On the morning of the Festival, Mallory zipped down the stairs from her bedroom and skipped straight into the kitchen. Her parents sat at the table; both sipping on cups of hot coffee.
"Good morning!" Mallory's smile made her mother light up.
"Oh, look at you!" Tilly rose from the table to pinch her daughter's cheeks. "Oh... All grown up! Are you excited for your first Festival?"
Mallory nodded. Her eyes sparkled.
"Don't forget to stick with your friends, okay?" Her father opened the morning newspaper. "Luckily, we're having the perfect weather this year. Unlike the last. Not a cloud in the sky! And tonight is going to be beautiful."
"I won't leave Christy's side. Brandon is going to be there too."
Now you be careful around Brandon," her father sighed. "He doesn't strike me as the type to stick his neck out for his friends. Always puts himself first."
Mallory rolled her eyes and gave her father a sarcastic smile as she made herself toast for breakfast.
When Mallory finished eating, she gave both of her parents hugs and went out into the hallway to put on her snow boots and warm wool coat. She sat on the runner rug to lace her boots then stood up to put on her coat that hung on the wooden coat rack. Her mother gave her a knit cap to keep her head warm and her father gave her a pair of neon mittens.
"Make sure to bring your bag," her mother said.
Mallory nodded.
"Now get out of here and go have fun!" Her father patted her on the head. "We'll see you tonight, alright? And we can all eat good Festival food!"
The girl shut the front door behind her and hopped off of the front porch of her parent's old house. The house had been in the family for generations and the exterior began to show a bit of age. Even so, Mallory adored her childhood home and was happy to know that one day it would be hers. She walked away from the house and strolled down the sidewalk. It had snowed a bit the night before, which was perfect for the Festival. Mallory couldn't wait to get to the town park to enjoy the bonfires, sparkling lights, good food, and treats. Even though the main event would begin after sunset, it was customary for the small town to celebrate all day leading up to the large gathering known simply as the Festival. And this was finally the year that Mallory could go. Admission into the event required minors to be at least fifteen years old. As long as she could remember, children younger than fifteen were never allowed at the Festival and reminisced about the annual drop-off of all the young kids at the school for a distracting movie night. But there wouldn't be a childish movie night for Mallory this year. She was proud.
"Hey! Over here!"
Mallory looked across the street to see her friends calling her over. Christy waved her down, Ben stood next to her, blowing noisily on a sparkling party horn, and Brandon stood with his hands in his pockets. He was smiling at least. Mallory looked both ways and then ran across the street to join her friends.
"It's finally the year!" Mallory hugged Christy and Ben jumped in on the hug.
"We're gonna eat so much food!" Ben jumped up and down while making loud noise with his party horn.
"You guys are so cute," Brandon laughed.
Brandon was a year older than Mallory and her friends. He was able to experience the Festival the year before and when everyone asked him about it at school, he wouldn't give any details of how it went. None of the older kids would talk about it with the younger ones.
"Shut up, Brandon!" Christy jokingly punched him on the shoulder.
The group of friends went on to enjoy their day out. Local businesses had free giveaways to new Festival goers. So the kids went door-to-door collecting candy, shirts, small toys, food, hot chocolate, and luckily for Ben, new party horns. Since Brandon became annoyed and took away his first one.
It was getting closer to sunset and people in town started to make their way to the park. The townspeople cheered and some played instruments as they paraded to their destination. The group of friends had arrived at the park and were greeted with a sight that left them speechless. Brandon looked unmoved. There were twinkling lights decorating the trees and bushes in the park. Many bonfires were placed throughout the park so people could gather, stay warm in the cold, and enjoy the festivities. There were also food stands selling local delicacies. Carnival games were set up around the park too. Adults in the park were already as drunk as they could be. The kids all lit up with awe. Some people were wearing regular winter clothing and there were others that were wearing the town's traditional garb of fluffy shawls and cloaks in an array of bright colors. Christy looked around with a smile on her face. "We should see if we can find Everly."
Mallory's expression turned sour. "I don't want to hang out with Everly. Besides, she doesn't really like me."
"Everly is cool!" Christy pulled on her friend's arm, trying to get her to go with her and Ben. Brandon stood behind Mallory and was also resistant to go.
"No, Everly is bad news," he said.
Christy glared at him. "You just don't like her because she dumped you!"
Brandon rolled his eyes and sighed. "Whatever. If you guys want to go, then go."
Mallory pulled her arm away from Christy. "I'll stay with Brandon."
Christy scoffed.
"No one should be alone during the Festival. It's like a rule!" Mallory said. "And like I said, Everly doesn't like me. It would just be awkward."
Christy laughed. "Fine. We're gonna go find Everly. We'll meet up with you guys later. Okay?" She stepped forward to give Mallory a hug. "You're still my best friend, you loser." The two girls snickered and Christy pulled Ben along with her, leaving Mallory and Brandon alone.
The sun was about to disappear behind the hills and the stars became visible in the sky. Soon it was nightfall and the pair left behind were enjoying the warmth of a bonfire in the darkness.
"Is this year the same as last year?" she asked.
Brandon nodded. "Yep. Pretty much."
The crackling of the fire mixed with the sound of a band playing in the distance.
"Is it almost time to go to the final event?"
Brandon nodded.
"So. What happens?"
He laughed. "You'll see for yourself. The ones who know aren't allowed to tell the newbies."
Brandon looked distraught.
Mallory heard something move behind her even though her back was turned to a cluster of trees and bushes. She thought it was probably just a squirrel. Then, she felt a hand cover her mouth and was pulled backward into the thicket.
"Hey!" Brandon stood up and tried to pull Mallory back but found a butcher knife pointed at his face.
"Back away," a shaky voice ordered. It sounded like a girl.
Brandon realized that a girl had pulled Mallory away from the bonfire. She had her in a headlock. The girl was wearing all white and firmly kept the butcher knife pointed at the boy.
"You!" The girl motioned the knife at Brandon. "Leave."
"Brandon, don't leave!" Mallory pleaded.
"Shut up!" The girl tightened her grip around Mallory's neck.
Brandon remained frozen as he looked Mallory in the eye. She shook her head, signaling that she didn't want him to go. She was begging him to stay. But Brandon took off and disappeared in the dark.
Mallory began to cry.
"I'm going to let go of you but you better not run. Or else this knife is going in your back. You understand?" The strange girl shook her.
Mallory nodded.
The girl released her grip on Mallory and she gasped for air and began to cough. When she turned around, she saw the knife pointed at her face and she saw the girl who was holding it. Mallory instantly noticed the long white dress the girl was wearing. Her hair was down in wild loose curls and she wasn't wearing shoes.
"You are going to trade clothes with me," the girl demanded.
"What?" Mallory stammered and the girl repeated herself.
"You are going to trade clothes with me! And it needs to be quick before anyone comes back here."
Mallory shook as she removed her layers slowly. She felt the stinging cold of the night winter air. The girl with the butcher knife tossed her dress to Mallory and quickly began putting on the warm winter layers that Mallory had shed.
Now it was Mallory dressed all in white without shoes on to keep her safe from the freezing snow on the ground.
"Let's go," the girl said.
In the darkness the two girls walked along the edge of the park, right against the stone wall that surrounded the grounds. The girl forced Mallory to walk in front of her while she held the knife against her back.
"It's just up ahead," the girl whispered.
Mallory could hear the faint chatter of conversation.
Soon they arrived to an area that was lit by torches but they remained in the shadows of the trees and brush.
Mallory couldn't believe what she saw. There was a large group of people, all dressed in white gowns with their hands tied behind their backs. The two girls were at the back of the crowd so no one noticed their presence. In the distance, at the front of the group, they were being guarded by people dressed in the town garb. Then, Mallory felt the girl pull both of her hands behind her back and quickly bound them with a rope.
"You're taking my place," the girl whispered in Mallory's ear and then swiftly shoved her into the crowd and took off.
Mallory looked around in confusion. No one in the group looked at her. Everyone looked straight down at their feet.
She saw young women, older women, young men, older men, and kids her age. These people did not look familiar to her. These people were not from town. A man dressed in a colorful cloak spoke up at the front of the crowd. Mallory recognized him. It was the mayor.
"Attention!" the man said. "It is now time for the true Festival!" The others who acted as armed guards cheered.
Right as the mayor said this and cheers began, the park bell tower started to ring, signaling to everyone in attendance that the final event was beginning. The group dressed in white were herded out of the area surrounded by trees and they were now out in the open. The guards quickly weaved a long rope between everyone's restraints so they'd all be tied together. They walked through patches of darkness until they were met with scattered bonfires and eventually were greeted by twinkling lights, the sound of the band at full blast and the cheers from the townspeople. The group in white stood off to the side of a decently sized outdoor stage and the mayor went to the podium to speak. Mallory looked around at all of the people, all of the lights, and listened to the loud music and the loud crowd. She was disoriented and noticed that a few of the others in white were beginning to panic. The music started to fade and the crown quieted down. The mayor stood at the podium and looked at the large crowd of people that made up his town.
"Citizens!" the mayor said. "It is finally that time of year again! Where we can gather, be as one, and enjoy the Festival!" The crowd roared.
"When our ancestors established our great town, they came here in the winter. Food was scarce and people were sick. They lost good people, they did. Let us remember the fallen ones." The mayor looked down and closed his eyes. There was a moment of silence before he continued. There wasn't a peep in the entire crowd. Mallory could hear her own heartbeat.
"What a wonderful celebration. This town was founded many many years ago. Hundreds! And survival was priority! And so, our ancestors did what was needed! They went out to hunt! They first hunted around settlements that were close by and when they returned, bounty! No one else had to starve. No one else had to die. And our ancestors realized that everyday could be bountiful!"
The crowd broke into a wild cheer once again.
"Alas, the years went on and our founders continued to hunt but then the hunt became difficult with the changing times. The damn changing times! Our ancestors had to be careful. Hunting at night was the only option and something as great as the hunt, that was a daily ritual to provide, began to dwindle and hard times greeted our poor town for the first time since the very beginning. And now, in modern times, we have plenty of food. We have farms and gardens, grocery stores are plentiful. But we know and honor our roots! And so, this is why every year, during this hard winter season, we gather and remember, bring honor to our ancestors, and enjoy, once a year, what our ancestors thrived on!" Once again, the crowd broke out into a massive roar.
"Bring the roasts!" the mayor exclaimed as the crowd rallied in their barbaric excitement. But what Mallory noticed in terror was that the mayor was pointing directly at the group of non-townspeople dressed in white. The largest fire of the night was lit and Mallory couldn't hear her own screams over the deafening music and the ferocious crowd.