Damned (Sample)

Chapter 1

Copyright: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2018

Chapter 1

My name is Marcela Richie and this is my story. Its quite a short one but such drastic changes occur.

It is currently year 2542 and the world has changed drastically. But not for the better. Over the centuries, humans evolve into more intelligent beings, or so we thought. Over the past few centuries the world has turned into a dark place, the people of the world; mostly the men, losing all of their humanity.

It's only been a few months since I graduated school, but I wish I was still there. Once a girl turns eighteen, it's complete horror. While I was at school, my favourite subject was history. It was so fascinating to learn about how the way the world once was, how it changed and the reality of the present. During the start of time up until around the twentieth century, men were superior to women. Men ruled the world and women didn't have a say in most things. All prime ministers and presidents of the world were male so women didn't have a voice to speak with. Towards the end of the twentieth century, the world evolved and changed for the better. Women fought for rights and became a stronger difference in the world. Women started having opinions that got noticed. England had a queen, Australia had a female prime minister. Women were finally getting a say in the world. Females weren't to stay home, cook, clean, look after the children and do what her husband says anymore. Women were allowed to work and vote and could live their lives feeling better about how the world was changing. Women still didn't get equal wages as men but I think the female gender had rose up and went pretty far showing their worth. But all that women's rights stuff, didn't last long. It lasted for a few centuries but then the world took a step backwards. A big step! Well not exactly the world, my country, but that is the world to me.

I'll tell you the way the world works now. Schooling is from five to eighteen. When a girl graduates' school she gets put into a home for girls. This home is for women aged between 18-30. Every week, a group of girls get taken into the auction room. I think it's self-explanatory by the word auction. Women will get sold to the man who's the highest bidder. Sick, right? Once a woman turns thirty; if she hasn't been sold, she gets to leave the home and do whatever she wants, go back to her family or find a man of her own. Thirty is too old for a man these days, right!

I'm sitting on my bed while my friend Ellie sits on hers right next to mine. It's a large room with two rows of ten single beds against the wall. I know every name of the women in this room. We are all of different ages but I'm closest to Ellie. She's the same age as me. Us women have become each other's family and sanity. We don't get treated bad at this home, well except the selling of us human beings. There's a kitchen and any woman is welcome to help herself. A few ladies around the age of twenty-eight usually makes three meals a day for everyone. We take care of each other. The laundry, we switch up every week. The bathroom cleaning; us women have come up with a rotating cycle so it's fair for everyone. We keep the bathrooms clean anyway. The showers aren't out in the open where we can see each other's naked bodies. There are ten stalls with curtains to block anyone's view. There are around one hundred girls who live here. There are other girls' homes out there, not just mine.

Five sleeping quarters, two kitchens, two-bathroom areas, one dining area, a movie room and we even have a library. It isn't a big library but it's my favourite part of the home. I spend majority of my time in there reading and learning about the past. I've read hundreds of books from the library. I don't know how long I will be here, but I plan on reading them all. I find it so fascinating how the world seems to change every couple centuries.

"Hi Marcela, hi Ellie". Pima comes over to us.

"What's up?" I give her a smile.

"It's Chrissy's birthday so we're having some cake and a little celebration for her", Pima tells us. "It's in twenty minutes".

"Thanks Pima, we'll be there", I speak for Ellie and me both.

Whenever it's someone's birthday, we do the best we can to make it special for that girl. It's the only fun we get, listening to music and moving the tables in the dining room to create space to dance. We can't exactly go out and buy each other presents since we can't leave this home. It's not like jail. The part where we can't leave can be compared to inmates but we are free to do whatever we like in the building. It's actually a beautiful building, but kind of dark with the timbre walls. The main door of the building is always locked but there's a door leading outside which holds a huge oval of grass. We even have a pool and tanning chairs. There's no time for lights out either.

Ms. Creena runs this home for girls and she takes good care of us. She provides us with clothes, food, shelter, a bed to sleep, bathroom necessities and friendship. I have only been here for two months but I've gotten close to a lot of women. Ms. Creena was in a house for girls when she was younger, but she got sold and had to leave the home and marry the man. I heard that he died so she was free again. She became the boss of our home and tried to change the way the girls were treated. Apparently, the women were treated like shit when she was in a home, that's why she became the boss to make it better for us. She fought her way to make this home a better place. She fought for years to become the boss. Ms. Creena is middle aged, in her fifties, I think. Other homes for girls are still awful living situations but I admire Ms. Creena for stepping up and changing mine. Even though she's only changed one home for the better, she's an inspiration. She clearly can't change the law and stop the auctions but she makes our time here as good as she can.

Soon we all head into the dining room which is playing soft music. All gathered around the dining tables while Chrissy sits at the head of the main table. RyRy comes out holding a cake with Pima behind her carrying another one. One cake says happy birthday Chrissy and the other has a big 25 on it. We all sing her happy birthday and then each get handed out a piece of cake scoffing down the creamy goodness. Mmm, I love when it's someone's birthday. Once we've all dug into the cake, some of us having second pieces, me greedily taking another one because of how good it tastes, the music gets turned up and all us women dance around swaying our hips to the music. Ellie and I hold hands and throw them up twirling underneath them. Pima and RyRy come over and dance with Ellie and me.

We all throw our hands up letting the rhythm take over our bodies forgetting about the world, only focusing on what's happening in this room. Chrissy starts dancing in the middle of the crowd, us forming a circle around her. She does interesting dance moves but just laughs enjoying herself while we all cheer her on.

"Go Chrissy. Go Chrissy", we chant clapping for her as she pulls her hair out of the ponytail and whips her hair all around creating a beautiful aura around her. She has the biggest smile on her face and I'm glad she is enjoying her special day. I catch Ms. Creena out of the corner of my eye standing in the doorway of the room with a smile on her face as she watches us. She is like our mother here. Ellie grabs my hand twirling me around, making me lose myself in the music.

When it hits about one in the morning, Ms. Creena tells us to wrap up the celebration and get a good night's sleep since there will be an auction tomorrow night. When we go back to the sleeping quarters, us girls stay up to three in the morning talking, laughing and sharing stories from high school before falling asleep. When I finished school, I dreaded being put into a home for girls but now that I'm here, I actually like it. These girls are all sisterly and motherly figures. I'm glad I've met these amazing women.

In the morning we are woken at eight o'clock, for an announcement. The announcement of which girls will be on auction tonight. I always pray that it's not me who gets called. Pippy is a thirty-two-year-old that helps Ms. Creena run the place. She comes and collects us, dresses us up for auction night and just helps us through it, being the auctioneer.

"Hi girls, let's not beat around the bush, shall we? We all know how this goes. The names I call will be the girls on show tonight". She has a clipboard in her hands and she starts reading out the names, "Kelly. Barb. Alica, Erina and Ellie". My jaw drops when she says Ellie. I turn to her and she has a horrid stupefied look on her face. Pippy leaves the room, us girls all quiet. I sit on Ellie's bed and pull her into my arms.

"It will be okay", I tell her.

"I..." she's at a loss of what to say.I can't believe my friend is being auctioned off. She's being taken away from me. Well maybe. Not all the girls that get called get sold. I can only hopethat Ellie might come back.

***

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