Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters that appear in the hit syndicated TV show Dark Angel, owned and created by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters that appear in this story. Please do not use them without my permission.
A/N: FF.net is down and I'm bored as heck. Started reading a few little fics, and decided there wasn't enough in there about my one of my favorite characters, Brin (hence the pen name). I tried to find those upside-down question marks for the Spanish, but failed…
Summary: It's June, 2010, and a mysterious orphan has arrived has arrived in the small town near Los Angeles called Kingsburro (population 5,000). Her name is Brin and this is her story. Chapter 1 takes place before the Pulse.
Little Almond EyesPocos Ojos De la Almendra
By
Brin"Do or do not. There is no 'try.'"-Silent Bob, "Chasing Amy"
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Chapter 1: Land of Milk and Honey
Kingsburro, California, 2010"iOy! iCarlos mire a pequeña muchacha de ojos rasgados!" Hey! Carlos! Look at the little almond-eyed girl! said Alex Lopez as he and his brother watched a young Asian girl walk into the marketplace alone, her eyes darting around nervously.
"Ella es muy bonita," She is very pretty," said Carlos in reply. "Me pregunto de donde ella está." I wonder where she is from.
Alex cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "iOy! Pocos Ojos De la Almendra venido aquí." Hey! Little Almond Eyes, come here.
The young girl looked over at them and pointed at herself.
"Si. No le lastimaremos." Yes. We won't hurt you.
She seemed very reluctant to approach them, but the young girl finally walked over to their cart, which was full of fruits, vegetables, and baked items.
"Ella es demasiado flaca. Debemos alimentarla," She is too skinny. We should feed her. commented Carlos with a frown.
Alex picked up an apple and tossed it to the young girl. "Aquí. Coma esto y siéntese con nosotros para un rato. Cuál es su nombre?" Here. Eat this and sit with us for awhile. What is your name?
"Usted la piensa habla español?" Do you think she speaks Spanish? asked Carlos as the girl took a seat behind the cart with them, staring at the apple with predatory eyes.
"Hablo español. Usted habla inglés?" I speak Spanish. Do you speak English? asked the girl before taking a bite into the apple.
"Ah, touché my little friend," said Carlos, laughing. "So tell us, Little Almond Eyes, what is your name?"
"My name is Brin," she replied, taking another slow bite of her ripe apple as if it were to be her only food for the next week… maybe it was. "And who are you?"
"My name is Carlos Juan Henry Rodriguez Lopez, and this is my brother, Alex Jorge Rodriguez Lopez," said Carlos. He handed Brin a poppy seed muffin, laughing out loud as her eyes widened in shock at being offered more food. "Eat up. We have plenty. And if we run out… we'll just take it out of Alex's rations."
Brin's eyes got even wider and she shook her head, refusing the muffin. "If you have to take it out of his rations…"
"No, no, I was just kidding, Pocos Ojos De la Almendra." Little Almond Eyes. "Here, I want you to eat the whole thing. Go on," urged the young man with a smile.
Nervously, Brin accepted the muffin and took a large bite out of it.
"Where is are your parents?" asked Alex, who appeared to be only a few years older than Brin.
"I don't have parents," replied the girl blankly.
Carlos raised his eyebrows. "Are you staying with anyone?"
Brin looked at him. Her big, almond-shaped eyes held life experience that seemed to age her beyond her years. "No. I drift."
"What? No family?!" blurted Alex, shocked.
Carlos narrowed his eyes at his little brother. "Be kind, Alex." He turned to Brin. "So you're an orphan?"'
With one last big bite, Brin downed the rest of the muffin. "Sort of."
"How long has it been since you've eaten anything?" asked Carlos, rummaging through the cart.
"About four days," said Brin, but she shook her head when he offered her an orange. "No, I don't want to take your rations."
"Oh come on, we've got plenty to go 'round, Pocos Ojos De la Almendra," urged Carlos with a gentle smile. "Okay, how about Alex walks you home and Nana will cook you something good?"
"I can't stay here," protested Brin. "It's not safe. Zack said not to stay in one place."
"Zack? Who's Zack?" asked Alex.
"He… he was a friend." Brin suddenly looked very nervous and she began glancing around the marketplace as if expecting someone to attack her.
"Well, where is he now?"
"Um, gone. He left me…"
"He left you alone? That's not a very good friend, if you ask me!" exclaimed Carlos. He patted the young girl on the back with a large hand. "Do not worry, little one. The Lopez family will take care of you."
Brin opened her mouth to protest, but stopped herself and sighed. Zack wasn't here… and she really did need a place to stay. "Okay," she said quietly.
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Alex led Brin about three klicks outside the main part of Kingsburro to a large farm with a huge mansion for a farmhouse. Brin had never seen a house so big-it was even bigger than the barracks back at Manticore.
"How many people live here?" she asked Alex in awe.
"There's me, my two brothers, my sister, my mama, my papa, Nana, Abuelo and Abuelita, the farmhands, and the housekeepers," replied the boy with a shrug.
Brin was struck speechless as they entered the lavish house that was decorated with all sorts of beautiful and interesting things-from the huge tapestry hanging in the entry hall to the giant fish tank that made up at least half of an entire wall. Brin gasped in surprise as a shark bumped against the glass, staring at her with primal eyes. She checked to make sure Alex wasn't looking and then made a face at the shark. It bumped the glass again, then swam away.
"iHogar agradable mi hijo!" Welcome home my son! cried a beautiful Spanish woman as she entered the living room.
She was a tall, proud woman with well-defined features and shining jet black hair with a few gray streaks pulled back into a French braid that was tight against her neck. Her flowing dress was red with black roses and her silver heels clacked against the wood floor as she walked.
"Hello, Mama," replied Alex, wincing slightly as she embraced him in a warm hug. "Mama, I would like to introduce you to Brin. She's an orphan, but Carlos says she can stay with us for awhile."
The Spanish woman turned and looked startled to see Brin staring at her.
Brin fidgeted uncomfortably under the woman's gaze. She knew she wasn't much of a sight to see compared to Mrs. Lopez's elegant beauty. It had been awhile since she had been able to wash her hair, and it was still considerably shorter than most girls' from the Manticore buzz. She was too small for her age, causing her to appear to only be six or seven and extremely skinny from lack of food. Earlier that day she had been victim of a passing motorist going through a puddle-splashing mud all over poor, unsuspecting Brin. Her clothes, just a gray shirt and jeans, were oversized and had several large holes in them from traveling through wooded areas. She had no shoes and her feet were bloody and bruised from hundreds of miles of running through dense wilderness. In fact, most of her body was in the same state as her feet—bloody and bruised.
"You poor thing!" exclaimed Mama Lopez with a sympathetic look. "Alex, fetch this poor girl something to eat! She's nothing but a bag of bones! Nana! Nana!"
An elderly woman emerged from a large doorway leading to what Brin believed was the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. She was a rather heavyset, short woman with dazzling green eyes and a gentle smile. "Yes, Mrs. Lopez?"
Mama gestured to Brin. "Will you ask the housekeepers to prepare this girl a room with a bathroom? Brin will be staying with us for as long as she likes. And, if possible, ask someone to bring Pilar's boxes of old clothes from the attic."
"Yes, Mrs. Lopez," replied Nana, giving Brin a smile.
Brin shifted from foot to foot nervously as she was left alone with Mama Lopez. "What do I refer to you as, ma'am?"
"Just call me Mama," replied the woman, her voice clear and musical.
Alex came back into the room holding a tray of cheese, milk, bread, and grapes. "I got some food, Mama."
Mama Lopez smiled. "Thank you, Alex. Would you keep Brin company while her room is prepared? I need to make a phone call."
"Yes, Mama," replied Alex. "You can sit down, if you want."
Brin stared at the white leather couches for a few minutes before deciding to plop down on the loveseat. She accepted the tray of food from Alex and nibbled on the cheese.
"So you're really an orphan?"
Brin looked up at Alex and narrowed her eyes. "I have no parents, if that's what you're asking."
"How did they die? Or did they abandon you?"
"I don't think that's any of your business," growled Brin, putting the food down.
Alex shrugged. "Whatever."
They stood in nervous silence for a few minutes before activity could be heard in the entry way. Soon, a group of rowdy, shouting teens came into the living room. The last of them were two boys that were older versions of Alex.
"Hey, Alex! What do we have here?" asked one of them, approaching Brin. "A little girlfriend of yours?"
"Lay off, Hernando!" growled Alex, stepping in-between the two.
Brin stared at the back of Alex's head in wonderment. No one outside her unit had ever tried to protect her before…
"Ooh, wittle Awex is trying to protect his wittle girlfriend," cackled Hernando's twin.
Alex glared at them. "Hernando, Luis, just lay off. She's staying with us."
Hernando and Luis looked over Alex' shoulder at Brin, who was glaring at them with fiery eyes. They laughed. "Well… more time for us to make fun of you," said Luis, ruffling Alex's hair. "Let's go, you guys. We'll have our fun with them later." And with that, they swaggered off with their rather scary-looking friends.
Alex turned to Brin and grinned. "Don't worry about tem. They're just a lot of talk."
Brin nodded and returned a small, almost non-existent smile. "It's okay. I can take care of myself."
"Obviously," replied Alex. "How long have you been on your own?"
"Three or four months."
"Wow. Who were you staying with before?"
"I was at an orphanage... but it... closed down."
Alex patted her on the shoulder sympathetically. "That's too bad... But you're with us now. Don't worry, Pocos Ojos De la Almendra, we Lopez's will take care of you."
"Thank you," said Brin quietly. She hugged herself and turned back to the fish tank. As she did this, a strange sense of vertigo overcame her and the room began to spin. "Um... Alex, I think I'm going to..."
Alex jumped forward to catch Brin as her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed, limp like a rag doll and out cold. "Mama! Brin fainted!"
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"I think she's waking up."
Brin opened her eyes and saw three blurry faces staring down at her. She licked her dry, chapped lips and whispered in a hoarse voice, "What... what happened?"
"You fainted from lack of food and sleep," said a deep, unrecognizable voice.
"Are you alright, Pocos Ojos De la Almendra?" asked Carlos worriedly. "This is Dr. Wilkinson. He's the family physician."
Brin bolted upright, narrowly avoiding bumping her head with the three people staring down at her. She began to panic and started sliding towards the edge of the bed. "What? I can't be in the hospital!" she cried.
"You're not in the hospital," said Mama Lopez, gently pushing her back down. "This is your bedroom."
"Oh..." Brin let out a sigh of relief and looked around the room curiously as her vision cleared once gain.
The room was absolutely beautiful. The walls were a warm yellow color and the drapes over the huge French-style window were white with a light green flower pattern. She was laying in a king-size canopy bed with white and green bedcovers to match the drapes. The bed frame was made of dark oak wood, as was the rest of the furniture in the room, which included a bureau, a body-length mirror, two nightstands, a small couch, a television and television stand, and a desk.
"Just keep her full and make sure she gets plenty of liquids for the next few days," instructed Dr. Wilkinson, who was an elderly African man with a bushy mustache and a pot belly.
"We will, doctor. Thank you for coming over," said Mama.
"No problem, Mrs. Lopez. And there's no charge—you saved me from mowing the lawn today," mused Dr. Wilkinson as he left the room.
As soon as the doctor was gone, Alex poked his head in the door. "Can I come in now?"
"Brin needs her rest. We'll just leave her alone for awhile," stated Mama, kissing Brin on the forehead. "You can take a bath when you feel like it, okay? We've got clothes for you in the bureau. Dinner will be ready at 7 o'clock. You really should join us to get acquainted with the family. See you then."
"Don't worry, Pocos Ojos De la Almendra, you'll learn to love us Lopez's," said Carlos, also giving her a kiss on the forehead. "See you at dinner."
And then, Brin was alone. She pulled the covers off and noticed someone had changed her into pajamas. She sat up again and rubbed her grime-covered arms. "I need a bath," she declared to herself, hopping off the bed and heading towards one of the three doors in the room. The one to the left of the bed was the one Mama and Carlos had exited through, so she tried the other two. The first door she tried led to a huge, empty walk-in closet. The other revealed a good-sized, nearly totally marble bathroom with hot tub, shower, two sinks, and giant mirror. Even the toilet had its own room.
Brin pulled off her clothes and opted to use the shower, since baths reminded her of the water chambers back at Manticore where they were tested on how long they could hold their breaths. She was especially weak in that area since she was so tiny, which meant her lungs were considerably smaller than the others'. Though after awhile she learned that if she remained very, very still and didn't even open her eyes she could stay under as long as she needed to. Tinga was always the best at holding her breath. When they had done their required time and were allowed to surface, Tinga would always show off by staying under for an extra five or ten minutes while Brin struggled to the surface and gasped for air by the time it was over. The only one who could even come close to Tinga was Zack, because he was good at everything. Eva suspected Zack never beat Tinga on purpose; he was never really a big show-off.
Irritably shaking these thoughts from her mind, the girl stepped in the surprisingly clean shower and was faced with a very frustrating problem—she had no idea how to turn it on. Back at Manticore, their showers had been timed; turned on and off by a control center. Here in front of here were two knobs—one labeled H and one labeled C.
She leaned against the wall as she pieced things together, severely embarrassed at her situation. Knobs were made to be turned, right? H and C had to stand for something. Hydrogen and Chlorine? She highly doubted it.
Finally, the young girl gave up and just turned the knob labeled "H". Immediately, warm water flowed out of the showerhead and flowed over her skin. Brin was momentarily startled. She had never had a warm shower before! Her enjoyment, however, didn't last long, since the water started getting hotter and hotter. She shrieked in surprise quickly jumped against the wall to escape the nearly-scorching heat.
By now, however, she had figured out that "H" meant either "heat" or "hot" so she decided that "C" must've stood for "cold." She turned the other knob and waited a few seconds before feeling the water again. It was pleasantly warm now. Her assumptions had been correct. She stepped back underneath the water. A sigh of escaped her lips before she could stop it. This place was heaven. She had had more food in one day than she usually got in a week. There was a roof over her head and kind people around her.
Yet... Zack had warned against emotional attachments. If they got too attached to one place or people, they wouldn't be able to leave when the time came. They would become slow and get caught, he had said. Or Lydecker would kill their attachments and cause them to act irrationally; against their soldier judgment.
How could she convince him to let her stay? Would he even listen to her? Would he even find her? This was the Good Place that Ben talked about when they couldn't sleep. Where no one gets punished and no one disappears. On another note, there was no one around to get punished or disappear. The others had scattered all over the east coast.
During the escape she had been paired with Ben, yet Zack had advised them to split up when they were a safe distance from Manticore. She hadn't seen any of the others since just after the escape. They had gathered briefly when they were a little less than a hundred miles away from Manticore. Jondy had reported Max had fallen under the ice and she had been unable to help her. But Max was strong and clever; she'd most likely survive. No one knew what happened to Zack. But a week after the escape, he had grabbed her and Ben in a dark ally, advising them to split up since Lydecker was hot on their tails. They had taken his advice without question; he was, after all, their CO.
She grabbed the soap from the niche in the wall and rigorously started cleaning the three months of dirt and grime from her body. After that she washed her short, jet-black hair with sweet-smelling shampoo. Back at Manticore they had only been allowed to use shampoo once a week since their hair was so short. That shampoo had had no smell and was plain white. This shampoo was a warm honey color and smelled of fruits and flowers. Her hair wasn't quite long enough to cover her barcode, but Zack had given her some makeup to hide it.
Then, she realized something very, very bad. The makeup was in her other outfit… and she was taking a shower. She quickly washed the shampoo from her hair, wrapped a towel around herself, and ran into the bedroom in search of her clothes. By a sheer stroke of luck, her old outfit had been set on the edge on the couch to be picked up later. She quickly pulled her only belongings—some makeup, a few coins, and a small comb—from the jean pocket with a sigh of relief. She dumped the coins onto the nightstand then took the makeup and comb into the bathroom. With another sigh of relief she applied the makeup to her barcode and combed her quickly-drying hair. When she was done she wandered over to the bureau and opened the drawers. They were each filled with a different clothing item—socks, shirts, shorts, pants, etc. Opting for nothing too fancy, Brin pulled on pair of gray socks, blue jeans, and a red t-shirt. It felt extremely good to be clean, clothed, and fed. On top of that, there was another meal to come. There was no way she would let Zack take her away from this place.