*Hello, Oghma here. I know I said I'd try to have this one out as quickly as possible, but as I think we're all aware how real-life gets in the way right now. Rest assured though, I have not abandoned this story and we will see it to the end. I hope to see you for the next chapter.*
**Disclaimer: Unrealistic sizes, fantastical elements and some somber themes ahead. All persons depicted within are of 18 years or older.**
*
"I'm telling you... I'm getting out of here." Matthew panted as he jogged alongside Marcus. The compound fortunately was large enough to make a good jog out of, and it was one of the few things the two of them could do with minimal supervision. The handlers had way too much on their plate to keep up with everyone who wanted to jog, so they would just park themselves where they could see everything. In this case the handler was too busy with a meatball sub (which looked a hell of a lot better than what they had for lunch) and only occasionally looked up to follow them. "And I'm not finishing the program."
"You're talkin' about escape?" Marcus asked gruffly through breaths of his own.
"Yeah, I guess I am."
"That ain't gonna be easy." He replied. "You know they watch us all the time, there's the fence to deal with, and of course how are we gonna get anywhere?" Matthew nodded as he jogged, these were certainly going to be problematic. "We got no transport, no money and nothing but desert for miles. What you're suggesting is practically suicide."
"I don't care." Matthew responded. The two ceased their jog and took a moment to catch their breaths. Luckily the handler was still too engrossed in his sandwich to come over to check on them. "You told me that you can't fake your way out of here? Well, I can't either. Sooner or later it's going to be me they hold a funeral for. I'm a Breeder Marcus, and nothing they do here is going to change that. I dunno what your plans are, but I'm not going to stay here until I die. You can stay behind if you want to but..." he paused, well if he had come this far, he might as well bear it all. "But I'm gonna be there for my kid." Marcus said nothing, just slowly contemplated what Matthew had said to him. There was...something in this new friend that he hadn't seen in a long time. A spark of a bitter illusion he thought he'd abandoned years ago.
"I didn't say I was going to stay behind." Matthew's eyes lit up when he heard that.
"You mean- "
"Keep your voice down." Marcus hissed, prompting Matthew to quiet himself. "Look... if we're going to get out of here like you said. We can't do it half-assed. We gotta do it right."
"Right...right of course." Matthew nodded, gesturing that the two of them should resume their jog. "So... any ideas?"
"Now ain't the time. But tonight, after they come to check on us, we can talk it over."
"Yeah, you're right... Oh, and Marcus?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
*
"Jupiter and moons show me the way."
"Following my dream of Babylon."
"Jupiter and moons show me my fate."
"Will the Sun arise?"
"Jupiter and moons let me escape."
"From this world of pain...I'll die alone!"
"Jupiter and moons show me the way."
"Back to paradise... back to paradise!"
The song rang through the car at near deafening volume. "Of Jupiter and Moons", a particular favorite of Himawari's, one she'd shared with Matthew during their all-too brief time together. In a strange way, they could almost see it as "their song", so it made sense that she'd use it to psych herself up. She'd tried to research conversion therapy sites, but online research hadn't been fruitful enough; there were only a few locations in this state, but none of them were willing to disclose any information about their attendees. Plus it was entirely possible that the pastor had sent him out of state, she just didn't know. Calling him was no longer an option, though she had tried again to reach him that way the number had been disconnected. No, the only way she was going to find anything about Matthew was through a direct conversation, since his father was out of the question there was only one other person...
"Himawari?" her sister's voice snapped her out of her trance, causing her to look over to the passenger's seat where Akari was. "We've been here a few minutes already, aren't you going to go inside?"
"Yeah, of course I just...needed to finish this song." Himawari answered. Akari just nodded her head and pursed her lips in response.
"You're too nervous to go in, aren't you?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"Yes." She answered matter-of-factly. Himawari sighed and slumped forward., There really was no hiding it.
"Look, I mean... I dunno what else to do. There's no telling exactly where they sent him. But after that phone call with his dad, I'm scared to think what kind of person his mom might be. You know?" Akari pursed her lips as she figured out how best to answer her sister.
"Well maybe but... there's no real way to know until we talk to her. Do you want to give up now?"
"...No." Himawari sighed, unbuckling her seatbelt. "I guess there's no avoiding it is there?"
*
"Clunk!" came the sound of the picture frame hitting the floor. June sighed in exasperation as she recognized the sound. Maneuvering herself carefully, she did her best to gather up the picture frame without knocking anything over again. Had her bottom gotten bigger again? She thought she had gotten past this after Ruth was born, but it seemed her body had other things in mind. June then cupped her chest, after instinctively looking around to make sure nobody was watching. They didn't feel any bigger. Good, worst case scenario she had a little more time before she had to... No, she mustn't think of it that way; This was her decision and nobody else's. It was better for in the long run, no back pain and much less expensive bras. It was a shame she couldn't do anything about the curves lower down. But there were some things no human could ever change. As she placed the picture back on the table, she let out another sigh, this time one of relief. A pastor's wife through and through; supportive, nurturing and obedient. It was then that she heard the doorbell ring, causing her head to jerk towards the front door. Now who could that be? June then made her way towards the door, swiftly yet careful enough not to knock over anything again. As she approached it, she took a moment to make sure her hair was nice and neat before opening it. "Hello?" she asked.
"Yes hi!" came the reply from one of her guests. June took a moment to look them over, quite a bit surprised by what she saw. Standing in the doorway were two voluptuous young women. One looked to be about Matthew's age, with cocoa colored skin, narrow amber eyes and long dark hair. The other was of Asian descent, a little older with a softer more... maternal visage. The younger one was dressed in a loose fitting light-green t-shirt, and a pair of worn blue jeans, while the other was adorned in a white shirt and a tartan skirt that rose just above her knees. What stood out most were their bodies; both were sporting curves that just screamed fertility and sexuality. Even this reserved pastor's wife found herself gaping in awe for a moment before she was able to shake the ungodly urges from her mind.
"Can I help you?" she queried, just wondering what could have brought them here.