Prologue

"What's your name girl?" He asks me. He is a First Generation who looks kind enough. I imagine his wife has perhaps passed on and rather than take a New Generation wife he has decided to visit the Scarlet district to satisfy his needs.

"Jenna, my name is Jenna." My voice is quiet, almost a whisper but somehow I manage to get the words out. He pats the mattress beside him, beckoning me to sit beside him. It's covered in white silk sheets and I know enough to know they won't stay white for long. Reluctantly I move to take my place on the mattress beside him and his hands automatically encircle my waist.

"Well Jenna, has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?" I shake my head and cast my eyes to the floor. He places his hand underneath my chin and tilts my head up towards him. His lips press against mine and it sends icy fear down my spine. I don't want to do this but I have no choice. I have to earn a living somehow.

His tongue pushes against my lips, forcing them to open and the moment they do his tongue dives in and I feel myself start to gag. He tastes like some sort of rotting fruit and that bitter sweetness make me feel even more certain I'm going to be sick. His hand finds its way to my thigh and he pushes me back on to the mattress so I'm lying underneath him with my legs open wide enough for him to rest his body weight there.

He slips the straps of my dress down to reveal my chest and as he does he begins to cover my neck and throat in kisses. His other hand fumbles with the belt on his trousers until he is free. I take a deep breath to brace myself and judging by the urgency of his kisses he interprets this as a sign I am enjoying what he is doing to my body when in reality I just wish it would end and in my head I am counting the seconds until he is finished.

The Housemother insisted I wear no underwear so when he pushes my skirt up around my waist he can see exactly what he wants to do. I take a deep breath and then he thrusts himself inside me. It hurts more than I had anticipated it would. It feels like I am being cut in half and I am so close to screaming that I have to bite my tongue. He keeps thrusting though, in and out, his hands all over the rest of my body and then his head tipped back in ecstasy as he enjoys my body.

Please let this end.

It doesn't though. Instead he carries on. His hands everywhere, feeling all the secret places on my body and making me burn with shame. He withdraws and makes me change position, readjusting himself in order to heighten my pleasure apparently. I just want it to be over. His hands are in my hair now and he is pulling hard and I let out a tiny whimper.

"Oh is Jenna having fun now?" He asks me. I don't answer. I start counting in my head and then when I get to 100 I start again.

Mercifully it ends after I've count to 100 eleven times. He stands up, fastens his trousers shut and then turns and leaves. He doesn't acknowledge me as I lie on the bed, bleeding and broken. So this is what my life is about then? This is how I was conceived. I make a vow to myself then that I will never bring a child into this world. How could I? I won't live past 20 and then when I'm gone they'll force her to do this too and that is something I cannot allow. I haven't a clue how I'll stop it from happening as the president outlawed contraception years ago but I know I won't do it.