Beauty in a Beast

Ch. 1 - Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

A knock on the window has me startling into an upright position, grasping at the blankets around me.
As I stare at the darkness, in the direction of the window, I can hear the lock click open...hear the pane sliding upward...a cold breeze whispers into the room, telling the stories of the night outside, it's harsh fingers slicing through my nightgown like tiny knives. The curtains rustle, with the wind? They move just slightly, allowing me to see the lights of the city so far below. Allowing me to see the silhouette of a man climbing in.
A small whimper escapes me, one of fear and uncertainty. The noise seems to confuse the shadow coming in. His head jerks up and I can see his glowing amber eyes. They lock with mine immediately and a sense of familiarity washes over me. I know him. I know those eyes.

"Dont be afraid," he murmurs softly, pausing all movement, "it's me."

"Jeremy," my voice sounds breathless, strained, "how...why..." he chuckles softly and drops quickly to the floor without a sound.

"We made a deal, remember?" He walks closer to my bed, my heartbeat doubling with each step he takes.

"Deal?" I croak as he braces his hands on the mattress and leans toward me.

"You said that if I could get you out of your parents' house, you would go on a date with me."

I blinked at him like a freaking idiot for what felt like forever before his words finally clicked in my brain. "I...you haven't gotten me out of the house. You stupidly got yourself into their house. How did you do that? We are on the tallest floor of this ... this.... skyscraper!"

"If you don't keep it down, neither of us are gonna get out of here," he said and pointedly looked at the door leading to the hallway. Mere steps away, sat my parents, watching TV. "Do you trust me?" He asks suddenly and I'm utterly confused because here I thought this was going to be a 'Beauty and the Beast' story, but then he came in through the window like Peter Pan, and now he sounds like Aladdin.

"Did you come with claws, a fairy, or a flying carpet?" I mutter mulishly. He snickered, paused, and then barked out a laugh.

"All three actually, but she'll kill you if you ever call her a carpet again."

"She? Her? Who are talking about?"

"I asked you a question, first, Rachel, do you trust me?"

I contemplated his question. I don't trust anyone. Ever. Humans are disappointing and selfish, and every single one of them has let me down, some more times than I care to count. I heard my mother's voice come from the other room. Talking to someone on her phone again, I assumed. The tv had been turned up and was now playing what sounded like a football game. I remember the words I said to him about the date. And I remember thinking that I would do anything to leave this family. They don't care for me, they wouldn't miss me, they treat me like either dirt to be walked on and left outside or like a ghost that needs no interaction or love or kindness. "Yes," I hear myself say, "I trust you to get me out of here."

The smile that splits his face brightens the room, lightens my heart, and forces a matching smile onto my own tired face. He grabs my hand and drags me to the window. He looks out for a moment, and then he smiles at me again.

"Ready?" He asks.

"I'm not covered in fairy dust yet so I fail to see how we're going to survive this but, sure, I'll play along."

He laces our fingers together and pulls me closer to his chest. I look up at him. His masculine, defined face is inches from mine, his golden blonde hair falling into his eyes as they gaze at me. He lowers his head, putting his lips just next to my left ear. "I won't let you fall anywhere but in love with me, I promise." And with that, he fell backwards out of the window, dragging me along with him.