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The Sacrifice (WillowVX & littlerooster)

Talking about her parents made her chest tight. She missed them. She needed them. She pictured her father bursting in and taking her away, shielding her from everything bad in the world. She started to cry again.

"Why is this happening to me?" Annie asked Clarke.
 
Clarke looked at the girl as she started crying again.

"Annie, please nothing has happened yet" he could see she was overwhelmed but seeing her stress over something which she hadn't even been selected for was not helping.

"I'm sorry about your parents. How about we go for a walk and talk about other stuff?" he offered trying to change tact.
 
Annie tried to breathe. Everything was happening at once. She just lost her parents. She had to move into a town that gave her the creeps. And with good reason. Since she also just found out there was a chance she could be sacrificed and fucked by the whole town. She couldn't handle this. She nodded her head at Clarke and tried to stand up.
 
Clarke helped her up and they went for a walk, the cold winter air was refreshing and cleansing. They walked through the woods and the trees, Clarke being the Sheriff's son knew he was safe, no one would question him if found out here.

An owl hooted as the walked by it and Clarke made the comment that he enjoyed the cold and this time of night the best.

"So what do you like Annie, tell me some happy things about yourself" he asked smiling.
 
Annie allowed Clarke to help her up when he offered her his hand. They walked through the woods and she couldn't help but shiver. She wasn't sure if it was from the cold or from the bad feeling that this place gave her.

Clarke liked the night. Annie liked the night too. She didn't enjoy the cold much though. She did think it was fun to see her own breath, though.

Annie had to really think about the answer to that question. "I like to write." She shrugged. "I write poetry." Just looked down at her feet as they walked. "And I like horses. I had to sell Crimson when..." She sighed and kicked a rock. "I had to see him when I moved."
 
He put his arm around her for a moment, in support. It seemed that no matter what he said it brought her back to the death of her parents, he was trying to be a friend but it seemed he was causing her to relive pain.

"Tell me about your poetry, do you know any by heart you can recite to me" he asked not knowing what else to say.
 
She was startled when he put his arm around her. She was even more startled with herself, because she didn't push him away. He squeezed her in comfort and let go. It made her feel better. She drew in a ragged breath.

"Sometimes I just think if a line. And then I have to write it down. Then the line grows." She shrugged. "I know a few. But you probably don't wanna hear them." She laughed quietly, a pleasant sound. "They're stupid."
 
Clarke laughed gently, "Yeah I do want to hear them and no it isn't stupid at all" he said teasing her.

"Please, let me hear one" he almost begged.
 
Despite herself, Annie smiled. His laugh made her heart do little backflips. She never really let herself notice him before, but now she took the time to look, he was wonderful. His blonde hair shining under the winter moon, the way his bright blue eyes crinkled at the sides when he laughed. His one dimple on the side of his cheek.

"You have a nice smile." She thought out loud and quickly put her hand over her mouth. Crap. She hadn't meant to say that. She was suddenly very embarrassed and, too quickly said, "I mean, you're not as creepy as the other boys I met in town." She scratched the back of her head and let out a nervous laugh. She quickly wanted to change the subject.

"Well, this is the one I wrote a long time ago. It was always my favorite." She sighed and seemed to be recalling the lines in her brain. They flowed easily from her mind to lips as she recited the poem:

"The concrete felt cold,
Seemingly unbreakable.
I imagined what could protrude from the cracks;
Spiders and enlightenment
And other terrible things.

Beyond the wrought iron gates
And the stained glass illusion,
The world could not see me.
The dead vines didn’t bother me.
They were merely spectators.
I was safe here.

The melodic hum in my ears
Made it easier to accept the beauty
And isolation.
This sanctum was calling to me
And I would surrender.

The strong, gothic styled pillars
Watched me scribble and scratch.
As dusk reached down and covered all,
I’d just stay here –
Fingers shaking,

And write a poem about writing a poem."
 
Clarke enjoyed her compliment and liked that she was shy about it, he let it go though, not wanting to put an already stressed girl under more stress. He just smiled at her.

The truth was Clarke was also feeling nervous and conflicted, about his first time as part of the queue, having to be involved in what could only be described as state sanctioned gang rape. He didn't mention that though, he wasn't sure what she knew about the male involvement, how it worked etc. Wasn't sure if she thought maybe he had also taken a virgin as part of the festival before.

He listened to her poem and enjoyed it "I love it, you are very talented" then decided to share one of his own.

"The waves were crashing,
behind her on the rocks,
that is how I first saw her,
her hair in her eyes,
her cuteness stopping me
in my tracks.

And yet, I knew not what to say,
so I just stood and watched,
and I danced my own dance with her,
as I watched her by the sea,
she made me smile, made me warm,
perhaps that is all we get some days.

And I wrote bad poetry about her,
as I pondered my next move,
I can't be the only one who see's her beauty,
and yet I still not know what to say."

He finished and let his poem hang in the air a while.
 
Annie let his poem sink in.

"It's beautiful." She whispered. "Was it about your girlfriend? The one who..." She stopped herself and made an awkward face. "The one who died?" She almost regretted the question after she asked it. She didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable.

"My aunt Cynthia is going to kill me." She laughed uneasily. She wondered what time it was. She didn't want to go back.

"Listen, Clarke..." She began. "I can't go back." She shook her head.
 
"It's ok Annie, I don't mind if you want to talk about Selena, it still hurts but I have dealt with the worst of it, kind of nice to hear someone mention it really, around here it is like everyone pretends 24/7. And yes the poem was about her" he explained to her kindly.

Then he looked at her "You can't NOT go back Annie, it just doesn't work that way here, not yet anyway, there is a resistance group" he looked down knowing he may have told her too much.

"Oh, screw it, just know that I am trusting you with this and if you blab to anyone it will get us all killed. There is a group, that is all I will say for now, and we are against all of this, ok. But we have to be smart because if we are found out, all the progress we have made has been lost" he looked at her gravely.
 
She smiled sadly at him. "You can talk to me." She suggested to Clarke. "If you need to. I don't pretend." She sighed and it looked like she had to muster courage to say it. "My father always taught be to be bold. There is no honor in pretending." There is no honor in running either, her mind whispered to her. "But I think... I think we can understand each other. We've both lost people close to us." She whispered. She wouldn't try again.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He started explaining and then stopped, nervously. Annie's stomach felt tight. "What?"

He was trusting her. Not only was he trusting her, he said it could get them killed. This was serious. Her eyes were wide and her heart was pounding wildly. "You're trying to stop it?" She said quietly, remembering he said there were eyes and ears everywhere. "I won't tell. I promise." She squeezed his hand tightly to show him that he could trust her.
 
He held her hand "Thanks Annie, I hope we will be able to talk a lot and frequently." he looked down a little shy not having been this intimate with a girl since Selena.

"Yes, it is important, I will explain it all to you, the people here truly believe that if they do not hold the festival they will suffer greatly over winter. It was tried once early last century and many people in this town died. It is ingrained in people here Anne. It is difficult to fight openly against but we do fight". Clarke explained.

He then went onto explain the whole history of the festival about the God they worship and why it is all so seemingly important.

He also pointed out that her own Uncle Ben is a member of the town council and is active in promoting and keeping this festival alive.

"Be careful always, don't show too much resistance to the idea at home" he told her.
 
It was strange to Annie, how easy it was to hold Clarke's hand. She's never shown interest in boys before. But he was nice. She suddenly had a surge of paranoia. What if this was a trick? What if he was really in on it and was trying to make her stay? She didn't want to think about that. She needed a friend. She didn't want her stupid worrying to ruin that.

"But that can't be TRUE." Annie said. "Right? They can't actually believe that an angry God killed the people of the town. That's... well that's just ridiculous." She shook her head in disbelief. "How do you fight?" She asked Clarke. A sudden panic surged through her

"Clarke..." Annie whispered harshly. "What will happen if I get chosen?" Her face was terrified.
 
Clarke was about to answer her question, about how the people believe that their God will smite them if they do not perform the sacrifice. And yet he didn't need to, religion was not about logic it was about faith, people priding themselves on believing the unbelievable. Whether it be Virgin births or second comings or whatever other religion you wanted to pick on, none of them held up to scrutiny.

Then she asked what would happen if she was chosen. Clarke looked down for a moment.

"Annie, I will tell it all to you, let's sit down" they sat down and Clarke drew a deep breath.

"The festival is considered open on the morning of the first true mist, this means when the mist is so thick you cannot see your own hand in front of your face. All the female virgins in town aged 15-19, their names are gathered and stored in a safe in the bank. They have all undergone a medical check to ensure they are virgins and will undergo another the morning of the draw. The festival lasts 2 weeks, there are stalls and games like any other fair. 4 days before the festival ends the townsfolk gather and the names are placed in a barrel, then they turn the barrel and a name is drawn, the 'winner' for lack of a better term is taken on the stage and stripped naked for all to see, given a wolf's skin as a blanket and then placed on a throne on the stage, she is to stay there until the last day of the festival. She is like an exhibit, people can come and look at her, feed her, the boys taunt her, they taunt because males cannot take part until they are 19, they do this make sure they understand that this is serious not some kind of live sex show. Anyway, on the morning of the last day, the chosen Virgin is led down from her throne and placed on a large bed, the men line up all the men who live in town, no outsiders allowed, they start from oldest to youngest, and well, I think you know what happens then." he explained to her.
 
Annie let out a shudder when she heard Clarke's explanation. She was afraid.

"But Clarke, what if my name gets pulled?" Tears threaten Annie's eyes. "They can't do that to me..."
 
Clarke held Annie again.

"I know it isn't quite the same, but this year, well I am 19, I am expected to take part as well, I am not happy about it, I am looking for a way out too, I am just as stuck as you, more stuck, I know I will be taking part, you still have a chance to not be drawn. We will do everything we can to stop it from happening, I will think of some things Annie"

Clarke looked at her, his eyes a little teary.
 
Clarke held Annie and tried to comfort her. As soon as she absorbed his words she pushed him away.

"Are you insane?" She looked at him like he was a complete stranger again. "How could you DO that? After what they did to Selena?" Annie was shaking her head. "You didn't mean anything you said earlier. About a resistance. Trying to fight. You don't care about any of it!" She screamed at Clarke, feeling irrational and betrayed. She turned with tears in her eyes and ran back through the woods. She had no idea where she was or where she was going, but she didn't care.
 
Clarke was at his wits end with this girl, everything he said to her made her cry, she just wanted to run away all the time.

He waited, he had a feeling she would be back, didn't she understand that this was like a sick system where everyone was a victim, he was trying to communicate with her.

He didn't want to do that and he was part of a resistance movement. Maybe when she calmed down and got lost in the woods or was scared by a wolf she would find her way back.

"Oh for fuck sake" he said as he sat down near a tree and waited for her.
 
Annie had no idea how far she ran or where she was. She sat down on a large rock and tried to calm herself down. She tried to breathe and clear her mind and assess the situation. She suddenly felt a pang of regret. Oh, Clarke... He was trying his best to help. Annie sighed. She didn't mean to keep pushing him away. But what else could she do? She felt like a terrified bunny rabbit trapped in a cage surrounded my snakes. It's a little unusual when one of the snakes tries to help. She knew she had to find him. To apologize. What she said was wrong. She put her hands on her knees and tried to pull herself up until she felt strong hands push her shoulders down.

"What's wrong little girl?" And icy voice snarled in her ear. "Lost in the woods?" The stranger from behind her grabbed her arms and held them painfully behind her back. She was startled when she saw a second boy step in front of her. Her eyes were wide and she was scared. She recognized him as the dark haired boy who grabbed her ass when she was in town. Her heart was racing.

"Well, what do we have here?" The dark haired boy taunted and walked up and stroked Annie's face. She turned her head away and tried to struggle to get out of the grasp of the boy behind her.

"Leave me alone!" Annie screamed. Both boys laughed and the dark haired boy pulled out a pocket knife. Annie's eyes went wide. He dragged the blade across her shoulders and it started to cut the fabric of her shirt. Annie gasped.

"We can't take your little cunt, but two still have two perfectly good holes." The boy in the back whispered into her ear. The dark haired boy completely cut her shirt off, leaving her in a black lace bra. He cut the straps and her bra fell free. He started groping her nicely developed breasts.

Annie screamed as loud as she could and then the boy behind her wrapped his hand around her mouth.
 
Clarke heard Annie's scream, she had been gone for about an hour yet was still quite close, she either didn't go far to begin with or was walking around in circles, anything was possible.

He pulled out his rifle from his pick up truck and started walking towards the direction of the scream. Then he saw a flashlight and what looked like two males with Annie.

Clarke crouched and watched for a second, they were going to rape her mouth or arse, he could see them now, the two boys Dale and Ross, both 17, horny and frustrated that they won't be getting any action from the lottery girl.

Clarke, stepped out of the woods, "Alright arseholes, fuck off, you have had your fun, you both know better, I'll be telling my dad and he can take it up with your folks in the morning" Clarke said firmly.

Both boys freaked out and ran away, not wanting to mess with the Sheriff's son.

"Ironically perhaps, rape is considered a serious crime here" he said to Annie and put a blanket around her shoulders.

"Now, will you start listening to me?" he said with a smile.
 
Annie closed her eyes as the boy touched her. She did all she could but she couldn't get away. She thought it was over with until she heard the most beautiful sound. A third voice. Clarke. Annie felt a stab of sweetness. Even after the way she acted, he came to save her. She was never happier to hear anyone's voice in her whole life.

They two boys fled instantly. Apparently, Clarke had some kind of pull around here. Was he some sort of tough guy? Annie thought about this. Nah. He was so gentle.

Clarke walked up to her and covered her with a blanket. She grabbed it thankfully and pulled it around her to cover her top. She looked on the ground and saw her shirt and bra in pieces.

Clarke grabbed her chin and tipped her face up to his. "Now, will you start listening to me?" She heard him ask. He smiled at her. Annie nodded and couldn't help but smile back. She threw herself into him and hugged him hard.

"Thank you." She whispered. "Thank you so much. I am so sorry. That stuff I said.. I.. I didn't mean it." She held onto him tightly.
 
"It's ok baby, it's ok" he whispered to her, not realising he just called her baby.

"They are a couple of arseholes, they have tried this before but never get far, their fathers will beat the shit out of them tomorrow." Clarke further explained.

"Now lets get you to a hot shower and I'll give you some clothes. My folks are away, so we're going to my place first" he took her and drove her back to his home.

"The shower is upstairs, I will leave some clothes out for you" he said to her.
 
Being this close to Clarke made her heart skip a beat. He called her baby. She had to stop and catch her breath. She continued to hold onto him tightly, afraid of what would happen if she was suddenly without him. He had a habit of coming out the darkness to save her. Whether it was from herself, or from a bunch of horny teenage rapists.

Annie nodded and let Clarke lead her to his truck where they drove to his house. Somehow, she had a deep trust for this boy. It was the first time she has been even mildly comfortable since she'd been here. He let her borrow a large teeshirt and a pair of basketball shorts. Annie showered and get dressed. The teeshirt was navy blue and the shorts were black. Her long hair was wet and she tried her best to dry it with the towel.

She tip toed out of the bathroom and looked around to see where he went.
 
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