Part 3
Edit: 10-19-16: It was brought to my attention that the time change was very sudden. I went back to check and I realized that my "3 years later" was not centered or bolded as it should have been. For that, I do apologize and have fixed the error. Hopefully, some of you guys caught it, despite not being centered or bolded. I get that its hard to catch those small things in a jumble of words that make it blend in.
11/12: I like it italicized better, but its still centered, so that shouldn't be a problem.
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The nap had been short-lived as her new companion woke her with several hisses near her ear. Prince crouched just behind her, hissing at the intruders.
After listening a little while herself, she recognized the voices just down the vent hall. A maintenance crew had been dispatched to check and upgrade a few things. What was wrong or needed upgrading was lost on Rita.
She placed a hand on Prince's head, trying to quiet him down. Instead, he pushed past her, intending on finding the source of the voices. Rita grabbed his tail, attempting again to stop him. This time he did but turned on her with a low growl. A chill shot up her spine, making her skin covered in goosebumps.
However, she didn't stop. She tugged harder on his tail in a vain attempt to stop him. The tail slipped from her fingers, the blunt, sharp edges cutting through her skin with a searing pain.
"Ow!" Tears blurred her vision as red pooled into her hands.
Prince stopped to look at her, head cocked. He crept forward, his second mouth coming out to nip her hands. Squealing in pain, Henrietta pulled her hands away, ready to cry helplessly.
He came around, his tail wrapping around her waist to pull her into his chest where his purr vibrated through her body. Saliva began to pour from his mouth, dripping down onto her hands.
Her hands stung for a bit, but Henrietta sniffed back her tears, watching the saliva begin to wrap around her hands in a strange clear goo. The red from the injury seeped inside of it, like a sponge, and tainted it. All too soon, the colors changed once more to that of a mahogany brown.
Once her hands had been bandaged and Prince inspected it to his satisfaction, he turned back to the voices just a few yards away.
"Stop! You're going to get us both in trouble!" Henrietta whisper-yelled at the beast but clearly, she hadn't been quite enough as the men suddenly stopped their conversation. She held her breath listening for them.
"I heard it down this way." A flashlight could be seen beaming in their general direction.
"Probably another kid playing down here. Let's go get Winston." They crawled away, exiting through a maintenance hatch.
"Now we are in big trouble!" This time she freely yelled at him. However, Prince sat there, staring straight at her. It didn't look like he even understood a single word she said by the way he titled his head.
Henrietta gathered her things, hoping to make a hasty retreat to her room. She dragged her belongings to the hatch she often used. While still always away from her room, she could easily make a lie and it wasn't like it was uncommon for her to settle in a nest of pillows and blankets with snacks to color.
Not many people loitered the hallway. School took a break that day, letting the kids freely roam or play in one of the many playhouses. Adults often worked by this time and lunch break had yet to occur.
Henrietta beckoned him up, to which he easily squirmed his way out of the floor hatch. She made sure to cover him with a blanket before leading him to her room.
One of the other children saw her dragging the bundles along but quickly returned to his friends, not thinking much of the loner girl, and completely missing the creature with a colorful, fluffy blanket following her.
Once in her room, she unpacked her things, stuffing most of them under the bed. Her attention returned to the creature looking a little out of place in her overly colorful room and her rainbow blanket draped over his shoulders.
"What am I going to do about you?" Henrietta put her hands on her hips, her "bandage" forgotten.
3 years later
"Prince! Prince! Look what I got!" Henrietta came running up to the dozing xenomorph. She slid down to her knees and thrust the brand-new sketchpad in his face. If she could see his eyes, she would know of his sleepiness and the confusion he felt about the strange thing.
He had watched her countless times color and doodle in the books that looked like this. Prince examined her from head to toe, noting the happy air about her. Content with her good mood, he returned to his dozing.
"You are no fun!" Rita jumped up, grabbing her new set of coloring materials to draw. Silence settled into the room once more, pleasing the overly sensitive xenomorph. His senses flipped back and forth, viewing the room in a matter of ways. No one had passed by the door in over five minutes, just before his friend came hurling towards him.
"Hey, Prince, have you gotten bigger?" The question had him sitting up to face her. He understood her clearly just as he knew that the new book she drew in came from her 12th birthday, something she had well informed him about that morning.
Prince knew English quite well, adjusting himself to her much more limited knowledge. While he couldn't speak the same tongue as her, he could understand most of what she spoke.
Returning himself to her question, he looked about for her mirror before gazing into to see himself. Certainly, he had grown, practically an adult by his species standards, despite being born several years after Rita.
The child still looked towards him, either expecting an answer or evaluating his form herself. If she came to a conclusion, she did not share. Instead, Henrietta returned to her book for drawing. But yes, he had grown since his 'teen' stage. Immensely so.
"Oh, Prince? I brought you some cake." Rita set aside her drawing and opened a small canister on the edge of her bed. He could smell the rich sweetness of the treat and took delight in nibbling a bit of it.
Prince took the whole canister and set it down in front of him so he could snack. Henrietta, glad he enjoyed it, returned to her book for the last time. It was later that night, in her routine for bed, did she finally put it aside. Her comforter covered her still small form and Prince slept by her bed, in her makeshift nest for him.
The past three years had been a struggle for them. Prince could understand her but that did not mean he agreed with her. He did not like being cooped up in her room or hiding under the movable panel when her father came. He couldn't understand that.
Why did he need to hide every time someone knocked on her door?
What was so bad about him being in her room?
Still, he enjoyed her company, especially when she was happy. So, he listened, only moving through the vents to stretch his legs and taking the food, she'd give him. Though, in the middle of the night, he'd find proper food in the cafeteria, something that could fill his stomach.
Prince had not been the only one. Henrietta struggled with school, still lonely and separated from the other kids in the classroom. She took comfort in Prince but he couldn't speak to her like she wanted. Her own father, too busy to notice anything different about his daughter, didn't talk to her but at breakfast. She slept most days, tired from the lack of communication and depressed.
Prince often sensed these shifts in mood, coming to her aid by curling himself around her and purring gently. His behavior often fascinated but delighted her. Sadly, when Prince's mood shifted, she could not feel it. He came to understand their differences and similarities, her species lacking the primitive senses he still possessed. So, when sad or angry, he came to her and she always fixed it, like a doting mother.
Henrietta made her way to the cafeteria, ready to meet her dad for breakfast. They sat in usual silence, eating their pancakes.
"Rita," the tone of his voice sounded cautious, carefully planned. "I'd like you to stay at the playhouse today with the other kids."
"I don't wanna." She picked idly at her food, uninterested.
"I don't care. You're going to until I come to get you. That's final." His calm demeanor changed in an instant. Watts slapped down his fork and stood, taking both their trays for disposal. She followed head bowed until they reached the room where some kids already were. They took notice of the new edition and Rita stayed in her corner, looking out the window.
Some of the supervisors tried to get her to join with the other kids, already recognizing her solitude from the classroom. Still, she refused to move, unwilling to do as she was told and socialize. The adults gave up, the children not even bothering to try.
The night cycle came and her father had yet to return from his duties. Everyone else left, except the old man who taught her history. Mr. Hemsing sat in the foldable chair, aimlessly letting his eyes wander the stars.
"Do you have a friend, Henrietta?" He never took his eyes from the stars.
"Yeah, he's nice."
"That's good. Do you get to see him a lot?" His hand reached up to touch the glass, just the fingertips as if what he reached for was fragile.
"Yeah. Do you like the stars?" Henrietta turned her attention to them as well, taking a keen interest in some that glowed.
"Of course. But you don't, do you?" She shook her head in reply. "You've never explored an earthly planet. A shame, too. To be cooped up in here must be hard, the others find themselves lost in anything to escape the reality. Us adults, however, love it, knowing the ground all our life and now being able to fly in space is amazing." He flattened his palm, smiling a little at the scenery.
"Mr. Hemsing, why do you teach history?"
"Because somebody had to and teaching is easier on my limbs." He flexed his skinny arm, winking in good humor. To this, little Rita laughed, suddenly enjoying the empty space given to them.
"Henrietta." She jumped at her name, finding her father just behind her at the doorway. "Thank you, Mr. Hemsing. Have a nice night."