Beauty and the Beast

Chapter 12

"Beast!" I screamed through the hall as I tripped over broken furniture. "I know you're up here. Please, just show yourself." I said as I looked all over the place.

The room was so dark that I almost couldn't see anything; a glow being the only light in the whole half of the house. Following the glow, I gasped at its beauty. A single rose was held in a glass container as a pink light reflected off the glass, the petals around it lay limp on the wooden table beneath. The rose was a deep red, much like the ones he had left for me each morning. Walking over, I reached to touch the glass.

Claws dug into my arm so tightly that I screeched from the cuts that I'm sure had formed. "Don't touch that." A growling voice yelled into my face.

Though I should have backed down in fear at how angry he was, I couldn't help but relax at the realization that he actually was here. "What is it?" I asked before I could stop myself.

I looked up in time to see him blink in confusion, leaning towards me so I could get a full view of those crystal eyes that had only been left as a memory over the past two days. Silently, I wondered if he had missed my company as much as I had missed his. Even after only spending a little over a day together, I had missed him while he was gone for merely a couple of days. Charlie was right, something was definitely wrong with me.

"It's my life line." He whispered after a few minutes.

It was my turn to be confused. "What do you mean?" I asked.

He sighed before walking away from me, leaving me alone with the glowing flower that I now know was his whole life. "I was 22, it was my birthday so what other way to celebrate than to have a ball? Hundreds of people came, only the richest men and the most beautiful women were allowed inside the walls that now belonged to me since my parents had long ago passed." He started to explain as I searched for his black fur through the darkened room. "A knock at the door caused me to open it to some hag standing there with a cake. She said 'Happy Birthday. Will you let me in?'"

He paused, I could hear his sigh echoing in the darkness. "I laughed before slamming the door in her face. When another knock sounded at the door, I opened it to a stunning girl who could have given a poor, dirty man a heart attack with just one glance. Her stunning features scowled at me as she opened her mouth to say 'I have heard a great deal about you and never believed that you could be so rotten, from this day on your true form will be revealed only until this rose's last petal falls or love beats them to it.'" He came into the view of the glowing rose to look at me. "This is who I really am, inside an out." His head hung in despair.

I swallowed the lump in the back of my throat before walking up to him. As softly as I could, I placed a hand on his hairy cheek. "I don't believe that. People change due to different circumstances, though yours have been a little dramatic, you've changed into the man your parents always wanted you to be."

Beast snorted. "My parents would run just like the rest of them did at my party with just one look at me." He shook his head in sadness. "I doubt the fact that today would mark the 125th year and that there is only one petal left can be a really good sign." He sighed before backing away from my touch.

I looked over at the rose to see that there was in fact only one petal left. My eyes widened. "What happens after that petal falls?" I asked, fearing the answer.

"After living for 125 years wondering the same thing, I'm thinking it's probably death." Suddenly, he laughed. "You would think 125 years would be enough to want to die, right? Yet, there is still so much of the world I haven't gotten to see and the fact that the rest of my staff may die along with me is enough to make me wish to live for forever." He shook his head in disgust.

The thought of death only reminded me of what was about to happen. "Beast, we have to get you out of here." I said, suddenly sounding frantic.

He snorted. "What are you talking about? Didn't you hear me? Either this is the last day for me to live or that witch was lying. I can't just leave." Beast shook his head at me as he growled. "Don't worry, you're free to go. I won't let you stay here and watch us all die, that's not why I kept you here."

"Then why did you keep me here?" I snapped at him, suddenly growing angry. If he hadn't kept me here, then Ashton wouldn't be downstairs right now trying to break in and kill him. None of this would have happened and I wouldn't be standing here worrying about the animal who has always seemed to be a man to me.

He hesitated before using a claw to brush a lock of my hair away from my face. "You're here because I've been a lonely animal for 125 years and you happened to be the most beautiful, kind, understand woman I have ever laid eyes on. For as long as I shall live, I will always be in debt to how kind you have truly been to a monster like me."

A tear slid down my cheek as I opened my mouth to reciprocate such sweet words. Just as I was about to speak, the sound of a crash cut me off. Both our heads shot to the direction of the stairway.

"Beast! I have come for your head!" A booming voice echoed through the broken hallway as a chill ran down my spine. Ashton was here.