amount of
time. These ships are supplied with only enough fuel and supplies
to take us to the destination planet and then home again."
Ashleigh felt tears press behind her eyelids
again. She hadn't cried since that first night, but she wanted to
cry now. She just didn't believe it. She didn't want to
believe it. But looking at Sloan through blurry eyes, she knew that
it was true. She really couldn’t go home. It helped some to know
that Sloan thought a great deal of Eden, and so far, he'd been
nothing but kind to Ashleigh even though she'd been difficult, but
it wasn’t enough to take away the ache of not being able to go
home. She would never see her mother again or apologize for not
calling her when she’d had the chance. She would never see her
friends again, or her boss.
"I don't know that I'll ever stop wanting to
go home, Sloan. I hope you can understand that." She sniffled and
wiped at her eyes with a small napkin.
"I do. But for what it's worth, I think that
in time you'll change your mind."
Silence fell between them, but it wasn't
strained. Neither of them had any more to say about the
situation.
Ashleigh spent the day with her, watching
vids and talking about the similarities and differences between
their people. It was a strange twist of fate that something had
happened to their females to prevent them from having girl babies.
And it was her bad luck that she was picked to help further their
race.
When she walked with Ashleigh back to Eden's
chamber, they found him pacing inside. His face split into a broad
smile of relief when they walked in. He hugged Sloan and asked her
to stay for dinner, which she accepted. Over dinner they talked
about the differences in plant and animal life between the two
planets. Their people were scientifically minded, but they were
also agricultural. Although many things were similar enough,
Ashleigh knew that their planet was going to take some getting used
to.
When Sloan left after dinner, Eden joined her
on the couch with a bowl of ronii , and they watched some
vids about the art history of his people.
When the nightmare came that night, and she
looked into Eden's sleep-blurred eyes and watched the terror slide
into relief, she felt another little bit of her heart lost to him.
It angered her, because it felt like a betrayal of her own kind,
but she seemed to be unable to stop it. He was sweet and kind, and
even though she hated that she’d been taken from Earth, she
couldn’t help the warm feelings that surfaced whenever she was with
him.
The fourth day, Eden took her on a long
elevator ride up to the top deck of the ship to the observation
deck, telling her they called them transports and not
elevators.
"I reserved this time for us, Ashleigh. There
won't be anyone else up here for the next hour. I know you're bored
in the chamber, but it’s part of the agreement that we sign when we
take a bride, that you have to be sequestered until we arrive on
planet and then another moon cycle after. Because Sloan is a
medical officer, you're allowed to visit with her, but otherwise,
you aren't supposed to have contact with anyone but me."
"Did something happen that made that a
rule?"
"I think you can guess that some women
gathered together and tried to find a way to escape. Unfortunately,
they were injured, and one of them died when she stepped into an
airlock, sealed herself in, and blew the lock. She died out in
space. I know she didn't want to be part of our world, but I don't
think she wanted to die like that."
"What happens if a woman refuses?" The door
to the transport opened, and they stepped out into a large
oval-shaped room.
"If, after the moon cycle on the planet is
over and the woman is still insistent that she cannot remain as
bride to her husband, then she is taken to the Bordelayz until a more suitable mate can be found."
She turned to look at him in surprise. "What
is the Bordelayz ?"
"It's a brothel, Ashleigh. Do you know what
that is?"
"Y-yes," she
time. These ships are supplied with only enough fuel and supplies
to take us to the destination planet and then home again."
Ashleigh felt tears press behind her eyelids
again. She hadn't cried since that first night, but she wanted to
cry now. She just didn't believe it. She didn't want to
believe it. But looking at Sloan through blurry eyes, she knew that
it was true. She really couldn’t go home. It helped some to know
that Sloan thought a great deal of Eden, and so far, he'd been
nothing but kind to Ashleigh even though she'd been difficult, but
it wasn’t enough to take away the ache of not being able to go
home. She would never see her mother again or apologize for not
calling her when she’d had the chance. She would never see her
friends again, or her boss.
"I don't know that I'll ever stop wanting to
go home, Sloan. I hope you can understand that." She sniffled and
wiped at her eyes with a small napkin.
"I do. But for what it's worth, I think that
in time you'll change your mind."
Silence fell between them, but it wasn't
strained. Neither of them had any more to say about the
situation.
Ashleigh spent the day with her, watching
vids and talking about the similarities and differences between
their people. It was a strange twist of fate that something had
happened to their females to prevent them from having girl babies.
And it was her bad luck that she was picked to help further their
race.
When she walked with Ashleigh back to Eden's
chamber, they found him pacing inside. His face split into a broad
smile of relief when they walked in. He hugged Sloan and asked her
to stay for dinner, which she accepted. Over dinner they talked
about the differences in plant and animal life between the two
planets. Their people were scientifically minded, but they were
also agricultural. Although many things were similar enough,
Ashleigh knew that their planet was going to take some getting used
to.
When Sloan left after dinner, Eden joined her
on the couch with a bowl of ronii , and they watched some
vids about the art history of his people.
When the nightmare came that night, and she
looked into Eden's sleep-blurred eyes and watched the terror slide
into relief, she felt another little bit of her heart lost to him.
It angered her, because it felt like a betrayal of her own kind,
but she seemed to be unable to stop it. He was sweet and kind, and
even though she hated that she’d been taken from Earth, she
couldn’t help the warm feelings that surfaced whenever she was with
him.
The fourth day, Eden took her on a long
elevator ride up to the top deck of the ship to the observation
deck, telling her they called them transports and not
elevators.
"I reserved this time for us, Ashleigh. There
won't be anyone else up here for the next hour. I know you're bored
in the chamber, but it’s part of the agreement that we sign when we
take a bride, that you have to be sequestered until we arrive on
planet and then another moon cycle after. Because Sloan is a
medical officer, you're allowed to visit with her, but otherwise,
you aren't supposed to have contact with anyone but me."
"Did something happen that made that a
rule?"
"I think you can guess that some women
gathered together and tried to find a way to escape. Unfortunately,
they were injured, and one of them died when she stepped into an
airlock, sealed herself in, and blew the lock. She died out in
space. I know she didn't want to be part of our world, but I don't
think she wanted to die like that."
"What happens if a woman refuses?" The door
to the transport opened, and they stepped out into a large
oval-shaped room.
"If, after the moon cycle on the planet is
over and the woman is still insistent that she cannot remain as
bride to her husband, then she is taken to the Bordelayz until a more suitable mate can be found."
She turned to look at him in surprise. "What
is the Bordelayz ?"
"It's a brothel, Ashleigh. Do you know what
that is?"
"Y-yes," she
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