21

Thomas

As Elliot walks into the office he gives me a look that asks what in the world is going on. I motion for him to sit down and Alfred hands him a glass of whiskey.

“So Alfred here has told me some interesting information. He may be just the person we need to be able to finally give us the information that will help us to the answers we need.” Elliot looks surprised at this but there is also a twinkle in his eyes showing that he is excited at the prospect of answers.

Alfred recounts everything that he told me and Elliot is eating it up. The tech talk that the two get into is mind-blowing for me. I always knew that Elliot was amazing with this stuff but I had no idea that he had studied it so much. As they finish their talk I know that it is time for Alfred to give us his information.

“Here are some copies of all of the files you wanted as well as some copies of everything that I have gathered. I can’t pinpoint exactly who sent out the messages but I can say that they came from headquarters, specifically the leader’s office.”

The gasp that left my mouth was something that I had not wanted to escape, but the shock was too much to bear. There are only so many people who have access to the office. The main people, of course, would be me, my father, and my grandfather.

“Do these messages have any indication of when they were sent?” I ask in a voice so low it is almost a whisper. My voice seems to have no strength as I am scared to learn the answer.

“That is something that I am still working on. These messages talk of making sure to keep the women under the thumb of a man. There are suggestions on how this could be accomplished as well as encouragement to do some of the more horrific of them.” He pauses and looks at me. “These messages give these leaders a free for all to do what they want.”

“What made you think to look for these?” Elliot asks, unable to look Alfred in the eyes. Hurt sounds in his voice and I know that he is struggling with it.

“I received the same type of message.” Elliot’s head snaps up and I can see the anger in his eyes.

Elliot grew up in a home where his mother was treated as a second-class citizen. His father would often beat his mother and would hide it by saying that she was unwell. My father never believed me when I would tell him what I had seen and heard in Elliot’s home. I often wondered if my father was just blind to it because this was his best friend that I was talking about.

“Gentleman I grew up in a home with a drunk for a father. Domestic violence was something I saw day in and day out. Those scenes made me the man I am today. No woman regardless of anything thing she has done or any physical characteristic should never be subjected to being treated any less than a queen. Women help bring life to us all.” He pauses and takes a sip of whiskey. “They are the gentleness to our harshness. So when I received this message encouraging this treatment, I began to gather information.”

“So did this start at the beginning of your run as leader of the village?” I need any help I can get on getting a timeline in place to figure out who could have sent the messages.

“They started as soon as the Chosen rose to power. As you saw when you arrived, I never followed those messages. I was also never confronted by anyone for not following them. I believe that whoever sent those messages did not want anyone other than local village leaders to know that they were sent.”

Cora

Rebecca and I sat in the room of the hotel and tried to find ways to amuse ourselves. We had known that we would mainly be sitting and being quiet during these visits but it didn’t mean that we weren’t going to sit and worry about what was happening.

We had all became very emotionally invested in this plan and to know that we were currently in the dark about what was happening was hard to bear. I had hoped that we could at least be included in some of the meetings, but with this being the first I was unsure of how this would go.

“Cora you’re worrying again.” I snap my head up from my book to see an amused Rebecca grinning at me.

“I know I shouldn’t be but I can’t help it. I just don’t want any of us to be hurt.” I look down swallowing the lump in my throat.

“Thomas will be fine. Man you two fell hard and fast.” She giggles and it brings a smile to my face. I soon as I start to settle down we hear the door swing open and Thomas and Elliot walk in smiling.

“Rebecca, how much did she worry?” Thomas asks as he scoops me into his arms. I place my head in the crook of his neck and inhale his heavenly scent. It always calms me to be this close to him.

“Oh, she worried the whole time. You two kill me with how neither can stand to be away from each other for long. I guess we just are so used to each other that we never went through that faze.” She laughs along with Elliot.

“I don’t see that as a problem.” I huff out playing along with the joke.

Thomas chuckles and hugs me tightly. Throughout the day I was worried and until now I never realized that I was worried about Thomas more than anything. The feelings he brings out in me are something that I always dreamed of but never really understood until now. In the short time, we have been together I have discovered that I can’t live without him.

“Good news is that we don’t have to worry about being recorded anywhere in this village. Alfred has personally guaranteed it. We also received a ton of information that is going to help us along the way in this. We were right in all that we were thinking. Someone is pulling the strings. The problem is that we still don’t know exactly who. We do know that it is someone who has had or has access to the Leaders office.” Thomas says as he holds me close.

“So it could be your father or grandfather?” I ask knowing that this may be a touchy subject for him. I look in his eyes and see the worry and desperation there. He doesn’t want this to be anyone he knows and I feel the same.

“Yes, it very well could be. But we won’t know that until we dig a little deeper. Alfred did say something that rang a bell in my memory. The women need to be under the thumb of men. Wasn’t that what Michael told you?” He asks me and it hits me like a ton of bricks.

“So he wasn’t lying when he said that he was apart of what was happening. Thomas, I’m worried that we are going to be getting in over our heads.” I feel his arms tighten around me and I can’t help but feel safe in his arms.

“We are going to be just fine. Alfred is on our side and I am sure that once the people in headquarters learn that someone is trying to keep women down, they will rise and follow us.”

As the words leave his mouth I feel myself hoping that there is nothing that will keep us from succeeding. I also want nothing more than for those I love to be safe. All these thoughts may drive me crazy but at least I won’t be going there alone.

22

Cora

For the next few days, we visited the villages that were closest to the headquarters and we found that they were each a little different, but nothing like what I had grown up in. The women were not as free as they were in Alfred’s village, but they were not being kidnapped and raped like they were in mine. My theory was that the further we got from headquarters the worse it would get.

Elliot came up with the idea that in order for Rebecca and I to be able to go with them, we should say that we are there at the order of our men to help gather the information. We were to play dumb if anyone asked any questions and just push everything on Thomas and Elliot.

If anyone gets too nosy about our involvement we should just pretend to have no idea why they want the information or what it even is that we are looking at. At the last village we were in there were some men who looked as if they were not very happy to see us looking through the books. When one man started to approach us I very loudly said “I have no idea what any of this is! Why are they making us get all this when we have no idea what we are even looking at?” The man turned the other way smirking at how stupid he thought that I was. This was also the first village where we started to see that the books were not matching our own.

“Thomas I think the next village is where we are going to start seeing problems,” I said with my eyes closed. I knew this was going to happen but I wasn’t ready for it just yet.

“Why do you think that Baby?” He pulls me tighter to his side as we are sitting in the back of the vehicle.

“Because it is where I am from.” I look up into his eyes and see the shock. From the trend that we were seeing he must have thought that my village is further away. “I just don’t know how I should act when we get there. Before I was just quiet, shy, and lost, but since you came into my life I am completely different. What should I do?”

“I think it is best if you girls stay with us at all times. Both of you should stay meek and try to not let on that we allow you to do whatever you want. We will try to get all the information without involving the two of you.” Thomas says and I see Elliot out of the corner of my I nodding in agreement.

“I will try and told to my mom and grandmother and see if they would possibly tell me anything. I will be careful to not let on that I know anything. I know my grandmother will tell me. Maybe you should talk to my grandfather. If he knows that I am being taken care of he may open up to you. My dad is a lost cause. He will be thrilled to me you since you are the leader but he will never go against what he thinks the Chosen stand for.” I feel myself getting even more nervous knowing that Thomas will meet my family for the first time.

Though they aren’t perfect I still love them all. I just hope that they don’t cause Thomas to have any doubts about me. My father can be a hard person to like and I know that Thomas has to put up his leader persona. so I am nervous as to how they will get along. The worry must be showing on my face because I hear him chuckle.

“Nothing will ever change how I feel about you. I know that your family will be different than mine but that doesn’t mean that I won’t like them. I will do my best to make a good impression on especially your grandparents. I know that you were always closer to them.” He kisses my forehead and I am in awe.

“How did you know what I was worried about?” He smirks and I can’t help but smile back at him. He leans down to my ear so that only I can hear him.

“I know everything about you. From your thoughts to what turns you on.” He bites my ear as he finishes saying this. “You know I can’t wait to get you alone again. There are so many things that I need to do to that beautiful body of yours.”

I feel my face flame up and I have to stifle a moan as he finishes those words. Ever since the first time we were together neither of us can get enough of each other. To say that we enjoy having each other would be an understatement.

“Do you have rooms arranged for us there? To be honest I don’t think I could do that in my parent’s house.” I whisper in his ear and kiss it as I finish. I look at him to see him nodding. I intentionally smile at him letting him know that I am ready and waiting.

“Alright, love birds we’re here,” Elliot says and I look out the window to see the Main Street of my village passing by. My heart hammers in my chest and I feel my muscles tense and the thought of how this will go.

We come to a stop and we all start exiting the vehicle to see a crowd starting to form around where we parked. I see the leader of our village Carl walking toward us with a smile on his face. Carl is the leader that I spoke about when I told them about what happened to some of the girls. I feel my fear beginning to rise and I quickly get as close to Thomas as I can without it being noticed by everyone.

As the leader of the Chosen Thomas had a persona that he tried to show the general public. He wasn’t overly affectionate in public but he would either hold my hand or put his arm around me. When he took my hand I was more relieved than I thought possible. He used his thumb to rub comforting circles on my hand to let me know he was here.

After that first talk, I had gone a little more in-depth with Thomas and Rebecca about who was the real problem in my village. I knew that once he introduced himself to them that they would immediately know who the bastard was and what he can do.

“Good afternoon gentleman. It is an honor and a pleasure for us to have you here in our humble village. Cora, we are glad to have you home if only for a few days.” He smiled and I felt my spine shiver. This man is truly the definition of evil in my world.

“It is our pleasure to be here. We are visiting all of the villages to not only meet the leaders but to gather information so that we can improve how we deliver supplies to the people and how we can help make your job a little easier. And of course, I wanted to meet the family of my mate.” Thomas said all of this with his normally stoic face that he shows. I wish that I was able to read his mind to know exactly what he is thinking.

“Want to see what you’ll have to deal with as she gets older ay. Well her mom is still pretty good looking so you should be good there. As long as you keep her under your thumb you should be good.” He states chuckling to himself. I feel Thomas gripping my hand tighter and I can tell he is burning with anger.

“Yes well, she follows my instructions perfectly so I have no concerns there. We will meet with you in the morning as I would like for Cora to spend time with her family as soon as possible.”

“No problem. I’m sure Cora there can show you guys to your hotel and she can serve as your guide through the days your here. No sense in wasting good manpower when a woman can serve some sort of purpose. Have a good evening guys.” He turns and walks away and the crowd follows suit. One thing you can always count on in this village is that no one will want to get involved in anything that does directly pertain to them.

I turn and go to the vehicle and get in without saying another word. Thomas gets in to drive and I give him directions to the hotel. As we part I take a deep breath and summon the courage to tell them how I am feeling.

“That is the man I talked about. I have avoided him my whole life because I have been afraid of what he may do to me. I have no doubts that he will be trying his hardest to cause problems while we are here. He will most likely hide all evidence of everything. And I would bet my life that the rooms are bugged as well as my parent’s house.” I fell tears forming in my eyes at the thought of my family being in danger because of Carl.

“Baby I will make sure that you and your family are safe. Don’t worry we won’t let anything happen to you.” He takes my hand and kisses it in a sign of comfort. I don’t know what I would do without him. He is not only my hope but the hope of all women. He wants to make a better world and I will be damned if I let that not happen.

23

Thomas

Elliott went ahead of us to the rooms and did a sweep for any type of video or listening devices that would be in the rooms or anywhere near them. Of course, there were both found and he managed to take care of the problem without any trouble.

Cora and I were to meet Elliot and Rebecca in an hour and a half to go and meet Cora’s family. Cora has been very quiet since we got here and it is worrying to see her reverting to what she was like when she first came to me. Once we are inside the room I turn and lock the door and reach for her wrist.

“Talk to me, Baby. What’s going on inside that beautiful mind of yours?” She looks up with tears in her eyes and my heart aches from seeing her this way. She hugs me tightly and I know that she’ll give me answers once she has calmed herself.

Cora is a creature of habit most of the time and when she is upset she needs my touch, scent, and words to calm her. I run my hand through her hair and whisper sweet words into her ear. Over the last few weeks of being this close, I have learned just how to make her calm, happy, and excited.

“I think that I am just overwhelmed with everything. I realized that I haven’t even met your parents yet. I haven’t got any idea how to act when we go today and I’m scared to death of Carl.” I hear the frustration along with some humor in her voice as she says this. She lets out the smallest giggle and I know that she is calming down.

“What can I do to help release that stress you have pent up? Do you want me to rub your feet or just let you talk out your feelings?” I just want to be able to take some of her tension from her and give her a sense of peace.

“Honestly if we could have some quick fun I think that would be the best for me. Since we have been on the road we barely get any time alone and you’ve turned me into an addict. You’re on my mind all the time and I just want to feel you close to me.” She reaches up and starts to unbutton my shirt. I instantly kiss her and pick her up.

She wraps herself around me still working on getting my shirt open. I squeeze her bottom and she moans into my mouth. This was not exactly what I had in mind when I asked but I’ll be damned if I turn her away. She has no idea what she does to me and I want to spend our few minutes alone trying to show it to her.

As I reach the bed I set her down on her feet. She pulls my shirt from my body and I return the favor by pulling her dress over her head. Her hands move to my pants and she is quick in getting them pulled down.

I grab her face and begin to kiss her with hunger, desperate to taste her. Before I realize it we are both completely undressed and lying on the bed. In one swift motion, I’m inside her and it feels like heaven. I hear her beneath me moaning my name while dragging her nails down my back.

“Don’t hold back Thomas. Take me hard and fast.” The words come out of her mouth and that is all that I needed to hear. As much as I want to cherish her and show her how much she means to me if this is what she wants then this is what she will get.

I pick up the pace and all that can be heard is flesh slapping against flesh. She moves her hips to meet my own and it is almost as if she is completely taken over by her need for me. I return that feeling with all that I have. I feel the sweat beginning to run down my back and I know that I won’t last much longer.

“Baby I’m almost there!” I yell out not being able to control my voice. She screams out my name just as I find my release. I fall on the bed next to her and wrap her up in my arms. She snuggles into my side and wraps her arm around my waist.

“All Better?” She giggles and looks up and kisses me. She has sweat on her brow and her heart is still beating a mile a minute.

“Yes, much better. You keep me centered.”

“Oh, so I’m only good for the sex?” I ask teasing. She lightly slaps my chest and laughs.

“You’re good for multiple things. Sex is just one of the most fun things.” I chuckle and think about what we are getting ready to do.

“Listen, if you feel that there is even the slightest chance that your family will not talk or that they will stand by Carl we don’t have to try and get information from them. We can just have a visit and talk about nothing of importance. I don’t want you or them put into any danger.” I feel her stiffen and then relax.

“I think my grandparents are the best option to get any information from. My parents are just not trustworthy enough to risk that. I think Elliot will need to take his tech to make sure we are not being recorded. I also think it would be best if you guys just follow my lead. I have lived with these people for most of my life. I can read them and their emotions for the most part. I just need you to trust me.”

“Cora I trust you with all that I have. You are the only one in the life that I can always totally trust. Elliot and Rebecca have been with me my whole life but I still trust you more. Where you lead we’ll follow.”

Cora

Standing outside of the house that I had grown up in was a surreal moment. I felt like I had been gone forever and it had only been a few weeks. Thoughts of how wrong this could go were flying through my mind when I felt his hand take mine and all seemed right with the world. No matter what happens on the other side of this door, I will always have him.

I knocked on the door and felt myself begin to tense up. What if they didn’t want to see me? What if they were disappointed in me? The questions bombarded my every thought. the thoughts of them being upset with me were almost more than I could bear.

The door suddenly opened and my father reached out and pulled me into a hug. I was shocked and didn’t return it at first because I can barely remember being hugged before. I realize what I am doing and wrap my arms around him.

“Cora we have been so lost without you in the house. We have missed you more than you can imagine.” He pulls back and looks me in the eyes as he says this. Confusion is written all over my face and I think that maybe something is wrong with my father. He has never been the affectionate type and to see him this way now only makes me suspicious.

“Oh sorry. Forgive my manners all of you please come in.” He turns and leads the way into the house. I turn and look at everyone and I give them the I have no idea what is happening look. My parents were never really rude people or even cruel to me. They just didn’t seem to care all that much. When something was wrong they of course acted concerned and cared, but the rest of the time they were mostly distant.

As we entered the living room I see the rest of my family sitting waiting with smiles on their faces. I make my rounds giving hugs and I missed yous. Once this was complete I decided it was time for introductions.

“Everyone I would like you to meet Thomas. He is what everyone calls their mate but he is so much more than what the word means. And this is our closest friends Elliot and Rebecca.” Everyone says their hellos and I look at Elliot and give the nod to check for the devices.

Elliot pulls out what he needs and looks at me and nods letting me know that we are being listened to. I give him the signal to cut the device off and make it clear to talk. He finishes and gives the all-clear.

“Now that the means of being spied on are gone, would someone like to tell me what is going on?” I ask and my dad’s eyes go wide. This should get interesting.

24

Cora

As the words hang in the air and I can see that my family is nervous. More nervous than I have ever seen in the entire time that I lived with them. I take a deep breath and center my mind knowing that something is going on here and that it may change everything.

“Look we have made sure that no one can hear a word you say. We are most certainly not going to do anything to hurt you, we just need to know what is going on.” Thomas says in his voice that he reserves for only those closest to him. I smile at him in thanks and turn back to my family.

“I’m sure that you were coached on how to act in front of the leader. We are trying to do something that can help everyone but we need to know the truth of what is happening in the villages. Dad, I know that you are a man that follows what the Chosen says, but you need to know that what you have been told and what is the truth are not the same things.”

“What do you mean by that? You know they could kill you for speaking ill of them!” My father yells this and I feel myself flinch and then in seconds, Thomas has me pushed behind him in protection.

“Do you forget that I am the Chosen! Raise your voice of hand to Cora and you shall see what punishment is!” Thomas is breathing hard and is angrier than I have ever seen him.

“You think I would hurt my child?” My father says in a voice that is barely above a whisper. He looks up and his face is contorted in pain. I have never seen my father have a look like this. I feel myself gasping from the shock.

“I may have not been affectionate to her or her mother but I love them both very much. In this village, a man is judged on how he treats his family. If I were to appear to love them it would be seen as weakness and that would mean that a man could easily come in and take them.” He says this with a conviction that surprises us all.

“Are you saying that if you let on that there was a chance that they could be used against you they would?” Elliot asks. I hear my mother and grandmother breakdown into tears.

“Cora we hide as much of this from you as we could. I didn’t want you to grow up in fear as your mother had. Things were not that bad in this village until Carl took over. He is the one who started all of the raping, kidnapping, and murder. He was a power-hungry bastard from the time we were children. He started turning evil when he wasn’t able to pick the girl he wanted in the reaping.” Dad sits down next to my mom and for the first time, I see him take her hand and hold it close.

“They have had our house bugged the entire time he rose to power. He did this because I was the one he wanted in the reaping and your father got me first.” My mother’s words shock me. “That is why we kept you as far away from that man as we could. The only time your father and I were able to be close is if there was a power outage. The rest of the time we had to act cold to one another. That is also why I never really leave the house unless your dad and grandpa are with me.”

“So he has been after you all these years? Is that why things got so bad, all because he was trying to get to you?” I ask with tears rolling down my face. “I had to grow up with cold parents to protect us all?” They shook their heads and I ran to them and held on as I sobbed. This went on for a while until someone cleared their throat.

“Would you all be willing to move to where we live at headquarters?” Thomas asked with hope in his eyes. “We will make sure that you are safe and you can help us fix the mess that has been created with the Chosen.”

“If it will keep my family safe we would go right this moment.” My father says with a smile.

Over the next few hours, we spent time talking about what has been happening here in this village as well as the rest of our little world. My father had more useful information than we thought possible. He had made copies of records from the start of Carl’s reign of terror. We had the real records as well as the fixed records for leadership to see. He even went far enough to have pictures that were on a hidden thumb drive that showed almost all of the crimes of Carl and a few leaders of other villages.

“You are all coming to stay with us in the hotel. Pack everything that you can’t bear to part with and we will leave to head back to headquarters in the morning. I have my men coming with another vehicle that can hold you and your possessions. I will keep you safe.” Thomas tells them and I can see the relief on all of their faces.

Thomas

To say that I am wicked and surprised is an understatement for what I am feeling. I never thought that this would turn into what it is now. Cora had been certain that her father was brainwashed and could care less about her and her mother. Amazingly that was far from the truth. He lived his life in fear that those he loved would be ripped away from him, and that is enough to make any man go insane.

I look at him hugging Cora and his wife and I see where my beautiful girl gets all her strength. She has a family brave enough to risk her wrath to protect her from harm. The look of joy on her face at this moment reaffirms that I am doing the right thing by fixing this.

The whole trip since we left Alfred’s village has been the same. Every woman you see has a look of fear and defeat in her eyes. Women have been turned into nothing less than slaves to the men who should be loving and helping them. When you love someone you want to protect them from all harm and it is obvious that is not the case anymore. Most women and girls are on their own, there is no one there to save them from their tormentors.

We return to the hotel and we set up Cora’s parents Jack and Elaine in the room with us and her grandparents Harry and Gabby in the room with Elliot and Rebecca. No one thought it would be safe to leave them anywhere alone.

The next morning we are packed and headed to the car when we are met with Carl and some of his minions standing waiting for us.

“Jack where are you headed to?” Carl asks with a smirk on his face. The man makes me want to beat him to death just by existing.

“I am taking my new family members to live with me and my mate. Is that a problem for you?” I say with the most intimidating voice I can muster.

“Well see it kind of is a problem since I think that Jack here has been stealing from the village. Several things are missing that I believe will be found in his home if you search it.” This man is doing everything he can to ruin Jack and keep Elaine here.

“If that is, in fact, true then it would be a crime against the Chosen and therefore my problem to deal with. I will still be taking the whole family with me and I will send my men to investigate the allegations. Good day to you all.” I turn and enter the vehicle and we leave immediately.

“I told you I would keep you all safe and I intend to do just that. Jack, you are not in any trouble and we will fix it all.” With that statement, we head back to the headquarters.

I know that once we get there I am going to have to have one hell of a conversation with my dad and grandfather. That alone is enough to make me wish I could just disappear, but that would solve nothing. My fight is just beginning and I am ready to end it.

25

Cora

The ride back is one that was full of silence. Everyone was lost in their thoughts trying to make sense of all that we had learned. The trip was not as successful as we would have liked but we did learn enough to get a good start.

Thomas seemed to be thinking more than any of us. The thought that one of his family members could be behind this was beginning to take a toll on him. I reach over and take his hand to show him that he isn’t alone in this. He has supported me so much that all I want to do is give him that same love.

Once we finally reach the headquarters Elliot and Rebecca head home and Thomas leads my family into the house. They all stand around looking like they have never seen anything like it. I smile knowing that they are finally going to be living a life that is free of Carl’s tyranny.

“We have three guest rooms on the second floor for you to stay in. Please treat this as your home until we can get you set up with a place of your own. I will set up everything for you and just so you know you will all be retired from any work. I know that this is going to be a change for all of you but I want you to all start enjoying your life.” Thomas says all this with a smile. I think that he likes being around my family.

“Sir we appreciate everything you have done for us. Is there anything that we can do to repay all that you have done?” My father says.

“Jack please call me Thomas and no you owe me nothing. There never should be debt between family members. You and your family gave me the greatest gift of my life, Cora. I am just returning the favor. You never should have had to live the life that you’ve had. Fearing for your and your family’s safety should have never have happened. I promise I am going to make this right.”

Once everyone settles for the night Thomas and I make our way to our room. We both move through the motions of getting ready for bed and as soon as we hit the pillows we both fall into a deep sleep.

***********

I wake up to find Thomas gone from the bed. I get myself ready and head to find him. I hear his movements coming from his office and I make my way in.

“Hi, Dad. Yeah, we are back. I wanted to invite you and the family over tonight for dinner. Cora’s family is here and I want us to all get to know one another.” He pauses and is listening to his father when he notices me and smiles. “Great we will see you then.”

I walk over and hug him as he hangs up his phone. He wraps his arms around me and we stay that way for a while. I look over and see that it is almost time for my family to wake.

“I should head down to the kitchen and get started making some breakfast.” I lean up and give him a quick kiss.

“Let me help you.” He takes my hand and leads me out of the room.

Breakfast goes well and to see my family this relaxed is one of the best sights I have ever seen in my life. Thomas and my father spend a lot of time talking and they find that they have a lot in common. My grandfather joined in and the men went into the living room while the women sat around the table and talked.

“Cora you have no idea how hard this has been for us. We wanted to be close to you but we were so scared of what might happen if we were. Carl watched us the entire time that we lived together and it was terrifying to live that way. I hope that you can forgive us for all the lies we had to tell you.” My mother sits with her head in her hands with her body tense.

“Mom believe me when I say that I understand. I get it. I hide who I was from everyone as well. When you’re afraid for your life you hide anything that might make you more of a target. It wasn’t until I felt safe with Thomas that I started to open up and show who I am. In a matter of weeks, I changed from that shy mouse girl into a woman who knows what she wants.” I reach over and take her hands from her face and hold them with my own. “We are going to live our best lives now and we are going to make things better for the rest of the women.”

My mother and grandmother both smile and the rest of the morning is spent in laughter as we cleaned and prepared to make a meal for the most important family on the continent.

Thomas

The time came for my parents to arrive and Cora and her family are nervous. Everyone in the villages always tends to turn the leaders of the Chosen into Gods in their minds. With the way, we were taught to act we seem like unreachable characters who are not real. I’ve tried to show them since they arrived that I am a man just like them, I just have to put on the act of not caring for anyone.

I hear a knock at the door and make my way over. As I open the door my little sister Samantha jumps into my arms. I hug her tightly and smile knowing that she has missed spending time with me since I moved into my place. My younger brother Max smiles at me knowing that he gets the same thing from her when I am not around. I look and see my parents and my grandfather standing there laughing at the sight of this seven-year-old clinging to me like a monkey.

“Come on in guys. Cora and her family are waiting in the living room.”

“I’m excited to meet her Tom Tom.” Samantha giggles after saying this.

“All I have heard since the Reaping is how she wants to meet Cora,” Max says while laughing.

As we step into the living room Cora and her family all stand looking nervous. Jack had spoken to me about how they all felt very inferior to me and my family. they were not as well educated and their jobs were nothing compared to the running of a massive group of people. I tried to help him understand that there was nothing to feel inferior about. this whole family is far more intelligent than half of the people we have working at the headquarters.

“So I will introduce everyone. This is Cora, Jack, Elaine, Harry and Gabby my new family members. This is Doug, Caroline, Eric, Max and Samantha my family. I know this is new for us all but I want us to spend the day just getting to know one another and becoming one big happy family.”

For the next few minutes, everyone went around and personally meet each other. I can see that Cora and my grandfather have hit it off first thing. He is smiling in a way that I have never seen, and she is laughing at something he has said. My family has always gotten along as far as I know, but this is different. I can feel the approval from him in a way that I never felt before.

As we all sit down at the diner, the conversations quiet down as everyone starts eating. Cora worked very hard on this meal and I know she is nervous about how it will be received by my family. I am digging into my meal and enjoying it when I heard my mother speak up.

“I must say that I am amazed that you were able to make such a wonderful meal Cora. I would have thought that the art of cooking would have been lost on all of you living out there in the boonies. It would seem that not everyone dumbed down living out in the filth of those villages.” I see a smirk cross her face that I have never seen in my life.

“Excuse me, but what in the hell is that suppose to mean?”

26

Cora

As soon as the words left her mouth my anger raged inside me. When we were talking earlier I noticed how she was trying her hardest to not have to touch anyone and the looks that she was giving my family. She just avoided me altogether and I just wanted to know what was so wrong with me that she couldn’t even make an effort. It seems that now I have my answer, she doesn’t like people from the villages.

The rest of Thomas’s family was amazing. His grandfather had me laughing the entire time we were talking. He said that I reminded him of his late wife and that I would be perfect for Thomas

“What do you think I mean Dear? it is clear to me that my son has picked well below him in the Reaping.” Gasps were heard around the table and the sickly sweet smile that she is giving me is anything but friendly.

“Caroline, what in the world are you talking about? You are from the villages!” Doug yells and I can see that he is losing his temper with her.

“Mom I have no idea where this is coming from but you should watch how you talk about Cora. She means more to me than anyone or anything.” Thomas says this in a voice that can only be described as terrifying.

“You all can not be serious. Look at them!” She screams. “they are from the lowest of the low. For God’s sake, they couldn’t even be bothered to dress appropriately for this meal. We are the leaders of the Chosen and I will not have our name dragged through the mud because Thomas wanted to slum it.” she is breathing hard and there is a look in her eye that is saying she is not going to go down without a fight.

“I have never seen this side of you Mom. What is going on with you?” Thomas yells and I flinch from the harshness in his voice.

“You are just opening your eyes to what I have seen for years son.” Eric his grandfather speaks up. All heads turn in his direction. “I apologize Cora this is not how I had hoped the first meeting of our families would go. Doug, get your wife and let’s go. these people deserve to eat the rest of their meal in peace. Thomas, I will meet you in your office in the morning.”

With that announcement, the three of them left with Caroline giving me a death glare as she walked out of the house. Max sits still holding a crying Samantha in his lap while the rest of my family sits there in shock. Thomas looks almost shell-shocked at what just happened. I think that all of her children are surprised by how their mother acted.

“Samantha?” I say in a soft voice. She turns and looks at me. “Would you like to go out into the garden with me and look at the flowers?” Her eyes light with joy and she shakes her head.

We walk hand in hand out into the garden and begin looking at all the beautiful flowers. Time passes fast as we enjoy each other’s company. I think that she and I will become very close as she grows up.

Thomas

My thoughts are all jumbled and I have not got a clue as to what I just witnessed. My mother has never raised her voice that I know of. My whole life she has been the calm nurturing type. to hear what she said about my new family makes me want to slap some sense into her, not that I would ever lay a hand on a woman.

“What was that? I never knew that she was like that.” Max says not talking to anyone in particular.

“Jack, Elaine, Harry, Gabby I can’t begin to….” I was cut off.

“Thomas it’s fine son. We know that you do not have that opinion of us. Try to not be too hard on your mother. You never know what could have made her feel that way.” Jack says while the rest nod their head agreeing.

“How can we have missed how amazing this family is with all the assessments we do?” I say asking myself more than anyone else.

“Easy. We faked it.” Elaine says with a smile.

I will never know what good I must have done to deserve such people in my life, but I know one thing is for sure and that is that I am thankful. I stand and head toward the glass doors that lead to the garden and watch my sister and Cora look at flowers. The peace that they both seem to have helped put me at ease.

**************

The next morning I head into the office early and leave Cora to spend some more time with her family and to help watch Samantha since my parents never picked her up last night. I didn’t want my siblings to go back to their home just yet since I had no idea what was going on with my mother.

I walk into my office to see my grandfather sitting on the sofa relaxing like he didn’t have a care in the world. I have to give the man credit he never let things get to him or if they did he never showed it. I sit down next to him and raise my finger to my lips showing him not to say anything. I reach over and turn on the scrabbler so that no one will hear what we are saying. I nod giving him the all-clear and he starts.

“There are things that we have kept from you growing up. I’m sure that you figured that out on your own after yesterday’s drama. Your mother hates the villages even though she is from one herself. I’m not sure why but she does.” He sighs and rakes his hand through his hair. “I always felt that there was something off about her, but any time that I ever brought it up to your father he would change the subject or would just tell me that I was imagining it.”

“He does the same thing with me any time that I would bring up and issues that I was having. It’s like he doesn’t want to know what is going on, and believe me a lot is going on.” As I finish saying this I notice I am doing the same thing as him. I can’t stop the chuckle that leaves my mouth.

“Thomas I am always here to help if you need it. Just know that you are not alone and I will do everything I can to make sure that the Chosen stay on top and that our family is the ones leading.” With that, he stands and pats me on my shoulder and leaves.

I’m left alone with my thoughts after and there is one thing that I can’t get out of my mind. He said he would do anything to make sure that the Chosen stays on top and that our family is leading. Does that mean that he would even set us against each other? Would he put women down just to make sure that we rule?

All of these questions seem to swirl in my head without any answers. I know that someone who has or had access to the leader’s office has been sending those messages out. I also know that Michael and most likely Megan are working with someone to try and tear Cora and me apart. Is it the same person? Are there multiple plots going on?

My head begins to ache and all I want to do is go home and relax. I hear a knock at the door and Michael walks into the office carrying a stack of paperwork.

“Sir I have the paperwork for the new people to get their own home here. I was wanting to check first and make sure that I was reading it correctly. It says that you want the home built beside yours. Is that correct?” He looks at me with an uncertain look.

“If that is how I filled out the paperwork then yes that is what I want.” My answer comes out short and clipped but I couldn’t care less how that asshole views it.

“But Sir, it says that three houses are to be built.” I cut him off before he can finish.

“I told you if it says that then that is what I want. Are you getting into the habit of questioning me?” I say this using the voice that I use to show my strength and power.

“No. No Sir.”

“Good then get out of here and get this stuff taken care of. I want those houses up in a month.” He turns and practically runs out of my office. This lets me know that I still got it.

27

Cora

The first morning I went back to headquarters with Thomas I was a complete nervous wreck. Knowing that we still had no idea who was sending the messages or who was behind Michael’s schemes made it all that much harder. Thomas told me multiple times that I would be fine but, something in the back of my mind told me otherwise.

“Cora, could you go to the file room and see if you can find the records from your old village for the last six years? I want all of them if possible. Do you need someone to go with you?” Thomas has worked extremely hard the last few days and I know that he is getting tired.

“I should be fine. I am just walking down the hall little ways. If I need anything I’ll yell. There is security always walking around. Don’t worry.” I kiss him on the cheek and head out the door.

Walking down the hall I see the security guard walking around and notice that there is a lot of activity today. Since we came back Thomas has been working on many different projects to train and get technology back up and running for more of the villages. They have the basics of power and at least one working phone and computer per village but he wants to increase this drastically.

I make my way into the records room and start the task of locating the records. Rebecca and I worked hard to organize while we pulled records but we only did that for the areas that we were going to investigate. I am deep in the records room when I hear the door open and heavy footsteps follow.

“I told you I would be fine. Stop worrying so much.” I said with a giggle.

“Oh, I think that you have the wrong idea about who is here with you Love.” I quickly whip my head around to see Michael standing there with a smirk on his face. “My sources tell me that you have been a very bad girl since we last meet.”

He stalks over to me like a lion stalking its prey. The playfulness that he had last time is gone and I see the darkness in his eyes that let me know that I have royally pissed him off. I find myself taking steps back to try and find a way to stall what is inevitably going to happen and then I reach the wall. I have not only been blocked for a way out but I have managed to get myself deeper into the storage room.

“Michael what are you talking about? I’ve been a good girl just like you wanted.” I try to use the most innocent tone I can but my voice wavers and his smirk turns into a scowl.

“I wanted you for myself and I hear that you have been making yourself open to him every chance that you get. You even seduced him into letting your family move here!” He suddenly slams his fist into the wall to the right of my head. “Not only that but you played lovey-dovey in front of his family and even had the nerve to talk back to his mother!”

As the words leave his mouth I know that whoever is behind him and his plans was in that room that day. No one has spoken of it since and I know that there is nothing recording anything in that house. Not only the incident with his mother but he knows that I was with Thomas a lot and that things are going well with us. That leads me to believe that the same person is behind the messages too.

“I thought you would be happy that I talked back to his mother. Wouldn’t that upset him and make him hate me? I had to play a part on the trip and I never thought that I was going against you.” I struggle to get the fake tears to come, but soon enough they are rolling down my face.

“No-no-no. Don’t give me that fake shit! While you were gone I managed to get a look at your scores for your exams. Seems like little Miss Innocent Cora had been lying about her intelligence the entire time growing up. You are the most intelligent woman to have tested in years. You almost scored as while as I did, but I still beat your score. Plus I have one thing that you don’t and that is drive. You have never worked hard for anything in your life.” He sneers and I feel my anger rising in a way that it never has before.

“Oh, so now that I’m not being exactly what you want you’re going to start throwing all these issues you have with me up into my face. What could you possibly know about me, huh? you have always been so self-absorbed that you didn’t have a clue as to who I am. You think that I didn’t know about all the girls you were sleeping with while you claimed that you wanted me to be your mate. did you honestly think that I would stand back and let myself get dragged into the life that every woman in that village has to suffer?” I yell this and shock comes across his face.

“You knew about all that? Why didn’t you say something?” A look of what almost seemed like hurt crossed his face.

“Why would I? You didn’t seem to be bothered by it. You acted as if you were perfect and that I would be the lucky party if you chose me.” I feel my chest rising and falling quickly. I have no choice but the take deep breathes to try and contain my anger.

“All I ever wanted was for you to love me!” He screams as he hits the wall again. “You never looked at me the way the other girls did, and I had to fight to get your attention. Do you think that you are just some plain jane that no one wanted? Hell, every man in that village who wasn’t related to you was dying to get you into the sack! I was supposed to be the one who got to nail you first!”

Before I even knew what happened my hand flew across his face. I wanted nothing more than to do it again but before I could he backhands me and sends me falling to the side where I manage to hit my head and then the lights go out.

Thomas

The last few days have been rougher than most for me. After talking things over with my grandfather more questions were in my head than ever before. Both he and my mother have made things clear that they are not happy with the situation we are currently in. Both have different reasons but still, they are upset.

I have been so distracted that I feel like I am missing something. My focus has solely been on those messages and I need nothing more than to find the source and get things under control. keeping the Chosen together is something that I never thought would be a problem, but the trip has shown me just how much is going wrong right under our noses.

“Hey man, I was going to head to lunch. Did you want me to bring you back something?” Elliot peaks inside my door and smiles. I can’t help but smile back at him even though I am beyond stressed and tired.

“No, I think I am going to get Cora shortly and head home for the day. We have been working nonstop for the last few days and I think I could use some rest. Not to mention I kind of have been preoccupied the last little bit.” I chuckle at the end.

“No problem. Hey, where is she by the way? She’s been gone a while now.” The words hit me like a ton of bricks. How long had she been gone?

I look over at the clock and realize that it has been almost an hour since she left and it shouldn’t have taken that long to get what I needed. I had been so wrapped up in my work that I forgot all about her. Things had been quiet with Michael since we had been back and so I let my guard down.

“I think she is in the records room. I’ll go get her, she must have lost track of time.” Elliot gives me the look that says if you say so, and man I hope I’m right.

28

Cora

I come to find Michael stripping my clothes off. My dress is gone and he is working to get my undergarments off. I start flailing around trying to stop his movements. He raises his fist and punches me in the face.

“Stop fighting me dammit! You brought this on yourself!” He says into my ear in an almost whisper.

“Please don’t do this Michael. Please don’t hurt me.” I feel myself beginning to lose control and the tears are starting to roll down my face. I want to stay strong but I am weak from being knocked out and I can feel the fear taking control.

“I told you already, I should have been the one to have you first! I loved you and you just threw me away for what? Power, sex, money, or were you just trying to get me to prove myself to you? Why are you making me out to be the bad guy?” He slaps me a few more times and takes my underwear off and uses them to bind my hands together.

He stands and starts to pull his pants down and all sane thoughts leave my head. All I can do is sit and watch as he takes advantage of me. As he is getting his fill of me I am praying for death. Anything would be better than this. I have let everyone down. I not only got myself in this situation but I don’t have the strength to fight back.

He finishes quickly and gets himself back together. When he looks at me again I think that I almost see regret in his eyes, but just as fast as it came it went. He reaches down and releases my hands and then turns to leave.

“If you know what is good for you keep your mouth shut. I don’t need you keeping me from getting what I want. Just know that you are always being watched and just because I decided to slum it doesn’t mean anything.” And with that statement, he walked out the door.

I lay there for a while unable to move. Fear and weakness make for a combination that paralyzes you. My mind races with thoughts of what might happen next. Will he come back? Will he kill me to keep his secret? Why? I feel downright dirty like I can’t do anything that would take away this feeling.

All my life I have feared experiencing what those girls in my village did. I thought that I had escaped it only to get attacked in what should have been one of the safest places for a woman. How will I be able to move on from this? What will Thomas think or say? Why hasn’t he come looking for me? All at once, my mind stops and I feel myself falling back into the darkness.

Thomas

I hurried to make my way to the records room hoping that the nagging feeling in my gut is not true. With everything going on anything could have happened and I wouldn’t be able to pinpoint who was to blame.

“Cora?” I yell as I open the door. It is eerily quiet and I see no trace of her.

“Cora, Baby are you in here?”

As I make my way to the back of the room I see a leg outstretched. It is beyond still as if the owner of the leg was unable to move. As I get closer I see it. My Cora is laying there bloody and naked.

I begin to scream for help while running over to her. I check to make sure she has a pulse and I feel it there and strong. As I kneeling there looking over her I take my shirt off to cover her because the last thing she would want is anyone to see her that way.

“Thomas! What’s wrong?” I hear Elliot at the door. He runs into the room with the security guard and I hear them both gasp.

“Get the doctor here now!” I tell the guard and he runs out of the room. I am scared to move her with the way she looks because there is no telling what types of injuries she has and I wouldn’t want to make them worse. “Cora, please wake up.”

“Did you see anyone coming out of the room when you got here?” Elliot asks.

“No, I didn’t. Get to the surveillance room and pull the recording and see if you can see anything.” He nods and heads out just as the doctor walks into the room.

***************

I sit by her bed holding her hand trying to keep myself together. With the time that has passed, we have been able to make sure that we have a good healthcare staff and they do everything they can to take care of their patients.

“Sir, we need to talk if you are ok with it.” Dr. Jacobs says walking into the room. this man is well respected and has been working as a physician since before the great illness. He has also been the main instructor to all the new physicians going up in training.

“Dr. Jacobs speak freely.” I nod at him as I answer.

“Sir first let me give you my sincere condolences that you are having to deal with this. Cora is an amazing woman and we are all lucky to have her in our lives.” He breathes in deeply and continues. “Sire, she has been raped as well as what appears to be punches and kicks which have left her body in a state of shock.”

The moment rape leaves his mouth I feel myself feel physically ill and my anger is grown into a monster that will not be easily erased. “I feel the tears trying to form in my eyes but I hold them back. She needs my strength right now.

“Is the shock the reason that she hasn’t woken up yet?” I ask in a voice no louder than a whisper.

“Yes, Sir it is. Her body is trying to heal its self and so she may be like this for a while. There is also the chance that she will wake up soon. It all depends on her.”

After a few more minutes he leaves and the door opens to reveal her family. After I explain what happened I sit and wait for them to start yelling at me and blaming me for what happened.

“Son we don’t blame you so please don’t worry. I know you love her more than anything and so does she.” Elaine says as she hugs me. She has been crying ever since she walked through the door.

Over the last few days, Cora and her family have become very close. They all have opened up to each other and there are no longer any secrets between them. I continue to stay by her side until the door opens again to reveal the last person I expected to see, my mother.

I grab her hand and lead her out into the hall and into an unused room. The whole way there I can feel the smirk on her face as if she is enjoying watching this happen.

“What are you doing here? I thought you hated Cora?” I do my best to keep myself in control.

“Oh, I do hate her. I just wanted to see what happened. It appears you aren’t the only one who likes to slum it.” She chuckles. Never in my life have I wanted to strangle someone so much as I do right now.

“I think you had better leave before I lose my patience and slap that fucking smirk off your face!” Her face contorts into a scowl and she starts to back away from me.

“Just remember Son, that everything you have is because of me. I will be damned if I let you screw it up for that filthy slut. I can give and I can take away.” She turns and walks out the door.

This nagging thought keeps coming to my mind, should my own mother have something to do with this? I walk back into the hall and I see Elliot running down the hall toward me.

“I know who did it!”

29

Thomas

“I know who did it!” With those words, my heart stopped. Elliot held the information that I needed the most.

“Follow me.” I lead him to a remote area and made sure that there wasn’t anyone around. At this point, I didn’t care if there was a way for someone to be recording this. I just needed to find out what happened.

“It was Michael. I know you probably thought of it too, but he is the only one that I could think of that would be that emotional when it came to Cora. I have him recorded going into the room and then an hour later leaving looking like he had just been through hell. His clothes were messed up and it looked like he had a few scratches on his face. She must have put up one hell of a fight.” Elliot is treading lightly considering that this was the woman I love and she was currently unconscious.

“Get Rebecca down here. I want her to stay with Cora and her family. You and I are going to meet my parents and grandfather. Is security picking up Michael?” Elliot nods and we get reading to handle this.

This was not how I wanted all this to come out but they have forced my hand. One of those people sent those messages, someone was leading Michael in this crazy plan to hurt Cora and me. I was not going to sit back and let this keep going on, it was going to end today.

As I enter my office I find security already there holding Michael in cuffs. Everything within me wants to pull out the officer’s gun and shoot the bastard who hurt her. Elliot is tense beside me and I know that he is thinking the same.

The door swings open and my family all walk in. Each one of the three has a serious expression on their face. Whether it is from what happened today or from the fact that they may suspect that I am on to them, they give nothing away with their expressions.

“Alright, now that we are all here I am going to just cut through all the crap and say it. Someone in this room has been sending messages to the outer villages encouraging them to treat women lower than men. they have even gone as far as to condone rape and murder.” I look at the three of them and no one moves or changes the look on their face.

“Not only that but the supplies have been miss used to the point that most of the people in the villages barely get the food that they need. But that will have to be put on hold for now. Right now we need to work together to figure out who is behind the attack on Cora.” I walk over to where Michael is sitting and look down at him.

I thought that I would see a smirk or smile on his face since he has some problems and wants to take everything that is mine. What I find is a man broken. He has regret all over his face and tears stream down his eyes. How could a man that is capable of that brutality be able to show this kind of emotion.

“This man is the one who not only beat Cora but also savagely raped her in the records room. Michael had made statements before that there was someone who he was working for that wanted to cause problems for us. His mate Megan said the same. Guards, please bring her here.”

“Son I can’t believe that you would accuse us of this type of behavior. Why would we do anything to bring down the Chosen when we are the ones who built it in the first place?” My father asks.

As he finishes the guard walks in with a crying Megan. Before I even start to speak she is shaking in fear with whimpers coming out in a steady sound. To be the key players in a plan against us they are pretty pathetic.

“Now that we are all here I think we should…” The door opens and in comes Rebecca pushing a very much awake Cora.

Cora

When I woke up I was surrounded by people who love me but the one person I wanted to see the most isn’t there. Panic starts to make itself into my thoughts and I feel myself beginning to shake.

“Honey it’s okay you’re safe. He is handling Michael.” My mother says as she wraps her arms around me in a hug.

“He is also going to confront his family as well.” Rebecca states.

“Take me to him now. I know who is behind this. Don’t argue just do it.” I speak with conviction and they nod in response.

I am placed in a wheelchair and Rebecca pushes me to Thomas’s office. My anxiety is taking hold of my thoughts but I push that aside. I am terrified to see Michael again but I have to make sure that the person responsible for this is taken care of.

Rebecca opens the door and pushes me into the sight of all the key players of the mystery sitting in the room. Megan and Michael are both in cuffs and both appear to be crying. The sight is shocking. I would have thought that sadness would have been the last emotion that he would feel after my attack.

“Cora you should be resting. I will take care of this and you shouldn’t be stressing yourself out.” Thomas walks over to me and I can feel his concern for me. This man has proven that not everyone is always out for themselves and that there are still decent men in the horrible world.

“I had to come. I know who is behind my attack.” I say in the strongest voice that I can muster. Michael’s head whips in my direction and I see a man that I haven’t seen since we were children.

Michael changed as we got older and I always wondered what happened to the boy who was caring and wanted nothing more than to help others. He changed once he started being considered a man. There is no doubt in my mind that Carl had something to do with this change since it happened to every boy in that village.

“Oh, so the firmly whore wants to start more trouble. Doug, Eric you can’t tell me that you are going to believe anything that she has to say. She has been sneaking around with that boy ever since Thomas brought her here. I’m sure this is all just a frame job to protect herself from getting caught.” Caroline says the look in her eyes is calm and gives nothing away.

“I think that you need to watch how you speak to her. You forget that your son is now the leader and Doug can’t cover for you like he has in the past.” Eric says with malice.

The room quiets at the statement. This raises more questions and I am determined that we are going to get all the answers before we leave this room. I breathe in deeply and look at Thomas who is watching me, waiting for what I have to say.

“Caroline is behind my attack.” Thomas’s eyes turn dark and he turns to look at his mother. Elliot places his hand on his chest to try and get his attention.

“Excuse me little whore, did you just accuse me of orchestrating your meeting this young man?” This woman is a born actress if I have ever seen one. She sits there with an innocent look on her face while calling me a whore.

“Why yes, I am Caroline.”

“Where is your proof?” She seethes out beginning to let her carefully constructed facade fall.

“I don’t have physical proof but Michael and you gave it away with your choice of words. Slumping it isn’t something that you hear very often. That saying is something that I have only seen in books written before the illness. Michael said it when he was finished and you said that night when we had that disaster of a dinner.” Thomas tenses again and it lets me know that he knows something more.

“You said it to me earlier today when you came by Cora’s room. Is it that important to you who I am with that you are willing to go through all this?” Thomas yells at his mother. He sighs and raises his eyes to her. “Guards detain my mother.”

As the guard walks over to her she manages to pull out a gun from her bag and stand pointing it around the room. Guns are not something that most people have access to. They are still around and in use but the guards here do not carry them inside the headquarters.

“Why couldn’t you just stay blind to it all Thomas?” She says with a smirk on her face. No one is moving in fear that she will pull the trigger.

“What do you mean by it all?” He asks slowly never once removing his eyes from her.

“All of it. The attack and all the little problems that you and your little gang have been investigating.”

30

Cora

Rebecca gasps as she hears the words that change everything forever. The people we have been searching for turned out to be one person. Caroline was thought of as a loving mother and example to all women. She was poised and gave off an air of royalty, and yet standing here now she looks like a psychologically deranged person.

“Mother you didn’t. Say you didn’t.” Thomas pleads with her. He looks like a broken child who has just learned that their hero wasn’t the person that they thought they were.

“Thomas? Have you learned anything in all the years of training we gave you? You’re showing your emotions and making yourself look weak in from of your men.” She barks out at him. I look toward Doug and he just sits there looking straight ahead as if he hadn’t just heard a thing that was said.

“Doug, why don’t you look surprised?” The words come out of my mouth before I have a chance to stop them. He finally breaks his staring contest with the wall in front of him and looks at me with guilt.

“Because he has known about it since they were mated. She started doing this as soon as he took over.” Eric answers for his son. “I have known for the last few years myself. When Doug could no longer deal with the guilt he confided in me. To say that I was disappointed in him is an understatement.”

“You see Son I grew up in a village just like your precious Cora. I never wanted to be mated. I wanted to be able to live on my own and not be expected to just sit at home and pump out children.” Her voice holds such contempt for what she is saying. “But that couldn’t happen. I had to go for the Reaping and I had to get chosen by someone. Everyone thought I was so lucky to have your father. He practically worships the ground I walk on. But that wasn’t what I wanted!”

“But why would you ruin the lives of so many women?” Rebecca asks. Caroline’s facade breaks completely and she shows how deranged she is. She no longer looks like the poised woman, she looks insane.

“If I can’t be happy then no one can. Why should other women get to live their lives in peace when I am forced to have child after child and pretend to be happy. Doug wouldn’t listen when I said I didn’t want children. He would just tell me that we have to carry on the family line. It isn’t fair!” She stomps her feet.

The woman has turned into a toddler having a tantrum in a matter of seconds. She suddenly stops and points the gun at Michael.

“All you had to do was keep her away from him. How many times did we go over this after we met? Michael was so obsessed with Cora and power that he was willing to do anything to get both. Knowing that I used it to my advantage and slept with him as I formulated my plans. The little brat Megan would be useful in distracting Thomas after Cora was gone but she also failed.”

“So you have been having an affair?” Doug asks. This is the first time he has spoken and I see the anguish on his face at learning the news.

Thomas often told me of how in love his parents were and that his father gave his mother everything that she ever asked for. before we met I thought that they sounded like the perfect couple and I hoped that Thomas and I could be just like them. Now sitting here in this room, I pray we never get like them.

“Of course I did, and he wasn’t the first. What do expect from someone who never wanted this in the first place? Once I started sending those messages I realized that I could mold this world into what I want, a world of misery. I will not be the only one who hates life. Everyone has to suffer. If the women are put down then they suffer and the men will suffer from never being loved by the women they think they own.”

The sad part in all of this is that this could have all been avoided if a woman weren’t forced into mating. Eric shakes his head knowing that he is partly to blame for all this. Caroline was forced into something that she didn’t and instead of making the best out of the situation or changing it, she made life unbearable for women.

“Caroline if you were so unhappy why didn’t you just leave or try to get Eric to stop the Reapings? You could have made changes without ruining lives.” I ask knowing that this is going to make me her new target.

“You just have to keep opening that damn mouth don’t you.” She turns the gun on me. “Doug would never stand up to his father and all he wanted in life was to have me with him. He hides everything that he could from his father. He knew I was sending the messages and he knew what was happening in the villages. But since he is so in love with me he hides it all to protect me.”

“Doug, do you realize what you allowed to happen? You let this woman turn the nation into a place that is dangerous for women. You left a mess for your son to clean up and all you are doing even now is sitting back and letting your mate run all over you. Stand up and be a man for once!” Eric yells out. Doug just sits still and shows no emotion.

“Eric don’t bother he won’t do anything. He knows that if he stands against me that I will take those damn kids out in a heartbeat. ” Caroline laughs as she says this.

“You would kill me, mother?” Thomas is beginning to get back to himself after the shock of these confessions.

“Oh sweetie I wouldn’t even think twice, but right now I am going to take care of that little piece of trash that you keep around. Cora, you were never good enough for him. People in those villages serve one purpose for me, and that is to cause misery and pain. So now it is your turn, Cora. you are going to cause pain to everyone you know because you are going to die.”

In the blink of an eye, the gun goes off. I close my eyes tightly waiting for the pain to start, but it never does. Open my eyes to see Michael right in front of my eyes. His face is red and his eyes have tears spilling from them. I look down to see that he blocked the bullet from hitting me.

“Why?” I whisper. The rest of the world melts away at this moment. After all that he has done to me, why would he save me now?

“I never wanted to hurt you. I just couldn’t control myself anymore. I’m so sorry Cora. I don’t deserve forgiveness but I hope that this at least shows you that I did care for you. Be happy Love.” And with those last words, he exhales and falls back onto the floor.

I look up to see Doug has tackled Caroline to the floor. She is screaming for him to get off her but he stays on her holding her arms behind her back. Multiple guards come rushing into the room and soon everything is under control.

Thomas rushes to my side and pulls me out of the chair and into his arms. He holds me tightly letting me know how worried he is. Through all the madness I see Eric taking the lead to make sure the situation is handled properly.

“Thomas I’m okay. He blocked it and I wasn’t hurt.” I wrap my arms around him and hug him with all my love.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t stop all this from happening. Please know that I would never willingly put you at risk. I love you so much that I can’t and won’t live without you.” He kisses the top of my head.

“Thomas I will handle all this. Get her back to the doctor and have her checked out. We will talk about all this after we all have time to process it.” Eric says to him. Thomas nods and takes me back to see the doctor.

31

Cora

“Cora you must rest. You have been through a very traumatic experience and your body will start to shut down again if you are not careful. Thomas takes her home and makes sure she rests. I will contact one of my colleagues in the villages that worked as and therapist. She is going to need help working through all this.”

Once you make it home Thomas takes me up to our room. As I walk into the room it suddenly hits me that I have just been to hell and back. I suddenly break down and sob my heart out.

I cry for my rape. I cry for Thomas and all that he lost today. I cry for the friend that Michael had once been but is now no longer on this earth. I cry for Doug and the sad life that he must have had to live all these years. And finally, I cry for this world full of evil like Caroline. For all the girls who never got to live their lives.

Thomas helps me get ready for bed and asks if I want him with me tonight or if I would rather him not stay. I know that he is just concerned that I would not want a male presence around me right now.

“I need you here with me. You are the only man right now that is outside of my family that I feel like I can trust.” With that said we fall into a deep sleep, both of us exhausted from the day and hoping for a better tomorrow.

Thomas

Over the next few days, nothing happens as far as bringing justice for all the problems that we have had to deal with. I spend most of the day helping Cora with all her basic needs since her body is still trying hard to recover. Elliot has been handling day-to-day operations and my grandfather is keeping an eye on my father.

Today however I need to get back into the office and start the process of bringing in all the people who have been hurting women and stealing from the Chosen. Cora is still sleeping and I leave her a note and speak with her mom about where I will be for today.

I walk into my office and find Elliot, my father, and my grandfather all sitting and waiting on me. I spoke with Alfred yesterday and he is on his way here to help us with the gathering of evidence.

“Guys I think that we all know why we are here and what we are planning to do, so let’s cut the crap and get down to it. Is she still in a cell?” I look toward my grandfather.

“She is, but to say that she is really “here” would be a complete lie. She has progressed to the point that she is talking to people who aren’t there. She has lost her mind to the point that she needs to be kept from the general population. She is a danger to herself and everyone else.” He answers looking over at my father.

“Dad, how are you?” I ask knowing that he looks like he hasn’t slept or taken care of himself since things went down.

“Are you seriously asking me that? How do you think? My mate is insane and has been causing chaos and murder throughout the villages, she had your mate beaten and raped. Oh, and she also tried to shoot her. I would say that I am having a less than stellar week.” My father has never been one to show his emotions like this. He was the one who held it together no matter what. Seeing him this way is hard.

“No one here is trying to give you a hard time son, we just want to make sure you are not going to do anything reckless or harmful to yourself.” My grandfather tries to tell him.

My dad relaxes slightly and there is a knock at the door. Alfred walks in carrying a large box that I have no doubt carries evidence. once Settle we begin the task of making every decision on how things should work and what punishments should be handed out. This process takes days to get where we want but with all of us, we can finish.

***************

Waking I find a sleeping Cora next to me. As every day passes her injuries heal and so does her heart. She was very lost and questioning everything after her attack. With the help of the doctors and her family, she has been able to feel safe even when I cannot be with her.

“Morning.” I hear and I look over to see a smile on her face. This is the first that I have seen on her for a while. I pull her into my arms and hold her close.

“Morning Baby. Did you sleep well?“I feel her nod her head. I chuckle knowing that she is struggling to wake fully. I run my hand through her hair I hear that long sigh of relaxation come from her. This is what our mornings should always be, peaceful.

Today starts the trial if you will of all those involved in the plots against women. There will be a broadcast for all to see and hear what we know happened. Alfred was true to his word when he said that he would get us what we needed. There is no doubt of the guilt of each of those we brought in.

The punishment would be based on the severity of the crimes and most of the men will be spending the rest of their lives in prison doing hard labor. My mother is to spend the rest of her days in a padded cell. we talked about the possibility of a death sentence but all agreed that it was more of a punishment for her to be living a solitary life and with no comforts that she became so used to.

Megan was also sentenced to spend her life in prison doing hard labor. She gave evidence against my mother as well as Michael. She was a pawn in a game she didn’t understand and it was her ruin. Since the first two were women we made sure to do them first so that those who are watching will know that it was not men who planned it all and that women are just as capable of doing wrong.

As the trial finished I made my way to the podium to speak. I had planned this from the beginning and now was the moment that I hoped would define myself as a leader.

“Today has been a long time coming. The events and horrors that have been happening over the years will have come to an end. I will not rest until I know that all those who live under my leadership are safe. Women are equals and they will be treated as such. Part of the blame does lie on us for not knowing what was happening under our very own eyes. I along with my father and grandfather will be working on building a better civilization for those who will come after us. I promise that I will not allow this sort of thing to happen again. In the following weeks, there will be new leadership in many areas as well as new programs for training for those who want to step up and help.” I pause and look back at Cora as she nods to me. “Women bring us into this world and it is women who will be the strength we need to become a better world.”

Epilogue

Cora

As time passes things get clearer on what needs to change. the first huge step was punishing those who were out to harm others. Not a day goes by where we do not receive new reports from people wanting to inform us of a crime. A task force has been set up to help handle the situation and find justice for the victims.

Thomas and Elliot worked hard on forming a new type of what was once called the police. These men and women are tasked with learning the truth and helping bring justice to those who are victims as well as those who are falsely accused.

Our personal life has also moved forward and gotten stronger. Over time I learned to work through the pain from my attack and with Thomas’s help, I have made peace with that incident. I have even started a support group for women who have been attacked in any way to get help from each other.

“Cora, please sit down and take it easy. I don’t want you getting too tired or hurting yourself or the baby.” I feel two arms wrap around my waist and pull me close.

“I promise I am not doing too much. I just wanted to finish this last file and then I will be done.” I have a little over a week before I am due with our first child.

Thomas is overprotective and it is adorable to watch him look around constantly as if something were in the shadows waiting to get me. Rebecca is also pregnant with their first child and is due around the same time. She was so excited to find out that we would be going through this at the same time.

“It is your last day for a while and I promise I will have everything under control while you’re gone.” He chuckles at me knowing that I have been doing what my mother calls “nesting” for a while now.

I feel the overwhelming need to make sure that everything is perfect for when the baby gets here. This has caused a few arguments with Thomas because he wants me to rest as much as possible. My father says I am scaring the poor man to death.

“I’ve been meaning to ask if you have been to see her any?” He stiffens as I talk about a subject that he doesn’t want to talk about. Since she was sentenced to prison he has avoided going there at all costs.

“I did actually. I need more of an answer as to why she did it.” He puts his head on top of mine while holding me close.

“And did you get that answer?” I rub my hands up and down his back in a comforting motion.

“No, I didn’t. I have come to understand that there is not always a good reason for people turning evil. There are times where people just are. Instead of using the situation to try and help other women, she set out to make the world as unhappy as she was. She never had a reason to act that way other than the fact that she didn’t like it.”

“So that is why the sudden announcement that the Reaping will stop.” He nods his head and kisses the top of mine.

“Women should have the choice in how they live and I am finally going to give that choice back to them. We should have never taken it away, to begin with, and now they will find their footing and make their owns paths.”

I turn and look up into the eyes of the man that I love and I know that without him my life would not have been this happy. Without him, the women here would still be living in fear. It just goes to show that there are times when women and make each other suffer just as much as any man could. It also shows that there are still some men in the world who will stand up and fight for women to be equal.