A/N: Hey, I've got an hour to kill, so I thought I'd start construction on
a new chapter. I don't have anything else to say, so here we go.
Kaylee dashed up the stairs to meet a groggy Mal halfway.
"She's awake, cap'n," the mechanic reported excitedly. She walked down the stairs backwards so she could keep facing Mal, "Well, she WAS awake, she went back ta' sleep before yall' woke up."
Mal rubbed his eyes, "Only took three days," he grumbled, but Kaylee paid no attention. She jogged the rest of the way down the stairs and into the med lab. Simon was already there, and was taking the girl's pulse when Kaylee and Mal arrived.
"How is she, doc?" Mal asked, curious despite his lethargy. Simon looked up from the chart he'd been taking notes on.
"Not too worse for wear, sir," he replied, "Her vitals are stabilizing nicely, and the cut doesn't look infected." Kaylee was beaming like a newborn star; even Mal felt a load dissipate from over his shoulders. They decided the girl would be fine just sleeping and went into the galley for some breakfast.
Book glanced up from his Bible and apple and immediately noticed a lighter air around the captain, doctor, and mechanic.
"Good news?" he asked.
"Yup, as a matter uh' fact," Mal replied, "Our lil' guest might just make it after all." Book smiled. Ever since he'd been notified of their new tenant he'd been concerned, but it seemed things would work out just fine. Kaylee brought out a pot of some tan, mushy substance and a few bowls. Due to the fact that she kept Serenity in such tip-top shape, she was the only one with enough interest and time to venture into the galley to make food. Too bad she wasn't as gifted in the kitchen as she was in the boiler room.
Mal grimaced initially but took his bowl of tan mush with a forced smile. Simon did the same. Book quickly nodded that he was satisfied with his apple, and Kaylee took back her unappetizing offer, hiding her hurt. She knew she wasn't much of a cook, but she was the only one they had. She tried not to be mad at the shepherd.
The girl wandered out of the med lab with hunger gnawing at her stomach. She hadn't seen anyone when she'd woken up, but the need for food was very persuasive. She glanced at her surroundings, a large open area with a flat rust-colored floor that had patches of solid sheets of metal as well as ones riddled with symmetrical holes. The cold of the floor lessened some; she assumed the engine of the ship was underneath her feet. Another clue to that conjecture was the vibrations that sent shivers down her spine. She wished she had some shoes. The open area contrasted greatly with the clean whiteness of the med lab. She drew a deep breath of air through her nose and detected the scent of food, coming from the left. She turned, and stopped short at the sight of another girl standing silently at the end of the walkway.
"Hello," the girl said nervously. The other girl stayed silent. She watched her with almost vacant brown eyes. Her chocolate-colored hair fell in wisps along her face and down her shoulders. The other girl's brow suddenly furrowed and her face took on a confused expression.
"I am River," she said guardedly, as if unsure whether she should say anything.
"I am-" the girl started, but faltered. She still had no answer, no way to connect with this strange girl, "I don't know who I am," she finished desolately. The other girl, River, seemed to pick up on her sadness, her face softened and she walked toward her. The girl could now see that River's eyes weren't vacant at all, but electrified to the point of distraction. It was as if the girl had a million thoughts flashing all over her mind at once, and she couldn't focus.
"Are you hungry?" she said in close to the same voice Kaylee had used the night before, as if the girl was a skittish animal. The girl nodded, "Come with me." River turned and started walking in the direction the girl had been about to go.
River walked slowly, not sure how fast the girl could walk in her injured condition. She was confused by the whole situation, this girl of nowhere and nothing. No past, nothing but the present, the here and now. River wondered at the simplicity of it, but was still confused. Why was the girl so sad she had no past? River would have loved to get rid of her past with a simple knock on the head. A knock on the head, and everything would be gone in a snap. It seemed an impossible dream.
The crew, now all assembled at the table, looked up at the sound of River's entrance. River could see the apprehension in their eyes, would she lose control today? What about tomorrow? She could feel their distrust, had felt it since she first came onboard, like a cloud behind their eyes. She knew they, well maybe except for one, but he could be dealt with, wanted to be helpful to her and she was grateful for it, even if they didn't know that. Kaylee wanted to be her friend, but, then again, she wanted to be everyone's friend. The crew's eyes opened even wider, why were they doing that? Oh yeah- River turned to the girl, who stood near the door stiffly. Her black-brown eyes scanned the room and she said nothing. The crew said nothing. Feeling vaguely exasperated, River took the girl's weak hand and led her to the table. Zoe and Inara slid over to make a space at the end of the bench, upon which River and the girl sat down. Wash averted his eyes to study the stove in the galley's kitchen, as if the girl would know her assailant the moment his eyes met hers.
Mal cleared his throat slightly, trying to put on his captain airs and break the tension, "Hello, er- girl," he said, "My name's Captain Malcolm Reynolds. You're on my ship, Serenity, 'til you get back on yer feet." She didn't say anything. Kaylee placed a bowl of food in front of the girl then stepped back, staying near her while she ate, "But this ain't no orphanage or hospital, a 'right? You're gonna pull yer' own weight around here. I'm not sure how yet, but we'll find somethin' fer' you to do. What's your name?" The girl froze, once again feeling the pressure of the question. She'd thought Kaylee might have told him, she'd guessed wrong. She cast her eyes down to her lap.
Thankfully, Kaylee spoke up, "Yeah, 'bout that, cap'n. She- um, she kinda 's lost her mem'ry."
Mal's eyebrows perked up, and were quickly joined by the rest of the crew's, "Really?" Kaylee nodded, "That's a problem." She nodded some more and the girl turned fearful eyes back on the captain, "Simon," he said. The doctor's head whipped away his intent stare from the girl to Mal, "What exactly do ya' make uh' all this?"
"Ah, well, I hate to say it, but amnesia isn't all that common nowadays, really kind of incredibly lucky to have one onboard. . ." He turned his eyes back on the girl.
"Simon!" Mal shouted, the doctor's snapped back.
"As I said amnesia's very rare. It could take days or months for her memory to come back completely, well, completely enough for her to function normally. I'll have to run some tests to tell the extent of the damage."
Mal wanted to groan, or smack his hands down on the table, or do something to relieve the frustration at seeming to attract the strays of this 'verse from the four corners and onto his ship. But he did none of that, he swallowed it all for a later time and said very slowly and calmly, "A 'right then, she stays. She can quarter in Kaylee's room, there's enough space. I'll think uh' somethin' for her to earn her keep with 'n tell ya' tomorrow."
The girl could immediately sense the captain's true emotions, from the way he finished his decree to how he sat hunched over his bowl of mush like a convict. She said nothing the rest of breakfast, just endured the stares from most of this tight-as-a-drum family group she'd crashed into. Once finished, Kaylee led her out of the galley and to her new bunk.
"Gorram' it, Mal," Jayne grumbled atop one of the new shipments yet to be delivered. He didn't look up from the gun in pieces on his lap at the captain, who was busying himself with checking the locks on Serenity's doors through the consol near the med lab.
"Yes, Jayne?" he answered evenly.
"Why, in the name uh' the 'verse, do ya' havta' bring in ever' gorram' stray dun' shows up on yer' doorstep? You jis' invitin' trouble, ya' know that? Did it ever cross yer' mind she's lyin' 'bout that whole 'I've lost my mem'ry' bit?"
"It most certainly has, Jayne. But that's not the point here," he turned from the consol to face Jayne, "If we didn't take care uh' the girl, we could get in trouble fer' it since it was onnuh' our own that injured 'er." Jayne growled slightly, knowing and not liking exactly why the crew did NOT want any trouble whatsoever, "Besides, she's jis' a lil' girl. Barely River's age. 'N if she's NOT fakin' it, what would happen to 'er if we dumped her behind on the dirt in a strange place she don't know a gorram' thing about?"
"Why do you CARE, Mal?" Jayne interrupted. He was tired of the captain's bleeding heart, every ruttin' place they went and every job they pulled seemed to fly off course because he got it in his mind he could fix everybody's lives wherever they were.
"I don't rightly know, Jayne. I just do, 'n that's all there is to it." He walked away, his footsteps clanging loudly on the metal floor. Sometimes he hated himself for feeling the way he did about everything. He just couldn't let suffering go, couldn't leave without knowing he did his job as best he could. Maybe- hell, probably had something to do with the war. Everything he did reflected on something that had happened in the war that he was trying to make up for, some mistake that he could see happening in other places that he couldn't let happen again. And he wasn't going to let some young girl get scattered to the winds in this cruel 'verse because of one of HIS runaway wrenches.
"'S not much," Kaylee was saying, "But it's home." She gestured around at the cluttered cabin she and the girl were now sharing. The girl sat quietly on the tiny mattress that sat along the wall opposing the one Kaylee's mattress lay against. She gazed around at all the trinkets and lights Kaylee had strung up over her tenure on Serenity. They made the cabin warm and cozy, and the girl could see Kaylee was right, it wasn't much, but one felt instantly at home.
"I gotta go take care uh' some things," Kaylee said, heading toward the ladder that led to the cabin's hatch, "You might wanna get a nap in before Mal thinks of uh' job fer ya' to do, you might need yer energy." The girl smiled and nodded, "'Kay, I'll see ya' later." She climbed out of the hatch and left the girl in the red-orange quiet of the cabin.
The girl stood up from the mattress, a flash catching her eye. She picked up a glass bottle that had caught the light from one of the tiny bulbs strung up around the cabin. It was heavy, and green swirls of color swam through the glass. She set it down and turned her gaze to the other full shelves, suddenly curious about their contents. She examined a few stuffed animals and other small stones and even a few drawings on torn bits of paper. She froze at the sight of someone else in the room. A brown face with large black-brown eyes stared back at her from a small mirror leaned up against the back of one of the shelves. She took the mirror with shaky hands and sat heavily on Kaylee's mattress, never taking her eyes off the image in it. Thick, jet-black dark hair fell halfway down her neck and curled softly around her chin. Her nose was hooked and ended sharply, almost making a visible dot in the exact center of her face. Her mouth was small, and when she opened it she could see her teeth were white and a little crooked. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she noticed that they were small and round.
She put the mirror down and looked at her hands. She hadn't noticed them before really, but the fingers were long, almost too long, and narrow, all the same rich brown color. There were scars on her hands, not really bad ones, but like she may not have been very careful with something sharp not too long ago. Kaylee had given her some of her clothes, the ones she'd been wearing were too bloody for any decent person to wear, but they were too big for her. She pulled up the baggy pant leg and examined her own, finding a few more scars, ones a little worse than those on her hands. They all ran horizontal or close to it and were on the sides of her legs, like she'd been running threw a patch of thorns. Why wouldn't she have noticed she was slicing up her legs? She must have been in some hurry. She pulled up the short sleeves of the T-shirt she was wearing and found a few more horizontal scars. A big thorn patch, she wagered. Letting all her new garments go the girl leaned against the wall of the cabin, now quite tired. It wasn't long before she drifted to sleep.
A/N: Here's a good place to give it a rest, besides, I've gotta do dishes. There, THAT'S what she looks like, and if your confused, she's of Indian (as in NOT from America) descent. Don't ask why I chose Indian, I don't know. I guess because you hardly ever saw Indian people on the show, and that does not mean I'm Indian, it's just a fact. I notice stuff like that. Good, I got a few more characters introduced, and I hope to get the rest of them in there soon. I'd love to get a few more reviews; I noticed that second chapter there went widely ignored. Hope you all liked it, because I have no way of knowing if you did or didn't.
Kaylee dashed up the stairs to meet a groggy Mal halfway.
"She's awake, cap'n," the mechanic reported excitedly. She walked down the stairs backwards so she could keep facing Mal, "Well, she WAS awake, she went back ta' sleep before yall' woke up."
Mal rubbed his eyes, "Only took three days," he grumbled, but Kaylee paid no attention. She jogged the rest of the way down the stairs and into the med lab. Simon was already there, and was taking the girl's pulse when Kaylee and Mal arrived.
"How is she, doc?" Mal asked, curious despite his lethargy. Simon looked up from the chart he'd been taking notes on.
"Not too worse for wear, sir," he replied, "Her vitals are stabilizing nicely, and the cut doesn't look infected." Kaylee was beaming like a newborn star; even Mal felt a load dissipate from over his shoulders. They decided the girl would be fine just sleeping and went into the galley for some breakfast.
Book glanced up from his Bible and apple and immediately noticed a lighter air around the captain, doctor, and mechanic.
"Good news?" he asked.
"Yup, as a matter uh' fact," Mal replied, "Our lil' guest might just make it after all." Book smiled. Ever since he'd been notified of their new tenant he'd been concerned, but it seemed things would work out just fine. Kaylee brought out a pot of some tan, mushy substance and a few bowls. Due to the fact that she kept Serenity in such tip-top shape, she was the only one with enough interest and time to venture into the galley to make food. Too bad she wasn't as gifted in the kitchen as she was in the boiler room.
Mal grimaced initially but took his bowl of tan mush with a forced smile. Simon did the same. Book quickly nodded that he was satisfied with his apple, and Kaylee took back her unappetizing offer, hiding her hurt. She knew she wasn't much of a cook, but she was the only one they had. She tried not to be mad at the shepherd.
The girl wandered out of the med lab with hunger gnawing at her stomach. She hadn't seen anyone when she'd woken up, but the need for food was very persuasive. She glanced at her surroundings, a large open area with a flat rust-colored floor that had patches of solid sheets of metal as well as ones riddled with symmetrical holes. The cold of the floor lessened some; she assumed the engine of the ship was underneath her feet. Another clue to that conjecture was the vibrations that sent shivers down her spine. She wished she had some shoes. The open area contrasted greatly with the clean whiteness of the med lab. She drew a deep breath of air through her nose and detected the scent of food, coming from the left. She turned, and stopped short at the sight of another girl standing silently at the end of the walkway.
"Hello," the girl said nervously. The other girl stayed silent. She watched her with almost vacant brown eyes. Her chocolate-colored hair fell in wisps along her face and down her shoulders. The other girl's brow suddenly furrowed and her face took on a confused expression.
"I am River," she said guardedly, as if unsure whether she should say anything.
"I am-" the girl started, but faltered. She still had no answer, no way to connect with this strange girl, "I don't know who I am," she finished desolately. The other girl, River, seemed to pick up on her sadness, her face softened and she walked toward her. The girl could now see that River's eyes weren't vacant at all, but electrified to the point of distraction. It was as if the girl had a million thoughts flashing all over her mind at once, and she couldn't focus.
"Are you hungry?" she said in close to the same voice Kaylee had used the night before, as if the girl was a skittish animal. The girl nodded, "Come with me." River turned and started walking in the direction the girl had been about to go.
River walked slowly, not sure how fast the girl could walk in her injured condition. She was confused by the whole situation, this girl of nowhere and nothing. No past, nothing but the present, the here and now. River wondered at the simplicity of it, but was still confused. Why was the girl so sad she had no past? River would have loved to get rid of her past with a simple knock on the head. A knock on the head, and everything would be gone in a snap. It seemed an impossible dream.
The crew, now all assembled at the table, looked up at the sound of River's entrance. River could see the apprehension in their eyes, would she lose control today? What about tomorrow? She could feel their distrust, had felt it since she first came onboard, like a cloud behind their eyes. She knew they, well maybe except for one, but he could be dealt with, wanted to be helpful to her and she was grateful for it, even if they didn't know that. Kaylee wanted to be her friend, but, then again, she wanted to be everyone's friend. The crew's eyes opened even wider, why were they doing that? Oh yeah- River turned to the girl, who stood near the door stiffly. Her black-brown eyes scanned the room and she said nothing. The crew said nothing. Feeling vaguely exasperated, River took the girl's weak hand and led her to the table. Zoe and Inara slid over to make a space at the end of the bench, upon which River and the girl sat down. Wash averted his eyes to study the stove in the galley's kitchen, as if the girl would know her assailant the moment his eyes met hers.
Mal cleared his throat slightly, trying to put on his captain airs and break the tension, "Hello, er- girl," he said, "My name's Captain Malcolm Reynolds. You're on my ship, Serenity, 'til you get back on yer feet." She didn't say anything. Kaylee placed a bowl of food in front of the girl then stepped back, staying near her while she ate, "But this ain't no orphanage or hospital, a 'right? You're gonna pull yer' own weight around here. I'm not sure how yet, but we'll find somethin' fer' you to do. What's your name?" The girl froze, once again feeling the pressure of the question. She'd thought Kaylee might have told him, she'd guessed wrong. She cast her eyes down to her lap.
Thankfully, Kaylee spoke up, "Yeah, 'bout that, cap'n. She- um, she kinda 's lost her mem'ry."
Mal's eyebrows perked up, and were quickly joined by the rest of the crew's, "Really?" Kaylee nodded, "That's a problem." She nodded some more and the girl turned fearful eyes back on the captain, "Simon," he said. The doctor's head whipped away his intent stare from the girl to Mal, "What exactly do ya' make uh' all this?"
"Ah, well, I hate to say it, but amnesia isn't all that common nowadays, really kind of incredibly lucky to have one onboard. . ." He turned his eyes back on the girl.
"Simon!" Mal shouted, the doctor's snapped back.
"As I said amnesia's very rare. It could take days or months for her memory to come back completely, well, completely enough for her to function normally. I'll have to run some tests to tell the extent of the damage."
Mal wanted to groan, or smack his hands down on the table, or do something to relieve the frustration at seeming to attract the strays of this 'verse from the four corners and onto his ship. But he did none of that, he swallowed it all for a later time and said very slowly and calmly, "A 'right then, she stays. She can quarter in Kaylee's room, there's enough space. I'll think uh' somethin' for her to earn her keep with 'n tell ya' tomorrow."
The girl could immediately sense the captain's true emotions, from the way he finished his decree to how he sat hunched over his bowl of mush like a convict. She said nothing the rest of breakfast, just endured the stares from most of this tight-as-a-drum family group she'd crashed into. Once finished, Kaylee led her out of the galley and to her new bunk.
"Gorram' it, Mal," Jayne grumbled atop one of the new shipments yet to be delivered. He didn't look up from the gun in pieces on his lap at the captain, who was busying himself with checking the locks on Serenity's doors through the consol near the med lab.
"Yes, Jayne?" he answered evenly.
"Why, in the name uh' the 'verse, do ya' havta' bring in ever' gorram' stray dun' shows up on yer' doorstep? You jis' invitin' trouble, ya' know that? Did it ever cross yer' mind she's lyin' 'bout that whole 'I've lost my mem'ry' bit?"
"It most certainly has, Jayne. But that's not the point here," he turned from the consol to face Jayne, "If we didn't take care uh' the girl, we could get in trouble fer' it since it was onnuh' our own that injured 'er." Jayne growled slightly, knowing and not liking exactly why the crew did NOT want any trouble whatsoever, "Besides, she's jis' a lil' girl. Barely River's age. 'N if she's NOT fakin' it, what would happen to 'er if we dumped her behind on the dirt in a strange place she don't know a gorram' thing about?"
"Why do you CARE, Mal?" Jayne interrupted. He was tired of the captain's bleeding heart, every ruttin' place they went and every job they pulled seemed to fly off course because he got it in his mind he could fix everybody's lives wherever they were.
"I don't rightly know, Jayne. I just do, 'n that's all there is to it." He walked away, his footsteps clanging loudly on the metal floor. Sometimes he hated himself for feeling the way he did about everything. He just couldn't let suffering go, couldn't leave without knowing he did his job as best he could. Maybe- hell, probably had something to do with the war. Everything he did reflected on something that had happened in the war that he was trying to make up for, some mistake that he could see happening in other places that he couldn't let happen again. And he wasn't going to let some young girl get scattered to the winds in this cruel 'verse because of one of HIS runaway wrenches.
"'S not much," Kaylee was saying, "But it's home." She gestured around at the cluttered cabin she and the girl were now sharing. The girl sat quietly on the tiny mattress that sat along the wall opposing the one Kaylee's mattress lay against. She gazed around at all the trinkets and lights Kaylee had strung up over her tenure on Serenity. They made the cabin warm and cozy, and the girl could see Kaylee was right, it wasn't much, but one felt instantly at home.
"I gotta go take care uh' some things," Kaylee said, heading toward the ladder that led to the cabin's hatch, "You might wanna get a nap in before Mal thinks of uh' job fer ya' to do, you might need yer energy." The girl smiled and nodded, "'Kay, I'll see ya' later." She climbed out of the hatch and left the girl in the red-orange quiet of the cabin.
The girl stood up from the mattress, a flash catching her eye. She picked up a glass bottle that had caught the light from one of the tiny bulbs strung up around the cabin. It was heavy, and green swirls of color swam through the glass. She set it down and turned her gaze to the other full shelves, suddenly curious about their contents. She examined a few stuffed animals and other small stones and even a few drawings on torn bits of paper. She froze at the sight of someone else in the room. A brown face with large black-brown eyes stared back at her from a small mirror leaned up against the back of one of the shelves. She took the mirror with shaky hands and sat heavily on Kaylee's mattress, never taking her eyes off the image in it. Thick, jet-black dark hair fell halfway down her neck and curled softly around her chin. Her nose was hooked and ended sharply, almost making a visible dot in the exact center of her face. Her mouth was small, and when she opened it she could see her teeth were white and a little crooked. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she noticed that they were small and round.
She put the mirror down and looked at her hands. She hadn't noticed them before really, but the fingers were long, almost too long, and narrow, all the same rich brown color. There were scars on her hands, not really bad ones, but like she may not have been very careful with something sharp not too long ago. Kaylee had given her some of her clothes, the ones she'd been wearing were too bloody for any decent person to wear, but they were too big for her. She pulled up the baggy pant leg and examined her own, finding a few more scars, ones a little worse than those on her hands. They all ran horizontal or close to it and were on the sides of her legs, like she'd been running threw a patch of thorns. Why wouldn't she have noticed she was slicing up her legs? She must have been in some hurry. She pulled up the short sleeves of the T-shirt she was wearing and found a few more horizontal scars. A big thorn patch, she wagered. Letting all her new garments go the girl leaned against the wall of the cabin, now quite tired. It wasn't long before she drifted to sleep.
A/N: Here's a good place to give it a rest, besides, I've gotta do dishes. There, THAT'S what she looks like, and if your confused, she's of Indian (as in NOT from America) descent. Don't ask why I chose Indian, I don't know. I guess because you hardly ever saw Indian people on the show, and that does not mean I'm Indian, it's just a fact. I notice stuff like that. Good, I got a few more characters introduced, and I hope to get the rest of them in there soon. I'd love to get a few more reviews; I noticed that second chapter there went widely ignored. Hope you all liked it, because I have no way of knowing if you did or didn't.