Chapter 1

The signal showed red, so Craig listened to the car radio while he waited, “ ... denied the report. And in local news, the Confederacy extracted nine sponsors, twenty-four concubines and their dependents from the Riverside Mall midday. The spokesperson for...” Then the traffic started moving again and he lost interest. Riverside Mall was popular enough that the Moving Forward Club would likely gain a few new members for Nikki to look after. He half-qualified as a member himself as he’d been left behind when the Confederacy picked up his wife a few months ago. He was a teacher though, too old for the club, which was to help young adult students adjust to their changed lives after losing their parents in an extraction.

He pulled into his driveway, went into his house and headed to the kitchen for some coffee. An urgent knocking at the front door interrupted his progress. He opened it to receive an armful of sobbing sixteen-year-old. Claudia lived next door with her parents. Rather, she had lived with her parents. Between sobs she explained that her mother and father had been at Riverside Mall for lunch and were now on a colony ship in orbit. All she had in exchange was a letter from the Confederacy telling her the news.

Craig disentangled himself, sat her down on the sofa and headed back to the kitchen to make two coffees and grab some paper towels.

“Your Dad was a sponsor, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah. He took Mom, Billy and some woman called Michelle something.”

“So your brother’s gone as well?”

“Yeah. He’s only thirteen, so he counts as a dependent.” She broke into tears again.

Craig passed her the paper towels and waited while she gathered herself. He knew Claudia both as a neighbor and as a pupil in school. Normally she was quiet, almost shy, and well-behaved. Academically, she tended to get lost in the middle of the pack. Her looks were average as well: brunette, pretty but not striking. ‘Girl next door’, if that wasn’t too much of a cliché for the girl who actually lived next door.

She was showing off her tanned teenage legs in a very short red skirt. Her Italian ancestry helping her tan look good. Above that she had a high-necked dark-blue top. The short skirt was standard these days, her top wasn’t. Most of the girls in school wanted to show off as much of their legs, breasts and everything between as they thought they could get away with. Claudia didn’t. Her top wasn’t cut short to show her midriff and it had a high neck as well. From what Craig could see under her clothes her breasts looked good, but she presumably disagreed and kept them hidden.

“Could I stay here tonight, Mr. Kirkman? Please. I really don’t want to sleep in the house alone. I won’t be any trouble. Please?”

“Of course, Claudia. I’ll set up the guest bed, though you’ll need to get your toothbrush and stuff from next door.”

That got him a hug and a peck on the cheek. “Thank you, sir.”

Not unexpectedly she was subdued all evening. They talked about the Moving Forward Club in school. She’d heard about it of course and Craig promised to introduce her to Nikki Villareal who ran it.

Claudia lay in bed that night, her thoughts running at a thousand miles an hour. She was on her own now. How would she get money to live on? She wanted to finish school and graduate; would that even be possible? Mom, Dad and Billy were gone. She hadn’t expected to go with Dad as his second concubine. They’d discussed it and neither of them was happy with the thought of what they’d have to do if she was with him. Both Dad and Mom had tried to find a sponsor to take her. That must have been weird for them, offering their daughter to high CAP friends and colleagues. Anyway, that was all over now, she’d somehow have to find her own sponsor. That would be very difficult. Any prospective sponsor would expect her to strip and as soon as they saw her they’d reject her. Did the Confederacy ever do any pickups in the dark? That was probably her only hope, unless she could find a blind guy with a high score.

It was impossible for her to get to sleep on her own. Maybe Mr. Kirkman...

She disturbed him, coming into his bedroom. “Sorry Mr. Kirkman, I can’t sleep. Can I share with you please? It might help.” He was only half awake and mumbled something. She took it as a ‘yes’ and slipped into the double-bed beside him.

Tuesday Craig woke confused, spooned behind someone with his morning erection pressed against her ass and a hand on her hip. He hadn’t woken next to anyone for months. Luckily, he remembered it was Claudia before he tried anything. Carefully moving back from her, he looked at the clock. Only five minutes to go, so he got up quietly and turned off the alarm to avoid waking her. She was asleep, which was a good sign.

Craig found it strange making breakfast for two again. The Confederacy had hit a lunch place near where Louise worked, tearing her out of his life. The wound was healing, but slowly. He knew he’d have to move on eventually and that wasn’t such a distant prospect now as it had once been.

When Claudia came down she was still subdued, even for her, but not as bad as yesterday. She had already dressed for school in the same short red skirt, though she’d changed her top for a T-shirt with some boy-band logo on it. High necked again, that never changed; he’d never even seen her in a v-neck. Her eyes were red and she didn’t seem much interested in conversation, so breakfast was quiet.

She studied her neighbor over the table. Thirty-eight, blond and about five-ten. Medium build and not sporty. Her Dad liked playing tennis, but Mr. Kirkman didn’t seem to do sports. He wasn’t fat, but he probably wasn’t buff either. She hadn’t noticed him bring any girlfriends around since the Confederacy had taken his wife, which was strange. Some of the rumors in school said he was a sponsor though other rumors said he wasn’t. She enjoyed his lessons, mostly, though he was more casual here in his home than in the classroom.

He offered her a lift into school, which she accepted. Her mother often drove her, which started another short round of tears when she thought about it.

She’d calmed down some by the time they reached the school. “Are you OK, Claudia?” he asked anxiously.

“Not really, but I’ve got to go back sometime, haven’t I?”

“I’ll take you to see Ms. Villareal. She’ll help you with advice and so on. That will make it easier for you.”

“Thanks, Mr. Kirkman.”

As soon as Nikki Villareal saw them she asked, “The Riverside Mall pickup yesterday?” Claudia nodded. “Come with me, Claudia. I’ve already got two others in the same boat: the Wasserman twins.” She smiled at Craig as she walked away with an arm around the girl, comforting her. Nikki was fifty and motherly, ideal for her job of comforting teens who had lost one or both parents so abruptly.

Luckily for him, Craig taught science. He had cribbed a spiel from a teachers’ website to motivate young adults to attend his classes. If the Confederacy wanted to fight the Swarm, then they’d need scientists able to develop biological weapons, chemical weapons and death rays to attack them. Basically, ‘learn science and your CAP score should increase’. Most of the sensible kids understood. A lot of them liked the idea of death rays; with the arrival of the Confederacy and all its new technology, Science Fiction ideas were more real than before. Anyone over fourteen was legally an adult, so school was unofficially more like a university where attendance at lessons was voluntary. Whatever the reason, it was much easier teaching the more motivated students without bored troublemakers in the class.

Craig had a free period that afternoon and went in search of Nikki; he found her as she was out looking for him. “Craig, good. We need to talk.”

In her tiny office she cleared some papers off her guest chair. He sat down and asked, “How is Claudia? She wasn’t in my class this morning.”

“I gave her a pass for the whole day. She was either with me, talking to the others in the club or in the library. She’ll probably be all right in time, but she’s fragile at the moment. Losing both parents at once is a big shock for her.”

“Understandable. Is there anything I can do?”

“Great! A volunteer,” Nikki said with a smile. “Since you live next door to her, I’d like you to act as a substitute parent for her. I’ve told her she can come to you for advice and help if she needs it.” Craig nodded agreement, he’d expected that. Nikki continued, “She said she stayed last night at your place, which helped. The ones who’ve lost both parents often feel abandoned, so it’s important for them to have someone around. You’re not family, but she knows you and you’re nearby. Her other family are out-of-state in Florida and Oregon, so they’re too far away.”

“That’s OK. She can visit me whenever she needs to.”

“She’ll need some money to live on in the short-term until her parents’ bank accounts get transferred to her name and the Confederacy support comes through. She can pay you back then.”

“Just basic day-to-day money will be fine,” Craig agreed. “I can’t stretch to a new car for her.”

Nikki laughed. “Of course not, for that sort of thing she’ll have to use her own money. Anyway, she owns two cars now: one in her driveway and one parked at Riverside Mall.”

“True, I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Do you know how well off her parents really were? Sometimes we find that the fancy cars and nice house took all their income and there’s nothing left in the bank.”

“I don’t think they were like that,” he said. “They seemed reasonably sensible with money. He drives ... drove a Ford and she had a Toyota. Nothing too flash.”

“Good, that’s one less worry.”

Claudia spent Tuesday evening with Craig. She promised she’d move back into her own house soon, but she wasn’t ready to do that yet. She was very apologetic about bothering him, but he assured her it wasn’t a problem. She did insist on cooking though. “There’s stuff in our ... my fridge that needs using up.” She barely managed not to cry over that mistake; a reminder of her loss.

Her omelet with onions and eggplant accompanied by a green salad was definitely better than anything he could have made himself, which he made sure to tell her. She blushed at his praise, but enjoyed it. That helped lift her mood a little.

They retired to their separate beds, but Wednesday morning he woke to find her sharing with him again. This time, however, she was half-awake and shifted around as he got up. She’d obviously got more sleep than the night before.

That morning Claudia decided to drive herself to school. She’d driven her mother’s car before and felt she couldn’t impose on Craig too much. Besides, he had to stay late after school that evening for a meeting. She did ask for some money for gas, “I’ll pay you back. Ms. Villareal said I’ll get some money soon, I just don’t have any now.”

“Sure Claudia, that’s not a problem.”

The next Monday, she repaid him with thanks and a small kiss.

“So the money from the banks has come through then?” he asked.

“Not yet, Ms. Villareal says it should take about another week or so. I got this from selling Dad’s car. I only need one, so I sold the other.”

It was good that she was taking more control of her life. She hadn’t consulted him about her decision to sell, it was something she’d done on her own. A hopeful sign.

Later that week Nikki buttonholed Craig in the staff room, “I think Claudia needs someone to share her house so she’s not on her own. I have a girl I need to place. Would you mind if she moved in?”

“Not a problem for me, provided Claudia is OK with it. Who?”

“Nichelle Varley. She’s seen you around, but you’ve never taught her.”

Craig knew her by sight, “Big black girl, one year ahead of Claudia. Would make a good linebacker for a women’s football team?”

Nikki laughed, “Yes, that’s her, but don’t let her hear you say that.”

He grinned. “When does she move in?”

“On Monday for a two-week trial. They get along well in the club, but living together is different.”

“What’s Nichelle like?”

“She’s much more outgoing than Claudia and likes bossing other girls around. I hope she’ll help bring Claudia out of her shell more. Academically she’s no great shakes, but she’s got a lot of street smarts.”

“Sounds like she could be an interesting neighbor,” he commented.

He met Nichelle next Monday evening. Taller than Claudia, she was probably five-eight, almost up to his five-ten. Wearing more typical clothes than Claudia, she had tight green short shorts and a red cut-off tank top with a low-scooped neckline showing her cleavage. She had a definite liking for bangles and bracelets, three or four on each arm. Dark brown skin, not as black as some. She wasn’t fat, but she was never going to be petite with her very solid build. He suspected that if she wasn’t careful she would run to fat as she got older. Her hair was short and straightened. It wasn’t a style he particularly liked – he preferred a more natural look – but it wasn’t his choice to make. “Coffee ladies?” he offered as they sat down.

“Yes please,” Claudia replied.

“Just water, please sir,” Nichelle requested.

“Water?” That puzzled him, if not coffee then teens usually wanted a soda.

“I’m tryin’ to lose weight. I can’t take coffee without sugar, an’ diet sodas all taste gross, so I drink water.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah. I’ve got used to it, really sir.”

“We’re not in school now, Nichelle. Call me Craig.”

“OK, Craig,” she nodded and smiled.

As Nikki had said, Nichelle was more outgoing than Claudia. She’d been living in a rented apartment since they’d extracted her divorced mother almost a year ago. The Confederacy had paid it up for a year, so now she needed to move somewhere else as she had no income to pay the rent. Her mother had lived from paycheck to paycheck so she didn’t have any savings to fall back on.

“You’re living with Claudia now?” Craig confirmed.

“For a trial period to see if we get along an’ what this area is like.”

“The area is fine, nice and quiet.”

“For you maybe, but you ain’t black. This is a white area an’ sometimes that might be trouble. I’ll need to check it out; see how people take me.”

He hadn’t thought of that, but plainly it would be very important for her. The area was mostly white with a few Hispanics and one Indian family, the Thakurs. He wasn’t sure how people might react; sometimes they could surprise you. Nichelle had a point.

“We can’t ask him that,” Claudia complained. “He’ll see what we’re doing right away. I’ll be so embarrassed.” She liked Craig and didn’t want to be a bother to him. She still relied on him for moral support.

Nichelle disagreed with her friend, “Don’t be stupid, Claudia. If he’s a got the score then he already knows. Any guy with a brain an’ a dick knows that conks are lookin’ for a sponsor. That means we’ll fuck him if he asks. He’s prob’ly had lots of offers already.”

“The rumors in school say he’s only a 6.2 and he hasn’t moved any women in with him since they extracted his wife. I don’t think he’s even had any girlfriends over for a night.”

“An’ the other rumors say he’s a sponsor. We need to ask him an’ find out.”

Nichelle took charge as usual and they both went next door to see Craig.

Claudia sat quietly, trying not to catch his eye while Nichelle talked for the two of them. “Craig, there are two stories about you ‘round school. One says you have a 6.2 CAP an’ the other says you’re a sponsor. Well?”

Craig preferred to keep his score quiet, so he produced a card showing 6.2. Nichelle took it and examined it suspiciously. “This ain’t a CAP card.”

“No it isn’t. It’s an Average Joes card, like it says on the front. I tested before the President’s announcement. Back then people didn’t know that CAP testing was anything to do with the Confederacy.” The card was a fake of course. Counterfeiting a Confederacy card was illegal and potentially dangerous, but an Average Joes card wasn’t an official Confederacy card. A surprising number of people accepted the fake, which was how the 6.2 rumor got started. Nichelle however wasn’t completely sold on his story.

“Why didn’t you get a real one?”

“I never saw the point. At my age my score won’t change so it didn’t seem worth the bother.”

She plainly wasn’t convinced, but she handed the card back and changed the subject. “Do you wanna come ‘round to us for dinner later? Claudia is doin’ meatballs.”

“I’d love to.” He turned to Claudia, smiling. “Your meatballs are far better than anything I can put together. Give me an hour to finish my grading.”

Claudia perked up at that. Craig had praised her cooking and Nichelle hadn’t embarrassed him.

The meatballs and spaghetti were very good – Claudia had learned the recipe from her mother – with ice-cream to follow for two of them and fresh fruit for Nichelle. After the meal the three of them moved into the lounge with coffees for Craig and Claudia, while Nichelle had her usual water.

“OK Craig,” Nichelle said once they’d settled. “That was bullshit about your card, wasn’t it?”

“Nichelle!” Claudia complained. “Don’t be rude.”

“But that card was fake, wasn’t it?” the black teen persisted. “I looked online. All those old Average Joes cards got pulled in an’ replaced.”

Craig decided to stonewall, “Why would I fake a 6.2? If I faked anything, I’d fake a 6.5 so I’d have girls lining up to jump into my bed. There’s no point in faking a low score.”

“I dunno why. I s’pose you wanna keep your real score quiet or somethin’. An’ there’s those other rumors as well. The ones about you havin’ a good score. I bet you’ve got a real card someplace with a 6.5 on it.”

Nichelle was right of course. Teachers with high scores often had to fend off potential concubines in school. He wasn’t ready to put up with that at work; teaching was difficult enough without the extra disruption. Tyler Fenton had walked into his classroom one day to find a naked girl waiting, laid out on his desk! Better to keep things low-key for the moment and avoid the bother. Teenage sponsors, the boys anyway, didn’t seem to mind the attention. He preferred a quieter life and he wasn’t completely over Louise yet.

“I don’t know why you’re hiding it either,” Claudia said suddenly, “but I think you’ve got a good score and you want to keep it quiet.” If Craig was a sponsor, then he might, just might, be ready to take her in spite of her problem. At least he knew her and liked her, which made it less likely he’d reject her out of hand. She crossed her fingers, hoping.

Craig sat, thinking. Seeing the looks on the girls’ faces, he realized he’d thought for too long – they’d guessed the truth. Best try to limit the damage rather than have them boost the sponsor rumors. “First I want a promise from you both.”