A game needs players, players need a game.

Days passing like minutes, haunting me like spirits, sucking my strength like wild animals, leaving me helpless like a cruel beast...those days brought nothing new in my captive state, nothing bright, nothing worth it. All of those days were just leaving me, taking my life minutes by minutes, stopping me on a spot where I was standing over a mine, if I got off, I would destroy myself.

I didn't remember how many days passed with me strolling in the giant mansion, with two or three huge people following me around. I could go near the window to even take some fresh air, they would be beside me, checking me as if I was installing a bomb or trying to climb and get out from there.

In short, I was handcuffed by the Beast.

That particular evening, I got off my bed, my mind blank, my heart blank, my soul numbed, I walked around my room, thinking about nothing, just empty. I twirled the knob, opened my cage and started walking down the stairs, could feel thumping steps behind me, rolling my eyes I continued to walk down the stairs.

I was sort of acquainted with the rooms of Dean, Madilyn, Dorian, Luke and Jon. But also Ben's, the guy who while kidnapping me hurt me badly. Dean told me that he was being punished for giving me wounds. On Beast's order, he was facing his worst nightmare.

Trust me on this one, though after my first meeting with the Beast, he didn't show up in front of me till yet. Not that I wanted to see him but I wanted answers to my questions, which he ignored in our first meeting.

I was strolling in the hall, but I noticed the disappearance of the sound of people following me. My blank mind responded, I turned around to see no one behind me. How was that even possible? I looked right and left, again turned and found no one keeping an eye on me. Though the cameras were recording my every move, again a grim look graced my empty face knowing that no matter what, I was always under someone's gaze.

The emptiness of that house was thrilling, in the worst way. Everything was simple, blank and white or grey or black. There was darkness that oozed out of every inch of that great mansion, it could have been decorated in the most beautiful way possible but yet he kept his home like him. Dark, dangerous, mysterious and suffocating.

I looked at the Glass Door, where the beast went the last time I saw him. Then Luke and Dean made sure that I'd never think of going towards it because the way Luke stated, in his heavy and danger laced tone, "That door is to hell, if you get near to it, the fire concealed behind those doors will catch you before you even blink your eye. And if you enter there, then you'll encounter the most horrific situation of your life. The screams will tear your delicate self apart like it is nothing. The blood will make you vomit until you have nothing inside you. The darkness will take away your ability to see anymore. Your lips will be sealed as if they are stitched together with the skin of the dead. You will cry until there is blood of the dead flowing from your eyes, you will scream until you'll feel crawling hands over your throat, squeezing it so that you lose your voice for eternity. So if you need yourself alive, do us a favor, and don't awaken the Beast."

I remember when days ago Luke gave me that terrific description to scare me, it did work. It seemed way worse than what happened to me physically, it seemed as if I was the only pure aspect of that home and the rest of them were all stained with crimes. I was staring at them when they warned me, with pure horror filled in my innocent stare.

I knew that they couldn't be exaggerating because the tail of the beast; Dean, he also shivered for a second when Luke was addressing the deeds that happened behind that glass door that led to basement full of sins.

Considering their warnings, I turned myself away from that door, because I believed that my disobedience towards Mary's warnings was the reason of me being stuck in Satan's claws, I didn't want to do that mistake again and get myself being burned by the Satan's anger.

But I found nothing, the doors, two doors, giant and brown that could lead my outside were locked with so much determination that even Beast himself would find difficulty in opening them. I did see Madilyn, Luke, Dean, Dorian and their puppets getting in and out, but I also saw the way it was protected. The windows were not locked but when you open those, you'd find a very strong person staring back at you with his dark gaze, reminding you that you can't leave. And from my room's window, there was no chance to climb down safely or even if you do, there was no chance of not getting caught by those guards.

I just sat on the sofa, thinking what else, what else I could do to get rid of the Beast. But nothing came to my mind, nothing. Not even a single word. I only wanted to survey the entire mansion but that seemed impossible because along with the two main door, one in front of the hall, and one that was in front of the green room, some of the other rooms were locked too and even entire second floor was a restricted area. But Luke did not hint about sins happening in that floor. But he said, "What's restricted is restricted, Boss can restrict whatever they want, he doesn't have to have reasons for that or any thing."

Lost in thoughts which were like tangled threads, I kept on staring at the empty photo frame which was sitting on the side table beside my sofa, I remember noticing it the days before too. I picked it up and gazed into it, what's with the emptiness in everything. I mumbled to myself. The photo frame was old in design, like the simple brown cornered frame, but it was clean. I continued to look at it, as if with my heated gaze, the picture that was supposed to be in it or used to be in it would come back.

"Put that down." I heard a low voice, from my behind, I without putting that frame down to its spot tilted my head to my side, look upwards to meet the dark eyes.

"Jon?" I spoke up.

He walked towards me from behind and then emerged in front of me, instead of sitting on the sofa right in front of me, he sat beside me, leaving a bit of space between us.

His strong arm touched mine as he sat, his cold as ice voice was nothing intimidating like but it was cold as it made my skin sizzle with the coldness. "Put that down, if he sees you holding this, I think it won't be good for you." I nodded and turned to my right and put it on its exact spot.

"Why though?" I asked. He licked his bottom lips.

His dark hair were flopping over his forehead, his white as snow skin lost its glint at my question and for a second, his eyes left mine and trailed over the photo frame resting on its position. "Ask him, not me."

I chuckled, obviously nervous one, full of hatred and disdain. "Nevermind."

"Why are you here like a lost bird?" Jon asked, his voice still cold, hiding a pain that my question about photo frame brought to him.

"What do you mean? Lost bird? I am a bird that has been caged for no apparent reason? And you know what's the worst thing? I don't feel like kidnapped sometimes, I am not going through hell? Then what is the purpose of just locking me here?" I stopped thinking of his pain when I pondered over his stupid question, I shook my head and glared at him.

"Ah, these questions...You should ask him, not us. Even if we know the answer, we don't know how to answer but trust me some of us feel bad for you." He smiled, a small smile as if that could ease my pain, my suffering.

I huffed, "I did, I did! He ignored my questions as if it was not my right to question me." I stopped, gulped and reminisce how he just went away, leaving my questions unanswered, "You feeling sorry for me isn't helping me, if anyone of you go against him and help me then that would be something worth it! You coming here and talking with me with that innocent tone won't make me appreciate your concern. No, it won't! You all are no better than him. You are supporting the sin he is committing. You are being a part of it."

I looked away, he raised his voice to get my attention, "Trust me, everything is different in our eyes. Everything is a bit better in our minds. It is just, you are on another side of story. Or I would say on the first page a great great novel which is misleading at the start. At the end, you will be able to put each and every piece together." He held my chin to make me face him but I jerked his hand off me and stood up.

I looked down at him, I sort of did not expect Jon to defend their sins like that, because the way he was showing concern for me for past days...it made me feel as if I could get help from him but I was dead wrong. "Stop defending the hell that you have created here. Stop! First page or last page of this novel, I know that I am bound to suffer so why should I care about finding the missing pieces."

"This tale is different, Clarissa. You can tame the situation. You can tame the beast. You might not suffer, you might get out better than ever. You might be protected from the worst of the worst of your life. You don't have any clue, Clarissa. I wish you had. You are protected from a greater danger." This time, Jon had a full smile on his pale face. His dark eyes glimmering with satisfaction as if he was right to justify that. And all of that irked me to no end.

"Bullshit! Utter Bullshit! I am not protected by any danger by being held by the dangerous beast. It is so annoying how you think you are right, he is right and me being kidnapped is fucking right! It is not right, damn it. It is so fucking wrong!" With every word my voice raised and I noticed two big bald, preened in Black shirt and grey jeans came towards me, they were my guards. I mean the ones who used to make sure that I didn't leave.

One of them came so close to me, glared at me with those small blue eyes and threatened, "We didn't leave your side so that you could scream at anyone, especially Sir Jon."

"Oh shut the-" I pointed my finger at him and was about to put him into his place but I felt Jon was already standing beside me, keeping his hand on my forearm to stop me.

"Adrian, you need to go. And take Dylan with you too. It is between me and Clarissa. I am helping her adjust, isn't that we all want. Especially him." Jon kept his other hand on that bald man's shoulder and spoke in a low tone, and suddenly that stiff look of Adrian was melted and he smirked and walked to the other man and then they were walking out of the hall.

Before Jon could speak up, I shrugged his hand off my forearm and took a few steps back saying, "I really don't want to talk to you. Jon. So, just leave me." I looked down, admired the marbled floor but did not look up to face the man who defended the sins.

I think he understood me as I saw his figure disappearing and I felt myself being alone again in that hall, anger was brewing inside me when I thought about 'him' and his crazy ass influence. Continuing to stroll did not help me either, words of Jon were lingering in my mind. What danger could possibly be away from me by being captive by his chains? The question was very simple and the answer was simpler. But at that moment, I did not know that. I couldn't get to that.

I composed myself and decided to go to the room, that was supposedly mine. I hated claiming it mine. But as I had no any chance, I walked towards it. One of the things that irked me was the why did the Beast ordered his minions to not follow me around anymore. Did he start believing that I wouldn't run away? Bingo! That was where he went wrong.

And also...how could he think that just because the basement wasn't my place to go then I wouldn't go upstairs, to second floor, and find him so that he could answer me. I guessed that he'd be on second floor, which was restricted because the first time I saw him, I could definitely tell that he wasn't a people person so maybe second floor was his personal place where I wanted to interrupt him and ask my questions.

Because I did not think that the way I was kidnapped and kept was normal , and I wanted to know why if he didn't want to have anything to do with me then why did he kidnap me?

I was standing in front of the pure white door of my room and then looked over to my left side to see the next staircase starting from the corner of that corridor, the entire place seemed haunted with that minimum and dimmed lights and that pin drop silence. I licked my lips, gulped and looked here and there, I knew my face was paler than ever and I was chewing my lips in hesitation but anyways, with God's given courage, I moved towards that staircase, step by step I reached to put my foot on the first step. Then, with the increasing hesitation and racing heartbeats, I continued my journey to the dungeon of Beast.

When I reached to the second floor after going through those spinning spiral staircase, I was welcomed by the giant painting hanging on the wall left beside the door of someone's room. The giant painting was of a delicate flower; Lily. Beautiful. Amazing.

Below it was written, in some sort of classic calligraphy, "A game needs players, players need a game"

I felt a presence behind my back, I looked down immediately and closed my eyes and heaved a sigh to calm myself down. I looked up towards the painting and then I saw a reflection a tall, lean man behind me. He leaned to me, tilted his head towards my ear and I heard the silky yet metallic voice again, that time, more intense, more gravel, "You are a game and I am a player. The only player." That voice and the haunting essence was definitely his. The Beast's.

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"So?" She asked, looking straight to the injured, weak and tired man sitting with his legs crossed and messy hair flopping on his ocean blue eyes. Bandages also covered his bare arm and a little red spot was visible to her, in his eyes, she was too cruel to not think of his condition. But he understood her rush.

"So what? Mary just give me a break to think?" With his well functioning hand, he pulled his untamed hair back and gave a curt glare to the girl sitting in front of him, in his house, keeping a cigarette between her lips.

"Luciano, don't play with me? Just tell me did you do your work that I asked?" Mary blew out some smoke and spoke up, questioned him with the same curt glare that he gave to her.

"I did, I asked Candice, Steven, Matt, Blaze, Kol and almost everyone who are super close to Alfred and his minions. They also had the same answer, it was not Alfred's call to kidnap her. I told it is someone else, we shouldn't waste time in talking. It's been almost twenty days, we still don't have any clue. You are stuck on Alfred." Luciano whined.

Mary rolled her eyes, bluntly she responded, "I am still stuck on Alfred because I know what kind of person he is." She smoked more, breathing heavily afterwards, her mind clogged with Clarissa's thoughts. She cleared her debts that her father had burdened over on Clarissa. Even though she didn't want that and earn by herself and get over with it by herself, but with her disappearance, Mary had enough and just took that burden off her friend. Mary was thinking if Clarissa would be angry at her for that, but she also thought it would be worth it. Because at least she would have her friend by her side. Luciano cleared his throat and Mary paid him attention.

"And please receive your brother's call, he had something important to tell you. But he told me so don't check your silenced phone," he pointed her to put down her phone and kept on going, "Nate just gave me another shock, he told me the money you gave to each and every person who Clarissa owed, that money has been returned back to your account. I think I have to get something out of Alfred that can be our lead, without telling him anything about the situation."

Mary shook her head in utter shock and cursed under her breathe, "What the...? Why? How?"

"He told me that he contacted three of the people and they said that the money came to them with a letter attached that they should return your money to you and accept the package that was given to him. That package had ten percent more. And that letter had your name mentioned. Something like 'Mary Sanders' money'" He angrily pushed the wooden table resting in front of him with his leg.

"This is insane, Luciano. Insane." Mary got up, panicked and was walking in that room from one corner to another. Luciano was irked by her that old habit.

"Calm down. Just stop acting like a pendulum for God's sake, I am getting distracted. Sit down." Luciano huffed.

She sat down, worried and scared, Luciano frowned to see Mary scared after a long time. Mary forgot to get scared, but Luciano was surprised to find that fear swimming inside her dark eyes after a long time. He smirked, "That man, whoever he is, I hate to say but he is something else. He made me worry. He made you worry. That is something people find impossible to do."

"He took away my one and only genuine friend. And he took away your bait that could put you in good books of Alfred. So obviously we'd be scared to lose someone who we need." Mary's voice held the same disgust that Luciano had been hearing for years. His head was down for a few seconds then he looked up and found Mary skeptically staring at him.

"She is the girl I genuinely like after a long time... After you." He spoke up, his voice low, and didn't held the same playful glint that Mary had been hearing for some years, but it held a truth in it that Mary heard years ago and got herself destroyed due to it.

Mary was quite shaken to hear that, to hear the truth, to hear the softened tone, but she chuckled, "But you still wanted to bring her misery like you brought to me."

"I didn't want, I had to. In both cases." He looked down. Mary was frowning, seeing Luciano Marcel disappointed in himself and confessing his sins like that was sort of rare. Even for her.

"So I was right. You had the same intentions for her as well. But at least you delayed with her, four months, that shows you genuinely liked her, with me," her voice broke for a second and she felt moist in her eyes but soon she picked up her courage again, "with me...what was it? Umm, forty days, Yeah, forty days only."

"Forty days or four months, Mary. It doesn't change one thing." Luciano got up from his sofa, moved towards Mary, crouched in front of her, put his hand on her knee, she looked away from him but still he looked at her curt face that had innocence behind the dark facade, the innocence that he had to strip off her. His bright eyes were searching for that his bright and shining Mary but he failed to catch any glint of her. While Mary again was shocked to listen to Luciano Marcel confessing in his most vulnerable moment, "And that is...Luciano Marcel has only liked two girls in his entire life, you were my first and she is my last."

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From tomorrow, the studies starts again. I hate those snakes that surround me there in my classes. Ugh! But anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. 

Highlight your favorite moment of this chapter here in the comments. What do you prefer? What do you want to have? What do you think of the characters and situations? 

Please don't skip any of it, every chapter holds a few hints that you can catch and put it in your theory and guess the mysteries before the revelation itself.

Next update: Next Sunday. Sundays are MBS days lol.

What can you expect from next chapter: Beast and beauty's interaction. Some more mysteries and a couple of mysteries getting answered.