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Willow

E xcited whispers filled the room as the girls rushed to make theirbeds, and ensure their allocated space was tidy. Each one knew of the consequences if Ms. Milligan found even the smallest item out of place.

Much like the girls, I wondered what the big announcement was. Unlike the girls, I remained quiet. I wasn’t allowed to speak to them unless I was relaying an order from Ms. Milligan, the woman I was assigned to. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t desperate to join in with their wild theories as to what was happening.

The day started like any other. I woke before sunrise, dressingquickly, and heading down to the kitchen to prepare Ms. Milligan’s breakfast. After serving it to her in her quarters, I gathered her dirty washing from the day before, ready for it to be cleaned. When she disappeared to shower and dress for the day, I scurried around her room, making the bed, and ensuring the room was spotless.

I’d been Ms. Milligan’s assistant for eight years, although assistantwas probably the wrong word. Slave . That seemed more appropriate for what I was to her. Whatever she needed doing, I was the one who did it.

I didn’t mind so much. In ways, it could have been worse. I couldhave been one of the girls who were being groomed for a life of hell.

Halfway through the morning, Director Welch had summoned Ms.Milligan to a meeting, and when she returned, she wore a face of thunder. I was used to her foul moods, but I’d never seen her as outraged as she was then.

She ordered me to gather all the girls who would be attending thenext graduation, the girls who had turned eighteen, and would be chosen to go to their new homes thinking they were going to be living the rest of their life in luxury.

If only they knew the truth.

The truth that had haunted my dreams for years after I found outwhat really happened to the girls after graduation.

As instructed, I’d gone from class to class, gathering the girls andtelling them to prepare themselves for an inspection in their bedroom.

While there were around one hundred girls at Peartree House, onlytwenty of them were eligible. The rest of the girls were of different ages, the youngest being a group of girls aged ten, the age I was when I arrived at the house.

In a way, Peartree House was like a school. The girls attendedMath, English, and a whole heap of other classes.What they didn’t realize was that they were slowly being brainwashedinto thinking that what they were being taught was perfectly normal. So no one questioned a single thing when they reached the age of sixteen, and were taught things that would make the world sick if they found out what happened within the walls of the house.

The whispers died instantly when Ms. Milligan, the deputy of thehouse, stormed into the main bedroom. Each girl found her place at the end of her bed, and I took my place next to her with my head bowed and my hands behind my back, just like I’d been trained to do.

I’d learned the hard way what would happen if I didn’t behave exactlyas Ms. Milligan wanted me to. My back was littered with scars from where she’d whipped me repeatedly with a leather belt, telling me I’d been naughty, and I had to learn to behave.

But then, it didn’t matter if I behaved or not. She whipped meregardless, claiming I was being punished for something I was supposed to have done, or didn’t do.

It was always a lie.

But that didn’t matter to Ms. Milligan, not when she had a humanpunch bag to take her anger out on.

“We have a very special visitor arriving shortly,” Ms. Milligan said inher usual stern tone, only now, it was tinged with something else. Bitterness, perhaps? “I expect you all to be on your best behavior. Our guest is of great importance to the program and Director Welch will not have him leaving disappointed.”

While I knew better than to lift my head and look, I felt theexcitement grow among the girls at Ms. Milligan’s words. All twenty of them were desperate to be picked with hopes of a fulfilling life ahead of them. Especially to be picked by an important guest.

I wondered what it would feel like to find out you’d been lied to allthis time, and the promise of a happy life was nothing but a dream that would always be out of reach.

“I make this clear to each and every one of you,” Ms. Milligancontinued, and without looking, I knew her beady eyes were taking in every girl, subconsciously checking that they were presented as they should be. Perfect, without a hair out of place. “If you fail to impress our guest, you will end up in detention, from now until you graduate.”

The sudden apprehension was palpable in the air. No one wanted toend up in detention. Not only did it hurt, but you’d lose any privileges you’d worked hard to get, with little to no chance of earning them back.

One question began to circle in my mind, the same question I wassure each of the girls had.

Who was the guest?

It was rare for visitors to attend the house outside of graduationday. In fact, in my eight years at the house, I couldn’t remember there ever being a time when a guest had visited outside of the allotted day. It was a strict rule that guests were only allowed inside the house on the one day of the year where people from across the globe would attend and pick the girl they wanted to take home.

The girls who had reached the required age would spend the daybeing paraded around, showing off their bodies, along with their sexual skills. It was an opportunity for men and women looking to take a girl home to ‘try before they buy’.

The younger girls would be allowed to attend the event asobservers. It was an opportunity for them to prepare themselves for when their time came to be picked.

I’d never been to a graduation event but I’d heard the girls talk.They spoke excitedly about the rich and powerful men and women in attendance, hoping they would become someone’s chosen girl. I’d listen in horror at how they had been brainwashed to believe that the life they had grown accustomed to was acceptable.

I only had another two weeks to wait until I turned eighteen, butDirector Welch had assured me that I wouldn’t be part of the next graduation event. That I wouldn’t be leaving Peartree House with anyone.

Ever.

His promise had been full of an unspoken threat that set my nerveson edge.

“You will be presented one by one to our guest. Any request hemakes of you, you will fulfill without hesitation. Do I make myself clear?” Ms. Milligan snarled venomously.

I often wondered why Ms. Milligan worked at the house. Shecertainly didn’t seem to enjoy her job of overseeing the girls’ education and lessons, and aside from Director Welch, none of the other teachers appeared to like her. Neither did the girls, for that matter.

But I hated her more than anyone, the feeling of which was mutual.

“Yes, Ms. Milligan,” a chorus of voices rang out in unison.She turned her vicious stare on me, her obvious hatred visible foreveryone to see. “You will make sure the girls are appropriately dressed and prepared for their turn, and if any of them mess up, I will hold you responsible. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Ms. Milligan,” I replied, keeping my eyes glued to the floor, andignoring the way the scars on my back prickled with awareness.

No matter if every single girl impressed our guest, I knew I was in fora whipping when the sun set.

When she left the room, the girls relaxed, and their excitedwhispering began again. If only they knew what awaited them.