Once upon a time, there lived a man of noble status. Though he was not the King, he still was very loved by his subjects, for he was kind, wise, and ruled with justice as any great ruler had done. The noble and his wife had one child, a girl, and though they had wished for a boy, they still loved his daughter dearly. Despite the noble’s kindness, the daughter grew up to be a vain, greedy child, for everyone always complimented her for her beauty. One day, a traveler appeared at the castle, begging for shelter for the night. He was an old peddler, gnarled and hideous with his old age. As the girl hated to look at ugly things, she immediately screeched at him to get out of her sight once she saw him. Despite her harsh words, the man continued to beg for shelter and a gold coin for food. Quite fed up, the girl finally yelled, “You shall never have anything of mine, you ugly old thing! Beauty is only for beautiful people, like me! Not for ugly people such as yourself!” Hearing her words, the old man laughed. He then changed to reveal that he was a handsome warlock, of young age and great power. The girl fell to her knees, instantly regretting her words and actions. Despite her pleas, the warlock only gave her cold looks. Having already seen the extent of the darkness in her heart, he changed her into a creature to show the world her true nature. However, he left her with a single way to remove her curse; if she could find someone who truly loved her, she would be freed…

“Thank you, Mr. Johnson. Now, I suspect you all can tell that this folk tale of our town is roughly based off of the French fairy tale, La Belle et la Bête. Many renditions have been published over the years, and I suspect the locals of our town were quick to catch onto this fad at the time. As the…” Reece Johnson stopped listening to his teacher blabber on about literature, turning his thoughts to the story he had just told the class. Ever since he was a kid, he had always been the one who truly believed in the world of fantasy. Of course, being the daydreamer, he was often picked on upon by the other kids, who scoffed at the “imaginary friends” of Reece’s. Despite this, his grandmother still insisted that he did not give up his belief in them, merely telling him, “Seeing isn’t always believing. However, believing is always seeing. One day, you will truly understand what I mean.” With that encouragement, he still retained his childish fascination with the “make-believe”, despite being a junior in high school. He was still picked on occasionally by the jocks, since they always seemed to need someone to torment for their own self-esteem. ‘I wonder if she really exists…’ Reece thought, though the sound of the school bell cut his musings short.

“Remember, I want a two page analytical essay about La Belle et la Bête done by next week!” the teacher called out as the class packed up to leave. Gathering his books up, Reece was about to grab his sketchbook when it was snatched away. Looking up, his face settled into a grimace when he saw who had taken his book. The sneer on the football player’s face did nothing to reassure Reece that they did not mean harm. “Hey dreamboy.” The jock said, his tone mocking.

“What now, Adam.” Reece grumbled, making a futile attempt to get his book back. He hated how the football players always seemed to pick on him, though in truth he knew they picked on other people too. Adam and his pals just laughed, as if Reece had just told a joke instead of a grumble. “If you wouldn’t mind giving me back my sketchbook, I have to get to my next period.” Reece said in a huff, sticking his hand out for his book. All that he got in return for his demand was more laughter. Really, it was grating on his nerves how much these guys d*cked around.

“Hey, dreamer boy, you believe in this sh*t right?” Adam finally said once he stopped laughing. Holding the sketchbook right out of Reece’s reach, Adam laughed when the smaller boy tried to swipe it out of his hands. “You want it? You only get it back after completing something for me. After finishing a dare.”

Reece sighed. He should’ve known Adam would dare him to something stupid. Still, he couldn’t afford to lose his sketchbook now; it held several years’ worth of drawings, sketches and writing in it. “Fine. What’s this dare you want me to do?” He ground out, patience wearing thin. The only thing that stopped him from giving the jock a swift kick to the groin was the fact that he wouldn’t stand a chance against Adam’s flunkies.

Adam’s grin widened. He knew the exact buttons to push with Reece, and it was always a pleasure to him to see the usually calm boy get so riled up. “I dare you to make me believe in your “imaginary friends”. By going with me to the old castle in the woods tomorrow at midnight.” He stated, licking his lips in anticipation. He knew Reece had a weakness for the supernatural and such, and thus he was such an easy target for tormenting. All he had to do was push the right buttons. “And if not, I guess I can just flip through this book and make my own--”

“Fine. I’ll go with you.” Reece cut in, balling his hands into fists. If he had to suffer a night of Adam and his stupid friends for the safety of his sketchbook, by god, he would do it. He still dreaded being alone with the jocks in an ancient castle at night; who knew what kind of s**t they’d pull on him?