Alpha's Runaway Mate

To The Ground

1

Mirabel

Clock ticked...ticked and ticked.

Needling my ears with every tick of its passing. I heard it laughing, I heard it humming and even I heard it feigning sympathy for me...

For us.

But we were losing time. They were coming for me and this time I wasn't wrong. Obviously, it had been a tradition and I happened to turn of age on the night of the ceremony. My heart told me what I believed in was the truth. Miss. Cora and Mr. Benjamin were going to sell us to them. I was going to die soon., just like they did to all of my friends and classmates. Tears escaped me every time their voices resonated in my head. After so long I knew where all of my friends went once they turned sixteen. This event always came on my birthday and no wonder why I couldn't escape it this time. "God, I believe you exist, even when Miss. Cora didn't want us to believe, you must. Please show me the light, please help me escape this turmoil again. God please save me and all those I love and hate. I don't want to lose them, I don't."

My lungs sucked a sharp breath when I heard a loud sob from the other cubicle. My eyes opened wide and my heart crumbled like someone crushed it under their feet. She was scared, like me. Maybe she also knew what was going to happen or maybe she was scared that we would never be able to see each other again after the night of bidding—that's what they call it. I had no idea what it meant but it always sounded scary to me.

"Are you coming out or should I come in and get you?" Alana's steely voice startled me. "You are gonna get us killed," Her sharp words always got to me, lurching my heart into my throat. I terribly shivered upon imagining her taking down the door and dragging me out of here with a fistful of my hair. This was the third time she had come for me.

"Ah, ye..yeah, I...I'm coming," I cleared my throat as I hastily wiped my tears and splashed water thrice on my face. Wasting water on my face would do me no favour but I tried cooling down my red-rimmed eyes. I had a shower and covered myself with this see-through dress they had given me. I gave my figure a look and sighed. The fabric was too transparent to showcase my whole body, making me insecure. Only my undergarments would leave something to their imagination otherwise the rest of my skin was all for show.

I unlocked the door and got out of the cubicle. Stepping near to the washbasin, I casted a glance over at other girls standing around me. Crista, Alana, Freya, Lisa and others. All of them were wearing what I was wearing—a thin piece of cloth in the name of a dress. They were dolling themselves up for the moment Miss. Cora had mentally prepared us for. Since eleven they taught us to be ready for this night, as if it was the thing that mattered. They wanted us to be likeable, ladylike and charming. I always wondered what was so special about this event until only a few days ago I discovered the whole truth. They only wanted us for something they call money.

"Alana, can you please fix my hair. I can't do anything about it," Freya called out. I eyed up to her only to find her staring at me with an unsparing expression. My heart raced rapidly wondering why she was looking at me that way?

"Sure, just give me a minute," Alana replied as she sleeked her ginger hair in an immaculate bun. Then her eyes mistakenly fell over me and the scowl on her forehead grew denser.

"Mira, did you sleep? Your face is a disaster," It was then I looked at myself in the mirror and forgot to breathe. I was looking like a dead corpse. My skin, my hair, my complexion. Everything looked questionable. My complexion was pale, eyes full of swollen bags and every pore of skin screamed exhaustion. I was really tired...and broken...and scared.

"Miss. Cora is not going to like it. You know what this night means to her. We are going to find ourselves a partner tonight and you are being such a disgrace, how would anyone lay their eyes on you if you are not worthy enough to even look?" Freya grumbled. How badly I wished I could tell her that was exactly what I was looking for—to escape every eye I would cross. I wanted to vanish in thin air, just as if I never existed.