Given Read online

  Given

  by

  Ashlynn Monroe

  Given

  Copyright © 2013, Ashlynn Monroe

  ISBN: 9781937325497

  Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.

  Electronic Publication: January, 2013

  Editor: Leigh Lamb

  Cover: Fantasia Frog Designs

  eBooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Back Cover Copy

  In a world without choices, one woman will find herself caught in the middle of six men and the emotions they develop for her.

  Krista Damiani is one of the last women on Earth, and her patriotic duty is to make babies. On her twenty-first birthday, the government holds a lottery drawing to determine the men who will control her destiny. Her “six”, the men who win the right to call her their own, know they have to impregnate her quickly or risk losing her to a new “six”.

  As society fills with additional violence and unrest, her men keep her sheltered in a fortress of maximum security. When a mysterious man arrives and offers her the chance for freedom, will she be willing to leave the life she knows behind or will she remain “given”?

  Content Warning: contains voyeurism, multiple partners, and anal sex

  Dedication

  I’d like to dedicate this book to the amazing staff at Beachwalk Press. My incredible editor Leigh Lamb is absolutely my hero. I’d also like to thank my Facebook peeps who’ve shown me love and support throughout the writing process. You guys rock! **HUGS**

  Chapter 1

  “I’m going to run away,” Cina said.

  Kristannie Damiani looked up from her book to stare at her best friend and roommate silently.

  “I know I’ve said it before, but I mean it. You’ll be gone next week. I can’t stand it here anymore. Without you, my incarceration will be unbearable!”

  “I’m trying not to think about leaving. You’ll survive, we all have to.” Krista didn’t mean to sound unkind, but she was the one who should be freaking out, not Cina.

  “Sorry. I get how much it sucks to be you right now, but at least you’ll be getting out of this place and away from Frau Bitchenstein.”

  Kristannie chuckled. She hated Miss Ramstein as much as the rest of the girls. They’d dubbed the evil woman Frau Bitchenstein because of her German accent and bad attitude. But no matter how hard she made their lives, it was hard not to pity her. She was just as much a prisoner as the girls were. “You’ll be okay without me, Cina. You’ll see.”

  “Like hell I will. You’ve been the closest thing to family I’ve had since I was ten. I had my brothers and dad, they really loved me, but then I was ripped away from my home. It was hard for me. You’re lucky all you had was your mom. You never had to hurt like I have.”

  Gaping at her friend with open-mouthed shock, it took Krista a moment to respond. “Lucky? How is orphaned at three years old lucky?”

  “You don’t remember what it’s like not to have a family.”

  “I remember my mom. I also remember being alone for days in our apartment with her corpse. None of us are lucky.”

  “Sorry.” Cina had the courtesy to look contrite. “It was hard when my mom and my older sister died. I was so little, I don’t even remember them. I just remember my dad crying and keeping me inside the house. He made my older brothers take turns staying home from school with me, he was so afraid I’d get sick too,” Cina said, shrugging sadly. “Then they still kept me home because they were afraid I’d be taken.” Cina walked over to her dresser and picked up her only photo of her father and brothers. She rubbed the glass lovingly.

  “When my mom’s boss finally called the police, because she hadn’t gone into the office for days, they came to the apartment and broke down the door. I remember holding her body and screaming as they took me away from her. I don’t even know what they did with her body. She’s probably in one of the mass graves. I can’t even remember the name of the town I’m actually from. They brought me here, and I’ve never left. I can’t remember much about my dad. Maybe he was just a man in Mom’s life. I know he didn’t live with my mom. I’ve been here since this was a tent city. I don’t know why I was immune, but my mom wasn’t.”

  Cina had a faraway look on her face. “I heard that if your dad had immune female relatives, you’re immune. I don’t think it’s true, because my sister died. She was fourteen, so maybe she didn’t make it because she’d hit puberty already, but I wish they had a real answer for us. If it comes back, I want to know I’m safe.”

  Krista nodded to her friend in agreement.

  Cina let her hand fall away from the photo. “Who knows, maybe it’s all randomness. So, are you scared?” she asked, turning back to look at Krista.

  “I told you I’m trying not to think about it,” Krista whispered. She opened her book again, hoping Cina would give her some peace.

  “I’d be happy.”

  Sighing, Krista closed the book again. She knew Cina well enough to know she wouldn’t drop the subject until she was satisfied. They’d have to have this talk at some point before tomorrow, so she gave up on ignoring her pending doom. “Why would you be happy? Do you really think there’s anything out there for any of us anymore?”

  “Yes. Freedom. I don’t care who my six are. I just want out of here. They aren’t stupid enough to hurt us. If they did that, we’d be back in the lottery. Women’s Social Services will be checking up on us regularly.”

  “Oh goodie, more people like Frau Bitchenstein coming ’round to tell us how to live. You talk about freedom as if it still exists for those of us with the double X chromosomes. Cina, we are all prisoners for life. Even if you get the kindest, wealthiest six, do you think they’ll just let you hop on a plane and travel? Do you think the day after they Give you, you’ll be able to learn to drive a car or just skip down the street unaccompanied? Hell no! You’ll be even more of a prisoner, and you’ll be raped every night on top of it. Only they won’t call it rape—they’ll call it repopulation.”

  Kristannie shook with the anger inside of her that had been building for the last eighteen years. She’d watched the tent city grow into a massive secure complex and seen more and more girls arrive against their will. Unlike herself, these girls had fathers and brothers who loved them. It wasn’t fair that women were the most valuable commodity on the planet. She just wanted to be human and live life. Cina had gone too far this time. Krista couldn’t put the cork back in the bottle.

  “Fuck you, Cina! You get to stay here another year. At least you have control over your body while you’re here. Me—six men will rape me—very soon. I’m going to have a goddamn monitor implanted in my arm so they can track me if I decide to run. Freedom, my ass! Oh, they’ll say it’s to protect me from those who kidnap women of childbearing age and sell them to wealthy men who can’t participate in the lottery, but it’ll only be for my six to know where the hell I am all the time. There are apps for it. Apps! They’ll just pull out their cellphones and see where I am all day long. They’ll also have private security to ‘guard’ me. This place is heaven compared to what I’m going to be dealing with.”

  Krista was trying not to cry. Saying what awaited her aloud escalated her growing panic. A deeply imbedded terror she’d been trying to control for the last six months clawed to the surface of her consciousness.

  “They don’t tell you any of this crap until the last few months. You know why—so you don’t freak out. If the girls here knew what wa
s going to happen to them on their twenty-first birthday, they’d have a riot on their hands. I look at the little ones and want to cry. Think about it, Cina, our moms died when we were two and three. They died with almost every other woman on the planet, and the few female survivors hadn’t had girls after the epidemic. The teens who survived were Given, and the children being sent here now are their daughters. That’s what will happen if we have daughters, they’ll be taken away on their tenth birthday and we’ll never see them again!” She paused. Her rant left her emotionally drained. Krista put her hands over her eyes, as if she could block out the terrible truths. “They’ll tell us it’s to protect our daughters from those who would take them from us to sell. They’ll tell us they have to preserve the human race and our sacrifice is an obligation to our country, but do you think those words will make it hurt less?” Kristannie took her hands off her face to look at her friend. Cina said nothing, which was unusual for the emotional and bubbly twenty-year-old.

  “I didn’t know. God, I’m sorry, Krista. We have to get out of here.”

  “And go where?”

  “Who cares as long as we don’t get a six pack?”

  Krista shook her head. She loved Cina like a sister, a sister she’d never see again after tomorrow night, but the woman didn’t have a practical bone in her body.

  “I’d rather have my six than be taken by human traffickers. At least I know my six are healthy, economically solvent, and have to treat me right. If they step out of line, even a little, I have the right to request a new six, and it doesn’t take more than one request to be up on the lottery board for the evening drawing. Last week, three out of seven nights there weren’t any birthdays in our region. Men aren’t foolish enough to risk losing their woman. It’s not as it was. A woman can’t just walk down the street, have a job, and make her own choices. Even with the constant guard, restrictions, and red tape, I’ll be safe. I might not like this, but I’m not running. The women who do run end up sold or selling themselves, no thanks.”

  “How do you know that, about them selling themselves?”

  “Think about it. You’d be a fugitive. It’s not as if you could go rent an apartment and get a job. You’d have to live underground the rest of your life.”

  “I heard there are hidden communities in Canada where it’s like it was before the pandemic.”

  “Nowhere is really safe anymore.”

  “You have a point. See how much I need you around to be my common sense? I’m scared.” Cina’s lip trembled.

  Krista put her arm around her friend. “So am I, but at least when you’re Given, you might be allowed to have a visit or phone calls or Skype with your dad and brothers. Look forward to that, seeing them again is something. I’d rather just stay here, but that’s not possible.”

  They sat silently for a moment. A bell rang. “I guess free period is over. What activities are you scheduled for now?” Cina asked.

  Krista could hear the weight of the new knowledge in her friend’s voice. She hated that she’d been the one to tell Cina the hard truth. The guardians in the protection center tried to make being Given out to be the holy grail of good days, but the oldest girls knew the truth and were sworn to silence. Some of the girls were genuinely happy and excited for The Giving, but most weren’t.

  “Self-defense, my favorite. Just don’t say anything about what I told you or I’ll get demerits and lose privileges. I only earned the right to stay in the room instead of going to the half-year dorm because of my behavior credits. The truth is why they take the twenty-and-a-half-year-olds out of the general population. You have another five months before you have to go there, don’t speed that up. The crazy things they make us watch and read make me feel icky about the idea of sex. The place is as depressing as a funeral home. I heard two girls are currently under guard in their rooms for trying to escape, others have had to go on depression meds, and one even tried to commit suicide. Finding out our guardians lied about everything we’re looking forward to is devastating. Anyway, I’m going to SD so I can blow off a little steam. The instructor only lets me practice on dummies now, because I’m getting so good she’s afraid I might hurt one of the other girls.” Krista smiled, relishing the moment of pride. “Where are you going again? I can’t remember the schedule.”

  “Home Ec. What’s the point? Aren’t we just supposed to lie on our backs all day? Most of these guys can afford a cleaning service and cook.” Cina looked pale. Krista wished she could take the truth back, but that wasn’t possible.

  They stood up and left the tiny bedroom they’d shared for nine years. “I wish I could take you with me,” Krista whispered.

  Cina hugged her friend. “I’m so sorry. I really didn’t know any of that.”

  “They mess with our heads here. Sometimes it works. I’ve been here since I was three. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t work on me. I’ve seen this place built and I saw the turmoil when girls started coming here after the laws changed.” Krista shrugged. “The younger girls are the ones who they’ll fully brainwash, unless their mothers tell them the truth. If I have a daughter, I’ll just make being Given sound great and try to make her all patriotic. At least I’ll know she’s happy. I hope I only have boys,” Krista said, then sighed.

  “Me too.”

  “I wish I were sterile, then I’d be able to stay here as a guardian. They’ve got it the best,” Krista said wistfully.

  Cina had to turn down a different hall for Home Ec, so Krista walked the rest of the way to her class in silent contemplation of her mysterious future six. She couldn’t help wondering if they’d all be older and ugly or young and hot. The lucky girls ended up with a bunch of trust-fund babies in their early twenties.

  She walked in the door and immediately began practicing her round kicks on the first dummy she saw. Losing herself in her favorite activity, she let her mind go blank. Krista used the dummy hard, kicking and punching like her life depended on it.

  “Are you all right, Kristannie?” Miss Blake asked quietly near the end of the hour.

  “Yes. Tomorrow’s my birthday.”

  “I know. I’m going to miss you. It’ll be all right. You know they do a very careful screening. The men aren’t older than thirty-six, and they have to be able to afford to keep you safe. I’ve heard many women find a favorite among their six, love even. I hope you find love.”

  Tears threatened as the heartfelt words registered. “Thank you, Miss Blake. You’ve been very good to me, and I’ll always treasure what you’ve taught me.”

  “I know you will. I don’t normally teach half-years. Very few earn the right to stay in the regular population classes. You should be proud of yourself. Your six will be lucky men. Email me at the school anytime. I was once in your shoes. It was before they tested fertility. I cared very much for one of my six. The required removal, so that the men could reenter the lotto again, was difficult. I wanted to stay. My favorite was outvoted. The others wanted the chance to have a child. If they’d gotten a lawyer, they could’ve dragged out my stay, and possibly kept me, but that’s not what happened. I watched the drawing every night, just to see if they received a new girl. Last week, the last of them hit the age limit. They’re ineligible now. They are as doomed as I am. I still email with the man I loved. They regretted letting me return not long after they let me go, but it was too late to get me back. They’ll never have another woman in their bed again, but I lost the man I loved. Returning is far worse than leaving, I promise.”

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “I’d appreciate it if we kept this between us. I was one of the first girls to experience The Giving.”

  “No worries, my lips are sealed.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled as she replied, but the sad look remained in her eyes.

  “I won’t be in class tomorrow,” Krista whispered sadly.

  “I know. It’s been my pleasure to teach you.”

  She gave her favorite teacher a small wave and left the room
as the bell rang. The next class was Social Responsibility and she hated it, but at least it was all lecture and simple. She could zone out if she wanted to. She went in and took her seat.

  “So tomorrow you actually get to leave here? What do you think it’ll be like?” whispered a younger girl she didn’t know well. Kristannie didn’t know how to respond.

  The intercom beeped. “Kristannie Damiani, please report to the half-year dorms,” crackled a voice over the speaker.

  She slid out of her seat, relieved that she didn’t have to answer the curious girl’s question. In truth, she had no idea what it would be like. Six men who’d share “custody” of her was a daunting future to contemplate. No sex education in the world would be enough to prepare her for The Giving. Marriage was outdated; men had custody of women now. After your childbearing years were over, they could keep you or return you to the state. There wasn’t a woman old enough to have reached menopause since the pandemic, but that would be changing in just a few years. She wondered just how many aging women would end up working as guardians. The government pushed baby production so strongly that they forgot people still wanted human contact. The idea of The Giving being for anything but procreation was discouraged. Would she find herself in an old folk’s home for breeders some day?

  She walked down the long, cold, white corridors until she reached the restricted half-year dorm. A guardian opened the door and she went around the corner to the administrator’s office. Each dorm had a separate administrator. Miss Neal was wonderful, but she had a very sad job. Seeing the girls leave every six months had to be hard for the kind woman.

  “Hi, Miss Neal.”

  “Oh good. Please sit down, Krista. Tomorrow is your birthday, but you know that. I’m afraid you won’t be able to return to the general population before you leave. I’ve arranged for Cina to pack your things and meet us in the morning so you girls can say your goodbyes. The drawing is happening right now due to the unusually high number of birthdays for tomorrow, but there were none for today. I thought you might like to listen with me.”