Page 13 of My Alien Jewel
Too soon, the bottle is empty. I peer at Nikolai, who is already tasting a second bottle for me. “Take it slow,” he cautions. “You’ll get sick if you drink too much at once.”
I do happen to know that and I try really hard to follow his advice, yet I end up chugging back the second bottle as quickly as the first one. I shoot Nikolai a cautious look, worried he’s angry at me for disobeying his order. He merely chuckles and sets another bottle down in front of me.
This time, I do take it slow. Sip by sip, savoring the taste of the water as if it is the most expensive cocktail in the galaxy.
Nikolai’s resulting smile is one of encouragement rather than the malice I’m used to. “That’s better. Do you want me to taste the food first, too? I should warn you, though. These rolls are so delicious that I might just eat them whole instead of merely tasting them.”
My lips twitch into a hesitant smile. It’s such an unfamiliar feeling to smile that I raise a hand up to touch my mouth in surprise. Maybe I’m not smiling. Maybe I’ve had a stroke. It feels good, though, so I let it be.
“It’s good to see you smile,” Nikolai says. I’m beginning to hate how lifelessly his datapad translates his words. I feel robbed by it. It’s been years since anyone has said anything remotely nice to me, yet I can’t even enjoy it because I can’t understand his human language and his interpreting program is shit.
He sees me glaring at the device and frowns. “Sorry about this device but I’ve only been learning Omnispeak for three weeks. I can say a few phrases but I’m far from being able to maintain a conversation. I’m guessing you don’t have the Earth languages update in your nodes?”
I shake my head.
“Yeah, didn’t think so,” he says, not sounding one bit angry about it. I can hardly remember what it’s like to not be yelled at constantly. “Here.” He pushes a plate with fresh seka rolls toward me. “I bit into each one to ensure it was safe. It was a tedious task, but I suffered through it heroically.”
It takes me a second too long to realize he’s joking. My smile is real this time, my facial muscles aching from disuse.
Against my better judgment, I’ve decided that I like Nikolai. I wish I could convince my mouth to speak. I’d tell him he can be my new master. For him, I’d be the most obedient slave ever. He would never have to punish me.
I know it’s just a dream. He’s not even the captain of this ship. The crew would never allow him to keep something as precious as me to himself. But it’s a nice dream, a welcome change from my usual hopelessness and nightmares.
Nikolai keeps talking as I eat, telling me how he was kidnapped by slavers himself and saved by the current crew of this ship. That they are good people who have devoted their lives to fighting against slavery. To be honest, it sounds a little too good to be true. However, Nikolai doesn’t seem to be lying.
In my many years as a slave, I’ve become proficient in reading body language. Detecting the slightest nuance in my master’s mood was often the only thing saving me from receiving a beating. Of course, it didn’t work every time.
Images from the past start slipping into my mind and I realize I’m dozing off. I shake my head, willing myself to stay awake. I might like Nikolai, I might even trust him a tiny bit, but not enough to fall asleep here next to him. I shove the last of the seka rolls into my mouth, stifling a yawn.
Nikolai doesn’t say anything, just hands me a blanket. “I want you to know that you can sleep in here if you want. I know youprobably won’t, but I’m offering, nonetheless. I have a hammock over there that makes a decent bed.”
I glance in the direction he’s indicating, realizing that he’s talking about the fabric cocoon I saw earlier. It’s tempting but I shake my head.
“Okay. It’s your choice. Just take the blanket, please, and the water. I’ll be back tomorrow with more fresh food. Is there anything you particularly like to eat? Anything you don’t like?”
Having no idea what to respond, I just shake my head again. Food I don’t like? Good geodes! If it’s edible, I’ll eat it. I’ve been starved so often I think I’ve lost the ability to be picky with my food.
Nikolai smiles. “Good. I’ll try to pick out something good then.” He hesitates before continuing, “Will you come back tomorrow?”
I don’t have to. He’s given me enough food and water to last me a day or two at least. I could stay tucked away in my little nook and…do what? Watch my thoughts spiral out of control? Relive my terrible memories? Slowly lose my mind in the darkness? I think not.
I nod, surprised by the delight in his smile.
Chapter 8
Nikolai
I saunter down Supernova’scorridors, whistling to myself. Astra walks by, cocking her brow with a look that suggests she thinks I’m crazy. Maybe I am. Maybe I’m just happy.
Judging by the shocked expression in our mysterious stowaway’s eyes, she hasn’t smiled in a very long time. I made her smile, and fuck if it doesn’t feel like the greatest accomplishment of my life!
What does that say about my life? It sucks. But at least I made someone happy, which is all I’ve ever wanted.
This time, she didn’t run. It was probably more because of her exhaustion and thirst than her trust in me.Yet, by the time she’d finished her food, I think I’d made it past some of her defenses.
She promised to come back and that makes me happier than it should, because I’m starting to like her more than a wannabe doctor/therapist should like their patient. She’s so broken and yet so brave, so resilient. I wish I knew her name so I could stop calling her “she” or “the stowaway” in my mind.
I think she tried to tell me. At first, I thought she physically couldn’t speak, either due to the slave collar she wears, or because of an older injury. Now I think it’s more of a mental block that prevents her from saying anything, even if it’s just her name. Someone has brutally conditioned her to always remain silent. The thought that someone would do that to another living being makes my blood boil.