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It was an odd display. I assumed it was so the other girls would note how interested he was and not harass me. If he’d asked I would have told him not to treat me different, but he obviously had his own ideas.
I felt a kiss on my head and he was gone.
I sat staring blankly ahead, waiting, when Rose took my hand.
“They wish us to write Ciara, as we did before,” she said gently.
I had no ideas and sat looking at her. Rose took the initiative and started to write a short story. I wasn’t even sure exactly what it was about. Fuji drew pictures for it later in the morning. It was all a blur to me.
My kneeling place was by the front gate at lunch. The sun here was so much warmer than in the mountains. I knelt in the warm rays and a tear crested my eye. Kennedy would love the weather here. She adored sitting in sunny places and talking with me. I was sure wherever she traveled she would like the warm places best.
Hannah was never that particular with light. Obviously she adored the sky, but she had liked exploring the crevices in the mountain, too. Darkness and cold never seemed to bother her. Probably this would suit her well for a mining career. That seemed a good way to earn money.
“Sweet woman,” a voice crooned softly and I looked up surprised.
Kein knelt directly in front of me and took my hands. I hadn’t even noticed or heard him.
I rose to stand and motion to my left surprised me. Basin stood with Rose, her kneeling place under his arm and a bowl in his hand. It seemed they were going with us.
We walked as group into the forest. I heard the rustle of the leaves as we passed through and the tread of boots behind me. When Kein stopped I looked at the thick forest still in front of us.
“Sit,” Kein said softly pushing me back.
He’d placed my kneeling place on a stump. It made a comfortable chair. Obediently, I sat and watched him. Light filtered down through the trees and dappled the inside of the forest. A stream of light hit his head and I noted how soft the waves in his hair looked.
“She hasn’t spoken without a prompt in two day cycles,” Kein said and I looked at him absently. “She just stares in front of her and waits for us to tell her what to do. What is wrong? Did she say anything to you today?”
The question was not directed to me. Rose sat like I did on a similar stump.
“No,” Rose answered, “it is probably a form of sadness. It is very deep. It can get worse with childbirth. I imagine the children leaving her is making it worse.”
“Do many women on Earth get this?” Basin asked carefully.
“Yes, my sister on Earth had it,” Rose answered. “She was ill like this for a long time. We had things on Earth to help, but here… I just don’t know.”This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.
Basin started to name off healing creams he’d heard of. Rose considered them, but didn’t think any would help. She talked about the electroshock therapy, that her sister had undergone. It was difficult, but she tried to explain the concept to Kein and Basin. Everyone seemed frustrated.
They were standing in the forest and talking about me like I wasn’t here. Some deep part of me wanted to be irritated with them, but that would take so much energy. Still, I managed some attitude.
“I’m right here,” I protested weakly looking at Kein.
The voice behind me startled me as the rest of the family made themselves known.
“Barely, little Sister,” Bane said sounding worried, “you are barely here.”
“You must not do this,” Rose said shaking my arm. “I know your girls, they are very strong. They will be upset if they hear of this. Hannah will protect Kennedy if she needs it. Your girls will do well.”
My shoulders slumped a little as I started to tear. “I have to do it again.”
“Yes,” Rose said with determination, “and we will help you. You must wake up and stop this. The girls would be upset. It is time to be strong.”
We talked through lunch. At some point we ate. I was fed the root in addition to my meal. The men knew how my stomach could be.
I felt like a zombie and fought to pull myself out of it. For the first time in a long time I tried to converse normally. It seemed to work and my mind cleared a little.
After the lunch, I felt a little more like myself. I talked to Rose on the beach and tried to make peace with my situation. Sinking into a depression wasn’t going to help. I had to keep myself out of it.
To distract my mind, I tried to focus on the here and now.
“What happened to Vesa and her friends?” I asked Rose.
Fuji answered for Rose. I wasn’t supposed to know. She was here, but she would not be speaking to me. Everyone had been given instructions not to talk about what had happened to her and to keep us apart.
I sighed and shook my head. If I wasn’t supposed to know, Fuji would make sure I never did. A command from her owners was all it took. Their word was law.
“I would like,” Rose said formally, “to swim with you in the ocean. The activity would be good for both of us.”
I could not believe I’d heard her correctly. When she asked the Keepers to remove her ornamentation and stepped into the sea with me, I was more shocked. The pool in the mountains had seemed like torture for her everyday. She’d always done just the required laps and jumped out.
“I must learn to be less afraid,” she said as we stood in waist deep water.