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/"You have ro run."

Beautrice's heart was racing. This couldn't be true.

"They're going to kill you."

Her whole life was built on a foundation of lies. For years, herd members had left to pursue other paths. A scant few had disappeared. But that wasn't the truth at all. All of them, every last one of them was dead--sacrificed in some primative ritual that she'd never heaed of. Bur Meredith had, she'd known all along and yet she'd never told Beautice unti now. For years, Meredith had known about ritualistic murder and she'd said nothing --norhing at all to her until now. Beautrice had been chosen as rhe next sacrice.

She couldn't wrap her head around it. Her best friend since childhood had known since she was a filly. Meredith had her speak about wondering why this soquili had left the herd or that soquili had left when they seemed so happy. Meredith had let her talk, had even mused herself what one of the gone were doing now when all along Meredith had known rhey were dead.

"How could you say nothing? This is wrong, all of this! You are complicit in their murders! And that's what this is -- murder. Did they know whar was going to happen to them? Oh, gods, were they dragged kicking and screaminf to their dearhs? And you knew! You knew! You stood by and did nothing---

"What about Elouise?" She could feel her heart stop as she asked her friend.Well, her once friend. Meredith was no longer her friend. "Elouise moved to another herd, we were told. I thought ir strange at the time because I couldn't imagine her leaving without saying somethinf. She never hinted at anything....I was furious with her for leaving us without a word. Do you mean to tell me that this whole time rhar I've been so pissed at her rhar she was dead? Murdered? And you knew. You knew! That means...you didn'r rell her."

Silence.

"You didn't tell her? You didn't at least try to save her. You went about your day knowing they were going to kil her and you said nothing? Did you just stab her yourself? You might as well have. My gods! She was our friend." She could feel something vicious curling in her gut. "Well, I mean. I was her friend. Whar we were you? Just a distraction until she was killed? I thoufht you loved her! Do you even know what love is?"

Bitter angry tears burned her eyes and throat. She was so full of panic and loathing and misery and a thousand orher thinfs she didn't know how to describe. There was only two clear things in all the world for Beautrice. One, that she had to leave. For whatever reason Meredith had decided to warn her and not Elouise.. Two, any love or friendship she'd ever had for Meredith was as dead as Elouise was.

Elouise was dead.

"Were you there? Was she afraid? Did you lead her to her death like it was just some night time stroll?" Her voice quieted, "And for what? So her blood could be used by the Council to keep them strong and in power? To just buy powerful, greedy beings more power? How did they do it? Was she scared?" She paused, "Did it hurt? Did she bed youe poor pathetic soul foe her life?"

The quiet was deafening. "I suppose I don't really want to know."

"Just let me explain."

"I don't want to hear your lies! There is nothing you could say that would make this alright. You had the knowledge and you could have mustered the power to expose them. To change things so that no one else had to die, but instead you kept their secrets."

The tears had begun to fall. Beautrice had finally run out of things to say. In the quiet, Meredith said nothing at alll. She was still as a statue. The words lay dead between them like a graveyard of bones or like birds that had fallen mid-flight from the sky.

"You need to go now."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Beautrice, I didn't want to lose you. I--"

"Well you have. You have completely and utterly lost me. I'm ashamed to say I knew you. You don't know what the meaning of friendship even is. There's no hope for you."

Beautrice tuened her back on her old life and ean even as her heart was breaking. How was she ever going to trust anyone again? Where would she go> She didn't know, but she knew that any place was better than here.