“Bearers, I have some very exciting news!” Matron Mary Ann informs us while we take our places inside classroom 11. “Bearer's Day is coming and Mother Addison has already assigned us our task for that day.”
All Bearers look at the Matron expectantly, some of them are murmuring to each other. I have no idea what they are so excited about, I know Bearer's Day is an annual event organized by the Ministry of Females where Bearers and their families enjoy a big celebration, but since my mom abandoned the Ministry at the same time she abandoned her family, I don’t really remember what this day is all about.
“What will be our task, Matron Mary Ann?” Melody asks with a wide grin.
“Please, let it be the decoration, I’ve always wanted to decorate the Grand Fertility Forum!&rdquo
(Leopold’s POV)I walk in circles around my office feeling restless. I am worried that the Ministry of Press and Information is going to find out about what happened last night. I know none of my men would ever betray me, not even Sabrina that resents me for dumping her would be capable of leaking the information to the press, but maybe a nosy neighbor saw something…. If the news that I was attacked in my own house gets out there I will be everyone’s laughingstock and Major Anderson won’t hesitate to use the incident against me. He’ll surely try to convince General Schubert that I am too incompetent to be promoted to Major.I take a seat and I grab my phone, I am about to call Gustav, he is the only person who can prevent this information from seeing the light. I dial his number, the fact that I know it by hard annoys me.
(Aubrey’s POV)I finish putting the frosting on the last muffin and smile pleased with myself. Suddenly, I feel Baxter’s moist nose on my calf. Baxter has stayed by my side since the moment I started baking the muffins. Every now and then he whines a little to remind me that he is here and that he wants me to give him a piece of muffin. I’m moved by his sweet round eyes and, after what happened last night when I thought he was going to die, I want to spoil him as much as I can, but I have no idea if dogs are allowed to eat muffins and I fear he might get sick. The muffins look good and they smell even better. The whole house smells great, like sugar and butter. I eat one of the muffins to see how they taste. It is soft and buttery… its been a while since I ate something so good. Bearers are supposed to eat healthy food all the time, but the Matro
Mrs. Jordan walks to the kitchen and I follow her to see if I can be of any help.“Thank you very much,” she says as I help her make the coffee. “I am sorry we haven’t seen each other more, I was under the impression that Leopold didn’t want you to socialize much and I prefer not to snoop. I know he is a very private person that doesn’t like when others intrude in his personal life so I always try to respect that. I am glad he changed his mind, I’ve been so eager to get to know you better, my son has told so much about you...”“Like what?” I ask flushing with the idea of them talking about me.“Jareth has told me everything that happened to you, he feels so ashamed for his part in it… I’m glad he
Every Bearer from group 11 brought varied types of desserts and pastries except for Eliza, who came in empty-handed. The room is filled with chatter from the girls who talk incessantly about what they brought. The Matrons pay no attention to us while they get ready to start with the selection.“Ok, Bearers, that is enough. Silence, please. I see all of you brought something delicious to share with us,” Matron Mary Ann says as she looks at us with a smile.“Eliza, how about you? What did you bring?” Matron Constance asks when she notices her empty hands.“I tried… I wanted to make cookies, but they burnt in the oven… I really tried…” she explains disappointed in herself.
Once I get home I start with what has become my daily routine: cleaning, sweeping, cooking, and playing with Baxter while I wait for the commander to arrive. The hours go by and he doesn’t come home. I get really hungry so I eat a little by myself. Once the hunger is gone, I realize how bored I am. I go upstairs and I turn on the huge flat-screen TV. The television I had back home is tiny compared to the commander’s. It is a shame he never uses it.I feel a little nervous to be watching his TV. The truth is I don’t feel at home here, I am a guest and I don’t feel comfortable using the amenities in this house. Everything here is his, his house, his bed, his TV, even me… his Bearer.The evening news appears on the screen and I immediately understand why the commander is not home yet: there was a shooting downtown. The reporter on-site from the Ministry of Pres
I go in the house with my heart pounding against my chest. I can’t believe we were about to kiss… or maybe I just imagined it. I don’t know if he was going to kiss me or not, but what I do know for sure is that I wanted to kiss him. Something inside of me longed to feel his lips on mine, I don’t get why I feel like this I just know I do.The commander walks to the living room and gestures for me to follow him and take a seat.“Aubrey, I’ve been thinking about a way of repaying you for what you did that night when the men attacked me… but I can’t think of anything and I think it’s best if you tell me how would you like me to compensate you,” he says.“Compensate me in what way?”&ldquo
Shortly after, Jareth leaves, I go into the bedroom as silently as I can and I close the door. I don’t want Mortensen to know I was listening to his conversation.The commander walks in a few minutes later and looks daggers at me. “Did you hear everything all right or do you want a recap?” He asks angrily. I panic. I look at him unsure about what to say. I can’t deny I was eavesdropping, lying would only make things worse. “When I tell you to do something, it is not a suggestion, it’s an order! Do you understand?” He says with a scowl on his face.“I understand, commander. I’m sorry,” I say shyly.The commander rolls his eyes and then he tosses a document on his nightstand. I assume it’s the copy of the report Jareth brought for him.
“Good morning, Bearers, how are you all doing today?” Matron Constance says as she walks into classroom 11.“Good morning,” we all reply in unison.The air feels heavy with expectation. Today the Matrons will announce the members of each team. Obviously, every Bearer already knows which team she prefers to be in, obviously, none of them want to be in mine, the Eel team.“I can see you are all very excited, so let's get started!” Matron Mary Ann says with a big smile.My heart is in my mouth because I know what’s coming and I know how Alice is going to react.“The first team is going to b
(A few months later) (Aubrey’s P.O.V.)I fix my eyes on the TV screen, I look at the news anchor for a brief moment trying to pay attention to what he is saying.“The secession movement has gained enough support in the Fourth District and now they have separated from Estermond. This is the third district to separate from our nation in the last two months. Unfortunately, without the Righteous Regime, there isn’t anything we can do about it as we witness the downfall of our nation…”I turn off the TV. I don’t care about the news, I am uninterested by Estermond’s destiny. Since the fall of the Righteous Regime a lot of changes have occurred in our nation and there is no one who can stop them. People are taking back what once was taken from them, the life that we once knew is over. We don’t have a unified powe
(Leopold’s P.O.V.)We get off the car in half a second and run towards the building. It is time to save Bastian. We go in and run up the staircase to the sixth floor. Sabrina is waiting for us in front of the apartment where she heard him cry. As soon as the four of us are together, Jareth kicks the door open.“Ministry of Bravery! Hands up!” Wilson yells at the top of his lungs as soon as he takes the first step inside. Sabrina and I go in behind both of them.We are immediately greeted by a burst of gunfire. Jareth drops to the floor in time to avoid the bullets, but Wilson is not fast enough and he is shot twice in the chest. Sabrina and I take cover behind a wall and start shooting back at the Eels. Ahead of us, we hear Jareth shooting at them too. I lean my head slightly to see what is going on, Jareth is crawling inside the apartm
(Leopold’s P.O.V.)The only thing I want is to drive as fast as I can to get to the place where the Eels have my son. But I am aware Jareth and I cannot do this alone, we need the support of our Sharks and for that we have to go meet everyone else.The meeting point where Major Anderson and Commander Wilson are waiting for us is located a few blocks from where the Eels supposedly have Bastian. Jareth drives at full speed to get there, we don’t want to waste any time. We arrive at the meeting point, the place is brimming with Sharks from numerous Units. Wilson is not the only commander present, there are other commanders ready to help. The only high ranking Shark who is absent is General Thompson who is with President Laurent at the Righteous Regimen headquarters, but nevertheless he is in constant communication with us thought the telephone. It moves me to see
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)I look at myself in the mirror of the dressing room where they are making us wait until it is time to go to the set. In my hands, I hold a sheet of paper on which I wrote down what I want to say in case I get too emotional and forget the message.Leopold is standing behind me looking at his phone insistently in case there is news about Bastian’s whereabouts.Someone knocks on the door and comes in. It is an assistant who is here to take me to the set. I get up my chair and walk behind the assistant. Leopold gives me a reassuring smile before we exit the dressing room. The assistant leads us to the set, which consists of a black desk, a chair, and a gray background. I already gave them Bastian’s photo, so they can show it while I talk to the camera. The assistant takes me
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)There is no point in staying at the Equality Square, the banner has no more information or clues that can help us find Bastian. We go back home, heartbroken and feeling dismayed. Sadness is has consumed my will to live, I find no comfort or solace. The Eels have not attempted to contact us, they have not asked for ransom or anything in return for Bastian. The banner we found in the Equality Square only indicated their desire to make the citizens of Estermond suffer, they do not seem to have any intention of negotiating to give our son back to us.Once we are home, we find that Roberta has made dinner for all of us. I sit at the table and stare at the food on my plate. I am unable to eat, sleep or do any normal human function, in my body there is only room for anguish.Mabel turns on the TV, the news of Bastian's kidnapping spread like wildfire through Estermond. Several people w
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)Several hours go by and we have no news of Bastian, with every passing minute my heart breaks a little more. I do not know how much I will be able to endure this nightmarish situation. I never imagined experiencing pain like this was possible.In the news they are justifying the closure of the roads with maintenance work, President Laurent does not want the population to panic thinking that Estermond can not take care of their babies. He wants for Bastian’s kidnap to remain a secret.The night ends and a new day begins. We are all exhausted and dejected. At dawn Alice decides to go home, she wants to be here to support me, but she also worries for her little boy. She is afraid that what happened to us could happen to her child. Commander Wilson orders one of his men to accompany her and watch over their house, he is worried about his son too. Our experience is a cautionary
(Aubrey’s P.O.V.)I feel like I am trapped inside a nightmare and I don’t know how to wake up from it. The house is full of Sharks that come and go gathering evidence. I am seated in an armchair in the living room while Alice holds my hand to give me strength. On my lap, I have Bastian’s blue baby blanket. My baby boy is not here, someone took him and forgot his blanket. Bastian must be cold, he must be scared, hungry... I burst into tears again. Alice surrounds me with her arms to comfort me. She says nothing because there is nothing to say. What can you say to a person in a situation like this? There are no words, no possible comfort.The 9th Unit along with other Units is questioning all our neighbors, hoping that someone has seen something unusual that can help us find Bastian's whereabouts. People I have never seen in my life are searching for Basti
(Leopold’s P.O.V.)We arrive at the building of the Ministry of Bravery. People get out of their vehicles wearing their best clothes, the place is brimming with Sharks and their families. Aubrey takes my arm and we head to the party. The event is going to be held at the Temple of Strength under a big white tent. A lot of Sharks salute me as we walk, I am enjoying greatly all the honor and respect that comes with being a major. I look at Aubrey out of the corner of my eye, even though she has barely slept since Bastian was born and she has spent all her energy taking care of our boy, she looks ravishing. I feel like the luckiest man when I am with her.We enter the tent, inside I see General Thompson chatting with other high rank officials, among them Major Anderson. I d
(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