Blind Beauty and Cursed Beast

Finding Victor

-Helena pov-

It's been days, and I have nothing. I've banged my head against the wall in frustration, at not coming up with a single possibility. I sat at his desk with a piece of paper and a pen in hand, willing myself to come up with at least one thing.

So far, nothing. I've sat here, wallowing in my frustration. I've cried, yelled, and laughed at myself throughout it all.

Victor has not come to me at least once. He never gave me a clue. Not even a little one to lead me in the right direction.

In frustration I throw on some sneakers, grab a jacket, and make my way outside. The sky was cloudy and there was a slight chill in the air that made me shiver as I slipped on the jacket.

I walked in any random direction and tried to sort out my jumbled thoughts. My brain felt so fried that I just needed to get some fresh air and clear my mind so I could function better.

Victor was a mystery to me, one I really wanted to uncover. He kept himself closed, but sometimes a piece of him would shine through his hard shell. When it did, it made me want to know him better. It attracted me to him. He was not like how I imagined him to be. Far from it. There was this very sweet side to him that he mostly showed toward me.

He didn't have to say much for me to know what he was feeling or thinking. It rolled off of him in waves, at least it did to me.

How was I supposed to find him? There was nothing for me to go off of. Was there?

Suddenly I remembered a conversation I had with Maddie before she left about some witch Victor knew. She said something about him making a mistake and upsetting a witch or something in that nature. Could this witch be the reason all of this has happened?

If so, how do I find her? Maddie never said her name. Victor never mentioned her. I had to go out and find her, maybe she knew where he was. Or maybe she had him, keeping him a prisoner in a fit of rage at what he had done to her.

I had no clue where to start or how to even come close to finding this witch. I knew nothing of her. The only think I knew was that Victor had wronged her and she might be angry and had a motive to hurt him.

I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed in frustration. This was harder than finding a needle in a haystack.

I turned around to go back when a piece of paper blowing in the wind hit my chest. I grab it, looking around to see who could've dropped this. Seeing no one, I hold it up to read it.

I have to read it twice to make sure it wasn't a joke. I let out a loud laugh and hug the paper to my chest, running back for the house.

The paper was an invitation to a masquerade, one with a special princely hunt. That could only mean my hunt, the hunt for Victor. This was finally the sign I've been waiting for. I would finally get him.

I will be bringing Victor back, no matter what happens. If it means sacrificing myself, then so be it. He will come back to me.

I finally make my way back inside the house and run into Victor's room to hash out a plan for tomorrow, the day of the masquerade.

I stop in my tracks when I notice a very scarlet dress laying upon Victor's dark covers. It was almost the color of fresh blood. How that got there, I had no clue. No one was here, except for me.

I slowly approached the dress, not knowing what would happen if I were to touch it. I gingerly press my finger tips to the garment and let out a breath of relief when nothing happened. I didn't expect for it to blow up, I just expected it to be a trap.

I pick it up and watch as a piece of paper flutters to the floor out of the folds of the dress. I bend and pick it up, laying the dress back down.

Find the prince. You have until midnight. Happy hunting.

It was her...she was doing this. This was part of her sick game. She knew things I didn't. It made me almost shake in place, but I couldn't dwell on that. I had to think of Victor. He was out there, waiting for me. Waiting for me to find him. And I intend on doing just that. I'd find him, even if it took me until the end of time. I owe him a lot, and I intend on paying up.

No matter what, I was not going to give up.

Tomorrow I'd go in and not leave until I found him. My prince. I needed him with me. I have never felt this strongly about anyone. I never let anyone get close enough to me, not really. I usually kept everyone at arms length, even my best of friends. I just didn't want to get hurt, or feel the pain of losing anyone anymore.

With Victor though, I was willing to go through that pain, that heartbreak, if it meant I could at least have him for some time. I was willing to drag myself through he'll for him, and although that scared me, it also motivated me even more to get ready to find him.

I don't know why I felt this way, it was a new and unknown feeling to me.

I just knew I had to let this feeling guide me, let it lead me to him, and save him from whatever it was that he was in trouble with. There was no way I was not finding Victor.