Volunteer (Selected Book 3)

by Robin Roseau

  "So you have doubts."

  "You are young. I don't doubt your loyalty, but you need opportunities to exercise it, and you need opportunities to exercise your morality. It makes you a stronger person."

  "You were testing me with the visor, too."

  "Yes, I was, and for similar reasons. You wondered if I was going to abuse you. I think you should consider who should be more offended."

  "You were trying to go behind Jasmine's back."

  "No, I wasn't."

  "You sure made it look like it, and that was intentional. As you said, I'm young. If you paint a picture, and I see the picture you paint, I'm not sure that's my fault." I looked over her shoulder. "I thought Catseye were always blunt. That was pretty convoluted, at least by my standards, and I don't deserve these kinds of games." Then I sat up. "You fink!"

  She smiled. "So now I'm a fink?"

  "That was politics. You were giving me a taste of politics."

  "You did ask me to help you get some experience."

  I stared at her, opening and closing my mouth several times. "If I think some more, am I going to find another layer?"

  "Probably not," she said.

  "Probably not?"

  Her tentacles waved in a show of mirth.

  "Yes, you're a fink," I added.

  "Are you ready to let me hug you?"

  I answered by opening my arms. She moved closer and wrapped around me, but no tentacle slipped across my face. So I bent my head and kissed the one on my shoulder. And then she slipped one inside. We held each other for a while before she slowly withdrew.

  "Why did you make me work for that?"

  "The kiss?" she asked. "So it was your choice."

  She slipped away, but I put a hand on her arm. "I didn't like what you did, even if you think you had good reasons."

  "I know."

  "I want to know I can trust you. I don't like when you intentionally make me doubt you. And that's what you did."

  "I didn't make you doubt me the day of the medical exams, but you doubted me anyway."

  "Because you surprised me."

  "I will probably surprise you in the future."

  "You want blind loyalty."

  "It's not blind, Skye. I would prefer the word unquestioning."

  "Then I expect it back, and I think it's entirely fair for me to ask you why you're doing something."

  "You do, hmm. Why?"

  "Because I'm not a robot."

  "I suppose you're not," she agreed. She stepped away but then turned around. "How did you like your taste of politics?"

  "I didn't."

  "I want to ask you a question. Have you ever heard of an honest politician? I'm going to let you ponder that, but I would counsel you against coming to final conclusions."

  A minute after she left, while I was still sitting up, thinking about what she said, the door opened, and my three roommates carefully entered the room. "Are we welcome?" Audra asked.

  "Yeah."

  "Still mad at Mom?" Posey asked in Catseye.

  "No."

  "If you guys talk Catseye in front of me, I won't let you tickle me," Audra said. "Clear?"

  "Clear," Posey said. "I asked her if she were still mad at Mom."

  "Oh. Skye doesn't stay mad." She jumped up on the bed, bouncing it. "Especially if she has to laugh. A lot."

  "Not tonight," I said.

  They didn't listen.

  Winter Into Spring

  The term started, and I went into a two-day funk after spending so much time with Violet. But I snapped out of it and attacked my classes with gusto. There were events that first weekend, and Violet told me I should attend them, and so I didn't see her that weekend, either.

  Wednesday at the end of Catseye class, Professor Beamer asked me to stay after class. We waited until everyone left, and then she turned to me.

  "Were you coming home this weekend?"

  "Yes. Violet and I have a date Saturday night."

  "All right. I want you for dinner on Friday. Is that a problem?"

  "No. I'll head to Boston after my last class."

  "Good. That's all I needed."

  * * * *

  Friday at dinner, everyone was subdued. I got my hugs, but the conversation was strained, and I wondered what was going on. Finally I asked if there had been some bad news.

  "We'll talk after dinner," said Bluebell.

  "Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

  "No, Skye."

  I looked at Violet. "Are you dumping me?"

  "What?" she asked. "Hell, no. You're mine, and you're staying mine. Just try to get away. Just try."

  "I don't want to try," I said.

  "Well, good."

  But conversation remained muted. After the meal, I helped clean and asked Violet for a hint.

  "Are you asking me to pick between you or Mom?" Violet asked.

  "So your mom is mad at me."

  "No, she's not, but please stop asking, Skye."

  "All right, but I'm scared."

  "I know. I'm sorry."

  And so it was ten minutes later that we were all in the living room. I was on the center of the sofa with Violet on one side and Posey on the other, and they had me heavily wrapped in tentacles.

  "You're scaring me," I said.

  "Skye," said Bluebell. "It's been cured."

  "What has?"

  "Did you hear me? I'm about to tell you something, but it's in the past. Everyone is fine."

  "Oh god. What?"

  "Your mother had -- past tense -- had cancer."

  I stared at her. "What?"

  "We found it during the exam."

  "What?" I screeched. "You're telling me now?"

  "When we found it," Bluebell continued. "We began the treatment. We dragged the exams out for you and Audra. Then we opened up your mom's chair first so we could tell her. We told her we would cure it, and she asked us not to tell you or Audra until afterwards."

  "She's cured. Are you sure?"

  "We're sure," Bluebell said. "It wasn't very advanced, so it was easy."

  "You saved her life."

  "Yes."

  "What kind?"

  "Breast cancer. Human doctors would have had to remove one breast and may have chosen to remove both. We were somewhat less invasive. She's fine. But if you noticed she was quiet during our trip, that was why."

  "Did it spread?"

  "She's completely clean, Skye. Completely."

  I started to cry, and Violet and Posey held me tightly. Finally I looked up and whispered, "Thank you. Yet again."

  "You're welcome. Skye, she didn't need me. She only needed to exercise the rights of her job. All I did was insist she do so."

  "But if you hadn't, would she have died?"

  "She probably would have found the lump eventually. I don't know."

  "You saved her life, but it was helping Audra ski that broke down her barrier with you."

  "Mothers are like that," Bluebell said.

  I looked down for a while. "Thank you," I said again.

  "You are welcome." She moved out of her seat and stepped over to me, lifting my chin. "Okay?"

  "Okay," I said. "Yes."

  "Good." She smiled. "Boardwalk?"

  "Okay."

  * * * *

  "Where's Posey?"

  "I asked for privacy," Violet said. Then she moved closer, and I suddenly felt like she were stalking me. I knew that look, and I didn't try to get away.

  I enjoyed when she caught me, which she did easily.

  She had me out of my clothes before she even laid me on the bed, and herself a few seconds after while still pinning me down. Then she climbed on top of me, looming over me.

  "I love you, Skye," she said.

  "I love you, too, Violet."

  "I want to do something new tonight."

  "Oh?"

  "Catseye only get a few eggs," she said. "Well, they aren't eggs. But we only get a few. And we control when we release them."

 
; "You told me."

  "But we can do a, well, we call it a dry release." She then said the phrase in Catseye. "It's not dry. It's far from dry. But there's no egg."

  "Ohh," I said slowly. I smiled and began caressing her body, but she caught my hands and pinned them above me. Then she lowered herself, pinning me more fully, her middle over mine.

  "I want to touch."

  "Will you let me do what I want? Please, Skye. This is important to me."

  "Of course," I whispered.

  She began moving against me, her tentacles exploring, touching me, teasing me the way I liked being teased. Then she slipped two into my mouth. Normally she waited for me to kiss, but she didn't wait, and she filled my mouth, teasing my tongue far more than usual. And it had the side effect of keeping me from being able to speak.

  "This is a very dominant act," she said. "It is very dominant for me, and the Catseye that receives the egg is made submissive, even if that is not the normal style of their relationship."

  As she talked, she continued to move, to tease, and she had gotten very good at it by now, far better than I was at pleasing her.

  I mumbled and moaned around the two tentacles.

  She teased, and she touched, and her tentacles were snuffling while I breathed heavily, completely lost in what she was doing to me.

  Then she arched backwards, still holding me, but I felt her sex brushing against mine, and I went insane with need.

  "I love you, Skye," she said. "I will love you forever." Then she arched, and everywhere her tentacles were touching, she sucked heavily.

  I came in an explosion, quick and hard, and then I felt a great amount of wetness.

  Then she stilled, still snuffling heavily, but the suction ended, and the tentacles in my mouth withdraw.

  "Oh god," I said. "Oh god."

  I opened my eyes, and Violet had the most blissful expression. Our centers, our sex, were still pressed together. But then she collapsed on me and released my arms, and I wrapped around her, holding tightly.

  "I've never done that," she whispered. "Oh, it feels good." Then she rolled off me, pulling me with her so I was draped halfway across her. She wrapped around me and pulled the covers over us.

  We lay like that for a while, then she tapped my nose, and I opened my eyes.

  "I have more to tell you," she said in a whisper. "If you were Catseye, then we would fit just a little better, and when I deliver, you would receive. We do not have the biology of a human male. We insert only slightly inside, and then your body draws it in."

  "My body doesn't do that."

  "When we marry, your body will be altered. Your reproductive system will be altered to be compatible with mine."

  "I don't produce what we need to reproduce, Violet."

  "That will be altered. You remain mostly human, but not entirely."

  "We can have children."

  "Yes." She smiled. "And guess who will carry them."

  I returned her smile. "I love you, Violet." Then I snuggled more tightly and closed my eyes again.

  "Do you understand everything?"

  "I understand the most important part."

  "What's that?"

  "That I'm yours."

  "That's right," she said.

  And we slept.

  * * * *

  Spring break approached, a few weeks off. Jasmine emailed me early on a Friday in March. "Video call when you reach Boston."

  I replied that I would and gave her an estimated time.

  As usual, no one was home, but I was accustomed to studying, using the visor, and so I pulled it on, checked messages, and then sat back on the sofa in the living room and initiated the call. Jasmine answered immediately.

  "Hello, Skye."

  "Hello, Jasmine. Is there a problem?"

  "No. Have you determined a major?"

  "You know I'm still confused."

  "Things could have changed," she said. "Spring break is coming. I am changing all your plans."

  I didn't say anything.

  "Relax," she said. "Everyone is coming here."

  "Everyone?"

  "Well, the five of you. You and your sister will be going into Testing."

  "Quietly?"

  "Yes. I am allocating three days for both of you." I didn't respond to that. I knew that was unusual. "Bluebell and I are still working out some of the details. This isn't our standard Testing."

  "I understand."

  "You'll have a few more days here, and then I understand the five of you are going somewhere else. I think it's supposed to be a surprise."

  "Mom and Audra aren't coming?"

  "Audra's break doesn't match yours."

  "Oh. I guess I knew that."

  "I am very proud of you, Skye."

  "I'm nothing special."

  "How are things between you and Violet?"

  "Why can't we get married now?"

  "You're going to hate this. Politics. Focus on school, Skye."

  "We will be able to get married, won't we?"

  "Yes, but not yet. This is very, very important, Skye. You're a pawn in politics. I hate that, but that's how it is."

  "All right."

  "You'll be working with Amaryllis this summer."

  "Bluebell and Azalea already told me."

  "I need you to charm her the way you charm everyone else."

  I didn't have a response for that.

  "All right. We'll talk more when you get here."

  "All right, Jasmine," I said.

  But she disconnect. "Skye, is everything all right?"

  I nodded. "Yes."

  "Are you lying to me?"

  "I'm a little overwhelmed, but I'm fine. I'm getting a little used to this feeling."

  She smiled. "All right. You know you can talk to me if you need perspective."

  "Jasmine, you've done so much. Will you do one more thing for me?"

  "What is that?"

  "Will you personally make sure Mom doesn't skip any more of her doctor's appointments?"

  "Yes. I think she got a good scare, but I'll make sure the system keeps me updated."

  "Thank you, Jasmine."

  "She's healthy now, Skye. She's perfectly healthy."

  "I know. Thank you, Jasmine."

  "Good night, Skye."

  * * * *

  "You've been quiet all night," Posey said. "What's wrong?"

  "Don't make us tickle it out of you."

  "You two are going to tickle me whatever I do," I said. "That's an empty threat."

  "That's not fully accurate," Violet retorted. "We wouldn't tickle you if we didn't think you liked it."

  "Right now, I just want to be held," I said. And then I tugged on both of them to get them to lie down beside me. They wrapped me up, and I sighed happily. "Thank you."

  We lay quietly for several minutes, their tentacles not still, but the light movements felt good.

  "Why isn't anything planned after we get to The Center?"

  They both froze.

  "You guys aren't coming, are you?"

  "Of course we are," Posey said. But their tentacles didn't start moving again.

  "There's not a lot to do there."

  "There's a great deal to do," Posey said. "Maybe we decided to toss you in the arena and fight over you."

  I laughed. "Yeah, that's the Catseye style."

  "Yeah, you're right. Next near," said Posey. "Is it time to tickle her, Violet?"

  "Tickle me without a real answer, and I'm going to be angry."

  "She knows," Violet said.

  "I know what?"

  "Don't be coy," Violet said. "You know."

  "What do I know?"

  "Every seven years," Violet said.

  "And for us, that's this year," Posey added.

  "Catseye have to go on a Hunt."

  "A hunt."

  "Yes. It's always two Catseye, and they hunt Someone."

  "Someone."

  "Someone... tasty."

  "You two are
so full of it," I said.

  "Are you sure?"

  "I live at The Center. I know what goes on."

  "You don't think we can keep a secret?" Violet asked.

  "You just told me, which means that if it were a real secret, then no, you can't."

  They laughed.

  "What if it were true?" Posey asked. "What if we wanted to hunt you?"

  "Yeah, right."

  "What if?" Violet asked.

  I opened my eyes and looked back and forth between them. "You're not going to really answer my question, are you?"

  "Will you please let us distract you, Skye?"

  "So there's a surprise planned."

  "Please, Skye. Let us distract you."

  "All right, but no tickling."

  "Thank you. Close your eyes and let us soothe you now." I did, and they moving lightly again, which felt nice.

  "What if," Violet asked.

  "Is that a serious question or distraction? If it's distraction, you can do a lot better than that."

  "It's a serious question. What if? Would you let us?"

  "What would you do to me after you caught me."

  "Eat you, of course," said Posey.

  "Bah."

  "Discounting the vegetarian species," said Violet, "all the species have a history of hunting, and most of them have rituals associated with it. About half the meat eaters have stopped hunting for food, but most of them still have rituals."

  "And we're meat eaters," Posey said.

  "I think you're pulling my leg."

  "What if?" Violet asked.

  "Tell me what you'd do after you caught me."

  "We told you. We'd eat you," Posey said. "Symbolically."

  "We'd really eat some chicken, probably. But we'd symbolically roast you."

  "Tie you to a spit," Posey said.

  "Naked, of course. Drench you in sauces."

  "You are so full of shit!" I said.

  "Hang you over an unlit barbeque," continued Posey.

  "There'd be a real one right next to you," Violet said. "That's where we'd cook the chicken."

  "Chickens are small, Violet," Posey said. "We'd use an emu. Or a wild boar."

  "Full. Of. Shit."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Like you could get an emu. But if you want an emu, just hunt the damned emu."

  "Emus are stupid. We want smart prey."

  "Full. Of. Shit."

  "We'd turn the spit," Posey said. "Well, both spits. We'd switch. I'd turn you for a while, then Violet would, and I'd turn the emu."