The Beast (Harry Styles)

Chapter Seven Part One: Back Home

William has made it back home;

Never with the Band of Baby Brains will he roam.

But William won't leave Adeline in the palace,

For he knows she'll face terrible malice.

~.~

In The Village

William arrived in the comfortable carriage back home, but that didn't give him any peace.

All he could think about was his poor sister.

Adeline, his selfless baby sister; Adeline, the person who always took the blame when he messed up; Adeline, the angel who walked Earth.

Why had he been so stupid? Why couldn't he just tell the group no, he wouldn't go to find the Beast.

He thought about the time, once before, when he had almost sentenced his death and Adeline saved him from his foolishness. 

~.~

William approached the cliff. They said he could join if he'd just simply tried an extreme sport—cliff diving. 

"There's only a three foot drop," Joshua said.

"And add twenty more feet," Robert muttered under his breath, but William didn't hear it. 

If there was one thing William absolutely feared the most, it was heights. But being accepted into their oh-so exclusive group sounded much more appealing than having the nasty whispers behind his back. 

So he had agreed.

It wasn't a terrible drop unless something would go horribly wrong. Nonetheless, William was scared. He had snuck out early that morning to avoid his conscience that took the form of his sister. 

Adeline was always warning him to watch out around Robert and Joshua; she had said they were no good. 

But they had offered him the two things he wanted more than anything: respect and acceptance.

And there he was, standing on the edge of a cliff, ready to jump off it. 

William tried to pacify himself, reassuring himself that nothing would happen to him. 

"Good luck, William," Joshua said, patting him on the shoulder before him and Robert started back. "We'll be at the bottom to catch you." William nodded.

William closed his eyes, trying to block out the image of falling over and not being caught, falling to his death with no one to save him, no one to come get his body. 

He took a deep breath and stepped near the end of he cliff.

As he was about to jump into what he thought were the arms of Robert and Joshua, he heard his conscience from a few feet away.

"William! This is absolutely mad!" Adeline's voice filled his ears, and he stepped back and around. Sure enough, Adeline was standing at the edge of the small trees, arms crossed at her chest.

"Adeline? How'd you know I was here?"

She came closer to him. "You have to improve your stealth mode; it also didn't help when you tripped over the side table and broke the lamp." William's cheeks reddened at the memory of his morning escape. 

"Adeline, I have you do this; you don't understand," William tried to plead with his sister.

"You don't have to jump off a cliff to prove yourself; you have to come home where our mother is having a meltdown because you're missing. Come home." Adeline was only two feet away from him. "Come home to the place where you'll never have to prove yourself because everyone already loves you for who you are." She held her hand out, asking for William's to bring him home.

"Adeline—"

"No. Nothing is worth joining these...baby-brained people! You're scared of heights also; you face your fears when you're ready to, not when someone tells you to. Please. Just come home with me."

William sighed, knowing Adeline had been right: she always was right. He took her hand and they returned home.

~.~

William shuddered at the memory. How could someone so good be stuck in such a terrible life? It confused him. The carriage stopped in front of his house.

He got out, running up his stairs and in the house.

His mother, father, and Sam sat in the living room discussing something. Sam practically never left the store, so it must have been important.

"Neither has returned!" his mother cried. "Where are they?" Her hands covered her face as she wept for her lost children.

"Mother?" William timidly said.

He heard her stop crying and all eyes went to him. 

"William!" his father shouted, shooting up and racing towards his son. He hugged William, embracing him until his mother pulled her husband away to hug her son.

Sam came over and smiled, patting his back. "Told you he would show up; Adeline has never been wrong...but where is she?" William's mother left from their embrace and looked around as if she had forgotten about her daughter.

"The Beast!" was all he could muster before crying himself. "He has her, oh God, he has her captive! He had me and she took my place! We have to save her!"  William ran into the living room and paced around in a circle. 

"W-what?" his father stuttered.

"I think we should all sit," Sam suggested knowing no good could come from William's explanation. They sat in the living room and William recalled the events that seemed surreal and fictitious.

William told them about his journey, how he arrived at the castle, meeting the Beast, and how Adeline had offered herself in exchange for William's freedom.

"My baby girl," his mother choked out when he finished.

"We have to save her! We have to go back to the castle! We have to—"

"Did I hear someone mention a Beast?"

The family faced the doorway, where John stood in the frame, not shocked, but thoughtful and reminiscent.

"Have you heard of him?" Sam cautiously asked, knowing how John could be. 

"I might be of some help."

~.~

When John is involved, it can't mean good,

But the Beast is someone he understood;

Next time it is back to Adeline

Where Harry's invitation was too benign.

Will romance, disaster, or tragedy ensue?

Until next time, in chapter seven: part two. . . 

~.~

I was gonna wait about a week (probably shorter) to update, but then I realized I might have just left you hanging there with William just being sent off and never heard from again; so I'm splitting this into two parts!  

See you next time around Tuesday or Wednesday-ish?