Kat glanced at the open door, unable to believe her eyes. She rubbed them vigorously and stared again. The wooden door still stood open. As much as she strained her hearing, she couldn't pick up on anything.

This was impossible. Even if he didn't show himself, the Beast was always there, guarding her. He never left the doors open and walked away.

Unless... Reason slammed into her so powerfully, she wondered how this essential bit of information escaped her to begin with.

The Beast wasn't alone in the castle. It wasn't like he was the one cooking for her, drawing her bath every morning, or searching for appropriate books to give her.

There was someone else doing these things. Taking care of her. And after that creature escaped last night and came down there, that person decided to let her go. Save her.

Carefully, she stood, walked to the door and peeked out into the hall. There was no one there. No tray of food awaited her. And as she went to the bathroom, there was no water in the tub, no fresh clothes.

Could it be...? She shook her head, refusing to even entertain the thought.

Everything was different, an anomaly. A chance she could not squander. She had to get out of there, and she had to get out now.

She whipped around, hurried to the cell, grabbed her cloak and secured her precious letter book, then, as quietly as possible, ran up the stairs.

She stopped in the doorway leading into the hall, her heart beating loudly, and listened for any sound of movement. There was nothing. The door at the end of the large reception room was open and in the distance, she could see the light of day.

If she didn't stop to look around, she could sprint outside, down the cobbled path, past the gate and into freedom.

But she couldn't do that. She had to find the kind person who had helped her and thank them. She couldn't leave them there, at the mercy of the Beast. Such a decision would haunt her all her life.

Her best bet was to find the kitchens. That was where any servant would most likely be.

She took a step out in the open and glanced around. There was a magnificent staircase to her left, leading to the upper stories of the castle.

Before her was the grand hall, destroyed furniture littering the floor. It was no longer just a chair, but several, joined by what appeared to be fine China and table boards, even pieces of marble which might have once been decorative statues.

Where would statues even come from? Her question was answered the moment she raised her eyes from the floor and looked around properly.

The hall was breathtaking with an arched ceiling, columns and statues in nooks in the walls. Across from the portraits was the door through which the Beast had come in, but it wasn't the only one. There was another door there as well, and between them, an intricate tapestry. It caught her attention at once because it looked slightly familiar.

With weary steps, she tip-toed to the tapestry. Just as she had thought, the cloth showed a the royal lineage. It looked like a shower of stars forming endless constellation, each star representing a member of the royal family.

At the bottom, she made out the king and prince Ferdinand, proving both that the tapestry was new and that the duke had been related to the royal family. She searched for their names, but the lower portion of the family tree was torn off, lone strings dangling against the grey wall. As if it had been shredded by claws.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

She jumped and turned around towards the portrait of Joseph. He looked even more realistic in the light as he rubbed his eyes. Most of the other portrait frames were filled with crude paintings which didn't borrow from the realism she'd previously noticed, and in the few that weren't, the occupants appeared asleep. For the first time, Kat wondered what time it was.

"Good morning. I just found the door to my cell open."

Joseph stopped his rubbing, his fist still against his right eye. "You did?"

"Yes. I woke up and it was open."

The portrait lowered his hand slowly, as if afraid too sudden a movement would spook her. "Run," he whispered.

"I can't just run." She could, but it wouldn't feel right. "I know there's someone else here, someone who helped me, and I wanted to thank him. Take them with me."

"There's no one else here. Just go."

Kat felt the need to rub her eyes now. "What do you mean there's no one else? Then who has been cooking for me, taking care of me?" The expression on the portrait's face said it all. "Him?"

"That's the problem, actually, " Joseph groaned. "Run while you still can."

She raised her eyebrows as she tried to process the news. Could it be possible that, with all the growling and unpleasantness, the Beast was actually nice? After all, his actions spoke louder than his words, than his behavior.

"You seem to forget that he has kept you in a dungeon for a little over a week," the portrait deadpanned.

Her cheeks caught fire. No, she hadn't forgotten. She was just too grateful for the food and rest it offered; how clean and fresh she felt.

But that no longer mattered. Joseph had a point. She needed to get to her father and make sure he was still alive and maybe even healed.

So she swallowed heavily and headed for the door, her eyes taking in the magnificence of the castle she'd been held in. There was light coming from high windows, making the dust dancing in the air sparkle like diamonds. The place was clean, but not overly so. Just on the border of acceptable and disastrous. The Beast had mentioned a lack of servants, but now she realized that she would maybe have been the first.

Not anymore. She didn't have time to linger. She stepped out of the castle and into the rose garden. She could see the gate, tall and imposing, but not creepy. The fog was also gone, fortunately.

As she stepped towards freedom, her stomach sunk with guilt and another feeling which had no business being there. She had absolutely no reason to be disappointed that she was going home. Or that she wouldn't see him before going home, tell him that she knew what he'd done for her and she appreciated it, even if he was rude. That wolf face startled her anyway.

As she walked towards the gate, she wondered if from somewhere in his castle, the Beast watched as she left his home, his life. Why was this so disconcerting? Everyone had told her to run, yet her steps were slower and slower until they finally stopped.

Because going out the gate could be suicide and she'd almost done it.

"I need my father's sword," she said to no one.

Then her body twirled and she headed back toward the castle. She no longer had a horse, so the trip back would be dangerous. What if wolves attacked her? She needed a weapon.

So she stalked in, ignored the portraits screaming at her to get out, and entered the room on the right, the one the Beast had come out of on her first night.

He wasn't there, which was a blessing, but it still shocked her to see how normal the place was. A sofa, a few highbacked chairs, a fire burning in the hearth, a massive wooden desk... It looked like what she'd always imagined the work room of a noble would.

Yes, there was dust, the papers on the desk were a little scattered, and the books she'd read lay half-fallen off the nearest chair, but it looked normal. Like someone's home.

She shook her head, trying to focus on her quest of finding the sword. A quick intake of the walls showed it didn't hang off some nail. She didn't even know where to start looking for it.

"Ah, you're back," she heard Joseph saying too loud and too cheery. "I was getting a little worried."

She froze.

"Why are you yelling?" the Beast growled.

"Oh, my, those are beautiful," William piped in, his voice also unnaturally loud as if they all wanted her to hear what was going on.

"You I can believe are going deaf, old man," the Beast answered.

Kay froze again, but this time in shock rather than fear. It was the first time she was hearing him speak freely, without any growling involved, and his voice was deep, smooth and... frankly beautiful.

But that didn't drive away the fear of being discovered ransacking his personal space. So she headed for the door and opened it just enough to peek out into the hall. He was with his back to her, so she took advantage and slid out.

The portrait of a young man with dusty blond hair gestured madly for her to get out, and this time she agreed.

But of course, the Beast noticed the movement and turned around. She swallowed heavily as the dead-looking wolf face stared her down.

"Oh, by the gods, you're still here?"

His tone was odd. Exasperated, for sure, but also a bit amused. Relieved? Terrified? It was exactly how she felt.

"I-- I wanted to thank you. For the food, the baths, the books."

"Baths?" Joseph sniggered and the Beast actually bumped his fist against the portrait absently, his disturbing faced fixed on her.

"With all the books, I thought you would be more intelligent," he said, his voice once again low and growling.

"I also want my father's sword," she supplied, ignoring the little jab.

"Great. Just marvelous," he muttered. The hand he had against Joseph's frame was shaking.

He took in a deep breath that did nothing for his face. His head really seemed dead, never twitching, never moving. Maybe it was part of the curse. It just annoyed her because she couldn't read his expression. But the way he clenched the cloak in a gloved fist was enough to gauge this mood. The roses he'd held in his other hand drifted to the floor, red petals raining down like drops of blood.

"Get out," he said, his voice low and threatening.

She opened her mouth to assure him that she would be leaving shortly, but she froze.

"No," Joseph yelled. "Snap out of it."

For a second, Kat didn't understand. Then the Beast's right shoulder twitched so hard, it seemed to have come loose from his body, climbing higher as his back arched and his face lowered. She took a step back, ready to turn around and bolt.

"No," the Beast said, the growl in his voice even more pronounced and threatening. His entire body shook. "Up the stairs, to the left, first door down the hall."

Her jaw dropped. "What?"

"Go! If you take another step towards the exit, you're dead."

For some reason, she believed him, so she changed direction and backed away towards the staircase.

"I need to know my father is well," she whispered.

The fear in her voice seemed to appease him, because he loosened up the tiniest bit.

"You should have thought about that before you lingered in the castle." He faltered and when he spoke again, his voice was once again the normal one. "Wait. You need to know?"

She nodded. "We made a deal when you took me in. That I would be your servant."

"Shit." He turned his back to her and mumbled some more curses. "Go upstairs. You should've run while you had the chance," he spat at her.

Numb with shock, she obeyed. As she climbed the beautiful staircase, she glanced over her shoulder. The Beast had leaned over the portrait of Joseph, his entire body still shaking.

The longer she watched, he seemed to be recovering. At least his shoulder looked to be in the proper place again.

"Are you serious?" the portrait asked, his voice filled with exuberation.

"The damage is already done," the Beast answered. "I just need to figure out what this means and how to--"

She didn't catch his next words, and as much as she wanted to keep listening, she couldn't linger any longer. With a defeated sigh, Kat reached the top of the staircase and turned left, down a narrow carpeted hall and entered the first room on her right, as instructed.

The moment she stepped in, her mouth dropped open. It was a bedroom. Of course it was a bedroom, but what a magnificent one it was.

The walls were mostly white, the wallpaper filled with pink and light blue roses, the delicate leaves an emerald green. Light drifted in through a large window, landing on the four poster bed that took up the entire center of the room. A dresser stood at the head of the bed and to the right as did a vanity and two highbacked chairs. Empty library cases flanked the window as did burgundy curtains.

Kay had never been in such a lavish bed chamber. The surprise was so great, it took her a few minutes of admiring to see the thin sheet of dust covering everything.

She scrunched her nose. What a complete shame! The man had no housekeeping skills. Her fingers twitched to grab s broom and get to work, but she had no time for that.

Instead, she hurried to the window and threw it open. Fresh, crisp air filled the room. For some reason, she'd been convinced the window wouldn't open, that she was as effectively trapped in there as she had been in the dungeons.

Not that opening the window helped. There was a thirty foot drop and there was nothing on the side of the wall she could use to climb down. There were terraces and stone steps beneath her, leading into an exquisite flower garden. It must have been breathtaking in its glory, but now, just like the castle, suffered from lack of care.

Not that Kat cared about the state of the place. To the far left, she could glimpse two low wooden buildings. One of them was definitely stables, since a large paddock stretched behind it. So, if she could only climb down, she could find a horse and flee. Why hadn't she looked around properly when she'd stepped out the first time?

Frustrated with herself beyond belief, she turned back to the room. The sheets on the bed were definitely not long enough to be tied into an escape rope. She rushed to the wardrobe and opened it, hoping to find spare sheets.

She gasped. There were no sheets. Instead, it was filled with luxurious dresses of every color, made from the finest silks. Why did the Beast have dresses?

Her eyes roamed the room, searching for anything else she could use to escape. She really didn't want to resort to tying the dresses together.

"Sit down."

Kat jumped a mile and turned to the door. The Beast had made his appearance, as silent as ever.

"Don't look at me. Sit down."

She turned her eyes from the wolf face and sat on the corner of the bed. It was much softer than she'd expected and she found herself swallowed by dust.

"You are incredibly stubborn," he concluded, his voice once again normal, maybe a little pensive. "So it is time to set some rules. Don't look at me!"

Her neck snapped back, but she caught a glimpse of him. He'd leaned his shoulder against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest. By the little she'd seen, he looked normal again.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because I say so."

"You know that only makes me want to look more."

"I don't care," he growled. "If you're going to stay here, you will learn to follow simple orders. Now, as you've probably noticed, this castle needs a fair amount of cleaning. You will be taking care of that. I want the place spotless. So cleaning is what you will do. Now pay great attention because a list of what you will not do follows, and it's very important."

She clenched her fists, fighting the impulse to look at him again just so he could see how unimpressed she was with his attitude. On the other hand, she was a little shocked. She'd never heard him speak for so long. The more he did, the more he lost the growl.

"You will not seek me out for companionship or conversation. I am gravely indisposed by your presence."

"Then why keep me here?"

"Be quiet, smart mouth. You are here because you were too stubborn or stupid or curious to get out when you had the chance. Second rule, you are not allowed out of the castle. Not by the gate, not in the garden, not in the doorway.

"You will clean every single nook and cranny except for the western side. You will not, under any circumstances set foot right of the staircase from this floor up. Do you understand me?"

She did, but that didn't mean she liked it. "Why not?"

"Because if you do, you die."

The way he'd said the words, like an ultimate truth which required no additional thought or emotion, sent a shiver down her spine. She clenched her fists tighter against the dusty duvet.

"Are we clear?" he asked.

She nodded, swallowing heavily.

"Any questions?"

"Yes. What happens when I finish?"

"Finish what?"

"Cleaning."

For a second, there was silence, then he let out a chuckle. "Trust me, by the time you finish, you'll have to start all over again."

"So how long is this supposes to last?" she asked, turning to him, her hands on her hips.

He didn't comment on her disobedience, but the fact that the wolf face remained untouched by any flicker of emotion was enough to have her averting her eyes.

"Hopefully, more than a day."

The answer shocked her once again. "One day?"

"If I don't kill you by the end of tomorrow, maybe there's some hope after all."

She clenched her fists around her skirt, gritting her teeth, trying to keep the tears at bay. She should have left when she could.

"You can keep this bed chamber as your own if you so chose. And take today to clean it up and gauge your workload."

She nodded again. He said nothing, and when she finally turned her head, he was gone.

If I don't kill you, maybe there's hope.

What was that supposed to mean? If he wanted to kill her, why didn't he just do it? Why play these games?

But then, his final affirmation caught meaning. He didn't want to kill her. But maybe he didn't have a choice.

Hiya. I changed this one quite a lot from the previous version to make the new interpretation of the curse make sense.

I still hate writing description but I felt this chapter needed it so you don't feel like the characters are in white rooms.

Kat is alone in a big big castle with absolutely no talking furniture.

So... what will happen before she inevitably stumbles into the West wing? And what will she find there?

Thanks for reading and hit the star.