New Kings of Tomorrow

by J. M. Clark

  “Well, I care about you, Jacob, same way as I care about everyone here and everyone out in the world.” She knew she wasn’t being truthful with him. Or with herself. There was no one else alive that she felt this strongly for.

  Jacob read her face for a second or two without speaking, neither one willing to break the silence. They both cared for each other. Mary knew this to be true, even if they weren’t willing to say it.

  For a flash of a second, she observed what looked like hurt on his face. He morphed the expression into indifference an instant later. Mary took a step toward him, but Jacob raised a hand to stop her in her place.

  “That’s what I thought. So, it doesn’t matter if you went and I stayed here. None of it really matters. You feel the same for me as you do everyone else here, right?”

  “It does matter, Jacob. I care.”

  “You care about what, Mary? Mankind? O Merciful Mother Earth? Yeah, we know, that’s all you Palace people care about.” He wore a smug look on his face. Pain was beneath it though, Mary could see that. It made her feel terrible, because that wasn’t how she felt at all. When she was around Jacob, she couldn’t care less about Mother Earth or anyone living on this entire planet. Just him. But he didn’t believe that. How could he? She couldn’t vocalize it. And really, she didn’t understand it herself.

  “Okay Jacob, I understand how you feel. I’ve never been outside of this place, and I know that’s the backdrop of why I can’t relate to your feelings. For that I’m sorry…I’ll just leave.” Mary could feel a tear go streaking down her cheek as she turned away before he could see her crying.

  “Mary, stop. Come back,” Jacob yelled to her when she was almost at the door. He began to run toward her, but the door swung open before she was able to grab the knob. She jumped back in fear and held her hands up to her face as the door came close to hitting her. Jacob grabbed her arm and pulled her back, protecting her.

  There stood Teacher Luke in the doorway, shaggy black hair falling over his forehead and big brown surprised eyes. He was caught off guard just as much as they were. Clearly, he meant to enter the room but didn’t realize they were so close to the door.

  “Hey…guys, I was just walking by, and I heard a bit of arguing coming from this room? In no way do I want to get in the middle of a relations exercise or even a difference of opinion, but I would ask you both to keep the noise down. If I could hear it, others can too.” He stepped inside of the room, staring at them both with a friendly face. He closed the door behind him, but not before Mary saw a few members walking past.

  “We are so sorry, Teacher Luke. It was nothing. We just got excited talking about Mother Earth and the amazing things we could do when we get into the Greater Understanding Program.” Mary gave a lopsided smile and what could only be considered an awkward attempt at a polite curtsy.

  Jacob rolled his eyes and waved his hand at both of them in a dismissive manner. He turned around and walked toward the bed.

  “This is fucking stupid,” he said under his breath. Mary gasped—she knew that because she could hear it, Teacher Luke could too.

  Teacher Luke took a fast step toward Jacob, still wearing a grin on his face, but his eyes were serious.

  “Excuse me, Jacob, there is no reason to be disrespectful. I’m telling you that you could be heard outside of your door.” His eyes sparkled as he winked at Jacob. “I’m not sure what’s causing this attitude from you, but I’m available to talk about it with you if that’s something you would like to discuss further. This is not something that you would be reprimanded for, but being disrespectful to a teacher could change things exponentially. Correct yourself right this second and take my advice, for that’s all I’m offering at this point.”

  Jacob made a move toward the teacher. “Hold on, who do yo—”

  “We are sorry, Teacher Luke!” Mary practically yelled as she grabbed the teacher’s hand and directed his attention to her, spinning him around to face her and cutting Jacob off short.

  “We will be sure to keep the noise down. I will leave with you now actually, as I’m on my way to my pod to get lunch. Would you escort me there?” He turned his head and continued to look at Jacob with what appeared to be enjoyment…excitement even. Jacob turned away and sat on a chair near the bed, and Teacher Luke looked at Mary, allowing the pleasant smile to return to his face.

  “Of course I’ll escort you to your pod, Mary.” Teacher Luke paused and turned back to Jacob, who sat on the small white chair, brooding like a child and trying to keep his cool.

  “But first, why are you two together today, anyway? This is not a relations exercise day, and there was no clearance in the books for you to have a visitor in your pod today, Jacob.” He walked to the foot of the bed and picked up the sheet, rolling it up into a tight ball, all the while never taking his eyes from Jacob. Mary was scared; she didn’t want to get a referral, and she didn’t want Jacob to get one either, especially by saying something that could get them into more trouble.

  Mary looked over to Jacob, shaking her head no, hoping that he would not let his pride take over and cause them more trouble. The teacher was still looking at Jacob, so he could not see her gesture.

  Teacher Luke lifted the balled-up sheet to his face and buried his nose within it, still holding eye contact with Jacob. He inhaled deeply, taking in the full scent of the sex that had just occurred a few minutes prior. He exhaled and dropped the sheet on the floor.

  “You may want to put this on the floor next to the exit, Mr. Cole. It seems to have been used for…relations.” Teacher Luke said the word with a slippery drawl and a smirk. Mary could tell he sounded different, like he was using a joking voice. He sounded so oddly animated, his tone turned Mary’s skin into gooseflesh. A chill traveled down her spine, moving down to her legs, making them weak enough to nearly buckle beneath her weight.

  “I’ll remind you both that relations exercises are only on scheduled days. Now, I’m not saying that this is what I’ve seen here today with my own eyes…but I have other senses that give me a hunch this was the case.” He touched a finger to his nose and glided toward Mary, moving past her and opening the door.

  “Let’s get to your pod, Mary. Jacob, I can imagine you have things to do today as well. I’d urge you to stay out of trouble, and in the future, keep things quiet. Especially if you are going to break the rules. Wouldn’t want to get a referral, or worse.” He grabbed Mary’s hand and exited the room, leaving Jacob behind in his pod.

  They moved down the long corridor with Teacher Luke leading the way at least five paces in front of her. Mary followed behind, not sure what to say, if there was anything to say at all. She hoped this didn’t get back to the higher-ups in the Order. She knew she shouldn’t have had relations exercises with Jacob today, that she shouldn’t even be in his pod without authorized permission from a teacher.

  Why would I even risk this trouble to do something like that? She walked up the hallway, ashamed of herself, ashamed that she even put herself in the position to backslide. Even though she was worried about moving further from the Greater Understanding Program, she was more worried about how Jacob was feeling right now. At that moment, she had answered her own question…That’s why you risked it. Despite her fears, an enormous smile appeared on her face.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Sirus

  He stood in the light of the window, blocking the beams from fully coming into the office. But the light that had escaped his obstruction managed to brighten the room up. He held a wine glass filled with a well-aged Chateau Lafite—that was his favorite. It helped Sirus get in the mood to speak to Palace members. There was so much they didn’t understand about the world, or themselves for that matter. Someone had to do the hard work, and he was charged with that duty.

  Sirus lifted the glass to his face, not drinking, just catching the scent of the wine. The smell was almost as invigorating as the taste. He inhaled, letting the smell linger in his nostrils before exhaling and letting
it escape.

  The sunlight was strong, the heat warming his face. He liked that. For early summer, it was very hot today. Sirus took a small sip from the wine glass, staring out into the courtyard. He’d been watching someone from the window for the last week or so. This individual had become of interest. His behavior was odd. At some point, they would need to speak, but not today. Today he had a meeting with a special someone.

  Sirus set the glass on the desk behind him without turning around. He grabbed the curtain and closed it forcefully, then turned around to regard his newest visitor. Tilting his glasses down on his nose, he presented a warm, inviting smile.

  “Today is a wonderful day, is it not, Diane?” Sirus pulled his seat out and finally sat down to talk. “Forgive me for not getting to you sooner, I did not mean to be rude. I was in deep thought when you were shown into my space here. I’m hoping I did not offend.” He plastered sincerity all over his handsome face.

  Diane’s complexion flushed with red, from her neck all the way up to her hairline, her bronzed skin turning crimson in real time. She ogled Sirus and seemingly struggled to form the words to reply. “No not at all, take as long as you need, sir. I feel fortunate for the chance to get to speak to you. I can wait. Sir.”

  The woman had no idea what she was saying. She could not stop gawking at him. Sirus was fully aware that by most women’s standards, everything she saw was utterly magnificent. His perfect white teeth, his thick hair with not a strand out of place. His eyes were magnets, pulling her in, and that was exactly his intention. By the way she bit her soft bottom lip, he could tell that she wanted to book a future relations exercise with him. Obviously, that wouldn’t be possible. No one who left Sirus’s office went back to the Palace.

  “I’m ashamed, my dear, but I do thank you for sparing me the embarrassment.” Sirus reached for her hand across the desk. Diane met his gesture and gave her hand over without hesitation. He rubbed it, letting his fingers glide over the veins in her hand while giving an apologetic bow. He noticed the subtle moment in her chair as the woman clutched her legs together tight. She looked away from him and locked her gaze on the big clock in the dark corner. He could just bet she was getting warm and moist between those legs. The thought amused him to no end.

  “I have a long day ahead, and I’ve already had a drink, so let me get on with the business at hand before I render myself no good to anyone.” Sirus let out a hearty laugh, his shoulders bouncing while he removed his glasses and laid them on the table, just on top of a file that read Diane Tanahill.

  “Please sir, you don’t have to apologize to me. I’m no one. You are...Sirus. I’m overjoyed to be here. Is there anything, anything at all I can do for you, sir?” She slowly spread her legs in front of the desk. Her hands rested on her knees, creeping closer to her inner thighs.

  Sirus knew this was her default; she’d learned how to play men, how to get them to go against their…better judgment and sully their names and morale to please her carnal needs. She thought him a basic male. Sirus didn’t know if this offended him or excited him, but he would play her game for a bit.

  “I wanted to ask you a question, Diane. What do you remember of the Old World? I know you were around fifteen years old when the government reps found you and delivered you to us. That would make you roughly…thirty-five now?” He tilted the palm of his hand up and down in a give-or-take gesture.

  Diane’s eyes narrowed a bit. “Yeah, somewhere around there, I’d say. Time is a funny thing here, as you know. But everyone agrees it’s been twenty years, so yes, thirty-five.”

  “Okay, so you may have seen or heard of some of this stuff. In the Old World, humans were careless, selfish things. They didn’t mean to be this way, it was just the way the world was, for better or worse right?” Sirus sat back in his seat and removed his black suit jacket, laying it on the right corner of the desk. He began rolling up the sleeves of his white dress shirt.

  Diane swallowed and scooted her chair closer to her side of the desk, as though she were so interested in what he was saying that she wanted to hear better. Her legs were now beneath the desk, her lower half out of his view. He raised a pointed eyebrow.

  “Can you imagine that there were practices amongst pregnant women in the Old World that allowed a poor excuse for a doctor to suck the living child out of their wombs?” Scooting his chair closer to the desk as well, Sirus placed both elbows on the surface, resting his bearded face in his hands, making him look like a pouty twelve-year-old.

  It was easy to see she was not actually paying attention to his words. Not because his banter was not interesting, of course it was. But the flexing in her right arm gave him a clue as to the business going on beneath his beautiful desk. She is rubbing her vagina under there—how fascinating she was.

  “Yes, a woman could pay a doctor to remove the baby from her abdomen, maybe even take a pill to kill the child, or get the little guy, or girl, sucked right out of her soft, supple, vagina.” Sirus delivered the last words in the most sensual of ways, allowing his lips to annunciate every syllable.

  “It’s said that on this continent alone, women were willingly terminating millions upon millions of their offspring.” His face hardened as he got up from his chair and went back to the window. Moving the curtain to the side just a little, he looked out to check on his latest subject. He could multitask.

  In the reflection of the glass, Sirus could clearly see her in the chair. He had no idea if she knew, but he was guessing not. It was possible that she knew and simply didn’t care. Her legs were wide open beneath the desk now, and she had pulled the crotch of her white cotton panties to the side, exposing the lips of her vagina. Her fingers were pulled together tightly as she rubbed herself vigorously. Sirus thought he could hear the wet sounds of her hand’s movements beneath the air conditioner in his office. She was quite excited. He smiled.

  “I hope you are following me here, Mrs. Tanahill.”

  “Yes, yes sir, I am. I’m confused and hurt just thinking about why the women of the Old World would take the option to do any of that.”

  “I know, right? Unthinkable, I say.” He continued to look out at the courtyard; his mark seemed to have moved out of his vision. Sirus looked upward at the sky as he addressed the woman behind him.

  “I ask myself the same thing though: Why would women terminate the unborn children? That’s not something that a loving parent would do. What reason could there possibly be to destroy life before it ever got a chance at life? None that I can think of, and neither can you, it seems.” Sirus removed his hand from the curtain and let it fall closed again, covering the room in darkness once more. He began his march around the desk, playing his pacing game.

  His abrupt turn away from the window caused her to jump. Her closed eyes were now aware, and her hand shot from beneath the desk to her side. Her legs slammed shut, and he was tickled knowing that she had likely orgasmed multiple times.

  “No sir, no reason I could think. I’ve given the Palace eight children since the time I’ve arrived here, and I will give more, until I cannot anymore. I think those women were not appreciative of the gifts Mother Earth bestowed upon them. There is no wonder why the sickness came, right?”

  Sirus froze in place and pointed a finger at her like a gun. “Right you are, beautiful young lady. Not appreciating the gifts Mother Earth bestowed upon them!” He almost hopped off the ground with excitement as he flashed her a grin and a wink. Then he continued his trek around the office with background music from the clock. Tick-tock.

  “The females back then were not getting pregnant or having children because they wanted them, or because they wanted to give the gift of the earth to her offspring. They were becoming pregnant to hold on to men who were not men at all. They had children to get handouts from the government of that time. I know, I was old enough to remember these times, and it’s true. Very unfortunate, but true all the same.”

  Sirus stopped again, right there behind Diane. He put his hand on he
r shoulders and rubbed them deeply. Moving his face closer to hers, he let his trim beard rub against her cheek as he spoke into her ear. “You do believe my words, don’t you, Diane?” Sirus whispered.

  He heard her let out a very low moan as her body became even more tense. There was a scent there, not a bad one though. He enjoyed it because he knew what it was, it smelled like her lust for him. Her fingers had been busy beneath that desk. He would now see how far she would allow him to go.

  “Of course, you understand me, Diane, because you would never do anything like that, right? No, no, not you.” Sirius suddenly grabbed her right hand from beneath the desk. He moved her hand gracefully to his face and kissed it.

  First the hand, and then he grabbed her palm and let her individual fingers fall onto his lips to kiss those as well. He could taste her. This did not turn him on sexually; there would be no rise in his pants. He was amused by how far her own sexual appetite would allow her to let things go. She was weak…weak for him. He could sense the bones in her body turn into spaghetti as she slumped further into the seat.

  Sirus released her hand, and she fired her hand back underneath the desk and onto her lap, but it was too late. He wanted her to know that he knew what had been taking place beneath the desk, and now she did. But did she care? Likely not.

  Sirus grabbed his suit jacket from the desk, put it on, and walked to where the clock was. He began tapping on the glass of the clock face in the rhythm of the ticking.

  “Women forgot what they were created for, Diane. They began to give in to the same carnal nature that rules man. Women were meant to be better. When the standard of the creator falters, everything collapses shortly after. And I mean creator of life in the physical sense. Your creator is Mother Earth.