Biting Sacrifice

Chapter VI - The Train

Maeve was on a no-talking-to-Tabitha-strike. As the older sister, she knew it was most likely not the best time to be giving her the silence treatment, but frankly, her behaviour disgusted Maeve. If conspiring again the wolves meant setting little get-togethers, well that was one thing. But actively plotting to kidnap them? That was a completely different level of messed up. The lycanthropes weren't fair to them most of the time, but Maeve solemnly believed that escalating the situation to that level was just going to hurt them more, even if her sister ardently disagreed. 

But without Tabitha and Maxwell, Maeve felt frankly lonely. Even if she threw herself fully at her work, her coworkers were just that, coworkers. After the revelation at the meeting, she ended up retreating to her bedroom, listening to its conclusion under the comfort of her blankets. It hadn't taken long to finish - probably because the tension was so thick that even the most reclusive person could feel it. She could hear her sister ushering people out, with hopeful promises of a next meeting, and then she heard nothing. 

As days passed, she was willing to temporarily put her strike on stop, but she wasn't able to find her sister. With no contact for a week she was so stressed out that her hands were cracked from the cleaning supplies she used to methodically clean her home over and over, ensuring the apartment was clean, her bags were packed, and that her documents from work were filed. 

With a day until the Run took place, Royal guards would go into each providence gathering the unmated people. From there, that part of the population would be lead into the nearby providence, known for hosting the Run. 

The mandatory train ride would take a couple of hours filled with shaky smiles shared between men and women alike. Mrs. Dove sat inbetween her husband and Maeve, playing nervously with her ring. On the row next to them, a young girl who had spoken at the meeting rested her head against the seat next to her. Maeve recognized a couple more people from her providence, but no one she knew well enough to start a conversation with. Putting her backpack packed neatly under her assigned seat, she decided to go to the nearest bathroom.

As she made her way, she looked through the window. The scenery was absolutely beautiful, with luscious greens that seemed to never end. A beautiful dense forest, filled with wildlife and a river that separated one side from the other; soon it would host the event of the year, full of wolves and humans envolved in a sinister game of tag. 

Maeve reached the bathroom and she did her business, washing her face with cold water.

"Okay, Mae, you got this. Just need to get through it." She hyped herself up. As she opened the door she faced Mrs. Dove.

She touched her belly with a soft hand. "Oh, Maeve, how are you doing, love? I hope you didn't give Miss Tabitha too much grief." 

As Maeve opened the door for the pregnant lady in front of her, she replied bashfully "Oh sorry for taking so long, you know how it is. Tabitha, well, I haven't seen her in a while."

"That's strange, I haven't seen Miss Tabitha since the meeting." She spoke through the toilet stall, "I hope she didn't get in trouble. That girl is always up to something." Mrs. Dove hummed. 

"I hope she made it okay onto the train... I'm going to look for her." Maeve waved to the woman, who waddled out. 

Soon Maeve had gone through several carriages, never spotting her sister. She, however, spotted Officer Goodfellow, resting against one of the walls with his eyes glued to her form. He saw her hesitate, making her raise her head high, in order to make herself seem a bit more put together. 

She hesitated once again clearing her throat before speaking. "Officer, have you seen my sister, Tabitha? We didn't arrive together."

"I have." He raised his eyebrows, indicating something that Maeve wasn't sure what meant.

"Well, maybe you can tell me where she is?" She attemped to charm him with a small smile. 

"You can start by telling me where Maxwell Greyback is, that would be a good start. After that, you can tell me where they're hiding the Wolfsbane." He seemed to raise his eyebrows even higher, not looking even slightly impressed with her answer. 

She tilted her head, ensuring proper eye contact. "I don't envolve myself with my sister's affairs, nor Maxwell's. I was not aware that Maxwell was missing."

"Funnily enough, it seemed as if not to long ago you hosted a big party Miss Drake. Can you tell me what you were celebrating?" The Officer mantained eye contact. 

"Book club. I was hosting a book club meeting." She replied.

"Really?" 

"Really."

He was definitely not convinced, that Maeve could attest to. But she swore she was trying her best to convince him. 

The officer took a sly step in her direction, making her step back in retaliation. He repeated the process two more times, in a clear attempt to intimidate Maeve. Unfortunately, it was working. Her back hit the wall with a small thud and she suddently had to raise her head even higher, not to make herself seem brave like before, but to continue the ever persisting eye contact. Maeve, unlike her ever so petite sister, wasn't particularly small - she was on the slightly tall side, but the officer made her seem tiny in comparison. He was tall, with a muscular body carved from wolf genetics and a work-out regime worthy of a royal guard. His shoulders looked sturdy, with his shirt stretching over it. His beard was well-taken care of and he smelled really good - masculine and strong. 

"What was the name of the book?" He inquired, resting his bulky arm against the wall.

Maeve had to remember to take a shaky breath, before coming up with the answer. "The Tales of Guttenyeld."

He gave her a small smile. "A classic. Did you enjoy it?"

"Quite." She smiled back. Oh God, what was happening?

"Your sister is three carriages after this one. Take care, Miss Drake." He said as he went back to resting against the opposite wall, keeping his dark eyes on her.

With the train getting closer to the end station, Maeve went to finally have an adult discussion with her sister, not knowing that it would be their last conversation for a long time.