Chapter 1
Ignoring Mrs. Flo, I silently wait for the meeting to be over. In a matter of minutes, we will be uncontrolled for the next month to do as we wish.
Grinning, I can’t help it when my hands rub together in excitement.
As tradition dictates, I have thirty days to be rebellious and roam free in my small hometown of ten thousand people before I turn twenty-one. There, of course, is a guideline I must adhere to if I wish to not be punished by my future match.
The words flash in front of my eyes as the many times Mrs. Flo has written them on the board for us to memorize during our monthly get-togethers.
How not to piss off your Match during your FREE time:
- Do not flirt
- Never be naked in front of anyone other than blood-related members
- No opposite gender friendships allowed; EVER
- No SEX, No fondling, nothing intimate at all
- Clothes must be respectable, meaning no stomach showing shirts, little to no cleavage, shorts or skirts no higher than an inch above the knees
- When swimming, your bathing suit will cover your stomach, ass, and chest
- If it WILL anger your match in any way and they will punish you in ways they see fit., DO NOT DO IT
Mrs. Flo loves to write in upper case letters when it comes to important things, which means everything in her eyes.
Each month my mother drops me off in front of the Match Schooling for Pet’s building, to be lectured for three hours on what not to do to piss off my future match. It’s as if the two hundred and fortieth time didn’t sink into my brain when I turned twenty.
Since I am the Pet, I must obey all the rules in fear of what my match will do to me if I break them.
Sighing, my eagerness to start my vacation dwindles down slightly with what is to happen after my thirty days come to an end.
I guess I will have to make the best of my vacation with my two besties before my free life comes to a close. Which means every single day I’ll be at the lake swimming, drinking and laughing until I pass out.
Living in D.Z. my whole life, partying or drinking heavily has always been a no go. The only time a pet is allowed to drink before meeting their match is during this thirty day period, and I’m going to take complete advantage of it.
I’ve always dreamed of exploring outside of my town, but that isn’t an option for us pets. We follow the rules the match’s placed down upon us after World War Seven took place. All the people who lived on planet Earth were stripped of their titles and their rights. Our activities outside our hometown were cut off, and walls were built up to keep us isolated from the rest of the world.
I wasn’t alive when it all happened, and I’m thankful for that as I’ve read in my father’s journal how destructive those times were for the people on Earth. Humans is what we were used to be called, now our title is simply Pet. I’m not sure what the invaders were called before, but we all know them as our Match’s.
It’s been four hundred years since the matchs ended the twenty-five-year-long war and claimed the people of this world as theirs. The first order of business was to kill everyone who held a defect inside their body, which meant over half the population had been massacred in cold blood.
Thankfully, a female on my mother’s side of the family held none, and because of her I’m living and breathing today. Though from the short entries in my father’s journals, I’ve come to realize it wasn’t an easy life for a pet back then.
The pet’s and match’s were paired up and forced to have children. Father isn’t the only one who kept a journal while growing up. The first female in my family to be with a match did as well. It’s said she wasn’t actually paired, but plucked out of the crowd and carried off into one of the many ships they arrived in to procreate with her new husband.
Before the child was born, the match’s scientists screwed around with their DNA while inside the womb. With each new generation, the DNA was manipulated and perfected. Half the babies born came out a match or a pet to keep the numbers even. The pets DNA was and still is to this day, is influenced by who it’s future match will be.
Which means while inside my mother, my DNA was engineered to fit perfectly with my future match. I will not only crave for her or his touch but their undivided attention as well. Once we see each other, all I will ever want is to be a good little wife, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it from happening. The scientists made sure of that with the very first batch of children born from the new race.
“Chrissy Smith, are you ignoring me?” A shrill shout breaks me out of my little daydream and shoves me right back into reality.
“Please forgive me, Mrs. Flo, I was only thinking about the day my match comes for me,” smiling, I try to sound genuine.
Tutting, she gives me the stink eye, knowing full well I wasn’t thinking of the days I’ll beg for my match to fuck me into unconsciousness.
“Starting from today, Chrissy, you have thirty days until your match arrives, spend it wisely,” she iterates sharply. Her bright red nails tap the stack of papers on her desk in front of her.
“I will, I promise.” I vow not to lose my virginity, but that’s about it.
“If I were you, I’d be careful of who I hang out with Miss. Smith. You do remember what happened to Angel when her match appeared early, don’t you? We wouldn’t want a repeat of that taking place. The dishonor to your father will surely crush your mother under his tender hands,” she makes sure to emphasis the word tender to me to understand that my mom will suffer for my actions.
Little does she know, my father would rather die than lie a harsh hand on my mother, unlike other matchs.
Forgetting the day which she speaks of is impossible for anyone in our small town. Poor Robby was left with missing appendages after Angel’s match found them in bed together. It’s the reason why the no sex rule is in place. Match’s become insanely jealous when their pets have eyes for another and death quickly follows soon after a certain amount of children pop out from the pet.
Not replying to her, I keep my mouth shut and listen once again to the rules of what not to do.
Finally hearing her dismiss the six of us females, I go to stand up and head towards the river to meet Nathan and Jorl for our daily swim.
Their class should be ending any moment now, but as I’m not technically allowed to socialize with guys, I can’t be seen traveling to the lake with them.
It’s bittersweet, knowing that by the time these next few weeks come to an end, I will never see my two best friends again. It’s a pain in my heart that I have unfortunately come to recognize and hate these past few years when I think of my upcoming match.
Reaching the door, I’m nearly in the clear when Mrs. Flo puts her hand on my shoulder, stopping me mid-step. “Miss. Smith, your parents will be here in a matter of minutes. Please have a seat as we will be discussing a dozen details about your imminent love connection,” she states with glee.
There’s always been tension between the two of us and for the life of me, I don’t know why.
Gritting my teeth, I nod my head and do as she says. Having my parent’s brought in to the school, means nothing good will come of this meeting and it frightens me horribly. I may appear to be strong and not afraid of what is to come on the outside, but inside I’m a sobbing, panty peeing, hysterical mess of a woman.
What is it she possibly wants to discuss with my father? The only reason mother is coming is because she doesn’t leave my dad’s side unless it’s work related.
I did mention match’s love possessing their pets, didn’t I? Jealousy is an evil emotion, and I’ve seen it first hand when it comes to my parents. Father has killed many matchs and pets alike for attempting to look at my mother with more than friendship.
I glance at Mrs. Flo with uncertainty and pray my vacation isn’t over before it begins. It happens every once in a while, where a match breaks the rules and steals its pet before their time is up. Of course, no punishment is issued.
Seeing my mother’s worried face and my father’s stoic look, only amplifies my anxiety for what this meeting could be about.. The silence vibrates around the room, causing deadly goose bumps to form on my skin.
“Mr. and Mrs. Smith, I’ve called you here as a warning to keep both eyes on your daughter this month,” she states professionally.
She’s acting as if I’m a troublemaker! I’ve only broken a few rules, and my father knows about them. He doesn’t punish me with beatings or lashings to my back, just rolls his eyes at me and tells me to be careful and not get caught with Jorl and Nathan.
It’s the reason why we have a secret location for our swims.
“Why do you speak of this? Has Chrissy done something to anger her match?” Father demands, his wicked eyes stare me down. For added effect, I make sure I shiver in my seat before casting my eyes to my lap. Have to make sure Mrs. Flo believes my dad is a ruthless father. Can’t disappoint the community now, can we?
“Yes, frankly she has. The two boys she hangs out with are now forbidden to be near her. You may have neglected to punish her for interacting with the opposite sex in hopes of not dishonoring your name, but that doesn’t mean her match doesn’t know what is transpiring with his pet,” she snaps at him this time, shocking me. No one talks to my father like that without issuing their death sentence.
Instead of jumping up and ripping out her throat, he pulls my mother onto his lap and begins to suck on her neck to calm his nerves. Over the years I’ve come to realize it’s the only way for him to keep his head on straight. He doesn’t like murdering people in front of mother and me.
“She is to be kept away from all males other than her two brothers and you until her match arrives to claim her,” she adds on with a high and mighty attitude.
I want to punch her in the face with those words. No way in hell will I be alone and bored during my so-called free time.
“Do you know the name of her match?” He questions her with steely eyes as his lips pop off my mother’s reddened skin. Being the head honcho of the match race for our town, my father is able to use his title for anything he wants. It’s also the reason why everyone believes he is an evil bastard who terrorizes his wife and children.
It’s no longer disgusting to watch as it’s a daily occurrence. Father’s informed me plenty of times how I need to toughen up for what is to come. What he does with mother may be child’s play to what other match’s do with their pet’s.
His words somersault my insides with his simple question. With each passing second, my pores open and ooze out sweat. An itching in my hand intensifies to the point I feel blood spill from the cracked skin from my nails digging into it.
Not a good way to start my day.
“Yes, I was enlightened this morning that Chrissy’s match is, in fact, royalty,” she whispers with awe and wonder.
Father pounds the table with such pride and joy, I fear the four wooden wobbly legs will break underneath his strength.
The tears in my mother’s eyes hold no such reaction, and it’s when I realize my father is only acting out for the show. Horror is plastered on her face, and it draws the blood from mine, causing it to come pasty white with dread.
No one talks about royals, not even my father and he sits at their tables for monthly meetings.
“Royalty?” I whisper once my throat unclogs. Gripping the table top, I try to keep the tears at bay with how petrified I am in this moment.
“Yes, Royalty, Miss. Smith. If you haven’t been told before, it means you will be his or her submissive in and out of the bedroom. No talking back, no attitude, no more you time. Your own father will seem like an innocent child at play when it comes to your royal match.” The gloating in her eyes tells me she isn’t lying.
This can’t be possible. No way can I be paired with a royal match. I can’t be a submissive for the rest of my life!
“Will we be expecting more than one royal member and his or her security team?” Father uses his authority and commands answers from my teacher. He is seconds away from gutting her slowly with how pleased she looks at my future suffering.
Match’s love power and they do not hesitate to show who the boss is. Mrs. Flo is a pet, and her match is way beneath my father in rank. She knows better than to piss him off.
“Yes, according to the messenger, there will be three royals and a multitude of their servants staying at the Match Hotel during this month. It’s the reason why Chrissy must at all costs stay away from Jorl and Nathan. If her match or any of their servants spot Chrissy with them, it will mean their death,” she says with no worry whatsoever.
I really hate this woman!
Nodding his head, father stands up and grips me by the arm. Grimacing, I make it look as if he is harming me, which in fact I can barely feel his hand.
Bidding Mrs. Flo goodbye, my mother follows us out as he drags me through the doors and hallways.
Reaching the outside in no time, he yanks us over to a secluded corner.
Worried eyes greet mine, and I begin to shake slightly in preparation for this little talk.
“This isn’t what I was expecting to happen today, baby girl. Since helping your mother bring you into this world, I have feared for this day. You have no idea what being with a royal means Chrissy, and I justly fear for your life,” he sighs, pulling mother into his chest and biting her neck.
