I Am

Traded for a Rose (Part Five)

For the first week, she remained in bed, resting her injured arm. The Beast visited her every day to keep her company. During the time in her room, Mr. Unknown did not reveal his presence to her. After the second week, the Beast gave her permission to leave her room. Just as Mr. Unknown had said that night they attacked her, the E.L.A. agent did not return. The Beast followed her everywhere she went in the mansion, yet she did not mind the company. The problem was with their encounters.

Beauty was excited about her new day. The Beast waited for her outside of her bedroom door as he always did for the past two weeks. He seemed to know the exact time she would wake up, and even though it should bother her, it was the exact opposite. She was ecstatic the Beast cared for her.

"Good morning, Beauty. How was your night?"

"Hello, Beast. It was delightful. How was yours?"

"I am happy to hear that. I'm afraid my nights are always the same. Where would you like to go this morning, Beauty, before breakfast?"

Beauty did not remark on him changing the subject as she had gotten used to it. "I was hoping we could visit the library today."

"Splendid. Then we shall do exactly that."

Beauty spent the morning with the Beast in the library in silence as they read. She felt overly conscious of his presence, and it was hard to explain why things had changed between them. She uncurled her body from the seat she had been occupying and placed the book she finished back onto the shelf. Beauty noticed a novel she had never seen before on the top shelf, but she could not easily reach it since it was too high. Beauty stood on her tiptoes and inched the book out of its resting place, but she lost her balance and let go of the book. The book tumbled down off the shelf, but the Beast appeared behind her and steadied her before she fell and then caught the book in his hand. With her back pressed against his body, she felt breathless as her heart pounded. His sudden appearance surprised her because she did not hear him leave his seat.

What was wrong with her?

The Beast handed her the book and stepped away from her and the bookshelf.

"If you need help reaching anything high up, don't be afraid to ask me for help, Beauty," the Beast lectured gently.

Without waiting for her reply, he walked back to his chair and sat down to continue reading. Beauty stood with the novel in her hands and watched him. The Beast looked up from his book and smiled at her. When she realized he knew she was watching him, her face flushed, and she spun around to face the bookshelf. Her heart thumped violently in her chest. What was she supposed to do now? She had to act normal, and she knew she was acting silly. But she couldn't help it. Her emotions were out of control, and no matter how many times she begged her body to calm down, it would not listen to her.

After breakfast, the Beast led her to the gardens. With her arm intertwined with his, he guided her throughout the maze and showed her the fantastic sights of rare flowers and trees flourishing within the magical forest. When they reached the rose garden, he released her to explore. Beauty wandered farther and found a secret garden full of lilies. She stepped off the path to get a closer look but stumbled back with a scream when she nearly stepped on a garter snake.

The Beast wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace.

"What's wrong, Beauty?"

A mixture of embarrassment and fear flushed her cheeks as she confessed, "There was a snake."

The Beast smiled down at her and ran his fingers through her hair. "I'll get rid of the scary monster for you."

While she was in his embrace, the Beast snapped his fingers, and the garter snake vanished, teleporting to another part of the garden.