Unlikely Mate

In the dark of night, Alisa tried to escape through the window. It was the night before her offering, and nothing was going to stop it if she stayed. It was lucky Alisa was so close to the ground. She had wanted to run for a while now, yet if Alisa had done it any sooner there would be no way that she would escape if she did it any sooner. Coming on to her 20th birthday, she was late to be presented to the strange town that was three or four hours over. Her town had a long-standing tradition of all women who had come of age to be presented to strange men. Sometimes the women were taken and never seen again. It had happened to her best friend Kari and she didn't want to be next. Who knows what happened to them when they were whisked away from their town? It was something Alisa was terrified of. Kari was supposed to send her messages and tell her what was going on. Like all the disappearances before Kari, she had not sent a word after she had left. Nothing, even though she was promised by the men who were going to take her away to a strange, unknown town. Alisa had looked into the town to try to figure out the strange bond that was going on between her own and theirs. She only knew that it was called Moonholding but when looking through the records while at college, there was nothing in the town. It didn't even really come up in her online map searches. It had been hard to find any records of the "Celebration" that she was going to have to be a part of. So far, Alisa had been away at college for two years but her parents were only going to let her get her associates degree in general learning. They weren't going to let her go for what she wanted, which was accounting. Though the most boring degree, it was the one that she wanted to get away from her small town that sacrificed women to Moonholding. After all the research she had done, all she found was that they had been doing this since the founding of the town. It was all just too little information for her to be okay with what was supposed to be going on. She didn't want to be sold or just forced off by her parents for no reason. Alisa pulled her backpack up higher on her back, and walked as fast as she dared. It would be far more suspicious if she ran through town. In her mind she just couldn't believe that her family was okay with sending her off to a random town to random men and women who would treat her for who knows what reason. 'I'd rather run and work my way to finishing my degree than go to a unknown place with unknown people for unknown reasons.' she thought to herself. Time had been flowing past her at an unknown pace and Alisa found she had walked herself out of town and at least three or four miles away, and the sun started peaking over the horizon. Stopping, she stared at the rising sun, not worrying about whether it blinded her or not. The bright colors made her think of a beautiful oil painting she liked to look at while away at college. As she took in the scenery, Alisa had not realized that she had not walked far enough to not be discovered, nor did she realize that she was walking right into her destiny. A car pulled up while she looked into the distance taking in the beautiful scene ahead of her. "Alisa!" Her name was shouted out to her, making her jump almost out of her skin. She shrank as she quickly recognized the voice of her father, "Where do you think you are going?" She heard the door slam of her red pick-up truck behind her. "I was trying to go to the next town, and then by bus to New York city." Alisa straightened her back and steeled her nerves. "Though, I am surprised that you cared to notice, since you seem to be okay chancing sending me away to complete strangers." Her father had a dark look about him, normally he would look on her with pride, his college graduate. His dark brown eyes settled on her with a fury that she had never seen before. "You will be back within a week. You never had to work a job or worry about money. How did you expect to survive?" He questioned, coming up to her standing against her own anger. "I would learn. I am a quick student, you know." She snapped. "You, yourself, said so when I came home a year early after graduating." "You will be grateful for this, and you might not be taken. Less and fewer women are taken every year. Some years no women go." Her father relented and said as a peace offering. Alisa shook her head, letting her black hair slap her face hard, feeling in her gut that she would be taken. "Come, I found you and we have a lot to do." Her father stated as he led her away to the running truck. Alisa sighed in defeat, knowing that she wouldn't fight her father. She had too much respect for him. All her life he was the one she took advice from and talked over things that were consuming my mind. Though she didn't want to obey, she knew she couldn't fight him knowing he would find some reason or another to convince her to return with him. Later on that evening..... Alisa picked lightly at the prom dress her mother had put her in and looked in the wall mirror that hung on her door. Her mother had tied up her long waist-length ebony colored hair into a few tight knots that was pressed close to her head. She was 5 foot 10, and the dress fitted to just above her waist before it puffed out, showing off her short torso, and made her lungs feel squished and short of breath. 'What is my mother thinking?' Alisa thought to herself, "I hate pink and corsets." She said out loud looking at the squinsed dress flinching. Her face was squished up in disgust when her mother walked in. "Oh Alisa," She chided, " Don't be like that." "Mom, this is almost like back in the 1800's when women were brought out to be shown off to be married off." Alisa didn't like the thought of being put out like a piece of meat. She shivered at the thought. Her mother looked at Alisa with bright green eyes, "This isn't the same thing," she paused and corrected, "at least not exactly." "Then what is it?" Alisa demanded, feeling her frustration boil over. "It's," it took some time for her mother to come up with the right words. "It's more of a tradition. Back in the day our ancestors used to think that our neighboring town was werewolves of all things." She laughed at the thought, "They used to present all eligible girls to the wolves to create peace and hoped that the wolves would protect the family of the girls presented if any were found to be mates." "So, why do we not hear from or see any of our friends or family who get chosen?" Alisa couldn't help the dismay coming from her voice, irritation coming to a boil again. 'I should have done what Justin said and called the cops when I couldn't reach Kira after she was taken,' she thought to herself thinking of her college boyfriend who broke up with her for returning to her home town. "I honestly don't know why Kira hasn't talked with you since she left." Her mother said, her brows furrowing at the thought. "You know your aunt Kasey?" She asked before Alisa could start on her about Kira. Alisa nodded, waiting in anticipation. "Well, she was taken, we see her talk with her, see her kids." She stated, "There are many people who have been chosen to be taken to Moonholding. Many of the people you see at the festivals and around town are actually from there and you just don't know it because this is the only time of the year that they really announce that they are coming and make themselves known." Alisa looked shocked, "But there are people who say you never hear from those who leave ever again." "That is a child's fairytale from long ago that doesn't seem to want to die." Her mother looked stern. "If you get chosen, you may work for the Moonholding company, many of those who are do." "I looked for Moonholding on maps and online. No such thing," Alisa pursued. Alisa's mother shook her head. "I can't explain everything. Just what I know. The internet doesn't tell you everything. Come on, enough talk, it's time for the festival. And do try to enjoy yourself. I know you want to go back to school but we really can't afford it. This is our last chance to enjoy a holiday together before you start working and become a working woman. We just wanted you to have a good time before you start looking for work, and besides if you do get chosen you may get Moonholding to pay for you to go back to college."