We park in front of the luxurious brand new building that will be the headquarters for the Ministry of Opportunity. All the guests are going up the long white stairs that lead to the main entrance, everyone is wearing their best clothes, gorgeous dresses and perfectly tailored suits. The press is already here, taking photographs of the attendees. The excitement is palpable. Having a new Ministry is a big deal, especially one like this that instead of terrorizing citizens gives people a second chance.
A valet opens my door, I get out of the car and check my dress nervously, I hope I look okay.
“You are going to be the prettiest woman in that party,” Leopold whispers to my ear.
I give him a thin smile, I doubt it, but it is very kind of him to say that. We walk pas
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)I dream that I am in a boat and the waves are rocking the boat so hard that I start to get sea sick. I try to hold on to the gunwale but I can not, instead I fall on the deck. I open my eyes and the first thing I notice is that I am feeling nauseas, I think I am going to be sick. I jump out of the bed and barely make it to the toilet. Last night's dinner comes out. With my foot, I push the bathroom door so Leopold won't hear me, but it is too late. My race to the bathroom woke him up. I hear him outside knocking softly on the door.“Darling, are you alright?" He asks with a sleepy voice.“Yes, just go away! I do not want you to hear this,” I reply in a trembling voice mortified to think that he is hearing me throwing up.Leopold laughs outside the bathroom considering my shame
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)When I show the girls the pregnancy test result, Alice and Paula get as excited as I am, but Fiona remains frozen in her place. Maybe it is my imagination but she even looks a little bit upset. It takes her a few minutes to digest the news, and then she congratulates me in the coldest way possible and leaves the restroom hastily.“What is her problem?” Paula asks as we watch her leave.“Maybe she is jealous, she is always talking about having a baby… maybe she thought she would have one before Aubrey,” Alice replies shrugging.“That’s childish,” Paula comments.I do not say anything. Knowing how much Fiona wants a baby, Alice is probably right, but ri
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)We over sleep which means I arrive at the Ministry of Females an hour late. The Grand Fertility Forum is practically ready and there is nothing else for me to do. I look around the Forum astonished with how it looks, I have to say that the Bearers did a spectacular job and the place looks incredible. The party will start at noon when the Matrons are going to summon Mother Constance to the Forum under a false pretext and then we all will give her the surprise. Group 11 is not here, I only see the Matrons who are supervising the decorations and the food. Matron Mary Ann sees me and starts walking towards me, she probably is going to reprimand me for being late, although she does not seem angry. "Aubrey, how are you feeling? Are you experiencing any morning sickness? I was afraid you
(Leopold’s P.O.V)I walk into my office and take a seat while I think about the news I just received last night. I feel as if my heart was going to explode with happiness. Aubrey and I are going to have a baby, in a few months I am going to have a daughter or a son. I feel like the luckiest man on this earth. I lean my head on the back of my seat as I think about what the future holds for us. A few months ago our life was complete chaos and now everything has fallen into place and our little family is going to have a new member. I never imagined being this happy was possible and it is all thanks to Aubrey, this girl completely changed my bitter and lonely life for good, she is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I will always feel thankful that she was assigned to me. I laugh every time I think about how mad I was when Major Anderson informed me she was going to be my Bearer. I was a fool back then and had no idea I was
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.) Mother Constance comes in the Grand Fertility Forum accompanied by Matron Mary Ann and all the Bearers and Matrons shout “Surprise!” in unison. She takes a step back and startles, she genuinely had no idea we were planning a surprise party for her. “Oh, girls, this is such a wonderful surprise!” She exclaims with a wide grin on her face. Matron Mary Ann starts clapping, thrilled by her friends reaction. I look at her attentively and start to wonder if Matron Mary Ann is jealous that her friend was made head of the Ministry of Females instead of her, the same way Fiona is jealous of me because I am pregnant. Some other Matrons start to clap mimicking her gesture. A few seconds later, Mother Constance is surrounded by Be
(A few months later) (Aubrey’s P.O.V.)I put my hands on my round belly as I look out the window, it is a lovely afternoon."My darling, can you hand me that brush, please?" Leopold says from the top of the ladder.I grunt a little because I do not want to get away from the window, the smell of fresh paint is making me dizzy. I do what he asked me and I return immediately to my place next to the window, with my head practically sticking out towards the street."You can go if you want, you do not have to stay here if the smell bothers you, I have no problem staying here by myself," Leopold says with a smile as he dips the brush into the bucket of yellow paint that we chose for the nursery."No, it is okay, I want to keep you company. Maybe I can not help you paint, but my presence here counts as moral support,&rdq
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)I scan through the selection dresses at the store but they all look ugly and unimaginative. I do not even know why I am wasting my time looking at them, the truth is that none of these models fits me, at least not at this stage of my pregnancy with my belly as big as it is right now. I might be able to fit into these sizes in a few months after I give birth but for now, it is out of the question. I let out a soft groan, the saleswoman is taking too long to find what I asked for.Due to my pregnancy, the regular Bearer uniform does not fit me anymore so, now I need a version that adapts to my changing body and the saleswoman is looking for the model in my size in the back of the store because they did not have it on display. In our district, there is only one store that sells clothes for Bearers, clothes that basically consist of the boring sky blue uniform that we wear every day with very discree
(A few months later) (Aubrey’s P.O.V.)My eye lids feel so heavy that I have to close my eyes for a moment to rest. I can still hear Grandma and Mabel as they talk to each other seated on the couch next to my bed. I would like to ask them to give me a few hours to sleep in peace but I am afraid to be perceived as rude.The whole family is so excited about the birth of our little Bastian that they did not even wait for us to leave the Bearer Center to come to meet him. Normally, the Matrons do not allow so many family members to be here at the same time, but this time they decided to let it pass because of Leopold’s rank.Leopold is showing little Bastian to Jareth and Roberta in the nursery, while the three of us stay in the room waiting for them to come back."Aubrey, are you paying attention? What do you think about the id