It was at age 18 my life began to change dramatically and, I guess, I didn't realise just how profound those changes were going to be. We'd all been horrified by tales about the great big world outside, but no one took them seriously. And besides, information is really hard to disseminate when you're a man. Nobody trusted the rumours from beyond the perimeter.
Life prior to my 18th had been largely spent in the complete enclosure of Sulihall Secondary of Etiquette, from ages 11-16, studying in the usual male pursuits: home economics, sewing, fashion and homemaking. Then two years ago, I graduated to Sulihall College of Etiquette, which had a reputation for churning out some of the best subservients in the country, apparently. I am a few hours away now from taking the most important exam of my life: The Aptitude Test.
They say it's simple, that it doesn't hurt, you don't have to do much and it lasts under an hour. But we all know, however, that that one hour will be incredibly significant; it will determine where our futures lie as men and eventually, where and which Mistress we will come to serve.
My test was now 1 hour and 5 minutes away. I said goodbye to my friends, as I knew I would never see them again, and entered the waiting corridor, heart thumping and a nervous sweat forming on my brow. They called us in alphabetically. Next to me was a handsome looking guy who must have been over 6 foot. As I sat next to him he just gave me a nervous look. I could see him visibly gulp. He was now only 5 minutes from going in himself.
I fidgeted in my plain college uniform and twiddled my thumbs, mind a frenzy of crazy images about what lay ahead of me. After what seemed like an eternity, a door opened.
A smooth Female voice called out "Allan Brunswick, please." He stood up straight, glanced at me again and gingerly disappeared down the corridor and through a door to the left.
A male invigilator in an officer's uniform stood beside the door making sure there was no talking in the corridor between candidates. He jangled some keys in his pocket a bit. On his name tag read, "Property of Mistress Swales."
He didn't look too unhappy to me. From his posture he looks like he takes his job seriously but he doesn't look too unhappy, I convinced myself almost hysterically. I gulp in fear of my complete lack of knowledge of what is in store. Maybe his Mistress is a nice person to serve? Maybe he didn't do too well on his Aptitude test but things still turned out well for him? I didn't have answers to these questions. My legs felt weak and taught, aching with adrenaline.
Half an hour passed. Then three-quarters. Then fifty minutes. My jaw began to wobble. The guy to my right, who had just arrived, sat rigidly in his chair, eyes blazing at the beige wall ahead.
Another ten minutes, then Allan Brunswick stepped from the departure door with a big smile on his face. He was being congratulated on his success. "Well done, Mr Stud!" squealed one female voice. This made me feel even worse.
Another two minutes grinded by.
"Jason Byrnes, please" came the sweet Female coo. The call only shocked me further into my seat. But slowly I arose as if made of clay and stepped towards the door. A beaming and beautiful Female face welcomed me in. I wanted to turn and run.
She ushered me into the room and began to talk at me.
"Okay Jason, we're going to run some tests. It's nothing to be scared of. You won't feel a thing, we're just going to collect data about you and calculate part of your Aptitude score from that."
"Yes, Mistress" I replied dutifully.
I felt like I was entering a volcano. I could feel sweat collecting in my armpits -- something that would be frowned upon.
"Now I want you to come through to this room. Sit on this chair and we'll wire you up." She smiled at me with big blue eyes. It was so rare to see a Female, a Woman this close, it was intoxicating. The only Women we saw were our Principals and sometimes, our teachers.
I took my seat just as She said, in front of a large television set. Another couple of Women then entered the room and attached a pulse sensor to my chest and another to my lower abdomen. They all stuck easily because of the amount I was perspiring.
"Just try to relax" one of the nurses suggested.
Then the other one spoke, "You don't want it to affect your score, do you?"
Through my anxiety I couldn't tell whether She was being sarcastic or genuine.
"No, Mistress," I replied breathily.
The Mistresses left the room in a blur and locked the door leaving me to bask in their heavenly perfume. It quickly became choking and sickly in light of the current situation however.
Then the TV in front of me burst into life. The logo of the school appeared before the title "Aptitude and Sexual Identity Test, Scene 1".
To my complete and utter disbelief, pornography appeared before me. A brunette Woman and a man having sex. Bewildered, I looked around.