I know guys, I suck for making you wait this long and I suck for making this chapter this short. I punched this chapter out in about half an hour at 2am so bare with me. Let me know what you think as always, hopefully, if everything goes according to plan, I finish this story by the end of summer. You guys just have to be on top of me bugging me to do it!
Take care guys!
Sybok was intelligent.
More than intelligent. He was a genius.
And extremely eager to learn all about Humans. He did his homework on time, read everything he had to read and then some more.
He loved to read, more than anything about the cultures all around the world. She had only been teaching him three days and already she was more than impressed with him.
But he was quiet. Never spoke except when he had a question or when he answered anything she would ask.
She would come into the room designed for him and he would already be waiting for her, a book open on the desk in front of him. He always gave her the feeling she was late, no matter how early she arrived. She went as far as to tell Lario to pick her up earlier than he normally would so she would arrive an hour before she was supposed to. Even then, he was there.
She was starting to get the impression he lived in the room.
Not that she found it too appealing for a six-year-old. In the daycare where she volunteered, there were clouds painted on the walls, flowers, bees, life. Even at the elementary school, there were murals of children holding each other's hands with rainbows and candy but these walls were bare. No colors were on the walls, only a neutral beige and a pastel white, very boring.
Amanda didn't think it was very inductive for a child's creativity. It made her wonder if Vulcans had any creativity at all; yet she knew different. She had seen all the sculptures in the Starfleet Auditorium before; she knew what they were capable of.
That was why she brought supplies today just for Sybok. She brought an extra bag full of paper, crayons, markers and pencils. She thought that this could probably get him to talk.
Amanda walked into the room, books in one arm and a bag full of supplies in another. "Good afternoon, Sybok." She didn't bother looking up, knowing that not only did he beat her to the room, he also already sat down and waited for her patiently.
"Good afternoon, Miss Grayson."
She placed the books on the desk that was placed for her in the middle of the front of the room. As she was about to place her supplies another voice spoke.
"Good afternoon, Miss Grayson."
She misplaced her bag and instead of putting it in the middle of the table like she thought she did, she placed it at the end, effectively falling over the side and spilling the contents of the bag all over the floor.
"G-good afternoon, Sarek."
If he thought that what happened was funny, he didn't show it.
Neither did Sybok.
They showed no emotion at all.
He towered over her as he stepped closer and when she knelt down to pick up the dozens of colored pencils and markers, she felt smaller than usual next to him.
She averted his gaze, busying herself with picking everything up off the floor.
"What is this?"
"I thought Sybok would enjoy it. Human children usually like this sort of thing."
He didn't miss a beat. "As you said, human children. Sybok is not human."
She purposely took her time. "I am well aware of that, Ambassador, but he is a child."
"I do not think it is wise to use this technique on this child, Miss Grayson."
Amanda stood and looked defiantly at his eyes. "Yes, well I do."
Amanda hated how he questioned her. No one had ever questioned her teaching methods before and to think that he was, infuriated her. She hated to argue, but the Ambassador always brought out the worst side of her. She knew it was futile but she wanted to fight him, prove she was right.
Slamming the bag on the desk, she continued, "Well, Ambassador, research has established that coloring helps with self-expression, color recognition, therapy, grip and control among other things."
He looked at her for half a beat, half a beat that she thought he used to mock her. His posture remained pin-straight, his face unmoving, betraying absolutely no emotion. His eyes were focused on her and only her, then he stepped away.
Amanda looked at him perplexed at his sudden change and then realized that her hands were balled into fists at her sides. She let them go slowly and watched his back as he moved towards the Sybok.
"I trust, Sybok, that this juvenile game of Miss Grayson's is not too monotonous for you."
Amanda visibly recoiled but quickly recovered herself by taking coloring pages out of her bag.
"I will be just fine Ambassador. Miss Grayson is more than suitable for the task you appointed her."
He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder but did nothing more as he sat down at an extra chair next to Sybok. Pulling out the tablet he always carried, (Amanda has a suspicion that it was permanently glued to his hand), he spoke, "I am here, Miss Grayson, to study the way you teach Sybok. His mother has asked for a report."
Amanda opened her mouth to speak but stopped when he continued.
"And although I find your daily reports especially enthralling, I find that the best way to make a full report to her is by my personal observation."
Amanda grumbled silently. He was being sarcastic, she knew, she noted it in the way he said enthralling, it didn't sound like he was at all enthused, more bored. Nonetheless, she continued her lesson for the day even with the Vulcan Ambassador in the room taking up all her attention at the moment.
She sat on the floor. "Sybok," she said pleasantly at the boy. "Come sit with me."
"Miss Grayson," he said matter of factly. "You are sitting on the floor."
Amanda tapped the floor next to her and said nothing more, waiting for him to approach.
He did.
She handed him a piece of paper and a box of crayons. "Your lesson for today, Sybok, is to color and draw anything you want on that piece of paper. If you run out," She reached in her bag and pulled out a five inch stack of white paper. "I have more."
"Miss Grayson," the Ambassador spoke. "The tablets are equipped for that."
"It's not the same," Amanda said pointedly. She took a piece of paper also and took a green crayon out of the sixty-four pack. "I'm going to draw my house."
Sybok began also, but very slowly. Eventually he began to draw with more confidence but he made straight lines whereas Amanda made different lines and different angles.
"Wonderful, Sybok!" She said when he began to take another color from the box. "Sybok, do you have any brothers and sisters?"
"No, Miss Grayson."
"Can you please not be so formal? I'm Amanda, remember?"
"Yes, Miss Grayson."
She gave up, knowing it wouldn't work no matter how many times she told him. She tried every day with no fruition.
"And your parents? Who are they?"
He stiffened slightly but continued with his drawing. "My mother is Princess T'Rea, High Master of Gol."
When he didn't say anything else, Amanda didn't press him about his father, knowing that he didn't mention it for a reason. "So why are you on Earth? Only to learn?"
"Earth's customs are strange and I wanted to learn more. My mother is a close friend of the Ambassador, she suggested I visit him on Earth. He accepted."
Amanda glanced at the Ambassador who continued to fiddle with the Tablet. "How generous." She didn't think he could refuse a request from the High Master of Gol. Whatever that was.
Sarek nodded but said nothing more.
"I have a sister," Amanda said to fill in the silence. "Younger sister, a mother and a father. They're traveling all the time. That's why I'm here."
"Do you get lonely?"
Amanda stopped coloring. Yes. Yes, she did get lonely. In the large mansion at home in the middle of a large field, miles away from the nearest neighbor, yes, she did get lonely.
Not that she would ever tell her parents, they wouldn't travel anywhere and that would be her fault. Traveling made them happy. What made them happy, made her happy. It was something that she told herself all the time.
Loneliness was something that she never could get used to and she was alone most of the time.
She smiled at Sybok. "Nope. They always get right back."
"I like humans." Sybok continued, nonchalant.
Amanda watched him from the corner of her eye. "Is that so?"
Sybok looked at the Ambassador quickly, making sure he wasn't listening and leaned to her, the closest he'd ever gotten, and whispered, "You're free to show your emotions."
Amanda was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
Sybok sat closer to her, barely inches away. "My mother, she's taught me all about you humans." He sighed, a very human gesture." I envy you."
She whispered also. "If you want to express anything, you are safe here within these walls. I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."
"My mother doesn't believe what other Vulcans do, not entirely. We should express our emotions, just a tiny bit. It's important."
Amanda nodded slowly. "I understand."
"That is why she sent me to Earth, to study humans, to see them for myself." Sybok didn't stop coloring. "I would like to learn from you as much as I can, Miss Grayson."
Amanda nodded. "I will do my best, Sybok."
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