“Who do you think it will be?” I asked May as we made our way to the auditorium where the list of rank of this years students hung.

“Don’t worry, you surely won’t be one of them!” She said, but then suddenly stopped few steps before entering through the large doors and looked at me with fearful eyes, “though I can’t guarantee about myself.”

“And that’s why dad asked you to study harder!” I laughed and pushed her forward.

“Too easy for you to say, it’s not like I was born with a smart brain like you!” She laughed, but I couldn’t help feel the little bitterness in her words.

I'm May's adopted sisters, her parents adopted me when someone left me at their doorstep one night.

Our bond was way stronger than real sisters.

“Trust me you won’t be one of them!” I smiled but she still looked a little unsure, “Even if you were, I would gladly replace you.”

She stopped and looked at me with shock. I expected her to smile but suddenly felt pain in my right cheek and realized what just happened.

She slapped me!

“You dare do that and I’ll kill you before they do!” She hugged me and I couldn’t help but smile at her response.

This was May for me, my overprotective sister.

We made our way inside the auditorium and everyone gave me strange looks.

“Ignore them, you must be at the top again so they are jealous!” May said and even though her words made sense they didn’t entirely convince me.

“I don’t understand why do those lycaons need us as slaves?” I heard a girl curse and knew she was one of the three students going today.

Well, no one ever said that we will be their slaves, it’s just a myth that started.

Every year 3 bottom students were sent to Northwoods, the place where the true decedents of the Moon Goddess live which means no one would ever hear from them again and legend has it that they make them slaves and kill them when they are not needed. I don’t actually believe it but I still can’t deny that fact that it makes sense.

“Are you ready?” May asked me.

“As soon as you are.” I smirked and she pushed through the crowd, making way for the two of us.

She looked at the list and I saw her smile disappear as she cursed loudly.

“I’ll kill that bitch!” She pushed everyone and ran out of the doors leaving me confused and worried about her.

I had lost all my courage to look at the list, worried that it will have her name in the bottom three.

“I’m so sorry Eliza.” A girl said to me in sympathetic way and I pushed her aside to look at the bottom three students and felt the ground split beneath my feet.

There in bold letters were,
Emaa Rose,
Kathy Woods and
Eliza Wattson..
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I took deep breaths to calm my already racing heart. I felt the world stop in front of me, everyone had sympathetic looks on their face but more than that they had a confused expression while some smirked looking at me. It was sure that someone messed with the list but something stopped me from enquiring about it.

I had to tell dad about it. I took slow steps towards the principals office, yes my dad is the principal of this school! It felt like someone had drained me of all my energy, my feet were not ready to move fast and when I finally reached his office even my hands betrayed me.

I finally forced myself to raise my hands and knock at the door when suddenly I heard the sound of things breaking. I knew what it meant, May was already in there. “I don’t give a shit!” I heard her curse.

“You can’t cheat like that! Dad if it was me who sucked then why is she being punished?” She yelled at him and even though I wanted her to stop cursing at dad like that, even I wanted to know the reason. "What if he-"

“It’s time for her to repay us. We have no idea what happens there, we can’t send you away just like that!” He stopped her in mid sentence and I felt as if someone had slapped me hard across my face. Was he the same dad who had once said that both me and May were the same for him.
“You suck! You don’t have the right to be called a father!” She cursed again and I heard a the sound of someone slapping. “And you don’t have the right to talk to him like that!” I heard mom’s voice.

Tears filled my eyes and I lost the courage to stand there any further. I ran out of there and straight inside my room which was very close to his office, perks of being the principal’s family!

They were right, it was high time I pay them for what they did for me. They never treated me like a stranger and if they want to protect their daughter than what is wrong in it?

I packed my stuff, kept my and May’s picture on top of it and after giving one last look at my room I made my way back to his office. It was all quite now and even though I wanted to walk away from there, I raised my hand to knock but the door opened before that. May looked at me with shock on her face and tears in her eyes. “You don’t have to do this.” She sobbed as she hugged me and I hugged her back.

“I told you, I’ll never let anything happen to you.” I smiled sadly.

“I already miss you my little Moonlit!” She said making me smile again. She used to say that I was as beautiful as the Moon Goddess and that I fulfilled all her wishes before Moon Goddess did and thus named me little Moonlit.

“I’ll miss you too.” I hugged her once again and then finally stepped inside dad’s cabin. “I see you are ready?” He said. His eyes were filled with sadness and even though I could clearly see how much he wanted to stop me, his words still kept on playing at the back of my mind.
“I must pay him back.” I repeated to myself. From the corner of my eyes I saw my mom standing there with a wide smile on her face.

“Let’s go.” He said and we walked out of his office. We made our way through the corridor and everyone looked at me with different looks on their faces. “Karma is a bitch!” Someone said and I couldn’t help but smile at her words. Only if they were true.

****

“Eliza wait here, I have to make a phone call.” He pointed towards his phone and I nodded. I wonder when will the other two girls join us.

I looked at dad who was busy with his call and wondered if I will ever get to meet him again? He was the only father figure in my life, the only person I had ever looked up to. "I'll miss you dad." I whispered to myself while looking at my feet. I felt someone looking at me and looked up to meet his brown eyes stairing at me.

"She'll be there by today. I hope I'll get my money on time." I heard his voice and confusion filled my mind. What did he mean by that? Not meaning to eavesdrop, I restricted my senses and decided to focus on clearing my mind of all the negative thoughts that appeared every other moment.

"Your train is here." I heard dad's voice and opened my eyes to see it was already my time to go. I looked at him with questioning eyes and he seemed to know what I was asking about. "They will soon be there. I need to talk to their families first." He said and gave me a sad smile. "I wish I could protect you." His words felt hollow to me. He could have protected me but he chose not to. Not bothering to talk to him any further I walked towards the train and sat at an empty seat at the corner end.

"Hii there sweetheart!" A boy who was of my age looked at me with lustful eyes. Not my fault I'm beautiful! "Hii. Need me to help you in keeping those testosterones in control?" I smiled at him and within seconds he jumped from his seat to mine and gave me a seductive look.  "Would love to." I smirked at his reply and jumped on his lap.

"Here you go." I whispered in his ears and before he could react further I kicked him in his shin and threw him off my seat.

He cursed at me but I already had a feeling that this was just the beginning...

"You will regret this!" He cursed.

"What? Too late, I never regret anything!" I smirked and shut the door of my cabin leaving him out there, looking at me with murderous eyes..
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