“Scarlett!” Fiona said, hot on my heels. She bent down to meet me eye to eye. “What happened?”
Gulping, I replied, “I was remembering, but I couldn’t really see anything. It gives me headaches. That’s all. I just had to get some fresh air.”
I wanted to scream at her. I remembered her hovering over her young child watching and not caring how worked up and scared I was. How could she?
Oh God, I’m going to throw up.
Stay calm.
“Are you alright now?”
No! “I’m fine,” I replied, straitening up and smiling. It took everything I had. “Like I said, I just needed some air.”
“Why don’t you go with Bethan and Noah?” She pointed to where they were in the field. “I’m sure they could use some help harvesting the potatoes.”
They were having a feast after I was slaughtered, and she wanted me to help prepare for that. She was beyond sick.
Trying to keep the sarcasm from my voice, I said, “Good idea.”
I left her as quickly as I could and made my way over to the field beside the meadow. They were both happy to see me, for completely different reasons. “Fiona asked me to come and help,” I said.
Bethan smiled. “We love having you. The potatoes aren’t buried too far down, so you should get them up easily.”
There were about five other people digging up potatoes, too. How much were they going to eat? They would all eat together, celebrating, for fifteen nights after I was gone. It was disgusting.
Harvesting was about the only time I got alone with Noah, and even that wasn’t exactly alone. We still had people everywhere, watching me in case I took off. If I thought I could make it alone I would go in a heartbeat. Noah was risking a lot to help me.
We were on our hands and knees picking potatoes from the ground and putting them in a basket. It was warm, but I felt freezing. I focused on my task and realised this could be one of the last things I’d do. My heart raced with nerves. I felt trapped, cornered, and I fought to keep playing along until the time was right.
Once the potatoes were picked and everything was ready, it was time to get dressed for the ceremony. Fiona took me back to the house, and I was instructed to have a bath and get ready in the dress she would set out on my bed.
I did as I was told because there was little else I could do right now. After soaking in a bubble bath, using most of it up as my own little screw you, I got out, dried and went back to my room.
Unsurprisingly the dress I was to wear was full-length and white. It was pretty and thankfully not a slim fit so I would be able to run properly in it. I held it up – this is what I’m supposed to die in. Not many people knew what their last outfit would be. I instantly hated it.
I pulled it over my head. It fit me perfectly. It had long, loose fitting sleeves, a modest neckline, and waves of material on the skirt. I pulled it and was satisfied when I could stretch both arms out to the sides.
There were no shoes, and I was afraid I’d have to run through the forest barefoot. There wasn’t a lot I could do about that. I couldn’t ask for shoes and have Fiona question why I’d need them if I was getting in a lake. Besides, I’d run barefoot over a bed of nails or hot coal to get away.
I looked in the mirror and took deep breaths to calm my nerves. I could do this. I was strong.
“Scarlett, are you ready?” Donald called.
Time to fight for my life.
Scarlett
TWO THINGS ENTERED my mind as every member of Eternal Light stared at me from the meadow. One, no matter how hot it was outside it never warmed the water enough for it to not be cold. And two, if this didn’t go to plan I would be dead in forty minutes.
Noah wasn’t there. He walked out with them but soon disappeared around the back of the houses. I didn’t watch where he went from there through fear of it gaining the attention of someone else. Obviously, he’d positioned himself right at the back and when they’d said whatever crap they were saying and while kneeling down with their eyes closed he’d slinked off.
Since they’d stood up and opened their eyes they hadn’t stopped staring at me.
I pretended to look around, turning my body so I could take a few unnoticed steps back towards the other side. Running in water wasn’t easy, and I would be slow to get out, giving them plenty of time to make it around the lake. I had to give myself as much time as I could. At least they would be further away as they called upon nature to accept and cleanse me for the final time.
Idiots.