In the city of Vir girls are property, bred and raised to be the perfect wives. To serve and obey and honor the men that rule their city.
Elaia has always been content with her place in society. She is a perfect daughter, and with any luck she'll b...
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------- CASTINE -------
"What do I do?" Elaia asks me quietly as we eat our breakfast. It's the day of the inspections and she's scared senseless.
I press my finger to my lips, telling her not to say anything else that might be suspicious. I wink, forcing a spoonful of oatmeal down my throat. God, they could give us pancakes once in a while.
She nods, taking a bite of her breakfast as we sit in silence. Nobody is really talking much this morning, and I'm assuming it has something to do with having our personal space invaded.
I see Naya, Albia, and Giavalia at a table across the cafeteria, holding a hushed conversation. Normally, I would be sitting with them but I have to be Elaia's emotional support for the day.
They give us an extra fifteen minutes for breakfast, since we won't have any classes. I take my time, eating my bland meal in silence. When everyone is done, the intercom system crackles to life.
"All students of the facility are required to return to their living quarters immediately for inspection."
Elaia seizes up with fear, her blue eyes wide with shock. "What do I do?" She mouths to me, running her fingers through her long blonde curls.
"It's alright," I whisper reassuringly as we stand up, dropping our dishes off at the counter as we exit the cafeteria. "We have nothing to worry about."
When we get back to our room, Elaia fetches the pin from her suit case before either of us says a word. "What do I do? If they find this, my life is over," she whimpers. "I can't let that happen."
I roll my eyes, but say nothing in response, thinking about what to do with the pin. If we hide it under one of the beds there's a good possibility they'll find it. This is Sebastian and his cronies we're talking about. They're going to be thorough. There's not much else in the room except for a single nightstand in between the two beds, but it doesn't have any drawers or crevices. And the floors are carpet. Then an idea comes to me.
"Pin it to your underskirts," I suggest casually.
Elaia shakes her head. "And what if they search us? They'll probably be expecting girls to hide things on themselves," she replies in distress. She takes a seat on the edge of her bed, the mattress springs creaking beneath her.
She's right. They're going to be expecting something like that. And then I remember that Sebastian mentioned some of the girls had broken the rules and taken things from home when they packed. I never got to pack. I was stolen from my home. I didn't bring anything here with me except for the clothes on my back.
The distant creak of footsteps down the hall pulls me from my thoughts. They're coming. I turn to Elaia urgently. "Give it to me," I tell her, holding my hand out.
"Why?" She asks, clutching the small treasure to her chest.
"Just do it," I spit back, keeping my words low. I don't have time to explain. Elaia stares at the pin wistfully for a long moment.
