Shanti's Story: A Collection of the School of Brides Stories: School of Brides

By Karen C. Klein

Sixteen-year-old Shanti Shah hasn't achieved menarche. She is ineligible to be a bride and her time at the school of brides, on the New New Yorke Space Station, is coming to a close. Her options are limited: return home and raise her brothers’ children or become a teacher to pay back her debts to her parents and the school.
With Shanti’s prospects of a good marriage gone, her mentor, Ms. Striker steps in to help her out. She does this by sending Shanti on the journey from student to fully fledged headmistress, which takes her across the galaxy and beyond. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dancing Dragon Press
• Release date: Jan 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9781540151414

Karen C. Klein

Karen C. Klein writes fiction and non-fiction in a variety of genres and styles. She is author of Torin’s Legacy, which is the first book in her series Chronicles of the Mages’ Guild. She also enjoys writing short fiction and novellas. In addition to writing, Karen is a keen researcher, with a librarian’s eye for detail. While in grad school, Karen discovered an enjoyment of website design and has experience in web design using the WordPress content management system.  She has experience utilizing search engine optimization and can do so for any content she writes. Karen also has a passion for all things geek culture and co-hosts the podcast, Pages & Pixels: from two geek girls.

Book preview

To all the women writers, artists & musicians past & present

New New Yorke Space Station, First Month, Third Day, 3000 A.E.

The new crop of brides arrived two days ago on the first day of the year.

On the first day of every quarter, the most prominent families send their daughters to the school. Girls are accepted either at their first menses or when they turn twelve, whichever happens first.

This year, as the Prefect of the Hazels, Shanti helped the Headmistress, Ms. Van Stanton, separate the girls into their groups. The headmistress is a tall spindly woman with gray hair and blue eyes - her left eye has a notable dark brown mote in it. A defect that left her tending the school, rather than properly married off. The most important distinctions are by eye color, but there are other considerations too. The most important one being that the girl can demonstrate she is able to have children.

Shanti came to the school at twelve and still had not had her period, three years later. No one said anything, but they didn’t need to, she’d age out and become a Maid when she turned sixteen. She’d be returned to her family because she couldn’t make a marriage and to make matters worse, since there would be no marriage price, her parents would receive a bill from the school of brides. No one talked about what happened to Maids. Most of them spent their lives either raising their brothers’ children or sent back to the school to work off their debts.

She tried not to think of it as she tied a ribbon in her straight brown hair. She looked at her face and noted the pale skin with lack of freckles. It could be worse, she thought, I could have brown eyes…but eye color didn’t matter if she couldn’t have children. Human women made great incubators - even for non-human children. She shuddered thinking about Bianca, a ten year old Blue who’d been shipped across the galaxy to be an incubator for the Slime.

Bianca had been with the school for less than a quarter - as she’d been an optimal specimen - tall, slender, blond haired, blue eyed and pale enough. Ms. Van Stanton found some mixed blood in her heritage, but that didn’t hurt her price as she had all the markers for providing excellent children.

At least her family was handsomely compensated for their daughter, Shanti thought, bitterness creeping up her stomach. She shook her head and walked down the stairs, trying to keep her focus on her surroundings. She’d be the one to do the basic assessment before passing the children onto the headmistress.

The girls chatted in groups in the corridor, wearing their best dresses and trying to impress. A girl whose eyes were close to blue might be able to make it into the Blue group if there were a lack of true blues or if their family had enough influence. Shanti scanned the corridor and found fifty girls. She cleared her throat and all the girls looked up - they looked so young.

Did I ever look that young, she thought briefly.

Then she said, Ms. Van Stanton is a very busy woman. So I am here to do your initial assessment before she makes the final call and assigns you to your group.

The girls looked at her, but didn’t say anything.

You were each assigned a number when you arrived. I will call you into the dining room in groups of five, Shanti said, starting with the girls numbered one through five.

Shanti walked into the dining room and sat down at the head of the table. I will call each of you to me.

The girls hesitated.

One, she said, please step up.

The child stepped forward; she looked to be of Asian descent, perhaps the place that had once been called Japan because she had that pale skin.

Shanti made notes on the tablet screen, assessing the girl’s eyes, hair color, hair quality - such as straightness and thickness, height and weight.

You’re being marked for Brown, she said, without looking up.

One muttered.

Don’t speak unless you’re spoken to, Shanti said, dismissing her. She called the next girls, repeating the process over and over for several hours. Shanti kept copious notes about various features for the headmistress. She had five definite Blues. However, there were ten, which could either fall into Blue or Hazel. That would be Ms. Van Stanton’s job to decide their fates.

At the lunch hour, Shanti withdrew to Ms. Van Stanton’s sitting room.

The headmistress looked pleased because it seemed as if there will be a good crop of Blues and she always likes to bring them to the forefront of the school and parade them as humanity’s best assets. The girls enjoyed the primping and the admiration, but they didn’t realize that they were the first to get sold into marriage to the highest bidder. The headmistress made a tidy twenty percent commission off of the Blues. She only made fifteen for Hazels, and ten for Browns.

There were ten or so girls that were a toss-up for Blue or Hazel, Shanti said, sitting down across from the headmistress.

I shall have to inspect them. How many pure blues?

Five, they were blue without a doubt.

Wonderful, she said, smiling at her pupil. You’re getting proficient at pulling out the students who are obviously Blue or Brown. We need to start training you to make the distinction between Blue and Hazel.

Shanti raised an eyebrow. Ma’am?

Ms. Van Stanton cleared her throat. To be perfectly honest, my dear, you are not getting any younger.

She blushed, looking down. I know.

And you have yet to have your menarche.

I know. She felt like someone aimed a laser-beam at her and wished she’d burst into flames in front of the headmistress.

However, you are hardworking and intelligent, Ms. Van Stanton continued.

Shanti looked up and smiled.

Those are hardly assets when I am trying to marry you off to the highest bidder, she said, pausing.

Trying to keep her embarrassment under control, Shanti looked away again.

The headmistress continued, But, they are assets when there is a headmistress opening at the New Edinburgh Space Station.

That space station is across the galaxy, Shanti said, eyebrows crinkling. And didn’t they just get a new headmistress three or four years ago?

She nodded. The woman was a crone and passed back into space.

Oh, Shanti said, licking her lips.

So, Ms. Van Stanton said, much as I loathe to lose you as an assistant, I propose to you a test of your skill.

You want me to do the final placements? Shanti said, heart pounding.

Yes, she said, clasping her hands on the desk. Think of it. I you succeed then you will be able to live a life better than raising your brothers children or working here to pay off the debt you owe me.

Shanti blushed. If I do pass and go…do I still owe you?

No, she said, The School of Brides need headmistresses as always. Every space station of note has one. Only the backwater ones don’t have one.

Shanti nodded. Her family came from Savannah Space Station. Most families didn’t want to take on the expense of sending their daughters to the School of Brides if one didn’t exist on their space station. However, her family had always been of note, and she had been the only girl. Shanti had four older brothers. She even missed them sometimes, although, it relieved her to learn that she wouldn’t have to rear their children. Her mother had a sister who passed before she was born, but came to live with them to help mother with the boys. Shanti couldn’t imagine that life.

When is the test?

Today, Ms. Van Stanton said.

Now?

She nodded. Yes. After lunch we shall reconvene in the ballroom and you shall announce those we are definitely in their groups. Then you shall bring those who are Uncertain into the dining room and make your final judgments.

Yes, ma’am, Shanti said and stood.

Ms. Van Stanton led the way into the ballroom. There she stood at the front of the room and called the girls to order. Numbers 2,8,17, 28 and 32 were assigned to the Blue group. Then she said, We have some disputed girls between Hazel and Blue. Numbers 3,9, 12, 16, 29, 34, 38, 42, 45, and 50 report to the dining room. The rest of you are either Hazel or Brown. You would have been told when you were assigned your group. If you have questions, ask them now.

Shanti led the girls into the dining room. She sat down and pulled out her tablet, looking at her notes.

Number three, she said and the girl came to stand in front of her.

Three had a mixed origin so her skin was a milk-splashed brown. She had brown hair, which came in cork-screw curls to her shoulders. She was middle height and middle weight. She looked about twelve or so.

I need to shine a light into your eyes, Shanti said.

The girl nodded. Yes ma’am. Her voice quavered a bit.

Shanti shined the light into the girl’s eyes and found that they had more gray and green in them than they had blue.

Hazel, she pronounced and called the next girl. Three ran out of the room crying - Shanti sympathized with her - but carried on.

Number nine, she said.

A tall and scrawny creamy-skinned girl stepped up to her - she had bright red hair and freckles across her face. The only feature going for her would be her eyes, if she could make it into the Blues. Shanti warned her about the light and flashed it.

Blue, she said.

The girl blushed as she walked out of the room. Technically Three had been a better specimen, but she hadn’t shown enough blue to be considered a true Blue. Nine’s eyes only had a hint of gray beneath the flashlight. And the light didn’t lie. Three would get a top price, for a Hazel. It might be a bit of a blow to her family, who probably sent her thinking she’d be a Blue. Even the lowest Blue’s price tended to be higher than any Hazel’s highest price.

Shanti worked through the list and when she finished, Ms. Van Stanton went through her work and nodded.

I approve, she said. You’re efficient. And someone with less attention of detail might have allowed Three into the Blues.

She had too much gray and green, Shanti said, shaking her head.

Ms. Van Stanton nodded. "Indeed. I approve. I shall write to your parents asking for their permission to transfer you to the New Edinburgh Space Station. Pending approval, you should be ready