Chapter 5

The discussion we had had last night with my aunt and uncle and my cousin Haven had left me feeling restless and worried. If one of us were chosen for the sacrifice, would my family be able to get away from here? I was feeling uneasy to the point it was making me feel nauseous. I hated the fact that we were offered up to the werewolves as sacrifices. But seeing them last night up close like that, in a group like setting, had me feeling terrified. I had heard and read a lot about werewolves to gain an understanding of them, but until last night, the only one I had ever seen up close had been Carter. The werewolves at the restaurant last night had been bigger then Carter, a lot bigger. 

I got out of bed and made my way into the bathroom. I quickly pulled my hair up into a pony tail before taking my shower. After my shower I quickly brushed my teeth. I slipped on my bathrobe before making my way out of my bathroom, and back into my bedroom. Once I was in my bedroom, I began packing my sports bag. Every sacrifice girl was allowed to take one bag of belongings with her. The girls were allowed to take whatever they wanted in the bag. I packed plenty of pairs of jeans and cargo pants, along with sweat pants and lots of long sleeved shirts, two hoodies, and lots of bras and underwear. I took the family photo from my mirror. It had been given to me by my aunt. She had taken it when we had gone over to my aunt and uncles house for Christmas lunch last year. 

I took the photo, and quickly put it into a hard plastic frame to protect it while it was in my bag. I slipped the photo into my sports bag with my clothes. I needed to keep the photo protected, because if I was chosen, I would not be seeing my family for a long time. Twelve months is what we were always told... but who knew if that was even the truth? I grabbed a first aid kit and a medical first aid book, thinking it would be handy to have it seeing as how I didn't now what kind of medical facilities the werewolves had. I grabbed a large pill bottle and started emptying as many different kinds of pain pills as I could get my hands on into it. I filled the bottle to the top, before slipping it into my bag along with a heap of female sanitary products and two packs of disposable razors. We were always instructed to never pack any toiletries, but despite this, I threw my toiletries bag in. I was not going to be smelly and unhygienic because of a pack of wild animals, no way in hell!

After my toiletries, I added two pairs of Nike runners along with a dozen pairs of socks to my bag. I zipped my bag up and began getting dressed. I put on my underwear before I pulled on a pair of jeans, and a long sleeved tee and added a black zip up hoodie. I quickly pulled on a pair of socks and my Nike runners, before standing up and picking up my bag. I was just making my way to my bedroom door, when there was a knock on the door. Opening the door, I found Scott standing there, looking more nervous then I had seen him in a long time. 

"You ready baby sis?" he asked.

"As ready as I can be," I replied, stepping out of my room.

I made my way downstairs to the kitchen with Scott on my heels. When I entered the kitchen, my father set a plate of food on the table and said, "You should eat something honey."

"Thanks dad, what time is Haven getting here?" I asked quietly. 

"Any minute now," he replied. 

I looked at the plate of bacon, eggs and toast, and suddenly feeling ravenous. I hooked in enjoying my breakfast. Haven arrived just as I was putting my now empty plate into the sink. All to soon it was time for us to leave, and I found myself thinking that maybe I shouldn't have eaten anything. My nerves were getting to me and making me feel queasy. We made our way outside and I put my bag in the back of the Escalade before getting into the car. We drove with my aunt and uncle following, making our way to the spot where the sacrifice was chosen. When we pulled up there, it was packed. We got out of the car, and I grabbed my bag out of the car, before walking over to Haven. Haven and I made our way over to where we would be taken with the other sacrifice prospects to await our fate. 

We were led inside, and Haven and I sat next to each other, sitting our bags down on the floor between our feet. As we sat there, two werewolves were doing the rounds, grabbing our cards we had to hand in which had our names and date of birth and blood type printed on them. Haven reached over and took my hand in hers, and I was surprised at how cold her hands were. All too soon the chairs in the room were filled, and our mayor grabbed the microphone and began to start the sacrifice gathering. 

"Ladies, it is so nice to see you all here today," he began.

"Like we had a choice in the matter," I muttered under my breath, causing Haven to grin at me. 

"Today is the day we use to honor the treaty that provides our community with peace. Today we honor the wolves who provide us with protection. To be chosen as a sacrifice to the wolves is a great honor. Your sacrifice will provide our community, your friends and loved ones, with protection and safety," he told us, as if we were stupid enough to believe what he was saying. So many of us knew that there had to be things we weren't being told. This had been going on for so long now, and yet no one ever saw the sacrifice girls again once they left. Why not?

"To be chosen is an honor that continues to provide us with the protection we require to survive. I know you all want your loved ones to be safe. I want them to be safe too. Remember, this is a great honor, and when you are chosen, it is your duty to do whatever it takes to please Alpha Cole and his pack."

"For the love of everything holy, get it over with already," I muttered.

"Now, without further ado, when I call your name, please make your way up to me. You will be provided with five minutes to say goodbye to your loved ones, and then you will leave on your journey," the mayor told us.

The mayor made his way over to the raffle drum and began to spin it. Once he stopped spinning the drum, he drew a name out of the drum. As the mayor drew the name out, Haven's hand gripped mine even tighter. "Please don't be us, please don't be us..." she chanted quietly.

The mayor said, "This year our sacrifice will be Haven Holbrook."

The voice of the mayor seemed so loud to me, as all the other noises around me seemed to fade out and become total silence. I suddenly felt cold, as I felt the blood drain from my face, as my brain scrambled to catch up with what the mayor had just said. A stabbing pain slashed through my heart as my hand gripped tightly onto Haven's hand. Suddenly it hit me. Haven had been chosen! My cousin and best friend had been chosen! I couldn't let this happen! 

"Haven Holbrook, please make your way up to me," The mayor said, when he realized that no one had stood up. 

Haven's hand which had just been gripping mine tightly, suddenly loosened its grip on mine, but I refused to let her go. She made a move to stand up, but I gripped onto her hand, and dragged her back down into her seat. He head snapped to mine in shock, and her eyes had the sheen of tears in them that she was refusing to let fall. I squeezed her hand, and nodded to her, right before I grabbed my bag and stood up. All eyes were on me now. Haven remained in her seat, safe from the uncertain future that I now faced. I slowly walked past the other girls, all of whom wore looks of relief upon their faces. I couldn't blame them, if I were in their position, I would be relieved too!

As I made my way up to where the mayor stood waiting for me, my feet felt like lead. The bag I was carrying felt like it was packed with bricks. I couldn't believe I was doing this. But I couldn't let Haven go with those beasts. My conscience wouldn't allow it. I made my way to where the mayor was standing, knowing that my secret would be safe, because no one really knew us, Haven and I had never been the type to go out and make friends. The mayor smiled at me as I stood before him. He motioned to his assistant, who suddenly stepped forward and took the bag I was holding. 

Looking at me with a grin that turned my stomach, the mayor placed his hands on my shoulders and said, "Thank you for your sacrifice Haven."