chapter 1: the convocation

Today, every 18-year-olds of Collossia had been convoked for a speech of the Great Council. As Lila was eating before getting on her way, she was staring at her breakfast. After taking a bite, she decided that she should better get moving if she did not want to arrive late at the speech. She took her bag and left, leaving her plate almost untouched. She had never been the hungry type and it showed. Weighing 104 pounds, she had a very slim figure, almost skinny, and no curves at all. She was often mistaken for being part of a lower tier family, even though her parents were successful merchants, and members of the Second-Tier. Although her parents never shamed her per se, she had always felt that her petite figure embarrassed them a little.

You see, Collossia, was a very regimented society. At the lowest echelon of the social hierarchy, there was the Third Tier, composed mostly of farmers, miners and servants. Members of the Third-Tier were often very slim because of the smaller amount of food and the physical exertion their jobs demanded. The Second-Tier comprised people occupying more intellectual jobs, such as merchants (Lila’s parents), professors, physicians, etc. People in the Second-Tier were normally a lot chubbier than the Third-Tier. Finally, the First-Tier was composed of high-level decision makers in the government, all living in the Palace. They were without a doubt the richest, having servants and, of course, were mostly fat. At the top of the First-Tier, ruled the Great Council, or the Big Seven. Unlike other leadership roles, the Seven were chosen among the best, brightest and biggest 18-year-olds and held their role for the remainder of their lives. However, it was unclear whether their role was only symbolic, or if they held real decision power. In Collossia, fat was not only evidence of one’s position, but an integral part of it. The more weight one had put on, the more powerful and prestigious they were seen to be.

As Lila arrived at the auditorium, she saw Seth, sitting in the Third-Tier’s section, further in the back. Seth and Lila had been friends since their childhood because Seth’s father worked as a delivery man for Lila’s parents. Although she would have liked to go sit next to him, she had to go to the Second-Tier's section, in the middle. Members of different tiers rarely spent time with one another, not that it was prohibited per se, but it was frowned upon. Therefore, as Lila and Seth had grown older, they had also grown further apart, seeing each other less and less, a reality that was hard for both of them.

As Lila walked towards a free spot, she could feel people’s eyes staring at her, which made her very uncomfortable. As she walked in front of Tina and Brooke, two Second-Tiers who had always made fun of her, she heard Brooke say “Look if it’s not twiggy sitting in the wrong section again,” to which they both laughed. Lila was used to those kinds of comments by now and so she ignored them and kept walking. She finally sat between two chubby girls and looked at the First-Tier's section, comprising only one row. People in that section were overflowing their seats. Lily took a few seconds to admire them. She had always found their figures fascinating. While she did not have an ounce of fat on her body, they were the opposite. Even the smallest among them were at least twice her size. The biggest among them must have been at least 250 pounds. Lila would have done anything to be like them. Unfortunately, eating more than a few bites every meal was impossible for her.

Lila was brought out of her reverie when the big screen lit up. On it, you could see 6 massive people. They were, without a doubt, the fattest people Lila had ever seen. They were the Big Seven. Each one of them was seated on an immense throne, leaving one throne on the far right empty. Although they were all massively obese, there was a clear hierarchy, the ones further on the sides being smaller, maybe weighing 500 pounds, and the one in the center clearly close to the 700 pounds mark. Lila could feel a tingle in her stomach and between her legs at the sight of the Great Council. Their size was hypnotizing. They were so fat. The biggest one, in the center, started speaking.

“Good morning fellow Collossians. As you must know, we have lost one member of our Great Council a few weeks ago. You have all been convoked here today for a very important announcement. On this same date, one year from now, we will be choosing his replacement, the new seventh member of the Council. The selection will be made among one of you, 18-year-olds of the community.” Whispers went through the room. “As you must know, being part of the Great Council is a huge responsibility. Of course, we are looking for people exhibiting leadership, determination and intelligence. However, they must also be powerful, and, as you all know, power is first and foremost shown through one’s corpulence. In 6 months from now, we will be selecting the 10 among you who have most exhibited those qualities, based on the assessment of our secret scouts on the field. These Candidates will undertake the Trial, a six-month assessment, at the end of which, one of them will be chosen as the new Seven. Although people in the First-Tier are advantaged here…” People in the first row smiled and whispered to one another. “anyone can be selected if they exhibit the qualities of a Seven. I wish all of you good luck and we are excited to meet the 10 selected Candidates in 6 months. Until then, may you be filled to your heart’s content”.
Everyone in the room replied, in unison: “May you be filled to your heart’s content.”

The screen turned off, and everyone got up and walked towards the exit. As Lila exited the auditorium, Seth joined her with a big smile. “Hey Lila! So what did you think of the speech?”

“Well, I guess that was surprising. Although, I don’t think it will change anything in our lives. Well, one of those First Tiers is gonna be very lucky…” Lila replied, with a sad expression.

“Oh come on, you are telling me you are not going to try to be selected? I know that since you were only 6, you have always admired the Seven. You clearly want to be part of them.” Seth said.

“Well, of course, I do… But have you seen me? I am way too skinny to be selected. We all know that only the fattest Collossians are chosen. I would never make it. I would need to gain at least 100 pounds…”

“I never took you for the giving up type. You still have 6 months. That’s well enough. You know what? If you decide to do it, I will help you gain the weight. I will encourage you and make sure you stay on track! What would you say to that?”

“Well, I guess that would help…” Lila replied, staring at her feet. “Okay, you know what? I am going to try. I might not make it, but at least I will have given it my all. And, worst-case scenario, I will be a little fatter, which would be a good thing,” she said, smiling.

“Alright, well let’s get to your house. We only have 6 months, so we need to start right away!” Seth said, enthusiastically.

They went to Lila’s house. When they told Lila’s parents of their plan, both of them looked very happy. At first, they seemed hesitant about Seth spending a lot of time with their daughter, but the prospect of her finally putting on weight was enough for them to accept. Also, since they worked mainly in the food sector, having food was not a problem at all. They told Lila that they would give her all the food she needed to gain weight. For now, she could take the cake that was sitting in the fridge. Lila and Seth took the cake and went to Lila’s room. After only a few bites, she was already starting to feel full. Every bite made her stomach hurt a little more. However, with Seth’s encouragement, after about an hour of eating, she managed to eat one quarter of it. Lila was stuffed to the brim.

“Okay that’s enough. I can’t eat anymore. That’s more than I have ever eaten.” She said, massaging her skinny, but bloated stomach.

“Come on Lila. If you want to gain at least 100 pounds in 6 months, you will need to eat a lot more than that. Do you think the First Tiers would stop before finishing their cake? You will need to increase your stomach capacity. Of course, it is going to be hard, but I am sure that after some time, you will get used to it and you will have a way bigger appetite. So come on, I am supposed to help you and that’s what I am going to do. Open up!” Seth said, picking the fork and feeding Lila more cake.

With his encouragement, she managed to go through the pain and eat half the cake. As she laid there, unable to move, she felt as if her overstuffed stomach was going to explode.

“Please Seth, can you massage my stomach, it hurts so much.”

“Of course,” he replied, massaging her stomach, softly.

The feeling of Seth’s muscular arms caressing her full stomach was incredible. As she looked at him, she realized how handsome Seth was. Of course, he was very slim and muscular, nowhere near fat, but his green eyes were beautiful. As he was massaging her stomach, she could feel the pain slowly going away, giving way to a very pleasing feeling. “I could get used to this,” she thought.