THE KEEPER [Beauty & The Beast retelling]

So it Begins

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'Well, hello there,' a deep voice said slowly, calculative from the dark recess of the room as soon as Mona opened her eyes. She could feel the cold wet slab of concrete beneath her shoulders, the sound of moisture dripping incessantly somewhere to her left. Her eyes barely adjusted to the ill-lit room. At least she thought it was a room. That was till she pushed herself up in a sitting position. She looked out to where the voice seemed to have come from. She peered at it. Slowly, the room started taking shape; a large bricked dome covered with moss and wetness. The air was cold and she could hear the distant rushing of water. They were somewhere in the underground.

'Where am I?' Her voice croaked out as if she hadn't spoken in days, barely audible. In fact, her last memory was of Monday night, late after work and she had been the only other passenger awaiting a train in the subway. It was 11:38 PM to be precise because she had looked at her watch. 'Where am I?' She asked again, bolder.

She couldn't remember anything beyond having looked at her watch. Had she blacked out? Did someone bring her here? Kidnap her perhaps? And that's when panic suddenly gripped her. She hadn't been nervous earlier, but now, she could barely breathe.

'Just breathe.' The voice floated calmly to her again from the darkness. And so she did. One deep breath. Two deep breathe. Three.

'Who are you?' She asked shakily. Not knowing that in a second, she was going to regret having ever asked that question in the first place. What stepped out from the shadows arrested the exhaling breath in her throat, and she suddenly coughed violently. Holy Mother of God!

The thing smiled. Yes, the thing, for Mona had no words to describe the creature that looked like a man, but nothing like a human. His skin was scaly, his eyes red as blood, his hair had a hint of horns to them, and his canines sharp as knives.

His smile widened as he took another step closer. 'I don't know about Gods, but you may call me Lucifer.'

Mona could feel the burning in her chest from lack of breathing. How did he know what she was thinking?

'Mona, Mona, Mona.' He clicked his tongue and stepped closer still. 'I know a lot more than that.' He leaned in closer, stooped to her eye level. 'Just breathe.'

Mona pulled in a sharp breath and stared, feeling tears sting her eyes. She was going to die, wasn't she?

He stood back up and simply smiled.

Mona looked around, wanting to find an escape somehow, somewhere, but where? She glanced fearfully at the retrieving back of Lucifer. The name sent chills down her spine.

'Why do they call you that?' She called out as he disappeared into the darkness. 'Lucifer.'

'Because that's my name!' His voice suddenly split behind her. She jumped up from the slab and screamed. His face loomed behind her. He stared, emerging from the darkness. Mona could hear the squeak of rusty wheels, and soon enough, the trolley he was pushing came into view. It was covered in satin cloth of gold. What was under there? Scalpels and pincers maybe? Her throat dried. Her heart pounded in her ears. She was going to be skinned alive. The thought almost made her feel faint.

'Sit down.' He pushed the trolley closer to her. 'You're more dramatic than I thought you'd be.'

Mona barely nodded and sat back down on the cold slab. The trolley was pushed right in front of her. Then he removed the satin cloth, revealing a spotless cloche.

'Eat.' He growled and went to turn around.

'Wait.' She cried out desperately. 'Won't you tell me where I am? And why I'm here?'

The beast turned with narrowed eyes. 'Why aren't you asking why I brought you here?' She shook her head. She wasn't sure she had the guts to ask him that. 'You'll know soon enough. Just eat your dinner and get ready.'

She nodded. Barely. And as he turned, she swore she could see his eyes glow red like fire. Hellfire. She glanced at the closed cloche again, and thought better of it, even though she was starved.

'Eat!' Came the growl, harsh and very, very effective. Before Mona knew it, she was lifting the cloche out of volition. What the?! Inside, was a delicious roast chicken and three veggies, with a tall glass of chilled juice, and a bowl of strawberries in yoghurt. She sniffed at the food wondering if it was poisoned. Then she picked up the fork and knife and dug in. Better die from poison than to be shredded to pieces in what awaited her beyond the darkness. And what did he mean by 'get ready'? She assumed this was literally her last meal. She was famished and so she licked her plate clean and jumped on the tangy fruit.

Mona stared from her bowl of fruit unsure. Had she seen it correctly? Had there always been a dress bag next to her on the slab, or had the beastly thing brought it while she's been too distracted by the food?

She put down the dish on the trolley and slowly rose, moving cautiously towards the bag. What could be inside other than a dress, right? She reached her hand to the zip and slowly pulled it down. Inside lay a crimson red, floor length dress with a beautiful sequined emerald green bustier. And it seemed to look her size. How had he known? That thought suddenly led her to wonder how long she'd been held captive already.

She pulled the dress out and admired it. Was she some sacrificial goat? She knew some cultures back in dark ages used to adorn their sacrificial offerings to some invisible God they prayed to. Was she that?

'Gods don't descend down here,' the unmistakable low growl of Lucifer lurked once more behind her. She turned almost jumping out of her skin. If he was making a habit out of creeping up behind her, she pretty much deduced that that was how she was going to go out. Not flayed, not burned, no, no torture at all, but a simple matter of a heart attack.

Her mouth slowly opened in what she could only say was the shock. Lucifer stood there in what looked like an intricately made royal attire of the 1800s. Velvet, gold ornaments and black trousers that were all regal.

'I trust you were happy with your meal?'

Mona nodded. She couldn't process the image fast enough. 'Are we going somewhere?' She mumbled in astonishment.

He smiled a smile that was almost human. 'A ball, my lady.'

Mona felt herself frown at him. This was all about some silly ball? Was he in a costume?

'Jared, is that you?' She asked almost laughing. 'Is this some kind of a candid camera thing? Who put you up to this? Leanne?'

Lucifer stood there quietly. 'Jared is the one you fancy, it is not?'

Mona's jaw dropped and her candor vanished as quickly as it had raised its head. 'You're not Jared?'

He shook his head and stood at attention. 'People call me Lucifer, among many other names. You may call me whatever you please.'

Mona couldn't think of any reason why she'd need to call him by any other name, or a name at all. 'A ball?' He nodded.

'I'll be back in 10 minutes to fetch you.' He turned, wheeling the trolley away, vanishing once more into the ever-present darkness.

Was there a door there just beyond her eyesight? Mona curiously stepped towards it, and as the darkness moved back and what little light in the room followed her, she happened upon another slab very similar to her own. And she couldn't help but scream. A scream that echoed and echoed beyond the darkness that kept at bay.

Thereupon the slab was something she'd never thought she'd see. Her own body, lifeless. Mona screamed once more before she felt the rush of air past her ears, the darkness move in, and the floor slip from under her feet. She wasn't going to die today. No.

She was already dead!