~Beauty~

"The Beast took my mom."

Grayson's eyes are wide as he paces the room, then he pauses like a deer caught in the glow of headlights. "The Beast...The Beast is a murderer! He's dangerous and merciless and you have his location!" He grabs the diary and waves it in front of me. "You need to take this to the police!" The people of New York named The Beast for his killing habits. He's definitely no joke.

He's known for killing criminals but their bodies are never found. There are many local conspiracy theories about it. Some say he keeps the bodies and eats them, that he's a cannibal. Others say he has a section in the woods somewhere where he buries the bodies, creating a little graveyard of his own. No one's sure why he kills criminals but then again they aren't all that concerned. He only goes after criminals and as long as you aren't one you don't have much to worry about. But after stealing from him . . .I guess my mother is a criminal.

Out of all the people to steal from it had to be him!

"Of course," I finally respond. The faster the police get this information, the faster they'll get to my mom. But then, it dawns on me. What if it's too late? What if my mom's already dead?

My imagination forms the image of my mother lying dead, drenched in her own blood.

I shake my head. I can't think like that. It won't help. My phone suddenly vibrates in my pocket.

"Who is it?" Grayson asks leaning over my shoulder. He's been pretty protective of me today. He keeps looking at me with this look in his eyes. Like he's waiting for me to shatter into pieces. I know he's just looking out for me like he normally does but I wish he would have some faith in my own strength. I don't always need protecting or saving.

"I don't know." The number is not one I recognize.

"You know what? You take that and I'll call the police." He scrambles out of the room and I answer swiftly. I want to join him as soon as possible so we can get my mom back.

"Hello?"

"Hey, sweetie." I know that voice. Relief and shock wash over me. I feel like I'm frozen.

"Mom?"

"Yea." Her voice is light and broken. She's been crying.

"Oh my gosh, you're okay! Where are you?" A million questions and scenarios flood my head until I feel dizzy and don't know what to do or say.

"Listen to me, I stole from a bad man and I'm with him right now. He says he can let me go if I return what I took." I remember what I read.

"You mean the rose?"

"Yea. You read my diary, didn't you?" She sounds disappointed in me. If only she knew how many times I've used it.

"I'm sorry- I needed to- so I could find out where you were-" She cuts me off.

"You didn't give it to the police, right?" Her voice is on edge, like if I say the wrong thing, everything in her might break.

"Not yet." I should. They'll get her back and then everything will go back to normal. Or at least the chaos I've learned to call to normal.

"Don't! I need you to get the rose and bring it here so he can let me go, okay? This is my only chance!"

"Why can't I just give it to the police?"

"If you do that he'll kill me." My heart skips a beat at the mere thought. No, anything but that. I've already lost Dad, I can't lose her too.

"Okay," I decide. "Just tell me where the rose is." I'm surprised to know it's still in the house. The mess left in the apartment lead me to believe The Beast found what he was looking for.

"It's in a box under my bed." I check under the bed and it's there. I only give the rose a quick glance before shoving it into my purse. It's crazy that The Beast is causing this whole scene over a flower. There has to be something more to it. Why is it so valuable to him? How could it be worth my mother's life? Unless, this is all just a sick game he plays from fun.

"Okay. I got it." I hear yelling in the background and my mom sobs. My chest tightens.

"Alright then. I'll see you soon?" Her voice cracks and I feel tears spilling down my own cheeks. It's always terrible to hear my mother cry.

"Yes, you will see me soon." It's a promise I will keep. The phone hangs up leaving the lonely beeping sound to play over and over. I walk into the living room knowing what needs to be done. I will get my mom home at any cost.

I catch Grayson as he hangs up his phone, ending the call with the police. "Is everything okay?" His eyes search mine once again with deep concern. He's gonna hate me for doing this.

"Yea. It was nothing," I say making my ways toward the diary. I then pick it up and run into my mother's room in one quick movement.

"What are you doing?" Grayson asks while trying to follow me. I slam the door in his face and lock it, wincing at my own actions. "Belle?"

I open the window and climb onto the fire escape. It's rusted so bad that the color is a reddish brown and I'm well aware that it can give away at any moment.

The fall breeze makes me shiver but I'm not going back in for a sweater. The checkered flannel will have to be enough.

Grayson's shouts fade as I run down the ladder like steps to the first floor, almost falling to my death several times. I reach the ground and stumble to Pedro. By that time, Grayson's head is sticking out the window. "Belle, where are you going?!"

"I'm sorry but I have to take care of this on my own." For most of my life Grayson has been there for me. He's always had my back. He was there for me when my mom caused problems and when the kids at school got hard to handle. We've blown people's minds together. I mean, how does the hated nerd become best friends with the popular and adored jock? But this, this is my mom and I.

"Belle! Your mom is not worth this much trouble!" he pleads. Grayson had always put me on some high pedestal and I know it's his love for me that does that.

"That's where you're wrong!" I shout back. Everyone is worth this much trouble. Everyone has something beautiful in them that is worth fighting for, even my mother. She wasn't always like this and I know the old her is still in there somewhere.

The whole ride there I'm praying my mom is okay and everything will go well. It seems unlikely that The Beast will just let her off the hook like that. Especially since we know his address.

Wait. He wouldn't.

I slam my foot on the brakes only across the street from Castle Road. What am I doing? Once I give him the rose he'll kill both of us.

But if I let the police handle it my mom will die.

What choice do I have?

My phone rings in my pocket. It's Grayson and I answer gratefully. "Hey, I think I made a mis-" There's a smashing sound and then the windshield is shattering into pieces. I drop my phone and it falls below the seat as I shield my face.

"Belle? What's going on?!" Grayson sounds helpless on the phone and if there is one thing Grayson doesn't like it's feeling helpless.

I choke on a gasp as I realize The Beast shattered the window.

The Beast?!

He is menacingly standing in front of my car in his signature black hoodie. It's all I see before he rips open the door to the car and pulls me out. I try to wiggle free but I can't get out of his grip. "Grayson!" I yell at the phone desperately. "Send the cops to Castle Street! Please!"

"Stop struggling! Where's the rose?!" The Beast . . . roars? He actually sounds like a beast.

"Where's my mother?!" I scream back trying to fight him off. But he's tall and strong. His figure towers right over mines. What in me caused me to yell at a murderer, I'm not sure. Maybe it's bravery, maybe stupidity.

He turns me around and grabs me by my shirt collar. "Would you like to see your mother?" He spits out the word 'mother' like it's dirty.

I don't answer. Instead, I'm forced to stare at the only thing showing through his thick, black mask; His sharp blue eyes.

"I'll take you to see your mother!" He drags me across the street and into the building. I stumble up flights of stairs until we get to the top and end up in a modern looking apartment. It stands out because of how everything else in the building looks worn down.

My mother lays on the ground in the living space, sobbing. Her brown hair sticks to her face and her feeble body looks even more feeble than usual. Her cheeks are sunken in and dark circles rest underneath her eyes. When she sees me her face lights up and she nearly squeals. "Belle!"

I'm dropped onto the floor next to her. I try to hug her but she stops me. Her eyes search for something, for the rose. "Where is it?"

"I have it. Don't worry," I whisper.

Now that I have a better view of The Beast, I can see he's wearing jeans and a sweatshirt with a mask that covers his whole face. He can't be that bad. . . He dresses like your everyday guy.

"Where's the rose?!" he demands, looking a second close to punching me. Nevermind, he's definitely not your everyday guy.

"Wait!" I say, trying to calm him.

"Did you just tell me to wait?" I can hear the anger in his voice but I continue.

"Yes, I did. Now, if I give you the rose, will you let us both go?" I need to be sure. If he's going to kill us then at least he'd lose his rose.

He pauses. From the shift in his mask it seems like he's smirking. "I'm getting that rose either way."

He swipes at my bag and takes it, finding the rose in the little purple box. He places it on the kitchen counter a few spaces away. Still, I don't understand how a flower could mean so much. Maybe he's just crazy like the killers in the movies.

He stands there staring at us and I swear I can hear my own heartbeat.

"Now...What to do with you?"

Police sirens go off in the distance sending chills up my spine.

Oh no.

"What did you do?!" The Beast cries, his voice shaking the floor.

My mom turns to me, eyes wide with fear and betrayal. "I told you not to call the cops!"

"I didn't! It was Grayson!" We're dead. We're so dead.

The Beast takes a breath and then stares at me so sharply that I'm shaking under his gaze. What is he going to do to us? I think back to all the crazy rumors I've heard about The Beast. My heart sinks to my stomach. I don't want to die like this.

He then mumbles, "You're coming with me."

"What?" I'm slowly inching away as he comes closer but he grabs my mother instead. She shrieks.

"Listen to me, lady. You're going to go out there to the police and tell them if they try anything, I'll kill your daughter." My mom stays frozen for a second at the directions and so do I.

Her final words to me make me want to wilt like a dying flower. "I'm sorry sweetie but... I'm just glad it isn't me." With that, she scurries off.

Even The Beast seems thrown back by the comment. I realize throughout this whole thing I haven't shed a tear. But now they come down like a waterfall.

"There's no time." The Beast snatches the rose box, puts it in his hoodie pocket, and lifts me off the floor. "Get on my back."

I gape at him, feeling perplexed. Why would- ?

"Get on my back now!" I jump on and he sprints up a few flights of stairs to the roof. My weight seems to have no affect on him. From the very top of the roof, I can see that below us there are many police cars and police officers. Their lights flash into my eyes and cast shadows around us. There's no way we're getting past them.

I'm saved!

"You can't get away from them, you know." I try to make the words sound sure and certain. Maybe he'll let me go if he feels hopeless.

"That's what you think." And before I can comprehend what he said or what's happening, he's charging towards the neighboring building's roof.

"Scream and I'll let you fall."

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