The Cost of Being Special (Survival of the Fittest Book 1) Read online

  The Cost of

  Being Special

  Shawn Keys

  For more information about the Author

  Visit:

  https://authorshawnkeys.wixsite.com/website

  Cover Art by:

  Christina Patricia Myrvold

  Freelance Concept Artist/Illustrator

  To view her portfolio, visit:

  https://www.artstation.com/christinapm

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  Harem Lit Facebook Discussion Group

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  Originally Published by Shawn Keys

  Copyright © December 2019

  ISBN: 978-1-9992853-6-4

  Quick Links to Chapters:

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Kyle clenched his teeth and got ready for the pain.

  Nearby, a gaggle of four men and women in white gi brandished wide bamboo canes. The one wearing the brown belt among them smirked at him. “Happy birthday, Kyle.”

  Kyle’s own gi top was laying on the tatami mats of the jiu jitsu dojo. Stripped to the waist, he had a lot of vulnerable skin. Holding his hands up to his head, he tried to keep his breathing regular. “I hate Wednesdays.”

  The others laughed, and then brought their canes whipping in to beat along his torso and shoulders and legs. They were broad, meant to crack and hurt like nothing else, but not break the skin or leave lasting damage. Wednesday was ‘hardening night’, and their whole club was always enthusiastic about kicking the crap out of each other. The other students were putting a little extra oomph into it tonight since it was Kyle’s twentieth birthday.

  Kyle winced as another blow went right across his tight abs. Who started this stupid tradition, anyway? He grunted as the next one connected with his shoulders. He wasn’t a big guy. Standing somewhere around five foot eight, he had one of those whip-thin types of bodies. Tougher than beef jerky, he had corded muscles that could work forever, but he couldn’t ever seem to put on bulk. So, even in a t-shirt, he looked like he didn’t really work out. But stripped down, he had lean muscles, carved hip flexors, sculpted shoulders and abs you could wash laundry on.

  Which didn’t help his reputation around school.

  He actually laughed as another bamboo cane whacked home. One of the resident jocks on his community college’s football team had called him a geek today. Kyle had been arguing with his best friend about why the latest Star Voyage movies sucked so much worse than previous ones. On most scales of geekdom, he probably deserved the title. Still, he figured the same jock would be sobbing on the ground in pain right about now.

  The punishment finally ended. Kyle came out of his combat crouch and stood straight. He rolled his shoulder and stretched until he groaned. “Well, that sucked.”

  His instructor, Ben patted him on the chest. “You might be ready to take your first dan test this year, kid. Get you wearing a black belt, finally. Can have you beating me in a sparring match wearing that thing.” He flicked the ends of Kyle’s brown belt.

  Kyle scowled. He would object to anyone else calling him ‘kid’. But Ben had been teaching him since he was eight. Plus, even pushing sixty, Ben could fold most people half his age into a pretzel. “Not sure this is the year, sensei. State exams are only a couple weeks away. Then I have to figure out what to do with my life.”

  Ben grunted. “You’re taking a whole lot of school for someone who isn’t sure about their future. Besides, the whole world is going to hell in a hand-basket. Go with the flow and learn how to kick ass so you don’t die when it all comes crashing down.” He laughed, over-stating things a little.

  Hearing the echo of his mother’s voice, Kyle rolled his eyes. “I’ve been putting the future off every way I know how. Took a year off to back-pack around Europe like good teenagers should. Got back and found out all the science and engineering courses I took were only good for getting me into college to learn even more science and engineering. I can’t make that my life. I’m using this community college to upgrade my language and art classes.”

  “Has it inspired you at all?

  Kyle growled. “Not really.”

  Ben shook his head. “So… you’re a high school graduate getting another GED? Doesn’t exactly sound challenging. And it doesn’t seem to be solving your problem.”

  There’s my mother again. What, is Ben channeling her psychically? “Yeah, well, at least now I can get into any college degree program I want. My grades are good enough across the board to pick my poison.”

  Beth, one of the other jiu jitsuka of the class, mocked him, “Calling it poison kind-of gives away how little you want to do any of it. There’s your answer. Stop trying to get all ‘white-collar’ and get a real job. Go smash hammers on a construction site or turn plumbing wrenches. You’re a practical sort of guy. You’d be good at it.”

  Kyle shrugged. “I’ve got my eye on a couple trade schools, too. My older cousin is a roofer and he might be able to hook me up as an apprentice.”

  “There ya go. Respectable job. Good money. Could even be your own boss, doing that. Sub-contract your time to building project managers. What’s the problem?”

  “Lay off it, alright? It’s a big step. Give me one more summer to ignore the rat race and the joy of getting into debt while living in a shitty apartment.” Kyle didn’t want to go into the rest of the reasons. His mother had split up with his father a little over five years ago, then married again three years ago. She was happy, but she hated the idea of him ‘leaving the nest’. Going on his long trip overseas and blowing all his hard-earned savings had been bad enough. At least he had come back. But leaving forever was a whole other thing.

  Especially with Persterim hovering over everyone’s head. His mother was pushing forty, but he knew she had wanted more children. That wasn’t in the cards because of the virus; not unless she remarried. Or maybe something a little more risqué, like a bit of planned adultery. His mother would never step-out on her new husband, but what if he agreed to let her do it? People were desperate. That sort of thing was going around.

  Weird to be thinking about that. He stopped. His mother wasn’t that adventurous. And they didn’t have the money to buy an in-vitro fertilization, not even with the government subsidies for it. She would have to accept that Kyle was going to be her only child. When he left, she wouldn’t have a kid to dote on anymore. He would have to make sure she was ready for that. He owed her that much.

  He walked over to the side of the class and grabbed his gym bag. “I need a little time to think. That’s all.”

  Ben gave him a good-natured smile. “Sure, man. It’s all good. We shouldn’t give you such a hard time on ‘the big day’. You got anything decent planned?”

  Kyle snorted. “Nah. I’m gonna lay low so I don’t have to deal with birthday songs being sung by people who can’t hold a tune. My mother knows I hate that stuff, so she leaves me alone. Gonna catch the late show of Rumble in Space, then catch a little sleep.”

  “You’re wasting your money on that piece of crap? It’s gonna stink up the theater.”

 
; “Can’t call myself a movie nerd if I don’t see everything on film. This reputation of mine isn’t gonna trash itself.”

  They shared a laugh and wished him well. Kyle flipped up his hood and walked out into the evening rain.

  He moved along quickly. Things weren’t so bad yet, but walking around in the dark was begging for trouble. The world was straining a little along the seams, and there were always those willing to make a profit when other people got desperate. But the spread of the virus hadn’t led to anything apocalyptic.

  Yet.

  A police cruiser drove by, and he laughed a little. Maybe he should join the Force. It was a growth industry, and they certainly would need the help in the coming years. There was hope, but pretty much everyone thought things were going to get a little worse before they got any better.

  * * *

  The Federal Department of Population Continuity for Lionsgate, Washington was precisely four people. In a town of a little under 100,000 only an hour’s drive north of Portland, Oregon, four people was more than enough.

  Claire Erinson was the lead processing specialist. She could speak to how slow days could be around the office. She walked up to Stan, who combined the jobs of office administration assistant, dispatcher and record keeper, with her keys and coat in hand. “I’m heading home, Stan. I can’t believe the Brentwood Clinic kept us waiting until after five. I had two tests to perform all day, and I’m still going home late.” She tisked. “The results are in your inbox. Here is the second hard copy for filing.”

  Stan Rothmire chuckled. “At least you get to go home.” He put the proper departmental labels on the data results, then forwarded the electronic file to the inboxes of the two FDPC agents that made up the rest of the team. He called out, “Jack, Jill, you have the second file.”

  Agent Jack Lawson and Agent Jill Niles didn’t bat an eyelash at the informality. Claire knew that neither of them liked it, but with an office this small, they expected it. Rank didn’t matter as much here.

  Normally, ‘by-the-book’ agents like them didn’t last long in a small office like this. They made a name for themselves, then moved up the ranks quickly. Claire suspected she knew why these two hadn’t made the jump upward in grade. They didn’t seem to like their job very much.

  Claire shrugged away her concerns. They were the ones who had chosen to get into this line of work. They had to know what was coming. At least they look the part. If these two showed up in black suits and sunglasses, I’d know they were government agents from miles away, she chuckled inwardly. The two blond-haired, blue-eyed agents could have been twins. If it wasn’t for their last names, Claire would have figured they had shared a womb at some point. Probably would have had a bad attitude about the whole thing, too.

  Keeping her laughter inside, Claire added, “Neither of them are fertile, so the interviews should be quick.”

  Jack tapped open the file impatiently. “Be sure to have a few sharp words with the Brentwood clinic staff. They should know better. These tests have top priority every day.”

  Stan rolled his eyes. “They may have had a heart-attack or something to deal with.”

  Jack scowled at him. “Don’t be so naïve or forgiving. If you let them slide, they’ll keep getting worse. What if one of these had been viable? Have you forgotten the proven rise in fatalities among the fertile? They need to be cautioned. Give them a warning. If that clinic is late again, we are restricting their bonuses until their results improve.”

  Claire suggested, “You should go home, agents. You can wait and investigate this file tomorrow. We only have four men turning twenty today inside the jurisdiction. That means only four more tests are due to us tomorrow, and that’s insanely busy for us. It’s not like we’re going to get behind.”

  Jill glared at her. “Hardly professional. We owe the central office our first-contact reports on the same day as the test. You know that.”

  Claire sighed. She had tried. She was going home. “See you tomorrow, then. The address for this file is marked as being ten minutes outside town. Enjoy. Try not to hit any deer on the back roads.”

  Leaving them to their late work, she walked out.

  Chapter 2

  Kyle strolled down the sidewalk, then half-jogged up the wide, shallow steps that led onto the campus of the Longland Community College. As one of two local colleges in Lionsgate County, the campus wasn’t huge. There were four buildings that surrounded a central courtyard. A little more than 1,000 people attended, hailing from across the south-west part of the state. No-one came from far away to attend Longland. For many of the students here, this was the only chance at a ticket out of small-city life. A launching pad to something better.

  Some of the buildings had trade programs. Kyle’s future might include taking a few classes in the school’s construction pre-apprenticeship studies. Other buildings were used to run diploma programs: nursing, lab technicians, paralegals, and other qualifications leading to decent jobs that didn’t need a high-brow university degree. Then, there was the last building: the General Equivalency Degree or GED program – otherwise known as high school upgrading. It let adults complete their high school courses without having to actually attend a high school with kids around. That would be seriously embarrassing.

  He remembered being embarrassed to be walking in here a year ago. Needing to upgrade was a clear sign he was not on any fast track. Like he’d told Ben and the others, he was lost. And he wasn’t sure how to find himself.

  He pushed through the glass doors and tossed a wave at the security guard inside his little booth.

  Instead of simply waving back like every other day, the guard bearing the name-tag of George opened the intercom. “Are you Kyle Hutchings?”

  “Most days.”

  George gave him a small smile for the small joke. “Got a note here with your picture on it. Says you have to report to the school’s first-aid clinic.”

  “Oh?” There was a reason for that. A bit of forgotten trivia teased at Kyle’s memory. But he couldn’t think of it. He was still tired after the terrible movie and the soreness from his Wednesday night ‘hardness’ beating.

  “Yep. Know where it is?”

  Kyle had walked past the clinic a few times, though he’d never been inside. “Sure. Down the hall to the left.”

  “You got it. Sixth door on the right.”

  “Thanks.” Giving George one last wave, Kyle headed that way. Class didn’t start for a little over an hour, so there was no reason to delay. This wasn’t like he wasn’t getting summoned to the Dean’s office or – even worse – the guidance counsellor. Last thing he needed was to be talking about where he was going in his life once classes ended for the year!

  He followed the corridor to the correct door, then knocked politely.

  “Come in!” came a friendly, female voice.

  Taking the invitation, Kyle walked in and let the door close. Turning toward the desk at the back corner of the room, he jerked to a halt. His polite greeting twisted into a choked, “Gaaahhhh…”

  Super smooth, Kyle.

  Seated at the desk was the on-duty nurse. She was dressed in a nurse’s white lab coat: an outfit that blended a collared shirt with a thigh-length white dress. The sleeves were short, but she was wearing a pink blouse underneath with sleeves that extended past the coat and down to her wrists. Beneath the low hem of the dress, he could see she was wearing white stockings and white sneakers to complete the look.

  While her medical uniform was appealing enough, she made it all pop being a devastatingly attractive woman. She was petite with an elfin face, and her blonde, pixie hair-cut suited her perfectly. Her bright smile radiated warmth and welcome. Any visitor paying attention would have an instant understanding of how much she cared about people with a deep honesty that few could match.

  She looked up from the work on her desk. There were textbooks and academic papers piled high around her laptop computer. “Good morning. Do you need some help?”

 
It was a fair question considering his failed opening. She might wonder if he was a stroke-victim if he didn’t do any better the second time around. Clearing his throat, he managed to say something half-way clever. “I could ask the same thing, Miss. You look buried in work. Is that all school administration?”

  The nurse blushed a little, which only enhanced her appeal. “Oh this? Oh, oh no. I just graduated from the nursing program two years ago. I intend on taking my MSATs and going pre-med as soon as I can. But it’s a long road.” Closing her computer, she got off her chair and walked over to him. “Nice to meet you. I’m Lily Perkins, the day nurse. Do you need anything?”

  “Pleasure to meet you, Lily. Honestly, I’m hoping you can tell me why I’m here. The security guard told me to check in. Name’s Kyle Hutchings.”

  Her smile got even brighter. “Oh, hello Kyle! Thank you so much for coming right away.” She scooted over to the school’s medical computer, an archaic beast stationed on the room’s second desk. A few taps of the keys, and his medical dossier appeared on the screen. “Most people don’t know this, but we get bonuses for how quickly we get these tests in. If the FDPC has to chase someone down at home themselves, I lose money that can go toward my future tuition.”

  “That means a lot to you, from the sound of it.”

  Lily returned a sad smile. “In a world where everyone cares about men who can’t have children, I’m one of the few women who can’t. Nothing to do with the virus. Someone might care if that was true. Just normal, ole bad luck for me, I’m afraid. The only path I have to medical school is to ace the entrance exams and prove my worth, then pay for it myself. I need to play the FDPC’s game. Which is why I’m so glad you showed up early.”