Page 4 of The Bride Auction

Commander Napol strode to the door, and left. The door closed with the same whoosh before the locking mechanism engaged again. I was left with my mother’s distraught face on the view screen. “Mother, I wasn't prepared for this.”

“I know you feel that way. Everyone thinks they have more time than they do. That’s why we must live life to the fullest, but you are wrong. You’ve been preparing your whole life for this moment. I will see you soon so we can share in our grief together.

I hustled to the transport, burdened with three bags containing all my worldly possessions from the ship.

“That’s it?” one of my closest friends, a Temerlan Warrior, Arik, asked. Soft brown fur, his species trademark, covered his body. He wore his mane slicked back away from his feline eyes and wore only a sash, not the military issued shirt we were bound to wear while on duty.

I arched my eyebrow at him. “Don’t look at me like that,” he said. “I was put on leave so I could take you to your home planet. It’s not like I’m going back to Temer - I just have to go to Tenap. Maybe I’ll find a good looking purple female of your ilk. They might even like me. I’ve heard I’m one of the more sexy Temerlans out here.” He shimmied his shoulders.

I groaned, grateful my (now) former commanding officer sent one of my good friends with me on this journey so I did not grieve alone with my thoughts. Arik knew how to have a good time and I felt confident there would be no shortage of laughter while he was with me. He was also a fantastic pilot and I knew our unit would miss him greatly while he was with me piloting the small-distance ship.

Arik hustled to the pilot’s seat calling out on his way to the cockpit. “Make yourself comfortable. I already claimed the largest room. You’ll be living in the lap of luxury soon enough. The least you could do is take the smaller bedroom while I do all the heavy lifting.”

“Yeah, it’s not like I have a personal grooming routine like you do,” I called back. The engine rumbled to life and before I realized it we were jutting into the darkness of space back to the Tenap I hoped I didn’t have to see for a long time. Our journey would take a few days even traveling as fast as Arik dared to push the engines, so I didn’t bother to unpack. I figured my current uniform and the two spares I had packed in the rucksack the military made us carry for overnight missions would do. Anything else I had of note, was best stored in the trunks and opened when I returned to my mothers home.

While Arik charted our passage and maneuvered into a safe location to put the ship on autopilot, I made my way to the galley to grab a military-issued prepared meal. I ate the tasteless ration bar in silence. Lost in my thoughts as to what the future would bring I hadn’t noticed Arik entered and sat across the thin metal table from me. “Huh?” I asked, noticing Arik snapping his fingers in my general direction, his black claws making a clicking sound instead of a snap. “What was that?” I asked.

“I asked if you had any perspectives on a bride right now.”

I sneered. “Why would I need a mate?”

“I said, if you’re going to be a counselor, every counselor is mated. I looked it up. Your people don’t trust counselors without a mate to guide them.”

“Yet another problem I didn’t need.” I put my head in my hands. “Father never prepared me for this. He didn’t expect to die so young.”

“No one does,” Arik said. “But if you’re willing, I think I have a way to help you. He slid his tablet over to me. “In a few rotations there’s going to be an auction.”

“An auction?” I parrotted.

“Yes you can buy your bride.”

My head throbbed. “Buy a bride? How can I buy a living thing? A sentient creature?”

“Part of the money goes to the auction house, the rest to the bride’s family. It’s similar to a mail-order bride service, but the males are vetted before they bid.”

I paused, tapping my fingers on the table. This could be a way to fulfill one part of my duties.

Chapter 3

Summer

My next shift at the store passed slowly. I wandered the aisles while waiting for customers. After a few hours the chill began to seep into my bones, and I shrugged my shoulders into my coat for an extra layer of warmth.

I lost myself in a few crossword puzzles. When I began to lose feeling in my fingers, I jammed my hands inside the pockets. A piece of paper pricked the space between my pointer and middle finger causing me to yelp. “What the heck?” I muttered, pulling the flier Sarah gave me last night.

Unfolding the paper on the counter, I typed the website of the GBA into my phone and was greeted with a professional looking site. I pursed my lips, and decided to open a new tab to check the Better Business Bureau’s site where I discovered the GBA had an A+ rating.

“What’cha reading kid?” Mr. Johnson asked. “Anything interesting?”

I felt heat flush my cheeks. “It’s a dating service,” I stammered.

He stole a glance at the paper next to me. “Ah, same one as Sarah. You should sign up. Maybe you’ll find somebody,” he said. “Just remember, always read the fine print.” He winked and went back to stocking shelves.

My finger hovered between the buttons to create an account and to fill out the form for more information. A customer came up, and I hastily shoved the flier and my phone on the shelf under the register. Once I rang them up and left I pulled out my phone. On the screen was a pop up congratulating me on joining.

“Oh my God. What have I done?” I groaned as quietly as possible. “I’ll look later from the privacy of my own home.”

Chapter 4

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