Chapter 1
Once upon a time, there lived ‘La Belle enfante’ Called Belle who together with her father lived in joyfulness until he was taken captive by the beast, unable to bear it, Belle took the place of her father as the captive of the beast, so she lived in a cage in the mansion of the beast.
This beast cold, menacing and domineering, derives pleasure in anguish, he watches Belle every day within her cage and fantasises about different fun games he could play with her but always walks away, holding back his emotions
One day he left the mansion in haste leaving Belle’s cage open, stupified and sceptical, she refused to step out of the confines of the wrought iron, but as the day wore on, confusion contorted into apprehension, looping back into puzzlement. Her mind churned with unanswered questions, circling relentlessly around the unnerving revelations that he might not come back anytime soon and if she had left she might have made it far away from the mansion by now.
A heavy rain started to fall from the now dark clouded sky, the gloomy weather chilling and looming with secrets, Reluctantly, her thoughts began to converge toward an ominous conclusion.
The beast might be dead.
Commandeered by grim bravery, Belle reached for the iron entrance of the cage and forced it open, the basically rusty iron made an exaggeratedly loud screech making her grit her teeth, hoping she was alone in the mansion, Her heart pounded in its compartment, parroting the rhythmic drumming of the rain against the windowsill, as she slinked away from her confinement for days now,
Emerging from the space, An eerily gloaming mansion, welcomed her with only a sparse distribution of candles that cast long, dancing shades against the cold pebble walls as the wind blew, its chill waft whispering through the echoing halls, extinguishing the feeble flames of the candles and plunging the mansion further into darkness. Where could it possibly be coming from? She could follow the wind.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she made her way to wherever her legs led, her tiptoeing footsteps reverberating in the choking serenity. The rooms were deserted, the ominous silence hanging heavy in the air knotted unease in the pit of her stomach as she proceeded with her search for a path out of the dark in the dark, she cluelessly ambled to the kitchen of the place and still found it similarly devoid of life like the rest of the mansion. It was already chow time, yet there was no bustling movement, no simmering pots and kettles, and no gaudy cooks, she wondered how food was fetched for her every day if no one was in the mansion
Her frown deepened. Something stood awry.
A shiver of dread traced its way down her spine as she arrived at the realisation that she didn’t understand the imprint of the building and could not head straight for the main door, And now, she was beginning to doubt if the beast was indeed dead but had simply left the cage open because he knew she couldn’t run.
Belle’s thoughts were shattered abruptly by a sudden boom of thunder outside the dark mansion, She hadn’t noticed the gathering storm clouds until now, her hope for a possible escape having thoroughly consumed her.
The beast tramped back home leisurely, his urge to hunt and play ruling his other senses, With every step closer, different scenarios went through his mind, making his fingers flex and his grin broad, the thought of catching Belle and playing with her pleasant to him.
His pace increased, the hunger for fun insisted, He could no longer wait!
The rain hammered relentlessly against the windows, echoing the turmoil in her heart. The beast was still absent and he might not enter the rain back home she had time, Her victorious thought immediately came crashing down when she heard the sound of the cart’s wheel rolling into the compounds despite the rain, he was back.
The Beast.
A bone-deep fear began to creep in, spreading its icy tendrils around her heart and almost rooting her barefooted feet to the cold marble floor but her survival instinct kicked in seconds after her shock making her hide behind a heavy curtain
Oh, the grand entrance to the mansion creaked open pushing her to hold her breath, and then a cold gust of wind seeped in, strengthening the sound of the downpour outside. She froze, her heart pounding like a drum in her chest as the grand doors slammed shut with a resounding thud.
The echo of calculated footsteps rang through the mansion, the distinct click of boots on marble growing louder with every passing second. Belle stood rooted to the spot, her heart caught in her throat, was he coming this way? the curtains moved with the wind so she decided it wasn’t safe there and set to move but the footsteps halted abruptly, causing her heart to pause alongside it, her eyes wide.
“Belle” The beast’s gruff voice echoed through the vale expanse of the mansion, giving his location away. The beast normally looked and sounded abnormal but right now she administered sadly that his tone was unnerving, with a strange, pumped-up edge to it that sent a frisson of terror down her spine. “Belle?” he summoned for her again, and she could almost hear the anticipatory grin in his voice, he knew she wasn’t in her cage. Even as they weren’t in the same hall, she instinctively retreated, her breath hitching in her chest.
“La Belle Enfante, We should talk” His voice was eerily playful, a disturbing distinction to the fear bubbling up inside her.
Father, help! Turning on her heel she tiptoed down the corridor, away from him, from where his voice was reaching, despising herself for not figuring out the way to the main entrance earlier.
“I just want to play Belle” his confession came almost innocent but the air wasn’t lying to her “It won’t take much of your time… ”
He promised Belle to free her if she played a game with him
The game? Hide and seek.
That was actually a very good game that she loved playing but this was the beast, and he only glared, growled and his hairy skin wasn’t an inviting sight to wish to play with, She had loved such playful challenges as a child, but they were imaginary and harmless.
Belle was very suspicious of this offer but she missed being Belle the beautiful child of her village and she wanted to go back to her life, so yes, she agreed as she watched him through a small hole, the smile he carried freezing hard to the grounds she blinked fast multiple times her heart growing.
“Good! hide and seek? I love it.” His voice echoed throughout the mansion, chilling her to the bone.
She heard the echo of the beast’s boots on the cold stone floor reverberating through the manor, each ominous click causing her heart to race faster
What was he doing? Belle swallowed hard, her feet continuing their panicked journey through the darkened mansion
“I will give you some time to hide?” His tone was teasing and terrifying all at once and she knew he was lying
Belle froze momentarily, her mind spinning.
This is a dangerous deal, if she fails she will remain in the mansion forever.
Spotting a sliver of light at the end of the hall, Belle guessed it was probably a back door leading outside, Without a second thought, she broke into a sprint, her footsteps echoing in the deadly silence. Upon reaching the door, she yanked at the handle with all her might, but the door remained stubbornly shut.
She fumbled with the lock, desperation giving her temporal strength, but to no avail. The door didn’t bulge, it refused to yield.
Beast’s chuckle reached her, sending a shiver down her spine. “Oh, Belle, this game is hide and seek for a reason and you’re supposed to hide not run” His voice was eerily close, yet she couldn’t discern his exact location, making her feel sweat trickling down her spine despite the cold.
“If you keep running, this game becomes complicated, it is now cat and mouse Belle” he drawled “But a combination of both would be most intriguing, and you seem to prefer it” he confessed, his voice oozing with amusement.
Ignoring his disturbing commentary, Belle struggled with the door once more. When it remained unyielding, she sprinted towards the next door she could see, only to find it locked equally fruitless.
His footsteps echoed again, faster this time. “Belle, I am quite bored, hungry for excitement” he declared, his voice huskier than before.
She hated how he kept calling her name whenever he talked, it kept her on a dangerous edge that she violently wished she wasn’t on.
“I just want to play.” But I’m not. a rat, she would have loved to reply but she knew that would be stupid as it would expose her location.
Play? She did not want to play!
