The coming of age ceremonies held many mixed emotions for a young woman in her position. Years of preparation, practice and endless discipline had led to this moment. She'd worked tirelessly and had given herself over entirely to the process, never straying, until she was top of her class. The accolades were as many the spiteful glares from her classmates, which her Aunties assured her were entirely normal. They reminded her many times a day how grateful she should be for the life she was about to embark on, and yet the smile she always gave them in return was hollow and devoid of any true enthusiasm. No matter what they told her, she couldn't help but feel her life was not truly her own. Though her circumstances were better, comparatively, than those afforded most women, she knew she did not have true freedom, merely the illusion of it wrapped up in pretty clothing and expensive trinkets. She knew, however, there was potential for future freedom. With enough power, enough money, some luck. It was the only reason she worked so hard in her classes. It was the only thought that kept her spark of hope alive. She would do whatever it took to realize her dream of true freedom. She just had to get past this next big hurdle....

Many men had bid large sums on the privilege of taking her virginity. She had to deliver without getting ill. She shut her eyes and fixated her mind squarely on a future where she was free to make her own decisions. The lone tear that escaped the corner of her eye was the only emotion she betrayed as it happened to her.