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Joy and her sisters walked the short distance to the area where the humans made a community dinner. They’d agreed to do one last one before tomorrow’s mediation.
“Let’s split up,” Tris said. “Perhaps we’d be more approachable for our men once they arrive.”
“Good thinking,” Molli said.
Joy wandered off to take in the scenery. Ahead she saw the crowd of people. The Freijian men looked uncomfortable. Frankenclothes are definitely what she would call them. Bajoc had a strange-looking piece that Marcie called a blazer. It was more like a shapeless cape with rolled sleeves, which he kept tugging down one arm since the left was two or three inches shorter than the right arm. Though, to give her credit, she did manage to sew three buttons on the front so he could fasten the odd contraption. At least she got the length long enough to reach the large man’s knees.
Poor Tristan was another story. His shirt only reached below his chest, exposing his midriff. Lara had since claimed she knew it would and had done so on purpose to show off his abs. They were sexy, and that was probably the only reason why Tristan agreed to wear the ridiculous thing. She also made him a long blazer—this time overshooting the length so it ended at his knees—to wear over the midriff top.
Kamau went walking by, straight-faced. He was wearing crocheted shorts that ended at mid-thigh and outlined his enormous...bulge. Everyone kept averting their gaze from the obscenity. But upward was another distraction. Anita took the beanie idea and ran with it. It fit carefully over his head with his horns poking through the stitched yarn. The beanie matched the tight shorts and even had a little fluffy balls attached at the rim in various shades of blue.
Kresna looked rather proud of his purple and yellow checkered tie. It was so wide it could actually be used as a bib. Joy averted her gaze from the poor man, who grinned from ear to ear.
“I feel underdressed.” A voice near her ear made her squeal in surprise. She jumped and turned around to see Rojan standing behind her.
“You’re back!” She threw her arms around his neck while he lifted her. “I missed you so much.”
She pressed kisses all over his face.
“Jo,” he said sadly. “How will it work when I need to leave you permanently?”
“I guess we’ll have to make the most of your homecomings? Let’s not think about that. All I know is right now I have you, and there’s something I’ve been dying to tell you, too. I love you, Rojan.”
His arms tightened around her. “Ahh, my love, I think I’ve loved you since the first moment I saw you.”
“I want you to know I don’t care that we can’t be together. I’ll remain faithful to you for the handful of visits I’ll cherish throughout the years.”
“It’s going to be so hard to leave you. But I’m afraid our time is up. The mediation is scheduled for tomorrow.”
“The Mayor’s Council is coming here? But what will you do without the Puritans to turn in?”
He shrugged. “Take our punishment like grown males. We’ll be sent to the ore mines and it’ll be vicious. But every year we’ll be allowed at least a week’s personal time. I’ll spend every moment here with you before I’m returned.”
“I want to be with you every second of the day also. Until the moment of your mediation tomorrow.”
He nodded. “Stay with me tonight. The mediation is bright and early. You can hide out on my ship until it’s over, and we have to leave for the mines.”
“I will,” she promised.
He smiled at her. “I love you. Let me go round up the guys, and I’ll see you later, okay?”
“I love you, too.” With one last kiss, he left her. After watching him walk away, she headed out to find her sisters.
Lara and Tristan, coupled with Bajoc and Marcie, were busy talking and never noticed Joy’s approach.
“Two vaginas? Are you sure?” Tristan asked. “That’s not human-like at all. So much for pretending.”
“That’s what she said,” Lara insisted.
Tristan leaned in. “When Pariah met with us before she left, she said she doesn’t want Joy to be with Rojan because she is young and innocent and doesn’t possess much intelligence.”
“What? How dare you?” Joy couldn’t believe the rudeness of some people.
“Not intelligence,” Lara snapped at her husband. “Experience! Experience, Tristan!”
The large man winced. “That’s what I meant. Experience.”
“Well, I don’t care what anyone thinks. I’m in love with Rojan, and he loves me, too.”
“Honey,” Marcie said. “I know you love him. You always love your first, just a little. But, sweetie, have you forgotten about the hunt for the Puritans?”
“No,” Joy said, her voice forlorn. “How could I? It’s the reason why Rojan and I can’t be together.”
“Are you sure you love him?”
“With my whole heart. To the point, I’d be more than willing to admit I’m who he’s looking for.”
“No!” All four voices spoke at once.
“Joy,” Tristan said. “The worst that could happen to Rojan is a change of career. But you? You’d lose your life as you know it. The Quakers don’t care if you’re delivered dead or alive. Do you know why? They have every intention of snuffing you out before you get back to their planet. Rojan wouldn’t want that.”
“I feel so selfish for lying to him.”
“You’re not being selfish,” Marcie said. “The Quakers are selfish. You, sweet Joy, are aptly named. You’ve brought joy to our planet, and we love you. I think you’re a great addition to the place.”
“You do?”
“We all do,” Bajoc added.
“But we never picked out a career. I mean, I know we said we could possibly be nurses, but we decided it’s not really for us.”
“You can be whatever you want to be,” Lara said gently. “You don’t even need to decide right now. Come, let’s enjoy our last gathering. Tomorrow, you four gals will need to be hidden during the mediation.”
Joy could have shared with her that they would be well hidden on the Echo Nine ship, but she didn’t want anyone to know. She didn’t want any interruptions during the last night with her man.
Lara looped her arm through Joy’s, and she and Marcie walked her back into the more populated area.
“Do you mind if we ask you something personal?” Marcie asked. “We didn’t realize your people had two vaginas...”
“Oh, not all of us. Only Tris.”
Marcie looked more confused than ever. “Huh? So it’s not all Quakestrarian women?”
“No. Tris just developed it from beaming.”
She waved at her sisters to approach. Tris wore a silky neck kerchief tied around her throat.
Joy was excited to share the news. “Tris, would you mind showing the gals your vagina?”
“Which one?” Tris asked helpfully.
The humans gaped, too amazed to answer.
“The newer one,” Joy said.
Tris unknotted the scarf and whipped it off. “Ta-da,” she announced.
Well, hell’s bells if her vagina didn’t look quite as angry as it did when they’d first beamed. No, in fact, it was a little more faded than it had been.
“You can see where it should grow lips soon,” Joy justified, aware the vagina was somewhat lacking in the bright sunlight.
“And the hair,” Molli added.
“I suppose I shall have to shave that off,” Tris said. “It could get warm under the neck kerchief.”
Marcie’s eyes were still wide. Lara was the one who spoke. “Thank you for sharing. I’m glad it was us so we could set you straight. Ladies, that’s not a vagina and it won’t sprout hair and lips.”
“It won’t? What is it?” Joy stared at the bruising again. It certainly looked like a less angry vagina.
“It’s a hickey,” Lara said. “A love bite. When a man sucks on your neck, it makes this. Some men consider it as marking their property, so all others know you’re theirs.”
“They do?” Tris looked more excited with the thought that Viktel was marking her than she was about losing her second vagina. She quickly rammed the scarf into her brassiere, plumping her breasts out obscenely, and tilted her head slightly so the vagina stretched out more obviously.
“It definitely proves we were right in hiding you. Good grief, not knowing what a hickey was could have been detrimental to your pretending to be worldly women. I think immediately following the get-together, you all should go straight into hiding.”
“Oh, but we planned to be with our men one last time. I mean, this is our last chance,” Joy said.
“No,” Marcie said. “Supposing something goes horribly wrong? Like Tris would have lost the scarf and one of you would have said to cover her vagina from the eyes of the children? Trust me, it’s best to have as little contact as possible. After the trial, you can come back to living a normal life.”
“But after the trial, our guys will be gone. Banished to the ores.”
Lara sighed. “I know. But the alternative is your death. Look, just promise me you won’t try to talk too much. So nothing will be accidentally revealed.”
“Oh, we promise,” Virginia said.
“Shh,” Marcie hissed, as several men from Citrine Seven approached with the crew from Echo Nine. They seemed to be growling and blustering with each other like a fight might break out.
“Jo,” Rojan said, immediately coming to her side. He took her arm and pulled her from the crowd after glowering at Lathet.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just some razzing from the Citrine Seven crew. They know we’ve failed in our mission and have offered to help find the Puritan virgins for us since we obviously can’t. They’re fools.”
From behind them, Joy could hear a couple of the guys snickering still.
“They wouldn’t know a unibrow if it smacked them between the eyes.” Someone laughed.
“Hehe, they wouldn’t know a virgin if she sat on their lap.” Loud laughter echoed, and poor Rojan’s lips tightened.
“Something keeps itching,” Molli said, and it sounded like she scratched repeatedly.
“What is that?” Lathet asked. Joy turned to see him reach out and retrieve the thick braid from the side of her cheek.
“Oh, Molli. Your unibrow,” Virginia said. “Finally.”
She was immediately hushed by Tris, but it was too late.
“Unibrow,” Hekek said, his voice harsh.
To make matters worse, the guys from Citrine Seven began to laugh. “Surely you couldn’t tell these four virgins from the ones you were hunting? Let’s see. Four Puritan females. Four females here. Check. Four missing virgins. Four found virgins. Check. Unibrows hidden under bangs. Check.”
“They’re not virgins,” Baub said.
“Virginity is a curable disease,” Virginia said haughtily. “We have since cured it.”
“When?” Rojan’s voice was a deadly whisper.
“Yesterday.”
“You couldn’t tell experienced from virginal?” Lathet laughed. “And to think you’re the captain of their crew.” His men guffawed.
Now Rojan was looking directly at her.
“Joy.” His voice was cold. “You never told me you were a virgin. In fact, you said you were quite experienced.”
“I was. I’d taken lots of sex lessons,” she said, her voice small. “But I’d never actually experienced real sex with a man before you.”
“So you were a virgin.”
It was only at that point that she realized he called her Joy.
