Cats In the Cradle

14. Emma

Training to be a wife was admittedly much more difficult than I'd expected.

It wasn't just about speaking softly, cooking, cleaning and tending to the children.

Orion made it clear that it was my responsibility to make my body available to my husband at any given moment. Even in the middle of the night or during meals.

He showed me how to use my mouth and my hands on his male organ—he called it a cock—and how to take it in my throat without gagging. He didn't seem to mind the gagging, though, which I was relieved to know. Because despite his lessons on relaxing my gag reflex, it was still rather difficult.

And he used his mouth on my private areas, teaching me how to relax enough to allow a powerful, wonderful spirit to overtake me. The feeling was marvelous, probably the only part of my training that I didn't entirely dislike. He told me that not all husbands enjoyed doing that, and I prayed that The Great Spirit would bless me with a man who did enjoy it.

He also taught me about what my husband might do on our wedding night—without penetrating me, true to his word—and told me that that was how we'd make babies. He showed me videos about sexual intercourse—"fucking", he often called it—and different positions. There was so much to learn, and I felt a little worried and overwhelmed, but he assured me that I'd be prepared in time.

And he inserted little tools into my bottom and made me keep them inside, so I'd be prepared if my husband wanted to use my bottom hole or occasionally share me with his friends. It was my least favorite part of my training because it was very painful, even though he tried his best to be gentle. He was kind enough to warn me that my husband likely wouldn't be as gentle as he was.

And I wasn't entirely sure what Orion meant by my husband possibly wanting to share me with his friends, but he assured me that I'd be given plenty of tea in the event that my husband decided to share me sometimes. Or if I participated in the monthly community ceremonies.

For some reason, that was only mildly comforting.

One night, while we were eating dinner, with me sitting on his lap as usual, I asked him about Mrs. Augustus. I knew it was bold of me to ask about the mysterious punishments some wives received, but my time with Orion was about to end, and he'd still never spoken about that.

As often as I witnessed wives emerging from their bedrooms limping, with cuts and bruises and black eyes, or heard about them being sent for training with Orion, I felt I should be better prepared.

It seemed like an important aspect of marriage.

"You're very bold, aren't you, darling?" Orion asked me, playing with my hair as he liked to do, with one hand wrapped securely around my waist. He'd given me new dresses to wear during my training, and they were beautiful, but much shorter than I was accustomed to.

"I—no, sir. I apologize if I—"

"No, no, it's alright. It's just that not many girls have been brave enough to ask me about that. Your oldest sister was bold like you, come to think of it... But I'd be happy to tell you." He told me softly, lightly kissing my cheek.

"Mrs. Augustus was unfortunately overtaken by dark spirits after giving birth to Michael. Allen had already sent her to me a few times at that point, so it wasn't entirely unexpected when she tried to run away. But it couldn't continue. Allen was very hurt by her trying to leave him; he's a very good man, as you know."

I nodded. Mr. Augustus was so kind; everyone adored him. He was a great friend to Father, wealthy, and valued family above all else. He was also one of the founding members of our community, like Father, and he was abundantly blessed by The Great Spirit.

"So after her escape attempt, he wasn't quite sure what to do. He didn't want to hurt her too badly. But whatever we did had to be harsh enough to finally abolish the dark spirits. And it needed to be an example to the rest of the community. It needed to show everyone what could happen if they escaped from the protection of The Great Spirit. If they were exposed to the evils of the dangerous Outer World.

"So all the men in the community who were of age disciplined her. We brought her to the Bad House on my property and shared her for a few months. Using her holes as roughly as someone from The Outer World would, whipping and beating her with the harshness of someone who had never received the blessing of The Great Spirit, drawing out the dark spirits with our Light. She drank buckets of my Light day and night, as it's the most potent and blessed, as you know.

"But the punishment unfortunately...damaged her internally. She was unable to bear anymore children after she was sent back to Allen. So I took her in for a while and tried my best to heal her with my Light and with my special medicines.

"I was unable to reverse the internal damage, but I was able to permanently banish the dark spirits. She's been healed ever since. And nobody else has tried to escape, after she was made an example of." I exhaled shakily, already knowing what he was about to add next.

"Nobody except your sister, Lara."