Chapter 1: A Choice in Shadow and Light
The walls of the school bookstore smelled faintly of dust and cardboard. Fluorescent lighting flickered overhead, humming in rhythm with Ann's racing thoughts. Behind the register, she moved with practiced efficiency--scanning, bagging, smiling. Her black polo shirt was two sizes too large, her nametag crooked. Every minute ticked by like it owed her something. She had memorized the cost of every textbook, the faces of every regular, and most importantly, the math of her diminishing bank account.
Nineteen years old. Straight A student. Asian. An immigrant from China who came to the U.S. at thirteen with her parents and a suitcase filled with books. She was supposed to be brilliant. She was supposed to become an engineer or a mathematician.
And for a while, she was.
She enrolled in college as a math major and crushed every course. Until one fateful elective--Introduction to Art History--rearranged her whole world. The way light played across sculpture, the symbolism in Renaissance portraiture, the raw vulnerability of the human form in Caravaggio's chiaroscuro--something clicked inside her. She switched majors quietly, without telling her parents. Not because she didn't want to. Because she couldn't. They would never understand.
And then came the letter: her full scholarship rescinded. She hadn't realized how tightly it was tied to her original major. The moment the registrar processed her change, her financial safety net vanished.
Now, her tuition was due in two weeks, and her savings were gone. The bookstore job barely covered groceries. She hadn't told her parents. They thought she was thriving in her math courses, building a future they could boast about at church. The guilt pressed on her chest like an anvil.
On her break, Ann wandered to the bulletin board behind the store counter--where outdated flyers and club announcements slowly yellowed. That's where she saw it.
TASTEFUL NUDE PHOTOGRAPHY NEEDED -- PRIVACY ASSURED.
No experience necessary. Must be 18+. Seeking confident, expressive women. Compensation: $500/session. Professional studio. You are in control.
Her eyes lingered on the words
privacy assured
and
$500
. The idea disgusted her at first--she couldn't even imagine letting a stranger see her naked. Her conservative upbringing wrapped her in shame and fear like barbed wire.
But the tuition deadline haunted her. Rent loomed. And even a loan application would force her to admit everything to her parents.
Ann found herself staring at the flyer during every break. Eventually, she tore off one of the tabs and slipped it into her bag.
That night, alone in her dorm, she emailed the address. Her message was brief, cautious. She didn't use her school email. Just asked a question:
Is this still available?
The response came the next morning.
Hi Ann,
Yes, we're still scheduling new models. Thanks for reaching out.
If you're comfortable, please send a current photo (nothing revealing, just to get a sense of look and lighting) and a phone number where I can reach you.
- John
Ann hesitated, scrolling through her phone. Finally, she picked a photo from her family's summer vacation--her standing beside her parents in front of Yosemite Falls. Her makeup was minimal, her long black hair braided neatly. Her skin was unblemished porcelain. Her expression: sweet, serious, reserved.
She attached it to the email with her phone number. She hit send and immediately felt sick.
Fifteen minutes later, her phone rang.
"Hi, is this Ann?" The voice on the phone was deep and calm, like a man who never rushed.
"Yes," she said, trying to sound older than she felt.
"This is John. Thanks for the photo--very natural, very striking. You'd photograph beautifully."
She didn't know what to say. She hadn't expected the call so soon.
