The Breeder's Daughter

Chapter 47 | Hut 28

"Girls, go through the room one more time, make sure it's absolutely void of any of your belongings. We're handing it over to the younger breeders as we leave tomorrow!"

Mother Edita yelled for the tenth time into our clearly empty room, save for the furniture that is. 

We dragged our belongings out and down the stairs to the main living area, placing the luggage next to other girls' stuff already piled in the middle of the room. I put my teal bag on the outer edge of the pile for easy access when I come back for it later to put in the stuff under my bed.

With our stuff packed, Mother Edita came to give us an unbelievably long list of things we had to do, there were windows to wipe, rooms to clean, extra things to put in storage, floors to vacuum, hallways to mop and clean laundry to distribute. The list went on and on and on.

We were all rushing to get as much done as possible, knowing that even with that we wouldn't get everything done before our departure tomorrow. By the time midnight rolled around, my hands were beyond sore from mopping an endless number of tiled hallways, stairs and rooms, joining the crowd of girls who were now complaining to Mother Mindy, their perfect eyeliner from the ceremony earlier saggy and smudged.

"All right, all right, let's call it a day. Mr. Robertson has sent the boys over to come get you and head to your assigned huts, but tomorrow we must put in a hundred percent to get everything done. We can't hand over dirty property to the younger breeders, what would they think of us?" 

"Let them think what they want to think, I need to put my head on a pillow." Erla replied,

"And you will Erla, come on girls, go wait for the boys in the living area. Good night ladies." Mother Mindy, with eyes looking like they've missed a month of sleep, tiredly shooed us to go down into the living area before heading out again to complete some other task on her never ending list of things to do.

"I'm so tired, I think I'm beginning to hallucinate. Mom, is that you?" Bianca said side hugging Arylin with droopy eyes,

"Bianca can you not." 

"Mom, you've gotten so much grumpier than last time I saw you." Bianca said teasingly poking Arylin who swatted her hand away accompanied by an eye roll.

When we entered the living area two girls were already passed out on the couch, and the rest littered about in the space surrounding the bags piled in the middle. Shayla was no where in sight, and I wondered if she would be told to sleep in the Princesses Suite today since she wasn't paired and no guy would come for her to take her to their assigned hut. I hoped not. 

Arylin, Bianca and I chatted for a bit, Kernel having been too sleepy to participate in the conversation, when a knock sounded at the door and Mia let in eleven rugged boys, their boots muddying the foyer and sending Erla into a swearing fit.

"I literally just cleaned that up guys, thanks a lot!" she then proceeded to try and push them all out the door as the other girls and I put on our shoes and coats and headed out the front door after the boys Erla had just kicked out. 

I spotted James, a nearby lamppost illuminating his chiseled jaw and his nearly half-asleep face. He gave me a small smile as I approached, holding the keys up for me to grab,

"Hut 28 madam." he joked in a voice that was gruff and playful and tired all at the same time,

Grabbing the keys from him I wondered if it would be possible; if it's possible to fall in love with this boy despite it being something forced onto us, despite our being together revolving around a duty to our nation and nothing else.

We continued the trek to the huts in silence, me holding onto this thought and the keys, and James with his hands in his pockets. I wanted to ask him several times; what are you thinking? 

But didn't for the fear that he might ask me the same thing back, and then what would I say?

It was a ten minute walk to the huts, we were only halfway there and it's already felt like much longer. Mason Park was a rather large campus, but because of the way everything was so far apart, and because everyone was kept so separate, it often felt small, lonely and contained. Of the 120 girls in Mason Park, I only ever got to see the twelve that were in my age level, and of the 73 staff, I've only ever seen around 20. 

As for the residents of the hut, I'd never seen or met any of them, and with us departing tomorrow, I don't think I'd ever get to. Just then the huts came into view below us as we walked towards them, the wind harsh against our coats.

"Damn it's cold." James suddenly says

"I know." 

"Our hut's this way." he says making a sharp left, we pass rows and rows of huts neatly tucked between freshly cut hedges before reaching hut 28. In the hut next to us, Arylin and Ray are by the door fumbling with their keys.

"Hey guys!" I shout over to them,

"What's up neighbors?" Arylin shouts back, her hands closed in on Ray's,

"You know Kernel and Terrell are in the hut next door to us?" she asks,

"Which one?" I ask 

She points to the hut directly next to them on the left side,

"Now I kinda wish we were staying." I joke handing James the keys as Ray finally gets their door open,

"See you later neighbors!" Arylin waves over as her and Ray disappear into their hut. James open the door for hut 28, our hut, for today at least, and we walk in, closing the door on the cold behind us.