The Claiming

Chapter Eleven

The job assignments come in the mail the next morning, and I don't know how to control myself. I'm not excited or anything—honestly, I wish this wasn't happening—but still, I'm interested to see what I'm good at. I'm curious, I guess...

"Ready?" Alec asks me.

We sit at the kitchen table, our letters in hand.

"Ready," I confirm.

"Okay, go!"

We rip into our letters and open the papers at the same time. The room falls silent as we read them to ourselves.

Dear Isabella Bentley,

Because of your lack of social, physical, or political skills, we have decided to deem you one of few homemakers. With this position, you will remain in your household and raise a multitude of children, a minimum of six. Once you conceive, we will send you a monthly payment of $300. We give you six months to conceive on your own, and when you do, you must send a letter back to the palace with a doctor's proof of your pregnancy. If you fail to conceive within the six-month period, you will have a full examination to prove whether or not you are fertile. If you are not fertile at all, we will unfortunately have to send you to the Lower District.

Sincerely,

Ronald Wolfe, Head of the Family and Marriage Council

I drop the letter on the table and cover my face with my hands. I don't know how to tell Alec now. Six months to get pregnant? Six months to work up the courage to sleep with my best friend and conceive?

"Belle? What did you get?"

"You first," I say, muffling it through my palms.

"I-I was assigned to be a worker at the warehouse... because apparently my strength is my only good quality."

He's definitely upset with that, and I don't blame him! Bayfell is slowly taking away our spirits—not that we ever really had them. Let's face it—it's not even fair that we can't pick our own careers.

I sit up in my chair and uncover my face. I place a hand over his that rests limply on the table. "I'm sorry, Alec," I whisper.

He shakes his head slowly. "I really thought I had more to offer than just lifting boxes. I'll just—I'll live with it. What did you get?"

I glare down at the letter and grab it in my fist, crumpling it. "I have no qualities worth assigning me an actual job. Instead, this stupid kingdom is forcing me to get pregnant within six months and be a 'homemaker'! If I can't get pregnant, I'm going to be sent to the lower district." I begin to rip the letter into shreds, sending pressure into my sternum. "Everything is falling apart! I can't do this anymore, Alec! Every time we go to church, I feel as if my life actually has more meaning than this, but obviously, Bayfell begs to differ! I will never have a real life inside these walls!"

I throw the pieces on the table and fall out of my seat onto the floor. Anything to hide my sobbing face from Alec. And somehow, the floor is always more comforting when having mental breakdowns.

Alec kneels down in front of me on the floor. He cups my cheek and tilts my head to look up at him. "Don't ever let those idiots in charge make you feel worthless. Belle, you have so many wonderful qualities about you! You're smart, your generous, you're funny, and your smile is contagious. I love you for so many reasons. If you had no qualities about you, that would make you boring, and you know all too well I can't stand boring people! So here I am with you, my not-boring wife. We're both eccentric, aren't we? Bayfell has just never given us the chance to show who we really are."