"Beauty and the Beast"

Chapter 7

This Chapter is dedicated to Addy12! She has been so encouraging and is keeping me writing! So thank you! and her story Escaping Death is pretty amazing! Check it out! You won't be disappointed.  

Faith woke up in a darkened room that she didn’t recognize. It was much larger then any place in town and even in the dark she could see the ornate carvings in the wood moulding surrounding the ceiling. The air in the room was old and stale, as if the windows were never opened and there was nothing else in the room besides the bed and a night stand next to the bed. The windows were closed and the curtains were drawn back just enough for Faith to see the forest and mountains beyond. The moon was only a sliver in the sky not providing much light, just a faint silver glow cast over everything.

“Where am I?” Faith vaguely remembers asking that question but to who?

 “You are safe.” The voice was so familiar to her. For the life of her she couldn’t place it. Her head was pounding and an ache ran through her entire body. The last thing she remembered was arguing with Victor. And a roar that still filled her ears. The Beast. That thought was nagging at Faith but she refused to believe it. He would have killed me if it was him. No, it couldn’t have been him. But how did I get here? Where is here anyway?

Getting up, Faith’s dress fell around her feet in satin folds. Satin? She looked down and saw that she was no longer in her cotton green dress. Instead she was wearing a light blue, loose fitting gown. Her hair was clean and brushed. The necklace that always hung around her neck was placed on the night stand and it looked as if it had been polished. The tarnished medallion was now shining and the chain that had been broken was replaced. Putting it on, Faith walked toward the door. She felt faintly guilty about wandering around and trespassing on the privacy of those who have helped her but she couldn’t stay in this room, she needed to do something.

The hallway had twists, turns and a door every few feet. Most all of the rooms were bedrooms that were the same as the one she woke up in. There was one corridor that had a wall of windows that looked over a large lake and gardens. There were double glass doors that opened out onto a balcony with a stuffed settee under a shade. Faith went out and was greeted by a cold gust of wind. Shivering, she stepped back inside but, before she could close the doors, a blanket settled over her shoulders. Faith jumped about a foot in the air. She spun around and saw a small ball of light floating in front of her.

“There you are my dear. It gets colder out here then in your village.” A light, twinkling voice sounded from the light. It’s a fairy. Faith’s mother had told her about fairies in the stories with the Femme Fatale but she never believed they existed.

“Umm… Hello,” Faith greeted uncertainly.

“I am overjoyed to see you up and about. I am Madam Lenora,” the fairy chirped in a musical voice.

“Ah, where am I exactly?”

“You are in the master’s castle. He brought you here after your fall and bonk to the head. You hit yourself hard there too,” Lenora said. She had a reassuring presence, like that of a mother caring for you in a storm and you are frightened. And that is how Faith felt; she was in a strange place with a mysterious man she has never met. Although she was grateful for this ‘master’s’ generosity, she was scared. Part of her knew that they would not take the effort to help her if they only meant to kill her but there were worst fates then death.

“Who is the master?” Faith asked after a moment. Lenora was leading her down this hallway and through that door. Faith would never be able to find her way back.