Given Read Online Free Page A

like.”
    “Well, have a bite, and then you’ll know.” Miss Neal
laughed, handing Krista a huge piece. “I know we aren’t supposed to celebrate
birthdays, but what the heck. Jory made this herself
last night. Oh crap, we forgot the candle. You were supposed to make a wish.”
    “I’m eating cake! What more could I wish for right now? I do
wish I could stay here. This is my home,” Krista said, frowning and looking
down at her feet.
    “No. This is where you grew up, but it’s not really a home.
Love your six, raise your sons with them. Then you’ll
feel what it’s like to be home.” Miss Neal said.
    Krista took another bite of the white cake with colorful
dots.
    “Don’t forget to open your present.” Miss Neal’s voice trembled
slightly.
    Krista set her cake down as they slid a big box into her
lap. When she pulled off the lid, a gasp escaped her. She picked up a beautiful
dress; it was dark, navy blue and made of soft, shimmering fabric. The front
was low-cut and the dress was sleeveless. Underneath was a pair of matching
pumps and a headband made of the same material as the dress. Heat rose to her
cheeks when she saw the risqué black lace bra and panties. She looked up at the
women sitting in a circle around her smiling and eating cake for breakfast.
    “Think of this as your wedding dress. We can’t very well
send our girl out into the world without anything special to wear,” said Miss
Neal.
    Kristannie’s eyes misted. “Thank
you.”
    “Keep looking,” Miss Stewart suggested.
    Krista saw a hardcover book. She carefully set the dress
aside and picked the album up. Inside were pictures, drawings, and even report
cards from when she was small. The women had used a combination of officially
documented photos and candid snapshots to illustrate her childhood. She’d
forgotten how much the teens had played with her as a child. One picture was of
her sleeping, all cuddled up with a rag doll one of the other girls had made
for her. Another showed her jumping rope with Cina not long after her friend had been ripped away from her family. She could still
see the haunted look on Cina’s face.
    Krista giggled when she saw the picture of the little dog
the older girls had found and hidden when the camp was nothing but a tent city.
They’d gotten away with hiding him for almost three months. She’d enjoyed the
dog more than anything else the wretched place had to offer.
    “I didn’t know anyone had a camera.”
    “We weren’t supposed to. Just like you girls hide contraband
now, we did too,” said Miss Stanley.
    “Who dug up all these old report cards and awards?”
    “They were in your file. We had a wine night and put this
together for you. I won’t lie, there were tears. You’ll be missed, Krista. All
of our email addresses, our personal ones, are on the back page. Don’t forget
us,” said Miss Blake quietly.
    “How can I forget my family?”
    The teachers swarmed her. She was smothered in a comforting,
but crushing, group hug. Cina came into the room,
looking around fugitively. “Come in and order breakfast with us,” Miss Blake told Cina .
    “Oh cake, I found my breakfast!” She set Krista’s bag by the
door and hugged her friend. Both girls started to cry.
    “Okay, no more tears. Let’s eat!” Miss Neal said with false
cheeriness.
    * * * *
    The drive to Madison, the state capitol, took several hours.
Krista’s nervousness increased with each passing mile. Looking out the window
at the beautiful scenery, she realized just how much she’d forgotten about the
world. Watching as the miles of open, rural countryside rushed by caused her to
feel small and afraid. The high walls of the Young Women’s Educational
Protection Facility of the Northern Quadrant made her feel safe, but this
expansive space was too big. The rolling hills and corpses of trees were
beautiful, but there was just too much…freedom.
    She thought about all the horror stories she’d heard from
the girls with family