The moment the sun went down a thick, grey mist would come in from the forest, fast and furious, leaving nothing untouched or uncovered.

When it came, it left people with the feeling something was wrong. There were few people left in Millbarrow that remembered a time before the mist engulfed their village at night.

They were the people that would lock their doors at night and close their curtains, and wait for the sun to rise. The rest would desperately rack their brains trying to figure out what was wrong. 

The sun would rise and they would forget the feeling of uneasiness that had plagued them through the night.

Helena was different. It stirred up the longing for an adventure, to leave the village, and experience something other than working in her father's shop.

So far the only thing that soothed her ache for something new was to climb out of her bedroom window and sit on the stone ledge outside. Since she was six-years-old, she had sat on that ledge. Every night at midnight no matter what the weather was like. Her legs dangling over the side, the wind in her hair, and the fear that one wrong move she would slip and fall.

There were nights when only silence reigned over the village and she could hear only her own heart hammering away inside her chest.

Those nights made Helena feel calm and at peace with the world, but not tonight. Tonight it made her more restless than ever. She was perched on the ledge, straining to hear a dog bark or an owl hooting, but there was nothing. 

So enthralled with trying to hear something outside, she didn't hear her sister creep into her bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Catherine whispered, making her jump out of her skin.

Catherine was ten-years-old, and as light as a feather with the annoying habit of sneaking up on people.

"Getting some fresh air. Why are you in my room?" Helena asked, the sound of teeth chattering, making her realize for the first time how cold it was.

"I wanted to wish you a happy birthday, it's gone midnight. Now get inside before you fall!" Catherine ordered, in a tone that reminded Helena eerily of their mother.

She rolled her eyes, but shuffled back the way she had a thousand times before only this time Helena's palm clashed against something sharp.

A low hiss of pain escaped her lips once she safely back inside her room. She didn't have a chance to check how bad it was before Catherine grabbed hold of her wrist, and dragged her to the bathroom to clean it.

Helena was certain that the sound of the tap running would wake up either their mother or father, but it didn't happen.

"I heard from some of the girls at school that the funny looking man will be coming to the village tomorrow!" Catherine told her excitedly in a hushed voice while tending to her hand.

"His name is Mr. Grattle, and he isn't funny looking," Helena whispered, softly scolding her sister as she turned off the tap.

Mr. Grattle often came to the village to either pick out a new girl to go Kanefire Castle or bring her back. The longest any girl had stayed there was a week.

The burns on the right side of Mr. Grattle's face had earned him the name "The funny man" from children. How he got the burns no one in the village knew.

There hadn't been any new girl taken to the castle for weeks, which meant he was coming to pick somebody for Lucas Kanefire.

~~~~~

Helena couldn't remember what time she had fallen asleep, but it had been late. The sun had not long risen, but the smell of bacon frying had forced her to get out of bed. Her stomach demanded food and demanded it as quickly as possible.

She opened her bedroom door to see Catherine's door wide open with her arm dangling over the bed. Her hand resting on a poorly wrapped present.

A small childish part of her wanted to wake her up so she could unwrap her present, but Catherine looked so peaceful.

She had expected to go downstairs to see the kitchen door open. Her mother singing in the kitchen and ready to dish up breakfast. Instead, the door was shut and the sound of her mother sobbing softly floated through the closed door.

Helena pressed her ear against the door trying to hear if her mother was alone.

"Lucas gave you a substantial amount of money to pay off your debts with the promise that once Helena turned eighteen she would spend a month at the castle!" A man's voice boomed through the door. It was a voice that she recognized, but she couldn't place exactly when or where she had heard it before.

Helena nibbled down on her bottom lip and gripped the door handle with her wounded hand. Silently wincing at the pain it caused.

She was conflicted on whether to burst in there or wait a little longer to hear more.

"It's her birthday!" Her father shot back in a pleading tone. "Couldn't you come back tomorrow?".

Helena awkwardly nodded her head and mouthed the word "Yeah".

"Lucas wants her at the castle by this afternoon. You have an hour to tell her what is going on and pack whatever she needs. No white dresses Lucas, hates them," The man ordered.

Helena waited to hear her father argue that it was her birthday and she wasn't going anywhere, but the attempt never came.

Sure, she had longed to see the inside of the castle and to see what Lucas Kanefire looked like. She'd heard many different descriptions from handsome to pale and weird.

But, she wanted to visit there under her own free will, not because her father had been stupid enough to accept money from Lucas. Even worse, he'd used her as some sort of bargaining chip.

Her heart screamed "Storm in there and refuse to go!" while her head told her "Go upstairs and pack. If you refuse to go you know he can't pay the money back."

In the end, her head won over her heart.

Author Note

I hoped you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter.

Are you excited for Helena to meet Lucas? How do you think they will get along?