Deviant

Chapter 19

Rowen

“Good evening, everyone!” Mayor Davenport greets as he commences his speech before the big event. “It is truly wonderful to see so many familiar faces gathered here tonight. I want to extend a heartfelt welcome to our residents and to those select few who have eagerly awaited this night to discover their own fate. Whether you are of the age of selection or not, your presence here speaks volumes about our shared commitment to making our small town a better place for all. As we come together this evening, we not only celebrate our accomplishments but also the spirit of cooperation and unity that defines us. Together, we can continue to build a future that reflects our values and aspirations.” He smiles widely, though tonight it appears to be a bit too forced. “We all know that being part of Blackwater Falls does not come without sacrifice. On this significant occasion, we are all asked to accept whatever burden may be laid upon us with humility and grace. We thank every individual whose name is about to be announced for their sacrifice to the greater good of this town. It is through that sacrifice that we continue to thrive. Your loyalty and devotion will not be forgotten, and your names and memories will live on in all of us.”

Every year is the same old speech, but this year, his words irk me more than they have in the past.

This town thrives with our blood.

What kind of greater good demands such a thing?

Now finished with his speech, he gives the nod for the film to commence, finally revealing who got chosen and who is spared to live another year.

God, I hope this works.

It has to.

I stare at the screen, praying to see my name.

However, the first name that pops on the screen isn’t mine.

“Lucas Mitchell,” Mayor Davenport announces.

Everyone in the crowd searches for Lucas and finds him immediately since he’s the only one to drop his mask. I frown when his parents and girlfriend start crying beside him, Lucas putting on a brave front, not wanting to look weak with so many eyes on him.

Damn it. I know Lucas.

Sometimes, when Nora and I were binge-watching some show and ordered a pizza, he would always be the one to deliver it. His parents own a quaint little Italian restaurant in town and work their butts off to keep it running all year round. They’re good people. And now the son they thought would take on the family business will probably die at the tender age of twenty-one.

“Thank you for your sacrifice,” Mayor Davenport says, eager to announce the next victim.

“The next person to be selected for the Harvest Dozen is,” he says, just before the name of his own daughter flashes up on the screen. The entire crowd gasps as Mackenzie pulls down her dove mask, her mother standing proudly beside her. Neither woman sheds a tear, standing center stage behind the mayor. “Tha… thank you for your sacrifice,” he stammers, turning his head over his shoulder to glance sadly at his only child.

“I guess this year he’ll feel the pinch too,” Joe says, standing beside me. “Only fair, don’t you think? Every other family has to go through this, so why not his?”

“She’s just a girl, Joe. Have a little sympathy, even if only for her,” I mumble, knowing this is Mackenzie’s first-ever Harvest Festival.

“ The Scourge doesn’t discriminate. They want who they want,” Joe rebukes with a scorn-filled expression on his face.

He’s not wrong.

And as the mayor continues to call out the names of those selected, it looks like The Scourge wants the blood of our young this year.

The next two names that are called are those of a boy and girl I used to go to school with—Andrew Scott and Ruby Mitchell. I used to sit next to Andy in homeroom, a class clown if I ever saw one. Even though we weren’t exactly friends, he always had a friendly smile for me.

Ruby, on the other hand… well, I always got the feeling she didn’t like me much. Especially after we got paired in Chemistry and she changed classes the following day just so she didn’t have to work with me.

“Shit. Looks like they’re going for the younger potentials this time.” Joe frowns, coming to the same conclusion I have. “Someone my age would definitely struggle with such young competition.”

My forehead wrinkles in concern.

If I had it my way, no one would be selected.

Aside from me, that is.

Come on… say my name. Just say it.

More names are called, my shoulders hunching when my name isn’t one of them.

“Okay, girlie. Just two more names. Looks like we might be in the clear,” Joe says, smiling, only for it to fall to the floor the minute Mayor Davenport calls out the one name I’ve been waiting to hear all night.

“Rowen Hawthorne.”

He said it.

He really said it.

My hands shake as I pull down my mask and drop it to the ground, the crowd turning their attention to me.

“Goddamn it,” Joe curses, opening his flask to take a long swig. “Bad luck, girlie. You, of all people, didn’t deserve this shit.”

“It’s okay, Joe. It’s okay,” I reply, my voice coming out a little shaky.

My eyes find my father on the stage, my heart dipping into my stomach when he turns his gaze away from mine.

“I deserve this,” I mumble to myself.

This is what I wanted, after all.

This was what I planned for.

So why am I trembling all of a sudden?

It’s like an ill premonition hits me square in the chest, a sick feeling in my gut alerting me that the worst is still to pass.

Be careful what you wish for.

And just as the thought crosses my mind, Mayor Davenport announces the last name on the list, turning my world completely upside down.

“And the last name to be added to the Harvest Dozen is…” Davenport states as the name flashes on the screen. “Elias Larsen.”

My heart stops beating when I hear the name of the one person I thought was safe from this madness.

“No,” I blurt out as my eyes scan the loud, rambunctious crowd looking for him.

The energy around the town square shifts from distraught sadness to bewilderment and utter delight.

Just as Moses parted the Red Sea, the crowd parts to create a path, allowing me to see Elias standing ramrod straight, a smirk on his face and an owl’s mask in his grip.

I don’t know what has my heart racing more—the fact that Elias was chosen or that the mask he’s holding isn’t the one he had an hour ago.

“Say your goodbyes, and hug your loved ones, for the Harvest Dozen will part for The Scourge at the first sign of dawn,” Davenport reminds.

“I guess that’s that,” Joe says solemnly as he pours the remaining liquor inside his flask to the ground, before chucking the flask away. “Sorry, girlie. You were one of the good ones,” he laments before giving me a hug.

I’m so speechless that I don’t even correct him.

Instead, all I can do is stare at Elias, who is staring right back at me with a threatening glint in his eyes.

“I have big plans for you, Rowen. Big fucking plans.”

Could he have done this?

Could Elias have volunteered just to exert some kind of twisted revenge on me for killing his sister?

Suddenly, the idea that Nora’s little black book miraculously fell into my lap in the nick of time becomes an incredulous fantasy that I should have never bought into.

It was him all along.

He was the one who made sure I had all the information to volunteer for The Scourge.

He wanted me to be selected.

But why?

And that’s when it hits me.

The Scourge won’t be the one responsible for my death—Elias will.

The rest of the night is a blur.

I don’t remember how long I’ve been home since the Harvest Festival ended, much less how I got here.

My mind is swirling with too many unanswered questions, all of them pointing to Elias.

Did he really get himself selected for the Harvest Dozen because of me?

And why was he camouflaging his voice earlier tonight when we were together?

What is his game?

I know it was him in that alley. I just know it was. But doubt plagues my mind.

My assailant wore a wolf mask. But the mask Elias had in his possession when his name was called was that of an owl. Why change masks in the middle of the festival? To what end? Because Elias deciding to ditch one mask for another is the only plausible scenario I can accept.

For me to have given my body… so willingly to a total stranger… someone who sought me out with the sole purpose of hurting me… is unacceptable to me.

No.

It was Elias.

I know it was.

I felt him.

Not only his body but his very soul.

I refuse to believe I let myself be taken advantage of by some other monster.

Is this his game? To make me second guess everything I do from here on out? To have me question my sanity? Hasn’t he realized yet that my sanity is already hanging by a thread?

Even if it gives him pleasure to fuck with my head, I doubt it’s his end game. I saw the hate in his black eyes last night on the bridge. The only punishment that he has in mind is how best to kill me.

If that is his true intent, then so be it.

I would rather die by his hand than by a stranger’s, anyway. I can think of no better justice than for someone who loved Nora as fiercely as I did to avenge her death.

And no one loved her more than Elias.

If he thinks I’ll put up much of a fight, he’s dead wrong.

So if it’s my sanity he’s after, he can take it.

If it’s my body he wants to abuse and degrade, then it’s all his.

And if my last breath is stolen while looking deep into the dark abyss of his eyes, then I could think of worse ways to go.

“Are you ready?” my father asks, stepping inside my room for the first time in a year.

“Almost,” I reply, still packing my backpack with all the items on the list the mayor gave the twelve of us before the Harvest Festival came to a close.

Luckily, I had most of the hiking gear on the list already since Dad used to take Nora and me camping in the forest all the time. Of course, after Nora’s death, I never touched a tent or a sleeping bag again. Those happy days are long gone.

“Ready,” I finally say once I have everything in its rightful place.

“Good. Sunrise will be in an hour, so we need to get a move on.”

I grab my bag and put it behind my shoulders, only to have my father take it from me.

“I can carry that,” he says.

“Thank you,” I reply, genuinely grateful.

Could it be that now that I’ve been chosen to face The Scourge, my father has realized that he still loves me deep down? That even though he can’t find it in his heart to forgive me, doesn’t mean he’s stopped loving me?

I hold on tight to that thread of hope as we step into the car and drive into town.

When we arrive, The Harvest Dozen are already there, saying their last goodbyes to their families.

“I know it’s difficult, but time is of the essence,” Mayor Davenport says, looking worse for wear. He looks like he didn’t get a wink of sleep, his usual put-together appearance in complete disarray. “Please say your goodbyes and be on your way. The next part is only for the ears of the dozen.”

I try to block out the tears and pleas of the families as they are forced to go on their way. As the sheriff of this town, my father is allowed to stay with three more of his deputies just to ensure everything is done according to tradition. So my goodbyes can wait. The rest of the selected aren’t as lucky.

While this misery is going on, Elias sits on the steps of city hall, playing with his lighter, pretending to be too distracted to care about what’s happening around him.

There’s no one here to say goodbye to him.

Not his brother.

Not his father.

He’s got no one.

I guess I’m partially to blame for that.

“Okay, people,” my father shouts, placing his hand on his holster to look threatening. “I know this is all very difficult for all of you, but time is up. Get into your cars and go home. Don’t make me and my deputies have to force you.”

Everyone gets the hint, and though reluctantly, they start leaving, knowing this might be the last time they will ever see their children again. Once the last car drives off, the mayor’s expression changes to look all business-like, eager to get this show on the road.

“Bobby, the envelope please.”

Bobby hands him a large manila envelope, glancing over at me with a sad frown, forcing me to meekly smile back at him. He then steps back to stand side by side with my father, adopting the same serious expression that my father is wearing.

“As you all know, The Scourge takes place somewhere up the mountains. However, only you will know its true location.”

“How?” one of the guys asks, crossing his arms over his chest as if he were in charge of the group.

I immediately recall his pompous demeanor from school as well as his name—David Hall. I must have been a sophomore when he graduated, so we didn’t run in the same circles. However, I do remember overhearing some teachers express how happy they were to see him leave. He had a reputation for being a bit of a dick. And so far, just by his arrogant stance alone, the rumors about him don’t sound that far-fetched.

“With these,” Davenport explains, pulling out a single watch from the manilla envelope.

“A watch?” Ruby blurts out, confused.

“Not just any watch. This watch will be your guide throughout your journey. Not only will it give you the precise location of where to go, but also detailed instructions on what to do once the games start,” Davenport explains as he hands each one of us a watch.

When he’s about to give me mine, he leans in closer and whispers, “I’m sorry you were chosen, Rowen. The Scourge should have spared you after what happened to your mother. I wish things had turned out differently for you, and for that, I am sorry.”

“I guess none of us are safe,” I reply sympathetically, throwing a glance over at his own daughter.

“I guess not.” He lets out a sigh and then proceeds to hand out the remaining watches.

I stare at the watch before fastening it around my wrist.

The strap is made from high-quality leather, mine having been dyed in eggshell white, complimenting the watch’s overall color scheme. It features a classic deployment clasp, ensuring a secure fit while allowing for easy wear. The leather is soft yet durable, with contrast stitching that lends a refined touch. This watch must have cost someone a pretty penny, but it’s the square face of the watch that raises my curiosity.

A watch’s purpose is usually to tell the time, but this one is completely blank, showing nothing at all.

“Mr. Larsen, I believe this one is yours,” Mayor Davenport says, dangling the watch in the air.

Elias pulls himself off the stairs with a cigarette still dangling at the corner of his lips as he walks over to the mayor and snatches it away from him.

“Thanks. How did you know that black was my color?”

Instead of being annoyed, Davenport smiles at Elias as if he just told him his favorite joke.

“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time, Larsen. I hope you packed some smokes for the trip because where you’re going won’t have any such luxuries.”

“Oh, I think I’ll manage. There are loads of other things my mouth can entertain itself with,” Elias goads, looking over at Mackenzie.

My heart drops at the insinuation while Davenport’s nostrils flare in anger.

“You touch a hair on her head, and I’ll kill you myself.”

“See? That’s going to be a hard thing to accomplish seeing as you just said you have no idea where we are off to. Don’t worry, mayor. I’ll take good care of your daughter. Yours too, sheriff. I’ll take good care of both of your little angels.” Elias winks.

Unlike Mayor Davenport, my father doesn’t rise to the provocation.

I, however, don’t see Elias’s remark amusing in the slightest.

I mean, could he actually be into Mackenzie?

She’s barely eighteen.

And she’s been with Aidan.

So have you, or are you forgetting that little tidbit?

I bite the inside of my cheek, trying my best to keep my composure intact.

‘Elias is here for me. No one else. I just know it,’ I reassure myself.

“So what now?” Andy, my homeroom colleague, asks, fastening his watch around his wrist.

“Now we wait for dawn,” Davenport says, staring at the clock tower above him. “Which should be right about… now.”

Just as he says it, all our watches ding to life simultaneously. I look down at it and see a compass with flashing numbers just below it.

“They’re coordinates,” says a girl whose name I have yet to learn.

“And how exactly are we supposed to follow the coordinates without a map?” Ruby scolds.

“You walk,” my father explains, his eyes on me.

Everyone just stares at him while I do exactly as he says and start walking. The minute I do, the large compass minimizes to the left part of the screen, and a map appears in its place, only showing a few feet.

“It’s some sort of GPS tracker. It will show us the way but only by a couple of feet. We won’t know where we are going until it wants us to,” I explain, showing the map on my phone to the two boys beside me.

“Nicely done, Rowen,” Mayor Davenport praises while my father bows his head.

“So, does this mean we’ve started?” Mackenzie asks, speaking for the first time we’ve been gathered together.

“That’s exactly what it means, darling,” her father explains, going over to her and giving her a huge hug. He whispers something in her ear, probably an ‘I love you’ or something along those lines, but I’m too busy staring at my own father to pay any attention.

Since he doesn’t come to me, I walk over to him.

“So I guess this is it,” I start, nervously kicking the air at my feet.

“I guess it is,” is his clipped retort. “Safe travels.”

“Safe travels?” I stammer unbelievingly. “Is that all you’re going to say to me?”

He turns his head to the side, giving me his answer.

Hurt, I turn my back to him, trying hard not to cry in front of everyone.

“It’s telling us to go this way,” David shouts, urging us all to walk down the steep hill toward the church.

My feet feel like lead as I slowly try to trail behind the group, with Elias strolling a few feet behind me.

“Wait!” I hear my dad call from behind me before I’m able to take another step.

Hope fills my heart as he rushes toward me and hugs me to his chest.

“Dad,” I croak, unable to keep my tears at bay any longer. Not when he’s finally hugging me.

He hugs me tighter and whispers in my ear, “I doubt you’ll win, but if by some ill-gotten miracle you do, don’t come back.”

Tears fall down my cheeks for a whole different reason now as he breaks our embrace and stares at me with utter revulsion in his eyes.

“Understood?”

I nod while wiping the errant tears that refuse to stop falling.

“Understood.”

I then turn my back to him to follow the others, knowing that will be the last time I will ever see my father.

Precisely as he wants.