ℙ𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕚𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝔸 𝔻𝕖𝕒𝕕 𝔾𝕚𝕣𝕝 - 𝕂𝕒𝕪𝕔𝕖 𝔻𝕦𝕥𝕥𝕠𝕟

ℂℍ𝔸ℙ𝕋𝔼ℝ 𝟡

***BIG TW FOR THIS CHAPTER - Contains themes of Sexual Assault/Abuse as well as Blood/Gore***

THE HISTORY OF JANE DOE - JANES POV

The first time I saw Kayce Dutton, I thought I died and was witnessing heaven for the first time. If only that was true.

Let me make this clear, I was never looking for a safe haven. Quite the opposite actually. I have been chasing after death from the moment I became self-aware. Which was the ripe age of 12.

I don't remember ever being any younger than that. It was like one day; I just woke up and was suddenly awake and alert of my surroundings. That being a small commune, tucked away near the peak of Mount Cowen.

We had a community that consisted of three main families, Hunters, Gathers, and Chosen's. Each family was brought up to learn their designated trade, which is exactly what the families are named after.

Hunters were our protectors and main suppliers for food. Gathers were like our medical providers, they collected various herbs and fruits from the wild as well as maintained our gardens. The Chosen's. . . well, they were nothing short of royalty to the commune.

Chosen's were the women who were selected in ceremony to mother the next generations. They were there just to produce offspring for The Guide.

The Guide was our leader, he ruled over the commune and was the only one allowed to have children, unless you were given special permission to continue on the bloodline.

Once the Guide determined a Chosen was no longer suitable, if allowed by him, they would be sent back to their respective homes, where they may continue to produce offspring with the eldest son in their family. But those women, and their newborns, never survived childbirth.

I belonged to no one, I belonged to no family. I didn't even have a name like anyone else, I was only ever referred to as 'girl' or 'her'. But I was never unwelcome, I always had a place to sleep or eat. I just didn't seem to belong to any category. I was just there.

I didn't know how disturbing our traditions were until I saw them with my own eyes. This was when I suddenly became conscious, it was first time ever seeing a Choosing Ceremony.

I was peeking out of a window to watch from afar, the young girls were never allowed to witness The Choosing so they would not know what they would be participating in in the future.

But I saw everything.

My little friend Iris, who qualified much earlier than the other girls that were in their teens, was selected for the ceremony.

Iris was the same age as I, and the youngest girl to ever participate in The Choosing. The qualification was nothing in your control, you qualified after you got your first menstrual cycle. That meant your body was ready to produce for The Guide. At least, that's what he always told us.

The first part of the ceremony was consuming the "blood" of The Guide. It wasn't really his blood; it was rotten fruits with a little something special slipped in. I didn't know about the special ingredient until I participated myself.

Anyone who rejects the blood of our Guide, would be killed on sight. Puking up the mixture meant that nature rejects you as a Chosen.