It had been a day since The Beast or Jaxson, she should say, had left. Zoey had spent most of the day wandering and exploring the cabin. But halfway through, she was beyond bored. There were only a few things to do in the cabin. There was no tv, but there was a few coloring books for some odd reason.

She spent the rest of the day staring into oblivion while munching on some cookies.

Zoey glanced over to the window. The last beam of light from the setting sun shone through the window. She walked over to the window. The trees surrounding the cabin were thick, so she couldn't see very far into them.

I wish I were brave enough to go out there.

The Beast's words repeated over in her head. There was something out there, whether it was him or something else. Zoey knew there were more of him, but she didn't know if they were nearby or dangerous.

She shook her head, deciding that escaping into the forest now that it was getting dark was a bad idea.

Zoey expected she would have been rescued by now. Yes, the Beast had told them she wouldn't be found, but those could have been empty words.

She knew people would suspect her of being missing. Zoey's car was still at Adams just as she left it. Zoealso wouldn't show up to work when she was supposed to. She hoped someone would find that odd as Zoey had probably missed work one time while working at Cupid's cafe.

As she was wrapped in her thoughts, the doorknob began to jiggle.

She jumped away from the window turning around to face the front door. Her heart began to think uncontrollably as she looked frantically around for a hiding spot.

Just as she decided to hide behind the coffee table, Jaxson stepped in through the door.

Zoey let out a breath of relief. Shocking herself that she would be happy to see the Beast.

"Zoey," he called out but gave her a puzzled glance as he looked at her odd position.

She chuckled awkwardly while scraping behind her neck. "You're back."

Jaxson nodded, heading straight for the kitchen. He set down his bag and began putting away the items inside.

Zoey felt frustration creep up into her insides. She wanted to ask him why and where he had gone, but she already knew how he would answer.

"I'm sorry I was gone for so long." He finally spoke up. "I didn't realize it would take so long."

Zoey glanced at him. She still felt a smidge of anger, but it had faded with time.

There had been something on Zoey's mind all day. She hoped to ask the Beast when he returned.

"Beast? Oh, I mean Jaxson. Y-you uh." She paused, looking up at his shadow-covered eyes. That took away all of her courage.

"Where's the shower?" She blurted out instead.

He stared at her for a second, wondering why it was hard for her to ask to use his shower.

"It's upstairs in the hall. You find all the supplies you need in the cabinet."

Zoey's cheeks were tinged pink as she passed Jaxson.

He stared at her, questionable, as he watched her go up the stairs. Jaxson shook his head and continued his task of putting away the groceries.

Zoey stepped into the bathroom. She had known where it was as she wondered those halls a couple times that day.

She pulled open the cabinet and grabbed the shampoo and conditioner bottles she found. She immediately recognized them as she used the same ones at home.

Zoey looked further into the cabinet, finding the same soap and hair and makeup products she used at home.

Zoey roughly shoved the items back into the cabinet. She gripped the counter tightly and gazed into her reflection. Fury roared through her mind, but fear overtook her heart.

She was angry that he had invaded her privacy. But she was afraid of how many times he had been in her home, in her room, in her bathroom. How often has he been there that she couldn't see or feel him?

Zoey stormed out of the bathroom. The Beast sat at one of the bar stools, a sandwich in front of him.

"How long have you been planning on me coming here?" Zoey questioned him from behind. Jaxon turned sharply towards her, but she could not see what he was feeling.

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean! There is a bathroom full of products I use at home. Was this an overnight thing, or did you gradually stock up over time?"

Zoey screeched at him. Her face red like the molten lava inside her.

The Beast said nothing, looking down at his hands.

"How long, Jaxson? And don't tell me you can't tell me!"

"It's been a long time!" He shouted back, turning to face Zoey.

"Why?"

"I can't tell you that."

"No! You can't keep saying that. I want to know why I'm here!"

Jaxson nodded his head and swallowed.

"I know, and I hate keeping this from you, but... but I can't tell you, not yet."

There was nothing for Zoey to do, so she instead glared, burning holes in his skull.

"Please sit down, and I will get you something to eat."

Zoey sat down at one of the barstools, her frustration growing with every passing minute.

Jaxson handed her a sandwich which she struggled to choke down. Her stomach was in knots.

"Are you leaving again?"

She asked, worried and hopeful that he would say yes.

"No," he answered sharply, stopping her from asking more questions. She sighed, looking down at her sandwich. Her appetite was gone.

"Eat."

Jaxson ordered her without looking up from the bread he was putting away. Zoey pushed the plate away, causing a loud scratching sound against the granite countertop. She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled at him once again.

Zoey watched as his jaw twitched. His hand curled up in a fist, and her emotions had never changed faster.

She stood from her stool as he stormed his way to her.

"I will treat you like a prisoner if that's what you want."

Zoey shook her head, unsure of what to say or do.

"Can you stop being so difficult! I don't want you here anymore than you do, but I have to." He seethed close to her face, her eyes widening in surprise.

He slammed his hands down on the countertop and stormed out of the room. Zoey felt her throat grow tight, and tears pricked her eyes.

Zoey wished she understood why she was there. The more time she spent with the Beast, the more questions arose. She knew he needed her or was using her for something, but she wasn't sure what. Zoey knew for sure that her actions weren't getting her anywhere. Maybe she needed to be patient, and perhaps the Beast would tell her.

Zoey leaned her elbows on the countertop and wiped her tears from her cheek.

Jaxson came back into the room a few minutes later, almost hesitantly. He opened his mouth to speak but suddenly started sniffing the air.

Zoey stared at him strangely as he walked over to the kitchen window. The Beast's body tensed, and an animalistic growl came from him. She jumped out of her seat when his face snapped over to look at her.

"They found us! We need to go."

Jaxson growled, turning towards Zoey.

"Wait, but we just got here."

He ignored her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up the stairs. He grabbed a bag from one of the rooms and tossed it toward her.

"Fill it with all things you need, but hurry!"

Zoey rushed to the bathroom and put in items she thought she would need.

She wondered if it was someone coming to rescue her. Maybe her parents, Adam, or the police had finally found where she was.

Or... or maybe it's something that was just like him.

Zoey put the last thing in her bag as Jaxson grasped her hand.

"Wait, I need clothes!"

"I will get you clothes when we get there."

Zoey huffed, but her fear that whatever was out there was getting closer told her not to argue.

"Can I ask if it is someone I know coming for me? If it's not, I'll go willingly."

"No, it's something like me. Something worse than me."

Terror stabbed at Zoey's heart as what could be worse than the Beast.

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Thanks for reading!