Sheep to be Slaughtered

~Chapter Two~

         The night was approaching again all too quickly... that night. Just who would the unlucky individual be this time? I truly was unsure how I had survived this long... this was the only life I had known and as such, that meant that 228 villagers had been sacrificed to the Venge since I had been born... why was I still here? Why not me? Those were questions that would continue to haunt me it seemed... I was expendable really... I had no specific skill as the others did. I tended to the same chores that the children were capable of. I had little to contribute... why hadn't Founder Marco ever chosen me? Who was to say that he wouldn't?

          Every month was a gift... another few weeks of life and knowing that I had not met the same fate as whatever poor soul had been torn to pieces by the Venge... at least for now... those thoughts drove me crazy. Why did we carry on as though this was all normal? Was this truly the way everything had to be? Why did we wait to be sentenced to death? Why did we continue farming and planting crops as though we had our entire lives to live out? Why didn't we attempt to leave this accursed village and take our chances amidst the forest? Surely all of us together could stand against the Venge...

          ... but I had voiced those concerns before... and I had been sorry for it. Mother had nearly lost her mind when I spoke those thoughts aloud to her. She had screamed at me for daring to defy the authority of Founder Marco... that I would be punished for that doubt and if I did not beg for forgiveness and tell Founder Marco of my insubordinance, surely, I would be the next to be tied to the trees before the Venge.

          I was in a foul mood. The encounter with Zander had put me in a bitter mental state and I gritted my teeth together as I neared home. He had always been like that... protective... he always knew better... or so I thought. I opened the door to the small cottage I called home. My mother sat upon a chair near the fireplace, the flames were dull and promised to fade entirely within but a few minutes.

          "Eleyah," my mother's voice had me freeze.... And I had almost made it up to the small loft of the house to disappear for the night...

          Slowly, I turned back around to face her. "Yes?" I asked, the annoyance evident in my tone.

          "Eleyah, I have something I need to do..."

          Something was off with her... she sounded nervous. My mother was never nervous... her closeness with Founder Marco must have assured her she would be a last resort choice to sacrifice to the Venge... she was one of the few that was afforded such reassurance...

          "I need you to watch over your sister tonight," she went on. "Founder Marco has requested my assistance."

          I could feel my expression and my mood sour all the more. This had happened on many occasions before. Mother would disappear for the night to 'help Founder Marco' and not come back until late the following day... but it had been quite some time since she had done this, and I thought perhaps her 'business' with Founder Marco was over...

          ...apparently not.

          "I won't have this," my mother was exasperated. "Founder Marco himself has asked for me and his authority is to be respected. I'll not have this attitude from you." She rose from her chair and walked past me. She paused at the door. "Look after your sister. See that both of you attend to your duties tomorrow."

          "Of course, mother," I responded, feigning a sweet tone. "I shall not plan on you for meals tomorrow then."

          Surprisingly, she ignored my subtle dig at her. She merely grimaced and said nothing further before disappearing behind the door. I waited a moment before letting out a groan of disgust. Was I really the only one in this confounded village that detested Founder Marco? Was he really such a wise and caring leader for us when the best thing he could think of to keep us all alive was reproduction and sacrifice? This simply couldn't be all there was to life... I stalked over to the fire to try to bring it back to life. I must have been causing quite the ruckus with my grumbling and stomping that I heard a small voice behind me.

           "Are you all right, Eleyah?"

          I relaxed my tense shoulders and sighed. I looked over my shoulder as I sat crouched in front of the fire. "Of course I am, Leanna," I smiled. "I just had a difficult day today..."

~

          I was just finishing up the dishes from breakfast when I heard my mother return. I didn't turn away from the sink and continued to finish up my task. Leanna was seated at our table mending a pair of socks, but she jumped up and ran to mother when she came in. I heard them greet each other yet I did not fail to greet the tiredness and stress that hid within my mother's voice.

          "Leanna, I would like for you to finish your work. I need to speak to your sister just the two of us. I'll be right back to check on you though, I'd like to see how your stitching has progressed."

          I cringed. What could she possibly need to speak to me about so soon after leaving Founder Marco's? I still did not turn around as I heard Leanna skip back to the table and resume her stitching.

           "Eleyah," my mother called. "I need to speak to you outside." It wasn't a request or a question, simply a demand.

          I dropped the worn dish cloth into the sink and gritted my teeth together. Might as well just get this over with. I followed her rather unwillingly outside where she led me some distance from the house... strange, she really didn't want Leanna to hear anything to do with our conversation... finally, she turned to me and sighed.

          "Eleyah, I..." she stopped, she seemed to be having difficulty getting the words out. She averted her gaze from me, suddenly unable to meet my eyes. "Founder Marco wanted to speak to me about you..." she forced out.

          I felt my body grow stiff... and cold.

          "He thinks it's time you do more to contribute to the village..." she swallowed... I had never seen her have such difficulty in relaying a message from Founder Marco before... "He... he wants you to begin bearing children."

          "What?" 

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Oofda, this Founder Marco guy seems like a real jerk.... *spoilers* yeah, he is ;) Buuut that seems to be the case with a lot of cult leaders, so we can't be too surprised. So, what exactly is Eleyah gonna do about this? Is Founder Marco going to force an arranged marriage on her? Does he have something more sinister up his sleeve? You'll have to read the next chapter to find out ;) Thanks so much for reading and hope you enjoyed!!! :D