He saw the rose garden, ‘Belle would love a rose.’ He took out his carving knife and cut it off by the stem.
“Thief!” Maurice hears a big growl from behind the bushes.
“I am sorry, I, I…” Maurice stutters as he sees the half-man, half-beast towering over him.
Queen Adelaide was not far behind, “Adam, please go inside the castle!”
“He stole from me!” Adam roars upset.
Maurice thought the beast crazy, not being able to see Queen Adelaide. It became clear a few years ago that the shifting spell over Adam ruled out the invisible spell.
Prince Adam grabbed Maurice by the neck and drag him to the castle and logged him up in the dungeon.
Belle woke up from her afternoon nap and wondered where her father is, ‘the sun is almost down, it is not like him to stay out so late.’

Belle put on her jacket and decided to go look for her father. The streetlights were already flickering on as she made her way down the road. She walked past the butcher and saw that he has already locked up. Some people still talking on their porches showed her in the direction of the woods. Belle made her way to the woods and by the time she got to the edge of the woods, it was already dark. It was the first time she ever wandered around the woods at night. From the town, you cannot really see the castle at night. Belle noticed that there are dim lights on at the castle. She walked a bit closer to investigate. She came to a halt at the gate, remembering the stories of the wild wolfs, unsure if she should step into the castle gardens that looked wild and abandoned. Not too far on the other side of the gate, she recognizes her father's tool bag.
Without thinking, she steps through the gate and ran towards her father’s bag.
“Father, father,” she calls out looking around not able to see anything in the dark. She walks closer to the castle and calls out again, “father,” but gets no answer.
Prince Adam was intrigued by the beautiful voice and silently sneaked up behind her. Belle could feel a warmth behind her and froze, “father?” Belle slowly turns around and partly crouching in front of her a frightening beast stood, frozen in his tracks.
‘She is the most innocent little thing I have ever seen,’ Adam thinks when his golden-brown eyes meet Belle’s big brown eyes. Belle got a huge fright and step backward screaming. Adam touches his face, and remembers what he looks like, ‘I am a beast,” he reminds himself. Belle lost her footing but quickly stood up again. She finds herself pressed against the castle wall, nowhere to go but forward.
“Sorry for frightening your,” Adam whispers.
“I am looking for my father. I didn’t mean to trespass,” Belle stutters out.
“Your father is locked up in my dungeons, he stole from me,” Adam says angrily making Belle shake a bit. Adam could feel her fear and hated that he is making her feel scared.
“What did he take from you?” Belle asks, her voice still filled with fear.
“He did not take, he stole it!” Adam protest.
Belle does not respond, she just looks at him. Adam could see the fear in her.
“Leave and don’t come back here!” Adam speaks up and points in the direction of the gate.
“But,..” Belle knew her father would want her to save herself, but she could not bring herself to leave him behind with this beast.
“What is going on?” Queen Adelaide asks coming to inspect after hearing the noise outside.
“Another human?” Queen Adelaide asks. She gave one look at her son and knew what just happened.
Belle saw the Beast looking at something, but she could not see or hear what he is responding to.
Adam gave a confused moaning growl.
“Please, let me come and work for you, I can clean or do whatever it takes to repay you for what my father took from you,” Belle pleads, knowing that she will not keep her word.
“Like father, like daughter. The father a thief the daughter a liar,” Prince Adam says.
“Adam, my boy, please let her go, if she goes missing with her father then the town will come looking for them,” his mother pleads.
“Mate,” Prince Adam says in a whisper hanging his head.
"Can't believe his mate is just a plain poor ugly human girl," Adam's mother says, appalled at the sight of Belle.
“Tell her if anyone shows up here again her father will die,” Queen Adelaide instructs him.
“Leave, your father will repay his own debt, and if you tell anyone, I will kill him,” Adam says with a raised voice.
“What did he take from you? Since he has to repay you for it then tell me how much it is and I will pay you for it,” Belle tries again.
Adam points to where the rose is lying with its petals scattered.
“A rose?” Belle asks shocked.
Prince Adam feels the anger rising up in him. ‘Typical human, to think a rose or any plant or flower of that matter is just there for them to take and do with as they please.’
“How long does my father have to stay here to repay his debt,” Belle asks with a hint of anger in her voice.
Prince Adam was a bit surprised but also impressed, “two years.”
“Two years?!”
“Yes, now leave!” he shouts out making Belle jump. Belle got so scared and ran as fast as she could.
That night Belle could not fall asleep, she was tossing and turning unable to think about what to do, ‘how will I save my father?’

The next day at school Belle endured name-calling from Gaston LeGume, nothing she was not used to. Normally she would badmouth him right back but today her head was full of plans on what to do about saving her father from the beast.
“Nothing to say,” Gaston with his black hair and almost black eyes tries to get a reaction from Belle. He did not really like her, but he did take offense from the fact that it appears that she is like the only girl in town that is not falling at his feet.