African Expidition: Eleven,

I guess I should feel lucky. After awaking from my comatose type slumber, I have made peace with the natives that have taken me in. They speak English, atleast most of them do. I have heard a few whisper behind my back in their native tongue. For whatever reason, I was granted a serving wench to show me around.

I just met her this evening. She's lovely, that's for certain, but her skin is so much lighter than everyone else's. Her eyes are olvie green and not brown and her hair is orange. She, like me, seems to be concidered an outsider by the rest of her tribe. No one crosses her path directly, and her head must always be lower than anyone else of darker color, leaving her to keep her waist bent at most times. The chief told me she was given to me as a pet and I may treat he as such. I don't understand it. She is given finer clothes than most of the others in her tribe. She looks more like a princess than a peasent girl.

My plan for tonight is to figure out why she is treated this way and if it's because of her coloring or if it's simply something she had done. I'm pretty sure it's the color.

OoOOoOO

Huey set down his log and looked at the staring girl by his side. Her copper skin seemed to glow in the dim light of the small candle between them. She had yet spoken a word to the young explorer, even though he had greated her twice.

"Hello,"

She just bowed her head bashfully at him.

"Can you tell me your name?"

She stared up at him like a confused child who had just been asked a math problem.

"Would you like to know my name?"

She nodded feverishly, her eyes sparkling, reflecting off the gem that rested on her forehead.

"My name is Huey," He told her slowly, "Can you say Huey?"

She smiled and nodded again, but placed her finger over her lips seriously.

"Huey..." He said slowly again, "Huuueeeey,"

She huffed, her puffy hair floating over her gold band that held the gems on her head. Like a tiara that held a long viel behind her. She rolled her eyes and bit her lip. He just assumed she was concentrating. He repeated his name many times, until she grew annoyed and placed her hand over his mouth, not touching any part of him, however. She just let it float an inch away, but he understood to get quiet.

"You... want me to stop?"

She nodded again and pointed to chest, her fingers then went to her lips and covered her own mouth.

"You've... taken a vow of silence?"

She nodded again, happy to be understood.

"I would like to know your name, though," Huey told her seriously. A thought seemed to come to her head as she rose to her feet, she bowed at him before running out the hut urgently. Huey blinked in curiosity, jotting some notes down in his journal. About five and a half minutes later, he was graced by the young woman's precense again. She was cradling something in her hand delicately, her fingers cupped over whatever she was carrying.

She dropped to her knees back at her place and gently placed the small contents of her hand onto the space next to Huey's knee.

It was a flower.

Huey picked it up and examined it, he cocked an eyebrow at her and mouthed the word to himself, "Jasmine...?"

She nodded feverishly, pointing to herself.

"Jazmine? Your name... is Jazmine?"

Her eyes widened and she floated her hand an inch away from his mouth again, just like before, only this time it was desperate, as if she were afraid of someone hearing.

"Jazmine... look," Huey told her, pulling her hand away from his face. His skin touching hers, made her eyes go ablaze and she snatched it away as if it had been on fire, "I don't understand these customs of yours. You need to help me out, if you can speak, I demand you tell me what's up,"

"I am not allowed to speak unless directly ordered... It has rarely ever happened to me," She bit her lip and leaned in very close to him, keeping her voice hushed and almost inaudible, "I am... a tainted flower... I am fouled with the pale faced... I am not a true Juikinian,"

"So you're being punished for your parents sins?"

She nodded, "I'm not allowed into the tribe until someone helps me... get back in,"

Huey nudged himself closer, "How could one do that?"

"Oh!" She blushed feverishly, "I couldn't ask that of you,"

Huey felt his heart race at the sight of her flushed face. Her voice was gentle and her moods made a smile warn its way onto his face. He felt compelled to her, placing a hand over hers reassuringly, "I came here to help you people, Jazmine. I'm going to help you,"

"But I couldn't..."

"I promise you," Huey told her sternly, "I wanna help,"

"I..." She started, but turned her face away, unable to hide the red that was growing. Suddenly, a man, a tribes man Huey recognized, came into the hut, carrying a bowl of food. When he spotted Huey's hand over hers, his eyes grew wide and he spun on his heal to scream out into the night. Huey shot a look at Jazmine who looked mortified.

"No...!!" She exclaimed.

"What just..."

"I apologize, Huey," She looked as though she would start crying as she ran out of the hut. Huey followed. They ran after the tribesman, who had conjured up quite a commotion, people wondering out of their homes to see what on Earth he had been screaming about.

The tribesman made his way to the Chief's alter and whispered something into his ear. Huey watched as the hardened man's face grow very angry, and shot him a death glare.

"You have touched the tainted girl?" He exclaimed with a steadiness that made Huey feel sick.

"I held her hand," Huey said cautiously, "I didn't think it was..."

The chief slammed his staff hard on the alter and barked out, "We Juinikians have laws! You have touched the girl! You must be the one to free her!"

"But you grace-!" She exclaimed out of order, "He is unaware of our customs and-!"

"Silence girl!" The chief shouted in disgust, "Huey Freeman, you are one of dark skin like us, and you have touched the one tainted with the pale faced ones. Because of this she is disconnected by our tribe... it is by only one with our color that can return her to her people as she was meant to be. DO you accept this responsiblity?"

"Yes," Huey shrugged, he had wanted to help her in the first place. Jazmine turned sharply to him, her eyes blazing and it shock filled worry, "I'd... be happy to.."

"Then you, Tainted Child shall bear a dark child by the end of next year!"

"What!?" Huey exclaimed, nearly choking, "Bear a... a... ch-child?!"

"I tried to tell you," Jazmine whispered hushedly.

OoOOooOOOooOOOoOOOoOOOoOOoooOOoOOoOO

SAY WhAT!?

Again- like my japanese story, i know NOTHING of african culture. I just made up a group of people... based off of a movie with Tim Allen... idk what it was called but i watched it all the time. he had a jungle boy kid or something... uh... yeah

hope issall good folks!