Slaves Don't Need Visas Ch. 16-17
Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2024 12:04 am
16. Back to the Stall
“What will happen to me now?” Melissa asked.
Nala and Melissa were making their way from the white hall through the corridors to the barns. Nala held Melissa's leash loosely, not using it to lead her; instead, they walked side by side. Nala had not handcuffed Melissa. Melissa’s ankle chains clinked on the tiled floor but were more quiet on the carpeted corridors in the rest of the building.
Nala sensed that Melissa had accepted her guardianship over her. The fact that Melissa had cooperated when Nala secured her in the restraint pillory and later was soothed by her in front of the vet meant a lot to her. Melissa, a white woman unfamiliar with the slave culture of Grabesh, had unconsciously acknowledged Nala's authority over her. This acceptance led Nala to forgo handcuffing Melissa, opting to trust in Melissa’s loyalty. Nala took pride in earning Melissa's trust, seeing it as a testament to her skill in managing slaves, especially as a trainee. The head nurse would be proud and it would go a long way toward qualifying her for a job at the Health Office when her apprenticeship was over. She contemplated rewarding Melissa with some delicious food later, partly because she was fond of her and partly to solidify their relationship.
“No other treatments have been scheduled for you today. That is why I’m bringing you back to your stall so you can rest and recover there.”
“What about tomorrow? What else will be done to me?” Melissa asked worriedly. In her wildest dreams would she not have expected her treatment here to be so invasive.
“I haven’t seen tomorrow’s schedule,” Nala said. “Don’t worry, Melissa. The tagging and chipping are usually the most painful procedures and you have those behind you now,” Nala said in a calming voice and gently stroked over Melissa’s back.
When they entered the barn, the inventory clerk there held the device toward Melissa. Even though Nala had removed the tag from her collar, the device beeped, meaning that it had registered Melissa by her chip.
“Nala, why was I chipped and ear tagged? Was that really necessary?”
The clinking of Melissa’s ankle chains was audible again on the hard floor in the barn.
Nala looked at Melissa with pity. “Like the vet said, it is useful to keep track of you. You might be sold a couple of times or lost or stolen. And with the chip it will always be possible to identify you. Anyone with a smartphone can read the chip and use it to retrieve all your data and find out everything about you. That way you don’t need any medical records as paper files to be maintained alongside you and your identity can’t be falsified. This is in your interest as well.”
“But then, what is the ear tag for? If I’m chipped then that is all that is necessary isn’t it?”
“Grabesh is quite a backward country, Melissa,” Nala replied. “You have never been to Grabesh before. I still find that so strange that you have never seen anything of this country. Anyway, we have great equipment here in the city and many people will have smartphones, but if you go out of the city, into more rural areas, there is not much technology. So they will not be able to scan your chip. The ear tag is human readable. So even without any technological aid anyone can read the id from your ear tag.”
“Would an ear tag not have been enough then? Why chip me?” Melissa still couldn’t come to terms with her invasive treatments.
“An ear tag is obvious and if you are stolen, thieves may try to remove it,” Nala explained. “But removing your chip is more difficult. Thieves will not be able to do that without a veterinarian to perform the surgery.”
“This is so invasive,” Melissa complained. “Are all slaves chipped and ear tagged like this?”
“Oh no,” Nala said. “Most are not. We do this here at the Health Office with all livestock imports that don’t have prior certification. But most livestock in Grabesh is not chipped or has ear tags.” With some pride she added, “We use some of the most advanced cattle management technologies in Grabesh.”
They arrived at Melissa’s stall in the barn.
“Do you want your leash off?” Nala asked.
Melissa remembered the cruel walk Killian had put her through when he had picked her up. That would not have happened, if she had been leashed at the time.
“It is ok, you can leave it on,” she said. Having the chain leash hanging from her collar was demeaning, but it was better than risking another walk like the one with Killian before.
“Ok, as you wish,” Nala said.
“Put your hands behind your back,” Nala ordered.
Melissa was surprised, but obeyed.
Nala handcuffed Melissa behind her back. Melissa exhaled in disappointment. “Why, Nala? You will lock me in the stall anyway.”
“I don’t want you touching your ear. I have disinfected it earlier and if you touch it, you might introduce bacteria. It’s too tempting.”
She gently guided Melissa into the stall and slammed the door shut behind her.
“I’ll be back later to check on your ear, and if everything looks fine, the handcuffs can come off. Ok?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
—
After twenty minutes Nala returned with a bag at Melissa’s stall. Melissa was sitting near the bars leaning against the wall.
"Hey Melissa, I have something for you," Nala announced.
Melissa knew this meant Nala would enter her stall, so she maneuvered herself into the submissive pose Nala had instructed her to use.
With her hands cuffed behind her back, it was a challenge. She transitioned from sitting to kneeling, then shifted to sit on her buttocks. She twisted to lie down on her back before rolling over onto her stomach. It was tough, but she understood that this was inevitable; she would have to adopt this pose before Nala one way or another.
The act still sparked a pang of embarrassment in Melissa as she demonstrated her submission to Nala. However, her mind was still occupied with her new ear tag and this distracted her. Moreover, she trusted Nala not to mistreat her while she was holding her in this pose, unlike how Killian might have. She held her cuffed hands side by side behind her back and spread her feet apart to show Nala that her chains were still intact and she was restrained as Nala had left her.
"Very good!" Nala said with genuine approval while unlocking the door. She felt a deep sense of achievement from having trained this young woman. She had just a day ago been a free woman without any knowledge of slavery and was now following the slave protocols and submitting to her authority. Nala took pride in her ability to train. "You may rise, Melissa. How does your ear feel now?"
“It feels a bit uncomfortable, but there is no pain,” Melissa replied as she struggled to get up. “I think it is because of the numbing cream.”
Nala didn’t help her up. Once Melissa was standing, Nala inspected her ear again. “Looks good,” she said.
"Turn around," Nala instructed.
Melissa complied, and Nala released her from the handcuffs.
"I've brought the ointment with me," Nala announced, retrieving it from her bag and passing it to Melissa. "Keep it here for tonight. Use it whenever you need to."
“Thank you, Ma’am,” Melissa responded as she turned again to face Nala. Her eyes instinctively went to the cattle prod on Nala's belt. But she knew Nala was unlikely to use it on her.
Nala also gave Melissa pain medication and a water bottle. She then cleaned Melissa's ear once more with an antiseptic wipe.
“Are you hungry, Melissa?” Nala asked.
Melissa was starving. She hadn’t had any food since lunch and the stress of the treatments had worn her down. Nala directed Melissa to sit down and then produced the takeaway containers she had brought along.
Melissa sat down close to the bars, her back resting against the wall. She reached up to touch the ear tag in her right ear, which felt numb thanks to the cream Nala had applied earlier. Any attempt to tug at it sent a sharp reminder of pain, urging caution. Gently, Melissa traced the contours of the tag.
The tag was fixed in the top part of her ear. On the opposite side, there was a button, connected by a pin that pierced through her ear, securing the tag. She visualized this shape; it reminded her of the tags she'd seen on cattle. Now, she had one herself. The pin was inserted into the slender stem of the tag, which expanded into a broader, rectangular form below. The stem was just long enough that the rectangular part didn't interfere with her ear canal, possibly explaining why her hearing seemed unaffected.
They started eating.
At some point Killian came carrying a folded cot for her.
Melissa sighed and started to put her food to her side, ready to get into the submissive pose for Killian.
Nala put her hand on Melissa’s lap and shook her head. “You don’t need to do the submissive pose in this situation.”
Nala got up and remarked, “Ah, the bed for Melissa?”
“Yep, I carried it from storage all the way here,” Killian said while carrying the cot into the stall.
Melissa got up as well. They took the folded cot from Killian and leaned it against the wall. Killian left to fetch a mattress. Melissa and Nala started unfolding the cot.
Nala said, “Killian arrived before, but you didn’t have to go into submissive pose. Do you know why?”
“No, Ma’am.”
“Can you think of a reason?”
“Because I was having a meal with you?” Melissa didn’t believe that, but she couldn’t think of anything better.
“No, Melissa. You go into submissive pose for your handler. If someone goes into your cage, and you are alone, then he is your handler. He will be in control of you. But just now you were not alone. You were with me. And you were under my control. Killian’s arrival didn’t change that. He would not become your handler just by entering the cage. And you were busy eating with me. That is why you didn’t need to go into the submissive pose. In fact you shouldn’t. Because you can’t dismiss yourself from my control and choose to go to someone else. Does that make sense?”
Melissa didn’t like hearing that she was under Nala’s control. But when she thought about it, it really was the case. She would do whatever Nala ordered her to do. When Nala had decided to handcuff her before, she had offered her hands, and when Nala had told her to put herself into the restraining device in preparation for the veterinarian she had done that as well. She was under Nala’s control, there was no denying that. And Killian was only there to drop off the cot, not to handle Melissa. It made sense when she thought about it.
“Yes, Ma’am,” she replied.
“If Killian was here to pick you up, then it would be different. Then, you would have to do the pose for him. But he was clearly here to bring the bed, and you were busy with me, so you should not do the pose. Ok?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“In this case, the situation was clear. But sometimes it might not be clear to you. If the situation is unclear you should go into submissive pose.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“It is the same if you are not busy. If you are under my control but have nothing to do and a free man enters, then you can’t just stand there. Full submissive pose might be a bit much, but you should acknowledge him by at least kneeling, ok? You are enslaved, so you can’t just stand there if a free man enters. It is a bit like a greeting. You don’t have to stay there forever. You can get up again as soon as someone gives you permission. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“I know this is a lot to take in. You are new to all this. You’ll learn it. And in time it will come naturally to you.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Melissa whispered. What Nala was saying did make sense to her. She could feel the logic behind it, but it seemed to her that this should be the behavioral logic of other people. Not her. This was for slaves, and she was not really a slave.
Melissa couldn’t help but touch her ear tag whenever she didn’t need her hands to spoon food into her mouth. Having this bit of plastic stapled into her ear was a strange feeling. It was fastened at the upper part of her ear and bigger than an earring. And most importantly, she could not remove it. The vet had mentioned it was held in place by a metal rod. Even if she had tools she doubted she could remove it on her own. She carefully played around with it, careful not to move it too much or she would feel the pain over the still-active numbing cream.
While they were waiting for Killian to bring the mattress, Melissa decided to ask a question.
"Ma'am, do you know when I'll get to see my owner? Or at least, hear from him?"
"I don't know, Melissa. Animals are not usually visited by the owners during their stay here."
"I'm not an animal," Melissa contradicted in a meek voice. "I'm a woman, and a human being."
"You're a slave," Nala corrected. "For most purposes that is the same thing. I know it is different in your culture, but here slaves and animals are often treated quite similarly and in those situations it is simpler to refer to them collectively as ‘animals’. In those contexts ‘animal’ in Grabesian can mean both slaves and other animals."
"But I'm not," Melissa protested. “This whole thing was a huge mistake. Getting myself enslaved I mean.”
The thought that was helping Melissa get through all of this, was that all of this was just temporary. She wasn’t really a slave, well, legally here she was, but Arbek would free her. She shuddered at the thought that for some people this was permanent. Some people were permanently treated like animals and everyone around considered them no better than animals.
Melissa cared about what people thought about her. She didn’t like to be thought of as less than human. She didn’t like that Nala, who was the closest she had to a friend around here, was referring to her as an animal as well.
“I might be legally a slave for now, but that is only temporary. My boyfriend will free me once the Health Office releases me."
"Really? I have never heard of such a thing." Nala asked doubtfully.
“Yes,” Melissa affirmed and explained the tragic mistake that got her into this situation.
Nala was incredulous. “I have never heard of something like this. Ever.”
She had to process this. “No free man or woman of Grabesh would ever claim that they are slaves. It is unthinkable. It means giving up their freedom. It means becoming someone’s property. There is no turning back. You’d be at the other person’s mercy.”
“I thought it would be just for a few minutes. Just until we exit the airport. Then we would go back to normal again.”
“Oh dear, nothing goes back to normal once you are enslaved. At least not the normal you were used to as a free woman.”
“Yes, I never imagined that it would be this bad. I can’t wait until I’m out of here and my boyfriend frees me.”
“I have never heard of a ‘boyfriend’ freeing his slave, Melissa. He is not your boyfriend. He is your owner. Your master. And you are not his girlfriend anymore. You are his sex slave.”
Melissa cringed when Nala said ‘sex slave’. That was such a dirty word. She was no one's sex slave. Well, maybe technically, legally speaking, she was Arbek’s slave now. And she wanted to have sex with him. And legally Arbek didn’t need her permission to sleep with her. He could do with her whatever he wanted. Legally speaking. But he would not do that. So she was not his sex slave. At least not in her mind.
“Think about it,” Nala went on. “Why would your boyfriend, or any man for that matter, ever free a sex slave? It only has disadvantages for him. As his sex slave he can take you whenever he wants and in whatever way he wants. And if you no longer satisfy him, it still does not make sense to free you. He can make money by selling you instead. So why would any man free a slave, Melissa?”
Melissa didn’t like where this conversation was going. It was making her uneasy. Arbek would never do what Nala had just said. She wanted to reply that he wouldn’t do that because he loved her. But she didn’t know that. They had only been together for a week and not had that kind of a talk.
“Because he promised to do so,” Melissa replied. The truth was that she had not done this because she placed so much stock on Arbek being a man of his word. He was not a liar, but she only knew him for a week and would not have placed that much faith in a promise had she known how much was at stake for her. No, the truth was that she had believed that being his slave would not be a serious matter, just a thing she said at the airport to get past the checkpoint and then forgotten afterwards. That was why she had agreed to do this.
Nala took Melissa’s hand. “I hope so for you, Melissa. Slaves have been freed before, but it is virtually unheard of. Men don’t free their slaves.”
“What will happen to me now?” Melissa asked.
Nala and Melissa were making their way from the white hall through the corridors to the barns. Nala held Melissa's leash loosely, not using it to lead her; instead, they walked side by side. Nala had not handcuffed Melissa. Melissa’s ankle chains clinked on the tiled floor but were more quiet on the carpeted corridors in the rest of the building.
Nala sensed that Melissa had accepted her guardianship over her. The fact that Melissa had cooperated when Nala secured her in the restraint pillory and later was soothed by her in front of the vet meant a lot to her. Melissa, a white woman unfamiliar with the slave culture of Grabesh, had unconsciously acknowledged Nala's authority over her. This acceptance led Nala to forgo handcuffing Melissa, opting to trust in Melissa’s loyalty. Nala took pride in earning Melissa's trust, seeing it as a testament to her skill in managing slaves, especially as a trainee. The head nurse would be proud and it would go a long way toward qualifying her for a job at the Health Office when her apprenticeship was over. She contemplated rewarding Melissa with some delicious food later, partly because she was fond of her and partly to solidify their relationship.
“No other treatments have been scheduled for you today. That is why I’m bringing you back to your stall so you can rest and recover there.”
“What about tomorrow? What else will be done to me?” Melissa asked worriedly. In her wildest dreams would she not have expected her treatment here to be so invasive.
“I haven’t seen tomorrow’s schedule,” Nala said. “Don’t worry, Melissa. The tagging and chipping are usually the most painful procedures and you have those behind you now,” Nala said in a calming voice and gently stroked over Melissa’s back.
When they entered the barn, the inventory clerk there held the device toward Melissa. Even though Nala had removed the tag from her collar, the device beeped, meaning that it had registered Melissa by her chip.
“Nala, why was I chipped and ear tagged? Was that really necessary?”
The clinking of Melissa’s ankle chains was audible again on the hard floor in the barn.
Nala looked at Melissa with pity. “Like the vet said, it is useful to keep track of you. You might be sold a couple of times or lost or stolen. And with the chip it will always be possible to identify you. Anyone with a smartphone can read the chip and use it to retrieve all your data and find out everything about you. That way you don’t need any medical records as paper files to be maintained alongside you and your identity can’t be falsified. This is in your interest as well.”
“But then, what is the ear tag for? If I’m chipped then that is all that is necessary isn’t it?”
“Grabesh is quite a backward country, Melissa,” Nala replied. “You have never been to Grabesh before. I still find that so strange that you have never seen anything of this country. Anyway, we have great equipment here in the city and many people will have smartphones, but if you go out of the city, into more rural areas, there is not much technology. So they will not be able to scan your chip. The ear tag is human readable. So even without any technological aid anyone can read the id from your ear tag.”
“Would an ear tag not have been enough then? Why chip me?” Melissa still couldn’t come to terms with her invasive treatments.
“An ear tag is obvious and if you are stolen, thieves may try to remove it,” Nala explained. “But removing your chip is more difficult. Thieves will not be able to do that without a veterinarian to perform the surgery.”
“This is so invasive,” Melissa complained. “Are all slaves chipped and ear tagged like this?”
“Oh no,” Nala said. “Most are not. We do this here at the Health Office with all livestock imports that don’t have prior certification. But most livestock in Grabesh is not chipped or has ear tags.” With some pride she added, “We use some of the most advanced cattle management technologies in Grabesh.”
They arrived at Melissa’s stall in the barn.
“Do you want your leash off?” Nala asked.
Melissa remembered the cruel walk Killian had put her through when he had picked her up. That would not have happened, if she had been leashed at the time.
“It is ok, you can leave it on,” she said. Having the chain leash hanging from her collar was demeaning, but it was better than risking another walk like the one with Killian before.
“Ok, as you wish,” Nala said.
“Put your hands behind your back,” Nala ordered.
Melissa was surprised, but obeyed.
Nala handcuffed Melissa behind her back. Melissa exhaled in disappointment. “Why, Nala? You will lock me in the stall anyway.”
“I don’t want you touching your ear. I have disinfected it earlier and if you touch it, you might introduce bacteria. It’s too tempting.”
She gently guided Melissa into the stall and slammed the door shut behind her.
“I’ll be back later to check on your ear, and if everything looks fine, the handcuffs can come off. Ok?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
—
After twenty minutes Nala returned with a bag at Melissa’s stall. Melissa was sitting near the bars leaning against the wall.
"Hey Melissa, I have something for you," Nala announced.
Melissa knew this meant Nala would enter her stall, so she maneuvered herself into the submissive pose Nala had instructed her to use.
With her hands cuffed behind her back, it was a challenge. She transitioned from sitting to kneeling, then shifted to sit on her buttocks. She twisted to lie down on her back before rolling over onto her stomach. It was tough, but she understood that this was inevitable; she would have to adopt this pose before Nala one way or another.
The act still sparked a pang of embarrassment in Melissa as she demonstrated her submission to Nala. However, her mind was still occupied with her new ear tag and this distracted her. Moreover, she trusted Nala not to mistreat her while she was holding her in this pose, unlike how Killian might have. She held her cuffed hands side by side behind her back and spread her feet apart to show Nala that her chains were still intact and she was restrained as Nala had left her.
"Very good!" Nala said with genuine approval while unlocking the door. She felt a deep sense of achievement from having trained this young woman. She had just a day ago been a free woman without any knowledge of slavery and was now following the slave protocols and submitting to her authority. Nala took pride in her ability to train. "You may rise, Melissa. How does your ear feel now?"
“It feels a bit uncomfortable, but there is no pain,” Melissa replied as she struggled to get up. “I think it is because of the numbing cream.”
Nala didn’t help her up. Once Melissa was standing, Nala inspected her ear again. “Looks good,” she said.
"Turn around," Nala instructed.
Melissa complied, and Nala released her from the handcuffs.
"I've brought the ointment with me," Nala announced, retrieving it from her bag and passing it to Melissa. "Keep it here for tonight. Use it whenever you need to."
“Thank you, Ma’am,” Melissa responded as she turned again to face Nala. Her eyes instinctively went to the cattle prod on Nala's belt. But she knew Nala was unlikely to use it on her.
Nala also gave Melissa pain medication and a water bottle. She then cleaned Melissa's ear once more with an antiseptic wipe.
“Are you hungry, Melissa?” Nala asked.
Melissa was starving. She hadn’t had any food since lunch and the stress of the treatments had worn her down. Nala directed Melissa to sit down and then produced the takeaway containers she had brought along.
Melissa sat down close to the bars, her back resting against the wall. She reached up to touch the ear tag in her right ear, which felt numb thanks to the cream Nala had applied earlier. Any attempt to tug at it sent a sharp reminder of pain, urging caution. Gently, Melissa traced the contours of the tag.
The tag was fixed in the top part of her ear. On the opposite side, there was a button, connected by a pin that pierced through her ear, securing the tag. She visualized this shape; it reminded her of the tags she'd seen on cattle. Now, she had one herself. The pin was inserted into the slender stem of the tag, which expanded into a broader, rectangular form below. The stem was just long enough that the rectangular part didn't interfere with her ear canal, possibly explaining why her hearing seemed unaffected.
They started eating.
At some point Killian came carrying a folded cot for her.
Melissa sighed and started to put her food to her side, ready to get into the submissive pose for Killian.
Nala put her hand on Melissa’s lap and shook her head. “You don’t need to do the submissive pose in this situation.”
Nala got up and remarked, “Ah, the bed for Melissa?”
“Yep, I carried it from storage all the way here,” Killian said while carrying the cot into the stall.
Melissa got up as well. They took the folded cot from Killian and leaned it against the wall. Killian left to fetch a mattress. Melissa and Nala started unfolding the cot.
Nala said, “Killian arrived before, but you didn’t have to go into submissive pose. Do you know why?”
“No, Ma’am.”
“Can you think of a reason?”
“Because I was having a meal with you?” Melissa didn’t believe that, but she couldn’t think of anything better.
“No, Melissa. You go into submissive pose for your handler. If someone goes into your cage, and you are alone, then he is your handler. He will be in control of you. But just now you were not alone. You were with me. And you were under my control. Killian’s arrival didn’t change that. He would not become your handler just by entering the cage. And you were busy eating with me. That is why you didn’t need to go into the submissive pose. In fact you shouldn’t. Because you can’t dismiss yourself from my control and choose to go to someone else. Does that make sense?”
Melissa didn’t like hearing that she was under Nala’s control. But when she thought about it, it really was the case. She would do whatever Nala ordered her to do. When Nala had decided to handcuff her before, she had offered her hands, and when Nala had told her to put herself into the restraining device in preparation for the veterinarian she had done that as well. She was under Nala’s control, there was no denying that. And Killian was only there to drop off the cot, not to handle Melissa. It made sense when she thought about it.
“Yes, Ma’am,” she replied.
“If Killian was here to pick you up, then it would be different. Then, you would have to do the pose for him. But he was clearly here to bring the bed, and you were busy with me, so you should not do the pose. Ok?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“In this case, the situation was clear. But sometimes it might not be clear to you. If the situation is unclear you should go into submissive pose.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“It is the same if you are not busy. If you are under my control but have nothing to do and a free man enters, then you can’t just stand there. Full submissive pose might be a bit much, but you should acknowledge him by at least kneeling, ok? You are enslaved, so you can’t just stand there if a free man enters. It is a bit like a greeting. You don’t have to stay there forever. You can get up again as soon as someone gives you permission. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“I know this is a lot to take in. You are new to all this. You’ll learn it. And in time it will come naturally to you.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Melissa whispered. What Nala was saying did make sense to her. She could feel the logic behind it, but it seemed to her that this should be the behavioral logic of other people. Not her. This was for slaves, and she was not really a slave.
Melissa couldn’t help but touch her ear tag whenever she didn’t need her hands to spoon food into her mouth. Having this bit of plastic stapled into her ear was a strange feeling. It was fastened at the upper part of her ear and bigger than an earring. And most importantly, she could not remove it. The vet had mentioned it was held in place by a metal rod. Even if she had tools she doubted she could remove it on her own. She carefully played around with it, careful not to move it too much or she would feel the pain over the still-active numbing cream.
While they were waiting for Killian to bring the mattress, Melissa decided to ask a question.
"Ma'am, do you know when I'll get to see my owner? Or at least, hear from him?"
"I don't know, Melissa. Animals are not usually visited by the owners during their stay here."
"I'm not an animal," Melissa contradicted in a meek voice. "I'm a woman, and a human being."
"You're a slave," Nala corrected. "For most purposes that is the same thing. I know it is different in your culture, but here slaves and animals are often treated quite similarly and in those situations it is simpler to refer to them collectively as ‘animals’. In those contexts ‘animal’ in Grabesian can mean both slaves and other animals."
"But I'm not," Melissa protested. “This whole thing was a huge mistake. Getting myself enslaved I mean.”
The thought that was helping Melissa get through all of this, was that all of this was just temporary. She wasn’t really a slave, well, legally here she was, but Arbek would free her. She shuddered at the thought that for some people this was permanent. Some people were permanently treated like animals and everyone around considered them no better than animals.
Melissa cared about what people thought about her. She didn’t like to be thought of as less than human. She didn’t like that Nala, who was the closest she had to a friend around here, was referring to her as an animal as well.
“I might be legally a slave for now, but that is only temporary. My boyfriend will free me once the Health Office releases me."
"Really? I have never heard of such a thing." Nala asked doubtfully.
“Yes,” Melissa affirmed and explained the tragic mistake that got her into this situation.
Nala was incredulous. “I have never heard of something like this. Ever.”
She had to process this. “No free man or woman of Grabesh would ever claim that they are slaves. It is unthinkable. It means giving up their freedom. It means becoming someone’s property. There is no turning back. You’d be at the other person’s mercy.”
“I thought it would be just for a few minutes. Just until we exit the airport. Then we would go back to normal again.”
“Oh dear, nothing goes back to normal once you are enslaved. At least not the normal you were used to as a free woman.”
“Yes, I never imagined that it would be this bad. I can’t wait until I’m out of here and my boyfriend frees me.”
“I have never heard of a ‘boyfriend’ freeing his slave, Melissa. He is not your boyfriend. He is your owner. Your master. And you are not his girlfriend anymore. You are his sex slave.”
Melissa cringed when Nala said ‘sex slave’. That was such a dirty word. She was no one's sex slave. Well, maybe technically, legally speaking, she was Arbek’s slave now. And she wanted to have sex with him. And legally Arbek didn’t need her permission to sleep with her. He could do with her whatever he wanted. Legally speaking. But he would not do that. So she was not his sex slave. At least not in her mind.
“Think about it,” Nala went on. “Why would your boyfriend, or any man for that matter, ever free a sex slave? It only has disadvantages for him. As his sex slave he can take you whenever he wants and in whatever way he wants. And if you no longer satisfy him, it still does not make sense to free you. He can make money by selling you instead. So why would any man free a slave, Melissa?”
Melissa didn’t like where this conversation was going. It was making her uneasy. Arbek would never do what Nala had just said. She wanted to reply that he wouldn’t do that because he loved her. But she didn’t know that. They had only been together for a week and not had that kind of a talk.
“Because he promised to do so,” Melissa replied. The truth was that she had not done this because she placed so much stock on Arbek being a man of his word. He was not a liar, but she only knew him for a week and would not have placed that much faith in a promise had she known how much was at stake for her. No, the truth was that she had believed that being his slave would not be a serious matter, just a thing she said at the airport to get past the checkpoint and then forgotten afterwards. That was why she had agreed to do this.
Nala took Melissa’s hand. “I hope so for you, Melissa. Slaves have been freed before, but it is virtually unheard of. Men don’t free their slaves.”