Allison swapped out her boots for her school shoes. She missed religion with Sister Silra but she’d reached school in time for the class she was not looking forward to, Civil Studies. It was a mandatory course everyone had to take each year in school.

Civil Studies covered sex education, childcare, cooking, cleaning, personal hygiene, budgeting, good citizenship, generally how to be an adult who can take care of themselves and a household. Allison despised the class. The whole course had this overtone that everyone had to have babies, it was expected to have children or adopt children from Genesis pods because the human race was continually on the brink of extinction. Even though everything pointed to an overpopulation of the Sol system.

If there was one thing Allison was sure of it was that she never wanted children. Ever. This was only reinforced by the revelations about her actual biological parents and all the issues she was having with her nanites and her being a dhampir. She refused to make someone else suffer through her issues. Her mother would talk about grandkids. Allison would just smile and nod, then tell her mother about how she couldn’t wait to teach her kids what her mother had just shown her. She kept hoping for her parents to actually have kids of their own so she could be the fun Aunt later on in life. Well, if they adopted Robin officially, she still might be able to be the fun aunt. She refused to inflict her personal medical hell on anyone else.

She had made it before class change so she quickly made her way to Sister Silra’s classroom to speak to her before the next class. The Sauroid woman was preparing for her grade nines.

“Allison, I heard you were arrested?”

Allison nodded.

“Mistaken Identity, new CS officers. Is there anything I need to know from class today?”

Sister Silra’s tail tapped the ground lightly.

“No, we just went over the mid-term essays and discussed required volunteer work this semester. You did fine on your essay, and you already volunteer a lot so just keep doing what you’re doing. You’ll meet the requirements.”

Allison waved to her and rushed to Civil Studies. The teacher was a man. She was familiar with him, Mr. Jackson. She slipped into the seat that Tyler had saved for her. She was blissfully free of Trixie, Ajay and his crew of cronies. However, the answer to the question of how could my day get worse was answered very quickly. To her right sat none other than his Royal Highness Vaedrick of Ratoa. Aryna glanced at Allison who gave her a what could only be described as a WTF look. Apparently, Paul, from the group she had recently rescued, was in the class and he gave her a wave. She waved back. She made the mistake of, thinking: Okay that has to be it, this semester cannot get any worse.

Such thoughts, as they were wont to do, brought about more bad luck. Because Edward Carter walked through the door just as Mr. Jackson was about to start their review on human reproductive cycles. Mr. Jackson looked at him.

“Hello? You must be new, at this school we show up before class, or we knock. Take a seat.”

Allison buried her face in her arms and let loose a muffled string of whispered curse words. So, she missed the rest of the interaction. Mr. Jackson addressed her directly.

“Ah, Ms. Wanjala, perhaps you don’t want to know how your body works. Sit up straight.”

Allison blushed and sat up straight. Vaedrick was giving her sidelong googly eyes. So was Paul, Edward kept looking at her. Tyler seemed oblivious to the other boys, eyeing who he considered his girlfriend. Allison thought to herself, At least Vaedrick is a passive doormat…

Hope looked back at Allison and shrugged. Allison nodded. Mr. Jackson had his back to the class as he went through the different parts of female anatomy. Allison already knew what came next because it was the same every year, just a lot more detailed because students were more mature. They would discuss menstruation. Then cycles. How to tell when you were most fertile with testing to maximize chances of a child. Birth control was never discussed because that would discourage children.

What was discussed was abstinence until you were twenty-one because children shouldn’t have babies. Hence any actual sex before age of majority was actually illegal. One would think it would have some sort of religious origin. It did not. In fact none of the laws in the System’s Alliance had any basis in religion at all. These laws were all about maximizing profits, keeping children safe, and keeping children in school. Another lesson about underage sex and why it is bad involved the statistics. Statistically speaking, non-adults having children had less income year to year, their children had less income, and both were a burden on the taxes paid by hardworking corporate citizens. Allison just couldn’t wait for that one.

The System’s Alliance were not prudes however. Part of this class, once they were old enough had involved the benefits of self-pleasure. What was safe, what was not, options like sex bots. How sex wasn’t nasty, to be kept secret, how it was as much about pleasure as it was about procreation. Quite an embarrassing subject to discuss with grade nines, but as much as Allison disliked the class she had to admit, Mr. Jackson handled it professionally and in stride. It wasn’t all about physical things either. There were lessons on communication. Communication in all facets of a relationship. That involved statistics too.

Allison had found out that statistically since the founding of the World Trade Organization and subsequently the System’s Alliance had a divorce rate in the low teens. Not everyone got married but those that did tie the proverbial knot stayed married. Monogamy was roughly maintained in forty-five percent of relationships. Thirty percent of marriages. That was another point of discussion, different types of relationships, poly, monogamous, ethical non-monogamy.

The class discussed transgender studies, sexual orientation, pan sexualism, homosexuality, people who had no interest in sex. All of it had been discussed over the years. All of it had been normalized. Things that in the twenty-first century would be unimaginable were discussed in a rational, matter-of-fact fashion. No attempts to categorize students were ever made and access to contact information for councilors who would discuss such things in private with students were always available.

Allison was pondering all of this as she waited for the class to finish. She had a pretty good handle on the cyclic nature of being a young woman. She didn’t need Mr. Jackson to tell her about that. She suddenly came to a realization near the end of class as she tapped her stylus back and forth. Her Aunt had created the entire school system. She had been integral to the development of this class, so in effect she was getting the birds and bees talk from her by all accounts prudish Catholic Aunt. She realized her Aunt Maria was far more open-minded than she appeared on the surface. In fact, her Aunt Maria’s name was still on the top of the list for their textbooks in all of her classes except Religion. Since the Dark Mother’s Book of Shadows was the textbook, though she did feature prominently in it. Or well everyone suspected but she had never confirmed publicly.

She glanced at Vaedrick who seemed mesmerized by the lesson on female cycles, sexuality and body parts. Allison wondered if that was some dark secret hidden by the Ratoan women, that men were not allowed to know these cryptic mysterious feminine things. It wouldn’t surprise her. Women in that empire kept the men on short leashes. Since she’d first met him, she was completely crushing on how handsome he was he was just pretty to look at. She was repulsed by his lack of self-respect, submissiveness and general inability to make a decision without a woman to tell him what to do.

Her Aunt Maria was on her mind because she was planning on calling her at lunch to ask her what the hell Vaedrick was doing in her school. She did just that, delaying her arrival at the cafeteria. Maria answered.

“Allison, I was going to call you after school. You got arrested? I had some… disturbing reports about your time on Silwra and I have news about the samples you have.”

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Allison didn’t acknowledge any of her words and just went for it.

“Aunt Maria, what the hell is Vaedrick doing in my school and on my colony? This is my safe space… and why is Edward Carter here? Are you trying to make me flee and ask for asylum from the League?”

Maria held up her hands.

“Slow down. Vaedrick is there? I thought he was still at Pleasure Dome 3 sipping fruit drinks on the beach.”

Allison shook her head her lips stuck in a permanent frown.

“No, no he just sat beside me in my Civil Studies class staring at the lesson on female anatomy like he was learning a secret of the universe. So no, he’s definitely here. I don’t care what the council or board want, I’m not their Princess to marry off to some handsome but absolutely boring prince. And I thought my op with the you know what was classified! Why is he here?”

Maria looked like she was about to tell Allison to calm down but decided the better of it.

“Just pretend everything is fine, I will have our friend investigate the Edward thing, as for Vaedrick, all I can say is, please just try and make it work. It really is in the best interest of the System’s Alliance. Just don’t tell Eyre about it. She will make an issue of it. Isis wouldn’t be happy either.”

Allison blinked a few times. Then she figured out what her aunt was trying to tell her. She couldn’t do anything and that Allison should talk to her sister or Isis.

“Vaedrick and I are not happening. He was interesting to hang around with at the Pleasure Dome, not in school. He’s going to get eaten alive here. It is a terrible diplomatic decision, and we might be corrupting his mind. Just so you know I’m mad at you.”

Maria nodded.

“You are putting a diplomatic arrangement in jeopardy with your stubbornness. I expect you to strongly consider Vaedrick as your future husband and father of your children. Now, about your arrest, Helen said it was taken care of, was it taken care of?”

Allison glared at Maria.

“No, and yes.”

Maria nodded.

“Alright, and Silwra, what happened, why did you vanish for three days? I had the embassy staff looking out for you. You were taken away by an emergency evac shuttle what happened?”

Allison sighed, she quickly figured out how to say what happened without saying what happened.

“I had a delayed reaction to the Sal’nash poison. I was late for some medication, and it is my fault. They stabilized me and gave me a slime tube treatment. Afterwards the Synthlin used nanites to clear the slime from my blood stream. They scanned me to ensure I was free of those nanites before letting me out and it took a couple of days for them to be purged from my system. I am fine, but I do need to go back in three months for more treatment, and for a specific quick acting treatment they’re creating specifically for me, that I can use in the event of a relapse, or another high dosing. The SA just doesn’t have the ability to do because of our laws about nanotech.”

Maria nodded.

“Okay, as long as you understand any traces of nanites detected in your blood would be a serious matter.”

Allison nodded.

“My scanner says my blood is one hundred percent nanite free and that I am in good health.”

“Good, now about the collection of bio-samples you found that you asked Eyre and I to investigate monetizing. Eyre has just finished purchasing the main facility for it. She has been hiring staff. We should be able to pick them up from the site you found on your personal expedition and put them into storage within the month. I know how eager you are to get started.”

Allison blinked a few times.

“How… where?”

Maria smiled.

“In time. We can discuss it. In the meantime, I believe it is lunchtime for you. Maybe it is a good time to spend some time with Vaedrick and plan your itinerary for your trip to Ratoa for the masquerade ball. I am sure there are many things he wants you to see. I look forward to hearing you are dating.”

Allison glared at Maria again before hanging up without saying goodbye. She called Eyre as she went towards the cafeteria. Eyre answered she was also walking somewhere.

“Allison, why did you get arrested?”

Allison shook her head.

“Not important! Why is Vaedrick here? How could you let this happen?”

Eyre narrowed her eyes.

“Well, it would appear someone on the board did an end run around the council. I will look into this immediately; Did you tell your Aunt Maria?”

Allison nodded furiously.

“She told me to make it work that I needed to strongly consider this… nightmare.”

Eyre nodded.

“That is a little bit dramatic.”

Allison blinked in disbelief.

“Dramatic? My life is over. Edward who I chowed down on during a mission to get at his father is here and probably kissed a little too… deeply, Vaedrick who thinks I’m his bride to be is here, and Tyler, my actual boyfriend is here. It’s over. Done.”

Eyre nodded once again; She was being careful to keep a very straight face.

“Maria is playing her part like she has too, she agrees with me about the Ratoan situation, but her communications are monitored in general for threats, so she has to pretend. My advice is, pretend you don’t know Edward, be polite to Vaedrick and kiss your boyfriend. I’ll see what I can do but if Vaedrick is already there its probably a done deal with the Empress.”

Allison sighed and nodded.

“Alright.”

Eyre smiled at her.

“Oh and Allison, just breathe sometimes.”

She disconnected the call leaving Allison rolling her eyes. All of her Qual’sa noble decorum had gone out the window when her high school had turned into a teen holo-drama. Her very straightforward love life had just turned into this stupid love rectangle. She wanted it to just go away. She saw Hope looking uncomfortable talking to Edward. That pair was beside Tyler who was sitting across from Vaedrick talking it up like they were already best friends. Aryna was on the end with an empty space for Allison across from her. Allison wrinkled her nose and picked up a tray of food before sitting across from Aryna because to do otherwise would look weird. Aryna smiled at her.

“Isn’t it wonderful they let Vaedrick come to a human school?”

Allison tried not to clench her teeth as she spoke.

“Yes. Great. I am so glad he can see what they are like.”

Vaedrick smiled at her. She tried not to glare at him. It wasn’t his fault, really, she knew his mother was somehow behind this and the weight of thousands of years of societal pressure meant he would do exactly whatever a woman told him with little resistance. Tyler motioned to Vaedrick.

“You two know him?”

Vaedrick nodded.

“Oh yes, I know them quite well. Aryna is a friend and Allison is to be my betrothed.”

Tyler blinked and gave Allison a hurt look. Allison was horrified she tried to explain but basically her words were nonsensical. Tyler stood up, dumped his lunch out and left the cafeteria. Vaedrick looked around himself.

“Did I say something wrong?”

Allison got up and ran after Tyler. He was hitting his head on his locker saying stupid over and over again. He was in tears. Allison touched his arm and he moved away from her. He pointed at her.

“Stay away from me. You knew… you were with him at Pleasure Dome 3. You knew!”

Allison had tears ruining her makeup for the second time today. Words were failing her. There was so much to explain.

“Tyler it’s not true.”

He pointed at the cafeteria.

“Who are you stringing along then, him or me? I get it, he’s good looking, he’s like you…”

Allison tried to take Tyler’s hands, but he shoved her away. Allison was off balance and fell to the floor.

“No don’t touch me. I thought we…. I thought you and I. After the kiss. You called me your boyfriend. I thought you were just pretending that kiss meant nothing!”

Allison looked up at him from the floor.

“They want me to marry him, I said no. I will keep saying no. I am your girlfriend. And that kiss meant everything to me. It is why I came back. It is why I will always come back.”

He was shaking.

“And Edward, he was talking to Hope about someone named Allie. I heard your friend Kennedy calling you Allie on a call, he was saying how much a night on a beach meant to him, how Allie had just vanished without a trace. He came here as a boarding student to find her! Like Hope. Are you Allie?”

Allison opened and closed her mouth. At the time she hadn’t been working. She’d just been trying to numb the pain of what happened to Tyler. Seeing if she could feel something other than regret. The fact later she was working, as ‘Allie’ meant she couldn’t say a damn word about it.

“I was at Pleasure Dome 3 at the same time as Edward. I was hanging out with Hope.”

Tyler was having trouble processing all of this and slid down the lockers. Allison pulled herself up and joined him at a distance.

“Anything that happened was before you and I… were together and you shot me so I thought even if you did wake up we were done. I am not the Allie he is looking for. That is another person entirely who isn’t answering him for a reason. I love you but I’m not going to let you blame me for things I have no control over. I told everyone who told me to agree to be betrothed to Vaedrick, no. I don’t care how good the Alliance would be for us, I’m not going to marry some random guy to pop out babies and be empress of some alien empire. Believe me or don’t.”

Tyler looked at her. Allison felt like she must have been a mess with her tears making her cosmetics run. There were no words as they wrapped their arms around each other and kissed each other. Allison leaned into him. She’d wanted them around her for so long. She got lost in the kiss.