Given (3 page)

Krista lay nervously on the table. A moment after she
situated herself under the paper sheet, Miss Stanley returned.

“This won’t be pleasant. I’m afraid I have to break your
hymen.”

“My what?”
Krista glared at the
woman, her lower lip trembling. Her eyes were watering, and she tried
desperately not to cry.

“This will actually be better for you. I know it seems
strange, but it’s official protocol before I can sign off on you medically.
After interviewing some of the first girls to leave these institutions, the
government decided to remove the hymen in a medical office to avoid unnecessary
emotional duress after The Giving. This way, you won’t associate sex with pain,
or at least that’s the male theory.” She handed Krista a tissue. “Please don’t
cry. I’ve done this often, and I promise to make it as quick and painless as
possible.”

Krista nodded, but she was shaking uncontrollably. She lay
back and closed her eyes tightly. The woman gave her no warning. It was painful,
but over quickly. Krista cried silently as Miss Stanley finished the rest of
the exam.

“You can get dressed now, Krista. You were brave. I’ve had
girls faint. Others scream and thrash until I must call security to have them
restrained. I’m sorry.
After you dress, press play on the
remote sitting on top of the television.
The video will help you
understand your role and what will be expected of you soon.”

Krista shrugged, unable to look at the woman who’d stolen
something from her. She knew the guardian was just doing her job. Miss Stanley
was no more to blame for the state of the world or idiotic government decisions
than she herself was, but deep down a bitter anger rose in her very soul.

The woman left and Krista started to get dressed. Clothing
made her feel slightly better. She was sore and felt violated, but she did win
the victory over her emotions and managed not to break down sobbing. Taking a
deep breath, she wrapped her arms around her middle and focused on trying to
see the positive aspect of what she’d endured. Now she only had to fear the
act, not necessarily the pain that awaited her after The Giving.

Relief that the exam was over and everything checked out
well and the anxiety over the “educational videos” battled within Krista as she
finished dressing. At least Miss Stanley had given Krista privacy to watch the
awful footage. She sat down, remote in hand, and pressed play.

Scenes of a man and a woman disrobing awkwardly and the
woman laying down and spreading her legs began playing. They’d given her enough
sex education to make the video only mildly shocking.
Neither
of them seemed happy or in love.
Passionate wasn’t the word she’d use to
describe what she was seeing, painful was. The woman wore a faraway,
zombified
gaze and the man kept glancing nervously at the
camera.

The next scene showed the woman letting two men take turns.
This time, at least one of the men looked happy, but it was more of the same
for the poor woman. After the men had left the room, the woman stood and
cleaned herself. A narrator explained the importance of cleanliness before the
woman went back to the bed and lay down again. Three more men entered the room.
They didn’t kiss or caress her. Each man waited in line at the foot of the bed
as if they were waiting for the bathroom to open up or to be served dinner in
the cafeteria. They all essential raped the empty-eyed woman before politely
leaving.

After they’d left, the woman sat up and said, “I’m doing my
duty for my country. This has been the best day of my life, a baby is a
treasure.” She spoke woodenly. Frankly, Krista thought she looked insane and it
creeped
her out completely. When the horror show
ended, she happily turned off the TV.

Miss Stanley returned. “I heard the television shut off. Do you
have any questions about the video? I know you girls live sheltered lives here.
Please remember, sex is a beautiful and completely natural act. Without sex,
the human race won’t survive. They
Give
you to six to
increase the odds of conception.”

“What happens when I get pregnant?”

“You are carefully monitored. A live-in doctor will stay
with you until you give birth.”

“What about the baby?”

“It depends greatly on your six. Most men allow the male
children to stay with you, however, after six months you will be required to
begin the breeding process again.”

Breeding process.
The words
caused a shudder to run through Krista. She said no more and stood to leave.
Having seen the graphic depiction of the future awaiting her only heightened
her anxiety.

After a fitful night of tossing and turning, Krista awoke in
the half-year dorm feeling discombobulated from the strange bed.
Happy Birthday to you, Krista.
Today’s going to be
a
hell’uva
long day.
In the not so distant past,
she’d probably be a college student, happily anticipating her first night of
buying alcohol and excited about a big party. In this other reality,
Cina
would have a fake ID so they could go to the bar
together and look for hot guys. She’d be looking for Mr. Right, not given to Mr.
I-can-afford-you. But that world was long gone. Six men awaited her in Madison.
They would pick her up after signing some papers and shaking the governor’s
hand.

She stood up and walked quietly into the bathroom for a
quick shower. She was happy to see the jeans and sweater fit. It had been years
since she’d dressed in anything besides the protection facility’s uniform, so
the clothes felt odd against her skin. She applied a light coat of makeup and
left her hair loose. She made big, soft curls with the curling iron she’d
borrowed from Miss Neal. Satisfied, she left the bathroom just as the morning
bell rang. The other girls began to stir.

“Are you scared?”

“Do you know what they look like?”

“Did you see the video?”

She looked at the eight half-years who were sitting up in
bed and staring at her curiously.

“Yes. No. Yes,” Krista answered the questions then quickly
left the room before they could ask more. She hurried past several offices.

“You look beautiful,
Kristannie
,”
Miss Lane said, looking out into the hallway and smiling.

“Thanks,” Krista
muttered,
stopping
and turning to look at her teacher.

“Come into the guardian’s lounge for breakfast. You can
order anything you’d like. A few of us would like to say our goodbyes
properly.”

“But we aren’t allowed in…”

“
Pfft
.” The older woman made a
disgusted noise. “We’ve been planning your sendoff all week. You’re the closest
thing to a daughter most of us will ever have. I remember rocking you on my lap
and reading you books.”

Krista followed the woman down to the guardian’s lounge.

“Surprise!” screamed most of guardians. Krista jumped and
Miss Lane laughed.

“You should see the look on your face. Oh, I’m so in heaven,
cake for breakfast, yum!”

“Birthday cake!”
Krista said,
smiling widely. “I haven’t had birthday cake since I was little. I can’t even
remember what it tastes like.”

“Well, have a bite, and then you’ll know.” Miss Neal
laughed, handing Krista a huge piece. “I know we aren’t supposed to celebrate
birthdays, but what the heck.
Jory
made this herself
last night. Oh crap, we forgot the candle. You were supposed to make a wish.”

“I’m eating cake! What more could I wish for right now? I do
wish I could stay here. This is my home,” Krista said, frowning and looking
down at her feet.

“No. This is where you grew up, but it’s not really a home.
Love your
six,
raise your sons with them. Then you’ll
feel what it’s like to be home.” Miss Neal said.

Krista took another bite of the white cake with colorful
dots.

“Don’t forget to open your present.” Miss Neal’s voice trembled
slightly.

Krista set her cake down as they slid a big box into her
lap. When she pulled off the lid, a gasp escaped her. She picked up a beautiful
dress; it was dark, navy blue and made of soft, shimmering fabric. The front
was low-cut and the dress was sleeveless. Underneath was a pair of matching
pumps and a headband made of the same material as the dress. Heat rose to her
cheeks when she saw the risqué black lace bra and panties. She looked up at the
women sitting in a circle around her smiling and eating cake for breakfast.

“Think of this as your wedding dress. We can’t very well
send our girl out into the world without anything special to wear,” said Miss
Neal.

Kristannie’s
eyes misted. “Thank
you.”

“Keep looking,” Miss Stewart suggested.

Krista saw a hardcover book. She carefully set the dress
aside and picked the album up. Inside were pictures, drawings, and even report
cards from when she was small. The women had used a combination of officially
documented photos and candid snapshots to illustrate her childhood. She’d
forgotten how much the teens had played with her as a child. One picture was of
her sleeping, all cuddled up with a rag doll one of the other girls had made
for her. Another showed her jumping rope with
Cina
not long after her friend had been ripped away from her family. She could still
see the haunted look on
Cina’s
face.

Krista giggled when she saw the picture of the little dog
the older girls had found and hidden when the camp was nothing but a tent city.
They’d gotten away with hiding him for almost three months. She’d enjoyed the
dog more than anything else the wretched place had to offer.

“I didn’t know anyone had a camera.”

“We weren’t supposed to. Just like you girls hide contraband
now, we did too,” said Miss Stanley.

“Who dug up all these old report cards and awards?”

“They were in your file. We had a wine night and put this
together for you. I won’t lie, there were tears. You’ll be missed, Krista. All
of our email addresses, our personal ones, are on the back page. Don’t forget
us,” said Miss Blake quietly.

“How can I forget my family?”

The teachers swarmed her. She was smothered in a comforting,
but crushing, group hug.
Cina
came into the room,
looking around fugitively. “Come in and order breakfast with us,” Miss Blake told
Cina
.

“Oh cake, I found my breakfast!” She set Krista’s bag by the
door and hugged her friend. Both girls started to cry.

“Okay, no more tears. Let’s eat!” Miss Neal said with false
cheeriness.

* * * *

The drive to Madison, the state capitol, took several hours.
Krista’s nervousness increased with each passing mile. Looking out the window
at the beautiful scenery, she realized just how much she’d forgotten about the
world. Watching as the miles of open, rural countryside rushed by caused her to
feel small and afraid. The high walls of the Young Women’s Educational
Protection Facility of the Northern Quadrant made her feel safe, but this
expansive space was too big. The rolling hills and corpses of trees were
beautiful, but there was just too much…freedom.

She thought about all the horror stories she’d heard from
the girls with family who were forced into government protection; stories of
men taking young girls and women against their will and selling them to the
highest bidder. Were men like those waiting somewhere, planning to seize her
before she arrived to her six’s private security?

Shaking off the morbid fear,
Kristannie
focused on trying to remember the time before her mother died. She’d ridden in
the back of her mother’s car and looked out at the big world beyond the glass.
She could remember her mother singing to the radio and laughing while she
drove. She thought her mother’s name was Alicia, but she couldn’t remember for
sure, and her records were sealed. The new laws prevented her from knowing anything
about her past. She was property after all, government issued. A tear trailed
down her cheek.

* * * *

“Stop fidgeting, Jared.”

“Christ almighty, Max, calm down. We’re all nervous, lay off
the kid,”
Brax
said.

“He’s only a year younger than I am, it’s not like
twenty-two makes him a child. We need to pull it together so they don’t decide
we can’t handle this,” Damon growled gruffly, defending his younger brother.

“I, for one, can’t wait to feel her. Finally, boys, we lose
our virginity tonight! A real living woman—and
she’s
ours.”
DeAnthony
gave a joyous whoop. His friends
chuckled nervously. The two bodyguards they’d hired stood armed and silent,
watching the assembled crowd. Giving Day always brought a crowd of curious men
and protesters.

“Women have rights! God gave Eve to Adam, not to six!”
shouted a protestor who came too close to the waiting men. A police officer
ushered him back behind a barrier.

“Equality for all men!”
The angry
man stepped back toward the waiting six. Two police officers escorted the
outraged man back behind the line again.

“You can’t blame them.” The other five men turned to look at
Braxton with horrified expressions.

“So what are you saying? You want to give up your share to
that guy?” Malcolm joked.

“How would you feel if you didn’t qualify, Mal? We’ve never
had the chance to touch a woman. Old porno is the closest we’ve ever gotten to
having sex with one. Most of these protesters probably don’t qualify for the
lottery. If they’re not gay, they’ll likely die without having sex. The old
guys who lost wives or girlfriends have been without for almost twenty years.
Granted, they sell some very lifelike devices, but I’ve heard they don’t
compare to the real thing. I guess we’ll find out soon.” Braxton’s tone was
serious as always.