Chapter 8 - Divided
"Vehn doesn't want me around, and Laena is sure to follow whatever he says! She's only 14; she may not know what to think. I have to leave."
"And leave us all here to die? Zim hasn't exactly removed his threat of killing us all, yet! Maybe Vehn WAS right!"
"No, he's not! I want you to come, too."
"And what about Laena? She's my friend, too."
"You can talk to her, but if she doesn't want to go, that's her choice."
"I'm starting to think that I shouldn't have been so eager to accept marriage from you."
"Please, don't say that!"
"Don't tell me what to say!"
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it that way!"
"The more I think of it, your idea of leaving is getting better and better."
"Do you think you can leave tonight?"
"Me? You're the one who's leaving!" Nodac threw his suitcase at his face.
"You...really want me to leave?"
"Yes." Nodac looked defiantly at him. "Do you actually consider leaving us?" How dare you! I was wrong to ever fool myself into thinking you had humanity's best interests at heart!"
"I do, I promise, just give me a chance!" Nodac, unconvinced, took off the ring she had been given, dropped it in Dib's hand, and left with tears. He stared at it, and then sat. It was too much of a shock for him to take at once. As he sat, a book fell to the floor. Picking it up, he noticed that it read: "The Lost Language of the Stars." It had a foreword explaining that almost every language of the world originated from a core language introduced by extraterrestrials. The language itself was entitled CAL, Core Alien Language, by the author. He began to read, enthralled, and couldn't stop. Interested in seeing if he knew of the author, he looked at the front cover, his eyes opening wide in shock.
Nodac Repknl. Nodac had written it. The back had her picture on it and a brief description of herself. Acting on a hunch, he looked up her first and last name.
"Nodac-someone's ancestry, or home. Repknl-devotion to, or love for." He flipped through it some more, and found what he was looking for. Dib committed to memory a short, simple sentence, and waited a few minutes for dinner to be called.
Sure enough, Laena walked in, looking angry, and said, "Dinner's ready." 'Nodac must have told her about what happened,' Dib thought. "And by the way, you'd better not ruin anyone else's lives around here." She walked back to the second room, where the four joined at the table in uncomfortable silence. While eating his meal, he looked at Nodac with sorrowful eyes, as if asking forgiveness. When she saw him, she scowled and resumed eating.
The meal was devoured in silence, and when they finished, Nodac went promptly to her room. Dib followed, ignoring Vehn's murmurs, and put his hand on her shoulder. She turned immediately.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"I'm sorry. I just wanted a word with you."
"Okay. Fine. What is it you want to say?"
"Nodac nle," he began in the Core Alien Language as he took her hand, "Adi adius acliadius." Nodac's eyes widened in realization. Dib said to her in English, "Dearest Nodac, I love, deeply."
"You-How do you-?"
"I read some of your book. It's quite impressive that you were able to gather a complete dictionary."
"I called it the Core Alien Language when I wrote the book, but that's just to make it easier for the audience reading it. The language is actually called the Kareire (Kuh-reh-ee-reh)."
"It's fascinating work. How is it that your name is in the Kareire language?"
"My parents were fluent. I grew up with it. I'm almost fluent."
"Say something to me."
"Something."
"Very funny. I mean, say something in Kareire."
"Qytla. The word 'something' in Kareire."
"Anything else?"
"Well, I could swear and tell dirty jokes, but there's something else that I'd rather say."
"What's that?"
"Dib nle, Adi adius acliadius."
"We're back on speaking terms, then?"
"Yes. It means much more than that." Nodac outstretched her hand, and Dib slipped the ring back on.
"Vehn doesn't want me around, and Laena is sure to follow whatever he says! She's only 14; she may not know what to think. I have to leave."
"And leave us all here to die? Zim hasn't exactly removed his threat of killing us all, yet! Maybe Vehn WAS right!"
"No, he's not! I want you to come, too."
"And what about Laena? She's my friend, too."
"You can talk to her, but if she doesn't want to go, that's her choice."
"I'm starting to think that I shouldn't have been so eager to accept marriage from you."
"Please, don't say that!"
"Don't tell me what to say!"
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it that way!"
"The more I think of it, your idea of leaving is getting better and better."
"Do you think you can leave tonight?"
"Me? You're the one who's leaving!" Nodac threw his suitcase at his face.
"You...really want me to leave?"
"Yes." Nodac looked defiantly at him. "Do you actually consider leaving us?" How dare you! I was wrong to ever fool myself into thinking you had humanity's best interests at heart!"
"I do, I promise, just give me a chance!" Nodac, unconvinced, took off the ring she had been given, dropped it in Dib's hand, and left with tears. He stared at it, and then sat. It was too much of a shock for him to take at once. As he sat, a book fell to the floor. Picking it up, he noticed that it read: "The Lost Language of the Stars." It had a foreword explaining that almost every language of the world originated from a core language introduced by extraterrestrials. The language itself was entitled CAL, Core Alien Language, by the author. He began to read, enthralled, and couldn't stop. Interested in seeing if he knew of the author, he looked at the front cover, his eyes opening wide in shock.
Nodac Repknl. Nodac had written it. The back had her picture on it and a brief description of herself. Acting on a hunch, he looked up her first and last name.
"Nodac-someone's ancestry, or home. Repknl-devotion to, or love for." He flipped through it some more, and found what he was looking for. Dib committed to memory a short, simple sentence, and waited a few minutes for dinner to be called.
Sure enough, Laena walked in, looking angry, and said, "Dinner's ready." 'Nodac must have told her about what happened,' Dib thought. "And by the way, you'd better not ruin anyone else's lives around here." She walked back to the second room, where the four joined at the table in uncomfortable silence. While eating his meal, he looked at Nodac with sorrowful eyes, as if asking forgiveness. When she saw him, she scowled and resumed eating.
The meal was devoured in silence, and when they finished, Nodac went promptly to her room. Dib followed, ignoring Vehn's murmurs, and put his hand on her shoulder. She turned immediately.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"I'm sorry. I just wanted a word with you."
"Okay. Fine. What is it you want to say?"
"Nodac nle," he began in the Core Alien Language as he took her hand, "Adi adius acliadius." Nodac's eyes widened in realization. Dib said to her in English, "Dearest Nodac, I love, deeply."
"You-How do you-?"
"I read some of your book. It's quite impressive that you were able to gather a complete dictionary."
"I called it the Core Alien Language when I wrote the book, but that's just to make it easier for the audience reading it. The language is actually called the Kareire (Kuh-reh-ee-reh)."
"It's fascinating work. How is it that your name is in the Kareire language?"
"My parents were fluent. I grew up with it. I'm almost fluent."
"Say something to me."
"Something."
"Very funny. I mean, say something in Kareire."
"Qytla. The word 'something' in Kareire."
"Anything else?"
"Well, I could swear and tell dirty jokes, but there's something else that I'd rather say."
"What's that?"
"Dib nle, Adi adius acliadius."
"We're back on speaking terms, then?"
"Yes. It means much more than that." Nodac outstretched her hand, and Dib slipped the ring back on.