Hello everyone! I know it is pretty unusual for me to update twice in one week, but what can I say? Lol the inspiration struck hard this week. I am wondering if y'all can see the two distinct personalities from Leila and Chloe? This chapter is from Leila's perspective. Also what do y'all think of a time skip to where they can comprehend more? or do you prefer to have the language struggle present?
The best and worst food I've ever had. Of course I have experienced hunger, but not hunger, not starvation. I suppose hunger is one of the things you pity and sympathize with others about, but lack all actual empathy until you feel real hunger pangs and wonder when your next meal will be. Then just to have it taunted in front of your face. I do not understand the goal here. Did they think we could concentrate better with a tempting reward for afterwards? No, no , NO! All thought was on that food and not learning that stupid language.
Chloe can do some languages. I mean she speaks 3, but I can't seem to concentrate on the words. I know them and remember them for all about 5 minutes and then it just seems to fly out of my brain. I don't know why, I tried so hard to learn another language and couldn't. Now my life may be dependent on it. And there is an entire new alphabet that looks like, oh I don't know, maybe Arabic with the flowing script. Completely different from any language I've ever seen or heard of.
I'm sulking. I know it, and Chloe does as well if her unusually quiet demeanor is any indication. I wrapped my arms around myself and leaned back closing my eyes. Naturally that's when we heard loud noises echoing from far away. I looked at Chloe in shock after hearing a strangled whimper and at her equally shocked expression we both looked at the teacher. She looked even worse than when we came in, if that's possible. Horror and panic were etched across her face as she stared at the door making terrible whimpers of fear. I felt the wings of dread and fear simultaneously unfurl in my stomach in response. I squeezed Chloe's offered hand and realized she was shaking.
I'm terrified too and I wasn't the one hit across the face. Though she didn't witness them tossing me around like a ragdoll or she might not have been so dunderheaded about our names. There is, however, a purpose or reason they must have to keep us alive. They gave us food, clothes, and new names. These clothes aren't culturally known to me from the style, but it is not modern at all. Besides staying alive and in their good graces, we must learn where we are! It is likely too soon to consider most viable options for discovering things considering we can't speak their language. And why there are things here that don't look human at all. And the pointed ears on Tar-Mairon and our teacher has them too!
The lady, or prisoners is probably a better description, looked more shaken every moment and her whimpers increased in volume as the steps and banging approached. I was looking at her instead of the door when it opened and heard Chloe suck in a breath. I twisted back to look and my heart thudded loudly in response to seeing the horrid monsters again. Twisted and gruesome they looked. Smelled that way too. Seeing is believing in every sense of the phrase here. Watching horror movies and reading about knights defeating monsters in books is completely different then looking a real one in the face.
Chloe screamed and jumped up, but they just shoved past her to the terrified teacher, who had fallen to the floor and was whimpering uncontrollably. With a jangle they attached manacles to her wrists and slid some kind of device over her neck with a chain attached and yanked her up.
"Haldamire. Airawende." I turned and faced the doorway my teeth gritted in anxiety. I mean nothing at all had happened when he led us here from washing up. His eyes bored sternly into mine for a moment and then into Chloe's. He said something and at our incomprehension his eyes narrowed. Oh jeez, please tell me he doesn't expect us to be fluent in a month or something. He studied us and then said something else.
The sudden movement behind us startled me and I jerked around in terror expecting one of the monsters to be there. A shrill noise escaped the teacher prisoner lady as she was forced to her knees. Another sharp command from Tar-Mairon had the monsters cease movement and hold both her arms and shoulder stiffly. I stiffened as I felt a hand smooth over my hair. How did he get there so quietly? I am sure with how tense I am I would have noticed any movement! Things do not seem normal here at all, in any type of sense. I mean aside from the already bizarre circumstances and monsters and clothes etc. Chloe let a small whimper herself and I saw Tar-Mairon run a hand down her hair as well, but keep some of it in his hand. A shiver ran through me and my eyes caught Tar- Mairon's again. My hands clenched into a fists and I swallowed looking down meekly unable to keep his gaze. There something both really terrifying and compelling in his golden eyes. I hated myself for how scared I felt and acted.
He was in front of me. I knew it, but refused to look up with fear and nausea intertwining. His hand came under my chin and lifted my face up. I could see Chloe out of the corners of eye looking at us terrified. Probably more for me in this moment, but I haven't done anything wrong. He shouldn't be mad at me. What am I thinking?! Do anything wrong, how ridiculous. How he is treating us is wrong! I think he sensed underlying anger in me because he smiled down at me and then pointed to the monsters and our teacher. He tilted his head catching Chloe's eyes and I looked back at her and after I saw her look that way I did the same. He released me and I heard, finally!, a rustle of cloth as he stepped back behind towards the door, but I didn't dare look back.
He spoke another command and my eyes widened as the two monsters jerked on the teacher like a sick marionette. They forced her hands to the floor and one of them pushed her head down until her forehead smacked painfully onto the floor. I winced at the teachers strangled gasp when her head connected, but she kept it down. The monsters halted for a moment until Tar-Mairon spoke again and adjusted the teacher prisoner's position slightly. It looked almost like a kowtow. She was bowed down with her head touching the floor and the tips of her fingers brushing against each other near the top of her head with the palms flat down on the floor. She spat out something that sounded like a curse and one of the monsters hit the back of her head thumping her head into the floor loudly.
"Haldamire. Airawende" Tar-Mairon said and motioned to our teacher on the floor and then at us, I sat up ramrod straight and looked at Chloe. She looked back at me with fear, horror, and confusion in her eyes and expression. He said our names again sternly and I felt tears well up in my eyes as I nodded at Chloe and stood up.
"Do it now!" I hissed to her still sitting in shock and confusion. She was going to get herself hurt again! I gathered up some of the fabric and pulled it up slightly so I could sit on my knees better. I hissed Airawende at her and she jerked up shakily and copied my movement. When she settled next to me I leaned forward and tried to mimic our teachers position and I felt Chloe moving beside me into a similar shape. A tear slipped out and I stared at the small speck of salt water on the ground. It kind of hurt my knees and was cold on my forehead. I felt one really hot hand on my stomach and back and was pulled up and forward until my head rested on my hands. It was definitely Tar-Mairon because I don't think the monsters had temperature anomalies. The hands moved and then I felt them guiding my arms into a more graceful shape. I heard Chloe yelp after the hands had left me and figured he was moving her too. MY thoughts are all sorts of scattered today. I must be too nervous and its affecting me.
I burned with wrath and humiliation from our predicament, but there is nothing I can do about it now. We just have to stay alive and figure out where we are. I just want to go home. I felt more tears well up. I felt Chloe tremble beside me and sucked in a breath trying to hold in the tears, but they didn't listen to me and began to fall more freely. He spoke our names again and I looked up trying to blink the tears away so I could see better. He seemed like a giant from down here. He made a quick jerk of fingers and we both struggled up helping each other. He surveyed us and with a tilted expression of pity reached out to me. I jerked back and he frowned golden eyes seeming to brighten up with power. I froze and he brushed his thumb across my cheek gently wiping away some of the tears. I felt Chloe grab my hand again and squeeze it tightly.
"Haldamire, Haldamire, Haldamire" he spoke my new name gently pulling his hand away. He grabbed my other hand and tucked it into his arm. He started walking, quite quickly, and I almost tripped, my tucked hand forcing me to keep up and I felt Chloe stumble once or twice but she didn't let go of my hand. My hand tightened almost unconsciously on Tar-Mairon's arm and Chloe's hand when we passed several groups of monsters. He made no acknowledgement of it, but Chloe gripped back tighter in reassurance each time. Nothing looked familiar, but we somehow still ended up where he had begun earlier today in that room. I was almost sickly relieved to see it. He released my hand and I pulled back to stand next to Chloe. He looked us over seeming pleased and then motioned to the bed.
I felt all the blood drain my face and squeezed Chloe's hand so tight she gasped and tried to jerk it away. Tar-Mairon let out a laugh at my panic. It sounded so perfect and so terrible at the same time. My breathing was starting to increase rapidly.
"There's simple sleeping clothes on the bed you fool" Chloe elbowed me.
"What? I? oh?" I whispered weakly feeling faint. He glared at Chloe then at me and spat out a stern command. Like we can understand. Chloe nodded weakly and I decided to do the same. He left the room and after the lock engaged I felt my breath come easier.
"He doesn't want us to speak our language, I think" Chloe whispered. "I heard the word language in that sentence I think" she explained at my baffled look. We learned the word language? I rubbed my temples.
"I want to go to sleep, but I also want to talk to you about everything that has happened today" I groaned.
"Well it might be best if we both think about it tonight and sleep on it first" Chloe suggested. A strangely reasonable suggestion from her.
"We didn't even do much today" I sighed.
"we are stressed and in a strange place. Tiredness isn't abnormal Leila" Chloe said comfortingly.
"help me?" I asked motioning to our outfits.