Chapter 12: Grooming

In the morning Colt had awakened them again.  They sent their trays and tunics to the end of the line as they had on the previous morning.  He again inspected each of the girls, but gave special attention to those whose legs had been stuck during the training session.  When he reached ‘I’ he seemed pleased.  “You are looking better this morning,” he commented to ‘I’.  He turned to ‘J’ and asked, “Is she eating better?”

‘J’ nodded her silent response.  “Good, I will be glad to turn in a favorable report to the Guardians.  It is not often that we are honored to provide security for the auction of a foster.  I have never heard of it happening before and I will not have you going into your presentation looking frail out of my ranks.” 

He finished I’s inspection and moved to check ‘J’, “Please turn your back to me.”  When ‘J’ had turned he continued, “I want you to know that we are grateful for your service.”  He interrupted his train of thought to give ‘J’ directions, “Your legs look fine.  Turn.”  Colt sighed, “Look I am not sure what I can do considering your position as an abandoned runaway.  We have had a couple of inquires about your status.  Security is on high alert with the Mayors from all the surrounding islands coming in for her presentation, but I will do what I can to get you into that auction.  It will at least give you a shot at a good household.”

Colt stepped over to the girl designated as ‘K’ and ‘J’ stole a stunned glance at ‘I’. ‘I’ peered over J’s shoulder to be sure that Colt was not watching them and shrugged her shoulders.  ‘J’ saw the look of bewilderment in her eyes too.

When the inspections were finished they were marched into the dining room where they were directed through their routine of stretches and exercises.  They had knelt and watched as the other girls had taken ‘A’, ‘H’, and ‘O’ from their ranks.  Again the three girls that were taken away left with the girls and the remaining thirteen girls were marched back to their hallway.  They were told to line up in front of the cell doors leaving no gaps for the missing girls.  ‘I’ and ‘J’ had to move over one cell to the fourth room on the hallway, but if ‘J’ had not counted the doorways in the hall before entering she would have guessed they were back in their same cell.  The trays of food were waiting for them along with fresh linens, tunics, and a bottle of oil.

‘J’ could barely hold her tongue until they were free to speak.  As soon as she heard the latch on the large metal door at the end of the hall fall into place she had turned on ‘I’ and in her excitement she had nearly demanded, “What did he mean by all of that?”

‘I’ had meekly shrugged, “I don’t know,” was all she said.

“What do you mean you don’t know?” ‘J’ insisted.  “What was all that about Mayors from other islands and high security.  And what did he mean have me auctioned to a household?  I have been waiting all this time and all you say is you don’t know?”

‘I’ dropped to the bunk, “Do you suppose that I might be sold to a Mayor’s household?”  She stared at the floor her mouth open in astonishment, “No woman in my family has ever been a breeder to a Mayor.”

“What does that mean?” ‘J’ asked again and her exasperation was building her in chest.

‘I’ just sat with her hand over her mouth and shook her head, “I do not know.”  After a long awkward silence ‘I’ had finally looked up at ‘J’ and with a resigned breathe she repeated, “’J’, I just don’t know.”

They had both washed in silence.  Thoughts had raced through J’s mind as she replayed Colt’s comments to her.  She had pulled the tunic over her head and pulled her tray into her lap where she sat cross legged on the floor with her back against her bunk.  She ate but could not remember eating.  ‘I’ did the same. 

It was ‘I’ that finally broke the silence, “Did he say I was going to be presented to Mayors with an ‘s’?”

‘J’ looked over at her, “Yes, that is what he said.  Why?”

“Mayors?” ‘I’ repeated letting the S drag out so that she sounded like a snake.  She clapped her hands together and brought them to her lips as she began to laugh, “Mayors.”

“What?” ‘J’ asked.  She felt perplexed, like she had just been told a joke and she did not understand the punchline.

‘I’ shook her head, “I am afraid to say it.”  She chewed her red lower lip as her eyes grew wide, “Do you think my Master has arranged for me to be auctioned to the Mayors from the other islands?”  She looked up at ‘J’ with a hopeful and genuine look of optimism for the very first time.  “Oh ‘J’ if this is true we have so much to do.  You might get a Mayor’s household too.”  ‘I’ began to chatter faster than ‘J’ could keep up, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we got the same household?  We must get some oil on that skin of yours.  How have we let ourselves go so much?  Quick we have so much to do to prepare.”

For the rest of the day ‘J’ felt as if she had fallen into a tornado named ‘I’. ‘I’ had asked ‘J’ to rub oil into her skin three separate times throughout the day.  She had played with J’s hair until ‘J’ was sure ‘I’ had pulled out ever last strand.  ‘I’ had held up her hair in a dozen different styles and asked J’s opinion on each and every one.  ‘J’ had smiled and even succumbed to I’s excitement, but she still did not understand the advantage of any of what ‘I’ was telling her about a Mayor’s household.  ‘I’ had finally fallen asleep after the girls in the adjoining cells had complained about the constant prattling from the top bunk.  ‘J’ was glad ‘I’ was finally happy but she had to admit that the silence was nice too.

The next morning when Colt arrived ‘J’ did not want to move.  She wanted to pull the covers over her head and stay there all day, but I’s feet had hit the floor before the cell door had been unlatched.  She had both of their trays in her eager hands and her eyes pleaded with ‘J’ to hurry.  ‘J’ chuckled at I’s dramatic change and heaved herself out of bed.  She lined up and passed her tray and then her tunic and marveled at how quickly she had fallen into a routine. 

They had done their exercises and knelt to watch the other girls eat.  ‘J’ felt a sense of growing resentment at having to kneel with her legs cramping while the other girls ate their meals and sat at tables.  This day none of the girls from their line were chosen to eat at the tables.  Furthermore the girls from the tables were not allowed to file past them on this morning.  They were marched in from the door they usually used as an exit, they got their meals, and were ushered to the tables on the far side of the room.  They had to eat in two separate shifts that took twice the time. 

When the meal was finally over the thirteen hungry and exhausted girls were marched back to their cells.  ‘J’ ate her meal nodding her head at the appropriate times while ‘I’ talked about seeing the Mayor of the town once.  She had gone on about he was not a noble, but had managed to marry a noble woman of very high birth.  She had heard other girls talking about the Mayor’s home and she wondered if she would be sold to him.

After ‘J’ had finished her meal she lay in her bunk and dreamt of that beautiful bathtub at the Inn and she wished that she could soak in it again.  She had nearly fallen asleep when ‘I’ tugged on her arm.  “Come on you cannot possibly be tired.  We have so much to do.  First, we must put on fresh oil.  Oh, I do wish they would bring a new bottle.  This is not my favorite flavor and I do want to be pleasing.”

‘J’ groaned, “Five minutes, please.  How can you not be tired after those workouts?”

“The training sessions?  I do that every day.  Come on,” ‘I’ pleaded.  “If you put oil on me I promise I won’t ask you for another thing today.”

‘J’ had reluctantly surrendered to I’s prodding.  She had carefully massaged the oil in several layers and had reapplied in places she was sure she had already applied but ‘I’ had been insistent that she had, “missed just a little spot.”  She had even relented when ‘I’ had wanted to reapply her oil.  ‘J’ felt rather peculiar about the two of them nearly naked and massaging oil into each other’s bare skin.  ‘I’ had insisted on sheading her tunic when ‘J’ had applied her oil.  That was one concession ‘J’ would not make.  She would allow the girl to put oil everywhere and ‘I’ was methodical about being sure that every part of ‘J’ had been covered. 

‘I’ had even complained when ‘J’ had finally lain down on the bunk and fallen asleep.  ‘I’ kept waking her up to ask, “Are you sure you want to lie down?  You might not be ready if the auction is today.”

‘J’ had grouched at her a couple of times, “I will manage,” before pulling the pillow over her head and warning ‘I’ not to wake her again.  She could still hear ‘I’ pacing in the cell, but at least she was finally doing it quietly.

When the evening meal arrived ‘J’ was in a better mood and they had sat together to eat.  ‘I’ was beginning to worry again, but ‘J’ assured her that everything would be okay.  ‘I’ had made her promise the presentation was going to be extraordinary.  ‘J’ promised but knew it was a hollow guarantee since she barely understood I’s explanation of a presentation. 

As the evening wore on I’s euphoria began to wane, so ‘J’ had asked her about her childhood.  ‘I’ had explained that she was barely more than a toddler when she left her mother’s care.  It was her earliest memory.  She had seen her mother from time to time over the years and knew who her father was, but had not spoken to them since leaving for her Master’s home.  Her Master and his wife had treated her well and seemed to ‘J’ to have almost filled the role as parents.  There had been four other fosters in the house where she had grown up and they had moved on when they had come of age and new girls were purchased over regular intervals.  She spoke of these girls like sisters and seemed to like all but one of them.  ‘J’ guessed the one she did not like had been the one responsible for making sure ‘I’ stayed out of trouble as a little girl.  They had each curled up in their bunks when it got late.  Eventually I’s stories had slowed and they had both drifted off to sleep.  The next morning ‘J’ wondered if she had fallen asleep first, but ‘I’ had not complained.

‘J’ awoke to the sound of the metal meal trays sliding under the door to their cell.  When she looked up Samuels was standing there watching her.  “Good morning.  How are your legs doing?”

‘J’ wiped the sleep from her eyes and stretched, “They are fine.  Completely recovered I believe.  ‘I’ has been making sure they have had plenty of oil and salve.  Thank you for that.”

Samuels nodded. “You have been obeying the rules then?  No chance I might get to take you out of there for a punishment?”

 “Obeying all the rules, Sir,” ‘J’ answered and straightened her tunic to cover her better.

“Too bad you are on lockdown until this afternoon or I might like to have a sample of you for myself.”  He let his eyes travel the full length of her body and ‘J’ felt he could see through her tunic to her very core.  “See you this afternoon,” he added before he turned and moved down the hall.

“‘I’ are you awake?” she asked not wanting to wake ‘I’ if she was still asleep.

“Mhmm,” ‘I’ groaned through her long stretch.

“Did you hear what Samuels’ said about a lockdown?”

“Yeah, so?” ‘I’ asked.

“Well, what do you think it means?” ‘J’ asked annoyed.

“It means we do not have to exercise today,” ‘I’ stated as she jumped from her bunk and went straight to the trays of food.

‘J’ flopped her head back on her pillow while ‘I’ brought her meal to her. “Breakfast in bed and no kneeling to watch others eat.  Sounds good to me,” ‘J’ said popping a tasty morsel of sweet bread into her mouth.

“’J’,” ‘I’ said with a scolding tone and feigned a serious rebuke, “You are supposed to use that time to contemplate how you could better serve another to practice putting their needs over your own need for comfort.”  ‘J’ played along as if she had been joking too.

The morning passed slowly and ‘J’ could tell ‘I’ was worrying again, by the way she occupied every moment with movement or chatter.  ‘J’ let ‘I” yank her hair from the roots and tweak it every few moments.  It kept ‘I’ from the tears that were hidden just below the surface.  She worried about the young children she had grown up caring for even though they were grown now and would likely leave their father’s home soon.

‘I’ was trying to convince ‘J’ they needed more oil again when the latch on the metal doors at the end of the hall echoed off the cement walls.  ‘I’ froze and ‘J’ watched her knees buckle momentarily.  Colt walked down the hall and there was silence on the corridor except for the thud of his heels on against the floor.  He stopped his forward march when he stood in front of their cell.  There was a long pause of silence before he announced, “Please step forward with your meal trays,” and the hallway erupted in the clatter of metal trays.

Once the cells had been opened and the girls stood with their trays in hand ‘B’ began the organized collection of trays.  ‘J’ expected to remove her tunic as well but Colt asked ‘B’ to remain covered.  He looked at his feet and folded his hands behind him.  ‘J’ glanced at ‘I’ who was fixated on his every movement.  He clucked his tongue and began slowly, “I have tried to be fair to you and treat you well.  I hope that you will all agree.  Today you have a big opportunity to make a good impression and I hope that you will do your best to remember your training.”  As he ended her looked poignantly at ‘J’ and stepped to the head of the line.  ‘J’ noticed that he had a leather covered stick hanging from the back of his belt as he marched them to the dining hall. 

All of the other girls had already been assembled into their orange rays.  They joined the formation of girls and were instructed to begin their routine of exercises and stretches.  ‘J’ found that she did not feel the disappointment she expected to feel.  She had actually grown to appreciate the way it made her body feel.  When the exercises were concluded guards stepped to the back of each line of girls.  The leather sticks were pulled from their belts and tapped on the back of the last girls’ legs.  ‘J’ watched as each girl obediently raised her arms from her sides.  Each girl was inspected.  The line from the prior week had been long but ‘J’ watched as only a small handful of girls were removed from their lines.

She was pondering what happened to those girls when the leather stick tapped the back of her leg.  She compliantly raised her arms and faced her palms up.  She felt the stick slide under her tunic and she held her breath waiting for the pain she had become accustomed to on such occasions, but instead the stick continued to rise until her tunic fluttered to the floor in front of her.  She was not sure but she thought she heard ‘I’ draw in a deep breath as the dark hood dropped onto J’s head.  Colt’s voice was in her ear, “Fold your hands behind you and move.”

A rough hand wrapped around her arm and she was drug out of her line as she stumbled to keep up.  The flickers of light that had helped her maneuver at the Inn were not there this time.  She walked blindly behind the man with the rough hands until he stopped.   He placed his hands on her shoulders from behind; he straightened her posture and squared her shoulders.  In the darkness she listened carefully for any clues, but the room was silent.  She did hear a girl being brought in behind her and thought she might have heard one behind that, but there were no other sounds.

‘J’ waited, listening for a clue as to what was happening in the room when she heard a gruff voice speak in front of her, “On my mark you will place your right hand on the shoulder of the girl in front of you.  You will step forward following my voice.  We will do this orderly or you will receive a bright red set of marks that will still be clearly visible tomorrow.  Hands up,” he paused, clearly waiting for the girls to comply.   ‘J’ easily found the shoulder in front of her before he said, “Step forward.  Let’s go.”

The line stepped through the doorway.  Each girl carefully followed the girl in front of her.  They had not gone far when the line came to an abrupt stop.

“Hands behind you,” it was the gruff voice again.

‘J’ heard steps and a cell door closing.  Three doors had latched before the rough hand pulled her arm forward.  She could tell that she was placed in a cell and the door had been locked behind her.  She listened as two more cell doors closed.  Finally, the thud of a heavy metal door latched closed.  It sounded like the metal door at the end of the corridor of her old cell.

She used her hands to feel around the room.  It was small but she edged towards the back wall.  She bumped her knee on the toilet first and then found the sink nearby.  To the right of the sink she found a tiled wall.  The rumble outside the cell followed the click of the metal door being unlatched.  ‘J’ listened as it drew near.  Her hands were still motionless on the tile wall when the arms of a man scooped her off her feet and deposited her across the room on a high padded table.  Her arms and legs were seized simultaneously and immobilized.  Her arms where spread out above her head and shackled into place.  Two more unseen entities spread and secured her ankles.

The hood was ripped from her head and standing over her were two women.  Near the door a guard stood with is arms folded over his chest.  A third woman wheeled a cart next to the table.  On the cart sat basins of a honey like liquid.  J’s eyes flew open; it was wax.  The woman with the cart handed small wooden paddles to each of the women.  In turn they had dipped their paddles in the wax and begun to spread it across different parts of J’s body.  She heard the stifled moans that emanated from the other cells.  The first woman to finish her preparations lifted a towel from the cart and after rolling it into a narrow tube she forced it into J’s mouth.  The woman held it in place while the other two alternately ripped the wax from her body.  When ‘J’ had let out an agonizing cry the woman holding the towel would force it deeper into J’s mouth until her moans had subsided.  The guard had assisted only in repositioning ‘J’ so that the women could continue their annihilation of any errant hair that might have resided on J’s body.  They moved quickly but the pain seemed unending.  ‘J’ could not catch her breath.  Her delicate skin was on fire.  Finally their attack had slowed.  When they had finished the three women had stepped back and knelt with their backs to the far wall.

The guard stepped forward and surveyed J’s rosy skin.  He had run his cool hands over the patches of tender skin.  His chilly touch had soothed away some of the prickle that remain, although ‘J’ was fairly certain that was not his intention.  His hand ran up and down the length of her legs and at one point he had directed one of the women to redo a portion of her skin that did not please him.  When he was pleased with their work he stepped back and told the women to continue.

‘J’ begged the women with her eyes.  The carefully designed bikini line ‘J’ thought had escaped their assault was going to be removed.  The woman with the cloth stroked J’s cheek before she put the roll back into J’s mouth.  When the cloth was held tightly in place the other two women worked quickly.  One woman moved to stand between J’s feet and placed her hands on J’s knees gently prying them open for the woman with the wax.  The warm wax felt soothing as it was applied to the soft folds of skin, but without warning the wax had been ripped from J’s skin.  This process was repeated several times until ‘J’ did not think she could bear to be touched again.  When the women had completed their torture and J’s had been freed of any remaining wax the women stepped back and knelt near the wall again. 

The guard visually reviewed his prior inspection of every visible part of her body.  Not fully satisfied with what he found he ran his course finger over the delicate folds of skin between J’s legs.  He took special care to ensure the job had been done well.  He pulled at a hair that refused to be eliminated, but when he could not remove it he had pointed it out to the women. Rather than return with wax one woman had set upon ‘J’ with a pair of tweezers and plucked several hairs that had been left behind.  Tears had run down the side of J’s face and disappeared into her hair.  When the guard had finally nodded his approval the women quietly left the cell.  The guard had remained behind until all of the moans that came from the hallway had ceased and all of the carts had been removed. 

“All clear,” called a voice from down the hall.

The guard stepped forward and released the shackles that held ‘J’ in place.  She lay exhausted as he stepped backwards out of the cell and locked the door.  ‘J’ watched as three more guards filed past her cell on their way to the exit.  Other than a few quiet whimpers silence fell over the corridor. 

Sleep had come quickly.  She had not slept long, but when she awoke the familiar tray of food was waiting for her just inside of the door.  She crawled off the high platform and picked up the tray.  The food was still warm and she found that her appetite was voracious.  She gulped down the food and when she discovered she had eaten every bite and was still not satisfied she ran her finger over the surface of the tray and licked the remaining bits from her finger.

That night she had curled up on the table and wished for a blanket to curl up under.  Without her tunic she felt exposed and vulnerable, but sleep had finally overwhelmed her.  Twice during the night she had awakened when she tried to roll over and nearly fell from the table, but she had managed to get a little sleep.

There was a fresh plate of food waiting for ‘J’ in the morning.  When she went to retrieve it she noticed a sentry stationed outside of each cell.  They were dressed in an ornate uniform.  She had smiled and sheepishly waved at the one standing outside of her cell but he did not respond.  She felt embarrassed eating her meal with the sentry watching her every move.  She had eaten quickly and when the tray was empty the sentry snapped his finger to someone down the hall.

The latch on the main door had clicked open and closed and the squeak of a cart being wheeled in her direction made J’s stomach turn.  The breakfast she had just downed threatened to reappear when she saw the same three women and their cart of torment.  She backed away from the platform until her back hit the far wall.  The same guard from the prior evening unlocked the cell and let the women enter before him.  The woman seized ‘J’ and she was dragged into the tiled corner.  It was a shower.  The women shoved J’s head under the cascade of water and began to scrub her.  Her hair was lathered with a sweet smelling shampoo until it shined.  They used stiff bristled brushes to scourer her skin raw until she looked fresh and pink. ‘J’ had been jostled and tossed in and out of the flow of water until she thought she would drown, but eventually the guard had called an end to their onslaught.

One of the women, who looked to be the oldest of the three, had given ‘J’ her first smile since meeting this wild band of groomers.  She gestured for ‘J’ to return to the platform.  ‘J” eyed her warily, but edged towards the table.  She stood shivering and dripping on the floor with a puddle of water gathering at her feet.

The women dried her with soft towels, they combed out her hair, and set upon her to give her a manicure and pedicure.  They had her crawl back onto the platform and lay on her stomach where they had massaged her with perfumed oils until her skin glowed.  They had turned her over and had done the same for her front.  Her breasts had been massaged and when the woman had massaged the oils on the inside of her thighs ‘J’ had to fight the reaction to moan.  The woman had giggled at her when one of them, ‘J’ could not bear to open her eyes and see who had massaged oils onto her clit and found the moisture that had formed during thier tranquil caressing.  

‘J’ decided she must be in the strangest spa she had ever seen, but savored the attention today more than she had yesterday’s.  They had applied light make-up and had even styled her hair up into a delicate pile that framed her face with soft curls.  She could not understand why she needed to look this way when all she had done for a week was while away her time in a small cement cell.  She remembered the girls on the pier and the rooms at the Inn.  Tracker Jenkins had called them Squeeze Girls.  There was also the chance of the auction Colt had mentioned might have been scheduled.  She wondered if Master Hunter had finally returned.  Tracker Jenkins had promised to let him know she was here as soon as he returned to his room.

‘J’ was lying on the table about to fall into a deep relaxed sleep when the women finished their preening and left the cell.  The guard had followed them out leaving the cell door open.  ‘J’ wondered about the door, but was feeling so relaxed she could not make her mind focus for long.  She closed her eyes and let the sounds from the corridor drift in and out of her thoughts until a peaceful hush fell over all of the cells.

Eventually the quiet seeped into her consciousness.  She found for the first time in a week she was bored.  She rolled onto her side and propped her elbow up to support her head on her hand.  She watched the sentry wondering if he had purchased her at the auction.  She smiled and waved at him again, but he still did not respond.  She had playfully stuck out her tongue and made silly faces at him, but he did not acknowledge her mischievousness.  After a few minutes she had tired of him too and had lain back on the table to stare at the ceiling and wiggled her fingers in the air over her face.  She fidgeted and played in an attempt to entertain herself.  She wondered how long it would be before her evening meal would come and it gave her something to look forward to.

A bell rang at the end of the hall and a voice had announced, “Make your preparations.”

The sentry advanced on ‘J’ and she sat up to watch him.  He offered her his hand and graciously accepted his assistance off of the table and to her feet.  He turned her until she faced the table and bent her arms until her hands were laced behind her head.  He leaned in close and calmly stated, “A women in your position should have used her time more effectively to prepare and center herself for what lay ahead.”

“For what?” ‘J’ asked quietly looking over her shoulder.  The only repose she received was a look like the one her mother would give her as a child when she had done something very wrong.  She winced realizing she had not heard any talking from the other girls.  She remembered the many rules Colt had cautioned them to follow and of all the places they were not supposed to speak and recognized that this must be one of them.

The guard took an item off of his belt.  It was little more than a few strips of thin leather that where attached to a metal ring on one end and small metal buckles on the other.  “You like to use that mouth of yours so you will love this.  Open up,” he told her.

‘J’ opened her mouth cautiously.  The sentry reached over her head and fitted the metal ring carefully into her mouth.  The leather strips trailed out the sides of her lips around the back of her head where he buckled it tightly into place.  The metal ring held her mouth open and made it hard to swallow.  The more she struggled the harder the leather straps bit at the sides of her mouth.

Grabbing her elbow he spun her around to face him and made a few minor adjustments on the piece of metal in her mouth which slightly eased her discomfort.  “That is actually very becoming on you,” he confirmed.

He pinched her nipples the way the doctor had before and she knew better than to move.  Her only response was to jut her chin out.  This forced her shoulders back and brought her breast up to which he smiled, “Much better.”

He ran a finger down the center of her belly and hopped over her navel.  She drew in a breath and held it and his finger edged slowly downward.  Her stomach tightened in anticipation, but the bell at the end of the hall rang again and the voice announced, “They are ready.  Please bring the girls.”

The sentry pulled a hood from his pocket and places it over her head.  The only light came when he lifted the lower edge of the bag and clipped a leather strap to the ring on the collar around her neck.  The strap kept the hood raised so that she could see down the front of her body to her feet and the floor.  There was a tug on the strap and she followed the sentry’s lead out into the hallway.

Chapter 11: Mystic Cove Detention Center

The girls had been led through a set of thick metal doors before reaching their final destination.  The echo of the lock closing into place range down the long clean hallway that ‘J’ would call home.  The corridor had a series of small cells along the left side.  The cells each had a set of bunk beds, a desk, a sink, and a toilet and two girls were assigned to share each small room.  ‘J’ had been assigned to the fifth cell with a young girl that barely looked like more than a child.  She had been given the name ‘I’ and she had asked for the top bunk.  ‘J’ was delighted to get the bottom bunk where it was cooler.  As soon as the cell door closed ‘I’ had climbed into her bed and started to cry.  She cried for what must have been more than an hour, but ‘J’ had not heard her in quite a long time and guessed that she must have finally fallen asleep.

As the day stretched on ‘J’ watched as shadows began to form at the edges of the windows.  She thought that she could hear the ocean and wished that she could look out the opaque windows and see the waves crash against the beach. 

Lying in her bunk she rolled her new name around in her mind and said it quietly a few times using different inflections in her voice.  It was simple and short.  It seemed to roll off the tongue easy enough.  She decided she did not mind that her name had been changed.

What she did not like was the heat.  She looked around the room for anything she could use for a fan.  The room was pretty sparse.  The desk was little more than a table.  It had a large blotter built into the surface, that had begun to peel at the edges, and there was an empty pencil holder sitting in the corner.  She wondered what purpose the desk could serve.  The heat made her feel restless.  She looked around; she could hear the girls in other cells whispering but the thick cement walls muffled the sound and blocked her view from anyone else.  She did not want to wake ‘I’ and risk having her start crying again.  She propped herself up, on her elbows, in her bunk, and looked out through the bars at the front of her cell.  The only thing she could see across the wide hall was the other gray cement wall with its high ineffective windows.

She had to escape this heat.  She took one last look to be sure the hall was empty and lay back on her bed and flapped her tunic to create a breeze.  Waves of fresh air swept over her bare belly.  The oils that had been massaged onto her skin worked like a natural air conditioner and she reveled in the bursts of cool air that allowed her a small escape from the heat.  When her arms finally tired she lie languidly on her bed and let the heavy orange fabric fall off to her side.  She raised one knee up to let the air circulate on its own and hung the other foot off the side of the bed.  Her toes just grazed the cool polished cement floor.  She lay in her bunk with one arm folded behind her head.  If not for the harsh jail cell and the windows that made it impossible to seen even the smallest bit of blue sky she might have looked a little like Tom Sawyer lying on the banks of the Mississippi.  The only thing she needed was a long stalk of grass to slip between her teeth. 

With her free hand she absentmindedly brushed small circles across her knee.  Her skin felt silky to the touch.  There was something about the oil on her skin that aroused J’s sensuality.  Her mind wandered over the events of the past few days.  She had enjoyed that beautiful balcony, at the Inn, and looking out over the garden to the sea.  Her fingernail drew small tracks in the oil as it trailed in a circular pattern down her leg. 

Samuels’ harsh words replayed in her mind.  He had said she was something beautiful before coming here to the Detention Center.  Her finger outlined an oval on her thigh; around and around as she pondered those words.  She had never truly thought of herself as beautiful; cute maybe but never beautiful.  She idly traced a big swooping circle around her belly.  She wondered if he was talking about physical beauty or something else.  Her finger ran up to her cleavage and slowly returned to her belly.  In this jail cell all alone with no one to touch her or admire her was she really nothing?  Her finger found her navel and circled the outer edge like a free throw teetering on the rim.

There was something powerful about the way Master Hunter had enjoyed her mouth and in the way he made her beg last night at the Inn.  She did not understand how she could be drawn to him.  All she knew was that she liked the fact that he made no apologies for wanting her to please him.  She drew a figure eight that stretched up between her breasts and circled below her navel.  Men have wanted her body since she washed up on the beach and they have been very brusque about what they wanted.  There were the boys on the beach that first afternoon, the lifeguard, and the man on the pier.  Her finger bobbed over the rise of each rib as she recounted the men; up one side and down the other.  While their behavior had bewildered her it has also made her feel captivating.  She realized it had not only been men.  The nurse had touched her and although she had no desire for the nurse physically she admired her boldness in taking liberties and thought about how it had reminded her that she needed to be attentive to the needs and desires of others.  Using three of her fingers to make the shapes, she followed a series of figure eights over her stomach, just below the rise of her breasts.

She thought of the straps that bound her arms for the ride to the jail and wondered why they had made her feel safe.  She ran her fingers over the uppermost curve of her breast.  She dreamed of the man with the beautiful eyes that had come to her rescue at the tree.  She drew a circle around the edge of her breast that began the shape of an eight that circled both her nipples.  She wondered if his hand was okay.  Her palm stoked and cupped her breast.  She smiled at the sensations that emanated from her hardened nipple.

She remembered the humiliation of having the doctor press that device into her while the nurse held her down.  More than anything she was ashamed that she had failed that test.  Her thumb slowly circled in ever tightening rings, first around one nipple and then the other.  She had felt exquisite leaning over the chair in the Inn with every man in the room watching her be taught a lesson in humility.  She moaned to herself and closed her eyes.  She thought about the men who put their hands on her.  The spankings were not playful or soft.  They did not consider how it made her feel.  They expected her be behave nobly and their efforts had instilled that in her.  She slipped her hand up to her mouth where her tongue reached out and wet the pad of her fingertip.  She liked the desire she saw in their eyes.  Her wetted finger washed over the hardened nipple and she pressed into it pleasuring in its reaction to her touch.  She had felt helpless and yet she felt revered.  Her fingernail grazed across her stomach chasing around her belly.  Who was that man hiding in the shadows at the Inn?  Had he enjoyed watching her spanked by other men?  Her breathing slowed and she could feel her heart begin to race.  Somehow their desire for her made her better than she was before coming here.  They had not merely used her body.  They had worshiped her.  She flattened her palm against her belly and edged it ever lower letting her fingernails drag near the lower edge of her loops.  She thought of the ointment that the doctor had rubbed onto her and how wonderful it felt.  She let her breath out slowly.  Was the man in the shadows the same man with the blue eyes?  Did he want her too?  Her circle widened and her misguided fingernails brushed through the hair at the bottom of her belly.  Tingles raced up her spine.  She wondered what the blue eyed man was doing right now.  She momentarily let the circles slowly rotate back to her belly below her navel.  She wondered if she would ever see him again?  She returned and spun leisurely circles through the hair letting her nails browse.  She wondered what it would feel like to have him touch her.  Softly her finger slid between the folds of skin; still circling until they found her clit that was begging for release. 

It felt so good to finally be able to give in to her hunger that had been fueled for days.  She pushed her finger into the depths and was surprised by the moisture that she found.  She drew out the liquid that had so carefully been nurtured inside of her.  She slowly wrapped it around her clit.  She was floating on ecstasy. 

‘J’ was startled when she heard something scrape across the floor.  Her eyes flew open.  She felt ‘I’ toss in the bed above her.  She looked around.  She and ‘I’ were the only ones in the cell.  Then she saw two metal trays of food on the floor near the cell door next to a pair of feet.  She followed the feet up the legs of the man leaning, with one shoulder, against the door.  It was Samuels and he had been watching.  She wondered how long he had been there.

“No, do not stop now,” he chuckled.  Frozen in place ‘J’ just stared.

He smirked at her surprise.  It was at that moment, looking into the hunger in his eyes that she understood.  Finally, it all made sense to her.  She knew that she could stop if she wanted to, but she liked that he wanted her.  She liked that she had the ability to give him pleasure. She blushed in her embarrassment at getting caught, but put on a smile and let her legs fall open.  With his eyes fixed on her she dipped her finger deep into the wet opening drawing them out slowly.  She pressed her finger across the sheathed clit and drew a circle around it watching Samuels’ ever quickening breath.  Despite her own reservations she was in heaven as she watched his reaction.  She lowered her hand from behind her head and slipped a solitary finger into her mouth and began to suck.

Samuels let out a low guttural moan before he asked, “What is your name now, girl?”

‘J’ slowly slid the finger she was nursing out of her mouth and let it lie on her chin, just below her pouty lips.  She looked up at Samuels, hearing the effect she was having on him in the way his voice quivered and finally replied, “J.”

“J?” he asked.  “Well J, I offered to bring your dinner tray to you this evening, so that I could see that you were doing okay after the confusion this afternoon.”  ‘J’ liked the way her name sounded when he said it.  Not knowing how to respond she cocked her head to one side and a hint of a smile slipped into the corner of her mouth.

“Samuels!  Are you coming?” an unseen voiced called from the far end of the corridor.  ‘J’ did not stop or remove her eyes from Samuels.

 “Yeah, yeah, just a sec,” Samuels replied never unlocking his eyes from ‘J’.

“Come on quit wasting time.  What are you doing?”  The voice had begun to sound more exasperated.  Samuels turned his head to look down the hall as if he were trying to decide.

He cleared his throat.  His gaze had returned to ‘J’ and the yearning she had seen in his eyes had gone, “You might think as a runaway the rules do not apply to you, but you would be very wrong.  If you had been caught touching yourself by anyone but me you would be spending the rest of your time here in a belt.  I really should take you out of there and punish you right now.”

He paused as if trying to decide.  The feeling of excitement from the moment before had evaporated and ‘J’ lie on the bunk feeling deflated.  Slowly she let her hands slink back to lie beside her on the bed while at the same time she wished she could hide behind the flap of orange fabric that lay bunched up beside her.  If only it had the ability to make her invisible.  She could no longer meet his gaze and stared pensively at the shiny brass buckle on his belt.

“Do you give me your word you will behave yourself?” he asked almost sympathetically.

‘J’ just nodded and never looked up.

“Look.  If you will just follow the rules this is not such a bad place.  Now eat your food before it gets cold and I might come back and punish you just for the fun of it later,” and with that final word he turned and left.  The only sound that ‘J’ heard was the locking of the heavy metal doors.  Even the girls around her had gone silent.

She slipped off her bunk, picked up the two trays and deposited I’s on the desk.  She took hers back to her bunk and set it down beside her.  She was hungry but could not bring herself to eat.  She leaned against the wall, the tray sitting next to her as a gentle reminder of another humiliating mistake.  She was not even sure what she had done wrong this time.

She sat for a long time and slowly sounds returned to the hallway.  Mostly it was the sounds of the other girls eating their evening meal.  ‘J’ had to admit the food did smell good and her stomach rumbled its agreement.  She picked up the bread and picked off a morsel with her fingers, but upon bringing it to her mouth she realized in her dazed state she had forgotten to clean up.

The sink was not exceptionally clean but it was adequate.  She found a small sliver of soap and looked around unsuccessfully for something to wash with.  After checking over her shoulder to be sure that ‘I’ was still asleep she pulled off the orange tunic and left it on the bed.  She went to the sink and did the best she could do to clean herself after the long day.  As she stood before the sink with water droplets beading up on her skin she wondered why she had not thought to just splash a bit of water on herself earlier.  The cold water was refreshing and cool.

She slipped back into her tunic and tapped ‘I’ on the shoulder.  She gently woke the young girl and asked her if she was hungry.  ‘I’ just looked at ‘J’ with swollen eyes, shook her head, and turned over to face the wall.  ‘J’ could hear I’s quiet whimpers, but did not know what to do.

She sat on her bed for a long while thinking and picking at the food on the tray.  Finally, with a deep heaving sigh she reached over and pulled the tray into her lap and ate in earnest.  She was not sure if the food was really good or if she was just famished after her busy day, but contrary to her usual habit of picking at her food on this day she cleaned her tray of every bite and quickly fell asleep to the sounds of sixteen other women.

The next morning she awoke to the sounds of the young guard, Colt, telling everyone to get out of the cells and stand by the door.  ‘J’ had to almost drag the apathetic ‘I’ from her bunk.  ‘J’ was not sure why this girl was so upset about being here, but it made her wonder if she should be more worried about her own safety.  She decided if she got the chance she was going to talk to her and find out if the young girl knew what was going to happen to all of them.

She managed to get ‘I’ to stand next to the door.  ‘I’ robotically raised her hands and stared at the cement wall in front of her.  ‘J’ did the same on her side of the door until she noticed that several of the other girls had their trays with them.  She ducked back into the cell and retrieved I’s yet untouched tray and her own from the floor next to her bunk.  She dropped I’s tray onto her hands and quickly took her position in the line.  Colt paced the aisle waiting for the last of the girls to make their appearance.  G was the last girl to emerge.  Colt stood in front of her and ‘J’ resisted the urge to look at the girl from the cell next to hers, but she could hear his whispered warning, “You will have to move faster in the future to avoid punishment.”

The trays were collected by sending an ever increasing pile down the line until it reached the last girl.  She was told to leave them in a stack next to her cell where they would be removed by someone else.  Once Q had returned to her position Colt began his instructions to the girls.  He told them when they were standing in ranks they should always have their hands out.  This allowed them to be ready to receive or offer anything that was required of them.  They also had to be silent.  It was not their thoughts that should be their priority, but they should desire to listen for what service they could provide.

“Lower your hands, fall into a straight line, and follow me, but remember there will be silence at all times,” Colt admonished them as he moved to the door near A and B’s cell at the end of the hall.

Colt marched them back to the dining hall.  He explained they would not be allowed to mingle with the vessels until they had earned the right by proving they could behave in a pleasing manner.  They were made to stand on the red line again.  He explained several more rules that must be obeyed while they are staying in the Detention Center.  One ‘J’ already knew; at no time would they ever be allowed to touch themselves in anyway.  They were told to never put on their own oil, but to have the other girl in their cell do that for them daily.  ‘J’ wondered how she would get ‘I’ to stop crying long enough to do that for her.

“Now,” Colt snapped ‘J’ out of her thoughts, “It appears that some of you still need directions on the proper form for inspections.” Colt was staring directly at ‘J’ and she resisted the urge to shrink from his glare, but the blush in her cheeks declared her the cause of this portion of the instructions.  The girls were told to face the girl to their right and ‘J’ turned to face the back of the girl designated as ‘K’.  It was then that she noticed the five guards that had filed into the room unobserved.  ‘J’ wondered how long they had been standing there and why she had not noticed them.  Each of the guards carried one of the leather covered sticks, but the end of each had three fine strips of leather with five knots tied along its length.  Colt continued, “You will not move other than the raise or lower your arms and you will at no time ever make a noise.”  There was clearly an emphasis on the word, “ever.”

The five guards positioned themselves along the line at approximately every third girl.  The fourth guard stepped up behind ‘J’ and tapped her on the back of the thighs.  She raised her arms to a ‘T’.  The knotted leather cords snapped across the back of her thighs, “Hands up,” he demanded.  ‘J’ was caught by surprise and gasped at the sudden burning sensation in her legs.  When ‘J’ turned her hands over the inspection continued the same as it had the day before.  The leather stick had been used to lift the back of her tunic and then the front.  Once he was done he moved on to K.  K was careful to raise her arms with her palms up and escaped the leather cords.

When the third guard reached ‘J’ she was careful to raise her arms to a ‘T’ with her palms up and escaped the leather across her thighs.  ‘J’ had barely relaxed when the second guard advanced and tapped her legs.  She raised her arms, but the guard whipped the strips across her thighs and declared, “Quieter,” into J’s ear.  She bit her lip to keep from crying out. 

The guards continued their inspections.  The first guard inspected her without incident.  The fifth guard, who had reached the end of the line and circled back to the beginning, finally worked his way forward until he was standing behind ‘J’.  He tapped her thighs and she responded quickly, but the cord bit across her legs.  “Faster,” was the hushed direction that came with this chastisement. 

The five guards stepped back and the girls were instructed to follow Colt back to their cells.

A warm meal was waiting for them on the desk when they returned to their cell, but ‘I’ climbed into her bed and did not eat.  ‘J’ tried to find a comfortable position in the solitary chair so that she could eat at the table, but finally gave up and took her tray back to her bunk again.  Her legs stung and she was sure they were visibly reddened, but she knew the injury was not severe and would be fine by morning.  She had seen a couple of the other girls were struck once with the straps and their welts seemed very small.

After her meal she had laid back on her bunk.  Not knowing what else to do she had begun to daydream about the man that had rescued her at the tree and before she realized what she was doing she had slipped into a dream.  In her dream he chased her through an empty warehouse and when he caught her he drug her to the middle of the room.  He had leaned her over the seat of an old abandoned chair and told her to grab the backrest.  It was his hand that spanked her in her dream.

She awakened from her nap to find Samuels in her room.  The tray from the morning had been removed.  He turned and smiled at her, “I heard you received some much needed training this morning.  I have brought you some salve.”  In his hand he held up a small glass jar.  “Well roll over,” he told her impatiently.

‘J’ rolled onto her stomach and rested her head on her folded arms.  Samuels gently massaged the salve onto the back of her legs.  He did not say another word to her; he simply finished the task and left the cell.  ‘J’ watched him go and she had to admit to herself that he bewildered her just a little.

The afternoon past quietly; leaving ‘J’ to her own thoughts.  ‘I’ never did come down from her bunk to eat and ‘J’ began to worry about the young girl’s health.  ‘J’ ate her evening meal alone in silence and went to bed as soon as the light was gone from the windows.

The next day ‘I’ finally came down from her bunk on her own.  She even ate a little of her meal, but she still had not spoken a word and barely acknowledged that ‘J’ was in the cell.  Oil and towels for bathing in the sink had been delivered to their room with the afternoon meal, but ‘J’ did not bring up the subject with ‘I’.  They both crawled into their beds as soon as the sun went down.

On J’s fourth day in the Detention Center Colt appeared outside their cells.  J’s legs were nearly completely healed and she wondered what his visit would bring.  The cell doors were opened and this time ‘I’ got herself out of bed and picked up her own tray.  ‘J’ smiled and followed the young girl out of the cell to line up by the door.  The days were becoming routine now.  She knew that the trays would be stacked to her right and when ‘I’ passed them to her she added her own and passed them to ‘K’.

“Remove your tunics and pass them to the right like you have been doing with your trays,” was all he said before he turned his back and studied the windows as if he could see what was on the other side of them.

He seemed to know they had collected all of the tunics.  When they had been deposited in a basket next to the meal trays Colt moved to the end of the hall where A and B had their cell.  He tapped A on the front of the leg and she wisely raised her arms.  He checked her over carefully, and ‘J’ wondered if there was something that he was looking for.  He moved down the line of girls inspecting each one.  ‘I’ never raised her head and he seemed to examine her more carefully.  He tapped her on the thigh and instructed her to turn around with her back to him and he surveyed her before having her turn and face him again.

Colt turned and moved in front of ‘J’.  He did not tap her legs, but instead said, “You will speak.  Do you understand?”

‘J’ swallowed hard and cleared her throat, “Yes, Sir,” she stammered.

“Good.  I am concerned about ‘I’.  What can you tell me?  Is she eating at all?” he asked and ‘J’ sensed a real quality of concern in his voice.

‘J’ hesitated; weighing her answer.  She did not want to bring ‘I’ any trouble, but she was concerned for the young girl too.  “Sir,” she hesitated; still thinking over how to phrase her reply.  “She is eating, but not a lot,” she watched the muscles in Colt’s jaw flinch as he looked back at I.  “She is young and I will be sure to keep a closer eye on her, Sir,” ‘J’ added.

Colt nodded,” Very well.  Now spread your legs and turn around”

‘J’ did as she was instructed.  He must have been checking on her thighs because she could feel his eyes studying them carefully before he told her to turn and face him again.  Once he moved to the next girl ‘J’ looked over at ‘I’ who for the first time acknowledged her existence with a glance and then she was gone again into whatever hiding place she had escaped to for the past several days.

They were marched into the dining hall again.  This time the guards had them do a series of exercises and stretches that lasted for about an hour.  By the time they had finished ‘J’ was panting heavily.  They were not taken back to their cells, but told to move to the back wall and line up again.  Colt stood in front of them and repeated the rules of the Detention Center.  They were the same rules he had given them just two days before.  When he was done he told them to kneel on the floor.  They were told to open their knees and place their palms up and then he moved to the far side of the room to stand.  He spoke quietly to another guard that had come into the room and then that guard left again. 

The door to the left of the line of girls opened and a procession of girls filed passed them.  ‘J’ looked up but the girls who did not even seem to see the line of girls kneeling on the floor.  She could have reached out and touched their ankles but they did not even look her direction.  They lined up and each of them retrieved a tray before moving to the windows that were just opening.  Behind the windows were more girls who dished out food that made J’s stomach rumble.  They had not had breakfast before being brought here to exercise.  Js’ mouth watered as the girls sat down at the tables and began to eat.  Every few minutes a new line of girls entered the room and took up fresh trays of food to eat until the room was full of girls in orange tunics.

After the activities of the morning and sitting on the floor watching the girls eat ‘J’ began to feel sleepy.  Her eyes drooped, but she fought the urge to let them close.  Every time she was tempted she would look up and see Colt looking back at her.

One of the girls from the tables stood up and walked towards the line of girls who knelt with J.  The girl knelt down in front of, ‘J’ had to quickly count off the letters in her head until she calculated that the girl was designated as M.  The girl took M’s hands in hers and spoke a few whispered words to M.  When she was done talking she gracefully stood and drew M up with her.  She held M’s hand and guided her to the stack of fresh trays where she handed one to M and led her to the windows of food.  M then followed the girl back to her table where she was welcomed by the other girls and sat down to join them in their meal.

‘J’ wondered when the rest of the line would be taken over for their meal, but no one came for any of the other girls.  When the meal was over M followed the girls quietly out of the room and the remaining sixteen girls were left unacknowledged.

Colt walked across the room with his arms folded and asked the girls to stand.  After kneeling in that position for so long J’s muscles have stiffened and while she tried to stand gracefully she was slightly less than successful.  They are led through the series of stretches one more time before they were returned to their cells with the girls N through Q moving one position closer so that Q no longer had her own cell.

When they reached their rooms ‘J’ and ‘I’ found fresh linens for their bunks and for washing.  There were also fresh tunics and a delicious almost hot meal waiting for them.  ‘J’ could not decide which she wanted more, but ‘I’ headed straight for her bunk again.

“Oh no you don’t.  I promised that I would look out for you and you are going to sit down and eat this entire meal if I have to force feed you,” ‘J’ told ‘I’ with more force than she had expected, but she had made a promise.  ‘J’ was pleasantly surprised when it worked.

‘I’ washed up in the sink, with a little help from ‘J’.  While ‘J’ sponged the remnants of the days exercise off of I’s back she noticed a small tattoo on the girl’s shoulder.  It was the shape of a crest with a delicate pink rose on the inside.  She let her finger brush over the intricate petal design.  ‘I’ finished washing her face and ‘J’ helped to dry her off.  ‘J’ mused at how much younger she looked standing there without her tunic.  ‘J’ washed up in the sink while ‘I’ shrugged into her clean tunic before sitting down to nibble at her meal.  ‘J’ kept one eye on ‘I’ to make sure that she was eating enough.  When she was done washing and had put on her own tunic she picked up the glass that had been ignored and plopped it in front of ‘I’.  “Drink,” she commanded and sat down on her bunk with a satisfied smile.  She had somehow gotten ‘I’ to eat.

‘I’ was still eating but had slowed a little when ‘J’ bit her lip and tackled the question that had plagued her since she was assigned to share a cell with this tender young girl.  “‘I’; if I can call you that?  Why are you so upset?”  ‘I’ just set her food down and folded her hands in her lap.

‘I’ sat quietly for a long time before she answered, “I do not belong here,” she replied before she began to cry again.  The tears fell silently but from the back ‘J’ could see her shoulders bob as she wept.

‘J’ smiled tenderly, “Is that all it is?”  ‘J’ moved to the floor and knelt near I’s knees so she could look up into her eyes.  “I do not belong here either but there is nothing we can do about it right now.”

‘I’ looked at ‘J’ and confusion washed over her face as she studied ‘J’.  “Forgive me, but you appear to be too old to be a foster and you do not bear a crest.  You are not claiming to be a foster too, are you?”

“No, I do not know what I am,” explained ‘J’.  “I was just wandering down the beach when I met Master Hunter, but he did not come back to the Inn for me so they brought me here.”

A look of horror spread over her face, “They have placed me in a cell with a post girl?  I thought you were a runaway.”  She sobbed and ran for her bunk.

‘J’ grabbed I’s arm before she could reach the bunk.  “Wait.  I am not a posted girl if you are referring to those poor girls I saw chained on the beach,” ‘J’ flinched remembering what Master Hunter had told her about those girls.

“Post girl,” ‘I’ corrected her.

“I was on vacation,” ‘J’ started, but then she changed her mind.  “You know what?  It does not matter.  I am not a post girl.”

‘I’ wiped a tear away from her nose and looked up at ‘J’, “then what are you?”

“I am not really sure.  I am just figuring all this out,” ‘J’ explained.  “But I am here now and that is all that matters for me.  However, I am very concerned about you.  Why are you so upset?” ‘J’ asked with earnest concern.

“I am a foster,” ‘I’ said plainly.

“Okay.  What is a foster?” ‘J’ probed feeling as if she would never get any real answers to her questions.

‘I’ just stared at ‘J’ open mouthed.  “How can you not know what a foster is?” ‘I’ asked clearly skeptical of J’s meddling.  ‘J’ did not know what to say so she just shrugged.  ‘I’ started at her for a long while trying to decide if ‘J’ was sincere, but finally explained, “My mother was a foster and she became a breeder when she was of age.  She was bred with a noble, and her mother before her, for as far back as records have been kept.”  ‘I’ watched ‘J’ for any sign of deceit, but could find none in ‘J’.  “We are of noble birth, bred to serve the children of the nobles,” ‘I’ prompted.

‘J’ thought for a moment knowing that ‘I’ was waiting for some kind of response from her.  She finally asked, “So the women of your family give birth to children that take care of their father’s other children?”  She added, “Do only the girls of your family do this?”

“No,” ‘I’ shook her head in disbelief.  ‘I’ went on to explain that her father was a town noble, but she did not have full noble blood and was bred to serve. When she was old enough to leave her mother she was sold to a nearby family who needed someone to care for their young children.  All she had ever known was serving in her Master’s home.

“Did you runaway?” ‘J’ persuaded her to continue.

“Never; I would never run away,” she wiped a tear from her cheek before continuing, “I came of age last month.  My Master has a wife that he adores, so he has no use for a breeder.”  She lowered her face into her hands and began to sob so despondently that ‘J’ could barely make out her final words, “He is having me auctioned as soon as it can be arranged.  I have brought shame to my lineage.  I will not have a proper breeders’ auction I am to be sold here, at the Detention Center.”

‘J’ did not understand why this was a problem and asked what a breeders’ auction was, but the girl had collapsed in J’s lap and wept until she had cried herself to sleep.  ‘J’ covered with a blanket and left her on the lower bunk. 

The food, on her tray, was cold but ‘J’ ate every bite.  She barely noticed what she was eating as she contemplated what the girl at told her.  She had been sold at a young age so ‘J’ could not understand why being sold now would be a problem for her.  She wondered if the girls normally stayed with one family throughout their whole lives, but it did not sound like they did.

I’s sleep was fitful.  She cried out from time to time, but J let her sleep.  The girl was visibly distraught and ‘J’ did not know enough about this town to know what to say or do for her.  With ‘I’ in her bed ‘J’ had nowhere to go so ‘J’ sat and watched over her while she tried to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together. 

‘I’ woke later in the day and the rest seemed to have helped her a little.  She sat up on J’s bunk and pulled her knees up to her chest under the thin blanket and said, “I am very sorry for the way that I have been acting.”  She chewed on her cheek and added, “I do not mean to sound arrogant but did you really not know what a foster was?”

‘J’ shook her head, smiled at ‘I’ sympathetically, and looked up at the windows before she answered, “No.  I tried to explain I am not from around here.  I was on vacation with a friend when I almost drowned and the next thing I knew I was waking up here, on the beach.”  ‘J’ went on to tell her some of what had happened to her since she washed up on the shore; at least what she understood of it.

Their evening meal arrived while they were still talking.  ‘J’ told ‘I’ to have a seat at the desk so that she could be sure that ‘I’ ate enough.  ‘I’ had let out a light tinkling laugh before sitting down and eating her meal.  When ‘I’ smiled ‘J’ noticed how truly beautiful she was.  It had been several days since she had thought of Meg and she wondered if Meg was worried or if she had even come back to the bungalow.  She poked at her meal for a while until I brought over her glass, handed it to her and told her, “Drink.” 

They both laughed and ‘J’ took the cup, but said, “I will, but will you tell me more about why you have been so upset if you can?”

I nodded and ‘J’ began to sip.  “I told you that I am a foster.  I remember a little of being with my mother before I was sold, but I was pretty young when I went to live with my Master’s family.  I remember that day.”  She stared of into space seeing the images in her mind, but continued wistfully, “All of the young girls were brought by their mother’s for a lavish party at the Mayor’s House where only invited nobles may attend the bidding.”

‘J’ was shocked, “You were sold at a party?  And the city officials were okay with this?”  She was having a hard time imagining it would be legal to sell small children into a life like the one she had seen since coming here.  She pictured ‘I’ being forced into a crate.  “Your mother tolerated this?”

‘I’ looked at ‘J’ with a smile of pride, “Oh yes.  My mother was particularly proud because I received the highest bid at the party.”

‘J’ shook her head, “I am so sorry to hear that.  Your mother should have been there to protect you.”

“But she was,” ‘I’ sounded distressed by J’s comment.  “My mother somehow managed to not only get me into one of the best families, but also at the highest bid.  Do you know what honor that brought to my father?”

“An honor at what cost?” ‘J’ asked; the repugnance dripped from every word.

“I do not know what you are inferring,” ‘I’ said, but she was beginning to feel offended by her cellmates implications.

‘J’ was not sure how to smooth things over with I.  She sipped her drink to stall, but then did her best to explain, “I, please do not take it the wrong way, but where I come from children are not treated the way I have been treated this past week.  For that matter, people are jailed if they treat children the way I have seen some of the girls treated in town or here in the detention center.”

I’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, “What do you take me for?  I am a foster.”

‘J’ could tell by I’s tone that she was offended by what had been said.  “I am sorry.  I thought you said that you were sold.  I think Master Hunter called the girls vessels.  Are fosters and vessels different?”

I studied ‘J’ for a long while, with both girls sitting in silence.  The only sound in their cell were the muffled sounds coming from the other cells.  ‘J’ thought that ‘I’ was done speaking to her and she feared she had made things worse for the young girl, but eventually ‘I’ asked, “You really aren’t from here are you?”

‘J’ shook her head and twisted the cup in her hands.  She stared into the well of the cup and looked for answers hidden at the bottom, but there were not secrets written in tea leaves there.

When ‘J’ looked up ‘I’ was smiling softly, “J, I am a foster.  No man has ever touched me.  My Master was especially clear about that rule.  That is why my mother was so happy for me.  In my Master’s home even when I was naughty, as a child, I was never punished by my Master or his wife.  He may have turned his back on me, but my punishments were given out by the more senior fosters in the house.  Sometimes I think they were more severe than my Master would have been.”  She paused and looked away, “J, that is why I am so frightened.  I have never been claimed by a man and now I am to be auctioned like a common vessel.” 

She looked up at ‘J’ with a tear trickling from her eye and her hand covered her mouth.  The look of alarm was clearly written on her face.  “I am so sorry.  I did not mean to call you common.  You have been so kind to me, I just mean,” her voice trailed off and she just looked at J.

 ‘J’ still felt like there were pieces missing from the puzzle. “Claimed?” she probed and ignored the slight had not even noticed.

I nodded and twisted her tunic in her hands, “I have never had a man inside of me.  Never, not even my mouth.”  She added with a whisper, “You know that some Masters do that when their fosters come of age, before they are auctioned, because no one will know.”

“But weren’t you going to be a breeder?” ‘J’ asked thoroughly perplexed.

The young girl nodded as if ‘J’ had finally understood her, “I was.  My line is highly sought.  And now I have brought shame to my entire line.”  She thought a moment and then added, “To all of my families.”

‘J’ fought back the laugh that flooded her throat, “Oh, I, how could you ever bring shame to your family?”

I twisted the tunic in her lap so hard that ‘J’ thought it might shred.  She explained so that ‘J’ could finally understand, “My auction should have been held at a lavish ball at my Master’s home.  Only the best nobles would have been invited to the presentation.  Once the families arrived I would have been brought out and displayed in the middle of the room.  My mother would have attended and she would have dressed me in my first breeder’s chains. They are beautiful and covered in gems.  As a child I loved to touch my mother’s and dream of the day I would wear them myself.  Then I would have been allowed to serve each of them during a long and lavish meal that would have been prepared in their honor.  My Master would have been complimented on my appearance and demeanor.  After the meal was finished my Master would have begun accepting bids for my acquisition.”

Sounding as compassionate as she could ‘J’ reasoned, “That sounds like a lovely tradition, but it is just a party.  I am sure your family is not ashamed of you because they will miss out on it.”

There was more than disappointment in her voice when ‘I’ spoke again, “It is more than just a simple party.  It is held in honor of my Master, his family, my father, my father’s family, and my mother.  Without my presentation I cannot pay them a proper tribute for the life I have been given.  It would be one thing if I were to be auctioned quietly at a small dinner.  I would be embarrassed, but I would endure.  Here, in this detention center I will be auctioned in a public sale.  There is no way of knowing where I will end up, but it will not be as a breeder.  My family lineage will end with me.  Do you not see?  I may never see my families again.  I might never see the children I helped to raise.  I could end up anywhere doing anything.”  Her eyes began to tear, “I will be brave and honor my families the best that I can,” she said resolutely and added, “I just wish I knew why I have been dismissed.”

‘J’ tried her best to sound reassuring as she moved forward to give the girl a hug, “I it won’t be that bad,” she promised, but even as she said it she knew it was a promise she could not keep.

I sniffed and wiped her hand under her nose, “It does not matter now.  My Master told me that I will be sold as soon as an auction can be arranged.”  ‘I’ stood up and brushed the wrinkles from the front of her tunic, squared her shoulders, and announced, “I think I should sleep now so that I will be rested if the auction is tomorrow.  I do not want to be too tired for any task I might be called on to perform.  I would not want them to think my Master raised me to be lazy.”  With that final statement she crawled into her bed and while ‘J’ could hear that she was not sleeping ‘I’ silenced her whimpers until she finally fell asleep for the night.

‘J’ sat up late into the night as the darkness circled around her.  She thought about the way that ‘I’ had spoken of her party.  She counted the days and the three days that Tracker Jenkins said Master Hunter had to come and collect her had passed.  Her mind would not quiet from worrying, but eventually she had fallen asleep.