Beauty's Beast

Mystery

Damien

Belle told me about her memory and everything that happened when she was three. I looked at Belle as she furrowed her brows.

"Why didn't your dad tell you this, and why did Tessa tell us your mom died of an illness?" I asked.

"I don't know," Belle answered, shaking her head.

"Perhaps we should get answers from the horse's mouth," I suggested. Belle looked at me, curiously.

We left the bedroom, and I contacted Andrew. He searched for Tessa since he was better with computers. He found Tessa's address, and we went over to the house.

After arriving, we walked to the door and knocked. Tommy answered it, letting us into the house.

"Tommy? Who's at the door?" Tessa asked, walking into the room to see us standing there. She hugged us. "What a nice surprise."

"We came to talk to you about Belle's mom," I mentioned.

Tessa gave me a confused look.

*******
Belle

We sat at a table as Tessa brought over cups of coffee to us. She joined as I picked up my cup and sipped coffee.

"When a witch cursed Tommy and me along with our dog, she did it because my ex-husband treated her poorly. She blamed all of us. Because of the curse, we remained frozen in time, never aging. We stayed in the house for years until this couple bought it," Tessa explained.

"One day, a woman showed up and gifted your mother with these books. The woman explained that the books were special, and your mother would appreciate them. It turned out to be fairytale books. She accepted the books and read them religiously. Then one day, some men entered the house, shouting for the books. They tore the house apart, looking for the books, and when your mom attempted to stop the men, one man killed her," Tessa added, shocking me.

I had so many questions but didn't know where to start.

"Who was the man, and why did they want the books?" Damien asked.

"I don't know. I never saw the man in my life. The books disappeared as if they didn't want to find," Tessa answered.

"Why did you tell us that my mom died from an illness?" I questioned.

"Would you have accepted that someone killed your mother? Belle, it's difficult dealing with the death of a parent, it's terrible to know someone caused it," Tessa explained.

I furrowed my brows. It's challenging to know the truth about my mom's death, but knowing she protected me made it bearable.

"I wish I could be more helpful, but like you and the others, a witch cursed us, except our curse came at the expense of someone else," Tessa said.

We visited a while, then left, heading home. When we arrived, I removed my cape and hung it up, then walked into the library. Damien followed me as I stood there, looking at the books, including the empty spot that held the fairytale books.

"Belle? Are you okay?" Damien asked with concerned.

"I'm thinking," I answered, looking at the books.

"About your mom?" Damien asked.

I looked at Damien. "Yes, and books," I replied. Damien looked at me with confusion. "My mom received the books and read them all. When she died, the books disappeared. I didn't know about the books until Helen mentioned them. How do books disappear and reappear with someone else?" I asked.