Four

ELLA’S POV.

“No. That is impossible. Nobody is going to separate Elena and I” I shouted.

“Enough Ella”, dad said in a rough voice. And even though I wanted to shout at him, I remained silent.

“Your mother and I, we have made our decision. Elena, you’ll be going”, father said

“No!!!” Elena screamed at father.

I turned to her to saw that she was already crying.

“I’m not going dad” she said through sobs.

“Dad. You can’t send Elena away”, I added, burning in fury as I looked at father.

“Then will you rather watch all of us die?”, father said.

I never believed the beast would kill us all because one woman refused to go to him.

“Don’t cry Elena. Everything will be okay” I consoled her, but she scoffed.

I moved a bit closer to her, placing my hand on her shoulder

“There has to be away around this. I’ll find one even….”, I was still trying to speak when Elena interrupted me

“Just shut up Ella. You don’t seem to get It. You see nothing past the stupid ideas in your head. For once just shut up and try to reason”, she scolded me.

“Elena don’t talk to your sister like that”, mom scolded.

“Why shouldn’t I? Because she’s your favorite, right?”, Elena asked with a sneer.

Elena had never spoken to anyone like this, talk more of me.

“We don’t have a favorite and you know it”, Mom defended

“Then why didn’t you pick her? You have two daughters who look exactly alike. You claim you have no favorites and yet you picked me to die instead of her?”, Elena retorted

“Ella has a fiancé. She is about to get married”, father defended

“But she’s not married yet is she? She can still go. Why does it have to be me”, Elena argued bitterly.

What exactly has gotten into Elena, she has never been like this.

“Nevaeh..”, I tried speaking up, but she wouldn’t give me a chance to do so.

“I hate you all so much. Especially you” she said as she glared at me before storming off.

I couldn’t hold the tears in. Nichole wrapped his arms around me, while mother ran after Elena.

“She hates me” I sobbed into his chest.

I could take anything but that. Did she really mean what she said? Does she really hate me?. Yes I know that I was stubborn, hard headed and could hold the longest grudges, but when it comes to her, I was a completely different person.

“She doesn’t. She’s just upset. She’ll come around”, Nichole said, trying to sound reassuring.

I doubted that. This wasn’t like the other times Elena and I fought. This was different and something tells me she wouldn’t be coming around anytime soon.

It was night already, and I was sitting at the table alone, drinking my warm chocolate milk. Everyone has gone to bed, but I just couldn’t find sleep.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I had a voice speak up in the background.

I turned round to see mother standing at the kitchen door.

“No” , I replied.

She poured herself some chocolate milk and joined me at the dinning table. We sat in silence just staring at the stars.

“Elena didn’t mean any of the things she said. She was only upset”, mom said.

“Why does she have to go. Why does any of us have to go to the beasts?”, I asked calmly, still lost into the stars.

“It’s how it’s always been. From the time of your great grand parents till now. We can’t change it”, mother said.

“And so we have to accept abnormality as normal? It’s like you don’t even care that you’re sending your daughter away”, I said, still not wanting to look at her. My heart was still bleeding.

“Don’t say that. Of course I care. I would have done anything to stop it, but I can’t. If we don’t send Elena, the wrath of the beasts will be upon us. Upon the village. Do you want so many to die because we don’t want our daughter taken?”, mother explained.

“Why must Elena be the savior?”, I asked with a heavy heart.

“Other families have sent their daughters too. If they had decided to keep their daughters, we won’t be alive now”, mother defended.

I didn’t seem to say anything for some while. But one thing I know was that I won’t let them take my sister away without a fight.

“Every family that has a daughter expects this from when she’s born. My mother prepared me as the eldest daughter, and besides Elena has been told about this..”, mother said.

“Wait. She knew there was a chance she would be sent to the beasts, even before the choosing?”, I asked curiously, now facing mother.

Mama nodded.

“Yes. As the first twin. I talked to her about it, but I hoped we would not be chosen”, mom replied

“I’m not letting her go” I said, dropping my cup in the sink and quickly heading for my bed.

How will I get Elena out of this mess.

It was morning already, but I was still sleeping on my bed, when I felt my hair being brushed out of my face, causing me to open my eyes. Elena was sitting by my bedside and I immediately jumped up.

“Elena?”, I gulped

“I’m sorry for the hurtful things I said to you. I didn’t mean any of it. I don’t hate you and I’m sorry I sounded so selfish”, she apologized

“No, don’t say that. I have already forgiven you for everything you said”, I replied, leaning a bit closer to her.

“I was horrible to you” she cried and immediately I pulled her into a hug.

“I forgive you. You don’t have to go to the beasts”, I said

“You want to… you want to go”, she asked

“No. None of us will have to. I’ll find a way out for us”, I said, sounding reassuring.

“You promise?”, she asks with hopeful eyes, and I nodded.

“I promise” I replied.

I didn’t know how I was going to make it work, but I was certainly going to do something.

“Want us to go to the bakery?”, she asked, now smiling at me

“Yes” I squealed and jumped from the bed.

“Let me get dressed and we can go together”, she said

“I will wait for you out front” I replied.

Quickly, I got into the bathroom and brushed. I took a quick shower and wore a blue gown that ended just above my knees. Mother was in the kitchen when I got downstairs.

“I’m going to the bakery with Elena and after that, I will stop by Fredo’s place”, I said to mother

“Okay. Say hi to Fredo for me and don’t stay out late”, mother warned.

“Okay Mom” I said.

I was now outside with Elena. Our village was a small one and we could reach everywhere with legs, so there really was no reason to drive around.