By the evening, Ben was ready to get out of the Alaskan village where he’d lived his whole life. He had to break up with Alice, which was about as bad as he thought it would be. He was ready to see what came next, even if he was dragging his feet. His dad was right, how could he not want to see what Fate had in store for him? What if she was everything that he wanted in a woman and more? What if Teri was the one that he was truly supposed to be with?
Ben wasn’t sure how much of it he was willing to believe, destiny and the like, but he was curious. What kind of woman would Fate pair him up with? Ben hoped that she was worth everything that he was losing because of her. She was going to have to be some kind of special to be worth it.
Chapter 2
Teri
“I knew I would find you up here.”
Teri smiled down to her sister from her perch on the backside of the roof. It was her special place where she came to be alone, usually when things in her large family were too much to take on. Teri loved her family, but they were a lot to take on and when she heard that the whole family was coming down for an announcement that she didn’t know about, Teri thought it was best to hide. She had been out there a while, trying to enjoy the fresh air and wondering what was to be announced.
“I didn’t want to be down there. Are people starting to leave yet?” Teri asked. Really, she wanted to know if there was still a bunch of people there waiting to hear the news. She wanted to know what the news was, before she showed her face again.
“No, mom and dad are waiting for you. They want you down there while they do the announcement.”
Teri scoffed. “Why do I have to be down there?”
Ashley sighed and sat down slowly on the edge of the roof next to her sister. Ashley wasn’t afraid of heights exactly, but she wasn’t comfortable up there like Teri was. That made Teri wonder what was going on for her to be there with her. Something was going on. Even though she didn’t want to think about it, she had to. It was becoming clear that Teri wasn’t going to be able to hide from it.
“You know what is going to happen, Teri. It’s time. You’re about to be nineteen and that is the time when you come of age. Dad has managed your future all this time.”
Teri wasn’t even thinking about that, and she was silent for a time, trying to put her words together. “What if I just ran off?”
Ashley shook her head, the blonde curls moving of their own volition. Teri had always liked her older sister’s hair, really everything about her. She had always looked up to her for everything, her style and grace, but not this. The future was the last thing that she wanted to talk about, especially considering that her future wasn’t for herself, but her clan. She had duties and her sister reminding her all of that made her sad more than anything else.
“Where would you go?”
Teri shrugged, feeling desperate. “I could go live out in the world with the humans.”
Ashley gasped, surprised that Teri would say such a thing. She knew all about her older sister’s husband and how he treated her. Ashley had marks most of the time and while she liked to blame it on being clumsy, Teri knew better. There was no way that her sister was so bad at walking to have “fallen” as much as she did. Teri wanted to do something about it, but no one seemed to care. Once her sister was married to Justin, no one cared how he treated her. He owned her.
“You know that they would never let you go.”
It was just the answer that Teri knew. She knew that she was stuck to be the good daughter that she was supposed to be. There was no way out of it. The family would track her down and bring her back. It was done a couple of times when Teri was younger and told about her future. Even when she was younger and didn’t fully understand the implications, she wanted to have no part of being married and someone else owning her.
Teri’s face was hot, and she couldn’t look at her sister. She didn’t want to think about what was about to happen. She had known for a long time, her whole life mainly, that her life was figured out by others and not her own. Her parents would make a deal for her, get money like they were selling her outright, and Teri was supposed to be happy to be wanted. She would much rather be alone, than to marry and be owned. The idea of it was hard to fathom and even harder to pretend that she liked it. When all other women waited impatiently and excited to find out who they would marry and be with, Teri had always thought it would be the worst day ever.
Ashley pushed her blonde hair out of her small-featured face. “You know, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. This could be the start of something great. The Elders pick just the right person for you. What could be better than that?”
Teri scoffed. “Like they did for you? I have read the laws, and they pick the perfect person for the male, not the female. We are an accompaniment to their life, not the other way around. They don’t care what we think of the match. I am sure that you wouldn’t have picked a man that was so quick to anger if you had a choice,” Teri said with a grim look. She had never spoken openly to her sister about the abuse, but now seemed to be the best time to get it out. Teri didn’t understand, and she didn’t think that she ever would.
Her sister’s beautiful face scrunched up and she was quiet for a time. “I think that the Elders got it right with Justin, it’s just taking longer than I would have liked for us to become as one. Justin is a strong fighter, and he is trying to learn to be softer. He is getting better at it.”
“Oh, great. He doesn’t beat your ass as much as he used to. I have seen the marks, Ashley. I know what he does to you.”
“The marks?” Ashley wondered out loud.
Teri answered about the bruises that she saw on her wrists all the time. There were more, all over her, and though Teri didn’t see any then, she knew that there were some floating around on her sister’s body.
“Oh, well, they are not what they seem,” Ashley started to say. Her face got red, something Teri could see even in the darkness, and she had to know what was going on.
“What is it, then? You give me a real reason that you are covered in bruises that doesn’t include your husband abusing you, then I will go downstairs and see to the party and the future I don’t want.”
Ashley grinned and Teri was nervous. What could the reason be, that would make sense? Why was she covered in marks, but because of abuse?
“It’s what happens when we are together, romantically.” Ashley could barely look at her, and Teri was trying to figure out what she meant by that. When she asked, because that was part of marriage she knew little to nothing about, the answer surprised her even more.
“You like it?”
