Chapter 14 - Eleanor

Throwing a fit will get you nowhere.

" E leanor, we have news."

I bolted up from my bed.

"You found Milton?" My chest swelled with hope. With the Daddies being back with their Young Ladies, I knew the announcement was coming.

"No." Dorothy sniffed the air in my bedroom and made a sour face. "I want you to shower, take care of whatever is making this room smell awful, and get everything picture-perfect clean. You've been reassigned."

"Reassigned? What does that mean?"

"You have a new Daddy. He is on his way up now. Thankfully, his room does not smell like this one does."

She nodded to the door on the right wall. On the other side was my Daddy's room. They'd cleaned it out the day after my birthday, leaving no trace of the Daddy that had been killed in action.

My Daddy. His name was Dale.

"How can I just get a new one? That doesn't make sense!" I leaped out of bed. "I don't want a new Daddy."

I wanted to be dismissed from my duties.

"Yes, well, we didn't want your original one to be pulled into a cave and torn in half by crawlies either, did we?" She retorted. "Shower, clean, and prepare. Your new Daddy will be here by dinner."

I shuddered at the image in my head of the crawlies. They were the same as creepies, just that they dwelled in caves, and could climb on the walls and ceilings. I shook the idea out of my head and went to bathe.

Begrudgingly, I scrubbed my body, and washed my hair, and when I got out, I stared in the mirror. I looked like a shell of the Young Lady I was just a month ago. My eyes were tired, my smile gone, and despite having Hispanic genes that made my skin tan, I was pale.

I needed to go above to get some non-bunker air. Even the chemically stained air was better than the stale stuff down here. A small chime rang in the bathroom, reminding me to take my pills. We weren't allowed to know what the pills were, but they did a multitude of things for us. Kept our bodies hairless, except for the hair on our heads and eyebrows, and helped us maintain a healthy weight in the event we couldn't get enough nutrition from our food. It kept our cycles regular with only a light flow. The pills made our muscles strong, our lungs and hearts strong, and most importantly, our minds. They made us perfect Young Ladies.

I recited the little commercial that played on the TV regularly in my head and then took the pill. It was the least I could do for myself as I'd neglected everything else.

I cleaned my room and waited patiently for my new Daddy to arrive. Would I be given a retired one? One of the older Daddies who'd already had a Young Lady and done their time above? I tried to rack my brain, remembering each one. There weren't many, though.

I wrung my hands and tapped my feet until there was a knock, right before dinner time, and the door slid open, revealing Dorothy.

"Eleanor, your new Daddy is here. Please stand."

When I stood, Dorothy stepped aside and everything around me started to spin. No. No, it couldn't be! Never in a million years would I have thought that it would be Callahan. I let out a small shriek as my vision blurred and the room went dark, and then black altogether.

A cold rag on my forehead brought me back to consciousness.

"Huh?" I asked, blinking rapidly. "What happened?"

Dorothy and one of the bunker medics stood beside the bed, staring at me with concern. "You fainted. Are you okay?" Dorothy asked.

I sat up slowly and looked around. My room was clean. And it smelled of fresh soap.

"Why did I faint? Did something happen? Did you find Milton?" I looked around hopefully, and then my mood plummeted when I saw someone sitting in a chair to the side. It felt like I'd run into a brick wall made of my most recent memories. Callahan, my worst enemy, had been assigned to be my Daddy.

"No. You can't do this," I protested. "Please, just send me back down to Gen Pop. Anything but this."

"Sshh..." Dorothy petted my hair and urged me to lay back down. "We can, and we have. The decision has been made. Your new Daddy has already moved into his room alongside yours and will begin accompanying you on missions above. We know this is untraditional, but considering the circumstances, we had little choice but to move one of our DITs up."

I closed my eyes but continued to argue, "Please, no."

"Rest. It's time to start the healing process, sweetie. Callahan is your new Daddy, and you will need to treat him with just as much respect as you did your previous one."

"Why? I hate him." I knew I sounded like a child, but I didn't care. They had no idea what it felt like. What I was going through. I lost the only person who maybe loved me, and the only boy who maybe liked me. All in one night. I had to grieve over the loss of my Daddy and my someday-boyfriend at the same time. It wasn't fair to add more fuel to this raging fire pit of despair!

"In time, you'll grow to love him just as you had your other Daddy," Dorothy assured me, but I didn't believe her. My Daddy and I had a special bond. He was the only adult who showed me any affection past stiff politeness. Even Dorothy was cold to us most of the time. This was unusual for her.

"And until then, what am I supposed to do?" I sat up and crossed my arms. "Just pretend he's not the same age as me? That he's an authoritative figure? I couldn't listen to him if I tried." I glared at him from across the room. Callahan's face was blank, as if bored. Bored!

"You wanted this, didn't you?" I pointed and accused. "You love seeing me at my lowest. I bet you love knowing I was stripped of everyone I cared about, don't you?"

"Eleanor," Dorothy warned. "That's not the way to speak to your Daddy."

"Or what?" I mocked. "He'll punish me? Too late for that, buddy. My old Daddy couldn't break me. There's no way you're going to."

Callahan leaned forward, clapping his hands slowly. "You really are quite the drama queen."

"Why you—" I lunged for him. Dorothy and the medic snatched me back. Suddenly, something was being plunged into my arm, and I gasped in pain.

"You have disappointed me today, Eleanor," Dorothy said after I was dragged back to bed. My head was dizzy, and I could barely keep my eyes open. Those bastards had sedated me. "Whether you like it or not, we have to continue. For the human race to one day thrive and leave the bunker, we must continue to send you out to collect the necessary items to help us create a solution."

I raised my arms, which felt like limp noodles. "Just give everyone the pills," I said, my vision going blurry. I was going to fall asleep. I wobbled on my feet. "There's tons of them. I've seen it." I struggled to get my words out, my tongue and everything else feeling heavy.

A hand slapped over my mouth. "Don't listen to her, she's delusional." She urged my head back to my pillow. I was so weak from the sedatives, I couldn't fight, and quickly lay back, defeated. Why wasn't Callahan supposed to know about the pills? I wanted to ask, but my mouth was dry and my jaw felt too heavy to form words.

"Callahan, stay with her tonight. If she gets up, assist her. The sedatives were heavy."

While I couldn't do anything but listen, I heard them leave my room. A chair scooted closer and I felt hot air on my cheek. I groaned and turned slowly away.

"Hello, Young Lady," Callahan said dryly.

"Cal." The word was heavy, but I managed to get it out. I wanted to scream and shout and kick and thrash like a toddler denied dessert, but it was futile. Our fates had been decided, and I had no say.

"Nuh-uh." His voice took on a sing-song tone, and he tsked. "That's not my name anymore, is it? Oh, sweet Eleanor. Sweet, sweet, cunty Eleanor, you have to call me Daddy."