Eden takes my other hand and squeezes it. “We understand. I bet you’re nervous about getting your nipples pierced, too.”
“Yeah. But we’re going there this morning.” I glance at Eden and then Clara. “Did it hurt?”
They both shake their heads, pigtails flying. “Not at all. The only reason you’ll even know it happened is because the piercing gun makes a slight popping noise, but you won’t feel it.”
“Aren’t they kind of heavy?” I ask.
Clara giggles. “At first. You’ll get used to them. The hardest part is learning not to touch them.”
I look at hers. “Yeah, I met Sophie. I was surprised she was able to keep her fingers away from her, uh…” My face heats. I’m not used to talking about private body parts with anyone.
Clara leans in and whispers, “Titties.”
We all giggle.
“Such a babyish word,” I say.
Clara shrugs as we reach a sandbox. “We’re living in a babyish world. It fits.” She nods toward the sand. “Do you want to play here?”
“Sure.” I glance back to find Papi right where I left him. He waves. My anxiety is at bay.
I sit where I can easily see him when I want. That helps.
“What did you do on Earth?” Clara asks.
I look down and drag my bare toes through the sand. Shoot. My chest tightens.
Eden touches my arm. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want. We understand. I bet whatever you did wasn’t as weird as me,” she says with an odd pride in her voice.
I look at her.
She grins. “I was in a cult. I ran away that night and ended up in Club Zoom without signing the paperwork. Do you wanna know how weird I am?”
I swallow, not moving. It would be rude to nod or shake my head.
Eden shrugs. “I used to be really embarrassed, but I’ve told my story to several other women…uh, girls…now, so it’s getting easier. I was so weird that I didn’t even know what sex was. No one educated me. I thought you got pregnant from lying with a man.With. Next to.” She covers her mouth as she giggles.
My eyes shoot wide. “Really?”
“Yes. I was married to an old man as a teenager, and Papi suspects he wasn’t able to get, uh, you know…”
“Hard,” Clara provides. “Probably he was impotent.”
Eden’s cheeks are pink. Her story relaxes me. It wouldn’t be kind to call anyone weird, but I can see why she thinks she was. I would feel the same way if I were her.
Eden takes a deep breath. “Yeah, so I told Papi I was barren. That’s what the elders in my cult said about me. Imagine his surprise when he found out I was actually a virgin.” She giggles. “I didn’t even know what a virgin was.”
I smile. She’s so likeable. Already I feel comfortable with these girls.
Clara sighs. “My life wasn’t nearly as interesting. I was an air traffic controller.”
“Cool,” I say. “I’ve never been on an airplane.”
Eden nods. “I certainly haven’t either. I’d never even left my compound until the night I snuck away.”
Clara sits taller. “But we’ve all been on several types of space crafts now. How many people can say that?”
She’s right, and no matter what differences we have, we all have a lot in common now. We’ve all been onthreetypes of spaceships. We’re all mates to overbearing Papis, and once I get my nipples pierced, I’ll fit in with everyone even more.
