Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 130317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130317 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 521(@250wpm)___ 434(@300wpm)
“Hey—it’s some kind of soup, I think,” she said, looking down at it.
“I got fiddle-fish broth.” Kissie nodded in apparent satisfaction.
“Mine’s broken-berry glaze—my favorite.” Teebra smiled dreamily. “Hey, let’s go sit on the grass while we eat, all right?”
Kissie didn’t seem to mind and Mia followed the two women to a spot under a large plant that looked like a tree but had huge, tropical, fan-like leaves as big as a person. The leaves were blue and purple and provided shade from the bright beams of the artificial star overhead at the top of the Dome.
“Mmm, this is so nice!” Teebra sighed, sipping from her cup. Whatever was inside was a deep reddish purple that reminded Mia of black raspberry pie filling.
“It’s not bad,” Kissie admitted. Her own cup—when Mia got a peek—appeared to be filled with murky liquid that had many tiny silver fish darting through it.
Mia’s own cup still seemed to hold vegetable soup, which was actually very tasty—almost exactly like what her mom had made when she was little. She sipped it, wondering how to bring up the topic of getting out of the Dome. At last she thought of a way.
“Do you think it’s safe in here?” she asked, nodding at the shimmering rainbow walls which surrounded them. “In the Dome, I mean?”
“Safe?” Teebra frowned. “Of course it’s safe—why do you ask?”
“I’m just a nervous person, I guess.” Mia looked around anxiously. “I mean…what if there was an emergency—is there any way out of here besides that one doorway that leads to the tunnel and the Docking Cave?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Teebra said, frowning.
“I’ve heard there is,” Kissie said unexpectedly. “I’ve heard the Prophet has a special back door—a way out in case things go wrong…if you know what I mean.” She nudged Mia with her elbow, almost spilling her fishy broth in the process.
“Really?” Mia looked at her with wide eyes. “Where is it?”
“Don’t know.” Kissie shrugged. “I suppose one of the Concubines might. It’s just a rumor, anyway,” she added. “The Prophet does what he wants around here and there have been some rumors that not all his Concubines lost their husbands by accident—you know? Which might make some people angry, if the rumors turned out to be true.” She gave Mia a knowing wink.
“Kissie, how can you?” Teebra looked almost ready to cry. “How can you speak ill of the Prophet? He is blessed by the Universe itself to lead and direct us! How can you be so sacrilegious?”
“Sorry.” Kissie sighed and rolled her eyes expressively at Mia.
“I’m thirsty—I think I’ll go get some water.” Teebra rose stiffly and beat at her white dress, as though to get any stray grass blades off it. She walked back to the pavilion, her back and shoulders held in a stiff, irritated position.
Kissie sighed again.
“There she goes. Teebra’s nice but she’s completely sold out to the Prophet—you can’t say a damn thing about him in front of her without offending her.” She glanced at Mia. “I suppose you’re offended, too.”
“Oh, not at all.” Mia shook her head. “I’ve never even met him—I’ve only seen him on a screen. You know—in the ads for the PPP and during our Induction Ceremony,” she added, explaining.
“Of course.” Kissie nodded. “I don’t know what it is, he just doesn’t impress me. Everybody seems to be so crazy for him, but to be honest, I can’t see anything so great about the guy.” She shrugged.
“Everyone else here certainly seems to love him,” Mia ventured.
“Oh yes—they think he’s great. Wait until you see them all listening to his lecture tonight—they’ll act like what he’s saying is the most amazing thing they’ve ever heard.” Kissie shook her head. “I don’t know—I just don’t see it. To be honest, I’m only here for the amenities.”
“But don’t you have to put up with a lot to get them?” Mia asked. “I mean…does your husband really, uh, punish you?”
“He does sometimes.” Kissie shrugged. “We both kind of get off on it—or we did. Lately Cumbig’s gotten too lazy to ‘punish’ me anymore. He’d rather sit in the living area and watch Instructional vids and beat off than put me over his knee.” She sighed. “I guess the glamour is gone.”
“So he used to, uh, punish you a lot more?” Mia asked.
“Oh sure.” Kissie nodded. “Not as much as Brother Enoc punishes Sister Lisha, though.” She rolled her eyes. “Those two are going at it from morning ‘til night! I don’t know where they find the energy!”
“Oh yes, my uh, husband, Sev, and I met them this morning,” Mia said. “Brother Enoc, uh, asked us to ‘witness’ him punishing Sister Lisha.”
“Oh, who got punished?” It was Teebra, back from the kitchen. She had several cups of water with her and passed them out to Mia and Kissie. Mia took hers gratefully—the soup she was sipping must have avery high sodium content, she thought, because it was making her extremely thirsty.