Help or hindrance?

When the man came to get me, he had insisted on finding a more private place to talk, so I was now following him through one of the long hallways to a meeting room.

I was once again amazed by the size of the room which was far from what I had expected.

Usually, there would be a table and some chairs, and nothing more.

This room, however, was far from anything I had ever seen before.

Paintings decorated the walls all the way up to the high ceiling, and two grand chandeliers hung from the ceiling above a large wooden table in the middle of the room, with chairs all around.

"Whoa..."

I muttered quietly as I marveled at the sight of the grand interior, completely forgetting why I was even there for a brief moment.

The man walked through the room without as much as a glance to me or his surroundings, which made him seem like he was eager to just get it over with.

When we got to the end of the room, I stopped and glared at him for a moment, wondering what he was doing.

He pressed his finger to a painting and drew a sign onto it before he stepped back and mumbled something.

I couldn't hear what he said but at soon as he said those words, the wall started to move.

It sort of expanded to reveal a large wooden door with engravings on it, in a pattern that bore a similarity to the tree of life.

I was speechless as I entered the room before him and once again took a moment to take in my surroundings.

The room was small and dark with another long table and chairs in the center, but it was nowhere near as impressive as the one we had just been in.

He firmly ordered me to sit down and so I sat down in a chair at the end of the table, intentionally exaggerating my movements.

Once seated, I looked up at him almost as if to say 'happy?' but he did not seem to notice my bratty attitude.

He started pacing, suddenly seeming restless and I shifted uncomfortably in my chair, unsure whether to speak or keep quiet.

I pursed my lips and focused on looking anywhere but at him, waiting for him to initiate a conversation.

He began speaking in a low tone.

"You will need to know one thing"

He paused for a second as if carefully considering his next words.

Just tell me damn it...

"I can't let you leave this place Stella"

I looked at him in pure shock as his words dawned on me.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"You mean to keep me here against my will!?"

Surely he was joking.

"If that's what it takes, so be it..."

Not sure how to react, I remained silent.

My mind was blank from the shock and I felt nauseous.

I had been carefully planning my escape from the village for months, studying the area and meticulously planning my every move in advance.

All of that effort, only to be held captive again by someone else.

I felt as though I was even further from my goal than I had been before leaving.

Noticing my reaction, he changed the direction of the conversation and started asking me questions about why I was in the woods all by myself at night.

I responded vaguely, with no intention of giving away the real reason.

After all, the less he knew about my plans, the bigger chance I would have of escaping.

Unsurprisingly, he was unamused by the lack of enthusiasm in my words.

Realising he was not gonna get far with me, he changed his method.

"I assume you have heard the rumors that are circulating about these woods..".

He did not look at me when he spoke, which was beginning to make me uncomfortable.

'These woods' I thought to myself.

If this place was located in the woods, it would mean that I was still close to my intended destination.

I silently celebrated the piece of information, not allowing my unphased expression to change and give me away.

This was perfect.

I responded coldly, making an effort to seem like I could not care less about the rumors.

"Yeah, I have.... So? It's nothing more than a wives tale, meant to keep children away"

Seemingly annoyed by my response, he moved in close and placed his hands on either side of me, his palms flat on the table as he leaned in to whisper in my ear.

"What if I told you the rumors are true? That this beast as they call it, is very real"

I had to admit that he was starting to freak me out at this point, but at the same time him being so close to me was utterly distracting.

His warm breath tickled my ear, sending shivers down my spine and causing a strange sensation of heat to grow between my legs.

Why was my body betraying me at a time like this?

I did my best to not let his effect on me show, calmly crossing my legs in an attempt to kill the growing sensation of heat.

Adjusting myself slightly to appear more confident, I tilted my head back to look him straight in the eyes as I replied.

"What if I don't believe you?"

My voice was sterner than intended, but it seemed to do the job.

I was hoping to provoke some sort of reaction from him, but to my great disappointment, he didn't move a muscle.

His expression never changed as he murmured hollowly, his lips mere inches away from mine at this point.

"You will come to believe me eventually..."

His voice bore a warning and had an almost threatening tone to it, which made my blood run cold.

It was only when I noticed that his gaze had shifted that I relaxed.

Was he looking at my lips?

Surely I was imagining things.

He was handsome. Even more so up close.

Something about him was mysterious and annoyingly alluring.

The world seemed to stand still for a moment as his gaze locked with mine, and I allowed myself to get lost in his dark eyes.

What are you doing.

Get yourself together Stella...

I scolded myself internally for letting my guard down so easily and forced myself to look away.

It took a moment for me to gather myself.

I straightened up in the chair as I once again faked complete disinterest in the conversation.

He scoffed as he moved away from me, his gaze not wavering as he went to sit down in the chair across from me.

It was as though he could see straight through me and into the very depth of my soul.

It made me feel vulnerable and uncomfortable.

Almost like I was a prey being stalked by a predator.

I asked my next question with caution, carefully trying to control my voice as it threatened to crack, but not entirely succeeding.

"W-why did you bring me here?"

It bothered me, and I knew that he was fully aware of it.

He had brought me here for a reason I did not yet know and he was refusing to give me the answers I wanted.

The answers that I so desperately needed.

His secretive attitude made it hard for me to control my temper.

Seriously, who did he think he was?

He sighed and spoke again, tilting his head back to rest it against the back of the chair, his eyes focused on the ceiling.

"Because you needed help. You must know it isn't safe walking around in the woods with all of this going on"

I knew what he meant but it didn't make me less mad at him for having brought me here in the first place.

He had found me, presumably by accident, and then brought me to this place while I was unconscious.

Now he was refusing to let me leave, yet not bothering to give any other reason than the obvious.

"I'm not your responsibility. I can hold my own" I spat out, unintentionally sounding more spiteful than I had first intended.

Part of me was proud when I saw his reaction.

His body tensed at my words and something in his eyes seemed to change.

His gaze became stiff and dark, which gave him an eerie vibe.

I refrained from commenting further, not wanting to test him as he did not strike me as the type I should be messing with.

He practically growled when he responded, this time clearly not making any effort to control himself.

"Trust me... You'll thank me someday.."

His voice was dark and cold as he spoke.

I could not help but feel that there was something I should know, that he was not telling me.

What could possibly be so bad that he had to hide it from me?

After a few moments of silence, I mustered one final question, hoping that he at least would grant me the knowledge of who he was.

He did not respond.

Realizing that I would not get any further information at this point, I refrained from questioning him any further.

I had no intention of staying much longer anyway.

I did not care that he thought it was dangerous.

I knew the risks of going into the woods, and besides, who was he to tell me off?

Unable to help myself, I made one last unfriendly remark.

"I would tell you my own name, but it seems you already know quite a bit about me..."

His response was silence.

It seemed I had struck a nerve and without hesitation, he got up from his chair and made his way toward the door.

"I trust you can find your way back to your chambers"

He slammed the door behind him, leaving me all alone in the dark room.

Alone with my confusion and mixed feelings and an endless list of questions left unanswered.