Sex: No Longer a Necessity [Mio / Charlmeister]

Amelia blushed at Spark's compliment. She didn't believe it to be true. But he was right about Pandora being ahead of her. By a lot. Pandora had a full figure, and her face was flawless. She had green eyes that always seemed to sparkle like gems and her smile was absolutely beautiful. Amelia loved her hair too, how voluminous it was and soft, how it framed her face and added to her angelic features. Her sister was everything. She hadn't been so blessed. She had freckles and felt herself to be just average - not that it mattered to her. She wasn't superficial, she didn't care much for her looks. Her appearance wasn't something she'd been taught to put emphasis on. She was comfortable with herself, but sometimes, she did feel insecure when compared to her sister.
"I'm not. But thank you," she smiled at Spark.

The dinner party (that's what Amelia wanted to call it) was over now and most everyone had gotten up to go back to their living quarters back at the factory and warehouse. She waited on Spark and Pandora to get up after putting the fire out and she got to her feet with Greg's help. She brushed the backs of her legs and her bottom of the dried dirt that had caked there then brushed her hands off. She hoped they would always do this, come out and eat together like this. It made her feel warm, and somehow filled the void inside her that had been left by the loss of her family back home. She also hoped it wouldn't be a problem if she came out here by herself; she valued her alone time with nature - it was the perfect time for her to think and just relax; her own little state of Nirvana.

"Ahh, so was it just me or was boarding school pretty much a nightmare? I mean, a nightmare if you didn't follow the status quo."
Greg thought of it as a nightmare? She frowned and folded her hands across her midriff as they walked, following behind Pandora and Spark who were having their own conversation, and she looked up to see Spark hugging her sister around the shoulders, Pandora's head was turned to his and she tipped up a quick second to kiss him. Amelia smiled at that, momentarily distracted from her conversation with Greg.

"Maybe. I enjoyed boarding school," she admitted this haltingly. She didn't know why she felt bad that she didn't share the same sentiments for boarding school as Greg. Why did he find it such a nightmare? She would have wanted to think everyone had had a lovely experience. Probably because she loved school; the friends she had made there and the small activities she had been apart of.
"Why did you hate it?"

"Mrs. Price! That's why I hated boarding school. I mean, don't get me wrong - Mrs. Price was the nicest teacher I ever had. She was always warm and inviting, she never rejected anyone. You could talk to her about anything. Sort of like your sister; ever since I came here, she has shown me all the ropes."

Greg wanted to continue the story in the way he would normally speak to Pandora or the others; but he realized Amelia had feelings for the government. This made him wonder, though, how far they had gone. The bureaucracy was so large, they weren't always able to catch up to everybody in high school. It was rare he met women who thought good of the system in place unless they had reached the sterilization stage. He continued, but he was more cautious to bite his tongue.

"But then she went away for a couple of weeks. She did come back; but, something happened to her. Oh, she was still friendly. But, it was like the life had left her. She wasn't so cheerful anymore. Well, that just turned me sour on the whole boarding school thing."

Amelia had missed some dirt on her denim ass; he smiled for a moment, but didn't want to be caught staring. "And this is Spark's home" Greg said. Like all the other homes, the non existent door for a entrance seemed to catch your attention. Greg liked to think this wide open space must have been the place they put the factory floor and the machines. It, like the rest of the building, pretty much fell apart after disuse. Actually, the place was large, holding a couple of makeshift couches and table. All of which pretty much looked like the furniture that came with the building. It was an ugly beige color; Greg meant to get spray paint to spruce up the aesthetics. Another room adorned the back wall; that one did have a door on it and a makeshift curtain. He had placed some beds back there and thankfully, there was already a book shelf in it. Otherwise, he'd have to make one and he wasn't too good at carpentry.

"I have a BIG surprise, you guys" Spark said. "But first, as promised - Amelia gets first dibs on the books in the library." Greg thought he saw a great big sparkle in her eyes; Spark gently guided her to the backroom, leaving Pandora and Greg alone. Who knew where Mike and Kendall were; they were very loyal to Camp Kendall, but one wondered whether or not they ever grew up from their childish antics. Still, it did make boring days more interesting.

"Pandora, can I ask you a question about something? Well, slightly embarrassing and maybe you'll get mad at me and stuff."

She had never been taught by a Mrs. Price but Amelia had had a somewhat similar experience with a teacher she had favored in school. Her music teacher, Mr. Clarke. He'd been a very expressive man, his music had just brought out his profound passion for things around him. During her private piano lessons, he had spoken to her of things she didn't understand - at that age, she hadn't cared to understand the complexities of things he had shared with her. He was also her only teacher that had spoken to her about love. That also, she hadn't understood.

It was after that conversation that the lessons had stopped and a substitute teacher had been brought in. An old, cross woman who wore thick rimmed glasses and had her stick to discipline the students'shaking fingers whenever they missed or messed up notes on their instruments. She didn't care for conversation the way Mr. Clark had. She didn't spend extra time with them, trying to help them understand music for what it was. Amelia wanted to tell him about that experience, as a way for him to tell her the rest of why he'd hated boarding school. Just the change - as drastic as it seemed - of one teacher couldn't have been enough to turn his mind against it.

She almost voiced that opinion but Spark spoke before she could and led her to his library. There were so many books. Almost too many. She went over to the shelves, getting down on her knees to start from the bottom up. She'd never even read three-quarters of his possession in school. There were literature books, novels, some on mythology and theology, biology and science and psychology. Where had he gotten them from. "Where did you get these?" She started picking out books but was careful with some; the older looking ones that sported some tears done the edges and dog ears from use. It seemed almost too much for one person.

Pandora looked at Amelia's and Spark's retreating figures then shook her head. "I doubt she'll come out for the game later. She gets around books and the rest is history." She smiled at Greg and sat down, her legs tucked beneath her and she patted the space beside her, inviting him to sit so they could talk.
She couldn't imagine why she'd be mad at Greg but she smiled knowingly. So he was embarrassed about it, and thought she'd be mad at him if he talked about it?

"You like her? Amelia?" She asked with a smile on her face. She didn't want to say it but she'd been watching him with her sister at the pit. Earlier, he hadn't seemed too inclined to be around Amelia but he'd warmed up to her tonight quite well. As Pandora hoped he would have.

"There should be a section on natural health somewhere along there, to the right." Spark smiled pleased with himself that he found another reader. He was also pleased Amelia came to live in the camp; soon they would be siblings, even if just by marriage.

"You know Amelia; I need a librarian more than a medic. These books are nothing compared to what I used to have when I had my own personal library at the university. These are what I could salvage; I have outside contacts who bring me books too. You know, from that company no one ever thought would survive, amazon.com. Of course, some of these books can't come from there; you know how selective some of our public officials have been about what kind of books we read. For instance, "

Spark got up, moved to his desk. On top, he removed something he was reading now. "When was the last time you saw this book on the shelf: *What To Expect when You're Expecting*." He flashed a smile. He looked at the shelves as if scanning for another one. "Here's one from hundreds of years ago. *The Scarlet Letter*. About an old fashioned Puritan woman caught in the act of adultery and forced to wear the letter A for the rest of her life; of course, these kinds of books aren't needed in our so currently evolved society."

"Oh, here's another one. The Joy of S …", then performed a dramatic pause, grabbed the book back with a dramatic flare. Was he an actor or what? "Of course, someone as civilized as shouldn't have a need to read this book. Its disgusting, love and all that … best you not read it." He gave another sly smile. "I hope these books don't go missing from my library. If they do, I might have to conscript the thief to the life of a humble librarian." He folded his hands as if awaiting a response.

*********************************

"Weird things are happening to me, Pandora. My face gets flush; I trip over my words more easily. My whole body goes into some sort of reaction. Even my …" He paused momentarily; nah, it probably wasn't right to bring up his arousal problems. "Let's just say I get a warm tingling feeling EVERYWHERE. And the worst thing is; I don't want it to stop. My teachers in school said sometimes we get 'infatuated'. Maybe that is what it is? Maybe it's just infatuation. What do you think?"

"I already know a lot about natural health care, but extra reading shouldn't be to bad." She raised up, stretching her hand to reach for the book after scanning the shelf Spark had directed her to. She was awfully excited about all of this, but she kept her giddiness contained behind her lax composure. She could lock herself in here and never move. Just keep reading and reading, absorbing all the information she could. Her brain was a sponge that she enjoyed saturating with book knowledge. She had left behind her books but Spark had more than enough to fill her void. Suddenly, she came to the conclusion that living with them wouldn't be bad after all. She was hoping she could be happy here. Spark was already seeing to that.

"What to expect when you're expecting?" She repeated and her brows furrowed in confusion as she sat back on her legs and looked up at him. "What's that about?"
The Scarlet Letter was a title she was familiar with. It was one of her mother's literature favorites. That and Tess of the D'Ubervilles. Her mother had a lot of poems and books by Thomas Hardy. Amelia remembered him being her mother's favorite poet/author. She always said there was something so unique and beautiful about his work. How from his complex language and expression, a lot of simple lessons could be learnt. But again, Amelia never understood his poetic language nor the themes of his books; even when her mother would read it to her and try to explain it as simply as possible. She took the Scarlet Letter down, if anything, she wanted to read one of her mother's favorite books.

"The Joy of what?" she stared at the book and reached for it, smiling at him. "You don't have to bribe me to be your librarian," she said, sticking her tongue out and snatching the book from him. "I'll gladly do the job, but I still want to help out with the medic group." She looked down at the book she just took from him and blinked at the words. Joy of Sex? Wasn't that something taboo? That's what she'd been taught in school. It was something wrong. "Is that what you and Pandora do?" she asked quietly and she shook her head, feeling her face flush. "Don't answer that. I'm sorry for asking." She turned her back on him, busying herself with the books, flipping through the pages.

***

Pandora hid the smile that tugged stubbornly at the corners of her lips. She didn't want to do that and make Greg feel embarrassed or silly from sharing something so private with her. She'd been taught about infatuation. People never actually loved - they were just infatuated. Love didn't exist; it was just the stuff of imaginations. It wasn't attainable, that's what she remembered love being propagated as: it wasn't something that existed. But she knew better.

"Even my..."
Even though he didn't continue, Pandora caught on pretty quickly to what he decided not to mention but she wouldn't press about it. But he would feel that way wouldn't he? Again, she proved to herself that what the government was trying to outlaw was something that was natural. These feelings were innate. The government could do so much but eventually, some people would realize the nature of their bodies; their feelings, needs and desires.

"It probably isn't just infatuation. It could grow into something more. You're attracted to her too, so your body would react that way. It's completely normal Greg so don't fight it. Your human and you're going to have those feelings." She patted his hand and smiled at him. She didn't want to continue on into the subject of love, probably that would be too much for him right now. He was discovering his nature and she thought it best that she advise him the more he learned on his own.

Spark didn't like 'towering' over people; it wasn't their fault he was a little taller than most to begin with. He sat down across the way from Amelia. "You know, Pandora is pregnant. You could read about it in this Expecting book. I mean, when the time comes, no doubt we'll need your help as a possible mid-wife."

"You can have any book in here you want" Spark said. "And there are extra beds here, so feel free to read to your hearts content. It's just that some people have borrowed some of my books and don't give them back; I don't like to hassle them, but it would sure be nice to know who's got what in case I need them."

He had learned through the human experience that everybody was just a bit curious about things; that's sometimes how he baited people, so he could talk to them about what was on his mind. He was not taken aback by the question of sex, he thought it was a normal and highly fun! Personally, he had no qualms about discussing it with anybody and he had read about some long ago festival called Woodstock. However, he had determined not to go to those lengths and act like 'hippies' because the last thing he needed was the camp and the people in it in danger for their lives. He suspected revolutionaries that would come aeons after him would see to it that all of that be finally liberated. He felt his job, his vision was to inform others and create an environment where they could be themselves. Camp Kendall wasn't all about sex anyway and neither was his relationship with Pandora; it was an aspect to him. Sure, an enjoyable one. But it didn't replace hugs and kisses and platonic understanding.

"You know, I'm glad you brought this up Amelia" as if his flashing the book in front of her had nothing to do with it. "In very far and distant days that are no where close to us, they used to have what you call a bethrothal. First, falling in love, then engagement, then wedding, then sex. Well, I am not going to lie to you - I got it a little backwards. And one of the things a guy like me was supposed to do was ask for her hand in marriage, from a relative … well, from the father." He baited her a little bit, emphasizing certain words more than others. He knew what he was about to do would go against all societal norms. There hadn't been a public wedding between two people who loved each other in years. Normally, marriages were arranged and people made the best of the formal, sanitary, clerical ceremony at the town halls.

Spark removed the sex book from her hands and laid it on her lap. He then looked at her, in her eyes like they did at the dinner party. He gazed at her and out of all seriousness asked … "Two things; first, may I have permission to ask your sister, Pandora, to marry me for life? And second: would there be a possibility …" Spark paused for a moment and looked over at the shelf. It took a moment, but he finally found the book he wanted. He handed the book to her entitled 'How to be a great Best Man or Bridesmaid".

"Secondly, if you are okay with that, would there be a possibility you could be my best man? I mean, woman? I mean, wouldn't you help us with the wedding?"

*****************
"But Pandora; I'm not sure what else I should say or do around her, you know? How I should act and stuff. I mean, around you - it just feels great to know I can tell you anything. But around her, I feel like … like she is so delicate, if I say or do something the wrong way, we'll stop talking to each other. I mean, it's only been one day, I know. Still, she's like the most beautiful girl in the world." He smiled.

"Umm, Pandora. Spark told me I should ask you, if I wanted to know, why exactly he went after me today?"

Amelia nodded at Spark. One of her pet peeves was not having something returned to her after lending it out - especially if it was a book that she really enjoyed. She could get an empty book and get to work with recording who borrowed what when and for how long; just like with the library at school. She just wouldn't include fining from the library protocol, maybe she'd just stick to giving them reminders when necessary that they had a book to return.

Even though he offered her a bed if she wanted to sta here just to read, Amelia thought it was still an imposition so she shook her head, but still thanked him for the offer. She had her own room, she'd just carry the books she wanted to her room. Usually it never took her more than a day to finish a book but some of the one's Spark had were so thick and big that maybe she'd take about an entire week just finishing one. She closed one book then lifted another atop it to browse through.

He explained the steps of a wedding, and she understood the concept. It was one of those things she'd read that held her interest. It was a subject that Mr. Clarke had discussed with her during a private piano lesson. He had wanted to marry but the woman had died. After that, he never felt the same push to find someone else to love enough that he'd want to marry. He preferred being alone. Because life was unsure, he had said. And he didn't want to take that chance of losing someone else.
The government didn't place emphasis on weddings - not the true spirit or concept of it - but she understood it well enough. She lacked understanding of other things that sustained a marriage but she'd learn about it. She wanted to.

She looked down at the book he placed in her lap and opened it, flipping through the pages. She honestly doubted Spark needed her permission to marry her sister. If it was something he wanted to do, then he should. Her parents had been married but there was something that had been left out that Amelia always imagined should have been present. She couldn't acknowledge it but she knew she saw it between Spark and Pandora. Personally, as much as she liked seeing it, she wasn't a fan of it herself. She was raised in a way that made her able to live without it, so she felt odd to some degree with Spark asking her this.

She shrugged and nodded at him, "I don't mind if you two get married. Pandora adores you, and I can see you do the same...with her so," she trailed off and shrugged again. She was happy for them both. And Pandora was pregnant, wasn't she? It'd be even better if that child was born into wedlock. That's what she'd been taught, it was the norm.
"Being a bridesmaid sounds like fun," she laughed softly, looking at a picture page in the book of women dressed in fancy blue dresses, the bride was in the center - she wore white, that was Amelia's first clue.
"I don't mind any of it."

***
"Just be you Greg, you don't have to do or say anything you wouldn't normally do. And Amelia won't shy away from you if you tell her things. She does the opposite, she'll try her best to understand. So don't be afraid to talk to her about things. While some topics may be touchier than some because of school and she did hold on to some of their teachings." Pandora sighed after she said that. Sometimes, that was what made it harder for her to tell Amelia about a lot of things. She had been brainwashed into being on the government's side about a lot of societal norms. The only thing that made it easier to bear was Amelia's curiosity about other ideas and theories.

The difference between Amelia and Greg was that while Greg could recognize the changes in his body and respond to it in a somewhat positive way, Amelia could do neither. She'd never come to Pandora about liking some guy she had seen while at boarding school or even in passing. She was very indifferent about it. She had had guy friends, but she had treated them just as her other friends; with a sense of platonic interest. She kept them at arm's length, just as she had with her other friends. She didn't really let anyone in, save for Pandora and their mother.
And Pandora wanted that to change, that's why she wanted to see how far they both Amelia and Greg could go. She wanted them to learn and grow in that learning together. She wasn't really trying to play a matchmaker of sorts but she wanted to see where they could go with each other.

"Umm, Pandora. Spark told me I should ask you, if I wanted to know, why exactly he went after me today?"
She looked at him and stretched her legs out in front her to relieve how cramped they'd been, tucked under her. "He was worried about you. He doesn't really like leaving you all alone out there; especially because you're still a bit new. He didn't want you running into any trouble, even though I told him you'd be fine." She shrugged, "You know he hardly listens to me sometimes when it comes to some of you guys. Plus you're valuable to us. He wouldn't want anything happening to you. I wouldn't either."
She took his hand and squeezed it. "We're really happy you're here with us."