Lana was dumbstruck. “I... I...”
“It will come, with time,” the commander explained with impatience. “I want to stress to you that you are here because you have committed a high crime in the Imperial Realm, but you are a very valuable commodity. As such, you find yourself in the enviable position of being able to work yourself into a position of great prestige and luxury, provided that you comply with your training. There are many females in the Realm who would give anything to be where you are. I think you will find, if you give yourself over to it, that you can enjoy learning to play your proper role in the Realm.”
Lana’s face grew hot with anger, and she sucked her lower lip beneath her front teeth to stop herself from saying anything. She was not sure where the anger emanated from: her fury at being enslaved, at the injustice of the Realm, at their feral, animalistic ideas of ‘proper,’ or at herself, for feeling as she did when the commander said words like ‘discipline.’
“Do I need to spank you again?” the commander asked her.
“No, sir,” Lana said quickly, dropping her eyes. “I’m sorry, I... I forgot.”
The commander stepped backward, and the door behind him hissed open. Lana’s pulse raced as she considered pushing past him, running through the corridors, hiding until she found a way out—
The commander’s upper lip trembled with a light smile. “I imagine you are thinking if a way to escape, Katalana Scott. I assure you, it is utterly futile. And your punishment will be most severe. Obedience is your best choice now. I will take my leave. Your cycle begins in nine units.”
The commander stepped into the corridor, and the door hissed shut before Lana could even consider moving toward it.
Chapter Four
The room began to growlighter some time later, slowly and gently, causing Lana to wake. The temperature also seemed to increase on the same gentle slope, and Lana fought the urge to appreciate the gentle waking in her prison. It was so distinct from the sharp yelling of her aunt in the dark, urging her to beat the light, drawing her from under the thin blankets and into the sharp desert cold.
She sat up and pondered her next move for only a moment. She went to the toilet, where she found running water in the sink, and an item that looked like a toothbrush.
She explored the room a little; opening the closet proved impossible as she could not determine where the switch was.
She sat, wondering what to do, but not for long. A rapid succession of beeps and a hiss opened the door.
A man, wearing white, and with a soft aspect and gentle mannerisms, entered the room. He smiled at her, and his smile was much less aggressive than the commander’s. Lana was surprised to find that she almost felt a friendly rapport between them, nearly immediately.
“I am Anasi. I am Assistant Twelve. I am your trainer’s assistant,” the man—who looked also like a boy—told her simply.
The door hissed closed.
Lana’s mouth fell open, but she was not sure of what to say.
Anasi indicated the closet by gesturing toward it. “You may put on your robe, if you are not being disciplined,” he suggested.
Lana looked at the closet, then back to Anasi. “I... I... don’t, didn’t realize... I don’t know how to open the...” She waved at the closet.
