by Tasha Black
The airbus came to a screeching halt and dropped. The decelerators on these old airbuses weren’t very responsive.
The driver grumbled at her as he slid the panel open to release her onto the street.
She realized too late that she’d chosen an urban station. There would be cameras everywhere.
But the panel had closed already, and the airbus lifted and disappeared into the sky.
Hailey let her dark hair fall over her face as best she could, and headed onto the walkway, hoping for some sort of inspiration for her next move, some kind of sign. The very first building she passed was half-covered by a huge advertisement.
It featured a romantic painting of a huge man with the pale hair of the Upper Arkadians, embracing a small, dark-haired, Lower Arkadian woman.
Are you ready for a change in your life?
The partner of your dreams is alone right now, and so are you.
Rescue the both of you from loneliness by messaging us today!
Make your partner’s comfortable house into a happy home with the warmth of companionship.
Generous grants available.
Arkadian Brides Agency
Her mouth dropped open and she stared in wonder.
You asked for a sign, Hailey. Well, here you go.
Thirty standard hours ago, she would never have imagined giving a single thought to marrying herself off and leaving her family. Especially not to some rich monster in Upper Arkadia.
But right now, the option felt like an offering from the gods of the rings.
Someone behind her bumped her so hard that she fell forward, her hands landing in a filthy puddle.
“Keep moving, lady,” they growled as they walked on.
She pulled herself up, still gazing at the sign.
Generous grants available.
What exactly did that mean? Would generous be enough to pay her father’s bail and get all of them off planet?
Upper Arkadia was too expensive to consider, but even if she could get them passage to the Outer Ring, maybe one day she could dream of seeing them again.
At least they would all be safe.
“Good heavens,” a female voice said, rousing her from her thoughts.
“Oh, I uh,” Hailey muttered, looking anywhere but the sign.
“Were you thinking of joining?” the woman asked.
She had midnight blue skin, and wore a tailored suit and a common-use visor that told Hailey her race didn’t have eyesight as a sense.
“I, um, I was thinking about it, yes,” Hailey told her, deeply grateful that this elegant woman couldn’t see her shabby clothing or mud-covered hands.
“Let’s get you inside,” the lady said kindly. “You can get cleaned up and we’ll talk about your options.”
Hailey’s eyes widened.
“The visor,” the lady whispered to her with a smile. “I can’t see you for myself, but it gives me a rundown. If it makes you feel any better, it also tells me you have beautiful eyes.”
5
Hailey
Hailey looked down at the contract scrolling past on the screen and then back up at Marion, the lady who had brought her here.
“The long and short of that contract is exactly what we discussed,” Marion told her. “You’ll start with a six-month training course, to learn the culture and skills important to life in Upper Arkadia. That happens right here in this building.”
“It’s free?” Hailey finally got up the nerve to ask.
“Of course, dear,” Marion said kindly. “And room and board is free too. From the moment you sign that contract, you can stop thinking about finances. We take care of everything for you, including an appropriate wardrobe.”
“But there’s still a grant,” Hailey said.
“Yes,” Marion confirmed. “That’s paid out in full when you leave here with your match.”
“Six months from now?” Hailey asked, trying not to panic. She really needed that money sooner.
“Give or take,” Marion said. “Depending on how long it takes to match you. I’m thinking not too long, if you take to your coursework.”
Hailey nodded, trying to think of alternatives.
But she wasn’t going to come up with a solution to get the kind of funds she needed in less than six months - maybe not ever. She could have worked the farm her whole life and still not saved that much. Joining the Brides Agency was the only option.
She placed her fingerprint on the screen, stopping the flow of text.
“You can take your time and read that,” Marion said gently. “You don’t have to sign tonight.”
“Can anything in it be changed if I don’t like it?” Hailey asked, lifting her finger.
“It was written by a team of intergalactic lawyers,” Marion said, shaking her head. “It’s basically take it or leave it.”
“I’ll take it,” Hailey said, returning her finger to the screen.
A moment later it beeped, and then her bracelet buzzed to let her know it had uploaded a new document.
“Welcome aboard,” Marion said, reaching out her hand.
“Thanks,” Hailey said, taking it and shaking. “What’s next?”
“Why don’t we get you settled for the night?” Marion suggested. “You’ll start your training tomorrow.”
That sounded amazing.
“You’ll have two roommates,” Marion warned her. “They’re very nice, going through everything you’ll be going through, but they’re further along. They’ll help you get settled.”
Hailey nodded, swallowing over the lump in her throat. It was weird to think that she wasn’t going home tonight. She’d never slept anywhere else. Even her sleepovers with Myn had always been at the farm, since they had more room.
“Come on,” Marion said. “You’ll get settled in and then the girls will bring you to lunch. Our chef is preparing quite the spread. Upper Arkadians like their women to have a little more meat on their bones than we typically do down here, so we’ll be feeding you very well.”
Hailey’s stomach grumbled, and she felt a little more cheerful as she followed Marion down a long hallway toward the door at the end.
Marion knocked.
Quiet footsteps approached the door and then it opened to reveal a lovely woman, taller than most Lower Arkadians, with dark hair, like Hailey’s.
“Welcome, Marion,” the woman said in a contralto voice. “We are so glad to see you.”
She stepped back, crossing her arms in an X over her chest and bowing as she bent her left leg behind her right.
Her movement revealed the presence of a second woman, this one Hailey’s height, with dark curly hair to her shoulders. She repeated the movement the first woman had but not as gracefully.
“Hello, Valerie and Summer,” Marion said, giving them the same bow back. “This is your new companion, Hailey. I hope you’ll introduce her to everyone and make her feel at home.”
“It would be our honor,” the tall one, whose name seemed to be Valerie, replied.
Summer grinned at Hailey, and she smiled back, disarmed.
“I’ll leave you to it then, ladies,” Marion said, giving Hailey a squeeze on the upper arm and then heading back down the hall.
Hailey stepped into the room as Valerie closed the door behind her.
“On a scale of one to one hundred, how freaked out are you right now?” Summer asked, her eyes twinkling.
“Let her be,” Valerie said mildly. “Come on, Hailey, I’ll show you where the fresh towels are and the wardrobe, of course. I’ll bet you’d like to get showered and changed and relax.”
That was the understatement of the century. Hailey had pretty much signed her life away while covered in mud. It would feel good to get part of her dignity back, even if the other part was now bought and sold.
“Thanks,” she managed, carrying her backpack through the small lounge and into a bathroom with a linen closet and what looked like an actual wardrobe printer.
“Here you go,”
Valerie said. “You can throw your bag down anywhere. Towels are on the shelf, and do you know how the wardrobe works?”
Hailey shook her head. She’d never actually seen one in real life before.
“I’ll show you,” Valerie said. “Step in.”
Hailey dropped her bag on the floor and stepped onto the floor of the machine.
“Press scan,” Valerie explained. “Then hold still. When it’s finished, it will show you options on the screen. For today, I recommend something comfy. This will be your last day off for six months, so live it up.”
I glanced over at Valerie’s outfit, which was nothing short of glamourous. Was I going to be dressing like that every day?
“Go on,” she said. “Give it a try.”
She pressed the button and the machine spun around her, soundlessly scanning every detail of her body.
After a moment, outfits began streaming past on the screen.
“Say stop when you see one you like,” Valerie said.
Clothing the likes of which she’d never seen sailed past, one sumptuous gown replacing another before she had a chance to appreciate any of them.
“This one,” Hailey said, when it landed on a simple, loose dress in soft fabric, with a tank top underneath.
“Nice,” Valerie said. “You can step out now. The outfit will be waiting by the time you’re done with your shower.”
Hailey looked over at the shower and wished she could ask how it worked. Back on the farm they had always used a copper tub for bathing.
“I’ll show you,” Valerie said softly. “We didn’t have anything like this at my house either.”
Hailey glanced over at her in shock.
“The training works,” Valerie said. “You wouldn’t have guessed that I’m from the junkyard village, would you?”
Hailey shook her head slowly and began to relax.
Valerie got the shower working for her, and left her to freshen up in more privacy than she had ever experienced.
Hailey hurried anyway, eager to be cleaned up and dressed so she could learn more about her new roommates.
Sure enough, when she stepped out of the shower, cleaner than she had ever been in her life, the pretty dress was waiting for her, along with the tank, undergarments, and even a pair of cozy slippers.
She pulled them all on, but avoided the mirror, afraid it would make her feel weird to see herself in all this finery.
“Hey, you look great,” Summer called to her as she slipped out of the bathroom.
“Lovely,” Valerie agreed, patting the bed in invitation.
“That was… amazing,” Hailey said, sitting down next to her. “How long have you guys been here?”
“Just about six months for me,” Valerie said, smoothing down her already smooth hair. “I’ll be heading off-base soon.”
Hailey turned to Summer. Based on her less graceful manners, Hailey figured she was probably newer.
“Seven months,” Summer muttered. “I’m probably the worst one they’ve ever had.”
“That’s not true,” Valerie said quickly. “You have the biggest heart. Your match will be a very lucky man. Gracefulness isn’t everything.”
“It’s pretty important here,” Summer grumbled, but the corners of her lips were just the tiniest bit upturned.
“Well, don’t worry. I grew up on a farm,” Hailey said. “I have no clue how to be measured and graceful. I literally fell over at the door to the agency. Marion found me all covered in mud. It was mortifying.”
“Oh dear,” Valerie said.
“Well, it can’t have been as bad as the time I set the curtains on fire during formal dinner,” Summer declared.
“You set the curtains on fire?” Hailey echoed.
“Yeah,” Summer said, her voice a little awed, as if she still couldn’t believe she had done it. “Someone asked me to pass the salt and I knocked over a whole candelabra. And that set the tablecloth on fire.”
“Oh wow,” Hailey said.
“The table was right next to the windows and, well, you can do the math.” Summer shrugged. “Everyone was pretty much freaking out.”
“But that wasn’t as bad as the time with the dance master,” Valerie said, a smile tugging up the corners of her mouth.
Summer looked horrified for a second. Then she started to laugh.
“What happened with the dance master?” Hailey asked, feeling a little startled that learning to dance was on the docket.
“What didn’t happen with the dance master?” Valerie teased.
“For one thing, I pulled his pants down,” Summer said. “Let’s just get that out there. I wouldn’t want to bury the lead.”
“It was an accident,” Valerie said.
“Knowing it was an accident didn’t help him much,” Summer said a little sadly. “He was so offended.”
“Which only made it funnier,” Valerie said fondly. “A lot of us got in trouble that day because we couldn’t properly comport ourselves.”
“Comport yourselves?” Hailey echoed.
“Laughing,” Summer said helpfully. “They were all laughing - some of them so hard they couldn’t breathe. There were a lot of deductions taken.”
“From your grants?” Hailey asked in horror.
“No, no,” Valerie said. “There’s a point system in place so they know when you’re ready to be matched.”
Hailey nodded, relieved.
“I felt so bad,” Summer said, but her eyes were twinkling.
“Anyone who doesn’t think that was worth a one-week setback is just a fool,” Valerie decided.
“Anyway, Marion told me that if I have one more incident like that, I’ll lose my chance for a match,” Summer said. “And I’m finally so close.”
“You’ll make it,” Valerie told her. “I know you will.”
“Are you guys scared about being matched?” Hailey found the courage to ask.
“How do you mean?” Summer asked.
“I mean… those guys in Upper Arkadia,” Hailey said. “If they’re rich enough to bring us up there, why don’t they find women on their own? They must be pretty bad.”
Summer nodded solemnly, and Valerie gave her an appraising look.
“I used to think the same,” Valerie said. “When I first signed on, it was all I could think about. My family needs the money, but it’s a scary idea.”
Hailey nodded.
“But here’s the thing,” Valerie continued. “Good looks aren’t everything. A confident personality isn’t everything. The men who turn to the agency have their reasons for needing a wife as much as we have our reasons for needing a husband.”
That was fair.
“They’re willing to overlook our origins,” Summer said. “That’s a good beginning compared to most Upper Arkadians.”
“And they aren’t hiring sex workers,” Valerie said. “They’re looking for wives. We have to believe these are decent men who want companionship. And they’re willing to pay the agency good money to do it properly, instead of just going to one of the pleasure houses, or worse, snatching up some kidnapped women from the black market.”
Hailey nodded thoughtfully and the knot in her stomach eased just a little bit. She hadn’t really allowed herself to think about the sex part.
“Can they even…” Hailey hesitated, unsure how to ask the delicate question. “I mean, we aren’t the same… that is, are they different from us, um, anatomically?”
Summer stifled a laugh.
“Upper Arkadians are perfectly capable of performing in that department,” Valerie assured her.
“And then some,” Summer added with a snort of a laugh that definitely seemed to sum up the idea of not comporting properly.
And then some?
“Hey, I’ll bet you’re starving,” Summer said before Hailey had time to form any kind of follow-up question. “Let’s go to lunch.”
“We’ll go over the training schedule together when we get back and give you some pointers,” V
alerie told her.
Hailey nodded and got off the edge of the bed, heading for the door with a smile on her face.
Her situation wasn’t ideal, but she had two friends now, which left her monumentally better off than she’d been an hour ago.
But six months was a long time. Hailey left the room wondering if there was any possible way she could get through the program faster and help her family.
6
Orion
Orion strode down the beige hallway after the woman who introduced herself as Marion.
He had always prided himself on being a patient, compassionate man. But he was feeling on edge, an unsteady sense he’d been forced to get used to ever since baby Opal arrived at his office last week.
“Please, sit,” Marion said. “May we offer you any refreshment?”
“No thanks,” he said, fighting the urge to clench his jaw.
Do not let yourself look like a crazy man, he reminded himself.
“Your personal visit is an appreciated and unusual honor, your lordship,” Marion said carefully. “How may we serve you?”
Maybe it was her beautiful dark blue skin that reminded him of his mother’s best friend, or maybe it was the visor, that told him she could see him only through a digital feed - but Orion felt a sense of almost unbearable relief at the idea of unburdening himself.
“I’m alone,” he said quietly, not realizing what a sad idea that was until the words were out. “I know I should have married long ago, or at least signed a companionship contract. But my job demands so much of my time…”
Marion nodded sympathetically.
“I try to behave as befits my station, but,” he paused. “But, well, I went for a jaunt to the Outer Rings almost a year ago and kind of got caught up in the moment.”
He hesitated for a second, but decided the best course of action was to just be direct.
“I had a one-night stand,” he admitted.
