everything
fit together. It was like an old puzzle, showered with new life.
I took a step back and examined everything. A small gasp escaped my throat. I knew the
hall was big, but to actually see it...Good lord! The arched ceiling towered high above me.
Curved pillars snaked their way elegantly up the walls, supporting the seemingly all too
high ceiling. I noticed that angels adorned the tips of the pillars. They were smiling
angels, but it was too high for me. I couldn't keep staring up in an attempt to notice the
details.
I looked back down and found myself staring at three different hallways. To my left and
right were two stairwells that stood at the end of either hallway. Right in front of me was
the hall I had walked into. On the left hand side was the ballroom. I could tell that there
were a million rooms on either side of me, but something else had caught my eye.
Far ahead of me, where the sunlight barely touched the walls, stood a small set of doors.
To me it seemed so small, but I was sure that they would have towered above me had I
been an inch away. That was when it struck me. They were the main doors!
Without thinking twice, I ran straight ahead. The light was enough to guide me. I didn't
stumble upon anything. All the furniture just flew right past in a blur. My steps echoed
wildly against the empty walls. I was afraid they would alert the beast, so I ran faster. I
kept on running until I thought I couldn't even breathe.
I was forced to slow down, but thankfully I was simply a few feet away from the doors. I
leaned against the nearest thing I could get a hold of. I tossed my head back and
desperately willed my breath to slow down. My heartbeat was surprisingly not that
frightening. It was the sweat that had peeved me at that point.
I weakly pushed myself away from the wall...no, it felt like a low curve...whatever it was
that I leaned against. I was so close! Oh, why did I have to stop just when my freedom
was right there?!
But Father. What if he was in the castle and I ran right past him? What if I didn't even
see him?
Despite all my thoughts, the thought about Father wasn't what made me turn instead of
walk right out. I had stopped for I realized that what I had leaned on was the railing of
another stairwell. The stairs curved up to what seemed to be a terribly dark room.
Halfway up there, a picture was hanging on the wall. That was what caught my eye, for in
all the rooms and halls I had run into, not one picture of a live human adorned anything.
I figured that it wouldn't hurt if I took a few steps up just to look at the picture. After all,
if the beast came about I could simply run right back down. The doors were close enough
for me to escape before he snatched me. Besides, what if the picture was that of a former
occupant? Royalty? It could serve as proof. I snorted. So much for proof.
I did not make room for other possibilities, for I found myself slowly walking up the
stairs. My eyes were glued on the picture. It was as if I was hypnotized. My hand absently
reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I still went on, my steps slow yet
curious. My eyes scanned the entire picture as I continued to ascend. Dark clothes, rich
and velvet. Golden circles lining the collar. A muscular body with dark locks tied back. It
was obviously a young man.
I stopped once the picture was right in front of me. I lifted my gaze up to the man's face.
My first thought was that he looked awfully young and conceited. He was probably about
my age. I had guessed he was the prince, but something held me still. His eyes. Deep,
mysterious eyes that pierced right into my soul. They looked real.
I couldn't pull myself away. The color...so blue. I had never seen eyes with that shade of
blue. It reminded me of the midnight sky, yet they were different. A lot richer.
I took a step back and pried my gaze away. I focused on the entire picture and found a
few rips here and there. It was as if someone had attempted to tear it apart. I had also
noticed something flickering out of the corner of my eye.
I looked up the stairwell and found myself staring at a faint light. Was it the beast? I was
all too curious. I ignored my fear and ran up the stairs toward the glow. I didn't know
what it was, even as I approached the room it was in.
I took a moment to glance around me. It was a dark room with broken furniture and
ripped curtains. There were a few rays of sunlight seeping through large doors which
seemed to lead into a balcony. My skin crawled. There it was again. The feeling. I could
feel the beast. I could feel his eyes upon me. He watched me. I knew it.
Before I could turn away, my eyes fell upon the source of the glow. I squinted and tried
to register what the object was. I first noticed that it was perched upon a table and encased
in glass. I hesitantly stepped forward to get a better view.
A rose. It was a peach rose, fully bloomed and literally glowing with life. I opened my
mouth to gasp, but nothing came out. I reached out instead in an attempt to pick up the
glass case, but something immediately made me snatch my hand back.
At the corner of the room I heard a low rumbling noise. At first I didn't know what it
was, but the louder it grew the more terrified I became. It was like thunder. It wasn't
sudden, almost as if it was a warning of some sort. I didn't care. It was a menace, and it
seemed to be approaching me.
My hand shot up to my mouth. The gasp I was holding in had escaped, for before my
eyes I noticed the same mist that had materialized out of the darkness before me earlier.
My eyes burned with sudden tears. I did not know where they came from, but they
horrified me. I dreaded the moment when one tear came out, for it was a sign that my life
was about to end. There was no escaping. The beast was in the room, and I had a sinking
feeling that I had angered him.
I was about to turn around, but something held me back. Not only was I afraid that I
would've bumped into the beast again, but I felt something run down my back. Something
cool yet warm.
I saw the same mist come out from either side of my shoulders. My eyes widened. I
heard the rumble again. At that point it was behind me as well.
I screamed. I screamed my lungs out and turned around with my hand raised as if to
strike whatever was behind me, but it caught me first. It was the same furry wall that had
been so gentle the night before. This time it wrapped around my wrist and dug painfully
into my skin. The next thing I knew, I was being lifted off the ground. I frantically looked
around to kick whatever had raised me, but I soon realized that the creature had simply
lifted me by my wrist and nothing else.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
I shrieked. It took me a while to register the fact that the creature - the beast - was
talking to me! It was the same thunder I had heard earlier, but it came out with a man's
words. The very sound of it sent electrifying waves down my spine.
"I...I..." I simply stammered, not sure what to say. I was too shocked. I couldn't even feel
the sweat running down my neck. I couldn't really feel anything. I didn't know what to do.
At that point, all I knew was that the beast had me by my wrist and was asking me a
question that I did not comprehend.
"Answer me!" he roared.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't know - "
"I took you in, fed you, offered you shelter, and this is how you repay me?!"
"No! I..." I did not know what to say. I simply cried and tried my best to pull my wrist
away from his fierce grip. "Please," I sobbed. "I didn't know you didn't want me to - "
My words were cut short as I felt him pull me in for a closer look. I turned my head
away and tried desperately to hold my breath. I could feel his breath on my neck, his eyes
willing my to face him. Oh, but his face! I couldn't see him, but I still feared what
monster I would have found myself staring into had I turned. I couldn't do that. I could
not face him! The beast! The monster that was probably going to kill me!
"You don't belong here," he sneered.
I felt his hot breath whip my flesh like fire. I could smell him. It wasn't an unpleasant
scent, but it wasn't exactly human. It scared the living soul out of me, and I found myself
helpless. I was at his mercy.
I couldn't hold it anymore. I couldn't fight him. I figured it was useless to do that. My
emotions had swept me away at the point, so I simply turned to face him but buried my
face into what seemed to be his chest instead. "I'm sorry," I whispered.
His grip loosened slightly. I could feel his eyes, his breath on my head at that point. I did
not care. I sobbed into his furry chest and what seemed to be half torn clothes. I clenched
my fists and continued to cry. I didn't care how pathetic I seemed to him. I wanted to cry
my last tear out. I figured I was going to die anyway. The fear had left me. I was in
despair.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I-I was just looking for my Father, and...I didn't know! It will
never happen -"
"Your father?"
I opened my eyes halfway, my sobs still choking me. "Yes.."
"A merchant?"
I held my breath. I felt lifeless. I was blinded by my tears and held mute by my sobs.
They still choked my every now and then, but my distress was replaced by anxiety.
"You...you have him?"
I felt his grip harden. "He did the same thing you did." His voice was low, but I could
hear the rising frustration.
"Oh! Oh, please! Don't hurt him! Please send him home - "
"Silence!"
I felt his breath whip my face, sending a few strands of hair flying around. I shut my
eyes and shook my head. "I'm sorry...I-I can't."
"Don't you know how to stay silent?!"
"No! I'm sorry!" I instantly felt a wave of regret sweep over me, but I managed to go on.
I had no time for reluctance when my father's life was at the beast's mercy. "Just please
take me instead of him. He's old and I - "
"It's done." He quickly let go of me and rushed out of the room like a strong gust of
wind.
I found myself lying on the floor, my eyes glued upon the wall by the stairwell. With the
rose's faint glow, I managed to make out the beast's shadow. It was large one with what
seemed to be a small hump at the back. It was as if the creature was once an animal that
learned how to walk on two legs. It was a massive shadow. I could not bare to imagine
how huge he must have been compared to me.
My eyes went wide. The beast's shadow leaned forward and pulled out what seemed to
be a man. I heard wailing sounds, faint apologies, and one that sounded like "Don't hurt
her."
"Father," I whispered. "No..."
"Serena? Serena! Don't go on..."
His voice fainted into the darkness as I watched that monstrous shadow drag my father's
out the door. I heard them slam shut. I heard a horse neigh then gallop off with what
sounded like Father yelling out near it. I had guessed the beast the had sent him off on
Cleo or perhaps something else.
I remained silent for a moment, my mind not completely comprehending what had
happened. It was all too sudden. I had opened my mouth without thinking to save Father's
life, and the beast just sent him off...
"Father!" I yelled out into the darkness, fresh tears streaming down my face. I saw the
beast's shadow coming up the stairs once again. There wasn't one creak. He truly was a
predator. So silent and vicious to do that to my own father...
"You monster!" I instantly flung myself at him the moment his dark feature stepped into
the room. I kicked whatever I could kick and pounded his chest with my fists. "How
could you?! That was my father! How could you be so cruel?!" I was half crying and half
yelling at him. My tears were streaming down my cheeks all the while. They were
different tears. They weren't tears of fear. They weren't tears of depression. They were
enraged tears. I welcomed them, for they fueled my anger.
I felt him grab my wrist again. He pushed me away so that I was at his arm's length
instead. "You're doing this to me now when you have no idea what you could have
done?!"
"Is that my fault?! Is it my fault that you chose to watch me and never show yourself
while expecting me to know what I could and could not do? I lost my father and you
expect me not to do something that I did not know about?!" I reached out and tried to kick
him further, but my legs could only reach out so far. I scratched his arms instead. He did
not even flinch, and this annoyed me. I scratched him even more.
"You were too curious!"
"I did not know what to expect," I screamed. I wasn't thinking. I was simply speaking
my mind for once. "I did not know what to think! Why don't you show yourself, you
coward?! You already took my father away from me!"
"What did you want me to do?! You told me you would take his place - "
"But why did you throw him out?!" I felt my face heat up. My whole body was
trembling. "You could have at least let me say good bye to him!"
I snatched my hand back and turned away, my face buried into my hands. I slowly sank
down to the ground and cried harder. All my frustrations, all my emotions crumbled and
sprayed me like a plague. Never in my life had I envisioned myself going through such an
ordeal. I felt miserable.
My sobs went on, my tears still streaming down my face. I looked up, but only to
roughly rub my tears away. I noticed that it was silent. The beast was still there. I could
feel him behind me, but I could no longer sense his anger. In fact, I felt something I never
thought I would feel. Regret...
I turned around and stared at him. He was silent, his mist-like breath coming out of the
shadows every now and then. I turned around so that I was practically lying down on my
elbows. I slowly slid back as he did something I did not think he would actually do. He
took a step forward so that his foot...his paws...were showered with the peachy glow.
I stared at him in horror as my eyes travelled all the way up his half lit body. My voice
sank right back down my throat as I found myself staring at his face, then right into his
eyes.
-----
AN: Please pardon any errors.
Chapter 4
By: L.V. Scarlette
(R)
-----
Oh, yeah I know that. I just think it would save us all if I give it a day between each
chapter. Thank you though. ^^
-----
A cool breeze caressed my face, stirring my eyes open. My eyelids felt heavy and stiff. I
tried to pry them open all the way. It worked, although I found myself half dreaming that I
was a turtle. So slow and dreamy. It was one of those strange thoughts that one would get
upon waking up. It was one of those thoughts that made you feel like you were still
asleep. That you could compare yourself to anything - think anything - without worrying
about the reality surrounding you.
That was when I truly opened my eyes. Reality. It was still a blurry thought, but it was
enough to knock a sense of responsibility into me. It was the responsibility I often thought
of every morning. My chores. Reality expected me to work. Sleeping in wasn't an option.
I opened my mouth and took in a deep breath. I tasted the cool air - so still yet burning
with sensations. My mind willed me to stand, yet the thought - the feel - of home kept me
still.
I closed my eyes and sighed. Warmth. Cool warmth. I wasn't sure how those two went
together, but I liked the way it felt. I convinced myself that I was home, that all those
memories - no, dreams - about the beast were nothing. I convinced myself that I found
Father. That he was home and safe. That all those troubles I went through paid off.
My eyes shot open. How could I have found Father? That would have meant that I must
have...
I sat up and looked around. My heart ripped right through my chest. I wasn't home! It
wasn't a dream. It wasn't a nightmare. It was all real, and I truly had bumped into
something that tucked me in what seemed to be a couch. My hands roamed blindly across
the blanket draped around me. It was still dark, but there were a few pink rays peaking
through the window curtains. With the faint light, I managed to make out pillows
scattered all around the couch. I also managed to catch a glimpse of numerous statues all
around me.
My eyes fell upon one statue. It was the statue of the girl I had seen in the ballroom. I
remembered that. She was there, silently watching me...
I quickly stood up. I forced a step forward as if I was trying to run away, but the thick
blankets caught my leg. The next thing I knew I was on the floor, chest down, hands
supporting my half twisted body. I blinked. I reminded myself that I was practically lying
down on the castle's floor. The beast's castle. It wasn't just any floor. It was probably an
enchanted floor, just like every other damned thing surrounding me.
I really felt like I was asleep to think such a stupid thought. Perhaps I was still half
asleep. I didn't care. As stunned as I was, I pushed myself up and tried to twist my way
out of the blankets. The sad part was they twisted around me even more. My heart was
racing. I didn't have time to think. I didn't have time to consider how the blankets were
wrapped around me. It would've been a wise thing to do. I knew it would've helped me
pull free, but I was too frightened to slow down. I had to untangle myself quickly.
I stuck my hand into the blankets and tried to pull myself away. I wasn't sure how I was
planning to do that, but it didn't work. It was like a dance. A psychotic dance. I managed
to pry my foot out, but I found myself turning around in panicked circles. The blankets
enveloped me like hot butter in one of Beth's warm buns.
I finally stopped. I was drenched in sweat. My breath was ragged, and my heart was
beating furiously. I looked around me. The blankets must've been a trick too! The cursed
things wouldn't fall off. I sat down on the couch, distressed and practically hopeless. I
found sitting down an odd task, for the blankets seemed too thick for me to bend
anything.
I bounced up a bit once my bottom had hit the couch. Graceless. Again. At least that
wasn't new. I finally gathered my thoughts together and slowly rolled to one side. The
blankets loosened, but the thought of rolling on and on until I was free wasn't very
appealing. I wriggled my way through the little hole I was in instead.
Darkness surrounded me. I couldn't breathe. Although the blankets were soft, it really
wasn't comfortable. The darkness was unnerving as well. What if I tangled myself even
more and suffocated myself? What if I couldn't find my way out of the warm mess?
Another thought struck me. What if the beast was around? What if I didn't see him?
I popped my head back out. My hair was sprayed all over my face. I let out a small sigh,
sending one of my strands dancing up into the air. I watched it fall back down. That was
what I felt like. I felt like a tiny speck tossed about and stared at.
I shivered at the thought. I kept thinking that the beast was watching me, but for some
reason I didn't actually feel like he was. It was a shocking yet calming thought, and it was
accompanied by another one.
Why didn't the beast kill me? Wasn't that the beast I had collapsed into last night? Why
did he tuck me in? Was it done in hopes that I would strangle myself and toss and turn
just as I had done?
That was it. I frowned and slowly pushed the heavy blankets down my legs. It happened
quickly, but it left my arms numb. I managed to wriggle my upper body free, but I
couldn't go anywhere with my thighs stuck together. I stood up. I figured it would help me
somehow. It didn't, so I sat back down. I kicked and tried to pull my legs out. They felt
heavy within the blankets. Sitting down didn't feel right either. It obviously didn't help me
free my legs, so I stood back up.
I twisted my hips and buckled my knees. One was never satisfied when desperate. No
position felt right. I sat back down again and bounced once my bottom hit the couch, just
as I had done before. The bounce somehow made it feel easier for my to tug. I felt my the
blankets loosen. I parted some of the blankets aside and managed to pull my right leg out.
Oh, how fortunate for me. I was tugging so hard that once I my leg slid out, my knee hit
my chin.
I rubbed my chin and growled in frustration. With one leg out it was easy for me to pull
the other leg free. And behold! I was sitting on the couch in one piece. The blankets were
thrown all over the surrounding floor. I could've sworn the beast had something to do
with the tangles.
I scurried away from the couch and ran toward the curtains. Without thinking, I pulled
the thick velvet aside. A burst of pink sunlight lit up the room. I turned my face away and
squinted, my hands thrown up in front of me. The sunlight was something I welcomed,
especially after the series of events I went through.
I finally managed to get a better view of the garden. It was bad enough that I was
strangely calm. I didn't want to feel safer, but the beauty before me betrayed that. The
garden seemed old, but there wasn't one cob web - not one weed - adorning any of the run
down fountains. The vines I had seen the night before were showered in roses. Peach
roses. There must have been millions of them, for I managed to catch a glimpse of more
peach dotted vines adoring the high walls in the distance. However, only a few of them
weren't buds. They weren't even fully bloomed.
I didn't have time to take note of anything else, for I remembered the reflection I had
seen the night before. I reluctantly stepped away from the window and noticed that my
heart was starting to beat furiously again. I figured it wasn't just my sisters who loved to
panic. I figured it ran in the family. Perhaps I just never noticed the panic within me.
I simply turned away and found myself staring right into the face of the female statue.
The raven beauty, frozen in such a beautiful yet cruel cast. She seemed so wise yet young.
She seemed so real - so alive - yet she seemed so lonely. It was if she had so much more
before and out of that shell -
I shook my head. Perhaps I was insane. Beauty could drive someone insane. Who
would've figured? Perhaps I was crazy from the start? I simply sighed and headed for the
large set of doors I ran out of the night before.
I paused just before I reached out to open them. I remembered that I had run into the
beast outside of those doors. Couldn't I just go back the way I went and walk right out the
main castle doors?
I turned around and stared at the other set of doors across the room, which as I had
learned, were leading right into the dining hall. They looked so gloomy and uninviting,
cascaded in the darkness. The sunlight barely touched them. It all looked so dreadful.
I sucked in my breath and turned back around. I pushed the doors before me open and
found myself walking through a familiar scene. I guessed that hall I was walking into was
the same one I ran through the night before. I remembered certain features, but everything
else was a blur. Least to say, I was surprised I even managed to take note of anything
despite my fear.
I let out a half shriek when I felt my knee bump into something cold. My hand shot up to
cover my mouth while the other immediately cradled my knee. I took a step back and
tried my best to examine my flesh. I couldn't see much for it was dark in that room, what
with all the curtains drawn up, but I could tell that there was a dark bruise slowly taking
place.
I wanted to curse, mutter every dirty word I heard Father say, but it just did not feel
right. It was a shame that there was room for pain but no room for expressions in the
beast's castle. I probably caught some sort of attention when I shrieked. I didn't want to
attract anything else with my vile language.
I leaned against a wall and waited for the pain to subside. I've had many bruises before,
but to be alone in such a dark castle with something that could slow you down? The
silence, the darkness...it made the throbbing pain all too obvious. I couldn't just have
walked on and ignored the wretched bruise. One could never continue with something all
too evident riding on their knees. Besides, the beast could've seen me.
I frowned. The beast probably already saw me. I didn't feel him, but I could never be too
sure. There was no room to think about that anyway. With the pain practically gone, I had
time to explore the castle and take care of more important matters - like why the beast
didn't kill me and where Father was.
I took a moment and glanced at what had hit me in the first place. It was a large, wooden
table. It had a few things on it...statues and the like...but there was nothing else that I
could make out. I didn't really care.
I ignored the table and walked on, this time with more caution. My eyes had adjusted to
the darkness, but I still did not want to take any chances. I approached the curtains and
pulled them aside. The whole place was showered with sunlight. I turned away again and
squinted as I paid attention to the furniture instead. Practically everything was wooden. A
few things needed some dusting, but everything else seemed luxurious. The carvings, the
precise places where every chair and the like were placed...it was all perfect. Everything
fit together. It was like an old puzzle, showered with new life.
I took a step back and examined everything. A small gasp escaped my throat. I knew the
hall was big, but to actually see it...Good lord! The arched ceiling towered high above me.
Curved pillars snaked their way elegantly up the walls, supporting the seemingly all too
high ceiling. I noticed that angels adorned the tips of the pillars. They were smiling
angels, but it was too high for me. I couldn't keep staring up in an attempt to notice the
details.
I looked back down and found myself staring at three different hallways. To my left and
right were two stairwells that stood at the end of either hallway. Right in front of me was
the hall I had walked into. On the left hand side was the ballroom. I could tell that there
were a million rooms on either side of me, but something else had caught my eye.
Far ahead of me, where the sunlight barely touched the walls, stood a small set of doors.
To me it seemed so small, but I was sure that they would have towered above me had I
been an inch away. That was when it struck me. They were the main doors!
Without thinking twice, I ran straight ahead. The light was enough to guide me. I didn't
stumble upon anything. All the furniture just flew right past in a blur. My steps echoed
wildly against the empty walls. I was afraid they would alert the beast, so I ran faster. I
kept on running until I thought I couldn't even breathe.
I was forced to slow down, but thankfully I was simply a few feet away from the doors. I
leaned against the nearest thing I could get a hold of. I tossed my head back and
desperately willed my breath to slow down. My heartbeat was surprisingly not that
frightening. It was the sweat that had peeved me at that point.
I weakly pushed myself away from the wall...no, it felt like a low curve...whatever it was
that I leaned against. I was so close! Oh, why did I have to stop just when my freedom
was right there?!
But Father. What if he was in the castle and I ran right past him? What if I didn't even
see him?
Despite all my thoughts, the thought about Father wasn't what made me turn instead of
walk right out. I had stopped for I realized that what I had leaned on was the railing of
another stairwell. The stairs curved up to what seemed to be a terribly dark room.
Halfway up there, a picture was hanging on the wall. That was what caught my eye, for in
all the rooms and halls I had run into, not one picture of a live human adorned anything.
I figured that it wouldn't hurt if I took a few steps up just to look at the picture. After all,
if the beast came about I could simply run right back down. The doors were close enough
for me to escape before he snatched me. Besides, what if the picture was that of a former
occupant? Royalty? It could serve as proof. I snorted. So much for proof.
I did not make room for other possibilities, for I found myself slowly walking up the
stairs. My eyes were glued on the picture. It was as if I was hypnotized. My hand absently
reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I still went on, my steps slow yet
curious. My eyes scanned the entire picture as I continued to ascend. Dark clothes, rich
and velvet. Golden circles lining the collar. A muscular body with dark locks tied back. It
was obviously a young man.
I stopped once the picture was right in front of me. I lifted my gaze up to the man's face.
My first thought was that he looked awfully young and conceited. He was probably about
my age. I had guessed he was the prince, but something held me still. His eyes. Deep,
mysterious eyes that pierced right into my soul. They looked real.
I couldn't pull myself away. The color...so blue. I had never seen eyes with that shade of
blue. It reminded me of the midnight sky, yet they were different. A lot richer.
I took a step back and pried my gaze away. I focused on the entire picture and found a
few rips here and there. It was as if someone had attempted to tear it apart. I had also
noticed something flickering out of the corner of my eye.
I looked up the stairwell and found myself staring at a faint light. Was it the beast? I was
all too curious. I ignored my fear and ran up the stairs toward the glow. I didn't know
what it was, even as I approached the room it was in.
I took a moment to glance around me. It was a dark room with broken furniture and
ripped curtains. There were a few rays of sunlight seeping through large doors which
seemed to lead into a balcony. My skin crawled. There it was again. The feeling. I could
feel the beast. I could feel his eyes upon me. He watched me. I knew it.
Before I could turn away, my eyes fell upon the source of the glow. I squinted and tried
to register what the object was. I first noticed that it was perched upon a table and encased
in glass. I hesitantly stepped forward to get a better view.
A rose. It was a peach rose, fully bloomed and literally glowing with life. I opened my
mouth to gasp, but nothing came out. I reached out instead in an attempt to pick up the
glass case, but something immediately made me snatch my hand back.
At the corner of the room I heard a low rumbling noise. At first I didn't know what it
was, but the louder it grew the more terrified I became. It was like thunder. It wasn't
sudden, almost as if it was a warning of some sort. I didn't care. It was a menace, and it
seemed to be approaching me.
My hand shot up to my mouth. The gasp I was holding in had escaped, for before my
eyes I noticed the same mist that had materialized out of the darkness before me earlier.
My eyes burned with sudden tears. I did not know where they came from, but they
horrified me. I dreaded the moment when one tear came out, for it was a sign that my life
was about to end. There was no escaping. The beast was in the room, and I had a sinking
feeling that I had angered him.
I was about to turn around, but something held me back. Not only was I afraid that I
would've bumped into the beast again, but I felt something run down my back. Something
cool yet warm.
I saw the same mist come out from either side of my shoulders. My eyes widened. I
heard the rumble again. At that point it was behind me as well.
I screamed. I screamed my lungs out and turned around with my hand raised as if to
strike whatever was behind me, but it caught me first. It was the same furry wall that had
been so gentle the night before. This time it wrapped around my wrist and dug painfully
into my skin. The next thing I knew, I was being lifted off the ground. I frantically looked
around to kick whatever had raised me, but I soon realized that the creature had simply
lifted me by my wrist and nothing else.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
I shrieked. It took me a while to register the fact that the creature - the beast - was
talking to me! It was the same thunder I had heard earlier, but it came out with a man's
words. The very sound of it sent electrifying waves down my spine.
"I...I..." I simply stammered, not sure what to say. I was too shocked. I couldn't even feel
the sweat running down my neck. I couldn't really feel anything. I didn't know what to do.
At that point, all I knew was that the beast had me by my wrist and was asking me a
question that I did not comprehend.
"Answer me!" he roared.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't know - "
"I took you in, fed you, offered you shelter, and this is how you repay me?!"
"No! I..." I did not know what to say. I simply cried and tried my best to pull my wrist
away from his fierce grip. "Please," I sobbed. "I didn't know you didn't want me to - "
My words were cut short as I felt him pull me in for a closer look. I turned my head
away and tried desperately to hold my breath. I could feel his breath on my neck, his eyes
willing my to face him. Oh, but his face! I couldn't see him, but I still feared what
monster I would have found myself staring into had I turned. I couldn't do that. I could
not face him! The beast! The monster that was probably going to kill me!
"You don't belong here," he sneered.
I felt his hot breath whip my flesh like fire. I could smell him. It wasn't an unpleasant
scent, but it wasn't exactly human. It scared the living soul out of me, and I found myself
helpless. I was at his mercy.
I couldn't hold it anymore. I couldn't fight him. I figured it was useless to do that. My
emotions had swept me away at the point, so I simply turned to face him but buried my
face into what seemed to be his chest instead. "I'm sorry," I whispered.
His grip loosened slightly. I could feel his eyes, his breath on my head at that point. I did
not care. I sobbed into his furry chest and what seemed to be half torn clothes. I clenched
my fists and continued to cry. I didn't care how pathetic I seemed to him. I wanted to cry
my last tear out. I figured I was going to die anyway. The fear had left me. I was in
despair.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I-I was just looking for my Father, and...I didn't know! It will
never happen -"
"Your father?"
I opened my eyes halfway, my sobs still choking me. "Yes.."
"A merchant?"
I held my breath. I felt lifeless. I was blinded by my tears and held mute by my sobs.
They still choked my every now and then, but my distress was replaced by anxiety.
"You...you have him?"
I felt his grip harden. "He did the same thing you did." His voice was low, but I could
hear the rising frustration.
"Oh! Oh, please! Don't hurt him! Please send him home - "
"Silence!"
I felt his breath whip my face, sending a few strands of hair flying around. I shut my
eyes and shook my head. "I'm sorry...I-I can't."
"Don't you know how to stay silent?!"
"No! I'm sorry!" I instantly felt a wave of regret sweep over me, but I managed to go on.
I had no time for reluctance when my father's life was at the beast's mercy. "Just please
take me instead of him. He's old and I - "
"It's done." He quickly let go of me and rushed out of the room like a strong gust of
wind.
I found myself lying on the floor, my eyes glued upon the wall by the stairwell. With the
rose's faint glow, I managed to make out the beast's shadow. It was large one with what
seemed to be a small hump at the back. It was as if the creature was once an animal that
learned how to walk on two legs. It was a massive shadow. I could not bare to imagine
how huge he must have been compared to me.
My eyes went wide. The beast's shadow leaned forward and pulled out what seemed to
be a man. I heard wailing sounds, faint apologies, and one that sounded like "Don't hurt
her."
"Father," I whispered. "No..."
"Serena? Serena! Don't go on..."
His voice fainted into the darkness as I watched that monstrous shadow drag my father's
out the door. I heard them slam shut. I heard a horse neigh then gallop off with what
sounded like Father yelling out near it. I had guessed the beast the had sent him off on
Cleo or perhaps something else.
I remained silent for a moment, my mind not completely comprehending what had
happened. It was all too sudden. I had opened my mouth without thinking to save Father's
life, and the beast just sent him off...
"Father!" I yelled out into the darkness, fresh tears streaming down my face. I saw the
beast's shadow coming up the stairs once again. There wasn't one creak. He truly was a
predator. So silent and vicious to do that to my own father...
"You monster!" I instantly flung myself at him the moment his dark feature stepped into
the room. I kicked whatever I could kick and pounded his chest with my fists. "How
could you?! That was my father! How could you be so cruel?!" I was half crying and half
yelling at him. My tears were streaming down my cheeks all the while. They were
different tears. They weren't tears of fear. They weren't tears of depression. They were
enraged tears. I welcomed them, for they fueled my anger.
I felt him grab my wrist again. He pushed me away so that I was at his arm's length
instead. "You're doing this to me now when you have no idea what you could have
done?!"
"Is that my fault?! Is it my fault that you chose to watch me and never show yourself
while expecting me to know what I could and could not do? I lost my father and you
expect me not to do something that I did not know about?!" I reached out and tried to kick
him further, but my legs could only reach out so far. I scratched his arms instead. He did
not even flinch, and this annoyed me. I scratched him even more.
"You were too curious!"
"I did not know what to expect," I screamed. I wasn't thinking. I was simply speaking
my mind for once. "I did not know what to think! Why don't you show yourself, you
coward?! You already took my father away from me!"
"What did you want me to do?! You told me you would take his place - "
"But why did you throw him out?!" I felt my face heat up. My whole body was
trembling. "You could have at least let me say good bye to him!"
I snatched my hand back and turned away, my face buried into my hands. I slowly sank
down to the ground and cried harder. All my frustrations, all my emotions crumbled and
sprayed me like a plague. Never in my life had I envisioned myself going through such an
ordeal. I felt miserable.
My sobs went on, my tears still streaming down my face. I looked up, but only to
roughly rub my tears away. I noticed that it was silent. The beast was still there. I could
feel him behind me, but I could no longer sense his anger. In fact, I felt something I never
thought I would feel. Regret...
I turned around and stared at him. He was silent, his mist-like breath coming out of the
shadows every now and then. I turned around so that I was practically lying down on my
elbows. I slowly slid back as he did something I did not think he would actually do. He
took a step forward so that his foot...his paws...were showered with the peachy glow.
I stared at him in horror as my eyes travelled all the way up his half lit body. My voice
sank right back down my throat as I found myself staring at his face, then right into his
eyes.
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AN: Please pardon any errors.
