Finding Beauty

Chapter 3

~Beauty~

"The Beast took my mom."

Grayson's eyes are wide as he paces the room, then he pauses like a deer caught in the glow of headlights. "The Beast...The Beast is a murderer! He's dangerous and merciless and you have his location!" He grabs the diary and waves it in front of me. "You need to take this to the police!" The people of New York named The Beast for his killing habits. He's definitely no joke.

He's known for killing criminals but their bodies are never found. There are many local conspiracy theories about it. Some say he keeps the bodies and eats them, that he's a cannibal. Others say he has a section in the woods somewhere where he buries the bodies, creating a little graveyard of his own. No one's sure why he kills criminals but then again they aren't all that concerned. He only goes after criminals and as long as you aren't one you don't have much to worry about. But after stealing from him . . .I guess my mother is a criminal.

Out of all the people to steal from it had to be him!

"Of course," I finally respond. The faster the police get this information, the faster they'll get to my mom. But then, it dawns on me. What if it's too late? What if my mom's already dead?

My imagination forms the image of my mother lying dead, drenched in her own blood.

I shake my head. I can't think like that. It won't help. My phone suddenly vibrates in my pocket.

"Who is it?" Grayson asks leaning over my shoulder. He's been pretty protective of me today. He keeps looking at me with this look in his eyes. Like he's waiting for me to shatter into pieces. I know he's just looking out for me like he normally does but I wish he would have some faith in my own strength. I don't always need protecting or saving.

"I don't know." The number is not one I recognize.

"You know what? You take that and I'll call the police." He scrambles out of the room and I answer swiftly. I want to join him as soon as possible so we can get my mom back.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sweetie." I know that voice. Relief and shock wash over me. I feel like I'm frozen.

"Mom?"

"Yea." Her voice is light and broken. She's been crying.

"Oh my gosh, you're okay! Where are you?" A million questions and scenarios flood my head until I feel dizzy and don't know what to do or say.

"Listen to me, I stole from a bad man and I'm with him right now. He says he can let me go if I return what I took." I remember what I read.

"You mean the rose?"

"Yea. You read my diary, didn't you?" She sounds disappointed in me. If only she knew how many times I've used it.

"I'm sorry- I needed to- so I could find out where you were-" She cuts me off.

"You didn't give it to the police, right?" Her voice is on edge, like if I say the wrong thing, everything in her might break.

"Not yet." I should. They'll get her back and then everything will go back to normal. Or at least the chaos I've learned to call to normal.

"Don't! I need you to get the rose and bring it here so he can let me go, okay? This is my only chance!"

"Why can't I just give it to the police?"

"If you do that he'll kill me." My heart skips a beat at the mere thought. No, anything but that. I've already lost Dad, I can't lose her too.

"Okay," I decide. "Just tell me where the rose is." I'm surprised to know it's still in the house. The mess left in the apartment lead me to believe The Beast found what he was looking for.