Chapter 1

I waited for my father and mother to cease fighting in the car.

            We have arrived in Moonburn. Yet, we’re still sitting in the car waiting for their argument to end. My sister’s baby kept on crying and the sound of my brother’s gaming tablet is very much a nuisance to my ears.

            I often wished to be like Belle in Beauty and the Beast. At least, she can live peacefully in a castle full of books—never mind the talking dishes and whining furniture.

            Finally, my father, who’s in the driver’s seat, unlocked the door and I went out immediately. I heard my sister’s ‘scolding’ voice for the one thousandth time today, but I just ignored it, like I mostly do.

            The neighborhood is calm and peaceful, probably because of the frigid weather or they just don’t care about newly-moved folks.

            A blonde woman, perhaps in her early forties, waved at me. Her house is just next to us. I smiled and waved back as well. She looks so happy and cheerful upon seeing us, upon seeing me.

            But there’s something odd about her actions. As soon as I waved back at her, her expression changed. The smile dropped from her previously kind face and she turned her back on me, going inside her house. I was a bit shocked. But for a person who's constantly being turned back by everyone, it didn't bother me that much.

            “What the hell are you doing there, Elaine? Go inside and prepare our food!” My mother’s thundering voice is the only one loud enough to echo in the silence of the neighborhood.

            I glared at her, silently willing her to lower her voice. But, she just rolled her eyes and tried to throw her slippers at me.

            I quickly dodged; I’m a pretty good dodger. My family is very chaotic as you can see. Each has their own business and only pays attention to you if they need something.

            My younger sister gave birth when she was sixteen. I am eighteen, and yet jobless—again. 

I left my friends and job in Maine to be with my family. At least they are a family in some ways. Despite their cruel treatment of me, my mother is still my mother and my father is still my father nonetheless.

            I didn’t go to college as my parents wouldn’t allow me, even though I told them that I’m going to use my own money. My mom told me that instead of spending my money on college, I should give it to them so that I will be at least ‘of use’ to this family.

            “We have raised you for more than a decade. Don’t tell me you’re not going to pay us back all the money we’ve spent on you since I gave birth until you graduated in Senior High School!” That was my mother’s words every time I mentioned that topic. 

And every time she finishes blurting out those words, she always ends it with an attempted slap on my face that I always managed to avoid. As I said, I am pretty much a professional dodger of slaps and things thrown at me. I think if I were Belle from Beauty and the Beast, I would not think twice about going to Beast’s huge castle if I have a family like this.

            I wandered through the house, exploring my new surroundings on the way to the kitchen. The wallpapers are still intact, no hint of beastly scratches and blood stains. The house wasn't as creepy as I was suspecting. I guess my family is much more hideous then.

            The real estate agent told us that the only daughter of the previous couple was abducted on the night of a leap year. And thus, they left—abandoned—this city and went into another city to start a new life.

It sounds like one of those unsolved cases and disappearing people that I used to watch on Buzzfeed. I am an avid fan of the paranormal and supernatural. That’s why I am overly happy that the house we are now living in has some supernatural, mystery case connected to it. Especially since it's a leap year tonight, February 29, 2020. 

I’m gonna prepare my journal for this year’s chilling phenomena. Like the one I caught in my camera last year where I saw the image of a floating lady before my eyes—and I managed to capture it.

“Elaine! Where the heck is our food?!” my sister yelled at me. The four of them were just casually sitting in the living room, watching N*****x on the television that came with the house.

            “Coming!” I answered back like how a housekeeper responds to her employer. I better be a housekeeper of this family if this is how they treat me. At least I’ll have a monthly salary if I am their housemaid. To be frank, I’d rather be abducted by an alien at midnight or transported to a faery realm rather than continually living with those four huge pigs that call themselves my brother, father, mother, and sister.

            I carried a food tray with plates of fruits and vegetables and a bit of meat that were paid for with my last month’s salary before I resigned. I used to work as a waitress at a diner in Maine. Well, to tell you honestly, I once even had a brief relationship with my boss before I found out that he only used me—and has been actually married for five years.

            I sighed and slowly laid the food on the table before them. Before I could even yield a step back to the kitchen, a dozen people barged in into our house. 

            Two words could describe my face: utterly flabbergasted. The lady that waved at me earlier was one of a dozen people.

            “What the shit is going on?!” My father demanded.

            “Who’s the eldest female child?” The man carrying a white dress on his shoulder asked.

            I frowned. My brows knitted, confusion was visible in my face. So does my family.

            My brother, who was still clinging to his gaming tablet, pointed at me.  All eyes in the room were fixed on me. The lady from earlier stepped forward.

            “Then our sacrifice to the White Wolf is now settled.” She spoke more to the people with her rather than to us.

            “I’m sorry, what?” I breathed.

            “You’ll come with us. Bring only yourself. And nothing more,” she added.

            I tried to protest but the man holding the white dress shouted in anger. “Come with us now before the sun sets!”

            My family just looked at me. I was expecting them to stop these people. But my mom just stood and said, “Go. Go with them Elaine. Before they kill us!”

            I’m done with them. Even in this last minute, all they think is about themselves. All they care about is their safety. They didn’t even stop me or grab me by the hand. The people I called family didn’t even fight for me, beckoned me to stay with them. They just handed me to these people that, in the devil's name, we don’t even know who they are.

            What if they’re a cult? A coven of witches? What do they mean by ‘sacrificed to the white wolf’? Does that even exist until the twenty-first century?  A bunch of thoughts were flooding my mind.

            I know that my family is scared of them as these people are holding a rifle, an axe, a rake, and even a rope. Am I some sort of animal to be butchered?

            Nevertheless, my family remained silent even as I slowly walked towards the people. This place that we recently moved in minutes ago is definitely odd and creepy and something’s fishy. They handed me to them as some sort of bread to be given to the beggars.

            A tear slid down from my face but my sister just rolled her eyes, my brother returned to his gaming tablet, my mother’s face was just blank, and my father…he hoisted his hand and waved goodbye at me. I blinked, but he immediately averted his gaze and grabbed a newspaper.

            They knew. They probably knew this was going to happen. All four of them. And I am the only one who’s oblivious to this.

            As soon as I left the house, I felt light-hearted. It’s as if I am ready to greet death as being this people’s sacrifice. I felt relieved by being freed from my family’s chain.

            At long last, I, Elaine Rutherford, who is now lying on top of a stone table in the middle of a grassy field, can now rest peacefully in this white dress that the man forced me to wear.

            Until I saw a huge white wolf approaching me amidst the night of February 29th.