World of Women - World of Women - V2 - Chapter 5
āMy sister? Madison?ā
The two girls nodded excitedly in unison. āYes, weāre supposed to warn you that sheās in trouble! Some girls have been bullying her.ā
I immediately moved forward and grabbed the redhead, who let out a yelp. āPlease, show me the way.ā
āAh! Th-thatā¦ Yahhhhā¦ā as she tried to look away, I grabbed her hand and immediately began pulling.
Her friend looked on flustered as I dragged the redhead named Brianna with me, heading in the direction the pair had come from.
āP-please, stop holdingā¦ sheāll be angry if we touch!ā Brianna cried.
As she spoke, her friend also followed, looking at a loss of what to do.
āHuh?ā I turned back on Brianna. āWho is she?ā
āEh!ā Brianna waved her hand. āI mean everyone! Iām only a Freshman! If anyone sees me holding a boyās hand the girls will make my life miserable!ā
Seeing that the look she was giving me seemed genuinely fearful, I felt a pang of guilt and let go of her. She immediately pulled her hand back, lowering her gaze like someone who had just been chastised. Did my sisters also have to face this sort of thing? Was harassment a constant fear among women at the Academy? If this was the case, Madison had never mentioned it to me. If she was being bullied, I would haveā¦ I wouldā¦ I realized there wasnāt much I could have done. However, now that Iām here, I wouldnāt allow it anymore!
āPlease, lead the way.ā I infused as much repentance as I could in that look.
āI-itās okayā¦ā Brianna blushed, looking away somewhat shyly. āItās not that big of a dealā¦ probably.ā
Brianna was touched her hand where I had held it in an odd way. She almost looked regretful that she had pulled her hand away. It took her friend Syph pinching her hip before she jumped and nodded.
āF-follow me!ā She turned, grabbing Syphās hand, and the pair started moving forward.
The other guys had all exchanged looks, and whether it was from brotherly feelings or simply interest, they followed behind us. The pace was a bit brisk, and four guys being led by two girls certainly caught quite a few eyes. The girls showed a surprising amount of defiance, glaring back at a few of the women who dared to shoot them angry looks. The more I watched this dynamic, the more I learned about this Academy.
Amaryllis was a place where the best of the best women came to gain their education. These were the brightest, richest, and most beautiful women. From 15-18, they spent four years struggling to gain an education before beginning an apprenticeship. Although this was one of the goals, one of the others was to become pregnant. Pregnancy gave them citizenship, which gave them access to a myriad of benefits, as well as two years of stipends that functioned very well as startup funds for starting a new life.
With only forty men and nearly five thousand women, the competition became quite fierce. Men were trained to use women and maximize their slice, gaining long-lasting benefits for the rest of their lives. Women were trained to avoid male tricks while gaining their seed at all cost. The end result turned out to be an incredibly hostile environment, not just between men and women, but between women and other women. Whether it was because of Lipsticks, Hares, Sluts, or simply the battle of the sexes, women became their own worst enemy, spending as much time cutting each other down as they did seeking the seed from the male staff.
I had feared my life on Amaryllis would be like that ferry ride up to the island, being constantly accosted by women at every turn. As it turned out, that might have been a freak occurrence caused by a manās sudden appearance and the population being a predominately clueless freshman. For most students, they quickly learned their place in the Academy, and thus their capacity to gain seed had to be subversive. I didnāt need to worry about women attacking me in the street, but I might need to worry about someone sneaking into my dorm at night. Suddenly, momās story about the time she snuck into dadās room and chained herself to the bed seemed much more understandable.
It wasnāt long before the two girls slowed and stepped to the side. It was clear they didnāt intend to go any farther. Fortunately, they didnāt have to. I could see the commotion ahead. There wasnāt a particularly large crowd, but a fair amount of women had congregated around an area. In the center of that area was Madison, who was lying in a puddle, covered in mud. Immediately, I quickened my steps.
As the scene unfolded, there were three rich looking women standing nearby looking down. However, what caught my eye the most was the presence of a guy. He had his hand out as if he was offering Madison help. However, Madison had a stubborn look on her face, and it seemed like she was trying to avoid meeting his eyes. The boy had a simple look, with short cropped dark brown hair and dark eyes. He looked somewhat handsome with a boyish face just short of being called a pretty boy, but it was clear he was someone who was concerned about his looks.
āWhy donāt you just take your boyfriendās hand Madison?ā One of the girls snorted teasingly. āAlthough youāre so filthy, youāll get your stink all over him.ā
āDonāt be like that, Rosetta. Youāre going a bit too far.ā The boy said politely before turning to Madison. āTake my hand. I donāt want you getting a cold. Especially, not before our date.ā
āMadisonā¦ā I stopped dead, my eyes narrowing, still quite a distance away.
Rigor stopped next to me, his eyes blinking. āM-madison? Your sister is the Slut Queen?ā
Without a breath, I turned and grabbed Rigorās collar, āWhat did you call her?ā
Rigor raised up his hands. āIām sorry, I didnāt know! I just asked for the identity of the Queens from that Peter kid. Someone called Madison is the Slut Queen. Itās probably a different Madison! Her last name is Bonholdt.ā
Ashton bumped Rigorās side. āHeās Clyburn Bonholdtā¦ā
Rigor coughed, growing flushed. āI-I…itās just a name, right?ā
I let him go and sighed. āS-sorryā¦ā
āNo-no, I get it. Iād be pissed too if my sisters wereā¦ wellā¦ Iād probably do something about itā¦ā Rigor laughed nervously.
A few girls had noticed the four boys appearing nearby, and were shooting looks of interest over, dividing the interest between Madison and us. However, Madison and the people around her were still focused on her situation.
Madison had given the three women behind the boy a nervous look, and the boy nodded and smiled. āLadies, do you think perhaps you went a little overboard pushing her into the puddle.ā
The girls shot the boy a polite smile, but when their eyes passed over Madison it was clear they didnāt have an ounce of respect. Their leader Rosetta was a girl in heels wearing a rather fancy summer dress. She wore a lot of makeup and her hair was done up like she was going to prom. Her hair was light brown, large and elaborately curled. She had an elegance to her, with full lips and bright blue eyes. However, her face looked somewhat cruel and haughty. She had high cheekbones and narrow eyes which made her look like she was looking down on people.
āItās fine,ā The one named Rosetta responded, waving her hand. āAs long as Madison apologizes, Iāll be happy to forgive the slut.ā
The boy nodded as if this was a perfectly acceptable thing to say before turning to Madison. āCan you apologize to her, Madison? Then this will all be over, right?ā
āApologize for what?ā Madison glared angrily.
āHmphā¦ you tried to talk to a boy out of turn.ā Rosetta growled. āDonāt you understand your place? We were talking to him, so donāt think you can just run up and ask him somethingā¦ā
āHe-he asked me outā¦ I was going to talk to himā¦ about thatā¦ā Madison lowered her eyes under the glare of the three women.
āWhy would Ben ask a slut like you out?ā Rosetta snorted, her two friends chuckling behind her.
āNow, nowā¦ Rosey, itās trueā¦ā The boy called Ben kept smiling like Rosettaās attacks had nothing to do with him.
āYo-youāre s-seriously taking this slut on a date?ā Rosetta shouted in disbelief, further embarrassing Madison while causing the rest of the people still paying attention to them to shake their heads and grin.
Ben leaned toward Rosetta, grabbing her hand, causing her to grow a little flustered. āYou know as well as I do that sheās already a junior and hasnāt had a baby. Iām doing my part so that Amaryllis remains a place for the best and brightest women.ā
The way he spoke was like he was whispering to Rosetta, but he spoke loudly enough everyone could hear. Some of the women were nodding their heads, gaining a great deal of respect for what he said. It was a manās duty to provide seed, so a man who was graciously providing it to an undesirable could be considered more manly than most. Personally, I had enough listening to this shit. I immediately headed towards my sister.
āAhā¦ wellā¦ if itās thatā¦ā Rosetta seemed to melt as Ben stroked her cheek intimately. āI suppose she is just a freak.ā
I couldnāt really believe this guy. Wasnāt he Madisonās boyfriend? Well, at least, they were going on a date, right? Why was this guy being so intimate with Rosetta right in front of Madison? Was he two-timing her? No, that was my old logic again. In this world, men probably had a lot of women they needed to please. This guy wasnāt a two-timer, he was a guy who was desperately trying to please everyone. However, he was worrying more about soothing Rosettaās fierce anger and ignoring Madisonās pain. Instantly, I disliked him.
I loved Madison, and if she genuinely wanted to be with someone else, I would step aside. However, it would need to be with someone who I approved of, of course. This asshole right here was not appropriate for my sister at all. Since thatās the case, excuse me for raining on his parade.
āSo, Madison, it seems like this was all a misunderstanding!ā Ben said, scratching the back of his head and laughing. āIf youād just apologize to Rosey than we can all just be friends, rig-ā
āAhhh!ā Madison let out a cry.
She had her scowl trained specifically on Rosetta and Ben, thus she hadnāt seen a third person approach her from behind. Suddenly, arms wrapped around her, one going under her legs and the other wrapping around her back in a very familiar way. Madison couldnāt help but be extremely startled at being grabbed. Before she could react, however, she was picked up out of the puddle, and her body fell against some muscular skin. She kicked a few times, but the person was incredibly strong, far stronger than she expected, and she found herself unable to free herself. She turned and glared at the person, and when her face saw me standing there, she froze.
āWh-what?ā Ben seemed taken aback by someone suddenly scooping up Madison in his arms.
My sure was instantly drenched in muddy water, but it was no worse than Madison. Madison had grown in the last year since I had seen her. She was still tall, only a couple inches shorter than me. Her breasts had grown, but only slightly. Her body was still slender and lanky, but if anything, she looked more beautiful than I remembered her. At some point, she had tried to curl her hair, and now had a hint of curl around her braid. I couldnāt help but smile as I looked down at my big sister.
āCl-clyburn?ā She worded it like a question like she wasnāt sure if she could believe it herself.
āHello, sister, I said I was coming for you.ā
āO-ohā¦ā Thatās all she could respond with, still stunned.
Of course, she remembered that today was the day the freshman came. She also knew that I was an incoming freshman. What she hadnāt expected was the way I looked. I was taller now, with more muscles. My chin was stronger, my face had a little stubble. Basically, I looked a far cry different from the twelve-year-old she once knew.
āL-let me downā¦ā She murmured shyly. āIām making you dirtyā¦ā
āHow could that be possible?ā I smiled down at her.
āAhā¦ā She was clueless about how to respond. āI-Iām not your sister.ā
āItās fine if you see it that way,ā I responded.
A small frown formed on Madisonās lips, clearly displeased by my answer. However, I had a whole year to think about this. I had a year to discuss things with Rose and Morgan. I had a year to come to terms with my feeling. In the end, I decided it was fine whether Madison saw me as a sister or not. As Madison herself said, sisters, came a dime a dozen. Madison was more meaningful to me than a sister.
āIā¦ understandā¦ā Madison responded sadly.
āAs long as you donāt see me as your brother then I can make you see me as a manā¦ā I finally added.
āAhā¦ā Madisonās skin turned bright red in a familiar blush I hadnāt seen in forever.
She was so adorable, I couldnāt help myself. My lips moved closer to her. Madison looked up at me, her eyes watering while her lips trembled. Her entire body shook in my grasp, although it wasnāt from the cold. In fact, Madison felt unbelievably comfortable in my body. It felt right. It felt like she had been missing something for ages and only now was it set right. Her eyes closed, and her lips parted.
āAhemā¦ā A boy coughed politely, causing the two of us to look up at him. āAnd you are?ā
He looked genuinely displeased. The three girls behind him had their mouths open, not sure what to make with what they were looking at. In fact, everyone there was staring aghast. Only the other three boys who had followed me were looking on with amused looks, seeming somewhat impressed. A freshman like me had simply walked into the scene, picked up the girl, and suddenly acted like the world around us didnāt exist.
We spoke closely to each other in a light tone, so no one heard everything that was said, but from any distance, this was clearly a pink scene full of romance and affection. Even among courting individuals, the scene would rarely be this affectionate in public. If a girl was lucky, she might be held like this a couple of times in her entire life, and almost certainly not around other people.
Madisonās pale skin began to turn various shades of red as the realization of her exposure hit her. Immediately, she started trying to get out of my grip again.
āAh! Willā¦ you stop that!ā I growled as she fought harder to get out of my grip now.
āLet me go! Let me go!ā
āYouāll fall in the puddle, stupid!ā
āIām not stupid! Youāre stupid!ā She cried. āYou grab your sister in public! Itās not proper!ā
āOh! Now Iām your brother again!ā
āYes, youāre a brother, just a stupid brother!ā She cried, then seeing my hand, bit it.
āAhhh!ā I cried out, āYou keep this up, and brother will give you a spanking!ā
I couldnāt even believe her sudden change. I mean, I had been thinking about how to get around this whole half-sister thing forever! It took a lot for me to realize that not being my sister was perfectly fine. Iād just make her my family some other way. Now, she was suddenly fine being my sister again? Women were so annoying!ā
āExcuse me, uhā¦ sirā¦ maybe you should let this girl down.ā Ben stood, his hand on his hips, his chin up like he was trying to act superior.
I glared at the guy while still fighting with the squirrely sister in my arms. āAhā¦ youā¦ Berno, was it?ā
āAhā¦ my name is Benjaminā¦ā
āWellā¦ Berno, the thing here isā¦ my sister here is mine!ā
āI-Iām not!ā Madison protested, causing me to reach out and grab her chest. āAhā¦ my nipple! D-donāt twist!ā
Madison cried grabbing my hands but otherwise stopped fighting back as she glared at me. I kept my finger on her nipple, just in case. Her hands were too afraid to pull my hands off, so we sat there in a deadlock, her glaring at me and me casually looking over at Berno.
āEither way, youāre her boyfriend?ā
āHe-heās notā¦ā Madison breathed out. āHe asked me to go to a welcoming week after party with him. I was going to cancel whenā¦ā
I nodded thoughtfully. So, this guy had just asked Madison to some party. Berno probably pressured her to agree, and then she tried to come back to cancel while the three bitches were flirting with Berno. They got pissy that she wanted to talk with him in private, pushed her into a puddle, and then demanded that she apologize for it. At least, that was my guess, and I suspected it was close enough to the truth.
āWell, you heard her.ā I shrugged. āThe dates off. Go ask one of those girls to go.ā
A look of pure rage popped on Bernoās face, but it dissipated almost in an instant behind a cool and mysterious look. āAh, well, I really want to go with Madison. As her brother, you should understand sheās getting up there in age. I tell you what, give me your sister and Iāll introduce you to my own. We could trade andā¦ā
āIām gonna stop you right there, Bernyā¦ can I call you Berny?ā
āPlease donātā¦ā Bernoās smile was slanted a bit and he stood somewhat stiffly.
āAnyway, Berny, Iām not going to trade my sister for anything. So, since she doesnāt want to go to your stupid party, letās not push it, okay?ā
āI-itās going to be an epic party, right? This year is going to be a big one. Even your friends over there can come.ā Bernyās face looked desperate, pointing at the other three men.
āYou already let my sister get pushed around,ā I growled. āShe sat in a puddle while you wouldnāt give more than a hand for fear of dirtying yourā¦ outfit.ā
I looked down at his perfect dress. He wasnāt in the school uniform at the moment. Rather, he was dressed up in a fancy outfit of white. It was clear he valued his dress highly.
āWhat does that have to do-ā
āJust thisā¦ Berny, my sister means the world to me. I wouldnāt give her to anyone who doesnāt feel the same. Your non-committal bullshit just pisses me off. You canāt make everyone happy and when you try you end up making no one happy. At some point, you need to pick who youāre going to protect. For me, it will always be my sister and the women I love. Thatās what it means to be a true man!ā
āAhā¦ ahā¦ā Berny didnāt know how to react, instead, shooting the girl behind him a look as if he was begging for help.
āIf you let her goā¦ you can take me as your date?ā Rosetta suddenly spoke up, winking.
Berny let out a cough and a flash of surprise. āEh! R-rosey! Thatā¦ā
āEh? Why would I be interested in going out with you?ā I frowned.
āHuh?ā Rosey raised an eyebrow and then chuckled. āOh, yes, perhaps you donāt know me? Youāre a Freshmen, right? Iām Rosetta Hyren. Iām a daughter to the Hyren conglomerateā¦ Hyren Automotive?ā
I nodded thoughtfully. āYou make carsā¦ā
Rosetta chuckled. āI donāt simply make carsā¦ my family is one of the richest families in Amaryllis. My mother has promised the man who gets me pregnant a $10k stipend a month for the rest of his life. If he gives me a boy, $50kā¦ā
āEh? So, youāre a virgin then? Iām surprisedā¦ā
Rosettaās cheeks flushed red. āJust because I gave it to the wrong man doesnāt mean Iām a slut. Even if Iām not a virgin, my value is still much higher than that sister of yours. Itās a good trade, right?ā
I looked contemplative for a second as Madison now clung to my shoulder, but it was just an act to humor her. A second later, I shook my head.
āIām not interested in your money.ā
Rosetta blinked, clearly taken aback by my words. Her surprised look turned into a glare.
āWh-what does that mean? Every man is interested in money! How dare you turn me down!ā
āSorry Roseā¦ Benā¦ youāll just have to play with yourselves,ā I said, turning away from the pair.
āW-wait!ā Rosetta took a step forward. āNo man turns me down. Iām a Hyren, do you understand? $100,000!ā
āHuh?ā I looked back curiously.
ā$100,000, Iāll give you $100,000!ā Rosetta looked strangely triumphant like she was trying to prove a point.
āThe answer is no.ā I snorted, turning and continuing to walk.
āYo-youā¦ā Rosetta growled angrily. āI wonāt be told no, I wonāt!ā
I didnāt turn back, continuing to walk. Madison had stopped struggling, and instead merely allowed herself to be carried by me. She wore a complicated look on her face. It was as if she was unsure of what to do. We approached the four guys, who were standing a distance away. The two girls that had brought us there had seemingly vanished during the commotion. I could feel quite a few eyes on my back, but I ignored them all.
āThatā¦ was kind of badassā¦ā Trey said, nodded with a grin.
āWell, there is no doubt youāre going to be the talk of the school by tomorrow,ā Rigor laughed wryly.
I shrugged. āIām taking her back to her room.ā
āWe still on for tonight?ā Rigor asked.
I shrugged. āDoesnāt that depend on you finding someone?ā
āHahaā¦ of course! Iāll let you know the plan!ā Rigor gave me an excited thumbs up.
I continued on with Madison in my arms in the direction that they pointed. As we walked, we gained the glances of quite a few Academy students. Eventually, Madison couldnāt take it anymore.
āC-can you put me down?ā
āNope.ā
āE-excuse me? Iām your big sister, you canāt just bully me!ā
āI promised myself once I got you, I wouldnāt let you go again,ā I responded instantly.
Madison turned away again. āWhy do you have to say things like that?ā
I sigh, letting Madison back down on her feet. When I finally pulled away, she had another complicated look on her face. She was looking down at the ground uncomfortably.
āClyburnā¦ Iā¦ I didnāt want to go, but Iāve been helping the welcoming committee this year and he sort of convinced me I should go. Iā¦ really should go.ā
āYou want to go on a date with that tool?ā I demanded.
āNot a dateā¦ butā¦ I no longer have my virginityā¦ you know that makes it harder toā¦ nobody knows, of courseā¦ but I heard guys can tell. Benjamin is niceā¦ so maybe heāllā¦ā
āHeās not niceā¦ā
āHuh?ā
āThe Berny guyā¦ heās not a nice person. I could see it in his eyes. Heās a user. I donāt like him.ā
āI-ā Madison reached out her hand, and then pulled it back, her resolve hardening. āI canāt be with youā¦ā
āWhy?ā I demanded. āWhatās wrong with me?ā
āIāmā¦ not momā¦ā Madison looked away. āIf Iām with youā¦ Iād expect thingsā¦ it wouldnāt be fair to you. I wouldnāt expect those things fromā¦ someone elseā
āItās not fair to me nowā¦ watching you goā¦ā I shook my head in aggravation. āMadison, Iād give you anything you want.ā
Madison gave a weak smile. āThatās what Iām afraid ofā¦ā
While I was still looking on with confusion, Madison turned away and started walking.
āMadisonā¦ā
āYouāve caused me a lot of problems.ā Madison looked back and then shook her head. āEveryone who saw us today is going to make me pay.ā
āā¦ā
āIām going to the party with him. Maybeā¦ if Iā¦ maybe youāll give up.ā
Madison turned back away and kept on walking. Madison continued on until she was out of my sight. I couldnāt figure out what to say to make her stay. After she entered the dorms, a place that wasnāt restricted like the menās dorms, I turned around and walked away after a few girls nearby started whispering to each other in interest.
I had Madison in my arms again, and she left just as easily. The breeze cutting into me felt cold in my dirty wet shirt. I sighed, my fist tightening. I wasnāt going to let her go so easily.
āThe welcoming committeeā¦ huh?ā
As a freshman, there was no chance I could be on the welcoming committee. My only choice was to get into that party. If I couldnāt get into the party myself, then Iād have to be invited. Likeā¦ as a date. Rosetta? Noā¦ if I ended up going with Rosetta, itād make that asshole Berny think I was giving my consent. Plus, something about giving her what she wanted irked me. Thatās when it hit me. Wasnāt there someone else I knew on the welcoming committee?
āLyraā¦ā I grinned as the name of the girl Iād met three times before popped in my mind.
Itās time to set up a date.