~The Beast~

He had been up since the faint orange daylight began to creep through the shades of his window. It illuminated his skin, displaying it was back to its normally ugly self - not the burnt ugly version. He got up and changed into a fresh set of clothing, deciding he would give up on trying to dress nicely for Bethany's sake. He went with one of his favorite rock band’s t-shirts, a neon skull with glowing dirt kicked up around it. It was too early for breakfast so he listened to a few CDs, slipping on his headphones for the first time in years just in case Bethany was still sleeping. 

Once the CD began to repeat, he dragged himself down the stairs. To his surprise it was 8:00 am and Carina still wasn’t up making breakfast. He sat down at the stool scratching his chin. Should he go to her room and knock to ask what was going on? Maybe she slept in considering all the commotion from last night but Carina had been kept up by bigger messes in the past and she never slept in. 

Then she appeared, marching through the doorway and reaching into the lower cabinets without a glance his way. 

“Uh . . . You’re late.” 

She slammed a coffee pot onto the counter and rummaged through the cabinets overhead. Noticing she was in a robe with her pajamas underneath, he wondered if he should go back up to his room and wait until she put herself together. The woman never showed off her PJs before. 

“And?” she asked, as he was getting ready to leave. 

He blinked. “You’re supposed to have fixed me breakfast by now.” 

His words hung in the air as she started the coffee machine, tampering with buttons and switches. Teigan never really touched a cup of coffee in his life. It didn’t taste good to him and the ones that did were more sugar than actual coffee. The machine had been a condition of Carina’s live-in maid service but he was never usually awake to see her use it. 

The silence was unbearable. “Is everything alright?” 

She unexpectedly whipped around to face him. “No, it isn’t.” Then she continued further into the kitchen, loudly rummaging through pots and pans. With the coffee machine going as well the house was easily as loud as it had been in a long time. 

“Well, making a scene won’t help,” he snapped. He wasn’t up for Carina’s abrupt grumpy mood so he changed the subject. “Is Bethany up yet?” 

“Why?” 

“I just want to know! Why are you being so difficult this morning?!” 

“Oh, so you can throw a tantrum but I can’t?” She shook her head and went back to boiling eggs like he had disappeared. 

“What is this really about?” She was almost never this upset. He suspected that if she was there had to be something big behind it. Whatever it was had to be bad if happy go lucky Carina couldn’t turn it around. 

“It’s about you, Teigan.” She sighed, crossing her arms and facing him. The tension had melted out of her face, at least a little bit. “She almost died yesterday. She was hurt and it was because of you! I don’t know what I would have done with myself if something had happened! I . . . I didn’t sign up for this.” 

She was attempting to make him feel even more guilty than he already was? He had confided in her the other day about how awful he felt. She knew he wished it never happened. Why did she have to pour salt in the wound? He should have never admitted anything to her. 

“It wasn’t my fault!” He blurted the words out without a second thought. “She snuck into my car! I told her never to leave this house!” 

“It’s never your fault.” She unplugged the coffee machine and poured the beverage into two separate mugs. “Why don’t you take a good look at yourself in the mirror?” 

“Stop it.” He knew she wasn’t being literal but the duel meaning the phrase could have irked him. Even if he wanted to literally take a look in the mirror, he couldn’t. He broke all of the ones that had been in the house in a fit of rage years ago. 

“No! You were cursed to learn a lesson! A whole year and half later and nothing! It’s time for you to change.” 

He stood there for a minute, unmoving. She had never confronted him and he had liked it that way. It was how their relationship worked. He went out and hunted down criminals, she never asked questions - only cooked and cleaned. It was what she was paid to do anyhow. 

“You know you were wrong to take her. You know you keep making mistakes. What are you going to do to change that? Huh?” She waited for his answer, hand on hip. 

“I . . .” 

I don’t know. 

“Exactly.” Carina scooped up the two mugs and swiftly headed out of the kitchen. 

“Where are you going?” 

Her ponytail swished after her as she got closer to Bethany’s bedroom. “To feed your prisoner!” 

~Beauty~

What has become of my life? 

Bethany hadn’t slept well. She kept having nightmares about the fire, Ryan Daniels, and her home. The events wouldn’t stop echoing in her mind. They haunted her like a ghost. Every time she closed her eyes she saw the flames and in the shadows of her room she saw Grayson or her mother. 

Grayson . . . 

Her heart sunk in her chest. She missed his dimpled smile and the warmth he carried in his eyes. That had been her favorite physical quality of his and was most likely everyone else’s. His eyes were able to make you feel cared for and seen, even if they only spared you a passing glance. 

Bethany was greeted by Carina with a cup of coffee and a new change of clothes. The knitted sweater and jeans were made for a slightly taller person but had fit her body better than the clothes she slept in. She couldn't help question if there had been a Mrs.Beast in the picture at one point who these could have belonged to but the Beast himself didn’t appear very old to ever have a Misses in the picture. 

Nevertheless, she drank her coffee and ate the boiled eggs that were provided to her with thanks. She decided that the anger she felt wouldn’t be directed at the maid. She was only doing her job and even if it was questionable, Bethany didn’t know the circumstances. Maybe Carina was having money issues and this was the best or only job option for her. Whatever it was, the kindness she displayed towards her made it too difficult to give her the cold shoulder. 

“This room is kind of bland. We could add some color if you’d like or move some of the unused furniture in here,” she had offered, earlier, sipping her own coffee in the doorway. 

She knew she meant well but the thought of the two of them giving the room a make-over made Beth feel nauseous. The very act of making it more comfortable was solidifying the idea that she would be stuck there for many days to come. 

“That’s alright, really.” She wasn’t lying either. Objectively speaking, the room was better than her room back at home. 

“Hm, okay. I’ll give you some time to think about it. It might just be something to do.” As she exited the space, Beth realized that it wasn’t simply a room decor task but a "distract yourself from the fact  you’ve been kidnapped and held against your will" task.  

She might have had to take her up on the offer. 

When she managed to force herself off the bed where she was thinking herself into circles about how doomed she was, she went into the living where the Beast - or Teigan- was chomping down on a bowl of cereal. 

He quickly placed the bowl down like it suddenly became hot and stuck out his hand in protest when she turned to go back inside. He chewed and gulped down the bite. “Wait! Uh . . . Good - good morrow." 

She wrinkled her nose. "Morrow?"

He scratched the back of his head, looking to the side of her. "It means morning . . . I think."

"Oh. Good morrow to you too?"

"I was thinking about taking a walk in the yard for air . . . You could come too.” 

She took a slow breath. He was basically offering to take her on a walk like a labrador that couldn’t be trusted to stay on the front lawn. 

“I don’t want to go anywhere with you,” she hissed. Thinking better of it, she back tracked. “But I do want some air so . . . I’ll deal.” 

"Good." He got up and headed in the direction of her room but kept walking past it. To the right of the staircase had been another hallway she never noticed. He vanished down it and she jogged to catch up. 

Down the hall was a narrow room with a bench pressed up against the wall. On the other side were sliding glass doors looking out into a yard big enough for Grayson and his friends to play football in - had it not been for the discarded wreckage of a playground set. 

Teigan unlatched a lock on the door and slid it open. 

"This way." He slipped through the door and she went after him, taking note that he had his hood on prior to even stepping out. 

He closed the door behind them and headed towards the opposite corner of the backyard. She kept up his pace, refusing to follow behind him like a lost puppy or run ahead like a . . . happy puppy. 

No words were exchanged for quite a few minutes. They had nearly crossed the entire yard when Beth couldn't hold in her burning question. 

"Who was that playground set for?" 

It consisted of two plastic swings, a spiral tube slide, and a rock climbing wall. It was any child's dream turned nightmare. Not only was it torn down but the plastic was cracked and broken with shrubbery and dirt piled on it. 

He answered without looking. "Mines."

"You mean you grew up here?" Her eyes shot from the set and to his concealed face. "What happened to it?" 

"My father tore it down after a fight." 

"With a bulldozer?" She couldn't imagine the amount of effort it would have taken to dissemble the thing. Surely one would run out of fury in the effort to take it apart. 

He shook his head. "First a bat, then his foot, then his hands." 

She grimaced, wondering if his father had been cursed too. What human being was capable of all that destruction as a result of a fight? 

"What got him so angry?" 

Teigan broke off a branch from a low hanging tree and played with it as they continued to walk. It took him a few minutes to answer and since she could do nothing else - she waited. 

"Him and my mother," the last word faltered, "had a disagreement about disciplining me. I don't remember much. I was young." 

She wondered if his father limited the violence to inanimate things and if the Beast had taken after him. 

"That was horrible of him." 

He shrugged and tossed the branch into the grass. It was cropped short which could only mean that someone was mowing it on a consistent basis. Was someone separately highered? Would someone appear one of these days to mow the grass? If Beth could get their attention she might be able to get some help escaping. 

"I was wondering . . . Would you like to join Carina and I for dinner tonight? To eat together at the table, I mean." 

She clenched her fists at her sides. It was becoming a pattern for him to act like she wasn't being held against her will. 

Dinner? Really? 

"Maybe," was all she could muster.

He glanced at her and then did a double take. 

"What?" He had stiffened to the point of looking like a statue.  

"You're clothes . . . Where'd you get them?" 

She pulled at the fabric, suddenly feeling itchy and hot. "Carina."

"Oh . . . " He blinked at her and then took off towards the house. "We're going back inside." 

Shocked at his hot and cold attitude shift, she followed after him. "Fine!" 

It was simple to see why that woman had 'cursed' Teigan. Beth found him absolutely infuriating . . . and yet she was considering his invite to dinner. He had said he would let her go home so she might as well return home with a story . . . and the Beast had many of them. 

She'd have to take him up on that offer. 

~The Hunter~

Grayson's mother tentatively opened his door and stuck her head inside. "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. Your brother should make it." 

He removed his headphones and paused the game he was watching. "Huh?" 

She rolled her eyes and for a moment, it felt like old times - old times meaning a few days prior when his best friend hadn't been taken. The feeling left as he recalled why his brother was coming in the first place. 

Kyle hardly ever visited during the school year. He was never as mushy as the rest of the family - taking after Grandma Li - so he saved the money it would take to travel to and from his campus to buy them all nice Christmas presents. It was his last year at university and Grayson had a hunch he was living it to the fullest. His Facebook which had formerly been plastered with pictures of friends at chess matches was now unavailable to his parents and contained pictures taken at less scholarly locations. 

Grayson had been pegged as the wild child since he dyed his hair blonde but Kyle could take his place if he kept at it. 

He emerged out of his haze to see his mother's head had been replaced by none other than his brothers'. 

"Hey little fish." 

He smirked at the nickname. He had gotten it because Kyle insisted that when they were younger he would look up at him with wide eyes and a pouted mouth whenever he wanted to play - hence looking like a fish. The nickname didn't make much sense anymore, Grayson had long surpassed him in height. 

"Hey." 

His brother came into the room and set a backpack on his bed. He smoothened out the wrinkles in the sheets before he sat, crossing one leg on top another. 

"I should have come sooner. I'm sorry." 

"It's alright. There's nothing you can do about . . . this mess, anyways." 

"I can be here for you. I know how much Bethany means to you. She's become part of our family." 

He laid back on his bed to cushion the blow her name had brought. "I know." 

"I was thinking - and I checked in with mom and dad, they think it's a great idea - that maybe you would like to come upstate with me tomorrow? We have a long weekend, you can stay at our fraternity house with me." 

He sat up. "You joined a frat?" 

Kyle nodded and unbuttoned his jacket, displaying a sweatshirt with the bearcat mascot printed on it. "Delta Chi."

"In your last year?" 

"I needed a change and I think you do too. Just for a few days to put you in a better state of mind." 

He snickered. How could a change of scenery paint over the fact he was truly devastated? And leaving would mean if there were any updates on Bethany's case he'd be hours away. 

Still, he was aware of the blue composition notebook on his nightstand full of theories and notes. He was also aware that the most highlighted and circled theory in that notebook was about Beth's location: Upstate New York, an hour away from Kyle's college. 

"That might be good for me." He stood up and clapped him on the back with a forced smile. "I'll have to take you up on that offer." 

Author's Note - If you're enjoying this make sure to vote and share it to your reading lists! Also, feel free to comment because I love hearing from you.