Eighty-two: It

<p>"You're really ugly," said Aylissa from where she sat beside me, looking me up and down with disgust. It was strange, I didn't feel any different, besides the usual aches in my ribs and pelvis.<br/>"You can say that again," I slurred, coughed and grimaced at the pain.<br/>"You don't have a silver stripe," Aylissa commented, touching me where the brown stripe was with the tip of her finger. That felt normal too.<br/>"Dr Eisor said," I coughed again and my voice cleared, "something about being a new prototype."<br/>"It won't sell back home. People only buy slaves because they're obviously slaves or wanted to become on in the first place."<br/>"Who wants to become a slave?"<br/>"People with strange tastes," Aylissa wrinkled her nose and poked at one of my flabby breasts. "You need to eat more."<br/>"There hasn't been much to eat here, because of the war," I told her. "If you stayed here, you might end up looking like this too."<br/>"Ew," she screwed up her nose. "No, thanks. I have to go back with the Chief anyway. He says it's not safe for me to stay here. I have to go back and prepare for the wedding. You get to stay here with Kiran. I'll tell them that they'd better fatten you up in time for the wedding. Can't have someone looking like you waiting on us at the wedding feast. It'd just look bad, but if you're not there, it'd be all wrong. You'll understand closer to the time."<br/>"So you're not against me staying with Kiran now?"<br/>"We've talked. I think I know you better now and besides, you're a slave. Slaves don't count, you know. You'd just better let me give Kiran his firstborn or I won't be happy. If we happen to be pregnant at the same time, you can give birth only after I have. Then your child will serve mine and everything will continue as it should."<br/>"I see. You'll have to explain your customs to me in greater detail some time," I said and refrained from telling her what I actually thought of their outdated customs. <br/>Slavery in the modern world was supposed to be abolished. My children would serve hers? I'd rather die than have to subject any potential children of mine to that kind of life. It was more important for now that I kept her on my side and thinking I was not a threat. "When's the wedding?"<br/>"After the war is over. They think it won't be long now. Just another month or two. Another six months at the most," Aylissa said, covering me up. "I wanted to tell you. We're taking your parents and brother back with us to Boskyland. They'll be my family too, once the wedding is over and they're of noble blood. They're to be taught our ways and don't worry. I'll keep them safe. I'll look after them and be good to them. My mother died when I was young, so I hope you mother won't mind if I…"<br/>I smiled at the girl and her wistfulness, hoping it didn't come out more like a sneer. She was accepting this all better than I had thought she would. So much so that I was almost expecting there to be something else in there. A catch. A 'but'.<br/>"I'm sure Mum won't mind. She always wanted to have more children, but Dad said the two of us were already quite enough trouble as it was. I'll look after Kiran. You look after my family. Deal?"<br/>"Deal," Aylissa squealed and gave me a hug. "I'm glad I met you, Jean," she told me. "You're so sensible. Now we just have to wait until Whistlor comes."<br/>"Why?" I asked, shrinking back, afraid of what was coming next.<br/>"Dr Eisor said that Kiran is never going to teach me, because he respects us women too much, so he's asked Whistlor to come and teach me how to use you and control you."<br/>"Am I a robot now? Why does that make me sound like a machine?"<br/>"We-ell," Aylissa said innocently, thinking hard, "slaves aren't exactly people. They're more tools that we use to keep things running."<br/>"Are you saying I'm not a person now?"<br/>The girl had no idea. She really didn't.<br/>"No-o. Not exactly. It's just, once you're a slave, you're a slave, you know? And certain slaves need to be controlled and disciplined more often than others. From what they and you have both said, you'd run away if you got the chance. That's why we need your parents as insurance and Kiran's father says I have to learn how to keep you on a very short leash. That way, if you stray, I can yank you back before you bring any shame to Kiran. It's a very big shame to us, once a master has taken a slave - particularly if he took its virginity, if another man handles it, unless they're about to share it. If a slave does something wrong, the people it wronged will handle it. The number of times they are able to make her orgasm, that's how many times the master has to make the slave come in front of everyone, you know. Full penetration and all. The Slave Masters monitor it all. I saw it happen once in the street. It was awfully interesting and disgusting at the same time. I don't know what the slave had done wrong though. It orgasmed for each of the six men. The slave's master had to work really hard afterwards to get it to come because it was already tired. They were at it for hours before the Slave Master was satisfied and the man had to be given drugs just to keep going. The slave got a beating after that in front of everyone. Its master was that mad with it for bringing so much shame on him."<br/>I just stared at the girl, feeling sick in my stomach. This was the type of culture I was getting sucked into? They didn't even give a slave a gender pronoun.<br/>"Then," I said, "isn't Whistlor touching me still going to be considered a shame to Kiran?"<br/>"Technically no," said Aylissa slowly, "since you're not exactly bound yet, but I doubt Kiran would see it that way. I think this is a bad idea."<br/>"So do I."</p>