The Choosing

Colours

~Colours~

Sophie didn't fight when Thaddeus put her into the back seat of the SUV, she knew there was no point. Escaping was hopeless and the glimpse she'd had of his rage was enough to startle her into silence. She watched Thaddeus move to the driver's seat and couldn't help but notice just how fluid each movement he made was. That made her certain, he could kill her in a heartbeat. The driver door slammed shut and Sophie jumped and let out an involuntary squeak.

"Sorry little one" Sophie didn't reply; she couldn't find the words to. She was confused, she had attended 'The Choosing' for four years and yet nothing could have prepared her for this. It was madness. Sophie curled her fingers around her elbows staring out the car window. Thaddeus didn't hesitate before driving off leaving twenty years of her life behind in a trail of dust.

"We're leaving town?" Sophie asked excitement leaking into her voice, as she stared out the window with more intensity now, drinking in the unfamiliar sights greedily.

"Yes." At that Sophie came crashing back down to earth, was it a long drive? Did that mean she truly wouldn't see her family again. Sophie looked up her eyes meeting with Thaddeus' in the rear view mirror.

"Is something the matter?" he asked gruffly. Sophie scoffed inwardly, was something the matter? Of course there was! She was in a car with a strange man heading off to god knows where.

"Why do you come to our town?" Sophie asked softly.

"Your towns people moved onto our pack land one day. Our men went crazy searching the streets endlessly for their mates. It resulted in a lot of bloodshed from both parties. We were shot in attempt to protect the girls and Fathers, Mothers and Brothers were killed in an attempt to attain our mates. Eventually we came to an agreement. Once a year all our men aged eighteen and up would attend a ball to find their mate a girl who had to be aged sixteen to twenty-five years old. Of course it never runs smoothly."

"Of course" Sophie agreed, her mind whirling at the unfamiliar language "why twenty-five?"

"It's our way of ensuring that the female has been exposed to all men who have the possibility of being her mate. If it hasn't happened by twenty-five it probably won't"

"You don't look eighteen" she said softly kicking her heels off and tucking her knees under her chin staring at the lights whizzing past the window.

"I'm twenty-three"

"You've never been to 'The Choosing' before." It wasn't a question, Sophie knew that there was some kind of magic within these men, they knew who they were going to choose before they even lay eyes on her.

"No." She didn't reply she was too mad to, four years she had hope that she would never be chosen but he was out there biding his time to come and collect his prize. Sophie fought the tiredness that overcame her body valiantly but it seemed the more she tried to fight it the further her eyes would droop and before she knew it she had fallen into a deep slumber.

Sophie watched in horror as he best friend was pulled from her side "Ruby! No!" she screamed her sixteen-year-old self rushing forwards only to trip and fall on her long gown.

"Soph!" Ruby screamed her chocolate eyes streaming with tears as she struggled violently against the man who had hold of her. Sophie was pulled into the hoard of men who were yelling and growling trying to reach their chosen. She couldn't breathe. There were bodies everywhere elbowing her, shoving her trying to get her out of their way. She wasn't the object of their desire she was useless. She was stuck in the crowd being pulled back and forth by the current of people screaming Ruby's name at the top of her lungs over and over again.