The prospect of having to attend the ceremony made the hollowness in my stomach all the more prominent. I hadn't been able to eat breakfast this morning, with an unpleasant feeling of an upset stomach, I didn't want to risk it. My family clung closely behind as I was taken to the town square. Spectators had gathered, ready to lay witness to the endeavours that where about to unfold. My right leg hadn't stopped shaking since I'd arrived. The kelpies placid expressions had me on edge and my mother's hand had now become unbearably clammy in my own. Yet, I still gripped her tightly.

I had seen the square decked out for their arrival plenty of times. We had once been the spectators. Two vertical stands of bleachers get placed facing the heart of the cobbled stones and flags adorning the entire square had the crest of the kelpie plastered in everybody's faces. The crest depicted their lineage of water spirits- a spiral of sorts, but waves showing the flow of water.

We had many books on them in our library's. Old folks tales. We hadn't an idea if they held any truth to them, but it was the only information we had. A deadly form of water spirit- one that dragged their prey into the deep depths of water to drown, by ways of seduction and manipulation. Though, most stories had shown the kelpies being a beautiful woman in their illustrations, I looked across the temporary stadium and saw a mix of them. Women and men alike. It made me wonder what else the tales had gotten wrong.

One thing they got right- how beautiful they where. Enough to make me believe the idea that they could drown someone by means of a simple smile.
As they sat in their seats, adjacent to the ongoing scowls from the humans, I watched them behave as they always had. Drunken idiots. Treating this as a day to celebrate. One kelpie man had even fallen asleep in his chair on one of the top tiers, leaving his young child to stand on the seat next to him, dancing.

Between the two restless crowds stood an alter, embellished in crystal ornaments in blue and sea green. Below the alter was the throne. The leader of the kelpie sat placid and unamused. The kelpie people refused to call her in human terminology, a 'queen'. Instead calling her 'dìonadair'- a word used to describe ones protector. Though, she held a regal aura. With a straightened spine, she looked out among the crowd with an irritable brow, sipping at her blood red wine.

I was greeted by a plethora of anxious faces. The square held hostage to the other women who had come of age- each displaying their own manner of terror. The woman closest to me had scratched the skin on her arms red raw. Another, smiled hopelessly at her family from the other side of the square. However, my attention was garnered to a woman in the middle of the group. She had flaming red hair and wore a flower patterned green dress that matched her eyes. I would not have paid her much attention if it where not for the kelpie guard who had thrown me into her. She had caught me steadily and unwavering, with a sweet sort of smile on her face, unappeased by the wrathful kelpie man who only sneered.

"Are you alright?" She whispered, taking my shoulders and holding me upright. The kelpie guard had walked away, taking my family with him. Harriet glanced over her shoulder, her eyes streaming.
"Y-yes," I baffled, watching my family being escorted away to the barricades. "Thank you."
She assessed that I was steady on my feet before letting me go and held out a hand. "My name is Cierra".
"Vayla," I introduced, shaking her hand a little too eagerly. I needed to friend to hold me upright in case I might faint.
Cierra gestured to the commotion from both sides of the square and scoffed, "what a load of shit". I withheld a laugh and smiled in agreement. It certainly was one hell of a mess. The only ones who seemed to be composed where the kelpie guards circling the area. Making sure non of us where pitching an escape plan.

I averted my attention back to my family, thankful I had them here...even if I could not speak with them. Harriet had now stopped her crying and only stared at me. Harriet and I had been close growing up. As young children, you saw what you'd expect of two siblings; playing games, fighting over toys and crying over boys. However, as we both neared our mid teens, Harriet had begun distancing herself. She made a new group of friends and was hardly ever at home. I was thankful for that, in a strange way. Her being out of the house meant me leaving wouldn't effect her as hard. Although she cried now, she would get through this a lot faster than my parents would.

My mother would soon come to accept this. She remained a loved member of the tight knit community and had many friends to help her.

My father stared into pure nothingness. Not even me. He had dreaded this my entire life and now the time had come. His attention bore into the opposite seats, where the kelpie had started to settle down and relax amid all of the shouting.

"Settle down! We will begin!" A guard shouted and the square fell silent.

The dìonadair queen stood from her throne and approached a podium in order to deliver the same speech we heard every year. The guards had now stationed themselves at her side, ready for any sort of disturbances.

"To all inhabitants of this land, I welcome you here with the warmest of greetings," her voice carried throughout the streets. I saw Cierra stifle a giggle. "We take pride of our annual gatherings to commemorate our alliance. Our unity is built on trust. And trust us with your loved ones, you shall. We invite your daughters to our way of life; wealth, beauty and a calmness that you can only see to believe. Our lands range for miles and will house your daughters so that they may prosper among us. We only look forward to inviting them in".

I bit back a sinking feeling as I watched the kelpie men appear from behind the alter and approach the middle of the square. They all wore the same attire. A satin white shirt and black pants.

Cierra, who stood relatively taller than me, bent down to whisper in my ear, "My mother always told me that they know who to pair with, just by looking us in the eye". I couldn't hide the shiver that went up my spine or the sweat now forming at my lower back.
"How do they know?" I questioned, making sure not to glance at any of them if it where true.
"My mother- the array of sunshine that she is- is quite the theorist," Cierra perked, "You see how we are facing the human crowd and the kelpie men face their...flock. Well, my mother- there she is!there! Do you see her?".
Cierra pointed between the barricades of the humans and the kelpie. And sure enough, a woman stood there.
"She stands there to watch their reactions," Cierra explained. I couldn't imagine being so bubbly in a time like this. "The human crowd can't see it, but she can. They get a discomforting look all over their face, like they just got kicked in the balls- as though they know".
I decided to take Cierra's mothers theory with a pinch of salt.
"Hey, you've gone as white as a winters day Vayla," she took hold of my hand, "if this theory is true- I'm not saying it is- but it may give you some reassurance that your not going to get killed".

"Is that why your not worried?" I looked her in the eye, "because of your mothers theory?".
"Gods no," she cackled, "I just don't let them see me cry".
I admired her for that. An ability to stay composed...I wish I possessed such a talent.

"The kelpie people before you hold your best interests at heart," the queen proclaimed, gesturing to the men that stood before us. "Each will gravitate to a woman that they feel a connection towards. Someone they will nurture and enrich a healthier mindset of living amongst our community".

My eyes, out of discomfort of my wary knowledge, drifted back to my father who had now abandoned his stare at the kelpie and now looked directly at me. And Harriet...not at his side. A wave of panic flushed to my head.
My father now had a proficiency about him. A readied stance. A nod of his head indicated that I must be missing something. I didn't know what was going on. He looked behind me once again at the kelpie in their seats and I turned to look with him. Harriet stood under the bleachers, a flame in her hand and a wicked smile on her face. And then my fathers words crossed my mind one last time.

When it presents itself.

The barricades and half the kelpie seats disintegrated into pieces with an echoing roar. My ears screamed in agony and my body had hit the floor from the blast. Although Cierra held both hands to her ears, she still managed to turn and laugh at the whole debacle. I searched the ground for Harriet, assuming that she must have been blown to pieces. Until, I saw her running down one of the streets away from the square.
I scrambled to my feet, looking back to my father, who huddled with my mother in their seats. I knew I should be running. I knew I should've been between the vast expanse of forest by now. But as I looked at the queen, her guards shielding her from the falling debris, I took notice of a guard behind the alter. And recognised the way in which Cierra had described- like he just got kicked in the balls. For a moment I stood and stared. Jet black hair pulled back and the bluest of eyes. He stood insecurely, as though he had no idea what to do. But, as he watched on in irresolution, I had already turned, distancing myself from the horror and breaking into the first line of trees.