Chapter Two

"No! I am sorry, please!"

"I don't want to hear you're sorry you Vulcan rat! I want you to do as I say the first time I say it!"

Jerking in grip of a nightmare Salen believed himself to be fourteen years once more. Wilson grabbed him by the back of the neck and dragged him across the dirty tile of the bathroom floor towards the tub. He had been given orders to take a bath since someone was coming to drink from his flesh in person.

In a rare act of rebellion he had sat down on the floor after Wilson had left without even touching the water in the tub. Wilson had returned ten minutes later expecting his pet to be clean. Seeing that Salen had disobeyed him he struck him forcefully across the face before kicking him in the ribs.

Shoved to his knees in front of the tub Salen cowered submissively hoping that Wilson would leave. Instead the enraged man forced him to turn around and grabbed the back collar of Salen's threadbare shirt. Salen cried out in panic as Wilson tore open the shirt and ripped it off his shoulders. Unsure of what was going to happen he tried to brace himself against the thought that Wilson might actually kill him this time.

"Please give me another chance." Salen whimpered.

"Why should I?"

Salen had no answer, and Wilson wasn't interested in waiting for one. Snatching a handful of Salen's long white hair Wilson yanked him forward and roughly held his face under the cold water of the tub. Terrified of not being able to breath Salen struggled bitterly to free himself from Wilson's powerful grip. The more he fought the more pressing his need to breath became.

It didn't take long for Salen's lung to burn with oxygen depravation. The longer he was held underwater the weaker he became. Wilson waited until his victim stopped struggling before pulling him up. Coughing and sputtering for breath Salen curled up and pressed himself against the side of the tub to offer Wilson as small a target to attack as possible. Before turning to leave Wilson snatched up a bar of soap and tossed it at Salen.

"I want you clean in five minutes."

"Y...yes, Sir."

"Salen? You okay?"

Douglas' voice invading Salen's nightmare startled him awake. Gasping violently Salen jerked away from the voice. He opened his eyes and looked around for a moment before settling down. Still on his back he turned to look at his roommate.

"Bad dream?" Douglas asked sympathetically.

"Something like that."

"What are you doing in bed anyway?"

"Sleeping."

"Salen, it's four o'clock in the afternoon."

"Is it? I thought I just laid down for a second."

Salen looked around the room still feeling more than a little disoriented. He pulled his hand through his hair, noticing that it was damp with cold sweat. Douglas crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Salen critically. Ignoring his roommate Salen jumped down out of bed and pulled his uniform shirt off to trade it in for his running one. Douglas raised his eyebrows in surprise at the way Salen's spine formed a valley between the tight muscles.

"Look, Salen, I know this isn't really any of my business...but you're starting to worry me. I know Vulcans don't need a lot of sleep, but you used to keep to a more normal schedule, and you look like you've lost a lot of weight."

"I have actually gained five pounds in the past few weeks."

"That's only because muscle weights more than fat, you have like no body fat on those bones of yours. It isn't healthy."

"I was unaware that you are in the medical program."

"Sal..."

"You are comparing me to human standards and I am not human." Salen growling in growing irritation.

"Fine. You're right, I don't know anything about Vulcans." Douglas said as he put his hands up in a peaceful gesture. "I have certainly never understood you."

"Then I suggest you stop trying."

Salen could see that Douglas was hurt by his sharp words, but he didn't care. If anything he was angry, which didn't happen to him very often. Confused and feeling trapped in the small room Salen changed his clothes and left to go for another run. Douglas did nothing to try and stop him.

Once outside Salen felt a little bit better. In an attempt to rid himself of the memories brought on by the nightmare he set off on a hard run over the Bay Bridge once again. Several hours later he was still running. Eventually he stumbled and landed hard on his hands and knees. Dry heaving from panting too heavily Salen took a moment to recover. When he got back to his feet he looked around.

"Where am I?"

"A long way from home, Vulcan." A gruff voice replied.

Salen looked over and saw an elderly gentleman sitting on a near by park bench. Rather than engage the man in conversation Salen turned around and wandered back the way he'd come. It was getting late by the time he got back to the Academy. He dashed into his room and changed before jogging down to the pool.

Joanna was already in the water gliding through it effortlessly. Salen watched her for a moment, wondering how she managed to feel so at ease in the water. Vulcans were not known for their swimming skills, however Salen's difficultly with swimming went beyond a mere lack of skill. Joanna spotted Salen and swam up to the edge of the pool.

"You're late." Joanna teased.

"I am sorry."

"You say 'sorry' a lot."

"Sorry."

"Just go get changed." Joanna chuckled.

"I am actually having seconds thoughts about this, Joanna."

"You can't pass the final physical endurance exam if you can't swim." Joanna pointed out.

"That is illogical," Salen complained "there is no water in space."

"True, but most M-class planets are at least fifty percent water and being in Starfleet means exploring those planets."

"You bring up a good point."

"Go get into your swim suit. I promise I won't let you drown."

Salen forced a smile and nodded. Changing into a pair of black swim trunks he realized that he'd left his lycra swimming shirt back in his room. He considered keeping the shirt he had on, however that would leave him with nothing dry to walk home in. Deciding that Joanna was going to be the only there at this time of night he decided to forgo a shirt.

Walking out to the pool's edge Salen noticed the surprised look on Joanna's face. He flushed, causing the slash marks on his skin to glow brighter. Joanna saw that she was making him uncomfortable and brought her eyes off his body and up to his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Salen, I didn't mean to look so shocked. I just didn't know that those marks covered your whole body."

"They do."

"One day you're going to have to tell me how you got all those scars."

"I already told you, I was attacked by an animal when I was young."

"A Vulcan who can lie...a dangerous combination."

"I do not wish to talk about it."

"Now that I believe." Joanna nodded. "I won't mention it again. Come on in the water, it's nice and warm."

Salen's heart rate jumped at even the thought of getting into the pool. Swallowing his fear he made his way over to the shallow end of the pool. The lap pool did not have any steps, however it was only four feet deep at this end. Salen sat down on the edge and hopped down into the water that reached just above his navel.

"Not so bad, right?" Joanna asked as she came over.

"It is warmer than I thought it would be."

"I happen to know the manager who takes care of the pool. I told him I was helping out a Vulcan friend and he agreed to bump the temp up for tonight. I know how easily you get cold."

"Thank you." Salen smiled.

"You're welcome. Now then, what you're doing right now it not called swimming, it's called 'standing', so let's get going."

Joanna held her hands out to Salen in an invitation. He hesitated for a moment before putting his hands in hers. She held onto him gently and slowly started to back up to lead him into deeper water. When the water reached halfway up his chest he started shaking and had to stop. Joanna didn't force him any further.

"Salen?" Joanna asked gently.

"I will be fine. What do I need to do?"

"First thing is to relax. Let's just stay here and work on being comfortable in the water before we charge into the deep end. You're safe here, your feet are on the bottom."

Salen looked down at his feet to try and help convince himself that nothing was going to happen. Joanna smiled and squeezed his hands. Salen felt a jolt go up his arms and he pulled his hands away from her. He took a step back and hid his hands behind his back.

"Something wrong, Salen?"

"No." Salen shook his head. "Not, it is just...complicated."

"Oh wait..." Joanna smiled "Vulcans kiss with their hands, don't they?"

"Yes."

"I didn't mean to be inappropriate. However, you're not shaking anymore."

Salen brought his hands back out in front and held them up for inspection. Joanna was correct, his quaking had been cured. Stepping closer Joanna carefully put her hands on his shoulders and guided him to kneel down in the water. Salen resisted at first, but he slowly sank into the water until it was up to his neck. Surrounded by the suffocating water he began to pant heavily.

"Take it easy, Salen."

"I am trying."

"This is more than you not knowing how to swim, this is a true phobia of yours, isn't it?"

"Yes." Salen admitted. "I almost drowned when I was a teenager."

"That's horrible. What you need is to re-associate being in the water with something pleasant."

"I find being with you pleasant."

It was Joanna's turn to blush. Salen smiled nervously, hoping that he hadn't over stepped his bounds, they had only known one another for a few months. Joanna smiled and leaned in closer to give him a delicate kiss on the cheek. Cupping her hands together she scooped up some of the pool water and poured it over his head. Salen weld his eyes shut, looking about as happy as a cat stuck out in the rain.

"Hey..." Salen protested.

"You can't learn to swim if you're not willing to get wet."

Having a sudden brush of courage Salen took a deep breath and held it as he ducked under the surface. He didn't stay under long, and he came up sputtering, but he was proud that he managed to survive. Joanna smiled in approval.

"Excellent job, Salen. Next time try blowing bubbles with your nose, it will keep water from getting in."

Salen stood back up. He scooped up some water and splashed his face with it. He slicked his white hair back and looked around. This time of night they had the pool entirely to themselves. Taking another deep breath he ducked beneath the surface once more. Trying the bubble trick when he surfaced once more he wasn't as panicked for a breath.

"Having fun?" Joanna asked.

"I might not go so far as to call this 'fun'."

"But it's not torture, right?"

"No," Salen shook his head "far from it."

"Good. I'd like to teach you to float on your back, but you'll have to trust me."

"I do."

"Okay, turn around and lay back."

Salen lifted one of his eyebrows, but did as he was told. As he laid back in the water Joanna place one hand on his lower back and the other behind his head to support him. She gave him instructions on how to float on the surface, however no matter how he tried he continued to sink. The only thing that kept him from going directly to the bottom was Joanna's hands. Eventually she let him stand once again.

"I guess Vulcans don't float. You need to eat more fat."

"Douglas said the same thing." Salen rolled his eyes.

"He's right, fat floats in water, muscle doesn't."

"Does that mean I'll never be able to swim?" Salen asked distressed.

"You'll swim, it will just take a bit more effort."

"Thank you for helping me."

"Of course."

The pair spent the next half hour playing around in the water allowing Salen to become more comfortable with the aquatic environment. Vulcan had been a desert planet and the idea of learning to swim had never occurred to Salen until he'd learned it was a prerequisite to graduate the Academy. Salen still wasn't ready to wander in to the deep end, but he was making progress.

"I won't lie, you're not a natural fish, but you're learning fast." Joanna announced. "I hate to end our lesson, but I have to get up early."

"I understand."

"Same time tomorrow?"

Salen nodded. Joanna splashed Salen playfully before getting out of the pool. After she disappeared into the women's locker he got out and wandered into the men's locker. He took a shower to wash off the chlorine and changed back into his dry clothing.

Despite the several hour run and the hour of trying to swim Salen found that he still wasn't tired. Part of him dreaded going back to his room. He was becoming less able to rest as the days passed. Salen decided that heading over to the gym might be the best move, despite the fact that he hadn't eaten all day. Stepping back out into the pool room he froze at an unwelcome sight. A cadet around his age with butter blond hair had just entered. Upon spotting Salen a sneer curled his lip.

"Hello, Vulcan." He spat.

"I do not want any trouble."

"Then you should go back to your planet...oh wait, you can't, none of your ruined race can."

Salen was unmoved by the childish attack on his destroyed homeworld. Since the only way out was to go past the intruder Salen decided to just walk past him calmly. The cadet had other plans and stepped into Salen's path. Salen glanced nervously at the pool's edge that was only a few feet away.

"I saw you with her, disgusting."

"She is none of your concern." Salen replied.

"Keep your filthy alien hands off her, and the rest of the humans here for that matter."

"Get out of my way."

"Touch her again...and I'll kill you."

"Whether or not I touch her is up to her."

The cadet narrowed his eyes to slits and threw a powerful punch at Salen. Far too quick to be caught off guard like this Salen easily ducked. Thrown off balance his attacker started to fall towards the pool. Salen automatically lashed out and caught him, however, the cadet used the momentum to yank Salen off his feet.

Thrown into the water Salen panicked. He clawed at the water in an attempt to get to the surface. The clawing action did little to help his dire situation. His clothing ballooned in the water, making it more difficult to reach the surface. It wasn't long before he hit the bottom. With his lungs burning for air he pushed off against the bottom of the pool in a desperate jump for the surface.

Breaking through to the air Salen gasped painfully. Lashing out blindingly he was lucky to come in contact with the edge. Gripping the edge of the pool he pulled himself to the wall. Trembling from the near drowning he didn't have the strength to haul himself out of the water.

"Salen!"

Salen looked up in the direction of Joanna's panicked voice. She had returned and was rushing to help him. Kneeling by the pool side she helped him crawl back up onto dry land. She started to go into medical mode and checked him for injuries. Salen forced a smile and gently pushed her away.

"Salen? Are you okay?"

"I am fine. Why did you come back?"

"I forgot my key card." Joanna explained. "Salen, who was that? I saw him throw you in, and..."

"Do not concern yourself with him."

"We need to report him."

"No." Salen shook his head.

"He tried to kill you!"

"He did not know that I can not swim."

"Well he certainly didn't hang around long enough to find out, you could have drowned!"

"I am fine, please, just forget it, he was not trying to kill me."

"It still isn't acceptable cadet behavior." Joanna huffed.

"He and I have had disagreements since I entered the Academy."

"He doesn't like you because you're Vulcan?"

"It is a bit more complicated than that." Salen sighed. "I do not blame him, he has every right to hate me."

"What? Why?"

"I drove his father insane."