Beyond The Walls (NOW ON AMAZON!!!)

The Cubicle

After breakfast, Hadley had taken Jamila back to her cubicle, and was making out with the gorgeous vixen. Having a mind-blowing shag with one of her favourite girls before she left the Compound and started the journey to her mum and aunt's Wildling village didn't seem like the worst way to say goodbye to the Compound. Who knew the next time she would dance the horizontal tango again? Despite trying hard to explain it, Aunt Zee's description of the Wildling community and social structure wasn't easy to understand. Especially the fact that it wasn't populated with only women. Hadley had never seen any other humans except for women. It was hard to imagine anything else.

Her aunt had almost immediately given up trying to explain "boys" and "men" to her, because Hadley couldn't wrap her head around why they were necessary, but also because it was an extremely dangerous topic to discuss in the Compound. In fact, it was the incendiary that had finally destroyed her mum and aunt's relationship all those years ago. Hadley had never asked about it again. Aunt Zee had never mentioned it again. And her mother had never spoken to her aunt again.

Hadley lay back on her bed, sweating and catching her breath.

"You seem a little out of it today," said Jamila, pulling the quilt over their bodies.

It was half an hour to mid-day, and all the girls of their Cohort were still on break after their night-time nanny duty. Their next shift would start in a few hours, right after Physical Arts. They were supposed to be asleep in preparation for the Physical Arts session and their next late-night shift, but Hadley was wired – anxious and tensely anticipating the execution of her plan in a few hours. She'd been grateful when Jamila had agreed to come over, hoping a little horizontal tango would distract her. Staring at the ceiling with a million thoughts going through her mind, she knew it hadn't.

Hadley sighed, turned to face Jamila, and gently kissed her. "I'm sorry, Jay. I've got a lot on my mind today."

Jamila didn't respond immediately, raking her eyes over the crafted pieces filling Hadley's room.

Hadley's room was immaculate, despite how much was crammed into it. Jamila always marvelled at how Hadley found a home for all sorts of knickknacks and oddments and described Hadley's cubicle as a whole world unto itself. A good place to escape to.

A whimsical, wonderful place to make love.

In the silence, Hadley burned the memory of her room into her mind. She would recreate it for her daughter. A home away from home.

String lights were wrapped around carved polished branches fallen from old fruit trees and hang beautifully overhead. There was a small vanity next to the bed that Hadley had carved and put together using scrap timber, with a matching set of seats that had pillows she'd stuffed with scrap material from the tailoring and laundry departments. The edges of her standard Compound shelves were carved, and they were filled with her hand carved wooden figurines as well as bits and pieces from the automotive workshops, which Jamila had helped her acquire, artfully polished into decorative trinkets.

Tiny tea candles burned in stubby custom candlesticks, filling the room with the scent of peaches. The cosy atmosphere was as warm as the quilt duvet that Jamila had handmade and gifted to Hadley a few years before. Perfect for a chilly day in early spring.

Hadley wished she could carry the quilt with her.

"You're thinking about the Conception Day Ceremony, aren't you?" Jamila said, pulling Hadley from her thoughts.

"Yeah," Hadley sighed, her eyes going to her desk and the loosened bricks behind it. "Among other things."

"You added four new carvings to the room." Jamila chuckled, breaking through the tension. Hadley turned to the shelf she was pointing at. "It's a family of squirrels. I like the baby squirrel scrambling on top of the mum, covering her face. The detail is amazing, Lee. I think it's one of your best carvings so far."