Saving Werefea

Chapter 1.

Estella’s POV.

I stand in the shower as the water pours down around me splashing off my body and I replay in my mind what just happened. My brain shatters and I can’t believe I was picked, it was my first year in the draw I shouldn’t have been chosen.

*We all meet at the town hall at 7pm, all the girls add their names to the ballots and sign in as a deafening silence fills the crowd, you can feel the fear wash over all of us as we take our places waiting for it to be over with. The mayor stands in front of everyone on a large podium as he speaks in to a microphone.

“Thank you all for coming, this year is the 138th annual offering.” He says loudly as his squeaky voice echos through the air.

“As you all know the offering takes place each year to keep the treaty with the bests to ensure the safety of our village.” He begins as I feel my heart lodge in to my throat creating a lump I’m unable to swallow.

“There are 23 young ladies eligible for the choosing this year, so let’s get started.” He says reaching in to the large clear bowl spinning his hand around before pulling out a ticket.

“Estella Moone.” His voice chimes in my ears as I feel my body get hot from head to toe, I try to breath and my lungs feel like there being filled with sand. I never thought I’d be chosen out of all the girls in the village I thought I’d be safe.

I’ve always been the girl in the back ground, unseen and unwanted. In school I was always picked last and I sat at the back of the class room, I ate lunch alone and I became ok with that. No one wanted the lonely little orphan girl as a friend, I’ve been alone my entire life so I guess it’s fitting that I’ll die alone too.

The mayor clears his throat pulling me from my thoughts as I stand there staring at him in shock.

“Could you come up here please dear?” His squeaky voice now seems faint and far away like someone is holding their hands over my ears, I feel the sweat drip down the back of my neck as my heart races and I try to force my feet to move forward. With every ounce of strength I push myself forward trying to make my body move hearing the crowd around me clap.

I’m lost in my own thoughts when I hear a something fall over outside my room.

"Misfit stop climbing on my desk!" I call out to her while turning the taps to the shower off, grabbing my towel quickly stepping out, I wrap myself up before going and opening my door.

"What are you doing?" I ask in a baby voice as I lean down to scratch her head. Misfit is a black cat with white and orange patches on her, I found her in a ditch one day when I was walking home from school.

She has the most beautiful green eyes staring up at me, she was so small and when I picked her up she instantly pushed in to me and started her soft little meows and since then she hasn’t stopped. Shes been my best friend for the last 5 years now, I’ve had my own place since I was 15 and aged out of the group home it’s just been the two of us since then and honestly I don’t think either of us seem to mind.

I hear a soft knock at my door and I sigh before wrapping my robe around myself and heading downstairs to answer the door. When I open it theres nothing there except a small pink box with my name on it, my heart sits in my throat as I pick up the perfectly wrapped box and bring it inside setting it on the table not letting my eyes leave it. I slowly pull the pink ribbon letting the small bow shrink as it comes off, I swallow the hard lump in my throat and pull off the lid revealing a descriptive letter on light pink stationary.

“Dear Estella, I’d like you in my office tomorrow by 9 am to discuss the arrangements for tomorrow evening.” Simply put and stamped by the mayor, my breathing becomes more erratic as I stop to think for a moment. This is really happening, it wasn’t just some bad dream. I was chosen to be sacrificed for this years beast moon.

Our little town is very conservative, we aren’t allowed to date or have relationships till after the age of 25. Every year all of the girls in the town between the ages of 20-24 have to enter their name in to a draw, then the night before the beast moon a name is picked. If your name is picked from the bowl then you will be brought to the middle of town during the beast moon to be left as an offering. If your name is pulled and you are given to a beast you need to be a virgin, otherwise the beast will kill you leaving your body in the woods for the animals. Or at least that’s what’s said to happen.

I go back to my thoughts about tomorrow. Tomorrow is my 20th birthday, which happens to land on the beast moon meaning this was my first year entered in to the draw. Tonight when we all gathered to watch as names were pulled, my heart was beating so fast I could hardly even breath. We are brought out, made to stand at the edge of town during the full beast moon blind folded. I will have to wait for the beasts to arrive and they will take me as a offering to keep our village safe, most aren’t seen again. It’s our villages sacrifice for the beast protection, as scary as the beast’s are there is much worse lurking in the dark forests that surround the town. The beast’s make sure our village is safe, it has been a treaty put in our town for as long as I can remember and tomorrow will be my first year attending.

I look at myself in the mirror as I dry my long dark hair, tonight will be my last night here. This time tomorrow I will be standing at the edge of the town, waiting to be whisked away by a beast or killed the second they see me. My heart pounds in fear even thinking about it and my stomach turns.

I put on pyjamas and crawl in to bed unable to tare my mind from tomorrow. On my 20th birthday I’m being sacrificed to the beasts, I’m not even going to have the chance to have a first love. Girls in our town have been raised to believe our only purpose is to be offered to the beasts and to please them, which is why the town has such strict rules for dating.

I lay awake for hours, I know that there’s no way I can escape this so all I can do is pray that my beast is nice. Pray that he won’t be violent and that he will take care of me.

The next morning I wake up just after 7, the sun beaming down on me from my bedroom window warming my body as I stretch awake. Getting up I sit in front of my mirror and begin to brush out my big dark waves while misfit purrs happily rolling around beside me, I pull it back in to a high pony tail and put on some mascara. I quickly throw on some clothes and run down stairs to grab breakfast.

I get misfit her kibble and soft food before making myself a smoothie and bagel, I wonder what will happen to misfit. Will she find someone else in the village to live with? I don’t have any family or friends so I can’t really give her to anyone, my heart begins to ache as I wonder what will happen to her, I blend up some mangos and strawberry’s as I watch misfit eat her food purring softly while she does and I start to think of everything that has happened.

I was found just outside the village as a baby I was wrapped in a little purple blanket and had a soother, I guess someone heard me crying and came to find me. I was placed in to the group home in the village and attended school until I was 15 and was able to get my own place, I guess you could say misfit and I were fated to find one another.

I sit and eat in silence for a few more moments before I look at the clock and see that it’s 8:30. I didn’t realize how late it had gotten, I get up wash my plate quickly and give misfit some head scratches before grabbing my shoes and heading out the door, pulling my jean jacket on I start my walk to the mayor’s office. Everything is so green this time of year and smells so fresh, the walk takes about 10 minutes before I’m standing outside the main office doors, I take a few deep breaths calming myself before walking in.