Jesanc

"Tell me again how this is supposed to work?" Julia asked her friend

Berenice. Both had recently celebrated their 18th birthdays, but Bere

seemed far more comfortable with the milestone. "We receive our

unalienable rights, the birth rights of all adults, but how are we even

supposed to take advantage of them?"

"Julia, our rights in the international communities aren't relevant to

us here. We want to remain in our own community, don't we? That means

following our own ways and knowing our place. If you wanted to leave,

you'd have that right, but why would you want that? This is our home,

and we've just reached the age where life starts to get interesting."

"Full citizens, but we must still obey our fathers in every way. My

father won't even give me full access to the network, I still have to

go through the child filter. But full network access is one of our

inalienable rights!"

"Julia, you know the pairing is only a few days away, and after that,

we'll be under the authority of our husbands. If you get a good pick,

I'm sure your husband will let you look at anything you like on the

network. Anyway, you can go and access a network terminal at the

library, the librarian must give you full access by law."

"I already talked with the librarian, and he said that full network

access before your first pairing is strongly discouraged, because

spoilers will ruin the impact. He admitted that he can't stop me,

legally, but he would notify my father if I went through with it."

"Well, I know your father would punish you for that. Mine is easy

going, and he'd let me access the network, but I have no interest in

the outside world, or spoilers, I just want to get through the pairing

and to get started with my real life. To have my husband, to become

pregnant and give birth to my first child! I can't wait!"

"I don't know if I'm ready for any of that," said Julia, "I feel like

I'm going straight into it without knowing anything. How does a

relationship with a husband work? How do I become pregnant? Am I ready

to bring up a child?"

"Oh, you worry so much, Julia. That's what the pairing is for, we

don't just get matched with our husbands, we also learn all the

secrets of adults. Just do what you are told to do, and I bet

everything will become perfectly clear. You know that you won't be

bringing up a child on your own, the entire community will be helping."

In the following days, Julia remained anxious. She refrained from

requesting network access at the library, and still had no idea what

she was getting herself into. But the pairing was the most important

part of their community rituals, and had remained unchanged for

decades. She stopped attending her voluntary work in a food processing

factory, and spent her time in her room using the network, the child

filter still in place.

She had her own room, in a larger block which also contained living

and dining areas, and which was occupied by several families. She had

ten siblings in total, but most were older and had already been

paired, so only her two younger sisters remained. Most of the others

would visit occasionally, often with their spouses and

children. However, two had emigrated. They never visited, and were

seldom mentioned.

She tried to learn all she could. She examined her family history,

which extended back several generations. Her parents had followed the

ideal, pairing at age 18 and spending their lives together, having one

child after another. Her maternal grandparents had paired in their

late 20s, both having divorced after previous marriages. They had had

two children before divorcing once again, and going on to new

pairings. Her paternal grandparents had paired in their 30s, her

grandfather a widower and her grandmother a divorcee. They had four

children together, and stayed together until her grandfather died in

his early 70s, and her grandmother had paired again in her old age.

All of her grandparents had been born in Jesanc, but the previous

generation were immigrants. They arrived after it had been founded by

Jeremiah and his group of disciples in the chaos after the Culture

Wars in the old USA. It was one of the countless autonomous

communities operating under the Treaty. She could follow her family

records back several more generations, finding various dates where one

or another ancestor had immigrated to the USA from Europe. Diversity

in her ancestry was limited to Ireland, Britain, and three countries

on mainland Europe. Following this line of research was taking time,

but giving little insight.

If only she could talk with her two brothers who had emigrated. She

had no idea where they were now. Perhaps she would be able to find

out, if not for the child filter, but her access to information about

communities outside Jesanc was seriously limited.

She pondered the nature of Jesanc. Jeremiah had long passed away, but

an authorized collection of his teachings were recorded in the Book,

which formed the basis for how the community operated. Although

nominally based on Christianity, many of his teachings were apparently

original concepts, supposedly derived through divine inspiration. The

small town where Jeremiah and his followers settled, "Jeremiah's

Sanctuary" eventually became Jesanc. The community had flourished,

growing to a few thousand a dozen years afters its

formation. Immigration after that was limited to special cases, but

even with net emigration, it had grown to tens of thousands through

natural population growth. Their land had expanded correspondingly,

according to Treaty provisions, although this part of the Treaty

remained controversial. Construction of new buildings was continuous

and ongoing.

She talked with her elder sister Keziah, who had been paired about

five years ago and had three children. After some small talk, about

Keziah's children, she tried to get the discussion onto the subject of

the pairing.

"How could you be sure, Keziah, that the man you were paired with

would turn out to be right for you?"

"Julia, I can see that you are nervous, but you just need to have a

little faith in the process. There are 20 men and 20 women in every

pairing. You'll be paired with the person who is the best match."

"But what if nobody wants me? What if all the men want the other

women, and I'm left alone at the end, and the last man decides to drop

out and try again next time?"

Keziah laughed. "Well, I know you haven't seen any pairings yet, but

they almost always continue to the end. 40 people go in, and 20

couples come out. If a man has been rejected by 19 women, he'll take

the 20th who is left. Why would he expect anything better next time?

But there's no way that you are going to be rejected by 19 men. You

have no idea how cute you are, you'll have plenty of options to choose

from."

"I have no idea if I'm cute of not," said Julia sceptically. "Even if

they were lining up for me, how would I know which one to pick? I

hardly know any boys, we have separate schools and contact with them

before coming of age was completely forbidden. How can I find somebody

nice when I know nothing about them?"

"Just keep your eyes and ears open. Listen to what the boys are

saying, look at their expressions, decide whether you really want to

spend time with each boy. Don't just ogle their bodies. Hopefully, it

will be obvious."

"Ogle their bodies?" said Julia, incredulous.

"Look, I've said too much. I'm not going to give you spoilers. Just

follow my suggestions and it should turn out fine," said Keziah. "Look

at me and Abidan, still together after 5 years! If the worst comes to

the worst, you can get a divorce and try again with somebody else."

"Yes, Abidan is nice," agreed Julia. As a girl, and even now as an

adult woman, she wasn't supposed to stare at men, or even make eye

contact, but she had often glanced at Abidan from the corner of her

eye when he visited.

Two days later, the day of the pairing dawned. First-time pairings

were always special, but due to the size of Jesanc's population, they

still came around quite often. Like ordinary pairings, they involved

the matching of men and women of around the same age into

couples. However, a first-time pairing also included elements of sex

education, which was considered essential given that discussion of

anything sexual with minors was strictly forbidden. The community

ideal was for both boys and girls to reach their first pairing in a

state of blessed ignorance. Given the effectiveness of network

filtering, and the draconian punishments for violating the rule, the

ideal was often achieved.

Julia put on her ceremonial outfit, as described in the Book of

Jeremiah. Starting with modest white cotton panties, a similar white

cotton bra with a steel wire frame, rough burlap stockings, scratching

her legs a little, a simple long blue dress with long sleeves,

buttoned up in the front, a white bonnet, and brown leather shoes. All

the items were made locally in the community, and sized to fit her

perfectly.

She went out to the living room, and made her farewells. Nearly

everybody who lived in the building had assembled to see her off. Her

mother was sobbing slightly. "Make us all proud, Julia," said her

father.

Julia left on foot, her anxiety undiminished. A few buildings down the

street, she met Berenice, who was dressed identically. They walked to

the Pairing Center together, without speaking.

The Pairing Center was an ornate varnished wooden building. It had a

single storey, but very high ceilings. The design was plain, but

figures had been carved into the heavy door, depicting romantic

scenes, so far as that could be achieved without indecency. Children

could view the exterior, after all, but they were not permitted to

enter.

Two men wearing black were standing at the door. Julia recognized them

as assistant priests. They checked that Julia and Berenice were on the

list of participants, then opened the door and invited them inside.

They entered a wooden hallway, and the door was closed behind them.

It was not brightly lit. A short distance along, they found a door on

the left labelled "Women" in old brass letters. Further along on the

right was another door labelled "Men." Ahead, at the end of the

corridor was another door, but it was unmarked.

Berenice opened the door marked "Woman." Inside was a wooden panelled

room, fitted with pews. The lighting was somewhat brighter. About 10

girls were already seated inside, chatting quietly to each

other. Julia and Berenice found a pew of their own and sat quietly.

"There are drones in here," said Bere. "Every so often, I glimpse them

at the edge of my vision." Julia sat quietly, looking around, and

eventually saw one clearly, a black cube a few centimeters across,

the wings beating invisibly. "Cameras," she said, "I've seen them

before, in the punishment room. They record everything at public

events, from multiple angles." "So that's how they do it," said Bere,

"I know that the Book specifies that punishments and pairings are

recorded on video for posterity, but I assumed they just used cameras

in the walls and ceiling." "There are probably cameras everywhere in

this building," said Julia.

They didn't have to wait long before all 20 girls had arrived, all

dressed identically. Nobody would be late to this event. Somewhere, a

clock chimed 10 a. m.

The door started to open, and the girls went silent and looked at the

floor. A man dressed in black, wearing a black hat, walked in, one of

the senior teacher-priests. "Good morning!" he exclaimed. "I'm

Reverend Thomas, and I'll be conducting the ceremony today." He

stopped at the front, where there was a lectern, already holding a

copy of the Book, the full version, not the children's version. He

turned it to the first page of the Pairing Ceremony.

"This will be a very special occasion for you all, your first

Pairing. What happens in the next few hours will change your life

forever. Today, you will learn everything that you need to know to be

a woman. Some of the things that I ask you to do will seem strange,

and in opposition to everything you have learnt until now. But be

assured that all will be as Jeremiah has ordained and must be done

exactly as I explain. By following my instructions you will be

following Jeremiah."

"Wait here now while I talk to the men," he said, then he left

the room.

Julia turned to Bere to say something, but Bere hushed

her. "Remember," she whispered, "we are being recorded, including

everything we say." Julia was already nervous, and she took the hint

and kept her idle and rebellious thoughts to herself.

Eventually, Reverend Thomas returned. He glanced at the Book, and

pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. "I'll be taking you one at a

time to be prepared. This will take a while, so please remain patient

while you are waiting. Jeremiah specifies that the names shalt be

taken in alphabetical order, and thus we will do it. Abigale? You will

be first."

Abigale looked very nervous, but was probably used to going

first. Rev. Thomas led her out of the room, and closed the door. Some

of the other girls chattered to each other nervously, but Julia and

Bere remained silent.

It seemed like a full 15 minutes before the Reverend returned, without

Abigale. He stood at the front again, looked at his list, and called

out, "Anna, you are next." They departed.

This time he returned quite a bit quicker, in less than 10 minutes. He

took Ava away next. Returning again, he called for Berenice. Bere and

Julia glanced at each other, and Julia whispered "good luck," before

they departed.

With Bere gone, Julia felt even more anxious. Girls were taken one by

one. Chloe, Claudia, Deborah, Drusilla, Eden, Hannah, and

Judith. Then the Reverend returned, and called out "Julia".

Julia stood up and followed him out of the room and down the hall. She

was sure that several drones had followed them out, and were hovering

just out of sight. She expected him to lead her to the door at the end

of the hall, but he opened the door to the right labelled "Men," and

led her in.

The room was identical to the one they had just left, but

unsurprisingly, the pews were occupied by boys. It looked like all 20

were there, gazing at her as she entered the room. She stared demurely

at the floor.

The Reverend took his place at an identical lectern with an identical

Book turned to the same page, and gestured for Julia to stand beside

him. "This is Julia, a real cutie wouldn't you agree?" The boys

nodded, but maintained a respectful silence, no doubt under strict

orders.

"I'd like Julia's helper to come forward now. Julia is the 12th girl,

so we need the 12th boy, in reverse alphabetical order, Gabriel." Only

Jeremiah ever knew the reasons for some of these details, but nobody

was going to question them now.

Gabriel came forward. He was one of the smaller boys, although having

a competitive streak, he was not one of the leaders in either sports

or studies. His dark brown hair was cut short, like all the boys. He

was wearing the locally-made ceremonial uniform for men: a white

cotton shirt, long grey trousers, a blue tie and jacket, black shoes

and grey socks. Standing at the front, he was about the same height as

Julia. He knew what to do already, from watching the previous

girls. He went to a cupboard and took out a large large paper bag and

a thick pencil, and he wrote "Julia" in large letters on the bag.

Julia stared at the floor, while watching Gabriel from the corner of

her eye. The Reverend spoke to her. "Now we start casting off the

rules of children, so that you may become an adult. You are now a

woman, and you may look at women and children directly, eye to eye.

During the Pairing Ceremony, you may also look at men. I want you to

look directly at the men in this room. Meet their gaze, one by one."

Julia was more terrified than ever. Facing twenty boys, looking at

them directly, was against everything she had ever been taught. She

hadn't expected to be so alone, so vulnerable. Slowly, she raised her

head, to see the rows of staring boys. She felt their gaze, and

blushed.

She flinched, but held her head up, and started by looking at the

faces of the boys who were furthest away in the back row, one by

one, then scanning the closer rows until reaching the boys right in

front of her. By the end, she felt a few tears run down her face, but

she couldn't help noticing that some of the boys seemed more

appealing, while others repelled her. She had all but forgotten about

the hovering drones, or the presumed hidden cameras in the walls and

ceiling.

"Gabriel, kneel down and unlace her shoes." Gabriel did so. "Now

Julia, lift your left foot. Gabriel, hold her ankle and remove her

shoe. Put the shoe in the bag." He did so, sliding the shoe from her

stockinged foot. Julia, shocked by the strange feeling of somebody

holding her ankle, almost lost her balance, but she managed to recover

after hopping a couple of times on her other foot. "Now repeat with

the right foot."

"Gabriel, stand a little to the side, so that the other boys can see.

Julia, remove your bonnet, and hand it to Gabriel." Julia froze. She

knew enough not to exclaim out loud, or speak out of turn, but this

was indeed against everything she had ever been taught. To allow the

teacher to see her hair, let alone an entire classroom full of boys

was beyond comprehension. However, she soon came to her senses. The

Reverend had already explained that it would seem strange, but

evidently it was as Jeremiah has ordained and it was not her place to

question it. What could she do anyway, back out, never complete the

ceremony, and fail her parents?

She untied the strap, and lifted the bonnet off her head. Her

reddish-brown hair, gathered underneath, fell around her shoulders and

down her back. There were a few gasps from the boys, and the Reverend

glared at them. "That's enough," he said, "you will watch silently,

without commentary, or you will leave the room." Julia handed the

bonnet to Gabriel, who placed it in the bag with the shoes.

"Release the buttons on your dress," the Reverend instructed. I can do

that, she thought, it's not hard. She unbuttoned them one by one,

starting at the tight neckline, all the way down to the waist. Her

dress fell open slightly, and she felt a little panic, surely that

hadn't been intended? Everybody would be able to see her throat,

perhaps even a hint of her bra. She gathered it together with her

fingers at her neck.

"Pull your arms out of the sleeves." Yes, that's not so hard, she

thought, it's just what I'd do anyway, if I was taking it off. She

used her left arm to work the right sleeve off her right arm, letting

the dress go loose. Then she repeated with the left sleeve. The top

half of the dress fall away down her back, leaving the bottom half

supported at the waist. She was aware but somehow unaware of standing

with her bare arms, shoulders, belly, for all to see. Was that

supposed to happen?, she thought. She felt like she had become an

automaton, with no will of her own, almost beyond fear. Her modest

white bra did not expose any cleavage, but the boys gawked, and now

she looked at them gawking at her.

"Good Julia, now unfasten the lower part of your dress, and let it

fall down, so that Gabriel can collect it." Julia unbuttoned a strap,

which tightened the waist. No elastic was used here. She slipped the

dress over her hips and it fell to the floor. She stepped over it so

that Gabriel could gather it up and put it into the bag. Still wearing

her modest white bra and panties, and burlap stockings, she faced the

boys, almost feeling a twinge of excitement at the way some of the

cuter boys were looking at her. This is all Jeremiah's plan, she

thought.

"Lift one leg at a time, so that Gabriel can remove your stockings,"

the teacher continued. She complied, as standing on one foot wasn't

hard for her, even with Gabriel pulling on a stocking. The teacher

could have asked her to lean against a wall, or remove the stockings

herself, but the way she was balancing was enchanting. Gabriel was a

little rough and she hoped the stockings would not be damaged. This is

all part of the plan, how I become a woman, she thought, as her slim

teenage legs and feet were exposed.

"Well done, but we have to keep up the pace, there are more girls

waiting. Gabriel, find the catch at the back of her bra, and release

it." Gabriel moved behind her, while Julia pondered, would he be

taking off her bra? In front of everybody? Her tits were one of those

parts of her body that she had always been told to keep well

hidden. She would even hide them instinctively from her mother. But

things were moving on, Gabriel found the catch and after a short while

managed to release it. She instinctively held on to her bra with her

hands.

"Well done, Gabriel. Now Julia," he said, "I can see that you are

confused. Yes, you are expected to hide your tits from the view of

others, that isn't changing. But once you are a woman, there will be

exceptions to the rule. You can always show your tits to your

husband. You can also show them during a special ceremony, such as

this one. Please hand your bra to Gabriel and put your hands by your

sides." Of course, it's a special ceremony, she thought,

reassured. She handed her bra to Gabriel and lowered her arms. Gabriel

took the bra, but he seemed stunned by what was revealed. It took him

a few seconds to collect himself and put the bra in the bag. The other

boys in the room were gawking, but somehow managed to avoid making a

sound after the earlier threat.

Julia, although not a skinny girl, was by no means fat. Her tits were

the size of grapefruit. Her body was pale all over, kept out of the

sun, with no visible tan-lines. She stood still, somewhat embarrassed,

but also somewhat entranced by looking at the boys staring at her

tits. She felt an ever-growing tingling feeling that was centered

between her legs.

"Carry on Julia, pull down your panties and let Gabriel take them."

She hesitated. The tingling between her legs was stronger than ever,

and now she was to expose that place for all to see? But it was

obviously part of the process, so she pulled them down, revealing a

thick bush of reddish-brown pubic hair. She stepped out of her panties

and Gabriel, after gawking at her body for a little too long,

collected them, placing them in the bag. The other boys were all

gawking.

Rev. Thomas continued with the prescribed words, "now you can all see

Julia as God created her. Look closely at what is normally

hidden. Julia, please turn slowly on the spot, make a full turn

clockwise, so that the boys can see you from all sides." She was

looking at the floor, for a moment unable to remember what "clockwise"

meant, but soon she started turning. Facing away from the boys, they

stared at her wide hips and well-shaped buttocks, with her narrow

waist giving her a classic hourglass figure. She continued turning

until she was again facing the boys, and she looked at them as they

gawked at her naked form.

Rev. Thomas opened the door to a large cupboard. "Place Julia's bag in

here," he said. Once Gabriel had done so, he closed the cupboard

again.

"I'll now lead the way to the pairing room," he said, "Julia, please

follow me, and boys follow along behind." He led the way out of the

room, to the unlabelled door, which he opened. Inside was a larger

room, also made entirely from timber, and brightly lit.

Julia gawked. On her left, girls were lying on their backs on blue

mats, about a meter apart, their heads towards the wall. She looked

more closely at the first girl, Abigale. Her legs were spread and bent

back, her knees reaching close to her sides. Around each of her upper

legs, at the knee, a belt had been attached, and was somehow fastened

to a metal bar which ran from side to side under her mat. Her arms

went around the outside, and her wrists were fitted with cuffs which

were attached to the belts. She was holding her thighs with her hands,

and it was obvious that she was quite stuck in this position. She

could move her legs, just a little from side to side, and her lower

legs by bending her knees, and she could lift her head, but that would

take effort.

After the bindings, the next thing she noticed was the way Abigale's

most private parts were exposed. Her tits were in clear view, a little

smaller than hers, she couldn't help thinking, and then the entire

area between her legs. She had never seen a woman displayed like this

before, why did she have no hair? She could even see her anus, and all

the private parts that she didn't even know the names of.

The Reverend gestured her forwards, and she moved down the row of

girls, but paused in front of the 4th, Berenice. She met Bere's eyes,

and tried to imagine what she was feeling. Bere nodded to her, she was

OK. This was also part of Jeremiah's plan, a normal part of the

Pairing? She blushed when she looked at her friend's small tits and

private parts.

"Move along," said the Reverend. Julia moved down the row of girls,

noticing the differences in body type, their tits, their privates.

Then the Reverend indicated the next empty mat. "This is your place,

Julia. Lie down here on your back. Gabriel will help get you into

position."

He handed a belt to Gabriel. Julia hadn't moved.

"I'm not ready for this, I can't do it," she said.

The Reverend, Gabriel, and other boys withing hearing range gawked at

her. "Julia," said the Reverend, "this is and essential part of the

Pairing as specified by Jeremiah. If you don't do this, you can't be

paired."

"No, I can't," she said.

"Come with me, and you too, Gabriel. Boys, return to your waiting

room." The Reverend watched to make sure that the boys had left, then

led Julia and Gabriel through a door at the opposite end of the room,

into another hallway, and through a door to the left. It was fitted

out as a study, with a desk and some comfortable chairs.

"Take a seat, both of you," he said, pulling up his own chair behind

the desk. Julia sat down, suddenly aware again of her own nudity.

"Julia, I think you are having a temporary panic attack, but we can

work through it, so that you and Gabriel don't fail the ceremony."

"Gabriel?" said Julia, "He hasn't done anything wrong."

"It's the convention, if a girl drops out, her helper must go with her

so that the numbers remain balanced. Gabriel will be able to join the

next First Pairing Ceremony. It will still count as his first, since

he is still a virgin, officially. It's the same with you Julia, you'll

be free to join the next session, but bear in mind that your father

will have the right to punish you."

Julia quailed. Her father would no doubt take a failure like this

extremely badly. But she just wasn't ready. She was sorry about

Gabriel's plight, and even more sorry about her own, but there was

just no way that she was going to pair with a husband today. She

realized she feared the pairing far more than she feared the display

of her intimate parts to the boys and the hovering drones. But once

she was strapped down, she guessed that the pairing would inevitably

continue on its own accord, and she would be in no position to resist.

Given Julia's lack of verbal response, the Reverend continued with

the last hope of getting the ceremony back on track. "Gabriel, let's

give Julia a taste of what she is missing. Normally, a woman can only

be touched by her husband, but in a situation like this, I can

authorize going a little further than normal, for medical reasons."

"Please stand behind her, and run your fingers along her shoulders."

Gabriel did so, nervously, and Julia sat still. He reached down and

touched her shoulders lightly, then ran his fingers from side to

side. He liked the way it felt to touch somebody else, and Julia

couldn't help enjoying the touch herself. The tingling between her legs

became even stronger.

"Carry on Gabriel, try some other areas, her neck, her upper back,

just experiment a bit. Press a bit harder."

Gabriel did what he was told, and Julia actually let out a sigh.

"Good, now reach around to her front, start at her neck, work

downwards, touch her upper chest, then her tits."

My tits, thought Julia, but Gabriel was already working on her

upper chest. I could stop this and just leave, through Julia,

but she couldn't move. Gabriel put his hands on her tits, and

started feeling around. She gasped.

"Good, now squeeze her nipples," said the Reverend. Gabriel did it,

Julia gasped, and the Reverend said, "this is just the start of what

it's like with a husband, Julia, sex itself is far better."

"No," said Julia, summoning the last of her willpower. "I'm not ready

to pair today. I need to know more, I need to think about it. Let me

go."

The Reverend sighed. "I'm sorry, sometimes this motivation helps,

and gets things moving again. Gabriel, go to to the waiting room and

fetch Julia's bag of clothing."

Gabriel left and returned after a minute with the bag. Julia dressed

silently. "I'll let you two finish up here and then leave through the

back door. I have to get back and finish the ceremony for the others."

"Of course, thank you Reverend," said Julia. Gabriel just looked

glum. "If you don't need my help, I'll leave right away," he said, and

Julia nodded him on. He left, the Reverend left, and she finished

dressing and then left herself.

She walked to a nearby park, and sat on a bench in a secluded area

that she knew well, and sobbed to herself. She thought again about the

20 boys who she had rejected, not even giving them the opportunity to

hypothetically reject her first. She admitted to herself that she

didn't really have a fear of rejection. Perhaps it was more a fear of

being claimed, becoming the property of an unknown quantity.

After a while, she wiped her face with her dress, and walked to the

library. Once again, the attendant tried to talk her out of using the

terminal, but this time she was determined, and she had the right. The

library inside was divided into private rooms, supplying the "private

access to the network" mandated by the treaty.

Alone inside, the terminal was identical to the one at her home, just

a large touch screen with two-way voice access. The terminal would

already know who she is, automatically communicating with the implant

chip in her left shoulder. But she asked for her own name

specifically. "Show me the records for Julia Gibbons," she said. "I

have records for 330 people by that name, or fewer if those with

middle names are excluded. I can summarize information about all of

them, or divide them into family groups, dates of birth and death,

places of residence, or anything else you like." The screen filled

with the name Julia Gibbons over and over, inviting her to select one

at random.

"Show those who ever resided at Jesanc," she said. The number of names

reduced dramatically to six, displayed with dates of birth, and in

four cases, dates of death. Julia recognized her own record, and the

records for an older cousin and a deceased aunt, but she wasn't sure

who the others were. She selected her own record, and a table

appeared, with sections biographical and residence, 5 records;

health, 10 records; education 23 records; employment 14 records;

punishment, 2 records, religious, 17 records.

"What section does the pairing ceremony come under?" she

asked. "Biographical and residence," the terminal replied, "it's

formerly classed as a marriage."

She pressed on biographical and residence, and now had a list of

birth, address 1, address 2, address 3, and pairing ceremony, each

with a date or a date range.

"The pairing ceremony isn't complete, but it's already here?" she

asked. "Yes, the record contains live video and can be accessed as

soon as it begins." "These records are all public?" "Yes, these are

available to anybody with full network access, throughout the world."

Julia's spirits sank even further as the full implications sank

in. She knew that certain events were recorded, including pairings and

punishments, but now she realized that any adult in the community, or

the entire world for that matter, at any time, from their home

terminal, could potentially know everything about her. How many in the

community were watching the live video of the ceremony, and would

already know what she had done. Was her father watching? It wasn't

hard to imagine that he was.

"Show me Julia in the pairing ceremony," she said out loud. The screen

changed to a high resolution image of her sitting in the girls'

waiting room beside Berenice. She could adjust the viewpoint to

different locations, wide views from the ceiling or walls, or a

closeup of her own face from a drone, or even the back of her

head. Evidently, there had been enough drones in the room to capture

close images of everybody.

"Focus on Berenice instead," she commanded. The terminal automatically

selected Bere in the room, ignoring God knows how many others with

that name.

"Jump forwards to where Berenice is taken out of the room." The scene

changed, and out of view the door opened and the Reverend entered. He

called for Berenice, who exchanged a glance with the recorded Julia,

and she heard her own whisper clearly, "good luck." Bere had been

right to be paranoid about the recording.

The Reverend led Bere into the Boy's waiting room. They stood together

at the lectern. He used exactly the same words, everything was part of

the ritual. "I'd like Berenice's helper to come forward now. Berenice

is the 4th girl, so we need the 4th boy, in reverse alphabetical

order, Philip." Philip came forward without hesitation, he seemed keen

to play his part. He was a tall and athletic boy, towering over Bere.

Her undressing proceeded smoothly, Bere seemingly unfazed and

willing. She looked directly at the boys and smiled. Had somebody

tipped her off about what would be done? That would be legal once she

was over 18, but spoilers were strongly discouraged. Many people had a

superstition that the first pairing would only go well if the

participants were ignorant. Knowing what she knew now, she wondered if

they just enjoyed watching on video as the participants found out the

hard way.

She supposed that Bere just trusted the process, the words of

Jeremiah, regardless of how odd it must have seemed, or perhaps it was

just because she was ready, and she accepted that her soon-to-be

husband was in the audience, watching. A soon-to-be husband who

perhaps would have picked Julia instead, if she hadn't

departed. Perhaps Gabriel would have been Bere's husband? She

shuddered at the thought that she had changed Bere's entire future,

along with the futures of the other girls and boys.

Bere was naked soon enough, and did the 360 rotation with boys

gawking. She was smaller then Julia. She had straight blond hair,

natural of course, since Jesanc did not permit changes to natural body

features. She had small tits, a small clump of curly blond pubic hair,

and her hips were not as pronounced, her body more straight than

curvy. But she was still cute.

Bere was lead to the pairing room, the boys following. She saw the

three girls already lying in position, but seemed still unfazed. The

Reverend showed her her own mat, and she lay down on her back without

complaint, her helper then lifting her left leg, holding it up while

he fitted the belt, then pushing it down as far as he could while he

fastened the belt to a lug on the metal bar. He then repeated with her

right leg. The Reverend then asked her to hold the back of her knees,

allowing Philip to fit the wrist cuffs and connect them to the

belt. He stood aside, leaving Bere exposed for all the boys to see.

"You know what to do now," said the Reverend, handing Philip a small

black box, "are you good to proceed?" "Yes, I know what to do," said

Philip, as he switched on the small shaver, then knelt down and

efficiently removed Bere's pubic hair. The cut hairs were sucked into

the device. The Reverend inspected the result and declared it perfect,

and invited the boys to take a close look on their way back to the

waiting room.

This was a revelation to Julia, closing the disconnect between her own

pubic hair, still remaining, and the hairless bodies which she had

seen later. If she had stayed even two more minutes, Gabriel would

have done the same thing to her, and no doubt she would have fitted in

perfectly. She imagined herself lying on her back, her larger tits and

wider hips, the boys inspecting her shaved privates. She actually felt

the tingling once again, even in her depressed state.

The video remained focused on Bere, but nothing much was

happening. She fidgeted a bit but didn't speak to the other girls.

"Show me Julia in the boys waiting room," she asked the terminal. She

watched herself strip naked, like a zombie, the boys all gawking.

"Show the live view in the pairing room," she said. The view showed

the row of girls, almost complete. There were two vacant mats on the

right hand side. Red text in the bottom-right corner displayed

"live." She wondered how uncomfortable the first girls must be by now,

they had been in that position for quite some time.

"Show the boys waiting room," she said. The view showed a girl

undressing, with help from a boy. She had just removed her blue dress

and was standing in her bra and panties. "Good, Tabitha," said the

Reverend. She watched as the boy removed Tabitha's stockings, as

Tabitha balanced fetchingly on one foot and then the other. "Aaron,

find the catch at the back of her bra, and release it," said the Reverend.

Aaron unclipped her bra, and Tabitha instinctively held it in

place. The Reverend gave the same talk he had given to Julia, and

Tabitha handed her bra to Aaron and lowered her arms. Few of the boys

could resist gasping as a substantial pair of tits were revealed,

hanging under their own weight and swinging a little. Even Julia gave

a little gasp. The Reverend himself was transfixed for a few seconds

before gathering himself.

"Carry on Tabitha, pull down your panties and let Aaron take them."

Tabitha didn't hesitate long, she bent down and pulled down her

panties, her tits hanging down and swaying. A thick patch of brown

pubic hair was revealed, but her tits held all the attention. Aaron

picked up her panties and put them in the bag, even while still

staring.

Tabitha was led through to the pairing room, and Aaron bound her in

position on the 19th and now the final mat, and shaved off her pubic

hair.

The Reverend addressed the boys, who were gathered around Tabitha.

"Good," he said, "although you will all be disappointed that the

ceremony hasn't entirely gone according to plan, you will still all

have a choice of 19 partners. This is sufficient, according to

Jeremiah. The next stage is the undressing of the men." There were a

few gasps. "What, you didn't think you'd escape scrutiny, did you?" he

said lightheartedly. "When I call your name, I want you to come

forward and take your bag. Then go and stand in front of the girl you

were helping, and undress while facing her. Put you clothes in the bag

and put the bag in the far corner," he said, pointing.

He went to a cupboard and removed a stack of paper bags and a thick

pencil, and started writing while consulting his list. "Aaron," he

said, as Aaron came forward and took his bag, before returning to

stand in front of Tabitha. "Adam," he called, and so it continued,

until finally it was Timothy, who went to stand in front of Abigale.

Julia watched, rapt. She had never seen a naked man. She watched

Philip, as he pulled off his clothes and revealed his tall athletic

body in all its glory. But she didn't know what to make of his private

parts. She knew boys were different, but how did this work? It's all

going to be explained, isn't it? A little finger, attached to his

groin, seemed to be quite firm, and must have been a tight fit inside

his panties, but as she watched, it actually seemed to be growing in

size.

Once all the boys were naked, and the bags were stowed in the corner,

he had them gather round and addressed them again.

"Finally, we have reached the pairing stage. I'm sure you are all keen

to find out who you will be marrying." Many of the boys nodded, but

knew they were still expected to maintain silence. "I hope you have

all been paying attention to the women as they've been paraded before

you. What I want each of you to do now is to pick the one you really

want. Don't be shy, and do not fear rejection, but when it happens you

must accept it and move on."

"This is the process. Go to the woman you want. if she is free, stand

directly in front of her. If she already has a man, stand to his left,

and the woman will then choose. She must call out 'keep' if she wants

the man she already has, or 'change' if she wants the new man. The

chosen man will take his place in front of her. The rejected man must

withdraw, but all is not lost, for he may then choose from the other

women, at least those who have not already rejected him."

Julia pondered, "is this a fair system?" she asked the terminal. "Yes,

it's the Gale-Shapley algorithm, which gives a stable matching of the

participants." "OK," she replied dubiously, as she watched the pairing

begin. "What do you mean by stable?" "After the matching, you won't be

able to find a man and a woman who both prefer each other over the

partners they were matched with." "Hmm," she said, "so if I was crazy

for Aaron, but Aaron preferred Tabitha, and Tabitha accepted Aaron,

then I'd be out of luck." "Exactly," replied the terminal.

Julia watched as Aaron indeed stood in front of Tabitha. There

followed a slightly comical scene, as one boy after another came up

beside him, and Tabitha said "keep" each time. But then Philip came up

to Tabitha, and Tabitha said "change." Aaron looked shocked, but

Philip was tall, athletic, handsome, and just looked like a nice

person. Maybe he would be any girl's first choice, thought Julia. Even

if I'd been down there, Philip would never have picked me when he

could have Tabitha, she thought gloomily. But surely she would have

been more in demand than some of these girls. She imagined what it

would be like to lie back, viewing one pair of men after another,

deciding idly which to keep and which to reject, until she had the

best specimen on offer.

She watched as the pairing continued. Bere was still unattended, and

the boys who were rejected by Tabitha moved on to the next most

popular choices. Mary was the next choice for several, with her dark

hair, pretty face, medium sized tits, and wide hips. Her private parts

were fleshy, she didn't know enough anatomy to really describe it.

Eventually, Silas, after rejection by several other girls, stood in

front of Bere. "I think she can do better," thought Julia. A little

while later, Ethan came up beside Silas, and Bere was quick to switch.

"Ethan isn't bad," she thought, given that so many of the top picks

among the boys had already been claimed by the most attractive girls.

A couple of other boys tried their luck with Bere, but she stuck with

Ethan. Julia was excited, her friend was getting a husband, and after

examining him in the nude, she could only approve of the choice. Ethan

stood still, but his groin-finger stood out straight and twitched

slightly.

Eventually, all of the girls had a boy standing in front of

them. Perhaps some were disappointed at being matched with one of the

least desirable candidates, but they had to accept that evidently they

were at the bottom of the barrel too. Better to be matched like with

like than to be alone forever.

"Excellent, and I can see by some of the throbbing male organs and wet

pussies that many of you are quite ready for the next step." The

participants had little difficulty guessing what he was referring to,

and most of them grinned.

"But first, we need a short anatomy lesson," he said, and he ran

through the basics of male and female anatomy, naming the various

organs and their parts, their formal and colloquial names. "Don't

worry if you forget details, as adults you have unfiltered network

access and can look it all up later." He described the sexual

mechanism, the penetration of the male sexual organ into the female,

ejaculation, and the cycle of female fertility. He warned against

perverse sex, such as contact with the anus, contact between the mouth

and the sexual organs, or sex between anything other than one male and

one female. That does all sound pretty horrid, Julia thought.

"Now we are ready for the pledging ceremony, in which you are formally

united as husbands and wives," he said. "Once that's done, we can

continue with your first sexual acts."

Julia watched the pledging, wishing she could fast-forward through

this. But it was still a live video. The happy couples recited their

pledges, and the Reverend declared them husband and wife. Soon, it was

Bere's turn:

"I take Ethan to be my husband, according to the rites of Jeremiah, to

love, cherish, and obey." "I take Berenice to be my wife, according to

the rites of Jeremiah, to love, cherish, and protect."

Her friend was married. That could have been her too. She was in a

daze. She watched blankly as the pledges continued, until Philip and

Tabitha were the last to be united.

"We are ready for the finale of the ceremony, the consummation of each

marriage," said the Reverend. "You will now get to put into practice

what I taught you earlier. It's quite possible that some of you will

even achieve pregnancy on the first try."

The girls were not unbound, this was evidently going to be a passive

process for them. "Men, you may now touch your partners. Let's start

by stroking their arms and necks, and then we can move to their tits."

Julia started to watch Ethan and Bere, but then she switched to Philip

and Tabitha. Philip was gently caressing her upper arms, and then her

neck, while Tabitha was making odd noises, moaning or whimpering. As

Philip moved his hands down her chest, she almost squealed. He took

one of her large tits in one of his large hands, squeezing and

releasing, over and over.

Julia couldn't help herself, she put her own hand up under her bra and

squeezed her own tit and then focused on the nipple.

"That's it, focus on the nipples, give them a good firm squeeze," said

the Reverend, and Julia jumped, imaging for a moment that he was

talking to her. She took her hand away, and just watched.

"Find the different parts of her vulva, touch all around the outside,

the outer and inner labia, the clitoral hood. Rub that clit and see

how she likes it," said the Reverend.

She seemed to like it very much, Julia observed, as every single girl

squirmed and moaned. "Give her an orgasm, if you can," said the Reverend.

Julia watched as Tabitha cried out and shuddered, like she had been

hit with an electric shock. That doesn't look pleasant at all, thought

Julia.

"Now we are ready for the final act. Make sure that your cock is nice

and hard, then push it right into her vagina. Make sure you find the

right place. If her hymen is still intact, it's going to take a bit of

force, and for the girls, it may hurt for a moment."

Julia watched as Philip lined up his cock. "Nice and hard" seemed to

be an understatement. He found the place, and pushed. Tabitha gave a

sharp cry, but seemed to be alright.

"Once you are inside, move in and out, try to get deeper and deeper,

keep up the momentum, increase the speed. We call this fucking. Keep

going until you ejaculate."

The moaning was now intense, and after watching Tabitha's tits

bouncing to and fro, Julia chose a close up view of Philip's cock

going in and out of Tabitha's vagina. She could hear the squishing

noises, the slaps, the moans from Tabitha, and finally a grunt from

Philip, as he pushed his cock all the way in, one last time, and left

it there.

"That's it, once you ejaculate, leave your cock inside, let that seed

come out and find the place it needs to go," said the Reverend.

"Well done all," he continued after a couple of minutes, "I think

we've finished here." He walked along the line of couples, handing

tissues to the boys to clean up. "Men, unbind your wives, find your

bag of clothes, then go back to the waiting room and find her bag,

then find a place where you can both dress. You can then leave as a

couple."

Julia stopped watching the live stream. She had a thought. Had it

always been this way? "Show me again what information you have on me,"

she asked the terminal. "Show me my parents. Show me their pairing

ceremony."

The terminal displayed a scene just like the one she had left. 20

girls, newly come of age, sitting in a waiting room, wearing their

blue dresses and bonnets, whispering to each other. Julia wasn't sure

which was her mother, and asked the terminal to point her out. "Jump

forward to when she is taken out of the room." She watched as a

different teacher-reverend, dressed all in black, led her to the other

room, and stood with her before 20 boys. "Which is my father?" He was

indicated with an arrow. She watched as a helper was assigned to her

mother, and as her mother was gradually undressed until she stood

naked. She watched her father's reaction to seeing his future wife

naked for the first time. He was rapt, but so were all the other boys.

She was starting to get an appreciation of naked bodies, and her

mother was by no means undesirable, with tits slightly larger than her

own, and the same wide hips, well-formed buttocks, narrow waist, and

hourglass shape.

"Skip through to the pairing." She wondered whether her mother was her

father's first choice, or had he been rejected several times? Had her

mother rejected several others before picking her father?

The view changed to her mother lying on her back, bound with her legs

spread. Julia wondered if there would be a family resemblance in her

own labia, perineum, clitoral hood (pleased at herself for remembering

the names), if she was shaved and spread in the same way. She then

tried to repress the thought. "Zoom out, give an overview of the

pairing," she said. Now she could see all the girls, as the boys

started to make their choices. Once again, there were favorites, but

the boys that were rejected soon made there way elsewhere, and she was

surprised to see that her mother was an early choice for one boy. She

kept an eye on her father, who followed the example of several others,

moving from one big-titted girl to another, before standing in front

of her mother. Her mother didn't take long to say "switch" and her

father was her pick from then on, as she rejected five other boys.

"Move ahead to the fucking, and focus on my mother," she said,

wondering why she really wanted to see this. By this time, her father

was rock hard, and her mother was well and truly turned on, and he

inserted his cock, pushed in with only a little difficulty, and

ejaculated after only a few strokes. It seemed to be enough for her

mother, and she cried out in ecstasy.

Julia wondered if that was the moment when her eldest sister was

conceived. She didn't check the dates to work out if it was likely.

If I had permanent network access, I could watch anybody, she

thought. At least, anybody older who had been through the

pairing. School friends, siblings. Her younger friends and siblings

would go through it too some day, and she could watch live. She

wondered again how many had seen her own performance, and her failure

to complete the ceremony. No doubt everybody she knew was aware of it

by now. Without a husband, she was still under the authority of her

father, and he would be furious.

But she was wasting her full network access. Perhaps she wouldn't get

it again any time soon. She asked to see a map of the nearest

communities. Many others were crammed around the borders of

Jesanc. She saw the Jesanc secondary area, where housing was being

constructed. So far, it had not been possible to exchange land to

connect it with the main area. She asked to see the names of the

hundred nearest communities, and a description of each.

It was a bewildering list, the descriptions in most cases meant

nothing to her. If she had to leave Jesanc, then finding a place to go

would be a substantial research project. Perhaps she could contact her

emigrated brothers and ask them for advice. But she wasn't ready to

commit to that, and didn't do it now. Would any other communities even

be willing to accept her, given her failure at the pairing? Did other

communities even do pairing in the same way? Were they all similar to

Jesanc, or wildly different? She knew so little.

She was getting tired, and decided she could not postpone the

inevitable any more. She had to face the music. She left the library

and set off for home.

It was mid afternoon, and she walked through the streets feeling

increasingly paranoid. Each time she saw an adult, she wondered if they

had been watching the ceremony and had seen what she had done. A few

glanced at her, but perhaps no different to usual, and she kept her

head down per the usual custom for females.

Arriving at her building, she hoped to be able to get to her room

unobserved. But one of her younger sisters spotted her, and yelled out

"Julia's back!"

She entered the building, into the main hallway, but progress towards

her room was blocked by an elder brother. She hadn't seem him for

quite a while. "They are waiting for you in the living room," he said,

gesturing to a door to the left.

She walked in, and was greeted by quite a large group, some sitting

and some standing, consisting of her resident family, several of her

siblings who had returned for the occasion, some of their partners,

and several other residents of the building who the family had known

for many years. "Children out," said her father. The underage members

of the family left the room, and he closed the door behind

them. Presumably they hadn't been discussing her yet, or they would

have kicked them out already. Pairing was a strictly adult topic.

Julia stood, facing the floor. "Julia, we were all hoping to meet your

husband, but I see you have returned alone," said her father. Of

course they must all know by now what had happened, she thought.

"I'm sorry," she said, and the sea of angry faces made her start to

sob, "but I couldn't go through with it. I just wasn't ready."

"Do you know how much of an embarrassment this is to all of us? I

thought that we had brought you up as an ideal citizen, ready to

follow the teachings in every way. But now, I don't know what we've

got, and where we went wrong," her father continued. "It's worst for

your mother and sisters of course, they'll never hear the end of it."

"Father..." she started but didn't know what to say.

"Since you didn't pair, you remain under my authority. Where did you

go after leaving the ceremony early?" he asked.

"I went to the park, to try to recover. The whole thing shocked me to

the core. Then I went to the library to look a few things up."

"Yes, I got a report from the Librarian, you were there for almost two

hours. What was so important that you couldn't find it on the home

terminal?"

Julia didn't try to answer. How could she explain that she had been

watching their own pairing?

"You had been such a good girl. It's four years since your last visit

to the punishment center. But we are going there again tonight. It

opens at 7 p. m, so be ready by 6:45 in your formal outfit. Now, go to

your room, your family would like to discuss the situation."

Julia, facing the floor, retreated to the door, and went to her room.

She sat on the bed and held her head in her hands. Corporal punishment

was not permitted in private homes, but could be administered in

public at the designated place. The center was usually open in the

evenings, with a priest supervising. She remembered well her two

appearances there, taking her turn in a long line, then her father

variously slapping her on her cheeks with his palms, rapping her over

the knuckles with a cane, and hitting her several times on the back

and buttocks with a belt, her thin dress offering little

protection. She had cried out, while a large rowdy crowd encouraged

her father to continue.

Every public punishment was live streamed and recorded. It was a

favorite children's activity to watch the punishments of their peers,

and the replaying of her punishments over the years had been far more

hurtful than the original sessions.

It was what she didn't know that scared her. Several times, she had

seen sessions where the aggrieved party had requested an "adult

punishment." The child-locked terminals had refused to display anything

further, until the adults were finished. She was well aware that she

now counted as an adult, despite being unpaired.

At 6:45 p. m. she was ready. She hadn't bothered to change, and was

still wearing the formal outfit from the pairing session. She went to

the living room, where her father and two elder brothers were waiting,

in their own formal outfits.

Without saying much, they walked together to the Punishment Center,

across town not far from the Pairing Center. The Punishment Center was

another formal wooden building, with figures carved into the door

depicting the purpose of the building. She didn't examine them

closely.

Inside was a large room, with a substantial crowd inside, mostly

seated around the edges in dim light. A long queue already blocked the

path to the center of the room, which was brightly lit.

When Julia's party arrived, some whispering amongst the crowd ensued,

and the queue mysteriously parted to let them through. Her

infringement was deemed more significant than their own petty

affairs. Failing to complete a pairing ceremony was seen as an insult

to not only the other participants, but the entire community, and was

a flouting of Jeremiah's teachings. They would imagine the whole world

laughing at their inability to follow their own rules. Julia's party

walked right to the center, where a low roped-off stage was set up.

On the stage, a boy was being punished by his father, who was hitting

him repeatedly over the knuckles with a cane. The boy was crying, and

spectators had been cheering on the father, but now fell silent as

Julia arrived. The father quickly wound up his session, telling his

son that he had decided to show mercy. Julia could see hovering camera

drones here and there, having had recent practice spotting them at the

pairing.

Julia's father approached the officiating priest. "I request an adult

punishment session for Julia, who is subservient to me and of full

age," he said formally. The priest formally verified his claim by

waving a reader over their shoulder implants to establish their

identities, matching them against Jesanc's own database of patriarchy.

The priest addressed the crowd, using a microphone, "we will now be

performing at least one adult punishment. All children must leave the

room, and all recordings must be marked as adult-only." There was

some shuffling as children were tracked down and herded out. All the

while, more adults were entering the room, perhaps living nearby and

having heard about what was happening. Most of the spectators in the

room were men, but a number of accompanied women were also present.

Julia's father had administered adult punishments before, but only to

his wife. His adult daughters had always managed to behave themselves

in the brief interval before they were paired, and of course his sons

were out of his authority as soon as they came of age. He had brought

only two of his adult sons as witnesses, not his wife or adult

daughters.

The stage had various fittings to allow binding victims in various

positions. There was also a low open-topped equipment cabinet filled

with various devices.

He led Julia through a gap in the ropes, held open by the priest, and

up on to the stage. "Undress," he commanded. Julia knew that now it

had reached this point, she had only two options: comply or leave the

community for good. She was not ready to commit to the latter. For

the second time that day, she began to undress in public. This time,

it was not a priest and 20 boys cowed into silent obedience who would

be observing. She could see a priest, her relatives, and many rowdy

spectators. They were already starting to yell abuse at her. She was

all too aware of how everything was being recorded, being watched live

by only God knew how many people around the world, perhaps bookmarked

into private collections and played over and over again. She now knew

that anybody calling up her name would always be able to find this

recording among her files.

Once again she removed the bonnet, releasing her hair, allowing it to

tumble down. Men cheered and whistled, while women looked on quietly.

She crouched down and unlaced her shoes herself this time, not having

been assigned a helper. Unsure for a moment what to do with her

discarded clothing, she started to make a pile at the edge of the

stage. She unbuttoned her dress and removed it, rolled down her

stockings, then removed her bra and panties, standing naked before her

father. She blushed red as the noise from the audience intensified.

"Go for a walk, inside the ropes, around and around until I tell you

to stop. Keep your hands by your sides," he said. She started walking,

looking all the time at the floor ahead of her. She had been expecting

pain, but it was obvious now that humiliation would be a large part of

the punishment.

The audience quietened a little, entranced by her grapefruit-sized

tits swaying a little as she walked, her wide hips, her well formed

buttocks and her narrow waist. Her thick curls of pubic hair were

perhaps her only detraction.

As Julia continued to walk, her father took the microphone. "This is

my daughter, Julia," he said. "Today she failed to complete her

pairing ceremony." There was booing from the audience, and Julia

blushed a little deeper. "We've all seen cases where a girl was so shy

and modest that she was unable to undress in front of the boys. We

always sympathize and help them prepare for a future session. But as

you can see, Julia has no difficulty getting naked for anybody." The

audience laughed and cheered. "As her father, I'm biased, but I think

she has a fine body and it's sad to think of the poor boy who missed

out on becoming her husband and my son-in-law." More laughter.

Julia continued to walk in circles. "I don't know exactly what the

problem is, but perhaps we can find out. I'm going to place her in the

inspection position, in front of you all, and we'll find out if simply

lying on her back and spreading her legs is the issue." The audience

cheered louder than ever.

Julia continued walking, but quailed for a moment. But spreading her

legs didn't really intimidate her. She had seen so many other girls do

it during the pairing and in the videos she watched afterwards. If it

was the will of Jeremiah that women would spread their legs during

special events, who was she to argue? It was becoming obvious that she

had a perfectly good body and men enjoyed looking at her. What did a

few more live spectators matter when the entire world could see her

anyway, close up through a drone zoom lens. Her mother had done it,

Berenice had done it, her elder friends and sisters had done it. She

could get through this.

Her father examined the furnishings, and selected a narrow wooden box,

padded and covered with black leather on top. "Sit here," he

commanded, pointing at one end of the box. She obeyed, and he made her

lie back, dangling her arms and legs down the sides. He fixed cuffs to

her wrists, the cuffs already attached to the box with short

chains. Then he took a pair of cuffs from the equipment cabinet and

fixed them around her ankles. To each cuff, he attached a chain, then

he pulled her legs up and back, as far as they would go, almost

reaching her head. He pulled each chain down and connected it to a

mounting point on the box.

Julia had little freedom of movement in this position. She could move

her legs slightly from side to side, but not far enough to protect her

privates. Her outer and inner labia, her asshole, her vaginal opening,

her clitoral hood, she recited to herself. Mostly still protected from

view by her pubic hair. She could move her head, but it was easier to

lie back on the box.

Her father found an electric shaver in the cabinet. He switched it on,

and soon her parts were no longer protected by pubic hair.

"Take a good look at what she was trying to hide earlier," he said,

inviting the drones in for a close up view of her pussy and

asshole. He turned to the priest, "I'd like to open her for an

inspection, but how can I do that without touching her sexually? She

is my daughter, not my wife." "She is under your control, but you must

refrain from sexual contact." The priest replied, "a medical

inspection is acceptable. Just put on some gloves first, there are

some in boxes with the other equipment." He found the boxes, selected

the largest size, and pulled the gloves over his hands. They were some

kind of blue biodegradable cellulose, smooth and thin.

He stood to one side, and spread her inner labia with his gloved

fingers. "Look closely," he says, inviting the cameras in for a close

inspection, "she is still a virgin. I always looked after my children

in the right way."

"It's not your fault," said the priest, "sometimes they have a bit of

the devil in them, and it needs to be beaten out. After that, she will

make a good wife for somebody." The crowd cheered.

Her father thanked the crowd for their support, and invited them to

form a queue and come up one by one to see for themselves, which they

did without exception. He stood beside his daughter, continuously

holding her open by holding back her inner lips with both hands. The

priest opened the ropes. Julia could only watch as men, and the

occasional woman, filed past, many of them crouching down between her

legs for a good view, then made a circuit around her box, generally

staring at her tits or face, before they joined the other line leading

off the stage. Many of them were people she knew, or at least

recognized, a few of them even elder classmates or their spouses.

After the inspection had finished, her father examined the flogging

instruments, whooshing a few through the air experimentally while the

crowd cheered. However, the priest intervened, "A flogging would be

harsh for a woman who has only just reached adulthood, and she will be

attending another pairing soon. It will be best if she remains

healthy and uninjured."

"Make her cum!" yelled out somebody in the crowd. Forced organisms

were a common feature in adult female punishments. "Can I do that?"

the father asked the priest. "Not really," said the priest. "It's one

thing to spread her lips, without direct skin contact, in the interest

of medical examination. But it's quite another to excite her

sexually. That should be reserved for her husband, and definitely not

another close family member."

"That's a shame," said her father, "I think I'll take her to a doctor

instead, to check that she has a normal sexual response. The doctors

are always so busy though."

"That's a good medical reason," said the priest, "and it matters

little in the eyes of God who conducts such an examination, as long as

they are competent. A close family member is still inadvisable, but

I'd be willing to do it for you here." He glanced along the body of

the attractive teenager, feeling a stirring which would ideally be

reserved for his own wife. But sometimes, you had to make sacrifices

for the benefit of others.

"Yes, proceed," said her father, and the crowd cheered again.

The priest walked over to the equipment cabinet and picked out a long,

black object. "How does it work?" asked her father, "I've only ever

used my fingers."

"Fingers are ideal, and Jeremiah would approve," said the priest, "but

occasionally, we need something like this vibrator. This end is just a

handle, with an on-off switch and a voice control." He showed him the

other end, a round flat head a couple of centimeters across. He

switched it on, and a multitude of tiny cilia popped out of the head

and waved around like they were exploring. "Each tendril can apply an

independent force and vibration. The entire device is loaded with

sensors, to detect skin color changes, blood flow, every movement and

vibration, and so forth. It takes in all this feedback and adapts the

location, force, and speed of the stimulation accordingly, to give the

desired result."

Julia quailed at the thought of such a device being applied to her

most sensitive areas. But she was also tingling. She felt a dribble of

fluid emerge from her vagina, and blushed deeper as she was sure that

her father and the priest would notice.

"That's impressive. If Julia's responses are normal, I imagine she would

reach orgasm in no time."

"Yes," said the priest, "probably much too quickly. But the device can

adapt, and if we ask for it to take five minutes, that's exactly how

long it will take."

"Julia," asked the priest, "what sexual experience do you have? We've

seen that you are a virgin, but do you ever touch yourself? Do you

reach orgasm frequently?"

"Father," she said, "I've never touched myself in that way. It's

forbidden in the Book of Jeremiah." She was telling the truth.

"Good girl," said the priest, "what I do know will feel strange, but

if you just lie back, God will be with you."

"Yes Father," she said.

The priest spoke into the device, "Bring to orgasm in five minutes,

tit stimulation followed by vulva."

He walked around beside her, and held the tip to the underside of her

nearest tit, moving it slowly with a circular motion, then doing the

same to the other tit. The stimulation remained gentle. Julia lay back

and revelled in the strange feeling, which maintained her tingling but

didn't make it stronger. The priest started to move it in circles

around each of her tits, moving it closer and closer to her nipples.

Julia started to moan. The priest didn't admonish her, but let her

vocalize at will.

He placed the head of the device right over each nipple in turn,

holding it there for some time. Julia was in heaven, she had never

experienced such a feeling. But the device remained gentle, and kept

her safely out of the orgasm zone.

A display on the body of the device counted down the seconds from 300.

When it reached 200, the numbers started to flash, which the priest

recognized as the sign to switch to her vulva. He walked around to

the end of the box, between her raised legs, and began to move the

device around her outer labia. The numbers stopped flashing, the

device always "knew" exactly what body part it was stimulating. Julia

shuddered, and the device reduced the stimulation to a minimum.

The priest moved the head of the device around the different areas of

her vulva, concentrating for a while on a circle around her vagina,

the perineum and inner labia, and working around the vaginal entrance

without doing anything that would risk her virginity.

Julia remained in heaven, moaning continuously. She felt an almost

perfect pleasure, but there was also an odd feeling that she needed

something more for it to be complete. Was that the orgasm she had seen

demonstrated? She anticipated it, but still feared what would happen

at the five minute mark.

The priest kept an eye on the timer, and when 30 seconds was left, he

began to focus on her upper labia and clitoral hood.

When the timer reached zero, Julia exploded, her mind hit by an electrical

storm, her body flailing against her bindings. She let out a piercing

scream, and the audience were stunned into silence for a few seconds,

before they began to applaud and cheer.

"I think we can safely say that her sexual responses are normal," said

the priest. "That was quite a performance," said her father, "I

wouldn't be surprised if this video, 'Julia's first orgasm', becomes

quite a hit."

"It will probably be incorporated into compilations," said the priest,

contemplating his position as an participant in several such videos,

most of them involving floggings.

"So Julia," said her father, "have you learnt anything from this? You

could have just spread your legs at the pairing, taken your pick from

the boys, and had your first orgasm right there. By now, you'd be at

home in bed in his arms. But instead, you've become quite the

spectacle."

"I'm sorry father," she said, humiliated.

"Can we end this punishment now, or should we continue with something

a little less pleasant? There is a queue of reprobates waiting for

their turns, and we shouldn't keep them waiting. Have you learnt your

lesson? Are you willing to obey me now? Are you willing to take part

in the next first pairing, in a couple of weeks, and do it properly

this time?"

Julia hadn't thought any further about her reluctance to be bound to a

husband. The orgasm had given her a new insight into sex and why

people seemed to enjoy it so much. Spreading her legs in pubic was

humiliating, but it had never really been her hangup.

"Yes father, I will obey."

She kept her word for a couple of weeks, waiting for the next pairing

to come around. She didn't go back to her job at the food processing

factory, not wanting to face the taunts of the other workers. They

could easily find somebody to replace her. Nearly everybody volunteered

for work, either because of the social expectation, or just for a

chance to get away from home and interact with others in a meaningful

way.

Julia spent much of her time in her room, alone. Sometimes, she went

for a walk, using the streets as little as possible, and wandering

around in parks and wilderness areas. One day, she walked to the edge

of the pedestrianized town center, climbed into a car, and let it take

her right up to the top of a mountain, where she looked out over

Jesanc's lands, trying to get a glimpse of their neighbors, before

returning home. Using a vehicle would be reported to her father, of

course, and anyway she couldn't just drive to a neighboring community

without permission and formalities. She didn't return to the library,

but spent may hours using her own terminal in her room, trying to

discover what she could through the child filter.

One day, a few days before the pairing, she was sitting with her

parents and her two younger sisters, eating the evening meal. She

didn't take part in their usual chit-chat of the goings on in the

family and the wider community.

Finally, she gathered her courage. "I'd like to say something," she said,

to their surprise.

"Go ahead Julia," said her father.

"I've decided to leave Jesanc. I'm not going to be paired."

She expected shock, rage, and disappointment, but all she got was was

the shock, and silence.

"You have to do what you think is best, Julia. Leaving voluntarily is

far better than expulsion for not following the rules. One more failed

pairing would probably get you expelled. But if you leave voluntarily,

it leaves the door open to a return some day, if you find the outside

world disappointing, and you can still come to visit us in any case."

Her mother was sobbing, and her sisters were sitting in shocked

silence.

Her father continued, "we don't know much about the outside world, but

you can talk with your brothers. I'll give you full network access so

that you can contact them, and so that you can make arrangements

accommodation somewhere." He pulled out a portable screen and fiddled with

it for a few minutes.

"There, it's all done, and your pairing is cancelled. Make sure you

are out of the community by the end of the day tomorrow."