Belle is a maid living in service of a handsome prince who she falls madly in love with. Jealous of all the other women and angry at his refusal to notice her she curses him and turns him into a hideous beast. For years they remain together in the c...
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If you've ever been in the woods when it's dark, you'll know that feeling of being watched a little too well. It's a dreaded feeling that leaves many afraid for their lives. Every sound that you hear where you aren't the source makes your skin crawl and your breath hitch in your throat. The branches on the floor look like snakes and the trees look like long-armed monsters calling out to you, wanting you to enter their dark and twisted embrace.
Dodging the thin whip-like branches left and right I run deeper and deeper into the forest praying with every step that I am going the right way. As I head deeper and deeper into the forest my head begins to spin. The overstimulation of the events of today mixed with this overwhelming feeling that I'm never going to escape this forest.
Suddenly I hear a sound, one that isn't coming from me.
My sudden stop causes my boots to skid into the dirt beneath me resulting in tiny plumes of sand shooting up into the sky and a small pebble or two hitting a hollow trunk. The echoing sound of the pebbles hitting the tree trunk signalled whatever was making the sound I was hearing to stop.
Whatever it is and I remain dead silent, it's probably staring back at me for all I know. Together we're locked in an invisible starting contest until suddenly it breaks it and starts walking towards me. Only it doesn't sound like one thing, it's a group.
Within a second I have my bow loaded and aimed towards the group of whatever the hell is coming towards me. Honestly, I'm not afraid, I faced a beast not even an hour ago so whatever is coming my way I am positive I can stop it.
The large bush in front of me begins to shake, and the leaves tremble and fall as a pair of...hands part the way for a person to walk through.
It's Pierre!
"Oh thank God!" I breathe a sigh of relief and lower my bow.
"I'm the one who should be thanking God. We turned around for a minute and the next thing we knew you weren't there," Pierre says with relief.
Adrien pushes past a few people and stands next to his father.
"Yeah, we thought you were gone forever. Lost to the trees, eaten by a pack of wolves, devoured by a-"
"Adrien, that's enough," Pierre harshly snaps.
I just notice Adrien flinch away from his father but this reaction doesn't last long before he composes himself and mumbles an apology.
Before I kill someone by mistake I take the arrow out of my bow and place it back in my pouch then sling my bow over my shoulder. "Did we find the boys?" I ask remembering the true reason we were out in these woods in the first place.
Pierre smiles and nods. "Yes, they are on their way back to the village with the rest of the party. A few of us just stayed behind to look for you."
Now that made my heart soar. Not only did we find the boys alive but these people most of whom were nothing but strangers to me stayed behind to look for me, the strange new girl.
"Cat got your tongue, louve?" Adrien snickers.
"No," I scoff as I try to fight back happy tears, "I'm just surprised that's all." I smile at them.
"You're going to be part of this village which means you are going to be part of the family, and as cliche, as it sounds family sticks together," Pierre says with a smile.
"You're right that is cliche," I laugh.
Together with my new... family, I head back to the village where a large crowd has gathered around the two once-lost but now-returned boys who both seem to be upset.
Naturally, they will be I mean they were lost in the woods after all but this seems different. Their mothers are attempting to hold them but the boys are sobbing, shaking their heads, and pushing them away.
"What's going on?" Pierre asks one of the men standing closest to us.
"The boys claimed to have seen the beast. They said they went looking for the castle from the legend and when they found it they were attacked by the beast."
Turning my attention back to the boys my heart starts breaking at the sight of their hysterical cries. I know exactly what they have been through and I know how they feel. A part of me also wants to curl into a ball and start crying.
But even though those boys and I have been through a similar ordeal I don't want people to know about my experience. These people may praise and celebrate a legend but that is all they see it as and there is no way they will believe me even if I join up with the other people who have told a similar story.
"Honey, please you need to calm down." one of the women pleads as she tries to hold onto her son's shoulders.
"Non, Maman. you don't understand we have to go back. We need to gather a group of men and go back to the castle!" the boy yelled.
"They want to go back?" Adrien whispered in confusion and I have to admit I was thinking the same thing. Why would they want to go back there? I sure don't.
"Tu es fou ou quoi! Why would you want to go back into those woods? You both could have died and you want to go back. I think the cold messed with your brains," the other woman says as she shakes her head.
The other boy who I assume is her son turns to her and looks up at his mother with a serious expression.
"Maman, you don't understand we have to go back and save the woman who is trapped there."
"What woman?"
"The woman in the window. We have to go back and save the woman in the window!"
I wasn't crazy after all. There was a woman in the window. Their story matches up with mine way more than I thought.
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Quick question do you see that little star at the bottom of your screen? You do, great how about you just give it a little tap to make it shine like you? Okay, I'll stop now, see you guys next time.
