WIP Wednesday – First Mataras: Michaela

Govi turned his attention to her.  “Michaela, I’m curious.  How did you escape discovery on Earth?  How did it happen you were delivered by a doctor who didn’t expose your existence?”
Michaela took a sip of the shel the waiter had brought to their table before answering.  “My parents were relief workers, and they were stationed on the island of Haiti after two hurricanes blew through within a couple of weeks of each other.  The devastation was so bad, they lived there for several years.”
“From what I’ve been able to learn, hermaphroditism can be caused by genetic factors.  It’s rare everywhere, but it happened in this one village often enough that intersex people there were called ‘the third gender’.  Many villagers accepted it without prejudice and considered it their duty to hide such people from the government as a way to reject the Church’s edict to euthanize them.  Haiti was no friend of the government.  I was lucky enough to be born there.”
“Lucky indeed,” Korkla said.  “I can hardly believe they would execute people for being born a certain way.”
Michaela took another sip of her drink.  It was only the second time she’d shared her story.  Until now, only Jessica had known the full tale.  It was hard to talk about, even though she knew it was safe to do so.  “The doctor who delivered me had concealed the births of three other intersexes during his tenure, all born to the same family.”
“So there are more like you.  You are not quite the rarity you claim to be,” Korkla said.
Michaela shook her head.  “Even among the intersexed, I’m an oddity.  Most have the characteristics of one sex in particular, and partial characteristics of the other.  In history, there are rumors but no documented cases of someone with fully formed and functioning male and female genitalia.  I’m the only one.”
Raxstad grinned.  “That is amazing.  And we are the ones who have found you.”
He seemed genuinely pleased by that.  He had the air of a man who’d won the lottery.  Michaela found his attitude amazing.  She was no prize by any means.
Govi brought her back to the conversation.  “You were safe on this island of Haiti?”
“In that one village.  My parents did all in their power to keep us there, but when I was seven, the aid projects to Haiti ended.  We had no choice but to return to the North American Bloc, where my father was from.”
No release date set.