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2021-05-01 10:10:39Cora
Waking up the next morning I find myself confused as to where I am and what I am doing here. After a few deep breaths and calming myself, I realize that I am Thomas’s house and that this is my new home. Just knowing that he wants to take care of me and make me happy gives me more hope then I have ever had in my life.
Thoughts of what my life has been up until now make their way into my head. Had I really spent my life living in fear of what the day may bring, granted my life was never as bad as some in my village? I think that for the most part I have been spared the worst of what this life has to offer, but that still doesn’t mean that my life has been a bed of roses. Knowing that these thoughts were doing nothing to help my mood I decided to get up and start the day.
Last night at the end of our date Thomas walked me to the door and told me that today he would have to return to work. He also said that he wanted me to come with him. After givin
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The Reaping 9
CoraI could tell that the two of them were having some sort of weird conversation about pasta and bread, but I honestly had no clue as to what it all meant. Thomas was a very different person when he is at headquarters and I can’t help but think that maybe he’s that way to protect himself from those around him. Just from the way he’s talking to Elliot I can see that he trusts this man more than anyone around him. I’m hoping that this means that there will be someone helping us to change this world we call home.I look up and notice that they are saying their goodbyes and I give Elliot a slight smile and wave. I look over to Thomas and see him looking at me with a twinkle in his eye. He is up to something that much I am sure, but what could it be.Thomas begins showing what he would like for me to do in helping him at headquarters. He tells me how the leaders mates would help in the office until children are born. I feel my cheeks heating
Last Updated : 2021-05-05The Reaping 10
ThomasI could tell that Cora had questions about what just happened. She was fidgeting in her seat and I could practically see the wheels spinning in her head. Even though we have only been together for a day and a half I can say that I already pick up on her emotions. She has let her guard down with me and so now I can tell what she is feeling, and right now she is curious.“I do not for one second believe a word that man says. I knew the moment he walked into my office that he was going to be in trouble. I told you that I had watched most of your evaluation. I know the doctor who examined you personally and they would never lie about your purity. I’m afraid that Michael has a different idea as to what the Chosen is about than I do. I will explain more later.”She looks over at me and I see the understanding in her eyes. She is a smart little thing to pick up on the subtle hints that I have been giving her all day. Not once has she pressed me
Last Updated : 2021-05-05The Reaping 11
Cora “So you’re saying that you two have been working to take down the Chosen before the Reaping?” Elliot smiles like it’s his birthday and he just got the thing he wanted most. Thomas makes his way over to me and takes my hand in his. “Well, it is the three of us, “Rebecca states with a light in her eyes that shows that she is in this for the long haul. “Should I go over the areas that we have been working on Thomas?” “That would be great Rebecca. Let’s all have a seat because this conversation is heavy.” He leads me over to the couches and we take a seat. He never lets go of my hand and I can tell he is wanting to reassure me that everything is going to be ok. “So I guess I should start from the beginning. We all grew up here around headquarters. Just like the girls in the villages I was taken out of school way before most of the boys. I was given a temporary job of inventory for the shipments of food and logging the distribution of the food.” She s
Last Updated : 2021-05-06The Reaping 12
ThomasHearing those words come from her mouth hit me light a bolt of lightning. I found myself feeling lightheaded and the thought that I may be going into shock was just around the corner. Not only did she live in a village that she was treated as a second-class citizen but she also had to live in fear of whether the main rapist would find her and do unspeakable things to her. I’m a man and I know that we all have urges, but I have never thought of getting pleasure by taking what I want by force. I couldn’t live with myself if I did something so depraved. I’m ripped from my thoughts by Rebecca running up to Cora and wrapping her arms around her.“I can’t believe that you had to love that way. Here in Headquarters women were never equal to men but they have never been treated that way. To live in fear of just walking doesn’t the street makes my head spin.” She has tears pouring down her face as well and she and Cora are wiping
Last Updated : 2021-05-07The Reaping 13
ThomasCora is sitting there with the blanket pulled up to her chin but the look on her face says that she is anything but cold. I knew she was watching me earlier and nothing made me happier than to know that she was just as interested in me physically as well as personality-wise. To most, she may seem like your average girl with flame-red hair, but to me and that moron Michael she is anything but plain. Those doe eyes of hers make me feel like she can see straight into my soul. I catch myself almost shivering when she looks at me for long amounts of time.I have tried my hardest to not come off as a sexually frustrated idiot around her but to be honest it is getting harder to not make a move on her. I know that she was saving herself for her mate, a name which I still have no idea why we use it. I also know that she was tempted to give her first time away to that man. All of this leads me to have no clue what she wants right now.“What has you thinking s
Last Updated : 2021-05-09The Reaping 14
CoraThe next morning I found myself waking up surrounded by warmth. There was an arm wrapped tightly around my waist and I was laying on top of Thomas. I mean literally on top of I’m. My face was pressed into his neck as he held me as close to him as possible. I took a moment to just soak in the feeling of this. I know that I am falling in love with him fast. The beat of his heart is giving me a calming sensation that I have never known. He is my peace.“So how long do you plan to lay on me and tempt me?” I feel him adjusting under me and that is when I notice that he is very excited to be beneath me. I lift my head and look him in the eyes knowing that I am blushing but I want to move past that. I roll my hips slightly and kiss him on his neck.“I think I am ready to move now that I got to feel you.” I giggle and jump up before he has the chance to hold me still. I turn and look as see his face is one of lust and loss. I smile and
Last Updated : 2021-05-13The Reaping 15
CoraBy the end of Rebecca’s course in “love,” I was as red as humanly possible. She covered everything from A to Z and to be honest there was a lot to learn. No one in my life has ever been that open with me about what sex is and how it relates to love. I learned that sex without love is something that I am glad I never experienced. The way she describes her and Elliot’s love life made me see that I did make the right choice in not sleeping with someone just for the sake of getting to choose who it was.“Rebecca I know I may look super embarrassed, which I am, but thank you for talking to me. I grew up with two wildly different sets of couples in my life. The sad thing is that neither talked about that part of life with me.” She looks at me with a soft look in her eyes, like one a big sister would give to the younger sister when she is giving advice.“I will always be here for you Cora. In a little over a day, you have
Last Updated : 2021-05-14The Reaping 16
ThomasFrom the look on her face, I have no idea what to say. She gives nothing away in her gaze. Is she pissed, hurt or is she in shock? I go to wipe the lipstick off my cheek and see that it isn’t wanting to come off. I start to panic as Elliot and Rebecca walk into the room. They both stop and look from me to Cora who is standing still and with no expression on her face. My panic starts to rise even more when I suddenly hear a giggle. I turn and look at Cora who is starting to bend over at the waist laughing.“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep it in anymore.” She keeps laughing and I see Rebecca is doing the same. Elliot looks at them and then looks at me in the silent question of what in the world is going on.“Wait your not mad at me?” I ask finally getting most of the lipstick from hell off my face.“No. Why would I be?” She tries to dry the tears she has from laughing so hard.“Well maybe because someone else kissed me and I didn’t tell you.” I can feel
Last Updated : 2021-05-18
Latest chapter
The Reaping Epilogue
Cora As time passes things get clearer on what needs to change. the first huge step was punishing those who were out to harm others. Not a day goes by where we do not receive new reports from people wanting to inform us of a crime. A task force has been set up to help handle the situation and find justice for the victims. Thomas and Elliot worked hard on forming a new type of what was once called the police. These men and women are tasked with learning the truth and helping bring justice to those who are victims as well as those who are falsely accused. Our personal life has also moved forward and gotten stronger. Over time I learned to work through the pain from my attack and with Thomas’s help, I have made peace with that incident. I have even started a support group for women who have been attacked in any way to get help from each other. “Cora, please sit down and take it easy. I don’t want you getting too tired or hurting yourself or the baby.” I
The Reaping 31
Cora “Cora you must rest. You have been through a very traumatic experience and your body will start to shut down again if you are not careful. Thomas takes her home and makes sure she rests. I will contact one of my colleagues in the villages that worked as and therapist. She is going to need help working through all this.” Once you make it home Thomas takes me up to our room. As I walk into the room it suddenly hits me that I have just been to hell and back. I suddenly break down and sob my heart out. I cry for my rape. I cry for Thomas and all that he lost today. I cry for the friend that Michael had once been but is now no longer on this earth. I cry for Doug and the sad life that he must have had to live all these years. And finally, I cry for this world full of evil like Caroline. For all the girls who never got to live their lives. Thomas helps me get ready for bed and asks if I want him with me tonight or if I would rather him not stay. I know
The Reaping 30
Cora Rebecca gasps as she hears the words that change everything forever. The people we have been searching for turned out to be one person. Caroline was thought of as a loving mother and example to all women. She was poised and gave off an air of royalty, and yet standing here now she looks like a psychologically deranged person. “Mother you didn’t. Say you didn’t.” Thomas pleads with her. He looks like a broken child who has just learned that their hero wasn’t the person that they thought they were. “Thomas? Have you learned anything in all the years of training we gave you? You’re showing your emotions and making yourself look weak in from of your men.” She barks out at him. I look toward Doug and he just sits there looking straight ahead as if he hadn’t just heard a thing that was said. “Doug, why don’t you look surprised?” The words come out of my mouth before I have a chance to stop them. He finally breaks his staring contest with the wall in fr
The Reaping 29
Thomas “I know who did it!” With those words, my heart stopped. Elliot held the information that I needed the most. “Follow me.” I lead him to a remote area and made sure that there wasn’t anyone around. At this point, I didn’t care if there was a way for someone to be recording this. I just needed to find out what happened. “It was Michael. I know you probably thought of it too, but he is the only one that I could think of that would be that emotional when it came to Cora. I have him recorded going into the room and then an hour later leaving looking like he had just been through hell. His clothes were messed up and it looked like he had a few scratches on his face. She must have put up one hell of a fight.” Elliot is treading lightly considering that this was the woman I love and she was currently unconscious. “Get Rebecca down here. I want her to stay with Cora and her family. You and I are going to meet my parents and grandfather. Is security pick
The Reaping 28
Cora I come to find Michael stripping my clothes off. My dress is gone and he is working to get my undergarments off. I start flailing around trying to stop his movements. He raises his fist and punches me in the face. “Stop fighting me dammit! You brought this on yourself!” He says into my ear in an almost whisper. “Please don’t do this Michael. Please don’t hurt me.” I feel myself beginning to lose control and the tears are starting to roll down my face. I want to stay strong but I am weak from being knocked out and I can feel the fear taking control. “I told you already, I should have been the one to have you first! I loved you and you just threw me away for what? Power, sex, money, or were you just trying to get me to prove myself to you? Why are you making me out to be the bad guy?” He slaps me a few more times and takes my underwear off and uses them to bind my hands together. He stands and starts to pull his pants down and all sane thou
The Reaping 27
Cora The first morning I went back to headquarters with Thomas I was a complete nervous wreck. Knowing that we still had no idea who was sending the messages or who was behind Michael’s schemes made it all that much harder. Thomas told me multiple times that I would be fine but, something in the back of my mind told me otherwise. “Cora, could you go to the file room and see if you can find the records from your old village for the last six years? I want all of them if possible. Do you need someone to go with you?” Thomas has worked extremely hard the last few days and I know that he is getting tired. “I should be fine. I am just walking down the hall little ways. If I need anything I’ll yell. There is security always walking around. Don’t worry.” I kiss him on the cheek and head out the door. Walking down the hall I see the security guard walking around and notice that there is a lot of activity today. Since we came back Thomas has been working on man
The Reaping 26
Cora As soon as the words left her mouth my anger raged inside me. When we were talking earlier I noticed how she was trying her hardest to not have to touch anyone and the looks that she was giving my family. She just avoided me altogether and I just wanted to know what was so wrong with me that she couldn’t even make an effort. It seems that now I have my answer, she doesn’t like people from the villages. The rest of Thomas’s family was amazing. His grandfather had me laughing the entire time we were talking. He said that I reminded him of his late wife and that I would be perfect for Thomas “What do you think I mean Dear? it is clear to me that my son has picked well below him in the Reaping.” Gasps were heard around the table and the sickly sweet smile that she is giving me is anything but friendly. “Caroline, what in the world are you talking about? You are from the villages!” Doug yells and I can see that he is losing his temper with her.
The Reaping 25
Cora The ride back is one that was full of silence. Everyone was lost in their thoughts trying to make sense of all that we had learned. The trip was not as successful as we would have liked but we did learn enough to get a good start. Thomas seemed to be thinking more than any of us. The thought that one of his family members could be behind this was beginning to take a toll on him. I reach over and take his hand to show him that he isn’t alone in this. He has supported me so much that all I want to do is give him that same love. Once we finally reach the headquarters Elliot and Rebecca head home and Thomas leads my family into the house. They all stand around looking like they have never seen anything like it. I smile knowing that they are finally going to be living a life that is free of Carl’s tyranny. “We have three guest rooms on the second floor for you to stay in. Please treat this as your home until we can get you set up with a place of your
The Reaping 24
Cora As the words hang in the air and I can see that my family is nervous. More nervous than I have ever seen in the entire time that I lived with them. I take a deep breath and center my mind knowing that something is going on here and that it may change everything. “Look we have made sure that no one can hear a word you say. We are most certainly not going to do anything to hurt you, we just need to know what is going on.” Thomas says in his voice that he reserves for only those closest to him. I smile at him in thanks and turn back to my family. “I’m sure that you were coached on how to act in front of the leader. We are trying to do something that can help everyone but we need to know the truth of what is happening in the villages. Dad, I know that you are a man that follows what the Chosen says, but you need to know that what you have been told and what is the truth are not the same things.” “What do you mean by that? You know they could kill you
