"No. No. She'll never do that" I shook my head in disbelief.
"She left a note. I found it in the wardrobe"
She handed me a small paper but I refused to look at it. Nevaeh didn't run away. She would have told me if she wanted to leave. We were together last night. She would have said something.
"No" I ran out of the house with my phone in my hand. I called her phone but it wasn't connecting. I was at the front of her shop waiting to see if she would come back.
I decided to call Lucretia.
"Hello. Lucretia how are you doing" I wiped the tears from my eyes.
"Fine honey. How are you"
"Good. Have you seen Nevaeh today?"
"Yeah. Earlier today. She was in a hurry" fuck no.
"Is something wrong?"
"No" I said quickly.
"Thank you Lucretia" I hung up quickly.
I sat outside the shop for a long while. Mama kept calling but I ignored her calls. It was very late in the night when I went back home. The house was silent but mama was waiting at the kitchen. She ran over to me the moment she saw me.
"My goodness where have you been Paisley?" I didn't answer her and just walked past and went straight into Nevaeh's room. I was feeling so numb from betrayal.
How could Nevaeh just leave without saying a single word to me.
'Do you really expect her to stay and met them take her to the beast?' My subconscious asked.
Right. She was running away from the problem. I suggested it to her anyways but I don't think she'll run away after rejecting the idea.
I saw the note mama was giving me earlier and I picked it up.
'Dear Paisley, by the time you find this letter, I would be gone already. It hurts me to do this but I can't possibly sit silent and let our parents send me to a beast. You made me believe you will do something to help me out but you failed in the end' the tears fell from my eyes and I didn't bother to clean it. It was partly my fault. I continued reading through the letters with blurry eyes.
'Remember the times you got in trouble and I always had your back. I took the blame for you' I smiled at that.
I had lost count of the number of times she had taken the blame for my actions.
'I can't help but be selfish now. It's time for me to put myself first. Our family must provide a mate and with me gone, it'll have to be you. Think of it as a payment for all the time I had your back. Love, Nevaeh'
I read her last words over and over again. The sting of her betrayal fresh in my heart. I was engaged to be married but I was willing to drop my life and everything to run away with her just to protect her but she betrayed me.
She betrayed our sisterhood and I don't think I could ever forget that. As far as I'm concerned, I would never go to the beasts.
I picked myself, wiped my tears and went into my own bedroom. After washing the dirt away from my body, I climbed into bed to sleep.
The next morning, I didn't even bother to get out of bed. After I had told myself I'll not cry again, I still cried because I found it hard to believe she would ever do something like that to me.
I forced myself out of bed and into the living room. My family was sitting together with gloomy faces.
"Paisley come sit" father tapped the space beside him but I sat down on the empty chair away from everybody.
"It's unfortunate that Nevaeh has done this to our family. But we have been nominated still. You have to go in place of your sister"
I scoffed. "You don't know me well if you think I'm going to go in place of Nevaeh"
"Paisley..." my mum started but I cut her off.
"No. I'm engaged to be married. I will not leave Edel. Since the chosen has run away, I think it's best you tell Silas the truth"
"No" my father said sharply.
"I've watched the two of you spit rubbish from your mouth since the picking. It's unfortunate for our family to be selected but there is nothing we can do. You think if there was a way out, I wouldn't have done something to save her? The last time a family refused to send a bride, the blood shed in our town was too much. Everybody avoids that. We have all been alive because other families agreed to send their children. It's our turn now and you want to risk the lives of the villagers"
"So what will you have me do then? Leave my fiancée and get mated to the beast?"
"No Paisley. There's a month until the final mating. You only have to go in place of your sister while we try to find her. Then you both can swap and you'll come back to your life"
"No" I stood up from the chair and entered into my bedroom ignoring the calls from my mother and the knocks on my door after I locked it.
My phone rang and I saw Patricia's name on the screen.
"Hello Patricia"
"Not Patricia. It's me"
"Hello boss"
"Where the fuck are you? I don't remember giving you an off day and don't even think about giving me any fucking excuse. I've tolerated your lateness and toxic behavior for so long but if you think you can start skipping work then....."
I blocked out the rest of what he was saying. I was having a bad day already and I didn't know what could become of me very soon. I couldn't stand his blubbering anymore and I did something I should have done a long time ago.
"You know what? I quit" he scoffed.
"You can't quit you stupid bitch. Who do you think is going to hire you? Nobody. You're under qualified to get any job outside my firm..."
"Can you just shut the fuck up for a damn second. I've listened to you bitch for the last few years and I remained silent. You think you're all that? You think your company is successful because of your deadbeat ideas? You're nothing without us. Nothing without every single person who sits there and take your shit. I can't do that anymore and I wish every other person could realize they can do better than your fucking company. Fuck you" I ended the call.
I heaved a breath. I had always wanted to say that and so much more to him. I wish I could have done it while looking him in the eye but this will have to do now. I'll call Patricia later to ask her to clear out my table.
My phone started ringing immediately and I saw Edel's name on the screen. I pressed the silence button. I was in a bad mood and I didn't feel like talking to anybody right now. And if he said something that would annoy me in the slightest, I was going to blow up on him.
I quickly cleaned up and changed into a new dress. Mama's plan was never going to happen. I was going to make sure I find Nevaeh before the end of the week.
I heard a loud shout from the door and I rushed to the front. Silas was agh the front door with two bulky men who had no smile on their faces.
"Mama" they all stopped talking and liked at me. Mama ran over to me and pushed me towards my room.
"What's going on? Why is Silas here? And who are those men?"
"The beasts sent them" she whispered and fear creeped up my spine.
"What? We still have two days"
She looked at the door and back at me. "I know baby. But the beast.... he suddenly wants his mate to be sent over"
"Nevaeh is not here. We have to tell them" I moved to the door but she stopped me.
"We can't. If we do, the repercussions will be terrible"
"I'm not going in place of Nevaeh"
"Please. You have to save our family. Our village"
"I'm no hero"
"Please baby. I swear to you that I will find Nevaeh before the month is over and you won't have to marry him"
"I can't..." but my resolve was dying. Seeing her as she cried and pleaded with me.
"Please Paisley. Just do this for us"
"You promise to get Nevaeh before the mating ritual?"
"I promise to find her and bring her back"
"Okay" she jumped and grabbed my box, throwing different clothes into the box.
She was pulling me out and handing me over to Silas and the two men.
"Mama" I called and our eyes met. She nodded in understanding. I didn't look at Papa or Coulter as my luggage was put into the car.
My family sent me to the beats I thought as the car drove away.