Adaline

The Harvest

They told me it was an honor - that I would be remembered forever and always as a savior to the community. They sold me they idea of being a hero. All they needed to do was slice our hand with a dagger that would put us to sleep for a few days and then, when the ritual was completed, we would be awoken.

I searched the crowd for mom, starting to feel suddenly nervous about it all.

The magic used by our coven was rooted on the power of our ancestral spirits. After hundreds of years of witches draining they strength, their link to the world of the living would fade out. In order to reinforce it once again, they told us they needed to drain our powers out and give them back to mother earth, by putting us in a state of numbness. Once all the power was restored to our coven, they would be powerful enough to give us back our magic. Or at least that was the idea they sold us.

When I found at her last, mom smiled at me, tears in her eyes. I assumed it was because she was proud of me, but I should've known. In my sixteen years, not once had I see mom cry. I should've known something was about to happen. But I didn't, so innocently, I smiled back.

For the ritual they called The Harvest, five young powerful girls were chosen - I just happened to be one of them.

My long white dress flowed in the wind, as did my light long waves. I felt like an angel, if I was wandering in a cemetery, followed by a coven of witches dressed all in black. When we arrived at the arranged spot, the Five Chosen Ones climbed on a small stage, while the rest took out their hoods and stood there, eager for The Harvest to finally happen. We had been weak for several months now. At first it was just the bigger spells that weren't able to work properly, but as time had gone by, I couldn't even do a simple spell without fearing it wouldn't function. The whole coven was relieved that the day had come.

Candles were the only light available at the cemetery as it was way past midnight and we didn't want to attract too much attention. The Elder One - the oldest and most powerful witch of our coven - did a small speech in the begging, reinforcing how important this Harvest was for our community and that us - the five girls - were heroes to them.

I saw mom start to cry harder, now actual sobbing and I remember smiling to myself, thinking I was finally making her proud. How naive of me.

Before the ceremony started we were which assigned a witch to make sure we didn't collapse on the floor as the dagger did its job. Mine was cranky woman I had never bothered to learn the name of.

The first to be called forward was Annabelle. She was nervous, I could see her palms sweating and the way she was walking slowly towards The Elder One. As we made eye contact, I shot her an encouraging look and she looked better.

A few words in an old language were proffered and The Elder One held the dagger in her hand, approximating it to Annabelle's hand. And then, in a swift move I would have never saw coming, the blade sliced my friend's throat. The remaining four of us screamed, but the noise got lost in the darkness of the night. No one moved. The witches assigned to us, didn't waste a second before grabbing our arms back, preventing us to run.

Annabelle's body crashed down on the rocky floor.

Tears streamed down my face and all I could do was look for my mom's face in the crowd. She looked at me apologetically and resumed crying. She had betrayed me. All the coven had. None of them moved. They all looked sad - not sad enough to save five of their girls from death, though. Not if it meant they would be more powerful.

I screamed in disgust for all of them, calling them every possible swear name I could think of. My friends were consumed my fear, I was dominated by anger. How could they do this to us? But the worst was mom. She didn't press the trigger, but she gave the murderer a loaded gun, and that was just as bad, if not worst.

The Elder One approached the second girl - Sophie - and repeated the deed, this time with less dramatics. The witch caught Sophie in his arms and laid her gently on the floor. At least he had the decency.

After Soph, it was Dalilah and then Lauren. All was left before the ritual was complete was me.

"I trusted you! You were my family!" I spat out, as The Elder One got closer, the dagger in her right hand. She looked at me sheepishly.

"We have to do what we have to do, sweetheart. If putting you girls to sleep is what's necessary, than it will be done." she said, almost robotically, like she had repeated it to herself for a very long time.

"This is not putting us to sleep, this is slaughtering us!" I yelled. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I was more enraged than afraid. I guess seeing four of my friends die in the last ten minutes did that to a person.

The Elder One grabbed my chin and murmured "I'm sorry, Adaline, I truly am."

I could care less about her lame excuses. If she was sorry she wouldn't do this. I was born with the help of that woman, and now I was dying at her hands.

I felt my mom's stare but I refused to look at her. There was no way I could do magic as nervous as I was, especially not with without the bond to the ancestors. And I couldn't get rid of the witch grabbing my arms and the Elder in front of me. So I took a deep breath and braced myself for what was coming.

But then I saw something. Dozens of figures jumping the fences of the cemetery coming our way. If they could see past the enchantment then that meant they were supernaturals too. They ran fast, animal fast. I looked at the moon, praying, and realized it was a full one.

The fact that they were all distracted was my cue, so I shot my elbow at the witch's jaw and threw a punch in The Elder One - quite frankly, something I never ever thought I would do - and ran for my life.

Running barefoot in a long dress was not a piece of cake, but it was nothing compared to running from hungry beasts and witches who wanted me dead. I almost wanted to laugh at how terrible my situation was, but deduced it would only get me out of breath and no working lungs equals Adaline dead.

I couldn't find my way across the damn cemetery, it was maze to me. I slowed my pace, hearing the fight between my coven and the pack of werewolves that decided to come look for food here. I heard as they tore each other to pieces, not sure how to feel. I just wished I never knew either of them existed. How peaceful should be lives of the ignorant.

"Need help to get out?"

I looked around for the voice. It was a guy, probably one or two years older than me. I didn't even need to come near him to know he was a wolf.

"Back away, beast." I said, threatening. "I may be weak right now, but I can I still shred you to bits." I moved a hand and he flew, his back hitting the side wall of some mausoleum. I looked at my hands in surprise. Without the link to the ancestors we were very weak, no way I would be able to do that.

He growled and his face half-shifted, still with human features, but also glowing eyes and pointy canines. They boy got up rather fast and in a minute he had me pinned against the wall.

"I'm trying to be nice. I'm not nice in nights of full moon. Don't test me." I tried to push him away with my magic, but I was so powerlessly tired he was able to stand in the same place with considerable ease. "Gosh, do you even listen?"

"Why should I listen to you? You are a wolf. And to be honest, today I almost died, got betrayed my family and watched my friends get their necks sliced without so much as wince, so if you are going to kill me, do it fast." I growled in his face. I suprised myself with my own temper, but I had had it. This was quite possibly the worst day anyone had ever had and I just wished it would end, one way or another.

His eyes softened. "I know. That's why we're here. We heard about the ritual and we came to stop it. We came too late as it seems. But at least we saved one of you." he let go of me "So, no, I'm not going to kill you."

I wasn't sure if I wanted to breathe with relief or cry for knowing what I had to deal with later. Thankfully, I didn't have to decide, as I blacked out almost immediately.

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