Beauty and the Beast of Gevaudan

Chapter 5: Captive

When morning light began to pour in from the cracks of the cell walls, I pulled out my phone immediately. I began to text the new sheriff who happened to be in the same graduating class as me; Noah Carver.
                                  Noah Carver
C: Not enough time to explain. I'm trapped in dark light mansion. There's a vault in the basement, I'm trapped under there. Someone locked me in here! Please help!
N: Okay I'm on my way. This better not be one of ur infamous pranks again Cece
C: I swear on my life it isn't! I've grown up and quit crying wolf.

I put my phone away and wait. It feels like days pass by but it's really just a couple hours before I hear the familiar metal grinding in metal noise of the vault door. My heart jumps into my throat. I start praying that the person opening the door is Noah. Thank God I'm right.

"Cece?" Noah asks.

"Noah! I'm in this cell!" I call out to him. His figure appears at the cell door, it's too dark to make out any features.

"I see the key." Noah disappears for a moment. "Your grandmother care running into the station last night with Louisa Quinn, yelling about you being trapped at Dark Light Mansion by some monster. We thought she was crazy to be completely honest. Louisa didn't really say anything to hurt or help the situation. The fact that she didn't talk at all should've tipped me off." Noah says as he unlocks the door. The door opens.

"Thank God! Let's go before it comes back." I grab his shirt sleeve.

"Woah, woah, it? What are you saying Cece?" Noah stops.

"Him, It, I didn't really get a good look at whatever trapped me down here. Now let's go." I tug him along. I run up the flights stairs and all the way outside the mansion.

"Jump in the cruiser, I'll take you home." Noah gets in the driver's side of the police cruiser. I comply.
Once I get home, I thank Noah before running inside to Grandmere.

"I'm so sorry I didn't believe you." I cry as she hugs me.

"It's okay. Our next step is figuring out who that beast is." Grandmere pats my back.

"No way, I'm not going back there. I'm not getting involved in these...fairytales." I shake my head.

"Cece, you have some part in the stories. Cara was little red riding hood, you must be something as well. We need to complete the stories and free the town of the curse." Grandmere explains.

"No. This town can rot in hell for all I care." I shake my head and leave the house. I get in my car and drive way over the speed limit to the town line. I see the sign that reads: Now leaving Woodson Creek.
I drive past the sign and see the county line. Just as I reach it my car shuts off completely and comes to a screeching halt. I get out and try to run across the line but something knocks me back and onto the ground. I get up slowly and feel the line. It's like an invisible wall is there. I lay on the ground and stare up at the sky. Suddenly my phone starts to ring. I look at the caller ID.
FaceTime Call from: Cara Rose-Anders

"Hello?" I answer.

"Hey Aunt Cece." Cara replies. I can see she's on her way to a class as people pass in the background.

"Oh my God, you are a hard woman to get in contact with!" I sigh.

"I take it things are going well in Woodson Creek?" Cara asks.

"No! Not at all! I almost got murdered by a monster at Dark Light Mansion and now I'm laying parallel to the county line, which I can't cross by the by." I hiss.

"...I was afraid of that stuff happening while I'm away. Look I can come home this weekend and help but I don't think there's much I can do. If you're the one being prevented from leaving the town, it probably means you're the main character in whatever story is happening right now." Cara offers.

"How do I know what story this is?" I ask.

"Well, what's happened since you arrived?" Cara inquires.

"Well, first Grandmere got taken hostage by some wolf like creature at the mansion, but I offered to take her place." I shrug.

"Oh well that's easy. The story is Beauty and the Beast." Cara explains.

"Oh how fitting...I suppose that would make me Belle." I say sarcastically.

"Most likely. Who got you out of the captivity?" Cara asks.

"Uhhh the new sheriff, Noah Carver." I sigh.

"He could be Gaston." Cara offers.

"So what do I have to do? Fall in love with the creature and live happily ever after? I think not!" I squeak.

"Well if there's anything I've learned from mine is that each fairytale has some sort of darkness to it. For example the wolf wasn't done friendly neighborhood wolf, it was a werewolf which happened to be the town's sheriff." Cara chuckles.

"So what do I do?" I sigh.

"I have to go to class but just research every form of beauty and the beast ever, you don't want any surprises." Cara says before hanging up. I get up from off the pavement and turn my car on. The engine clicks to life and I drive back home. I send Cara one text as I go:
I think you need to come home....