11

Cora

“So you’re saying that you two have been working to take down the Chosen before the Reaping?” Elliot smiles like it’s his birthday and he just got the thing he wanted most. Thomas makes his way over to me and takes my hand in his.

“Well, it is the three of us, “Rebecca states with a light in her eyes that shows that she is in this for the long haul. “Should I go over the areas that we have been working on Thomas?”

“That would be great Rebecca. Let’s all have a seat because this conversation is heavy.” He leads me over to the couches and we take a seat. He never lets go of my hand and I can tell he is wanting to reassure me that everything is going to be ok.

“So I guess I should start from the beginning. We all grew up here around headquarters. Just like the girls in the villages I was taken out of school way before most of the boys. I was given a temporary job of inventory for the shipments of food and logging the distribution of the food.” She smiles and sits back leaning into Elliot. “Thomas and Elliot were a year or two older so they were in the middle of finishing their training to become the leader and his right hand. To make my job a little more tolerable I started looking at the logs from the past as well as the ones that I was keeping up with. The Chosen had plenty of ranches and our beef, pork, and chicken numbers were fantastic. This meant that the villages should be getting plenty of meat to the people with our shipments.”

I know that they all see the shock and confusion on my face after hearing all this. Thomas had told me that I should have been getting beef all along but part of me just thought that maybe he was mistaken. Now I am listening to a person who had access to the past and present records and she is confirming everything he said.

“I’m very confused. You’ll have to explain it more in-depth because I can tell you now we never had meat regularly.” Rebecca has a guilty look in her eye. It’s as if she feels guilty for being able to eat well when I couldn’t.

“The first Reaping after I took the job made me see that there was something very wrong happening with the food. I was not quite old enough for the Reaping but I watched along with everyone else. I saw it then. The girls were underweight. Many of them looked like skeletons while others had little meat on their bones. But what was the oddest was the girls who were from the families of the leaders in the village had a very healthy. They all looked as if they ate plenty and some if even looked as if they ate over the amount that a person should.”

Images started running through my head. Leaders of my village were all overweight, most thought that they must have someone who hunts and brings them the killings. One thing you were taught from an early age is that you never question the leaders. It didn’t matter if they were actual Chosen or if they were the local leaders. Nothing was to be questioned. What they said and did was law. The one question I had was if I was truly that blind.

“As soon as I put two and two together I went to Thomas and Elliot. They were just as shocked as you are now. Over time we were able to find someone in one of the villages who were willing to tell us the truth as long as no one found out that it was them that shared the information. The person was a leader in this village and to protect his family he wanted to remain anonymous.” Rebecca looked to Elliot and nodded.

“He not only told us about the food but also about some of the ways that people were treated in that village. You have to remember that most people have never traveled outside of their village apart from going to the Reaping. We could only know for sure that this was all happening in just this village. We learned of beatings, rape, and even murder.” Elliot finishes this statement with the same look on his face that I had seen on Thomas’s many times. A look of shame.

“I will say to you two the same thing that I said to Thomas. You had no way of knowing. You were kids and I am sure that even if your parents knew this was going on they never would have said anything to you. I feel no anger toward any of you.” Thomas raises my hand to his mouth and kisses the back of my hand causing me to blush.

“After we found out these things I tried to talk to my father who was the current leader of the Chosen. He denied that any of it was true and even became angry that I would suggest that any of that could happen under his watch.” Thomas sighed and I knew that the situation had taken a toll on him. “After that day I never brought it up again. I pretended that it never happened. We waited until I took over to start looking into anything again. We found a few who would talk but they were only regular people who would refuse to give us much information.”

“Most of them told us they would deny it all if we ever asked again,” Rebecca says while grabbing Elliot’s hand tightly.

“I can’t speak for every village but I can tell you what I know from my village. I would sit back because this may make you tense up. From my earliest memories on I remember that women were nothing in the eyes of men in my village. I know that it happens everywhere but something was underlying about certain things where I come from. Now I will start off and say I didn’t see these things happen in my home because my family was not quite the norm. My grandparents were together from before so they have never known anything but love in their relationship.” I smile at the thought of them.

“My parents met through the Reaping. My dad never hit my mother in front of me but there were times that I wondered. In front of me, they kept their relationship cordial. That was not the case for most of the women in the village. At night you could always count on at least one woman screaming in pain at some point. I once heard my neighbor beating his mate for there being a spot on his spoon. the next morning she had a black eye, a broken nose, and her neck had handprints on it.” Rebecca gasps and both men clench their jaws.

“No woman dared to help her in the open or to question what happened. Usually, when the men left for work and the children went to school, that is when the women took care of those who were injured. Nothing could be done any other time or you risked getting the same or worse treatment from your mate. Some children went through the same things. Boys needed to be taught how to handle their mates.” I gave out a single laugh. The tears began to stream down my face.

“There were a few girls who had their virginity taken from them if they caught the eye of a certain leader. I was very lucky to not come into contact with that man as my father made sure that I was never around any place he came to. My father blindly follows everything that the Chosen and the leaders say, but this was one thing he would not allow to happen.”

“There was a girl a few years older than me that did catch his eye. She was found raped and beaten in a nearby creek. The rumor was that she had a boy she wanted to be her first and the man became furious when he heard of it. Her family suddenly became part of some of the leadership soon after it happened. I always assumed it was to keep them quiet about the murder. To be honest I was never really sure who I should fear more the Chosen or the local leaders.”

12

Thomas

Hearing those words come from her mouth hit me light a bolt of lightning. I found myself feeling lightheaded and the thought that I may be going into shock was just around the corner. Not only did she live in a village that she was treated as a second-class citizen but she also had to live in fear of whether the main rapist would find her and do unspeakable things to her. I’m a man and I know that we all have urges, but I have never thought of getting pleasure by taking what I want by force. I couldn’t live with myself if I did something so depraved. I’m ripped from my thoughts by Rebecca running up to Cora and wrapping her arms around her.

“I can’t believe that you had to love that way. Here in Headquarters women were never equal to men but they have never been treated that way. To live in fear of just walking doesn’t the street makes my head spin.” She has tears pouring down her face as well and she and Cora are wiping the tears from each other’s cheeks. These two will become as close as two friends can before long.

“I hate to burst your bubble of it being better here but it isn’t babe,” Elliot says with a saddened look on his face. He and I have never spoken to any one of the things that we have learned since taking over. We have had to hear many cases of domestic violence as well as murder toward women.

“People just hide it better here since we are the leaders of North America. It goes on every day. The women here have more access to ways of hiding these things than the women in these remote villages.” As I finish this sentence I see the shock and realization come over Cora’s face. She really did believe that this was just an isolated event only affecting her village. She shakes uncontrollably and I know that she is taking this harder than any of us.

“After spending time with Thomas and then see you two mated and in love, I really thought that things would be different here. I never left my village until coming here so I only thought it was happening there. Why hasn’t anyone put a stop to these tortures? Why did the first Chosen set this society up in a way that makes women so much less than men? Why are we so different?” Cora’s eyes were burning into my own. I know that none of that speech was directed at me. She knows that I hate the way things are. The statement was however directed at my father and grandfather who were the ones who have been in control up until now.

“As I said earlier my dad would do everything possible to not talk about it. he would get angry or change the subject. I have thought for years that he is hiding something. But what that is I can’t be sure. That is why we all came here tonight. I think that it’s time that this world changes. No one should live their life in fear. No one should be going hungry when we have more than enough food. Tonight we start coming up with the plan to set things right.”

We came up with the idea of taking a tour of the villages. No leader has ever done this. Between the four of us, we can surely find out what we need to hear. There is no way that we can visit them all so we have plans to visit as many as needed until we get the evidence we need. Elliot and I will start the preparations in the morning. Cora is going to help Rebecca with copying the food records from the last two years so that we can compare them to what the villages have on their records. This will give them some time to bond before we leave.

“I think that two weeks should give us enough time to get everything together for the trip. And with that being said I think that it is time to get some rest. We are going to be pretty busy the next few weeks.” As I finish I see Elliot nodding with me. We make our way back into the main house and Elliot and Rebecca say their goodbyes and make their way out the door.

Cora

As soon as they leave a feel myself begin to relax a little. I am still pretty shaken up about everything that I learned tonight as well as having to relive those awful stories from the past. I see Thomas locking up and I make my way up the stairs with him following close behind. I realize that I don’t want to be alone after all that I went through tonight. I decide to be brave and just ask for what I need.

“Thomas?” I turn and see him look up at my face since I am ahead of him going up the stairs. “I was hoping that you and I could share a room tonight. I’m still a little upset and to be honest I don’t want to be alone right now.” I notice him making his way closer to me. he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me to him and embraces me.

“I have been hoping that you would ask me that. I don’t want to leave you alone when you have been so upset. Cora, I think that I am already falling head over heels for you and I would do anything for you. How about you join me in my room since the bed is larger? That way if you don’t want to be close you can have your space but still, be near me. Of course, I wouldn’t mind it at all either way but I would love to hold you.”

I look into his eyes and see a desperate need there. Not necessarily a sexual need, but the need to protect and nurture. Knowing that he feels the same way about me that I do for him gives me all the courage that I need to nod my head and smile.

“I get changed and ready for bed and meet you in your room.” He smiles and started walking into his room to do the same. Once I get into my room and prepare for bed and brush my teeth. As I am putting my hair into a messy bun on my head it hits me that this is the first time I will ever be sharing a bed with someone else. Growing up I never shared with anyone, not every family. Plus it is my first time sharing a bed with a man, an incredibly gorgeous and kind man. What do I do? What if he wants more than I am ready to give? I don’t want to upset him but I am not quite ready to give myself fully to him. I wouldn’t mind kissing or holding each other but that is all I think I can handle for now.

I make my way over to his room only to find the door open. I look in the room to find Thomas standing next to the bed in nothing but his sleep pants. He hasn’t noticed me yet so I allow myself to take in the sight of him. His dark hair is slightly messy and looks like he just pulled his shirt off. He has a strong set of shoulders with muscled arms coming down from them. His chest is muscled folded by abs to die for that lead to that gorgeous v line. To say he was gorgeous was just not giving the man enough credit. He was practically a God and yet for some reason he had chosen me to be his mate. The plain redhead that was neither gorgeous nor ugly, just plain average.

“Hey, I see you made it. Not changing your mind are you?” Thomas gives me a slight smirk and I can tell that he is back to his persona that only I get to see.

“What makes you think that I changed my mind?” I laugh at his question.

“I thought since you were just standing there that maybe you were either running away or you were totally checking me out.” He says this with a raised eyebrow and I know then that I was caught. I had thought he didn’t notice me but he apparently just wanted me to think that. Not wanting to admit that I was embarrassed I made my way over to the bed and jumped in pulling the covers up to my chin.

“So I take it that you were checking me out then. Well, you my sweet Cora can look all you want because this is all yours.” He says this and he makes a sweeping motion down his body with a cocky smirk on his face. With that out in the open I couldn’t help but wonder how long will I last before I give in and take all that he says is mine.

13

Thomas

Cora is sitting there with the blanket pulled up to her chin but the look on her face says that she is anything but cold. I knew she was watching me earlier and nothing made me happier than to know that she was just as interested in me physically as well as personality-wise. To most, she may seem like your average girl with flame-red hair, but to me and that moron Michael she is anything but plain. Those doe eyes of hers make me feel like she can see straight into my soul. I catch myself almost shivering when she looks at me for long amounts of time.

I have tried my hardest to not come off as a sexually frustrated idiot around her but to be honest it is getting harder to not make a move on her. I know that she was saving herself for her mate, a name which I still have no idea why we use it. I also know that she was tempted to give her first time away to that man. All of this leads me to have no clue what she wants right now.

“What has you thinking so hard?” I hear her say in almost a whisper. I look up and see the curiosity on her features and it has to be one of the cutest things that I have seen on her face.

“Do you want honesty or something I make up to look cool?” She bursts out laughing and I feel her tension ease.

“Honesty. Always honesty.“She says with a smile. I nod and make my way over to the bed. I lie down on my side leaning on my propped-up arm on top of the blankets. She turns towards me and leans up the same way.

“I honestly was thinking about how hard it is to control myself especially when you look at me the way you did. I know that you said you were waiting for your mate but I also heard you say that you were tempted to give it to Michael. So I am kind of at a loss as to what I should do because I am dying to make a move on you.” She once again surprises me and shows me another side of herself. She laughs. She honest to God laughs as I am sitting here in turmoil as to what to do next.

“I’m sorry don’t be upset. I am not laughing at you. I just keep forgetting that I don’t have to hide from you.” She looks at me and smiles and it leaves me with so many questions.

“What do you mean to hide from me?” I sit up and lean against the headboard wanting to focus on what she says.

“Well the person you saw in the interview was me but it was only the version of me that I show to others. I am a quiet girl who obeys the rules and tries to stay out of trouble. I didn’t go around sleeping with everyone and I did my best to make sure that I wasn’t bringing any type of shame to myself or my family. I had to hide how smart I was. My father acted like it would be the end of the world if other people outside of our home knew how smart I was. I am starting to believe it was more so that he wouldn’t look less intellectual with me showing what I was capable of. Remember what I told you our village was like. He would have been a laughing stock to the other men if they knew I was smarter than him.” She takes a deep breath and joins me in sitting against the headboard.

“I didn’t mean to lie to you and I would understand if you are angry. I am the girl you saw and heard. I just happen to be more than what meets the eye. I will openly admit that I am somewhat hesitant in going there period. Not just with you. But I also know that seeing you earlier has stirred up things that I never knew would happen to me. I always read stories where there was talk of this type of thing but I had never experienced anything like this before. I never had any romantic feelings for Michael, but I sure as hell am feeling them right now.” I swallow hard knowing that she is way more than I thought I knew.

I feel almost ashamed of myself for not realizing that she could be so much more than what I was thinking. This girl just keeps surprising me and I love it. I find myself wanting to get to know every little thing about her. I want to know her every thought. It has only been a little over a day that we have been together but man I have fallen and I know that I can’t deny it.

“To hopefully explain what you are questioning I’ll say this. I want to move forward at our pace. If you feel like you want to do something tell me or try it. I want to be close to you. I know we have only been together a day and a half but I feel something deep for you already. Which is weird because I barely know you. I just know that I want to know everything about you and I want to be closer to you every day. Physically and emotionally.”

As soon as she finished that sentence I grabbed her and pulled her into my lap. I place my hands on either side of her face and place my lips on hers. At first, she is surprised but she quickly catches on. I have no clue what I am doing but I know that if I go with my heart she will be happy with it. We move in sync and I feel myself feeling it more. I swipe my tongue across her lips and she opens without hesitation.

Cora

I have no clue if I am doing this correctly but I am enjoying myself more than I thought possible. He tastes amazing and the way his tongue is massaging mine makes me think he must have done this before. He told me that he has never been intimate with anyone but does that mean just sex. I feel him hold me tighter and I get my head back into the game. One of his hands moves to the back of my head where he grabs my hair slightly. The other arms snake around my waist. I feel myself move forward and feel him when I do. I moan as I feel him there just under me. It feels amazing and I find myself wanting that feeling again. I begin to rock my hips back and forth. I feel him again only now he is larger and harder. He moans as he kisses me even deeper.

I lose all sense of time and all that can be heard is the sounds of fabrics moving against each other and the breathy moans coming to form us both. Just when I think it couldn’t get better I feel him flip us over where I am now under him. My hands move all over him trying to feel every nook and cranny of him. I feel his hands begin to creep under my shirt. I wasn’t sure how far I wanted to go but right at this moment, I wanted to feel him more than anything.

He slowly crept up my stomach tracing his fingers all along my skin. As he gets further up his hand wraps around to hold me just under my breast. I’ve never worn a bra under my clothes at night since it tends to be uncomfortable for me. As he stops he pulls his mouth away from me and leaves me panting. Neither of us says a word. We stare deep into each other’s eyes and I can tell he asking if he can touch me higher. I nod my head and his eyes flash with lust.

He begins to kiss my neck as his hands move up. I have never been touched in this way before and I feel my body coming to life under his touch. I hear myself moaning and find that even if I wanted to I couldn’t stop them. His touch is soft and almost hesitant at first but as my moaning picks up I feel him getting firmer in his grip. I almost thought it couldn’t get any better until he started moving his hips against mine.

I had heard girls call this grinding or something along those lines. I felt like I would explode from the pleasure it was giving me. Before long we were kissing again and the combination of the three activities had us both moaning into the kiss. I felt the pressure building in me and I could tell he was feeling it too. I wanted nothing more than for the pressure to spill over. And then it happened, The phone rang.

With a groan, Thomas sits up and moves away from me. He looks back at me with a look of defeat and as I lie there panting. He walks over to the table with the phone and picks it up.

“Yes?” I can hear the irritation in his voice. He has his one hand holding the phone while the other is rubbing his forehead in irritation.“You called me this late at night to tell me this.” He pauses and lets the other person talk. “Ok. I get it I’ll deal with it in the morning. Goodnight.” He all but slams the phone down.

“Everything ok?” I ask breathlessly. He turns to me and sighs.

“Yeah, just your friend showing his ass over his accommodations. Megan doesn’t think they are grand enough for the new high-ranking members of the Chosen. Is she always this demanding?” He walks back to the bed and sits down.

“You have no idea.” I chuckle as we settle back into bed.

“I’m so the mood was killed.” He looks at me as we start to lay down.

“I won’t say I’m happy about it but maybe it was a good thing. Doing that much longer and we wouldn’t be leaving this room pure anymore.” I look into his eyes and see amusement. We start to lay back on the bed and I hear him chuckle. “What’s so funny? I figured you’d be all tore up that we had to stop.”

“I am tearing up about it but I also find what you said funny.” I look at him with a raised brow. “You are being so open with me and I love it. Being with you is the best thing that ever could have happened to me. I love every side of you that I a getting to see.” We are finally in our spots for sleeping. He is lying on his back and I am snuggled up to him with my head on his chest.

I feel him lift my chin and give me a light kiss on the lips. He then pulls me into a hug and gets his mouth close to my ears.

“I promise you that you soon will feel every inch of how good you make me feel. I am going to feast on you for hours whenever I get the chance. You may think that you’re plain, but baby you are as far from plain as you can get. You are sexy without even trying. Just the thoughts of you make me rock solid. So be prepared, cause I’m going to love you until you can’t think, walk, or talk straight.”

With one last kiss on the forehead, I found myself falling asleep in his arms smiling and excited for what’s to come.

14

Cora

The next morning I found myself waking up surrounded by warmth. There was an arm wrapped tightly around my waist and I was laying on top of Thomas. I mean literally on top of I’m. My face was pressed into his neck as he held me as close to him as possible. I took a moment to just soak in the feeling of this. I know that I am falling in love with him fast. The beat of his heart is giving me a calming sensation that I have never known. He is my peace.

“So how long do you plan to lay on me and tempt me?” I feel him adjusting under me and that is when I notice that he is very excited to be beneath me. I lift my head and look him in the eyes knowing that I am blushing but I want to move past that. I roll my hips slightly and kiss him on his neck.

“I think I am ready to move now that I got to feel you.” I giggle and jump up before he has the chance to hold me still. I turn and look as see his face is one of lust and loss. I smile and walk into the bathroom.

“You are teasing me early in the morning? You are playing with fire, my beautiful girl. Just wait until I get you alone tonight. We’ll see who the real tease is.” I hear him laugh as he walks off to another room. I can’t help the giant smile that comes to my face just thinking about spending time with him. After last night I think that I will be giving in a lot sooner than I thought.

Making My way down to the kitchen I notice that I am the first one ready. I quickly make my way into the kitchen and start making breakfast. There are a lot of things in the fridge that I have never made but I do find some eggs and bread. I start making French toast and bacon. Bacon was one of those rare treats that I had eaten only twice in my life. I had watched my grandmother make it so I knew what I was doing.

Cooking had been something that I had enjoyed. I made all sorts of recipes using the things that we were able to grow and raise, Chickens were something that we were able to keep fairly easily. Goats were another animal that most families in the village kept. Diets mainly consisted of vegetables and fruits that we not only ate fresh but canned as well. Most knew that you could not count on the leaders giving out food during the winter so it was best to make up a storage area for the winter.

I hear footsteps coming down the stairs and arms wrap around my waist. I tense up and then relax when I know it’s him.

“Moving too fast?” He whispered in my ear. His warm minty breath making shivers go down my spine. I turn in his arms and place both my hands on his face and pull him in for a kiss. I start slowly massaging his lips with mine. His eyes close and we instantly being to move together. His hands tighten their hold on my hips as I feel him pick me up. I wrap my legs around his waist and he moves us to sit me on the counter beside the stove.

He reaches over and cuts the last burner off and moving the bacon to a cooler surface. He then returns to me and attacks my mouth. His tongue slips in and I lose all train of thought. This man’s tongue is like a national treasure. I feel like everything in my life is infinitely better just by kissing him. I don’t even bother trying to fight for dominance since I only want to give in and let him kiss me. My hands begin to slide down his chest and I feel every muscle he has. Good, how did I not notice this before? This man is magnificent.

I find myself turning into a completely different version of myself when I am with him. I don’t have to play the sly dumb girl who no one notices. He makes me feel that I don’t have to be afraid of my own shadow. I put my hands at the base of his shirt and run my hands up his stomach. My god what a stomach it is. The rippling abs seem to go on forever.

He moans into my mouth and starts to pull away, living me panting and wanting nothing more than to jump him in the kitchen. I slowly open my eyes and see him looking down at me with lust swirling in his gaze. He looks at me the same way that I am looking at him. With need.

“We have to stop before we can’t. Besides I don’t want to let this amazing breakfast go to waste.” He kisses the end of my nose. I suddenly feel like I did something wrong like I am being rejected.

Thomas notices and immediately lifts my face to meet his eyes. “I am not rejecting you in any way. If we didn’t have to go into the office I would be more than happy to take back to our room and learn exactly every area that makes you shiver with delight and scream my name.” He then takes his tongue and licks my lips.

“You called it our room.” I smile up at him.

“At out of all that dirty talk, you take away that I called it our room.” He chuckles and kisses my forehead.

We eat our breakfast and make our way to the headquarters. After talking last night and what Thomas has said before I know that his whole demeanor will be different while we are there. I know he suspects that everything is bugged and that people are always watching. With this new plan of visiting the villages, we all four will have to make sure that we are giving nothing away in our actions that will raise any suspicion.

As soon as we get there we head straight to the office. Elliot and Rebecca soon join us and we split up to start preparing for the trip. Thomas and Elliot head out to a meeting that has been called to discuss the trip with the leaders of the chosen. Thomas has the ultimate say-so in everything but during our talk last night we all thought that it would be less suspicious if we make it seem like Thomas is wanting to see the villages and praise the leaders for the amazing job that they have been doing.

Elliot thought that it would even be a good idea to work with the leaders here on setting up some sort of incentive program for the local leaders to help them stay encouraged and to help them move up in the organization. Thomas agreed that this would be the perfect cover for our trip. Rebecca told me how a good 90% of those in the Chosen are power-hungry assholes as she put it. She said even the leaders here are out for more power. It is a constant power struggle of them trying to get closer to Thomas and Elliot in hopes that they can move up the ranks.

Rebecca takes me to the file rooms where she worked before she was mated. Now that she is with Elliot she is supposed to stay home and wait to have children and take care of her family. She seems to be happy but I wonder if she wishes that she could still be working outside the house. We walk up to file rooms and a man is standing guard outside.

“Hello, Mr. Ellis. Did you hear from our leader that I need to work in the file room today sir?” I noticed that she did the same thing that I do when around any man outside of our mates. respect is what has to be shown even if the man is deplorable.

“Yes, Sir Thomas told me to expect you. You may proceed. Do not give me any trouble.” Mr.Ellis hands over the key and then leaves to sit in an office right across the hall. Rebecca opens the door and then closes it as soon as I get in. She then locks the door and pulls something out of her dress pocket.

From the looks of it, it seems to be something that bolts the door. She is taking no chances of being seen. She then takes out a small device that almost looks like a pen but bigger. She clicks the top and I hear simultaneous pops throughout the room. She smiles and places it back into her pocket.

“Now that we don’t have to worry about being overheard we can talk all we want while we work.” She smiles wickedly and I know that she is wanting to talk about things that may make me embarrassed. After she shows me what to do we get to work on gathering all the data that we can.

“Rebecca, how do you feel about the word mate?” Rebecca looks up and I see that she has to stop and think about it. I have always felt like the term makes it sound like we are supposed to be one with the man who picks us. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Honestly I hate the term. I have read some of the books from before the illness and there was one genre that was about werewolves. Do you know what that is?” I nodded and she took that as her cue to continue. ” In these types of stories, the wives had a soulmate or mate who was the other half of their soul. In these stories, the mates were completely in love and they would do anything for each other. Nothing and no one would take the place of a mate.” She sighs and I see the pain in her eyes.

“My parents hated each other. They were nothing but two people who got put together by the Reaping. They were as far from soulmates as you could get. Growing up with those two examples you could only imagine how I felt about mates. Elliot, Thomas, and I have been friends since we were in diapers. So in all truth, I got incredibly lucky that I was able to be with someone I loved. I don’t call Elliot my mate when we are alone or with Thomas. I call him my husband.”

“That is what my grandmother calls my grandfather. They were together before the illness. They are so different from my parents. Mine is just like yours, they hate each other. I have read some books from before as well but they were mostly horror or really old romances. Like Janes Austin old.” I start laughing thinking about it.

“What’s so funny about that?” She giggles along with me.

“Well, I just can’t help but realize my romance knowledge is incredibly lacking. I would know exactly how to act if there was a ball introducing the new great lord of the manor or if vampires overran the world.” I giggled a little more.

“Oh, Hunny I can give you some stuff that will show you exactly how to act in romance. Have you two done it yet?” She wiggles her eyebrows at me. I feel my cheeks fire up.

“No. We came pretty close last night but no not yet”

“Girl these files can wait for a little while. I have work to do to prepare you for tonight!” For the next hour, I got a crash course in sex ed and the art of seducing a man.

15

Cora

By the end of Rebecca’s course in “love,” I was as red as humanly possible. She covered everything from A to Z and to be honest there was a lot to learn. No one in my life has ever been that open with me about what sex is and how it relates to love. I learned that sex without love is something that I am glad I never experienced. The way she describes her and Elliot’s love life made me see that I did make the right choice in not sleeping with someone just for the sake of getting to choose who it was.

“Rebecca I know I may look super embarrassed, which I am, but thank you for talking to me. I grew up with two wildly different sets of couples in my life. The sad thing is that neither talked about that part of life with me.” She looks at me with a soft look in her eyes, like one a big sister would give to the younger sister when she is giving advice.

“I will always be here for you Cora. In a little over a day, you have ingrained yourself into my heart as no other friend has before. I see a sister in you and I can’t wait to get even closer. So many girls have always tried to be my friend just to get close to Thomas and Elliot. It sucks to be used for power that you hold. With you, all I feel is your kindness and genuine interest in me, not my power.”

By the end of this speech, we are both crying tears of happiness at finally finding that friend who we know will be there for the other. We keep working until we notice that it is getting close to the time for lunch. Quickly wrapping up and finding a good stopping place we head out the door.

“I need to stop by the restroom I will meet you at the dining area,” I tell Rebecca as she gets ahead of me. She nods and heads on toward the dining area. I go into the restroom and take care of business. As I am walking out into the hall I notice that it has gotten eerily quieter in the hall.

“You know that he doesn’t really care anything about you. You’re just another show of power.” This voice is one I know well. I turn to see Michael leaned against the wall. He has a look of sadness on his face that doesn’t sit well with me.

After spending time away from his influence and around people who are real and true to their self I have learned to see right through his games. Michael is a manipulator plain and simple. What I ever saw in him that made me think we could be happy together has vanished into thin air. I knew that Michael always liked to play around with girls but now I know the true extent of that game. He is just like the rest of the men who take what they want. He may not outright rape a girl but he manipulates them into thinking that they are something special to him. He leads them on until they give him just what he wants. Power. Power over their heart and body.

Knowing that he continues to try and manipulate me makes me wonder what he is up to. I know that he has always been a sore loser ever since we were children. Was he just upset that he couldn’t trick me into giving up my virginity to him or is there something more under the surface? I decide to play along to figure out what his game is.

“What do you me, Michael? I thought he cared about me!” I will the tears to start in my eyes. Michael has only ever seen me as the subservient naively sweet girl who was willing to settle with him. He has no idea who I am. He walks toward me and corners me in a small area that is not that exposed to the rest of the hall.

“Oh, my sweet Cora.” He says as he takes his hand and grabs a strand of my hair in his hand. “Thomas just wanted you for the fact that you scored the highest on the test. As we speak he is seducing my mate, the girl he really wanted.” He says this while looking into my eyes with a sad expression.

This statement automatically sets my red flags to wave. Thomas just last night was talking about how frustrating Megan is with her demands. I knew that Michael was lying but I need to know what the plan really is.

“Your…..your lying. He wouldn’t do that to me.” I let my fake tears start to fall and begin to shake. Michael’s eyes light up in joy but he quickly masks it. He thinks that I am taking the bait.

“Oh Baby, I’m so sorry. If only I could have chosen you in the Reaping all of this sadness would never touch you.” He pulls me into a hug and coos to try and calm me. “Cora I have always loved you. It is killing me to know that you gave yourself to someone else.”

I immediately know what I must do next. He doesn’t know if we have slept together or not and he is trying to pull information from me. The question is do I tell him the truth or do I lie. Knowing that there is always some sort of gossip going around and that we are working on changing things I think it is best to lie for the time being.

“He said he loved me!” I cried harder. I could tell that part of him didn’t like the answer that I gave. He wanted me to still be pure. He still wanted that for himself, but I could also sense that he was glad I answered.

“Cora, Baby look up at me.” I did as he asked and what I saw was a man who knew exactly how to get what he wanted. He had played the game so much he was a pro at manipulation. “Listen I know that we both have mates but if they are going to go around behind our backs then why can’t we be together as well? I mean why not just be together in secret?”

“Because her mate will kick your ass if he finds out.” Rebecca stands there with her arms folded over her chest. She looks at Michael with a look of pure hatred in her eyes. I send her a look that lets her know that there is more going on than she knows. “If you two want that then you have to hide it better. I’m going to steal her back now before someone gets suspicious.”

She grabs my hand and begins pulling me toward the dining area. I look back at Michael and see him smile and mouth”We’ll talk later” as I am pulled away. Once we are clear of any prying ears I hug Rebecca.

“They are up to something. I’m Thomas is also getting a visit.” I pull back and we share a look of understanding. Rebecca and I can already read what the other is thinking, and we are both thinking that Thomas is in for a rough time with Megan.

Thomas

The whole morning has flown by and I am dying to see Cora. This morning has left me wanting nothing more than to be alone with her. Elliot has gone to meet the girls at the dining area to bring them and some food back to my office. Sitting here thinking about Cora is making it hard to sit still and pull her into a closet somewhere.

Just as I am getting myself too excited by that thought my office door swings open and there stands Megan in what can only be described as an almost nonexistent dress. She has her hair pulled back into some weird hairstyle that she must think looks sexy. She has her face caked in makeup which is something that you don’t see much outside of the Chosen’s mates.

“Is there something that I can do for you, Megan?” I keep my tone flat. As much as I want to yell at the girl I know that I have to keep up the appearance of the cold leader.

“Oh, I am here to do something for you.” She tries her best to giggle and give me a seductive look. All she has managed to do is make it harder for me to not lose control of my face and laugh at her. “You see I know that your mate Cora can’t satisfy you the way I can. She has no experience and she isn’t even remotely close to being as attractive as I am.”

She walks herself closer to me swaying her hips in a way that should be attractive but just makes me want to laugh all the more. Megan could be a very beautiful girl if she would lose the attitude and all the makeup. All the trying that she does just shows how little she thinks of herself. She is purely out for power.

“Right now she is sneaking around with my mate. Did you know that they were in love?” As soon as the words leave her mouth I know that she is up too. I’m sure Cora is also getting bombarded with lies and false promises of what that moron can give her. I need to get more information but at the same time, I need to talk to Cora and form a plan on how to handle the two power-hungry idiots.

“Listen this is all good but she is on her way here now. We can’t let anyone know that this is happening. Head back to your mate and I will be in touch when it is safe.” She smiles and walks over to me and kisses my cheek. I have to fight the urge to vomit from the smell of what I assume is some type of perfume.

“I’ll see you soon lover.” With that, she walks out the door. She had been gone a matter of seconds and Cora walks in and zeros her gaze in on my red lipstick-covered cheek. before I can say anything she starts.

“I’m guessing you had a visitor.”

16

Thomas

From the look on her face, I have no idea what to say. She gives nothing away in her gaze. Is she pissed, hurt or is she in shock? I go to wipe the lipstick off my cheek and see that it isn’t wanting to come off. I start to panic as Elliot and Rebecca walk into the room. They both stop and look from me to Cora who is standing still and with no expression on her face. My panic starts to rise even more when I suddenly hear a giggle. I turn and look at Cora who is starting to bend over at the waist laughing.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep it in anymore.” She keeps laughing and I see Rebecca is doing the same. Elliot looks at them and then looks at me in the silent question of what in the world is going on.

“Wait your not mad at me?” I ask finally getting most of the lipstick from hell off my face.

“No. Why would I be?” She tries to dry the tears she has from laughing so hard.

“Well maybe because someone else kissed me and I didn’t tell you.” I can feel a little irritation building up. Does she not care that I could have been messing around behind her back?

“Ok calm down Thomas. First I knew that little witch would be shoeing up since Michael ambushed me as well. Second I completely trust you. Just last night you were talking about how frustrating she was. I know you would never do that to me and if you did she would be the last woman you would go after.” She says all this walking up to me and wiping some of the lipstick from a place I missed. “And just so you know I played along a little with Michael to try and see what he is up to. I’m sure you did the same.” She smiles and hugs me.

“How did I ever get so lucky to have you?” I pull her tight against me and kiss the top of her head.

“I’m not sure but we both must be really lucky because I feel the same.” She looks up at me and gives me a quick kiss.

“Alright, as much as I love the fact that you two are so in love I’m hungry,” Elliot whines out. Cora laughed and takes my hand leading me to the table that I have in my office.

We sit and eat lunch and have fun just talking about random stuff. I watch Cora as she eats and talks with our friends. She is coming out of her shell when she is around us. I thought that I would be spending months working on getting her to open up to us. I can see that she and Rebecca are already becoming close by the way they are interacting with each other. I look over at them with a smile on my face when I notice Elliot has the same expression on his face.

Growing up it was the three of us and Elliot always worried that Rebecca would feel left out since she was the only girl. Now that Cora is here I see Rebecca blossoming into a woman every more. It’s like she feels more comfortable in her skin now that she has someone who can understand what she goes through.

Lunch ends with Elliot and I got back to work while the girls go back to their project as well. The afternoon drags on and I am ready for the day to end. Once it finally does we head home and Cora and I make dinner together.

Cora

All afternoon I have had this need to be near Thomas. Since Rebecca and I talked I have seen that what I am feeling is more than just like for him. I know that we are moving fast but I think that we are moving fast because we are so perfect for one another. The physical attraction is almost overwhelming at times and the emotional connection is as strong as any real action ship that I have ever had in my life. I feel like I can be an open book with him.

“Thomas, can I ask you a question?” He lifts his head from his plate and nods with a small smile on his face. He wipes sauce off his face as he does.

“So um…” I stop and take a deep breath. I have been dying to know about how he knows how to kiss so well and before we go further I just want everything out in the open. “Last night when we kissed that was my first time and I wanted to know how many girls you’ve kissed.” He looks at me with almost a shocked look on his face.

“What makes you think that I have kissed anyone before you?” I can’t tell if he is hurt or angered by the question.

“I wasn’t trying to stir up anything, I…. well… You’re just so good at it!” I finally force it out of my mouth and immediately can’t look him in the eye. I hear a chuckle coming from his side of the table and I finally look over to see a smirk on his face.

“I have never kissed anyone but you.” His smirk is still on his face. He looks thoroughly pleased with himself at the moment.

“But how?”

“I just did what I felt. I mean you have me going crazy most of the time and I just gave in to what I felt.” His smirk widened as did my eyes. “Cora you have no idea how much I care for you already.”

“If it is anything like the love I have for you I do.” The sentence leaves my mouth before I can stop it. I quickly stand up and head back into the kitchen afraid to see what he looks like. Maybe I said it too soon. I have always been slightly impulsive but I hide it in fear of what may happen to me if someone found out.

I hear footsteps rushing toward me and I’m turned around and kissed before I can even realize what has happened. He holds my face in his large hands as he kisses me with passion. I’m not sure how long we kiss before he pulls back. I open my eyes to see him staring down at me smiling.

“I love you too. I have wanted to say that for a while now.” His eyes show love and passion and before I know it I am kissing him this time. The kiss is something different this go around. There is a hunger that I can’t seem to stop coming through my kiss and he is just as hungry.

My arms wrap around his neck as I feel his hands lover down my sides. I feel him pat my behind signaling for me to jump up. I do so and without breaking the kiss. His hands hold me tightly as he moves us quickly to our bedroom. As we enter the room he pushes the door closed behind him and walks us over to the bed.

He sits me down on the floor and breaks the kiss. His eyes are asking me the question that his lips are dying to say. He wants me and I give him my answer by looking him in the eyes as I begin to take my dress in my hands. I lift it over my head so that I am standing there in only my slip and underwear. His eyes light with even more desire if that’s possible. I watch as he slowly unbuttons his shirt and removes it from his body. I slept in the same bed as him and watched him take off his shirt before, but this is something new altogether. It is as if we are putting on a show for each other.

Thomas ups the ante by unbuttoning his pants and slowly pulling them down his legs leaving him only in his boxer briefs. My eyes automatically follow them down to his ever-growing bulge that is trying but failing to hide in his underwear. I raise an eyebrow and slowly slip off my slip leaving me in only my bra and briefs. I slide one finger into the strap of my bra and ever so slowly lower the strap. I then repeat the action for the next side never taking my eyes away from him.

He swallows hard as he stares at my chest and my moving hands. Once the straps are down I reach back and open the back of the bra using my free hand to keep myself covered for just a moment more. Once I think that he can’t take it anymore I lower the bra to the floor. He looks at me with a yearning that I had always hoped to see in my man’s eyes. I then reach down and pull my briefs down and step out of them.

I stand before him completely naked. I have stripped myself bare for him, leaving nothing to hide behind. His eyes trail over me and I hear groans of approval coming from his throat. He looks at me as if I am the most beautiful painting in the world and all he wants to do is study me. I clear my throat and decide that one of us should take the initiative.

“Well, Thomas I am all yours. So what are you going to do with me?”

17

Cora

“Well Thomas, I am all yours. What are you going to do with me?”

As soon as the question left my lips the smirk came back to his face. He was enjoying the show and he had every intention of claiming his prize. He took his fingers and placed them in the waistband of his briefs and pulled them down. What I saw was the most amazing sight I have ever seen in my whole life.

This man could only be described as a man built to be the image of what a god should look like. His body was muscled hard everywhere you looked. I took in his body from top to bottom. I make my way down until I see the impressive length that is standing at full attention. I will be honest that I don’t have much to compare it to but I have accidentally seen a few over the years and I have to say I have never seen anything like this. I study him as if he were a statue on display for my personal viewing. He was long and wide with pulsing veins showing the train that he was under. I notice him making his way over to me and I know that we are going to surrender to the desire that we both have for one another.

“If at any point in time there is something you don’t want to do or you want to stop completely just say the word and I’ll stop. But I must warn you that I am trying very hard to be gentle and not lose control because you are the most gorgeous sight I have ever seen.” With that said he kisses me.

We kiss and begin to build into something deeper. I feel his hands begin to roam my body and I return the favor and do the same. The frenzy begins to build as we explore each other. I feel him pinch my erect nipples and I moan in return. the feeling is amazing and I find that I easily lose myself in him. He slowly lifts me and lays me back on the bed never once breaking the kiss. He moves his lips down my neck and I find myself grabbing his hair with my hands.

All that can be heard is my breathless moans and his kisses. He makes his way down my neck to my chest. He takes one nipple in his mouth as he massages the other with his hand. He slowly drives me crazy with his motions and suddenly switches sides and loves the other with equal tenderness. My mind begins to go blank as the pleasure sends me over the edge of logical thinking.

Suddenly he lifts his head and looks into my eyes as he starts kissing down my stomach. This hand moves down to my most intimate place. His fingers trail over my bundle of nerves and I feel my head begin to spin with pleasure. His mouth soon follows his hand and I feel as if I may explode from the pleasure it sends through me.

I tense as he kisses that same bundle of never and then I sigh as I open my legs further for him. I hear his chuckle as he continues his work. Never have I ever heard of what he is doing but I can say that this is the most amazing feeling in the world. He starts sucking on me as he slides one finger into me. There is a moment of a burning sensation before the pleasure starts. I feel myself building to some sort of plateau that feels like it will break me into a million pieces.

My moans get louder and I find myself itching to reach someplace I have never been before. My grip on his hair gets tighter as he continues the torturous task of making me his. I know that where ever I am headed it will not be long before I reach. I hear my voice begging please without even knowing what I am asking for.

“Let go for me, Baby. Just give in and fall over the edge.” His gravelly voice comes out and it is my undoing. I do as he says and I scream his name as it happens. My legs shake and I am breathless with my explosive end. “That’s it, Baby. Let me pleasure you.”

I begin coming down from my high as he makes his way back up to me. He kisses me and I can taste myself on him. For some reason, this turns me on even more knowing that he wanted to please me before getting his pleasure. The kiss turns heated again and I am on my back with Thomas laying between my legs grinding himself against my soaking hole. I know that what happens next will be a whole new world and I am dying to dive in.

I take my hand and travel down his washboard abs and grab his length in my hand. He moans into my mouth and I can instantly tell that he likes it. Instinct kicks in and I start to move my hand up and down him. His moans get more ragged and I feel him tense.

“If you keep doing that we will never make it to the main event,” Thomas says in between moans. I move my hand back up to his shoulder as he adjusts himself to where he is lined up with me. “If he gets to be too much tell me and I will stop.”

He slowly makes his way into my entrance and I feel that same burning sensation once again only this time stronger. He retracts slowly and enters a little deeper making sure to never fully leave me. He finally comes into contact with the wall that needs to be broken down. It kisses me deeply as he breaks down the last barrier that I have. I let out a small squeak of pain and Thomas stops moving.

“Are you ok? Should I stop?” I shake my head no and take my hands and press them against his but signally him to continue. He starts again and in the blink of an eye, we give in to the pleasure and are moving at an almost frantic pace.

We change to multiple positions as we both find certain ways that are more pleasurable for each other. I have no clue for how long we were are at it but soon enough I feel that familiar build beginning again. Thomas looks as if he is also getting to that point of no return.

“Thomas it’s coming again. I’m going to lose myself again.” I moan out as his pace becomes sloppy as he grunts and moves with a force that can only be called animalistic.

“Me too Baby. Let go with me. Together.” As the last word leaves his mouth I feel myself fall over the edge again and scream his name in pleasure. “Cora! Oh god, Cora!” He yells as I feel a new warmth spread throughout me.

He soon collapses on me and I wrap my arms around him tightly. He is breathless and sweating but I have never felt so at peace in my life. He flips us over to where I am laying on his chest and he begins to run his fingers through my hair.

“I’m so glad we both waited for the one we would spend our life with. Elliot was right when he said that love makes all the difference in sex.” I look up at him and grin.

“Rebecca said the same thing.” I chuckle along with him at this. “She told me that sex with someone you don’t love can’t compare to sex with the one you love.” He smiles down at me and kisses my forehead.

“I have nothing to compare it to but, I hope your ready because I will want to be with you all the time now,” Thomas says with that little smirk on his face.

“Good because I don’t think that I will ever get my fill of you either.” I lay my head on his chest and feel myself drifting off into the best sleep of my life. Sleeping with the love of my life.

18

Cora

I awake the next morning to the sunlight peeking its way through the curtains. I feel Thomas’s heat wrapped around me like I am a butterfly in a cocoon. His shallow breathes hit the back of my head and I smile to myself knowing that he is exhausted from last night.

I look over at the clock to see that it is past ten in the morning and find myself panicking thinking that we have overslept and are going to be late. I turn in his arms and try to wake him.

“Thomas. Thomas. We are late. Please wake up.” I feel him stir and I can tell that he is fighting to go back to sleep. I continue my assault on him to wake up when I notice that he is grinning that mischievous grin that he sometimes gets. This man is enjoying man panic!

I start to pull myself from his arms when he wraps them tighter around me and chuckles. His eyes open and I see the sparkle in them showing that he is having fun at my expense.

“Baby it’s the weekend we don’t have to go today or tomorrow.” He kisses my cheeks and snuggles into the crook of my neck breathing in deeply.

“What’s a weekend?” I ask completely lost as to what he is talking about. Thomas quickly lifts his head and looks at me like I’ve lost my mind.

“You don’t know what a weekend is?” I shake my head no and I see the look of pity on his face. Once again there is something that we in my village have failed to learn about. “A weekend is Saturday and Sunday. It is days that are supposed to be a rest for those who work. Do the men and unmated women not do that in your village?”

“No. We work every day. I’m sure my grandparents know what it is since they lived before the illness, but they never spoke of it. I guess they were afraid of what may happen if they did. So we really get to stay here and enjoy the day?”

His smile lights up my day and I know that I am in for a treat to be able to stay home with him the entire day. He nods and acts as if he wants to go back to sleep until his stomach roars to life signaling that the beast is hungry. I giggle and start to get out of bed to make breakfast.

“Wait!” His voice raises as he reaches for me. I turn back and look at the smirk forming on his face. “Let’s get a shower first.”

My cheeks flame at the thought of bathing with anyone. I know that after last night the last thing I should be is shy, but sex is one thing bathing is another. I have always thought of it as my personal alone time that I didn’t have to worry about someone else needing something. I could spend the time how I wanted, think about what I wanted. All that seemed like it was what I wanted, but when I looked over at his expectant gaze I knew I wanted to be with him in every aspect of life.

I reach over and take his hand and lead him to the bathroom. We take our time and spend it enjoying each other’s company. There was no funny business just two people taking care of one another. We did everything for each other up to the dressing. it was an intimate moment that meant so much more than just sex. It was us sharing our care and devotion to the other.

Breakfast was consisted of us playing around in the kitchen eating fruit and toast while cutting up. After last night it seems that any barriers that we had in our interaction together had all disappeared. It felt like we had always been together and I loved the closeness that we shared. After cleaning up from our meal we head into the living room.

“I know that we kinda got distracted last night, but I think we need to talk about what happened yesterday,” Thomas says as we both sit down on the couch.

“You’re right. just know that I never doubted you a bit. As soon as Michael came up to me and started talking I knew that he was up to something. When he brought you up and said that you didn’t care about me I knew that you were most likely getting your own visit as well.” Thomas shook his head and had a look of disgust on his face.

“That girl honestly thinks that she is a seductress. To be honest, I wanted nothing more than to laugh in her face, but I knew that I need to find out what she was up to.” The horrified look on his face let me know that he was remembering what happened.

“Thomas I think that they are trying to drive a wedge between us. They think that if they can pull us away from each other that they will be able to gain something from it. I’m not sure if it is only the two of them in on it but something is happening.” I reach over and wrap my arms around his waist and place my head on his chest.

“Hhhhmmm. You probably right. At first, I thought it was a good idea to play along but I don’t want to be anywhere near that girl. I’m also afraid of what he may try to do to you if he gets you alone. I don’t think he is happy with the fact that you never gave in to his demands.” His hand starts running through my hair as we fall into silence trying to think of a way out of this mess.

“Maybe we should include Elliot and Rebecca on this?” I say this and raise my head to look at him. “I know that it isn’t something that you want to do, but I think that it would be best to try and get more information out of them if possible.”

I can see the wheels in his head turning as he thinks this over. For all that he has had to deal with Thomas is an incredibly intelligent man who thinks first and acts later. The whole situation is tricky when you look at all the problems that are happening at once.

“You’re right again. If we have any hope of any of this working in our favor we need all the help we can get. I’ll call them and see if they want to come over tonight. In the meantime how about I teach you how to play video games?”

“Yes please!”

**********

Elliot and Rebecca make it to the house later in the day and we proceed to head into the safe room. Thomas fills them both in on what we talked about and now we are all working on a plan.

“Cora just thinks that there is more to the plot than what those two are acting on. We feel that there is possibly someone else in the mix as well. We think going along with it for a while maybe our best option.” Thomas talks with all confidence in my ideas and for the first time in my life, I begin to realize that I can be of some use for something more than what we have been taught that women can do.

“Ok that makes sense but how can we help?” Elliot looks to Thomas with a look of pure concern. It is obvious that he wants to make sure that we are all safe in this little adventure.

“Well, I was thinking that you guys could sort of trail us when we think that they may make a move. Or if you have some sorta tech tool that could make a recording of what happens.” As the words leave my mouth I sense Thomas’s pride in the plan I have.

“I think that is a great idea. Elliot your always talking about wanting to find and use spy toys ever since you guys played that spy game.” Rebecca chimed in. She gives me a wink and smile. “How about you two keep talking over the plan and we’ll get some snacks.”

She takes my hand and pulls me toward the door. Once we are out of earshot she begins the assault of questions I knew that I would get. With a look of a child who is getting a present that they have wanted for a long time.

“Go ahead and ask I know that you want to.” She squeals and grabs my hand leading me quickly to the kitchen.

“Did you guys do it? I mean you both have a glow about you today.” I giggle and that is all she needs to hear. She immediately hugs me and she is jumping up and down like she won a prize. “Tell me how was it?”

“Um, I’m not sure if…”

“Don’t even try that with me, young lady. I know for a fact that those two are most defiantly talking about what happened last night instead of coming up with a plan. So spill.”

The next thirty minutes were spent telling her what happened last night while making snacks to take back to the guys. Walking into the room I knew that no plans had been made since our first sight is of the two hugging and congratulations being given. I know that we are in for a long night of planning and maybe even some teasing from our friends.

19

Thomas

After hours of debating the plan finally fell into place. Cora and I are to continue to lead on Michael and Megan getting them to trust us as much as possible before we leave for our trip. The problem is going to be keeping them from trying to get to physical. I know that I can handle myself but I am worried that Michael may get too rough on Cora. The man has some issues with losing and I think that is exactly what he thinks is happening with Cora. He wants to win and she is the ticket for him to do just that.

We currently have three days until we leave for our trip. Cora and Rebecca are finishing up with gathering up all the information that we will need to start finding out what is going on in the villages. Elliot is working on making sure we have all sorts of tech that will help us to gather and record what is happening so that I can once and for all change what is happing in this world.

I am sitting at my desk when my door opens and Megan walks in. Per her usual, she wheres something that shows half her body and she looks like she dipped herself in paint. I think the hardest part of this plan is pretending that I am attracted to the girl.

“Hey Baby! I was hoping that we could spend a little time together before you have to leave. I’ve been dying to be alone with you. Let’s have some fun.” She walks over to me and before I even have time to react she has her hands on my crotch. She stokes as if her life depends on it and I am doing all that I can to pretend to be into it. She purrs in my ear and begins to kiss my neck.

“Wait. Wait. She could walk in at any moment. I need her to make me look good so I have to keep her happy. You get that right?” I say in all seriousness while tucked a stray hair behind her ear. That must have done the trick because she is now putty in my hand.

“I know but I just need you so much. I have never felt this way before. I know that we could be perfect together.” She puts her hand over mine and holds it to her face.

“I know babe. We just need to hold on a little longer until we get back from the trip. Once the villages see that I am in total control then we can do anything that we want. Just be patient with me.” As gross as I feel doing it I make myself kiss her forehead. Cora and I talked about this and we both agreed on no kissing on the mouth but cheeks and foreheads could help us further our cause.

“I do need you to do something for me though,” I say while smiling down at the woman who repulses me.

“What is it? I’ll do anything for you.” She purrs and hugs me tightly.

“I need to know if any plans or rumors are floating around that could affect us. I need to stay in control and I know that some want to take me down. you can be a good girl and let me know right?” Her eyes light up and I know that I have her at that moment. She will do anything to get power and this just proves it.

“I’ll find out all of it for you and when you return you’ll be all mine.” She licks my cheek and turns and walks out the door. I feel my lunch coming up and have to make myself calm down. It may seem a little overdramatic but that girl grosses me out more than I thought possible.

Minutes later Elliot walks in and he takes one look at my face and can tell that there is something wrong. I hold my hand up signally that we will talk later and all will be explained. We both get to work and I find myself hoping that Cora has not been put into the same bad situation today.

I know that she is smart enough to handle herself but there is just something that keeps nagging me that she could be in danger. Rebecca swore to keep a close eye on her but I can’t help but worry. She has become a part of me in such a short amount of time.

Cora

Michael has been coming after quite a bit over the last few days. I have managed to stay with Rebecca and safe from being alone. Today however Rebecca has been busy getting more stuff together for the trip. Thomas has been worried about me being alone with him but if I have any hope of getting information from him I have to spend time with him.

I am working on gathering the last of the records for food distribution when I hear the door open and close and a lock being turned. I take a deep breath knowing that this is the moment I have been waiting for. I turn to see a smirking Michael leaned against the door.

“If I didn’t know better I would think that you are avoiding me, Love.” He walks over to me and pulls me into his arms.

“Rebecca has been sticking to me like glue. I hope you know that I’m not trying to avoid you.” I say as I wrap my arms around his neck.

He placed his head in the crook of my neck and takes a deep breath. It feels strange to think that this man is acting as if being close to me is calming. If he truly wanted me this bad he never would have disappeared on me or slept with all those girls.

“I know you have to leave soon and it’s killing me to let you leave with him. He is currently entertaining Megan. I can’t believe that he would do that to go. You are way more beautiful and he is a fool to throw you away for that tramp.” He trails his nose up my neck where he begins to lay open-mouthed kisses on me.

“Soon we will be together. I just hope that he’ll let me go. I don’t know what we ’lol do if he won’t.” I know that I am trying to bait him, but he isn’t always the brightest bulb in the box.

“Well, Baby we do have to keep women under control. It is the only way to achieve the goal.” With these words, I knew that I was stumbling onto something here. “All the hard work would go down the drain if he doesn’t put up a fight and lets you have a choice. The whole point of the reaping is to keep women under the thumb of men. I would never do that to you of course but we can’t let anyone know that. I could lose my place in the Chosen.” He continues his ministrations on my neck and I was trying hard to act like I was enjoying it.

“Do you think there is more going on than we know? I just don’t want to cause any trouble for you. If we have any hope of being together you need to stay in your rank.” I started to kiss his forehead and run my hands through his hair.

“Oh Love you have no idea. I am right in the middle of the plan. I can’t tell you everything just in case Thomas figures things out. I don’t want you to be in danger. Just know that I am working with the mastermind behind it all and I will keep you safe. Just stay that sweet quiet girl who just does what she’s told.” He moves in to kiss me as a pounding starts at the door.

“Cora I know you’re in there! Open this door!” Thomas yells as he continues to pound on the door. Anger is radiating from the door and I feel Michael tense.

“Go hide in the back stacks I will keep him distracted. If I don’t see you before I leave please stay safe.” I kiss Michael’s cheek and push him toward the back. I run over and open the door when he is hidden and find a fuming Thomas at the door.

“What the hell is going on. Why did you lock the door?” Thomas yells while walking deeper into the room. I make sure that I am facing away from Michael’s view and give Thomas a look that lets him know that I was in the middle of getting info. I see understanding pass through his eyes and I know that he too is playing along.

“I…I was working and I must have locked the door by mistake. I’m sorry.” I stutter out trying to make it seem as if I am scared of Thomas. Although I have never heard him yell before I knew that he was doing it all just in case Michael was there.

“Why are you so careless? Megan would never do something so stupid. Why did I pick you instead of her?” He storms off and I run after him to make it look as real as possible.

We make our way to the door and get into the car, neither saying a word until we get home. As soon as we get inside Thomas scoops me into his arms and kisses me with everything he’s got. For several moments nothing happens other than us holding each other as tightly as possible. We fight for dominance in the kiss and I eventually give in and let him take control. He pulls away and hugs me tighter.

“I thought that something bad was happening when I found that door locked. Megan came into my office and I knew that Michael would make his move when I was distracted. Are you ok?” He places his hands on either side of my face and looks at me with concern.

“I’m fine other than being grossed out by having to be that close to him. I managed to keep from getting kissed on the lips but I had to give me a little something so that he would tell me something.” He raises his eyebrows at this and I know that he is wondering what I gave him.

“He kissed me neck and I kissed his forehead and cheek. But I did get some information from him. He says he is working with the mastermind behind the goal. That women have to stay under the thumb of men to make the plan work.”

“This may be bigger than we thought,” Thomas says while looking worried. “Hopefully the trip will help shed some light on who this mastermind is.”

20

Thomas

The last couple of days at headquarters went quickly and both Cora and I both managed to stay out of the path of Michael and Megan. This morning we are leaving for our first visit to village number one. At the beginning of his control, my grandfather thought it best to not name the new villages. So many were dealing with the shock of what happened to our world that he thought it best to have a fresh start.

Throughout my childhood, I would often hear stories about how he led the people to peace and stability. There were never any real in-depth details given but they always gave an overview of what happened. I am hoping that in seeing these villages and speaking with the leaders there, I will be able to uncover some of what happened in the past.

“So what is the plan once we arrive?” Rebecca asks.

“First we’ll head to the hotel and get you guys settled in. Until we know how the leaders feel about women, we need to keep you too safe and out of the limelight. If we find a place that is accepting of women then we use your help.” Elliot says looking back at her.

Elliot did a quick sweep of our vehicle to make sure it was free of any devices that would listen in or record us. The girls made themselves comfortable in the back while Elliot drove us to the first stop. We are starting with the closest village which also happens to be the largest one.

Being located near the headquarters has made it possible for this village to be able to expand greatly compared to the other villages. The leaders here are said to be some of the biggest supporters that the Chosen has ever had.

“I don’t expect there to be anything off about this village. With it being this close I have a feeling that they have stayed more under our influence than the villages further out.” I say trying to let them know that this may be the easiest visit that we have.

“After talking to Michael I just can’t help but feel like some people in the Chosen may have something to do with all this. I know that you trust your family and I hope that they have nothing to do with it. I just feel like there has to be someone in the organization who knows what is happening to women throughout the continent.” Cora says looking out the window.

“I agree with her. Even though they all may not have those opinions I think that they all know about the problems but no one is willing to do anything about it.” Rebecca adds as she looks upfront at us. With that statement, we all fall silent for the last few minutes of the drive.

**********

Elliot and I make our way to the hall that holds the offices of the leaders of Village One. Their head leader who’s name is Alfred stands at the front of the building waiting for us. He is an older man and I can tell that he has been at this for as long as it has been a position.

“Leader we are humbled by your visit here today,” Alfred states while holding his hand out for a handshake. I put on my leader persona and make sure that I give nothing away.

“Thank you, Alfred. We are here to do a tour of your village and to review some of your records. My right hand Elliot and I are looking to update how we keep inventory as well as what we can do to help make use of some of the past technology that is still available.” Alfred’s eyes light up and it is easy to see that he is happy to share any bit of information with us that he can.

“Sir I would be more than happy to share all that information with you. If I may be so bold as to say that I have been using some of the past computer systems to help keep our records as up to date as possible.” I raise an eyebrow to show my interest. It has never been forbidden to use the past tech it is just that the younger generations were never widely taught to use them.

“I know that most do not use them but in the past, I worked in computer programming and I thought it was a waste to let all that training go to waste. I have built some spreadsheets which our village uses to ensure that everything is accounted for.”

“We would appreciate you sharing this information with us. There may be problems with records in some of our more remote villages and this would help us to better stay abreast of their information.” Elliot states and gives me a look that goes unnoticed by the others. We may have just found an alley if we need one.

We make our way inside and I can tell that this village runs smoothly and that the women here are treated as equals. From the way Cora acted in the past it is easy to tell that this is no act that they are putting on. I have learned to read people and Cora proved to me that even when someone tries their best they still give clues to the truth of how they feel.

These men and women work together seamlessly and it is obvious that this is an everyday occurrence. Women appear to hold high positions in the community and I can see that this helps keep everyone in check and working together. We walk into an office and Alfred closes the door. I hear a click and see that he has hit a button on some sort of remote/

“Please know that everything that is said in this room is free from being listened to in any way. Please know that I mean no disrespect but I haven’t always been able to trust leaders from headquarters in the past.” He sighed and sits down behind his desk. “Sir I have watched you closely since you first started your training to be the next leader. I know that you do not agree with some of the ideas that float around some of the villages.”

“And how do dI know that I will be able to trust you, Alfred?” I ask with the most serious look I can muster. If this man is telling the truth then there most definitely is something going on involving someone in a leadership position.

“Well, you just have to trust me. That and I am going to give you evidence of what I think you are looking for. Sir, This goes deeper than you know. I will not be able to tell you exactly who all is involved but I can say that it will involve people you never would have expected.”

My shock is almost instantaneous. I never would have thought that there was a potential for the people that are behind the problems could have been people I trusted.

“Before you ask the people with you can be trusted. They alone will be the ones that you can count on through this. Like your friend Elliot, I use past tech to help me in everything. Those that are behind this use it as well. That is part of the problem.” He sighed and shakes his head in thought.

“So if this is a problem then how are we going to catch them?” This question seems almost too obvious to ask but I do it anyway.

“I said they were using it, not that they were using it correctly.” He chuckles and for the first time since this conversation started I let my guard down slightly.

“I and your friend seem to be the only ones who have enough knowledge to keep ourselves from being seen. Anyone can use tech it is whether or not you can protect yourself that is the factor that determines whether you are good or not. ” He stands and walks over to a bar and pours a whiskey into two glasses. “Elliot has hidden well. There are no traces of the two of you to be found and I know that you are using it because we were unable to pick up a signal of what was being said in that vehicle.”

“Someone has tried to listen in to me in every area that I use. Elliot has made sure that there are a few places that it can’t happen.”

“Well, then I think that we should get him in here so that I can give you the full story of what I have. Don’t you?” He chuckles again and I know that this will be a turning point for us. This man may have exactly what we need to get started on this journey.