Chapter 2

The cellar was cold and damp, the air thick with the smell of earth and decay. I pounded on the door until my fists were raw, screaming until my throat was hoarse. No one came. The only response was the faint, celebratory music starting up in the house above.

I sank to the dirt floor, surrounded by dusty jars of preserves and old, forgotten furniture. My engagement ring, a simple silver band from Matthew, felt heavy on my finger. He was a deputy. He represented the law. He would help me. He had to.

Hours passed. I heard footsteps, and a tray of food was slid under the door. It was my best friend, Wendy Todd.

"Wendy? Is that you? Help me!" I scrambled to the door.

"Gabby, what are you doing?" Her voice was laced with something I couldn't place. Not concern. Annoyance. "Your parents are so upset. You're making a scene."

"They locked me in here! Wendy, they want me to marry him. The man who killed my sister."

There was a long silence.

"She wasn't killed," Wendy said finally, her voice sharp. "She was chosen. It's the greatest honor a woman in Havenwood can receive. You should be grateful."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Grateful? He's a monster!"

"He's a holy man!" she hissed back. "The 63 before you were just... unworthy. They weren't strong enough in their faith. But you... you're the founder's great-granddaughter. Maria was the Harvest Queen. Your family has a special place. And now you're throwing it away."

Her next words cut deeper than anything else.

"I would give anything to be in your place, Gabby. Anything."

The envy in her voice was unmistakable. It was raw and ugly. My best friend, the girl I'd shared every secret with since we were five, was jealous that I was being offered up for slaughter.

"You're insane," I whispered, backing away from the door. "All of you are insane."

"You're the one who's insane," she retorted. "Rejecting God's will. I hope you enjoy the cellar."

Her footsteps receded, leaving me alone in the suffocating darkness. The hope I'd clung to withered and died. My parents, my best friend... everyone I trusted was gone, swallowed by this collective madness. I was utterly and completely alone.