Beauty's Beast- The Light

by Sebrena Merly

  Now, where to go. The castle was rather large, after all, and easy to get lost in. Though, there was that tower that could lead back into the kitchen, and Bella was quite hungry, so that would be in her best interest. But what of the other places? Maybe she could find a way out without getting caught, one that wasn't as noticeable as the entrance she had entered at; something secret. But was getting lost worth the effort? What if something found her—something worse than the demon? Was that really worth it as well?

  Deciding that, at the moment, it was in her best interest to survive, Bella walked down the hall towards the room where the stairs were. Though, when she got there, she spotted the other door. The demon had warned her not to go in there, but why? Maybe that was where her exit was.

  Or, maybe, he was hiding something.

  Curious, Bella took a step towards the door, and then another, her hand reaching for the handle. Just as she was about to grab it, however, she heard someone descending the stairs.

  Frantic, Bella threw a look around the room, searching for the best place to hide, but there wasn't really much of one, save an empty barrel that she could squat behind, but she would have to hold really still and pray that there weren't any prodding eyes. When she got into her position, she blew at the flame of her candle, which snuffed out happily, and she ducked her head to her knees, burying her face into the robe.

  "I honestly don't understand why he doesn't have men at her doors. She should be watched," someone said; a man, from the sounds of it. He sounded insistent, and rather prude; as if he knew for a fact that he was correct. And that was, as a matter of fact, exactly when he thought, since he was right about things a majority of the time, but he was always rather overly confident about his predictions. "The girl is going to be a nuisance, I say!"

  "Ganesh," another voice sighed, who Bella found to be Thais, as her voice was quite recognizable. "I'm sure she's harmless. The poor girl is just frightened, is all, and for good reason. She doesn't even know why she's here!"

  The room grew brighter suddenly, which made Bella flinch and squeeze herself even tighter, scared of what would happen if she were caught. Much to her unfortunate luck, the male, Ganesh, suddenly made a noise in the back of his throat, one that let her know that he had heard her. Either that, or he somehow sensed her presence.

  "Someone's in here with us," he stated clearly. Then louder, "Intruder, show yourself!"

  "Don't be ridiculous," Thais said, though she, too, sounded like she thought otherwise.

  "You know I'm not. Must I repeat myself, trespasser? Show yourself, or you will be made, and there will be consequences."

  Horrified, Bella leapt to her feet, eyes wide. "Please!" she cried out, uncertain. "I meant no harm!" She trailed off, frowning.

  The man in front of her was human.

  "My, would you look at this," Ganesh said, looking at Thais, who rolled her eyes, pointedly. He looked at Bella, sniffing the slightest bit, small nose scrunching, then his deep blue eyes lit up. "This one actually bathed herself."

  "It's not like the others get much of a choice," Thais muttered. Then she raised her voice. "This is Bella." She looked at the girl. "I believe that is how it's pronounced, yes?"

  "Yes," Bella said, distracted with Ganesh, who was looking her over in approval. "You-you're human."

  "I most certainly am not!" he scoffed, crossing his arms as he squinted, as if offended by the mere thought. "You humans are so quick to judge. Just because I look a certain way does not mean that I am simply that way." He seemed to think a moment, then added, "Though I can't exactly blame you for coming to such conclusions."

  "Then you're not human?"

  Ganesh glanced over at Thais. "Well, I can see that this one catches on quickly."

  "Give her a chance, Ganesh. She's just a girl; a human girl, at that. She's probably hardly had any time to settle into our world and be pulled from her own." Thais looked at Bella. "You did just learn of us recently, did you not? Or have you known of us all along?"

  "I've heard stories," Bella offered, twiddling her thumbs together. "But that's all they were to me. Merely tales from fictional books, or myths spread through rumor."

  "So, you didn't believe any of them just because you hadn't seen any of us yet?" Ganesh pressed. He rolled his eyes. "My, that ought to get you somewhere."

  "Ganesh!" Thais hissed when Bella frowned. "Stop being so crude, and let us get this poor girl something to eat." She smiled sweetly at the girl. "You are hungry, aren't you?"

  "The master said that if she were hungry, she should get up and get something to eat," Ganesh replied just as Bella nodded.

  Thais raised her eyebrows. "She's gotten up, hasn't she?"

  He huffed, cheeks flaring, and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Well, yes, of course, but-"

  "Then we will take her to get something to eat," Thais told him calmly. She smiled at Bella, who was busying herself with retying her robes in a habitually nervous manner. "You're quite lucky that we've prepared food for you. We don't normally eat, but today passes as a special occasion." She led the way up the stairs, motioning for her to follow, throwing the man a small frown.

  After giving Ganesh an uncertain look, which he returned with an amused one, Bella raced after Thais, all memory of the East Wing gone from her mind. Now the only thing she could think about was how hungry she was and how strange it was to be wide awake in the middle of the night. Then she wondered if anyone got any sleep in the castle, though she had never heard any stories about faeries that slept.

  Since Thais moved quickly, and Bella stumbled to keep up, they made it to the kitchen faster than it took Bella to reach the top of the tower the first time. Inside was quiet; dead. Though, something about the place felt off, as if something was hiding in it.

  "They're quite shy," Thais murmured to Bella, which only earned her a mildly confused frown. She raised her voice. "This is the girl that was taken in, in case some of you couldn't figure that out for yourselves. So, I trust that I make it clear when I say that no harm will come to her, and you will leave her be." When no trace or form of an answer came, she growled and raised her voice even more, which made Bella jump. "Do I make myself clear?"

  A shiver seemed to pass through the kitchen, making dishes rattle in their places, and a few stoves flared to life. A chill passed through the air, making Bella shiver, and she could swear that she heard calls bounce off the walls of the room, though these calls felt more in the back of her mind than in the kitchen they were standing in.

  Thais smiled. "Good. Our guest is hungry, so I suggest you prepare the meals that were made earlier." With that said, she gave Bella a winning smile and led the way into the dining room.

  The dining room, unlike earlier, was made up. The chandelier was sparkling high above, the curtains over the windows drawn open to reveal an endless starry sky, and several chairs sat around the table, awaiting anyone who came to claim them. Plates and silverware were set up at every spot, much like it was set up to feast a party instead of just Bella, and she wondered to herself if she was going to see many of the beings that dwelled in the castle.

  Despite the cheery set up, nothing could banish the faint scent of despair that Bella had gotten a taste of the morning before.

  Thais seated her at the head of the table, where she smiled up at her nervously, and the faerie chuckled before walking back into the kitchen. After a couple of minutes of waiting, it suddenly grew eerily quiet, as if there was no noise left in the world, and Bella shifted in her seat to peer over at the kitchen door.

  That door suddenly burst open, and trays and carts flew in, one after the other, arranging themselves in various positions all over the room. Bella noted that there was nobody to push them, watching with wide eyes as dishes lifted themselves off the trays and carts, neatly setting themselves up and down the table. As Bella gaped, aromas filled the air, silverware started bouncing around, and food began to move, all as if some invisible force was making them do so. And she silently wonder
ed if the Fae could do that, make themselves invisible.

  If they had the power to do so much more, then why not this?

  Music filled the air suddenly, lively and filled with joy, and everything in the room seemed to dance with it, going this way and that. A captivating voice followed the music, seeming to come from nowhere, strong and full of life. Everything was thunderous.

  More and more food filed in, with more dishes to glide around, and chairs began to bounce in place, curtains blowing around, the chandelier shaking. Bella found herself moving with the music, though she never once raised from her seat, simply much too fascinated to do more than sway in her spot.

  The singer, if that's what you would call him, didn't simply just sing, but his words seemed to have no stop to them, as if he was speaking more than just words, melting in with the music. At certain times it would be bursting with strength, and at others it would be soft and gentle. But, mostly, it was moving and loud and joyous.

  When this was all over, the food and dishes seated themselves back on the table and everything went still again. Though, Bella noticed the kitchen door opening and closing on its own. When she was alone again, her hunger flaring up once more, she looked eagerly at the meals placed before her, which were mostly a majority of fruits, vegetables, and desserts.

  "I trust you enjoyed the show," Thais said from the corner of the room, making Bella jump and freeze in her place. She laughed, seeming to melt in from the walls. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget that your kind are not accustomed to mine."

  "Where did you come from?" Bella asked curiously, staring at the corner behind her.

  She waved a hand. "I was here the entire time." She nodded to the spot next to Bella. "So was he."

  Before Bella could ask what she was talking about, Eriq appeared beside her, scowling at Thais. "I was going to surprise her."

  Thais laughed, gesturing to Bella's wide-eyed expression. "From the looks of it, you already have."

  "That's not my point." Holding up a finger, he tapped the side of his temple thoughtfully. “Might I mention, I found it quite the surprise when I caught Avain and Desiree together.”

  Though Bella knew only Desiree and not this Avain, she was curious when she saw Thais's face fall. Was Avain, perhaps, a sibling she disapproved to be meddling with such a carefree spirit, as Desiree had sounded to be? Or, maybe an old lover?

  She shrugged. “It is no business of mine.” Her lips quivered, eyes hardened, and she looked down at the table before taking a deep breath and meeting his eyes again.

  If he noticed her reaction at all, Eriq pretended not to; instead, he smiled at Bella, charming and completely innocent. "What did you think of my voice?"

  Quickly recovering, Bella tilted her head. "It was yours?" She knew it was a male that had sung, though it also could have passed as a female's, but when he wasn't singing he sounded rather different.

  He scowled again. "Don't sound so shocked. Of course it was."

  "Don't press in on her like that," Thais told him, walking up to the other side of Bella and looking down at her. "I think she's still trying to process what happened."

  She peered up at her. "You can become invisible?"

  Thais gave her a startled expression, and Eriq laughed. "What? What kind of question is that?" He laughed again. "Of course not, silly human. Although, I'm sure one or two of us could. But to think that each one of us could..." He shook his head and laughed again.

  "I don't understand," Bella said, glancing from Eriq to Thais. "What's so funny?"

  She smiled down at her. "It's very rare for anyone, even our kind, to become invisible. We can, however, convince humans that they can't see us, and that's exactly what we did with you. Your mind tricked itself into thinking that you were in this room alone, and that everything was moving on its own.” She hesitated, then added, “Think of it as an illusion."

  "Yes," Eriq said, still laughing, "because we all know that we can turn invisible." He cackled and walked off, disappearing through a dark doorway, the doorway that led to the entrance of the castle.

  Ignoring that fact, Bella looked back up at Thais. "The idea can't be that ludicrous, since you all exist."

  "Oh, but it could," Thais assured her with a nod. "Bella, our kind can't simply turn invisible and hide from the world; that's just too easy. It's like thinking that one of your kind can. The only difference is that some of us can, but not many. Only one in a million can, so it may be possible that you won't find a single creature who could do so in this region."

  "But Eriq said that there was someone here that can," Bella argued.

  "Eriq says a lot of things," Thais sighed, sitting in one of the chairs beside her. "You mustn't worry yourself over this, Bella. Our kind can hide from yours, yes. But it's simply impossible for us to hide from each other. The only minds we can trick are humans; you. And that's exactly what we did." She sighed again, gesturing to the food. "We decided we would do a big welcome for you; try to cheer you up. Apparently all we succeeded in was confusing you."

  "I liked it," Bella said hurriedly. But then she stared at her empty plate. "I just wish I could go home."

  Thais's hand grasped at hers, comforting as much as startling, and she smiled warmly at the girl. "Perhaps, someday, you will." Then she pulled her hand away, though the smile never left its place, and she stood up. "I'll give your compliments to the others."

  "Why did they hide?" Bella asked her. "After the show, I mean. Why didn't they show themselves?"

  "I'm afraid your mind is much too fragile for such a sight," Thais told her with a sad smile, "just as all other humans. Eriq, Ganesh, and I are one thing. Others..." She shook her head. "Let’s just say that we are not all the same, and we vary quite a bit. You wouldn't have been able to even comprehend us, and your mind probably would've shut down. So, we thought it best if you only saw a few of us first. Now, I'll leave you to your meal. You must be very hungry. When you're finished, you can go back to your room, or you can wander around for a bit. Just remember that you're being watched." She turned around and seemed to melt into thin air, leaving no trace that she had even been there to begin with.

  There were too many choices set out on the table, so Bella decided to do herself, and the rest of the kitchen, a big favor and try a bit of everything, which meant that she was only able to try a bite or two of each and every thing, since there was simply too much for just herself. But, she figured that she didn't want to offend anyone by leaving anything untouched, so she made sure that everything had been sampled before choosing key favorites and trying bigger portions of them. When she was done, there was still a lot of food left, but she was too full to continue, despite how incredible it all was, and so she stood up from her spot.

  While Bella had been eating, she could swear that she heard the door behind her swinging open, though every time she looked it was still and shut. She was also sure that she heard voices and giggles, of which had grown a little louder whenever she made pleased faces when she sampled a meal that was especially good, though she saw no one the entire time. But then she would remind herself of her and Thais's conversation, and so tell herself that some of the Fae had probably been watching her enjoy the food they had made, which made her only a little nervous. After all, they were probably only seeing if she liked what they had made, which was exactly what they were doing, feeling pleased with themselves whenever she smiled around a mouthful.

  When she was done, however, she didn't know what to do with herself at first. She went into the entrance, and even thought about going through the large doors and running to the forest. But that was simply much too easy, and she was sure she would be stopped. So, instead, she decided to go the opposite of the doors, up the stairs, and she went right, up another set up stairs. Then she turned left, though she could have gone right again, but she decided that she would go all the other ways when she was finished with exploring her first choices. The left, as it turns out, led to another rather large room that reminded her of the ent
rance, with stairs that led about twenty feet up. Those stairs, as it turned out, were the exact ones that were across from her room.

  She had just found another way to the West Wing.

  The whole time she had been wandering, Bella could hear footsteps, of which she was sure they were purposely being loud about because the Fae were flawlessly quiet about everything they did. Sometimes there would be snickers, and also hushed whispers and murmurs, all of which let Bella know that she was being followed. So even if she tried to escape, she would be stopped. Though, these seemed to be more of curious followers than guards ordered to keep an eye on her.

  Bella was about to begin exploring a little more, turning to go left, when memory sparked. She hesitated, looking down the hall, to the right, where that little room with the door that would lead to the East Wing was. What if she were to wander through there? What if there was something down there that could possibly help her? She wondered if her followers would stop her at all.

  There was only one way to find out.

  She charged down there, like a man on a mission; or, rather, a woman, but that was irrelevant. Into the small room she went, right up to the door until her hand rested on it. The murmurs grew louder, sounding furthermore curious, though no forces stopped her or even told her to stop. They simply waited.

  When Bella eased the door open, all noises stopped, as if she had just flipped a switch. Every once in a while, there was a whisper, but, mostly, it was silence. She could feel their eyes watching, anticipating whether or not she was brave enough to venture into the forbidden Wing, and she hesitated, wondering if she should since they didn't seem so eager to do it themselves.

  What would the Prince do? she asked herself, biting down on her lip nervously. She stared hard at her feet as she thought about her book, which was safe and sound at home, and she swallowed, bouncing on her toes lightly. She knew exactly what he would do.