At the beginning of the summer, Jane, age 15, was fearful of a night raid. She needed to talk to her friends, but she was afraid of doing anything that would look too suspicious. She passed out invitations for a birthday party for an imaginary friend. Her five best friends showed up. They listened to Jane's concerns and agreed to do what they could to help her. They visited her often over the next week. As much as they could, they took Jane's clothes and favorite possessions with them and brought these items to their own houses. Her scrapbooks, personal things, music player, and other items were taken from her room. She left her phone because they knew that the officials would be angry if they did not find it. Jane deleted as much contact information from it as she could.
A week after the phantom birthday party, her home was raided in the middle of the night. Jane, her parents, and her two younger brothers were taken to a processing center. Because she was over the age of 15, she could be separated from the rest of her family. Jane was much more valuable as a 15-year-old, who could be sold as an individual.
Deb was the first of Jane's friends to notice that the family was gone and that the house was being searched for valuables by the authorities. Deb knew that the house, the former residents, and all its contents were now the property of Jane's parents' creditors.
Deb knew that the authorities did not care what she did at that point since the raid was over. She called up the rest of Jane's close friends. Deb explained what she had in mind. They needed one person with a lot of money. The only person they could think of was Mr. Mitchell, the richest man in Warren Ohio. They all walked over to Mr. Mitchell's house. Deb explained what they wanted. “Our good friend Jane Foreman was captured last night. She will be offered for sale in about a week. We are afraid of what will happen to her as a 15-year-old girl. We think that if someone in town could purchase her, she could graduate from high school in three years. We think this would be a good way to get a good return on your money. A female sophomore is worth about $200,000. But a high school graduate with top grades is worth at least $320,000.”
Jane's friends laid out their plan: Mr. Mitchell would buy Jane, and the girls would make sure that she finished high school with top honors. Mr. Mitchell just said, “Your plan is all very interesting. I was recently discussing the education of slaves with key members of my staff. Please come back after giving me three hours to hold some discussions with my staff.”
The girls left the house very uncertain but hopeful. When they returned, Mr. Mitchell looked happy. They quickly negotiated a deal. Jane would live with Deb during the school week and with Mr. Mitchell during the weekend. The girls would all study together and work hard on their grades. Mr. Mitchell would pay a stipend for food, clothes, and school supplies for Jane. Besides the reimbursement for expenses, the families would split 10% of the increase in Jane's value. Mr. Mitchell said he needed to get his money back. He would sell Jane at the end of high school no matter what.
Then Mr. Mitchell mentioned the bad news, “You girls will have quite a job to do. Jane will be released with a permanent steel collar. It will take your creativity to allow her to be treated as any other student at her school. Once I purchase Jane, she must be insured. The insurance comes with its own strict requirements. Jane must wear leg shackles and a leash locked in place whenever she is outside or in a public place. There are laws that apply to all slaves, insured or not. Jane would never be able to sleep without being chained to a fixed location. In any vehicle, she needs standard slave restraints. When Jane is in a crowd, she needs handcuffs. Your job is to make sure that at no time does Jane run afoul of any laws or requirements. All of you need to carry extra supplies in your bags to be ready for unexpected situations. One of you needs to attend each and every class with Jane. Otherwise, this does not work.”
All the parties wrote up a contract. This contract, which is now displayed in the Smithsonian Museum, was signed by Charles Mitchell, Jane Foreman, Deb Coulter, Sarah Cohen, Rose Chang, Becky Roberts, and Cathy Jackson.
Mr. Mitchell called up his bank and requested a debit card be brought to Deb's house for initial supplies. He also started negotiating for the purchase of Jane. The purchase process took a long time. The creditors took their time looking for other buyers. There were medical examinations and insurance examinations.
When the debit card arrived, Deb, her parents, and her friends went to a slave supply store. They bought the necessary restraints. They also bought some clothing that was functional while wearing leg shackles. The last detail was to arrange for the placement of fixed chain anchors to be installed in several houses, but especially in Deb's house. The girls also bought several easily removable steel neck collars for different sizes. These allowed a free person to look like a slave.
The girls spent a lot of time practicing with all the new equipment. They took turns installing the neck collars and pretending to be a slave. They attached leg irons and took them off. They practiced securing the keys. They found that walking with a leash, as either the slave or the keeper, was tricky. But after some practice, they got used to what was needed to make it work. The person holding the leash needed to give clear verbal commands, and they both needed to pay close attention to each other.
About nine days after the raid, Jane was delivered to Mr. Mitchell's house. She had been chained to a large wheelchair, and she was blindfolded. With the signing of some papers, she was unchained from the wheelchair. Jane was tired, dirty, hungry, thirsty and traumatized. Her only clothing was a filthy pair of underwear. Her black hair was very dirty.
Deb took her to a bathroom to clean her up. Deb decided to get Jane dressed in some of her favorite clothes that she had stashed in Deb's house. Then Deb put a leash on Jane. Jane was wobbly on her feet and disoriented by having her best friend put her in restraints. Deb noticed that Jane would only respond when she raised her voice. She did not appear to know where she was or that she was with her friends. It was as if Jane could not grasp the idea that she was no longer in the slave processing center. Deb brought Jane into the main room where Jane's friends were waiting.
Mr. Mitchell stood up and said, “I am Charles Mitchell. I have purchased you, but you belong to a loving community of friends who cherish you. Before I say more, they all want to greet you.” One by one, her friends said that they loved her and supported her. Rose explained, “Jane, you are being insured against theft and loss. The insurance company requires you to be chained up when you are not in a house. We will do our best to make it all seem more normal. We have been using leg chains, handcuffs, and leashes for the last few days. We have learned by experience how bitter it is to be in chains. We are trying to learn how to do this in a way that is kind and gentle. When we are going out as a group, one of us will put on a temporary steel collar and will be treated like a slave as well.”
Mr. Mitchell said, “While I hope that Jane gets the rest, food, and encouragement that she needs, doing well in school is job #1. I have hired a tutor for all of you for the rest of the summer. Each morning from 9-12, you will be reviewing the material from last year and starting to learn new things for the coming year. Jane, you may have lost track of the days. Today is Thursday. The classes are starting on Monday morning. Jane, you can stay with Deb till then, except for Saturday night. Just so that everyone knows that I am serious, let me say that if Jane does not do well in school, I will sell her to a brothel. From now on there can be no late nights, no alcohol, no sex without my permission, and no risky behavior.”
Jane's friends tried to get her to describe the treatment she received at the slave processing center. Jane would only say, “They were not nice at all when they put on my permanent steel collar or did any of the countless medical examinations. Half the time, I could not figure out why or what they were doing. I dealt with a lot of unpleasant people who kept reminding me of the consequences of not doing what I was ordered to do. I was whipped twice, but I know they were careful not to whip me so hard that it would reduce my resale value.”
There was a lot that Jane did not say. Jane meant that the punishment did not leave a permanent mark or necessitate expensive medical treatment. Jane would never speak again about the things she had experienced or seen at the slave processing center. Jane had been afraid that she was going to be sold to a brothel or to a farm where she would be worked to death.
Mr. Mitchell then arranged for a large lunch for everyone. The girls noticed that the lunch was served by Mr. Mitchell's slave. There were also additional papers to sign. Jane, even though she was Mr. Mitchell's property, had to promise to behave, and to comply with all of the laws and the insurance requirements about the use of restraints. All the girls had to sign up for tutoring. They also promised to assist each other to do their work in summer school and during the regular school year. With their signatures, they promised to adhere to all laws, insurance requirements, and school rules.
Soon after the last document was signed, they set out to go to Deb's house. Sarah helped Jane to put on outdoor leg shackles. Sarah also put on a steel collar, a leash, and leg shackles herself. She now looked like Jane's twin, except that Sarah had a lighter skin complexion. Deb held two leashes, taking what looked like two slaves to her house. Once there, Deb set up a portable potty under her bed and placed a cot close to it. Deb chained Jane to an anchor in the floor and let her sleep on the cot. The girls chatted for a time, and then Sarah took off all her restraints. They decided to go home and meet up again on Friday morning.
The next morning, Deb woke up and helped Jane to use the bathroom and to empty the potty. Deb got shirts and skirts for herself and Jane and put on some leg shackles. Her parents were totally shocked when they both came into the kitchen dressed as slaves. Deb said they needed to get used to typical slave clothing. It was a parent's nightmare to see their daughter looking like a slave. Yet their daughter was talking about her clothing as if it were an unfamiliar work uniform. Deb's dad did say that the stipend from Mr. Mitchell was more than he was expecting. He said he was transferring $120 into a debit card that could be used for appropriate clothing for Jane.
After breakfast, the usual gang got together: Jane, Deb, Sarah, Rose, Becky, and Cathy. They decided to go to the park. This time, Deb played slave and Sarah held the leashes. Both Deb and Jane wore a T-shirt and no bra with a standard slave skirt. The other girls wore pants and were dressed more like a slave owner. They went to a neighborhood park and took turns jogging Jane and Deb and having them climb up and down the play structures to build up their muscle tone. To anyone watching, it appeared that the slaves were being punished, except that the girls were laughing too loud.
After plenty of exercise for all, they went into a nearby sandwich shop. The three staff persons there were all wearing steel collars, shiny gold shorts, and a low purple waistcoat over a thin, white shirt that focused attention on their breasts. It was clear they were slaves. Sarah asked where the clothes were purchased. The waitress lowered her voice, as she was not allowed to chat, but she did mention the store named Sam's Slave.
After lunch, they headed to Sam's Slave. They found that they were not welcome as a group. There was a seating area just inside the store to lock up one's slaves. Deb and Jane were chained to sturdy chairs, while Sarah, Cathy, Rose, and Becky went into the store to look around.
While there, Deb whispered to Jane that she needed to pee, that she had drunk too much water at the sandwich shop. Deb said, “I am in deep trouble unless our owners come back soon.” She was careful about what she said since there were other slaves who could hear them. While they were stuck in the slave chairs, the wait for their “owners” to come back seemed to take forever. It took so long that Deb almost wet her pants.
When the gang got back, they were boisterous and giggly and quickly unlocked their slaves. They demanded that they stand up and hold up their hands. The four of them pulled down the skirts and pulled off the T-shirts quickly. All Deb could think of was getting to a bathroom. She found these antics were just plain annoying. Finally, Jane and Deb got the joke. They were being dressed in the same outfits as the staff at the sandwich shop, a pair of shiny gold shorts and the purple and white top.
In a loud voice, Deb said, “I don't want to wear those!” Just then, every slave turned and looked totally shocked. Jane slapped Deb very hard in the face and screamed, “Don't you ever say anything like that again, you fucking piece of shit!” At that, all the other slaves seemed to relax, as if all was well in the world. The girls sensed they had made a major faux pas.
Deb whispered, “I am about to burst. I need a bathroom right now!” The girls took Deb and Jane to the slave bathrooms. These were very small closets with just a toilet and nothing else. There was only half a door so that people could watch the top half of them, and an owner could stand over them while still holding the leash. The toilets were semi-flush; stuff went into an inner chamber, which flushed once an hour. Deb was unnerved that she had to sit down and do her business while everyone could see her face. She could not duck down because, by mistake, Sarah was holding the leash without any slack. There was no toilet paper. The only place for Deb to clean her hands was a bucket of water next to the toilet. Deb did not want to touch that water. All she could think of was getting home and cleaning up properly.
They left the store as soon as they could and made their way back to Deb's house. After a few blocks, they went into an alley and put on T-shirts and skirts over their racy clothes. Deb had never worn clothing that was so revealing, yet no one on the crowded sidewalks had even glanced at her.
Once at Deb's home, they went quickly into Deb's room. Deb was very anxious to take off her restraints. She ran to the bathroom. Deb realized that going in public dressed as a slave was not easy and not a joke. It was a complex gesture of solidarity that required planning, pluck, and quick thinking. She said out loud how glad she was that she was reprimanded the way a slave would be reprimanded. She thought it was funny that no one there seemed to notice that she was being reprimanded by the other slave. Jane told the group that they needed to be more careful. She said, “Going to high school will be easier, but no one will tolerate anyone pretending to be a slave at school.”
Back in Deb's room, Jane was chained to the bed again. Deb's mom poked her head into the room and asked about dinner. It was clear that she was not happy about feeding the whole gang. They decided to split up. Deb, Jane, and Sarah would eat at Deb's; Becky, Rose, and Cathy would eat at Cathy's house. They decided to go back to Deb's house and set up a schedule for the next few days.
Saturday was spent with Deb. Waking up, getting breakfast, getting ready for the day were beginning to be a routine. This time, Deb was the owner, and Jane was the slave. They went to the park and did more jogging and climbing. They went back home to Deb's house for sandwiches and just hung around in the living room talking.
Deb walked Jane to Mr. Mitchell's house around 3 pm. Deb rang the bell. A young male voice demanded that Deb back away a few steps. He then asked Jane to gather all her things, open the door, come in quickly, and then close the door. Jane was inside with the door closed before she realized that she had not even said goodbye to Deb.
A young slave walked closer to the door to welcome her inside. He took her leash and bag and walked her into the house. He asked her if she needed to use the facilities. Jane said no. He introduced himself as a slave named Danny Hughes. He told Jane that he was going to attach a small device to her collar. While doing so, he briefly, but very clearly, touched Jane's chest.
Danny said that she could walk freely around the house. Jane told Danny where there was a side pocket of her bag that contained a leather case for all of her keys. Danny used the correct keys to take off the leash and leg shackles. Danny said that if she got too close to a door, an alarm would go off, and the door would lock until a master key could be found. Jane said that rather than risk setting off an alarm in an unfamiliar house, she would prefer to stay in a comfortable chair. Danny said that the house servants, who were slaves, were himself and his parents. He said it was lonely most days.
Jane wondered, “Perhaps being a friend for Danny is one of my duties at this house. I wonder what other things Mr. Mitchell wants me to do?” She felt bad for Danny but decided to see what would happen that night. She found that Danny had only a middle school education. They talked about reading issues. Jane encouraged him to stick to reading in his spare time.
Danny was pleasant. Jane was introduced to Danny's parents, Sally and Roger. Jane asked about their neck collars, which were colored gold. They said that meant that they could go outside without a leash. Jane asked Danny's mom why she was not wearing a shirt. She just said, “I prefer to dress this way.” And where was Mr. Mitchell? He was on a business trip. Jane's friends had said that Mr. Mitchell would use his rights as her owner to force sex on her on the first occasion. Well, that was not happening at all.
The evening flowed. When it was time for sleep, Danny's parents walked Danny and Jane to Danny's room. The room was surprisingly large and had a double bed. Danny's mother chained them both to the double bed. Jane was confused and said so. Sally just said sweetly, “we just figure there are things you want to say to each other in private.” The bed had a flashlight, and there was a small chamber pot with a lid tucked under the bed.
Danny asked if Jane wanted to feel better. Jane said, “yes,” but was not sure what Danny had in mind. Danny used his hand to climax Jane, and Jane returned the favor. They both slept soundly.
Danny and Jane woke up when Danny's parents knocked on the door. Jane first wanted to say, “Just a minute,” so that she could get dressed. She realized that she was naked in bed, but she was chained to the bed. Sally and Roger quickly unlocked them and made suggestions about clothing for the day.
Jane figured that she was usually barefoot, especially inside. She had been noticing that most slaves did not wear shoes. She knew that the only female slave in the house did not wear any shirt. She decided that she would wear a shirt unless she was specifically asked to remove it. She put on a skirt and a shirt. After breakfast, Danny's family invited her into the study where there was a computer. They said there was a video call for her. She was surprised to see Mr. Mitchell on the screen. He had a smile on his face. Jane blushed when she guessed that he knew where and how she spent the night. She sighed to herself and thought, “A slave has no secrets.”
She smiled and said she found his house and the residents very friendly. He said he wanted to talk to her at least once a week, to make sure everything was working well. She described her supportive friends, who were making sure that she ran and climbed for about an hour a day. She was glad she was not just sitting around in chains. Jane said she was trying to learn her place in the world and was looking forward to the tutoring sessions and a good school year. Then Jane asked for a favor. She knew that with his permission, she could send very short emails to members of her family. Could he help her with this? Mr. Mitchell said that he would delegate this to Deb. He got Deb's email address and said he would send a special email to Deb. This email would give the passwords to allow Deb to function as Jane's owner for the purpose of managing slave-to-slave email messages. For Jane, being owned by Mr. Mitchell, probably the town’s richest man, seemed natural. It shocked her to think of her best friend Deb as “her owner,” even for this modest aspect of her life.
About 10 am, Deb knocked on the door. Roger came out holding Jane's bag and Jane's leash. Deb came over and took it and asked everyone if they had a good night. Danny was not allowed outside or near an open door. But he called out in a sweet way to Jane. Deb was bursting with curiosity. Jane said her lips were sealed until the whole gang was together.
They went first back to Deb's house. Deb put on better clothes for exercising. Then they went to the park for an hour of running and climbing. Deb started to realize that she was as much a slave as Jane was. No matter what Jane did outside, Deb was attached to a leash as well.
Back home, and after a good lunch, the doorbell rang. It was Karen Fields, another friend and her boyfriend Zach Perez. Karen had heard rumors that Deb's family had bought a slave. When she came in and saw Jane with a neck chain attached to a chain on the couch, she looked totally shocked. She demanded to know what had happened.
It took a few moments, and they told the story. Jane explained that she wanted to finish high school and go to college. She did not want to be worked to death as so many other slaves were. Zach was just staring at Jane in a most unhealthy way. Deb asked if she would be more comfortable covered with a blanket. Jane spoke slowly. “If Zach wants to look foolish, so be it. He is not hurting me. I am trying to get used to being and looking like a slave. I need to learn from moments like this. If he cannot pull himself together, I can, with Deb's permission, go back to the bedroom and take a nap.”
Zach did pull himself together. He noticed how annoyed Karen was by his staring behavior. Zach seemed to have decided to keep his eyes on Karen. After a few more minutes, the whole gang showed up. They decided to hang out in the backyard. They anchored Jane's chain to a large tree.
They talked about the insurance requirements for chains, the school rules, and dealing with other kids. They knew that having Jane go to high school would be difficult. There were other slaves at school, but they were not in the academic program. Mr. Mitchell was expecting Jane to be valedictorian, or very close. They would have to be careful about class schedules so that her friends would be able to keep up with her academically to accompany her to her classes. They mentioned the tutoring sessions. Karen and Zach said they would be there as well.
Jane did tell about her romantic adventure the night before. Everyone agreed it was a very sweet story, and it would make a good scene in a TV drama. Jane just said, “Don't get too excited. I am not getting married yet,” in a sarcastic tone.
As a group, they decided that owning a slave was a lot of work. Jane announced that she was seconds away from peeing. Jane admitted that she had needed to go for a while, but did not want to bother people to get her unlocked. When she bent down to pick up a heavy box, the need became urgent. The girls sharply criticized Jane for not mentioning that she had needed to pee. “You need to tell us how you are feeling and when you need help,” Sarah said in a reprimanding tone. Becky quickly got the keys and helped Jane to the bathroom.
Deb remembered that she had promised to log onto her computer to function as Jane's owner. She used the credentials that Mr. Mitchell had emailed her. As she explored the menus, she found she had access to more information than she could have ever imagined. Deb first opened the window about family communications. The page listed the names and slave numbers for the people with whom Jane was permitted to communicate. These were Jane's parents, Robert and Ruth Foreman, and Jane's younger brothers, Bill and James. There was a simple interface allowing communications between the family members.
Deb also had access to an extensive set of files detailing the financial dealings of Jane's parents as they tried to keep a failing business afloat. The last straw was using the same collateral for two different loans. It was clear that by pushing for the enslavement of the family and collecting all available assets, the “insider” creditors made a huge profit. The $190,000 they got from selling Jane, plus the value of Jane's brothers, was pure profit; the children were sold for an amount that was over and above any money still due to the creditors. Deb guessed that Jane's parents would have done anything to avoid having their children become enslaved, but they did not know how to avoid it.
There was also an appalling set of files giving Jane's mental and physical state and appraising her value. Deb could see a set of photos showing her being processed. They showed crowded, difficult conditions that were sickening. Some of the people in the background did not look alive. If Deb had any thoughts that “Project Jane” would not be a matter of life or death, then those thoughts evaporated. She wondered what she would say to Jane and her friends.
There was a document that carefully went through the transplant status of Jane's major organs. Her value as a transplant “donor” was only $650, not enough for Jane to be listed in any registry of potential donors. The thought that people were being bought and sold just to be sacrificed for their heart, liver, and kidneys for the wealthy and those with excellent insurance policies was truly horrifying. Deb was beginning to form very negative opinions about insurance companies.
There was a series of graphs that showed the expected rise in costs of the health care Jane would need over the years, based on her genetic profile. The same set of graphs also showed her anticipated value, which dropped to her “salvage value” at age 56. There was a list of places where she could be sent to obtain her “salvage value.” It was all so cold-blooded. Every penny was accounted for throughout her lifespan. Deb knew that a college education might push her curves forward 20-25 years.
Deb found that she could also activate a bank account set aside for Jane and Jane only. There was no way an owner could touch the funds at all. Deb realized that if she found people who wanted to support Jane, she could give a valid account number that Jane could use for her own purposes, including purchasing her own freedom. Deb realized that Jane could use money in the account to avoid some punishments.
Deb did send an initial message to the rest of Jane's immediate family. She explained that Jane was in good hands and that many people were working to see to it that Jane made it through high school. This would put her on track to go to college and become a professional. She would still be a slave. She might be able to run her own household without any restraints, except wearing a steel collar with a simple monitoring device.
Deb went to the group outdoors and told them the outlines of what she had learned and done on the computer. This started a vigorous debate about slavery and the unfairness of borrowing money. It was hard to get ahead without a loan, but it was a bummer to be sold into slavery. No one kept track of the fate of slaves.
The price of a slave was designed to give the buyer a profit if the buyer avoided bad deals and was very good at “human management.” “Project Jane” appeared to be an anomaly, a way to make a significant profit on a slave owned for only three years. Deb wondered if this was the basis of a business, locating enslaved teenagers who were good prospects and making sure they got good educations. Then she switched gears and said that no one other than Mr. Mitchell would make much money on this. He was risking a lot, for uncertain gains. In the end, they all agreed that the total focus of their project was to protect Jane from an evil fate. Any discussion of money was in bad taste since they were talking about profiting off of Jane's sale price. They could and would discuss the fact that they might all end up in college and have brighter futures since they could all look forward to that.
On Monday morning, the whole group, now including Karen and Zach, reported to Warren G Harding High School. The high school had a summer school to offer remedial courses to those who were desperate to avoid repeating a class. Mr. Mitchell had made a generous donation to the school system and had hired a teacher to allow them to add a special “enrichment class” for interested incoming sophomores. Nobody was interested except the gang. They approached the sign-up desk. The teacher there seemed to have anticipated them. They were being watched closely. An administrator said, “Slaves are not allowed in summer school!” Sarah, who was holding the leash, said, “Let's call Mr. Mitchell.” The administrator quickly turned around and went down the hall. It appeared that Sarah had the magic phrase.
They all filed into the large classroom. Jane asked if they could all sit in the front. The teacher was Emily Johnson, a young woman from the local university. She seemed to have expected three or four students. But just in case, she had ten sets of handouts, which was perfect for the eight students. She had a list of books to buy, but she said there was a debit card from Mr. Mitchell that would cover them. Since they did not have their books yet, they spent the morning drilling math problems. Fortunately, they had all taken Algebra 1 in their freshman year. They were able to work through the math problems. Deb and Jane did the best, Karen and Zach did the worst. But the important thing was that they were all straining to do their best.
The teacher was very good and was full of hints about how to function as a slave but still able to get one's way. She seemed to be very sympathetic and also very knowledgeable about “free people's” and “slave people's” expectations.
Emily told them, “There is an expense account for all of you at a local restaurant. As long as you have a perfect attendance record and do not order too much, you can all hang out together and have lunch. This will help you stay together for the afternoon. On a few days, I will be joining you for lunch.” The restaurant was Skipper's, known for its large menu.
They were all in a six-week program with built-in free lunch five days a week. This was something special! They all decided to keep this a secret the best they could, including from their parents. After lunch, they bought the books, again on Mr. Mitchell's dime. Karen and Zach knew that there was no other way they could ever, ever get the help they needed to do well enough in school to go to college. This was life-changing for them as well.
To help keep their secret, they walked in pairs along complicated routes from the school to Skipper's. At two places during the walk, they would pause to make sure they were not being followed. One teacher did see them share a table at Skipper's. She parked her car near the restaurant a few days later and watched them all arrive. By making quiet inquiries at the restaurant, she learned that someone was funding an expense account for them. She did not connect the expense account with Mr. Mitchell or the summer school. She was insanely jealous that a group of students, one of them a slave, had an account at what she regarded as an expensive restaurant. Ms. Blair, the senior English teacher, wrote down the names of the gang of eight, and she was determined to learn more about what these kids were plotting when school started.
As the program continued, the “gang of eight” kept their perfect attendance record. They decided to avoid acting like they had a magic money backer. They were very careful about how they dressed. They tried to look like average students. They were especially careful about Jane. They wanted people at the summer school to look at her as an average student. They showed up every day and greeted all their friends the best they could. They encouraged their friends to be cheerful and to be grateful for any opportunity at education.
Most of the students in summer school were resentful about “having their summer messed up.” Their families were resentful about the fees they had to pay because their kids had goofed off during the preceding year. By contrast, eight people, showing up on time, every day, with a big smile was always a surprise. That one of them was a slave who seemed to be directing the rest of the group was a puzzle. They knew that the coming year would be full of challenges. The teachers of the remedial classes seemed to be resentful of anyone who was enjoying summer school. Jane pointed out that summer school appeared to have enslaved everyone but the gang of eight and their skillful teacher.
After each lesson, they went to the park to run and climb for about 45 minutes. After a bit of exercise, they had lunch at Skipper's. They often shared a serving, since no one (except Zach) wanted to put on any weight. Then they went to someone's house to work on homework and the required reading. Then a long walk, they scattered for dinner so that everyone would have a chance to see their families.
If one's family went on a summer trip, they would stay at someone else's house. Even Deb's family went on a week's trip. Deb stayed with Cathy, and Jane stayed with Becky. Becky's family was surprised at just how complicated it was to have a slave living in their house for a week. The idea that by being part of this project, Becky would have a 99% chance of getting to college, without any cost to the parents, was thrilling. Plus, they understood that whatever hospitality they offered Jane would be reimbursed from the jackpot Mr. Mitchell got when he sold Jane was very enticing. They were somewhat dismayed by the habit of the girls of switching between slave clothes and free clothes whenever it suited them. This seemed like “taking things too far.” But Becky's parents did not interfere.
Each weekend, Jane looked forward to her afternoon, evening, and night with Mr. Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell was very happy that Jane was doing so well in her “class.” The class was like five classes at once: math, science, literature, history, and social studies. The teacher just said that social studies was the story of people who come from different backgrounds who can and do work together to form a community. Our project is a living example of social studies. She said authors of books should be studying them to see social studies in action. But then they learned hundreds of vocabulary words and concepts that were the basis of social studies courses in school. And so on. They were very well prepared for the coming school year.
And yes, Jane slept with Danny each night she stayed at the Mitchell house. She sometimes slept there on Wednesday night as well. Often it was because there was someone Mr. Mitchell wanted Jane to meet. Later, Jane realized that some of these people were on the school board. Mr. Mitchell knew that there was always some discretion about allowing a slave to attend a high school. He wanted to make sure that no one would stand in Jane's way. Jane displayed her love of learning and her love for the community. Jane also gave some details about why she was enslaved, which helped make her case.
At one of these dinners, one incident with a member of the school board really stood out. This gentleman actually asked Mr. Mitchell to allow a sexual encounter with Jane. Jane kept her mouth shut as Mr. Mitchell explained, “If someone found out that you were doing this, it would reflect badly on all of us. I can arrange for multiple encounters with a 25-year-old, in circumstances that would not lead to scandal.” But it was eye-opening for Jane to find her sexual life being decided, and her not able to react at all. Jane knew that speaking up would result in a whipping, at least in most circumstances.
And yes, her love affair with Danny was continuing. Somehow, there were always condoms in Danny's room. While some people wanted Danny and Jane to be happy, no one wanted a pregnancy. You might think that having sex would be difficult with a chain attached to your ankle. It turned out that it was easy, as long as you did not rotate so much that the chain wrapped around your legs. Sometimes the chains would clank loudly at each sexual motion. They figured if people did not want to hear it, they would not have put them in chains for the evening.
While she knew her friends were saving her life, they were not slaves. She was deeply in love with a young man who was also enslaved. Her bond to free people diminished in importance as her love for Danny grew.