Strictland Academy (15 page)

'
You
need only to bring shame one time to your husband to destroy your marriage,'
the attendant squawked, looking up at the dark faces behind the glass
wall.
 
She then announced that each
student would receive a cane stroke for every percent lost on her grade.
 
This was a sentence of doom for the
girls whose talents rested in areas that did not include academics.

Unfortunately,
Molly was one such student.
 
More
so, the woman who taught Home Economics was Attendant Patience.
 
This was the same woman who had promised
retribution after Molly attempted to rescue Patricia while in the steam
room.
 
Patience's bodily stature was
a rarity for Strictland:
 
fairly
small and relatively delicate, and she remained fairly soft-spoken while in a
classroom setting.
 
In this
environment, she presented herself as walking proof of perfect decorum, grace,
and poise, but her smaller frame and classic ladylike mannerisms did not make
her any less ferocious than her fellow attendants.
 
As seen that day with Patricia, she
simply called upon the prefects to assist her in whatever dirty job she required
be done.

She
had no tolerance for illiteracy or air-headedness, and Molly already had a
black mark against her.
 
When Molly
made multiple horrendous errors in reading aloud the proper dinner party table
settings, Patience seized her opportunity for vengeance.
 
With the help from a prefect, Molly was
laid across the Attendant's desk, with her book in front of her.
 
Her bottom was bared, and lash after
lash was delivered upon her flesh with a wooden spoon
—
five for each mistake
she made.
 
By the time the class
ended, Molly was limping and drained of tears, her eyes taking on the same
haunted look of forlorn adopted by the majority of inmates.

She
looked up to the rafters and tearfully peered in the direction of those who had
used her as entertainment.
 
Anguish
covered her face, and she barely responded to April's reassuring hand-squeeze
and whispered promise that they would be rescued.
 
The words of reassurance that they had a
savior were lost in the blinding fog of hatred, as were the words of advice:
 
to 'play the game' until the opportunity
was right for Dr. Wells to help them.

***

Unable
to sleep that night due to her pain, Molly eavesdropped on some of the other
girls and their stories.
 
Evie's
story was fairly innocent.
 
She had
taken a shine to a local boy and stayed out with him past area curfew.
 
The fact that they had not been caught
doing anything unseemly did not matter to her nervous, single mother who
struggled with a set of young twins and a janitorial job with the local church.
 
Desperate to avoid any possibility of
her daughter making a poor decision, and to avoid appearing sinful before her
employers, the mother approached a parishioner for help.
 
He was, coincidentally, the same judge
responsible for the sentencing of most of the other inmates.
 
Like the other parents, Evie's mother was
encouraged by the judge to force her daughter to accept an ultimatum.
 
He announced that the wayward girl
obviously required structure, especially after being raised without the
guidance of a father, and therefore would benefit from either the military or a
specialized instructional institution
—
Strictland.
 
He added that the latter would guarantee Evie the State
’
s approval for
marriage, and promised that the facility would take the responsibility to find
a proper husband.

Evie
paused, recalling that her mother was also told that the men who procured a
Strictland girl helped provide for the girl's family as well; therefore, her
mother and little brothers would be taken care of for as long as she was
married.
 
That was enough to
encourage her mother to scrape together every penny she had for the initial
tuition required by the school.

Because
her mother was essentially destitute, the judge further sweetened the pot by
offering to take Evie under a conservatorship and defer future tuition.
 
From the moment the papers were signed,
Evie lost all command of her own life and her future.
 
She became a legal ward of the state for
an indefinite period and would only be released upon her marriage to a suitable
partner.
 
Tearfully, the girl also
admitted that she had been Attendant Angela's most recent 'favorite,' and that
it was not a situation she would wish upon anybody.
 
Because of that, none of the would-be
suitors were interested in her.

Others
told similar tales, either having been in minor trouble with the law or
considered to be rebellious, and how their mothers had been directed towards
this same judge and convinced of the raving benefits that Strictland would
provide.
 
The bait included
appropriate matchmakings with wealthy, educated, and worldly men that would
ensure that the girl would experience a life well beyond anything the area
could ever offer, as well as the chance for a formal education and to
travel.
 
They were promised that
both the girl and her family would be financially cared-for after the completion
of their sentence
if
she married.
 
Each story ended with a choke in their voice and wishes they had been
more obedient, sensitive to others' needs, or that they had chosen the military
in lieu of Strictland.

"Be
real.
 
We all know that we were
never really given much of a choice," Evie said, bitterly.
 
"That judge manipulated and shamed
our moms.
 
You know damn well he
pocketed the money and is probably getting a percentage of whatever the buyers
pay for us!
 
And you also know damn
well that these sick perverts are going to be even worse than the bitches
here."

"I
think anywhere would be better than this place.
 
I would give anything for a soft bed and
nice clothes ...
 
I wonder what kind
of house the judge lives in," another girl said, dreamily.
 
"I bet you he knows what real food
tastes like, too."

“
Do
you hear yourself?
 
Fantasizing
about being taken away from here is not going to change the fact that these
bastards shamed and blackmailed our mothers."
 
Molly's voice grew frantic.
 
"Oh, my God, they sell us like we
were whores!
 
We have to find a way
out!"

Derisive
snorting greeted her statement.
 
One
tall, stocky girl spoke up for the first time.
 
"I've been here since the place was
opened.
 
I've only ever seen maybe
ten girls leave voluntarily.
 
One of
them works in the cafeteria, shoveling food on our plates and never looking us
in the eye.
 
Eight of them were
released to the care of an observer.
 
There was an assembly, and these guys just picked them out of the crowd,
like they were eggs in a basket.
 
They were led away, and no one said anything.
 
Nor did they return.
 
As for the other two, rumor had it that
they were
supposedly
married to other headmasters who were friends of
Headmaster Judas,
”
she stated, ominously."
 
I
think they were sold into slavery, myself.
 
Or sent to a brothel, which is pretty much the same thing."

“
I
think that the only way you get released is if we are taken up by one of these
men or are too old to make a baby. Remember the women
’
s cut off age for a
pregnancy permit is twenty-eight.
 
This judge has the police in his pocket and could strip our mothers of
everything, and they know it,
”
another veteran ventured.
 
"But
if you were signed off, and he is your conservator, you are truly and royally
fucked.
 
Our only hope is that the
State sees the truth during their inspections, but I don't know how that can be
done.
 
Everyone is watched like a
hawk, and the interviews with the population are not permitted to be
unsupervised by an attendant.
 
Even
the attendants are supervised by one another."

Molly
seethed.
 
She wanted out, and come
hell or high water, she was going to leave this place.
 
She had no intent of waiting like a
sacrificial lamb for this 'savior' of April's to make a move.
 
It would take planning and time, and she
would
succeed.
 
Molly knew
she needed as much information about the layout of the place as possible, as
well as everyone's routines.
 
She
needed to know when visitors came to observe, when outside deliveries were made
and by whom, and where the authorities went during the late hours.
 
Who did what, where, and when was
crucial information that might well keep her from being caught.
 
She also hoped she could convince April
and Patricia to come with her.
 
She
paused to wonder briefly about Patricia and how she was faring in the hands of
the infirmary's nurse.
 
At least she
was temporary free of the constant assaults rained down on the rest of them.

It
had been one week since they arrived, and Molly waited, continuously looking
for answers to help her plan her escape.
 
As LeClair completed her nightly ritual
of molesting April, Molly casually gleaned information from the other
girls.
 
She discovered that the
eleven o'clock check-in consisted of unlocking the door and shining the
flashlight over the entire floor in search of empty bunks.
 
There was never a need to enter the
room, unless a problem was spotted, and the inmates were too careful to invite
that sort of attention which would disrupt their
‘
after hours recreation
’
.
 
Molly also found out that there was a
storage room that led to the outside.
 
The room was adjacent to the lavatory, and the door was often propped
open, so that whatever attendant was assigned to that duty didn't have to
bother the irate headmaster for the key.
 
All-in-all, the prospect of escape appeared feasible; Molly felt a sense
of contentment overtake her as she closed her eyes and slept.

The
following day was Sunday, and after being forced to attend services conducted
by Headmaster Judas himself, the girls were free to do anything they wished in
the confines of the barracks.
 
Molly
looked up and smiled as Dr. Wells escorted Patricia inside.

"Relax,
girls, I am only here to deliver your companion," he said, eying the group
carefully.
 
His eye fell upon
Molly.
 
"How are you holding
up?
 
I understand they have been
very strict with you."

"I
deserve it, sir," Molly said demurely, facing the ground.

"None
of the attendants are here.
 
Tell
me...."

"The
prefects do a fine job on keeping things under control, Sir.
 
They are very proficient in their jobs.
 
They make certain that we always have
someone keeping an eye on us for our safety," Molly said, tilting her chin
upward, hoping the man would catch the hint.

"Indeed
they are!" Dr. Wells praised.
 
Molly exhaled with relief.

He
clapped his hands.
 
"Might I
have your attention, ladies.
 
We
were just informed that the State will be coming for inspection in about two
weeks.
 
I will want the chance to
interview each of you and determine how this experience is helping you mature
and focus on growth.
 
Please put your
names on the sign-up sheet for your appointment.
 
This interview takes priority over all
activities except meals."

He
turned to Patricia.
 
"I have
left specific instructions that you are not to be struck with anything made of
non-flexible material, including wood, plastic or metal.
 
That does not mean you will not be
punished, so I do expect you to be on your best behavior."

"Yes,
Sir," Patricia whispered, looking into his eyes gratefully.
 
He touched her chin and left the room.

"What
happened to you?" Molly whispered, carefully climbing next to the girl on
the bunk.
 
"Something is
different."

"He
is so wonderful and caring," Patricia sighed.
 
"He
saved
me.
 
Like my knight in shining armor, he came
to my rescue."