The Breeder's Daughter

Fate is Surprisingly Nice?

"No, there's nothing else. I must have had the dates mixed up."

I force out a fake smile in hopes that my lie will be accepted.

"Ok, good. Here's the schedule for your interviews this week, be sure to prepare well. I've got my eyes set on Maurice's House of Excellent Breed's for you. Oh Stella, if you can nail that interview, we'll be living in piles of gold! Pure gold I tell you."

There was a hungry shine in her eyes as she spoke the words, a clear sign that a terrible fate would await me if I screwed up on the interviews. I knew no matter how I manage to get to the DNA scans, I will have to do it in between the interviews, otherwise mom will make sure I'm a dead girl before my 18th birthday even comes about.

I simply nodded as I took the interview schedule from her, at least now I will know what times to work around. She gave me an intent look, as if surprised by my silence and the fact that I didn't mirror her excitement for possibly having "piles of gold". I decided to say something before her suspicion ignites any further and she starts questioning me,

"Thanks Mom, I will be sure to prepare well! Goodnight!" I uttered quickly before slipping out of her office door. Once I closed the door behind me I could finally let my breath out, phew! What a relief. I thought I'd never get to leave that room and escape her hawk-like eyes digging into me.

As I made my way down the corridor, I decided to take another risk that day in addition to having lied to Mom, and went out into the courtyard.

Despite it being night, the moon showered the courtyard with just enough light for me to see my way around the various bushes and greenery in the way.

Mom's breeding house had strict rules about "wandering breeders" past curfew, but if I was going to be sentenced to a life of breeding in a week, then it didn't matter what kind of punishment I would receive if caught outside. Being a breeder is punishment enough as it is.

I make my way past a line of miniature ever-greens, walking as fast as my clumsy feet could carry me across the uneven cobblestone.

I hate how this building is so old. Old isn't even the proper word, because it was beyond that, it was ancient. If there ever existed a word for things that died and were brought back from the dead to be used again, then mom's entire complex is the most fitting description for it.

Everything was ancient here, from the historic walls carved from caveman stone in old victorian style, to the age-weary furniture that lined the walls of the complex. Even the people living here were ancient, and the way they acted too, is ancient.

Beyond our city nobody used paper, and cobblestone is only available on display in public museums. The reason Mom's breeding house is so popular is credited more towards the fact that people come here to cherish the old-fashioned style of our life, rather than our "excellent quality of breeders".

Which reminds me, I have a highly important task at hand that I forgot about: trying to figure how the hell I'm going to escape becoming one of those "excellent quality" breeders.

The shrubbery was now becoming denser and denser the farther I walked into the courtyard and as I pushed aside a branch of a tree of some sort, I found myself at a small clearing with a fountain in its middle. It was one of those fountains where water spurted at the top and then overflowed from one circular-level of the fountain to the next; another reminder of how terribly outdated the place that I live in is.

I make my way to the fountain and sit down on its cool white marble, its marble heavily infested with cracks that pressed harshly against my buttocks, I could only imagine the indentation it's going to leave on my behind when I get up. Nonetheless, I ignored it and eagerly took out my interview schedule,

Tuesday: Via's Institution of Motherhood from 11am- 12pm, Seargant Phillip's Breedery of the Strong from 3pm- 4pm

Tuesday doesn't look too bad. I held the paper higher in my hands against the sky so that the moonlight could illuminate it and squinted harder. The words became a bit more discern-able and I continued reading:

Wednesday: Honorary Breeders Club 9am-11am, Emily's Mothering House 12pm-2pm, Royal Breeding 5pm to 6pm

Thursday: Revolutionary Breeding 6pm-7pm, Quentin's School of Breedery 8pm-9pm

Friday: Beachly Breed 10am-12pm, Maurice's House of Excellent Breed 1pm-2pm, Vaux Breeding 4pm-7pm, Martin's School of Breedery 9pm-10pm

Saturday: Check with me, the interviews aren't confirmed yet -Mom

Beyond Saturday I couldn't read what else was written, I squinted even harder and moved the paper about, trying to get more light and then realized there was nothing written for those days. There was nothing written for Sunday or Monday.

Could fate really be that nice?

I was turning 18 on Monday, and if nothing was written...then I was free on that day. I wouldn't need an excuse, I didn't need a plan. I will be completely and utterly free and will go to Dumont City for the DNA scanning.

Without having to even lie.

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Hey there! Thanks for reading this far, just wanted to let you know I will be uploading the next chapter on Dec. 22nd !! If you have any suggestions for the story please tell me because I haven't fully decided what I'm going to do with Stella next so it will be very helpful to hear from you :))

~Have an awesome rest of the day!~