CHAPTER I
Jenny Marsten stared, stunned, at the computer screen. She had just lost her freedom, and
not for merely one or two hundred days. She was, at that moment, beginning 1250 days--more
than three and one half years--of slavery.
Just how it was that a girl not quite out of high school should find herself facing
servitude is a story in itself, one that Jenny herself would be hard pressed to tell. In
brief, the first third of the twenty-first century witnessed a short, but savage,
domination of America by far right-wing politicians. For twelve years, archconservatives
directed government on the federal, state, and local levels. The constitution, especially
the Bill of Rights, was amended beyond recognition. In particular, the Fifth Amendment,
which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, was repealed. It was an article of faith
among conservatives that the coddling of criminals lay at the root of America`s ills.
Criminals had to learn, the hard way, that they had erred, and wardens in federal and
state prisons were given broad powers to design the curricula. Many soon discovered that
it was convenient, and profitable, to sell female prisoners (at least the young and
attractive ones) into slavery, a development that had not been anticipated when the Fifth
Amendment was eliminated.
Slavery itself, under the Thirteenth Amendment, was still illegal. However, in the court
challenges to female slavery, defenders of the new system argued that a prisoner sold into
slavery was not a slave but a prisoner. Since the Thirteenth Amendment permitted servitude
as punishment and since slavery was not, by definition or lack thereof, cruel or unusual,
judges ruled for the slaveholders. Slavery, subject to some restrictions, rapidly
reestablished itself. The principle restriction was that only licensed slaveholders could
own slaves. The licenses were expensive and their cost not only limited the number of
slaveholders but also dictated how the slaves were employed.
After the country`s predictable move back to the left, the constitution was nearly
entirely restored. However, the Fifth Amendment in its original form, despite repeated
attempts, was never able to muster the support of thirty-eight state legislatures. The
slaveholders, understanding that passage of the amendment could doom their businesses, had
carefully cultivated a small but influential number of politicians. Undaunted by their
failure to reestablish the amendment, the opponents of slavery renewed their court
challenges.
Unfortunately, the lasting legacy of the conservative revolution was a judiciary
dedicated to preserving as much of that revolution as possible. For years after the
conservatives yielded political control, judges ruled in favor of slaveholders.
Jenny, though, was not a prisoner who had been sold to a slaveholder. She had gambled her
freedom. Not long after slavery became established, it was noted by the slaveholders that
only prisoners could become slaves. To extend equal rights to women who were not fortunate
enough to find themselves in prison, the slaveholders had managed, with some legalistic
legerdemain, to convince some judges that a woman could gamble with her freedom. The logic
employed here was worse than that used to justify slavery for prisoners. Since only a
criminal could be enslaved, laws were enacted which made it illegal for a woman to lose a
game of chance played against a slaveholder. Thus, by losing such a game, the woman
violated the law and thereby became liable to imprisonment. Slaveholders were permitted,
under such circumstances, to immediately enslave the woman rather than go through the
legal hassles of charging, convicting, imprisoning, and then purchasing the woman.
The slaveholders wanted the game whereby a woman gambled with her freedom to be simple
and quick. The first few years slaveholders conducted such games, they tried using the
games of chance common in casinos. Unfortunately, there were few takers. Then one day a
woman offered to gamble her freedom by playing computer solitaire. The woman was young and
pretty and the slaveholder agreed. The deal was simple. The woman would play five games of
solitaire. If she was ahead at the end of five games, the slaveholder would pay her a
multiple of the amount she was ahead (in this first instance it was reputed to be twenty).
If she was behind at the end of the five games, she would lose her freedom for a number of
days equal to a multiple of the amount she was behind. She won, but the slaveholder
immediately saw the advantage of such an arrangement. First, each potential slave would
command her own multiples. The younger and more attractive players would be given the
opportunity to win large amounts while facing the prospect of relatively short terms of
enslavement. Those women whom the slavers did not want would be offered very unattractive
multiples and therefore would not gamble. Second, using solitaire opened the possibility
of standardizing the enslavement process. This greatly appealed to the slaveholders and
before long computer solitaire became the game of enslavement nationwide.
At first, the slavers chose a version of solitaire that was difficult to win.
Most women who played lost, and therefore few played. Realizing their error, the slavers
changed to a game that approximately nine out of every ten women won. Since a female slave
was worth many thousands of dollars a year, the slavers easily recouped their losses. In
addition, the number of women willing to gamble their freedom increased appreciably. There
weren`t lines of women outside every slaver`s business waiting to gamble, but from a bare
trickle before the introduction of the easy form of solitaire the flow of potential slaves
had increased to the point where the slavers had as many applicants as they wanted. They
could therefore be very selective.
Thus Jenny Marsten was allowed to gamble her freedom. Her multiples were forty-five for
winning and ten for losing. The screen in front of her showed that she was behind $125 at
the end of the fifth game. "Twelve hundred and fifty days," she said to herself,
not believing it.
Among high school girls like Jenny, slavery and gambling one`s freedom had a strange
fascination. Nearly every girl Jenny`s age wanted to know what multiples she would
command, and many girls who never gambled indulged their vanity by visiting a slaveholder.
Among girls with high multiples, there were some who gambled because the risk of losing,
though small, was exciting. Before she gambled, a girl signed away her freedom so that
during the half hour she was playing solitaire she was technically a slave. The prospect
of stepping into the very jaws of a monster, then escaping unscathed, made gambling
attractive to some. The thrill of escape appealed to Jenny, but in her case there was some
peer pressure. Two girls in her high school clique had recently gambled and won.
Though the gamble itself was simple, a girl could not risk her freedom on a lark. There
were several legal requirements she had to meet before she was allowed to gamble. The
legal barriers to gambling had been erected at the instigation of feminist groups, alarmed
that girls Jenny`s age were becoming slaves. Before she could gamble, a girl had to play
one hundred hours of the type of solitaire that she would play at the slavers. This, it
was hoped, would show her that she could lose. It would also improve her skill at the game
in the event she decided to gamble anyway. Further, and more importantly, she had to state
in writing that she understood what a slave`s life entailed. This she did by copying
several times, word for word, a list of conditions under which a slave lived.
These legal prerequisites to gambling were not satisfactory from the point of view of the
women`s movement. The list of conditions a prospective gambler had to copy, while
accurate, didn`t begin to explain how unpleasant a slave`s life could be. That was because
the slaveholders, realizing that legal barriers to gambling could make it virtually
impossible for a free woman to become a slave, had enlisted the aid of their political
allies when the laws in question were drafted. The slaveholders wanted the list of
conditions to sound as innocuous as possible. To achieve this, they had compromised on the
amount of time a prospective gambler had to practice playing solitaire. The anti-slavery
movement thought that one hundred hours would seem like an eternity to a young woman. In
practice, though, prospective gamblers were not dissuaded. It was not difficult to get
girls Jenny`s age to play a computer game for hours on end.
As Jenny stared at the awful $125 figure at the bottom of the computer screen, she
thought back to the one hundred hours she had spent learning solitaire. She had lost only
a handful of the thousands of games she had played. She must have made some terrible
mistake during the five games she had just finished, but she hadn`t noticed that she had
played those games any differently than all the others. Then her thoughts turned to the
friends who had, in high spirits, accompanied her to the slaveholder`s. They had a
standard joke about what to do if you lost: Jenny could hear herself and her friends
saying, in a mocking tone, "Open wiiiiide," and then bursting into laughter.
At the moment it didn`t sound very funny. She knew that her friends had watched on the
small monitor in the waiting room as she played the five games that ended her freedom, and
she knew that by now they were making their way back to their favorite hangout to report
to all who would listen that Jenny was now a slave. Several of Jenny`s male acquaintances
would be glad to hear it.
The slavers, after years of experience, had learned how to handle new slaves like Jenny.
In the past, new slaves were gang raped, then severely whipped on their first day. Those
days were long gone. The slavers learned that a new slave, treated firmly but not
viciously, adapted to her new position and ultimately became a much more attractive
property than the slave who was routinely abused. Jenny now found herself the latest
subject of the slaveholders` enlightened methods.
She had stared silently at the computer screen for three minutes, too stunned at first to
show any reaction. Then she burst into tears. Women who lost their freedom were left to
themselves for several minutes to gauge their initial response. If the new slave did not
break down in tears, she could be taken to her new quarters straightaway. If the loss was
too much to handle, though, the new slave was left alone until she was able to compose
herself. Jenny needed half and hour to stop crying. When she finally did, a woman in her
thirties, a slave herself, came into the room to get Jenny.
"C`mon, honey," the older slave said, taking hold of Jenny`s upper arm,
"let`s get you something to drink. If you`re hungry, you can have something to eat
too."
Jenny looked up at the woman who had addressed her. She was startled to see a woman,
completely naked save for a wide, brown leather collar, staring down at her.
"C`mon, sweetie," the older slave said again, "let`s get you a bit to
drink and a place to lie down."
Jenny, mechanically, got up and followed the older woman out of the gaming room, which
contained only a table, a chair, and a computer. They walked through a metal door which
closed heavily behind them, and proceeded down a long, windowless, but well-lighted
hallway. At the end of the hallway was another metal door which opened for them when the
older slave pushed a buzzer. Jenny could not tell who opened the door, for she saw no one
as the two slaves began walking down another, wider hallway. This hallway, much shorter
than the first, had two doors on its right side, though these were wood rather than metal.
The older slave stopped at the first door and opened it. Jenny noticed there was no lock
or latch on the door. The room was nearly bare. There was no furniture at all. Some
blankets and a pillow were stacked against the right wall. The left wall had an opening
that led to a small bathroom.
"Sorry about the lack of furniture, but that`s the way it is for a slave," said
the older woman. "You like Coke? Milk? Want something to eat?"
Jenny was cried out, else she might have burst into tears again. She said nothing.
"Okay, I`ll get you a Coke. If you spread out those blankets, you can make yourself
a place to lie down."
The older slave disappeared, without closing the door, leaving Jenny alone. Jenny was
still wearing the smock that gamblers had to change into. It wasn`t immodest, but it was
the only clothing she had. Gamblers left their own clothes behind when they entered the
gaming room. If the gambler won, she was given back her clothes and some money. If not,
the smock was her only clothing. Jenny unfolded three of the blankets, laying them one on
top of another, and sat down, leaning her back against the wall. In a moment, the older
slave came back with a Coke in a paper cup. She handed it to Jenny, then sat down herself
opposite the new slave. She let Jenny drink a little of the Coke before speaking.
"I guess you know what a slave`s life is like, so I won`t go into any of that unless
you want me to. I`m just here to let you know what happens today and tomorrow. You can
stop me any time you want and ask me anything." The older slave paused.
"Understand?" she said as gently as she could. Jenny nodded.
"OK, first it`s possible to get along here tolerably well, once you`ve completed
your training. At first it`s a bit rough, but I`ve never met a girl who couldn`t get used
to it. By the way, do you know what time it is?"
Jenny looked up quizzically. "It`s about 3," she said.
"A.M. or P.M."
"P.M., of course," said Jenny. "Who would be out at 3 A.M."
"Who can say?" said the older slave, "but in here you can lose track of
time. I needed to know so I can give you an idea of your schedule. In a few hours you`ll
have to change into your regular outfit. Slaves go naked except for a leather collar and
leather wrist and ankle bracelets. For new slaves, the collar and the bracelets are
yellow." Jenny already knew from her information sessions what standard attire was
for a slave. She noticed that the older slave wore a plain brown collar and bracelets, and
that there were metal rings, about two inches in diameter, attached to the collar and the
bracelets. Jenny also knew that a slave could be punished in any manner the slaveholder
chose, and guessed that the rings had something to do with that. She couldn`t resist
asking.
"What are the rings for?"
"The collar ring is for a leash, mostly," said the older slave
matter-of-factly. "All the rings are used as restraints at one time or another."
"Do you get beaten often?" asked Jenny, in a worried tone.
"A slave is rarely beaten. She may be punished, but that usually only happens when
she disobeys. You`ll find out all about that from your master, anyway. I can`t say how
your master will treat you."
"My..." Jenny could hardly say the word, "...master?" Jenny couldn`t
recall anything about masters from the information sessions.
"Yes, your master. Every new slave has a master that supervises her training. I was
going to get that, but since you brought it up I may as well talk about it now. There are
only two things to remember about your master. Always obey him, without hesitation, and
don`t speak unless he tells you to."
"What?" Jenny said loudly, looking up from her drink. "Don`t speak? That`s
impossible! Besides, you`re speaking."
"Yes, I`m speaking but to another slave and there are no non-slaves present.
Whenever you`re in the presence of a non-slave, you must not speak unless you are told
to."
Oh, gawd, Jenny moaned to herself, I`ll never be able to do that.
"Why did you say non-slave just now?" Jenny asked.
"Because you may be in the presence of women who are not slaves. I can`t say any
more about that. I`m here just to help you through your first day. Your master will tell
you all you need to know. But remember, you must always obey him, without hesitation, and
say nothing unless you are spoken to. If you like, I can show you how to sit when you
first meet him. It will make things go easier."
Oh, shit, thought Jenny, I`m actually a slave and a slave is now going to tell me how I
have to sit.
"You may as well take off that smock. It will help you get used to being naked and
it will be easier for me to show you how to sit."
Jenny was not at all sure that she wanted to strip in front of the older woman, but she
reasoned that the slave knew what she was talking about. Jenny was frightened of
punishment, and if the older slave could help her avoid it she was willing to listen. She
set what was left of her Coke on the floor and slowly raised the smock over her head and
laid it on the blanket next to her.
"OK," said the older slave, getting to her knees. "Put your feet under
your ass like this," and she put her feet under her, with the toes pointing in. She
then sat on her feet. "Now spread your knees as far apart as you can," she said.
Jenny was astonished when she saw that the slave could spread her legs so far apart that
her knees were almost on a line. "Now put your hands behind your back. You can cross
your wrists, if you like."
I don`t like, thought Jenny.
"Keep your back straight and your head erect. Look straight ahead or slightly down,
but don`t look at the ground right in front of you. Finally, stick out your chest. Now you
try it."
Jenny tried to spread her knees apart, but wasn`t very successful. She could see the
slave in front of her, and she could see how horribly exposed she was. To Jenny it looked
gross. Why would anyone want her to look like that, she wondered. After some uncomfortable
shifting around, Jenny got in a position that approximated what the older slave had shown
her.
"That`s OK for a start, but your master will insist on better posture, I`m
sure."
"I thought you couldn`t say what my master would want?" said Jenny a bit
peevishly.
"I can`t, exactly, but I know he`ll want you to do better than that." The older
slave sensed Jenny`s annoyance. "I`m just here to help you with the first few hours.
You can listen or not." Jenny decided to listen.
"I can show you a couple of other things, if you like," said the older slave
with a bit of a cringing tone in her voice.
Why not, thought Jenny. "OK, go ahead."
"You should never stand up when you`re in the presence of a non-slave unless told to
do so. If you are told to stand, you must stand like this." The older slave stood,
spread her feet about two feet apart, and bent over at the waist so that her torso was
parallel with the ground. Then she crossed her wrists behind her back. "You should
try this for a while," she said. "At first, standing like this for a long time
can be uncomfortable."
"Is this the position you`re in when you get punished?" Jenny asked a bit
nervously.
"Not usually," replied the older woman. "Besides, you`ll know what`s
coming long before you get punished. You should keep your head up when you`re bent over
like this. That`s the hardest part."
"How long have you been here?" Jenny suddenly asked. The older slave
immediately assumed the sitting position she had first showed Jenny and, without making
eye contact, said, "I`m not allowed to talk about that. You`ll see that there are
some things you mustn`t talk about." There was a note of fear in her voice.
"You`re master will be here in a few hours. When he comes in, make sure you`re
sitting." The older slave got up to leave.
"Wait," said Jenny, "I didn`t mean..." she stumbled over her words
for a moment, "I`m sorry I asked you that." Jenny was apprehensive at being left
alone. She also thought the older slave would have more helpful information. "Please
don`t go. I mean, if there`s anything else I should know, that you can tell me, I`d like
to hear it."
The older slave squatted down again. "I`ll tell you what I can." She paused a
moment. "You know what kind of slave you are, right?"
"A sex slave," Jenny answered quietly, and she again heard her friends saying,
"Open wiiiiide."
"That`s right. You`re not a virgin or a lesbian, are you?"
"No, I`m not a virgin and I`m certainly not a lesbian," said Jenny.
"Good. That will make things a little easier. Your master`s job is mostly to train
you about sex. He`ll expect you give him a blow job or do something sexual every time he
sees you. I should warn you up front that he will probably have a really big cock. All of
the masters here have big dicks, as far as I know. Don`t panic the first time he tells you
to blow him. He knows you haven`t had any training yet and he isn`t going to demand
perfection from the start. But don`t hold back anything. Just let yourself go and do
everything he says."
"Will he beat me if I don`t do well enough the first time?" asked Jenny.
"If you`re so worried about your tail being on the business end of a cane or a
strap, you shouldn`t have gambled your freedom. Or are you one of those girls that gets
turned on by punishment?"
"No, no, that`s not me at all," said Jenny quickly. "Is that what they
usually use, a cane or a strap? What`s a cane?"
The older slave couldn`t tell whether Jenny had a child`s fear of punishment or was a
submissive that wanted abuse. She had seen both types. Whichever type they were, they
seemed to get punished more than the other slaves.
"For summary punishment, your master will probably use a cane or a strap. A cane is
a long, thin piece of wood or plastic. But I shouldn`t say more because all of that is up
to your master. If you`ll let me tell you what to expect, I`ll tell you what I can.
Otherwise, I have to go."
"Please tell me," said Jenny, almost pleading, "I promise I won`t say
anything else."
Right, thought the older slave. "As I was saying, just do whatever your master tells
you. He`ll lead you through everything, step by step. And remember, you`re a slave. That
will be hard to get used to at first, but you will. If you obey, behave like a slave, and
keep quiet, you`ll get along."
Jenny thought about asking what other things were used to punish slaves, but decided to
leave well enough alone. She couldn`t think of anything else to ask about, though, and
after a minute of silence the older slave got up and left. Jenny went to the bathroom,
then lay down on the blankets and began waiting for her master. She spent most of the wait
crying.
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