Read The Fourth Ceremony: The Sacrifice Trilogy for Free Online Page A

voices were the ones she was hearing. Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself leaning against the heavy wood door to her parent s’ room.
    “ But I do n’ t care what we agreed to, this is our daughter !” It was her mother, and she sounded like she might be crying. Her voice was breaking and Alessa heard a loud sniffle. She did n’ t know what would have her mother so out of control.
    “ I know, my love, I know, but ther e’ s nothing we can do. I do n’ t know if there ever was anything we could do. The Government gets what they want and our daughter was born to be the Sacrifice .” Her fathe r’ s tone was almost defeated and he sounded exhausted.
    Alessa wondered for a moment if she should leave, but they were discussing her. This was the most passionate she had heard her mother in a very long time and Alessa was cemented to the floor with anticipation at hearing what exactly the disagreement was about.
    “ We can do something! We can fight for her! You saw her face at the birthday dinner. Every day she gets farther and farther into depression. The staff said that she was shaking and ashen when she returned from swimming, and she typically loves to swim. Sh e’ s afraid, Ivan, and there has to be a way for us to help her . ”
    Alessa thought that she had been doing a good job of putting on a good face, but now she realized that she was fooling no one. It made her feel slightly ill. Not only did Khi notice, but apparently her parents and even the staff were in on her secret.
    Alessa did n’ t hear anything for a moment, and then she heard movement and soft whimpers. She guessed that her father was holding her mother while she cried quietly. He was very affectionate and her mother never shied from his attention. Alessa was in shock. She could n’ t have moved away from the door at that moment if she had to save her own life. Khi was right. She did n’ t know why she was so surprised, Khi was always right, but she was so sure that her mother had turned off her ability to care. The discussion she was hearing was changing everything.
    “ All we can do now is help her to accept what is coming and love her through all of her pain and resentment. Tha t’ s our job. We are the parents to the Sacrifice. We have to help her be satisfied in her place ,” Aless a’ s father said quietly.
    “ I ca n’ t accept that .” Her mother was barely audible, but began to get louder as she continued .“ There is a lot we can do. We can run away. We can contact the SDL . ”
    “ Absolutely not. We will not call that league of molesters. What do you want? You want us to save her from drowning just so that she can be attacked by monsters ? ”
    “ You ca n’ t know that they are all like that. All we know about them is what was reported by the Government. We know the Government can tell us anything they want to and they often do .” Alessa was a little surprised at the sarcasm in her mothe r’ s voice.
    “ Yo u’ re right, but it is n’ t a chance I am willing to take with her. There are worse things in this world than death, Cate . ”
    That was all Alessa could stand. She knocked loudly on the door. She heard shuffling on the other side of the door and it was a few long moments before her father stood before her.
    "I know that I didn't tell you yesterday about my birthday wish. I thought I would come by today and tell you." Knocking on the door was an impulsive decision and she didn't have the faintest idea what she wanted for her birthday wish.
    "Of course, Lessie, what is it?" Her father swept his arm around to invite her into their room. Alessa's parents' room always smelled faintly of the flowers her mother hand-picked every day and her father's cologne. Alessa took a deep breath of comfort and knew what she wanted to say.
    "I don't want a present this year," she said simply. Alessa saw her mother eye her suspiciously with the tears in her eyes barely wiped away. "I have plenty of things. I want to