Glimpses of the Island

Another Class Day

Luisa entered the classroom for her next scheduled session. She signed in and fixed herself a cup of coffee, then sat down at the conference table. Fatima, the same instructor as yesterday, nodded to her in recognition then returned to some papers. Luisa recognized the other women in the room from the first class but noted there were fewer in attendance this time. She did see Cathy Sturgis, the wife of the engineer she had met at work, had returned. The class hadn't started yet, so she sat down next to Cathy to talk for a few moments.

When Cathy asked about her future owner Luisa hesitated before answering. She began by explaining she was here only as part of a company-sponsored training program. Luisa still hadn't resolved her issues with Kurt and his stated intentions, so she thought it better not to mention him. Instead she told Cathy about being offered a job and how the program worked. She finished with a description of her oversight board and their recommendation that she attend the classes, but left out the part about Kurt. When she mentioned Anna Leeds was one of her board members she was surprised to learn Anna was Cathy's neighbor and friend. Cathy asked her about more details on the company program.

The instructor, Fatima, had been listening in to their conversation. "Since it came up we will talk about the corporate training programs this morning," Fatima said, addressing Cathy's curiosity. "It's not what you might think from Lois' brief description." Luisa flinched as she heard her assumed name used. More and more she was feeling guilty about not using her real name from the start.

Fatima continued. "There's no prostitution or any of the abuses you might assume would occur. No one is forced to participate though once in the program the trainee cannot leave. In some respects it is similar to a basic ownership agreement in that the company as a whole assumes the temporary role as her master. It is all strictly regulated and closely monitored by an oversight board. Lois, would you like to tell us about it?"

Luisa gave her cover story about being a web designer in New York and how she had been offered a job as a technical writer. "Under the terms of my employment contract I am a ward of the company. As Fatima pointed out, that's a limited form of ownership. I am required to follow company rules, complete work assignments, and in general recognize the authority of my supervisors and the oversight board. But the demands they may ask of me are restricted by specific guidelines. That part is nothing like the agreements we talked about here. One similarity, I cannot cancel the contract, resign, or leave the Island without permission from the company." She left out the part about her prior research attempts, and how she had been neatly trapped on the Island after accepting the job.

Cathy asked about the living conditions and the nature of the company rules. Fatima motioned for Luisa to continue.

"I think the closest comparison is to a college dorm, but a very strict one. There are two women per room, which has a bed, dresser, closet, and desk for each of us. The two of us share a bathroom. It's small but comfortable. There is a common area for eating and relaxation. We have lectures there too. There is always at least one supervisor on duty in the common area, day or night. We have to clean our rooms and help with some housekeeping in the common area, but we don't prepare meals. Good thing too, I wouldn't want to eat my cooking." Everyone at the table laughed at her last comment.

"There are lots of rules. I still have a hard time keeping track of them. We can't leave the building without permission, and usually we have to be escorted. Attending class here today is one of the rare exceptions. We are only allowed to wear the company uniform, what I have on now. We have to be clean and have a neat appearance, in part because we represent the company. I have to add that I had a hard time at first adjusting to such a different environment, but now that I've been with the program a while I tend to agree with how it is run. Not with everything, but I can live with the rest. And I do love my job. It's some of the most interesting and challenging work I've ever done." She had deliberately ignored the part about supervisors in general and Kurt in particular.

"The concept originally came from the United States in the early 19 ^th century," Fatima added. "When the country began to industrialize in the New England region, the mill owners faced a severe labor shortage. They took the extreme step of recruiting young women to run some of the machinery." She went on in more detail, giving the same basic lecture Luisa had first received from Anna Leeds.

"Now the same conditions don't apply today, but some of the original concepts still have some value," Fatima added. "The company programs provide a single woman with a sheltered place where high standards of conduct are still expected. The Island instituted the program about five years ago. Since then it's proven to be popular and successful."

Luisa did not contradict the part about the program being voluntary. While it was accurate that she had joined the training program there had been no prior warning about what it meant. She still didn't know if she was the exception or if deceptive recruiting was common practice.

At least no one asked me why I'm here for the classes , she thought. That was one of many questions she still couldn't answer. Nothing made sense anymore, be it her feelings for Kurt or the Island in general. So many times she wanted to strangle him, but then he'd look at her that way and she'd lose it. What was it about him that was so compelling? She'd rationalized signing up for the ownership classes as a way to understand what Kurt intended.

After listening to Fatima and talking to the other women in the class she had no illusions as to what Kurt had in mind for her. Ownership wasn't some euphemism for a relationship; it was taken literally. Whatever he wanted he got, regardless of her opinion on the matter. Not all that different than working for him now.

That thought made her smile. The only real change would be going home with him at night, instead of back to the dorm. Thinking along those lines led to scenes late at night she did her best to avoid, mostly because they brought on feelings she didn't want clouding her judgment. Luisa turned her attention back to the class.

"…so the reasoning behind all these laws is to ensure one thing, that we must depend on our masters." Fatima was talking about the regulations for collared females. "The curfew, travel, handling cash, the collar, they all deliberately make it that much more difficult for you to be on your own. Why? The answer should be obvious. The men like it that way.

"They may not always show it, but have no doubt they are very possessive creatures. I'm sure you have no intention of ever leaving him, but that's not really relevant. In his way of thinking he is driven to control, you, the environment, anything and everything that's important to him. His ideal world is one where we are so tied to him it just isn't possible for us to even consider any other alternative."

Everything Fatima said made sense to Luisa. It sounded like she was describing Kurt in person. It explained why he was a control freak, and even why he wanted to own her. It did not explain why she was still drawn to him. There , she told herself , I can finally admit it. Why is it I want to belong to him? Why do I want him to take away all the freedoms I thought were so important? And why do I envy Fatima for that loop of steel around her throat?