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Ordidshe want them done? He thought again about the confusing signals he’d gotten from her when they had been watching the Instructional vid about the various “commands” a husband was supposed to use to train his wife.
Just then he saw Mia, standing by the communal kitchen and talking to two other women. He waved at her to catch her eye and she said something to the women and came over to him.
“Oh, Sev—there you are! I’m so glad to see you again!” She reached up to hug him and Sev leaned down to gather her into his arms. He knew they were just playing their parts but he couldn’t help thinking how natural and right it felt to hug his petite partner.
“Glad to see you too, baby,” he murmured in her ear. “Did you find anything out?”
“Possibly—nothing specific though.” She pulled back and looked at him. “I’ve been talking to some of the other women about what goes on around here—this place isseriouslyfucked up.”
“Like we didn’t already know that,” Sev remarked, grimacing. “I’m starving—we had stew for lunch. Do you know what’s for supper?”
“Oh, I think the lines are forming over there.” Mia motioned to two separate lines moving along the side of the open-air communal kitchen. Sev frowned when he saw there was one line for men and another for the women.
“Hey—why are they split up like that?”
“Don’t know.” Mia shrugged, though Sev noticed she didn’t meet his eyes. “You’d better grab a place in the men’s line,” she told him. “I’ll find us a place to sit on the grass.”
“What about you though?” Sev objected. “Aren’t you going to get any food?”
Mia shook her head.
“I, um, had a big lunch. I’m not hungry.” She pushed lightly at his arm. “Go on and go or there won’t be anything left.”
Giving in, Sev did as she said. He was served a hearty looking sandwich on a pink wheat-grain roll with a large pile of dressed salad filled with all kinds of nuts and seeds and dried fruit. As an afterthought, he grabbed an extra fork in case Mia wanted some. He didn’t want her skipping meals just to try and fit in with the “female ideal” in this fucked up place.
He found her sitting on a raised knoll covered in short, dense grass which should give a good view of the stage. She smiled when she saw him and waved. Sev climbed up and had a seat beside her.
“Here,” he said, offering her a fork when he saw her eyeing his salad. “I got too much—help me out.”
“You don’t need help!” Mia rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen you polish off three large pizzas in one sitting!”
“Well, maybe I had a big lunch too,” Sev told her. “Come on—eat.”
He was glad to see her dig into the salad—he even coaxed her to have a couple of bites of his sandwich. Between the two of them, they polished it off just in time to see a large spotlight suddenly switch on, aimed at the center of the wooden stage.
“Brothers and Sisters of the PPP!” a deep voice announced. “The moment you’ve all been waiting for is here—may I introduce…The Prophet!”
There were cheers and roars of approval from all directions. And then, dressed in a pure white robe with dazzling golden trim, The Prophet appeared. Or rather, walked into the spotlight, Sev thought. But most of the people here were Chakiouns, whose eyes were as weak as humans’ eyes were. To them it had probably looked like The Prophet just appeared out of thin air, moving from the darkness into the light.
As he had been in the vid they’d seen in the Induction Ceremony, The Prophet was wearing something sparkly around his neck. Something so brilliant it was impossible not to look at it but so bright it was equally impossible to make out what it was.
I wonder if that’s the source of his power?Sev wondered, frowning.Whatever the hell it is. He always seems to be wearing it.
“MY PEOPLE!” The Prophet thundered. They clearly had some system magnifying his voice because it was much louder than Sev would have expected. He winced and fought the urge to cover his sensitive Kindred ears.
All around them, people cheered and shouted and hooted and whistled. It reminded Sev of a concert back on Earth where thousands of adoring fans would gather in one spot to listen to a favorite musician. The people around them were going crazy—clearly they all loved their Prophet dearly.
The Prophet held up his hands for quiet and, at once, the noise ceased. Sev looked around him—everyone who had been screaming just a half second ago was now completely mute. He frowned. This level of crowd control went beyond strange—it was positively eerie!
“My people—the Peaceful People of the Prophet!” The Prophet went on in a slightly lower tone, much to Sev’s relief. “I am here tonight to impart my wisdom to you…and to talk about a TERRIBLE SIN!”
“A sin! A terrible sin!” the people murmured. They all looked worried as if they were wondering what it could be.
“As you all know,” the Prophet went on, once he had signaled for silence once more. “The husband is the Head of the Household—the H.O.H. He has the right to make the decisions, to lead his family in the direction he sees fit. This is HOLY and JUST.”
“Holy and just…holy and just,” the people murmured, nodding.
Sev frowned as he looked around. What the hell kind of hold did The Prophet have over his followers? They were all swaying forward, their eyes fixed on the figure on the stage, repeating his words.
