The Beast

The Beast (16)

Something was off...

I leaned against the railings, watching with furrowed brows at the ocean laid out before me, crashing heavily against the cliff the huge mansion stood on.

The sun was just setting, casting an orange glow over the water, a calm, tranquil sight yet I couldn't quite get rid of the horrible feeling tugging at my chest.

Something was horribly wrong...

Without a moment's hesitation, I slowly hoisted myself up, balancing myself on the cool metal surface of the railing, almost like I was in some trance.... a puppet controlled.

What was I doing?

"Raine!"

I turned my head back, my eyes landing on a woman I thought I would never see again. My mother...

"Mom?" I whimpered as I watched her stand at the open balcony doorway, a small frown on her lips as she stretched her arms out wide...

"Stay away from there Raine..." She slowly started walking towards me and I found myself turning my whole body around, oblivious to the fact that with a small mistake of taking a small step back, I would plunge to my death.

Her hair was fluttering wildly around her, the wind beating against us heavily.

"Raine..."

I let out an ear-piercing scream as she suddenly toppled over, a man clad in black standing over her with a bloody knife in hand, his dark, blood-red eyes trained on me.

"You belong to me...princess." He whispered darkly, letting out an evil hair-raising laugh.

And with that, I slipped and fell into the rocks and harsh waters below, struggling to breathe as tears streamed down my face...

"No.... stop...No!!!!!" I screamed, reaching my arms out in an effort to go back and save my mother.

And everything turned dark...

I lay in the middle of a dark clearing, the full moon the only light source in the sky.

It was dark...yet I almost felt comforted, like I belonged there...

I slowly sat up, looking around the empty place, only making out a few outlines of trees surrounding me... until I heard footsteps.

"Raine..." Warm breath tickled the back of my neck and I froze in my spot, recognizing that voice almost immediately.

Why...

Warm arms wrapped around me and I felt him nuzzle his nose in my neck. I couldn't find the will to move...

"Raine..." He said again, my name rolling off of his tongue in a way that had me shiver...

Suddenly, the shadows all around me started slithering towards us, hesitantly making it's way, to where I was wrapped up in his embrace, in an almost elegant way...like a dark yet enchanting dance.

"You're mine Raine..."

I let out another scream as the shadows swallowed me whole....

Then I woke up, gasping for air as I clutched onto the shirt I was wearing, unable to breathe with the sudden tightening in my chest.

I heard loud footsteps and felt the bed I was on dip but all I could see was blurred figures, looming over me.