Chapter 12: Grooming (Updated)

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 other two 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 flame that remained, 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 explained to the women that there had been a request for a complete removal.

‘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 leaned up supporting her weight on her elbows to watch him.  He offered her his hand and she 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.  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 in the center and small metal buckles on the ends.  “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 and 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 in her exam and she knew better than to move.  Her only response was to jut out her chin.  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.  His hand 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.

They had not gone far when the sentry led J into a dimly lit hallway.  It was narrow and it curved to the left.  J strained but she could see little more than her feet between the rise of her own breasts.  The sentry that was leading her stopped and she walked right into his back.  He was strong and J could feel his muscles through the fabric of his uniform, but reluctantly she took a step back.  He opened a door and with his hand on her arm guided her just inside.  He turned her around until she faced him and unfastened the leash and collar from her neck.  He removed the hood from her head as he swung the door closed.  She only had a moment before she was plunged into darkness, but it was enough time to quickly take in her surroundings.  She was in a room the size of a closet.  There was not even enough room to sit down.  She felt around unsuccessfully for a door knob.  The walls around her were solid.  She fought the urge to panic and did her best to calm herself.  She tried to convince herself that they would not leave her here, but they did and J had no way of knowing how long she waited.

Once her eyes adjusted she found the room was not completely dark.  Behind her she found tiny glimmers of light that shown through small cracks at the seams of the room, but not enough for her to see much beyond the tip of her nose.  She tried to see through the cracks but they were not wide enough.

J was not sure how long she waited in the darkened room, but at long last she heard the muffled sounds of voices coming from beyond the back wall.  It was soft at first but gradually grew; the sounds of more voices were added to those already gathered.  She held her breath trying to make out a phrase, but all she heard was a word here or there. 

Suddenly the muffled voices quieted and there was just one.  His voice was loud, but indistinct.  From the cadence of his words J decided he must be speaking to the crowd.  It grew very quiet for a time and then his rhythm quickened.  J did not know what he was saying but she recognized the tempo.  In the room next to her was the auction.

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.