Alice sat quietly reading in the windowsill of a room that had been her home for nearly a full year now since she had been ranked. Everyday after lunch she was returned here for free time. Mostly, like today, she read.  Alice was fascinated by Philosophy, she had studied to earn her degree in that and psychology. She found it helpful when helping care for the babies and toddlers in the facility which she was allowed to do twice a week per her request.

    Today was slightly different though; she usually had one wall in every room that was covered by very heavy red velvet drapes, she hated them but they covered the mirrors the facility used for observing so she left them alone no matter how ugly they are.They were pulled back today revealing the polished surface allowing her to study her own face for the first time in months, she had never taken great interest in her appearance and so had never requested a mirror for herself or the makeup others in the facility enjoyed.

    Alice had spent her one request a month collecting flowers, sometimes new clothes or tools, books or even more time outside. She had also gained a cat who was resting with her, his huge girth purring as he played with her toes and flicked his tail around lazily.

    Never in all her time had her curtains been opened. When her fathers came to visit her, they all sat in the room with her, her brothers as well, and her mother spent every other week with her in the facility for her health. It made her nervous knowing the someone or someone-s she was going to spend the rest of her mortal life with was deciding whether or not she was worth it.

    But it was important to be as normal as possible when being observed, this was stressed to each and every girl in this facility as it was the largest in the world, having once been china’s forbidden city it was beautiful and Alice liked it much better than the small one in France she had been a part of for the first nine years of her life before being recommended here.

    She was ranked this year as well so she knew it was happening, recalling the event made her frown and turn to the windows. Once every five years every girl was given a ranking, the bottom 100 in the world get stuck with the job of breeders given out like library books just to have more children, it made Alice ill to think about it so she chose not to most days. The event was held here every year and every female not ranked in the world was called so long as they were 17 or older, she was ranked 1 out of 47,563 women having gained the highest marks and been among the best behaved she felt terrible for the few that had been lead away screaming having gained the lowest, all except for Mara, they had been friends for years and Mara had wanted a decidedly low ranking, she said she couldn't imagine being stuck with the same five men her whole life.

    Alice couldn't imagine not having the stability. In fact she often hope for the largest number of husbands you could have….Thirteen.

    It was unrealistic, with her ranking she’d be lucky to get six.

    High demand.

    She was startled out of her thinking by the door opening and lunch being brought in by one of the younger girls. Mei was eight now and Alice had cared for her for years. A wide smile overtook both girls faces as Alice stood to hug the girl who beamed at her “I heard you ranked number 1 ….you’ll have to leave soon…”