Disclaimer: I don't own and then you don't sue. Quite simple actually.

Thank you to all who has reviewed and taken the time to read and tell me what they think! So here it is: THANK YOU!

Now I got back from Michigan safely, like I said in my last little bit, and now I am here to give you more. Now on with the show!

-BeautyandYue

Chapter 9

By: BeautyandYue

During the next hour TJ led Karone and Andros on the most boring tour. TJ, not having a clue about the castle, made stuff up as he went along. Because of this Andros complained, which led to TJ fighting back. Karone saw this as her chance to slip away. TJ and Andros stopped their fighting when they looked up to see Karone heading up a staircase that was not where she was meant to go.

Karone put a foot up to step on the next stair when Cogsworth and Lumiere appeared right in front of her, blocking her. "What's up there?" Karone askedlooking up the staircase to the dark places beyond it.

"Nothing! Nothing of interest at all in the West Wing." Cogsworth answered quickly trying to divert her.

"Ah, so that's the West Wing." Karone said immediately interested and curious.

"Nice going." Lumiere said sarcastically.

"I wonder what he's hiding up there." Karone wondered out loud craning her neck to see.

"Nothing, very dark, dusty, nothing of interest up there." Cogsworth said fearing and hoping in her curiosity but Karone did not want to be sidetracked.

"Then it wouldn't be forbidden." She said impishly, stepping over them.

Cogsworth and Lumiere got in front of her again. "Maybe you'd like to look at the exquisite tapestries which date all the way back too…" Cogsworth was getting desperate.

Karone was getting annoyed at them. "Maybe another time." She again stepped over them.

"Maybe you'd like to see the garden, the library, or, or the music room perhaps." Lumiere put in.

"You have a music room?" Karone asked delighted.

Andros and TJ were relieved and perhaps a little disappointed that Karone hadn't pressed on in spite of their protests. "Oh, yes! Lesson books, instruments of every kind! Gads of music! Mountains of music! Music that's ever been made or composed!" Arm in arm Cogsworth and Lumiere went down the hall rattling on and on. Karone started after them but hesitated. 'Why should I go just because they don't want me up there? How will I break the spell if they keep diverting me?' she thought and with out any second thought slipped up the stairs. Andros and TJ didn't realize that she was gone.

Karone went up the stairs and entered into a very different world. It was dark, lit by a lone torch and the place was completely silent. She cautiously walked down the hall. Karone's image slid across a mirror. Once it must have been beautiful but now it was smashed, only jagged pieces remained, the broken pieces still on the floor underneath it. Karone came upon imposing oak doors with a gruesome beast's face as handles. She put her hand out on the handle then stopped, suddenly scared. 'Should I be doing this? Since I was told not to come here and lured away by the others?' she thought 'but how else am I supposed to find out?' that decided it. Karone took a deep breath and pulled open the door.

Karone stepped inside at first glance she saw a very sad place, broken furniture, torn clothes, and spider webs adorned the place. She ducked under a torn cloth draped across the only way not littered with something. Here was a broken dresser with its drawers hanging open and quite smashed, broken pottery, and clothes now no more than rags. Karone caught up in her looking didn't see the small table. She bumped into it nearly knocking it over. Karone caught it and set it back in place. There were curtains pulled down, more mirrors' smashed, and there in a pitiful corner was his bed, no more than a mass of torn furs, clothes, and blankets.

Karone felt as though someone was watching her. She whirled around but all that greeted her was a slashed painting with only clear steel gray-blue eyes showing, watching her it seemed. Karone reached out to lift a piece to see whom she thought it was, but was distracted. A soft pink light glowed catching her attention. There on a platform leading to the balcony and on that platform was a small wooden table with a glass cover on it. Karone walked up to it. There under the cover was a rose floating gently and sparkling gently, a few flower petals covered the bottom. She quickly pulled off the cover wanting to touch it. Karone reached out with a slender hand, coming closer and closer, just as she was about to stroke a soft red petal, Karone looked up. Karone gasped in fright. Zhane-Beast was there! He grunted at her, his breath showing in the cold night air. Zhane-Beast grunted in surprise not believing that she had come there. Surprise quickly gave way to anger when he saw what Karone almost had touched. He jumped forward and Karone jumped back. Zhane-Beast landed in the spot Karone had abandoned, quickly putting the glass back around his most prized possession. Paws covering the glass he swiveled his head to glare venomously at Karone growling softly. Karone put her hands up fear coursing through her. "Why did you come here?" Zhane-Beast asked threateningly turning towards his intruder.

Karone backed up "I-I'm sorry."

Zhane-Beast stalked toward her, rage starting to take over him and his emotions. "I warned you never to come here!"

Karone backed quickly behind a scratched up desk "I didn't mean any harm."

"Do You Realize What You Could Have Done!" Zhane-Beast loudly screamed. He bashed the desk breaking it into pieces.

Karone backed up again only to find herself cornered on the dresser that Zhane-Beast had taken his temper out on before. "Please stop!" she pleaded turning her head in fear.

"GET OUT!" Zhane-Beast shouted hate filling his voice.

"Ah, NO!" Karone cried as she turned and ran not looking back.

Zhane-Beast slashed the dresser. He started breaking all the furniture in his rage filled reach, roaring

"GGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTTTTOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTTTTTT!"

Karone ran for her life.

Zhane-Beast stopped when he ran out of things to break. Zhane-Beast stood panting as his wrath wore off. Then he realized what he had just done, scaring away the one person who could help him. Zhane-Beast put his head into his paw at his stupidity of his actions.

Down the stairs Karone ran, grabbing a cloak as she went by. Karone flew over Andros and TJ who had realized too late that Karone had gone. "wh-where are you going?" Andros cried at his fleeing sister.

"Promise or no promise, I can't stay here another minute." Karone stated firmly pulling open the castle door, snow swirled in for it had begun to snow while Karone was upstairs. She grasped the cloak around her as she went out into the cold, heedless to TJ's calls of,

"Oh, please wait! Please!" Andros and TJ looked down in disappointment as the door closed behind Karone, their hopes dashed.

To Be Continued…

Stay tuned! More is to come!

-BeautyandYue