Falling for the Wrong Man (Mature 18+)

Chapter 11 - The hotel at Moriah

Miriam jumped up and threw her cover off. Jess and Candace did the same.

"Glad to get that thing off me" Jess said.

Miriam smiled at her, but the smile didn't reach her eyes and she agreed with Jess saying: "It is an awful necessity for women."

"What is this place?" Candace said incredulously.

"Shhh" Miriam warned her, "we must keep our voices down. Jabez might hear us through the walls." Candace and Jess nodded solemnly, after years of living in virginal quarters they knew how important it was to keep their voices low.

"Who is hungry?" Miriam asked. Both girls nodded as she brought out food from one of her bags. She had sandwiches made with cured meats. They ate quietly and waited for Miriam to talk.

"This is a train" Miriam started. "It travels at super speeds underground." The girls glanced at each other, both sets of eyes reflected fear at the thought of being underground.

Miriam continued: "When we travelled by van it was mostly through tunnels. The train is all tunnel. The weapons that exist are able to stop transport above ground so, only the estates are above ground. Cities and tunnels are underground."

Miriam went on to let them know that the van journey had taken all day to get to the station. Now they would travel all night to reach the front.

Both girls recoiled in shock at the mention of the front.

"Why are we going to the front?" Jess whispered feeling horrified.

Miriam explained that it was Chloe and Candace who were accompanying Jabez to a ball. Jess could not be left alone at the estate and she would stay with Miriam in a locked room for three days. Jess wanted to weep. What were they supposed to do for three days? It was bad enough at the estate where she could only go to the grand hall and back. Now she would be in a closed room. She decided she didn't want to think about it. She finished her food and handed her container back to Miriam. Candace did the same.

"Why were the women dressed like that?" Jess asked to change the subject.

"The black covers are for full wives, the dark blue for seed wives. Khaki for matrons" said Miriam.

"What about the other colours?" asked Candace.

Miriam hesitated. She didn't really want to talk about them but both girls were staring at her and waiting. She also had to spend the next few days and nights with them in a dangerous place. Perhaps it was better to let them know some of the truth now.

"The red cover is used for the women that are traded for lust. They are women who are for sale, but they are expensive. The poor ones, you saw them at the station, dressed in the small clothes. They sell themselves to anyone for any money they can get. They are usually diseased. Some are foreigners. Some of them wear grey covers. It shows they have more modesty than the others, but they are all fallen women."

"What about the white? And blue?" Jess asked.

"The white women are pure." Miriam looked hard at Jess and said: "Jess, you should have worn white but Jabez thought it was too dangerous. The men who have white women are usually looking to sell them. They are not always used as wives. The blue women are the wives of high military men and rich foreign women. It is best to avoid them completely."

Jess looked amazed. "What foreign women?" she asked.

Miriam sighed: "In these areas, there are foreigners. Our council allows some to come over the front and live here. Sometimes it is for trade and other times it is political. Now, I think that is enough for today, you girls should get some sleep."