The Beast and the Beauty

Chapter Five

"She can't stay here! Are you insane! He's going to hear us any minute now."

"She's just a girl! You know what's in those woods at night!"

"You do not make the decisions around here!" I press my hand to my forehead and sit up, my eyes fluttering open only to find I'm surrounded with house items that seem to be alive.

"Is this hell?" I question and lift an eyebrow. "Am I dreaming?" The clock on the ground shakes his head and crosses his clock arms over his chest.

"No, ma'am. You're not dreaming and you're not dead. But we all will be soon! If you don't leave!" He insists and I furrow my eyebrows. The clocks seems to be slightly angry with me, but that would be unreasonable since I've done nothing to the clock. But he also seems to be slightly scared for himself.

"What?"

"Please excuse my dear friend here, he was dropped on his head as a baby. What can I do for you, madam?" The candle hops next to me on the couch. I massage my temples and take in everything around me.

I'm in a mansion that seems to be ages old, almost falling apart but yet utterly gorgeous, and I'm having a conversation with a candle and a clock, who seemed to be disagreeing on something.

"I-I need to find my brother. His footprints lead me here." I nod as the words leave my mouth and I make sure I knew exactly what I'm talking about.

"I'm sorry, we don't know of-"

"Tallish male, brown hair, brow eyes?" The candle stick asks and I nod quickly, a smile making its way to my face.

"Yes!" I shout. "Thats Elliot!"

"Well," his mood drops and he hops off the couch, his flames reigniting. "Follow me."

The other items break off and go into the places you'd normally find them as the candle and the clock lead me into the basement, which looks more like a dungeon.

The worry in me raises quickly as I hug my sweatshirt to my body, the temperature in the basement dropping as much as 20 degrees as I walk farther down the stone stairs. "It's cold." I mumble. Then I remember Eli, if he's been down here in these temperatures then he's probably already gotten sick. His breathing is already horrible as is, he must be terrified.

A few minutes later a large cage alone the stairs comes into view and I spot Elliot right away, huddled in the corner and visibly shivering. The light from the window making him hardly visible. "Eli!" I shout and run to the cage, trying to open it but it's locked tightly.

"S-Safia?" He questions and crawls to the door, his freezing fingertips making contact with mine. He's got to be seriously ill. "No, no. You need to go-you need to leave now!" He begins sobbing and shaking his head quickly.

"Who would do such a horrible thing?!" I question and grip the bar even tighter.

"You need to go before he comes back! Please Saf-" Eli is cut off by the loud creaking of the stairs I've just made my way down. The amount of weight on them making them crumble slightly as the thing makes its way towards us.

The light isn't enough to show what lies before me, so I squint at it and stand with all of the courage in me. "Who are you?" I question and a low growl erupts from the thing standing before me. The large silhouette standing multiple feet taller than me, nearly glowing eyes staring back at me.

"You are in my house, disrupting my prisoner, and you think you have the right to question me?" He booms and I take a step back,  the volume from the creature startling me.

"Your prisoner is my brother! What has he done to you to be locked up in here?!" I cross my arms over my chest and try to get a better look at the thing before me in the horrible lighting. It seems to have fur that sticks out and it looks to be almost nine feet tall. My arms fall to my side as I realize this can't be a human. "What are you?" I furrow my eyebrows.

"That's none of your concern. Leave now, you don't belong here, girl." He growls and turns away from me, the large figure retreating up the stairs.

"Wait!" I shout before i can stop myself, my voice shaking. "Please, he's sick. Can't you see that?" The beast stops halfway up the stairs, not turning back to look at me as I plead.

"He broke into my home, ate my food, and now he's brought you. What would you have me do?" He snarls.

"Let him go, I'll stay with you." I offer and bite my lip.

"You would do that? For him?" He questions and slowly makes his way down the stairs.

"Of course, I love him." I respond.

The beast makes his way towords me, stopping a few feet away from me and finally moving into the light. He's covered with hair from head to toe, his hands the size of my face. He's got a long shawl on over his shoulder that is clearly made out of the most expensive of fabrics. His teeth are bared as he growls and stares at me with a horrid look.

"No, Safia. You have to leave now. You don't need to do this!" Eli shouts.

"Quiet!" The beast shouts. "If you do this, you're stuck here with me, as long as you live."

"Yes, I understand." I make my way to the bars and offer Elliot a smile. "It's okay. You'll be safe now. I love you." Tears stream from his eyes and he shakes his head quickly.

Before I know what's happening the beast throws the door open and grabs Elliot by the collar of his shirt and pulls his away from me, slamming the door of the cell shut locking me inside.

"I'm sorry, miss." The clock says and hangs his head low. "I tried to warn you." And without another word he turns and follows the beast out.