‘Megan Anderson?’ The girl named Megan closed her book and rose from her bed, and only nodded to the last-year girl from the C-floor who entered the last dorm on the E-floor and handed her a cardboard placard with a big number 27 on it. ‘Miss Hunter wanted me to hand out the numbers for the Wife candidates for tonight. And these are the last two. You haven’t seen Eliza, have you?’ the girl asked, looking at a list with names.

‘Nope, but you can give hers to me if you want. She’ll be here to change her clothes before the evening begins.’

Megan took the other placard with the number 28 and dropped it on her bed next to hers. She sighed, and felt horrified. She had completely forgotten the Ceremony of Partner Choice. It wasn’t really something she’d ever get used to so her mind tended to aggressively dismiss its existence whenever possible.

‘It’s strange though. You’re not what I’d expect from the second-last girl on the E-floor.’

Megan had turned back to her book but the other girl stood still in the door, and looked at her with a strange look, as if trying to analyse her. She first stared at her long straight dark hair and dark brown eyes, and then at the rest of her body.

‘Why not?’ Megan asked as casually as possible.

‘You’re so normal. I mean, you’re not a half-wit and not ugly either, unlike some of the girls on your floor.’

‘Just say it like you think it is, we’re only the low-quality leftovers that no-one wants to marry to you here on the E-floor. Low-rated scum that’s almost unmarriable by default. And let me tell you what: that’s perfect for me. What idiot would ever want to marry a man anyway. They bring bad luck.’

‘But if you don’t want to marry, what do you want to do with your life?’

‘Just read my book?’

The girl shook her head. ‘What are you even reading? Everyone can see that that’s not an approved Wife School book.’

Megan turned the book to read the title. ‘Eh, a history of mathematicians of the last three millennia, and it’s black market trade indeed. The chapter on twenty-third century non-Euclidian geometry is quite fascinating, the math revolutions in the high computer era were very interesting, don’t you think?’

The girl was completely horrified now. ‘I see what the problem is. You’re utterly unmarriable indeed. Who on Earth is interested in non-Eucli-whatever anyway… Certainly not men looking for a Wife.’

‘Ah, but most mathematicians in history were men. It was supposed to be not for women at all for more than a millennium.’

‘Not something for Real Men. Books are for wimps.’ She girl insisted.

‘Pity. Those Real Men always sound like a circle of hell in themselves to me. But you’re an engaged woman, aren’t you? You’re wearing the ring. Do you really want to get married? To leave your friends and become the house slave of some idiot who picked you based on how you look in a bikini?’

‘Hey, I have a Beta-three fiancé. I’ll live in Betaville in a big house and can be a good housewife and a mother. He already has a stable job and is negotiating for a house already! I have a good future ahead of me as a Wife. Unlike you E-girls who will only be taken by Deltas and Epsilons. I can understand that you’re not happy with that prospect.’

‘But do you like him? Can you talk to him? I mean, you’ll have to spend the rest of your life with him. Do you have a decent relationship with him? Can he be a friend?’

The girl shook her head in disbelief. ‘What do you expect? Do you really believe in romance? That’s only for silly books written for young girls… I just want to be comfortable, and he has the money, the status, and the connections. And he’s not the violent type, so there’s a chance that he won’t even hit me. What more can a woman want? I think few girls are luckier than me.’

‘He probably won’t hit me is a pretty low bar for a lifelong lover that you can’t even divorce yourself as the woman when things go wrong, so sorry. I’m still not interested. I just want to read my book and then the next one. And hang out with my friends. At least I can trust them and talk to them.’

‘That can’t be everything you want from life. You must have more ambitions than that. You’re a smart girl. Too smart even.’ ‘Maybe… If I ever get the chance I want to travel the world outside The Nation. See what happened to other counties. See how people live there.’

The girl gasped. ‘There’s no other countries. You can’t be that silly.’

‘There’s none that we know. We’ve been isolated for so long, but do you really believe all other continents have sunk into the sea after we lost contact with them? That all other people really have died out when we lost contact with them. If they are still there somewhere, they can be reached somehow.’

‘There isn’t any fuel in the world left, remember, and using it might lead to catastrophes again like when the seas rose and we became an island.’

‘Maybe, maybe. Or maybe the other people have found new ways to travel that don’t destroy the planet and deplete our resources. A girl can dream, can’t I? Men in this country are stupid and entitled, but the world is much bigger and much more interesting. Maybe other cultures are smarter than us? Maybe there’s a place where coffee isn’t extinct even? Maybe they have decent men like in those old romance books that are at least worth being friends with somewhere?’

‘Now you’re going overboard completely? So you really aren’t interested in marrying a Nation man? What are you even doing in a Wife School then?’

‘Most men here are mediocre creeps, abusive baboons, and entitled whiny idiots. Who would want to get mixed up with that? Yeah I’m aware this place is a Wife School, but do you think I ever had any other possibility than ending up here except for complete poverty and living outside of society? For now I’m better off here, and the longer I stay unchosen the better… The only problem is enduring those excruciating ceremonies twice a month then.’

‘You don’t like them? Being pretty and being adored? It always was my favourite when I was in your year.’ ‘Being gaped at by a troupe of horny subhuman hominids is not my idea of fun, even without the chronic panic attack in the background that I usually get I don’t see how anyone could like that degrading humiliation.’

‘But it’s our moment of feminine glory. I really miss parading around like that. Now I have to be decent and only husband is ever to look at me. It’s a pity…’

‘If you describe it like that being taken at least has one advantage. But then you’ll have too take the man too, and that’s not really a good trade. You can’t just lock them up in a closet when they misbehave. You have to live with them, to honour them even if they are utterly dishonourable and obey them them even if they demand the unreasonable.’

The girl made an ugly face. ‘I see why you are number 27 now, and have to be stuck on the E-floor. You’re not better than Eliza the man-hater at all. You’re too crazy to be marriable, which is a pity. Such a loss, you could be a pretty girl if you gave your looks some more attention… You surely could make a decent C-Wife.’

‘Been there, done that, but the C-floor won’t take me back. And please don’t insult Eliza, she’s my best friend and she’s too good for your idiotic club of low-price trophy wives. Leave me alone now, please, this book isn’t going to read itself.’

Megan picked up her book again when the other girl disappeared. She really didn’t want to think about what was going to happen later that night.