She’d run. Without thinking about it, she darted away. Fear of being sorted drove her to dart away. Unfortunately, she ran directly into a group of Kharmon.
A hard looking alien grabbed her left arm tightly and then jerked upward. “What is this?” The voice dripped cruelty, hard and full of scorn. He lifted her until she cried out, her feet leaving the grass. “You allow them to wander the gardens? Brother?”
“Set her down, Teemin.” That sounded like the one who’d found her. The voice carried the same soft tone. “My garden, my human. Let her go.”
She tried to get away, reaching up to peel those incredibly strong fingers away. Her mouth opened and she drew a breath.
“I said let her go.”
Up until the moment he hit her, she’d seen him as the reasonable one. Then his blow knocked the air from her. She fell, gasping for breath. The meal she’d swiped less than an hour earlier spewed forth, spattering her tormentor’s feet.
He grimaced. “Your human. The one who got away. Tendar, you keep a poor watch.”
“I saved this one for my personal attention.” Tendar stepped over her, clapping his hands. Two other Kharmon hurried forward. “See her cleaned up and taken to my quarters.” He hurried away, the others followed.
Cameron didn’t fight as she was helped to her stand, trying to breath took all her concentration. His strike had been powerful.
The two others spoke over her head. “How did she slip through?”
“She was lucky. Some do have an ability to blend into the background,” the other answered. “The garden! Hell. It will have to be replanted.”
Cameron slowly stood up. Her throat felt raw, but she forced the words out anyway, “Why?”
“She spoke!” The first one let her arm go and stepped in front, studying her face. “You spoke.”
“Yes, I spoke.” So much for playing stupid. She looked up and sighed. “Why replant the garden?”
“A thinker. Tendar will be pleased.” The male in front of her smiled. “Why did you hide?”
Cameron took a step backward at that smile. His lips all but disappeared. Even teeth, so white they were almost blue, gleamed at her and his eyes widened. She didn’t feel threatened, but that smile still surprised her.
“Uh…because it seemed prudent.” In for a penny, in for a pound. “What does Kharmon mean?”
He shook his head, the smile disappearing. “It will all be explained later.”
She sighed and followed them. For three months, she’d been naked and become accustomed to it, but suddenly, she felt modest. She crossed her arms and bowed her head, letting her long hair hide her face. They took her to a bathroom and let her clean up. Moreover, for the first time, she was offered clothing. A fairly heavy tunic, an off-white color and very soft. It felt good against her skin.
Once dressed, they escorted her to the kitchen where she met the cook, and was offered the first full meal since her escape. She sat at a table, looking at the female Kharmon, bustling about the stove.
“Thank you, this is very good,” she finally spoke. “I was hungry.”
“You are welcome.” The Kharmon lifted a heavy pot and set it away from the heat. “Try this…” She spooned up a ladle of steamy liquid, filled a bowl and handed it to Cameron. “What are you called?”
“Cameron Diebold.” She took the bowl and sniffed at it. “Spicy…” Taking the spoon, she gingerly sampled the soup. She took a second sample and sighed, “Oh. This is wonderful.”
“I like to surprise the kharmonian with items they once knew.” She nodded. “Camerondielbold… I will call you Cam.”
“All right. Diebold is my maiden name, the name of my parents. Cam is short for Cameron.” She finished the bowl. “The Kharmonian is what you call humans?”
The cook paused. “It suffices. Though it’s no longer accurate.”
Cameron sensed the lack of truth but didn’t push it. She’d been treated differently than she’d expected. She’d be polite and patient. The paramount lesson during the indoctrination lectures was to be polite, deferential and submissive. Cameron could be polite and she’d be patient. They’d find she wasn’t prone to submission.
*****
For nearly a week, Cameron worked in the kitchen alongside Pindari. The cook answered some questions, managing to ask a fair amount at the same time. Cam didn’t realize how much she missed simple conversation and grew comfortable with Pindari. Cam chopped vegetables, stirred pots, fetched items and made herself useful. They gave her a small room, just off the kitchen.
She saw other humans, usually taking direction and following orders. She watched, but never observed anyone being hurt or abused. The bruises on her arm, from the one who’d grabbed her in the garden, slowly faded as the muscles of her belly let go of their outrage for being struck. Cam didn’t ask Pindari about the garden.
One morning, she found the kitchen empty. It seemed odd, but then she recalled Pindari saying she had an errand to run. Cam explored. She knew Pindari substituted a great deal on the recipes she followed. They were human for the most part, but evidently, the supplies were limited. She found a stash of spices, most familiar. Eating a slice of bread, toasted and coated with a jelly of some sort, Cam kept exploring and she found the cookbooks.
Oh! An original Betty Crocker!
She gasped and carefully pulled the old book from the cabinet. The source of many childhood memories, she flipped through it, remembering how she’d sit with her mother and pick out something to cook. She sighed and gingerly turned the pages. There were notations here and there. Then Cam found a long list of substitute items. The Earth item on one side and next to it, one she didn’t know. But she figured out what the list was as she recognized a few of the items.
The book made her aware of how far away Earth must be. With a deep sigh, she closed it and prepared to return it to the cabinet when Pindari spoke from the shadowed doorway, “You can read.”
“Oh!” Cam nearly dropped the book. “Damn, you move quietly.” She set a hand at her heart after making sure the book set securely on the shelf. “Yes, I can read. And write. I told you I worked in a bookstore, before…”
Pindari entered the kitchen, looking pleased. “True, but for all I knew, you simply fetched and carried. You said you were a manager, managed people?”
“Sure, but…” Cam shook her head. “…it would be odd to work in a bookstore and not be able to read.”
“True, but few retain the skill once they are here,” Pindari replied. It was the first time the apparent dumbing down of the humans was mentioned. Cam took advantage.
“I noticed. Why?” She’d never been one for direct questions, but she needed to understand. “And I apologize if I overstepped my bounds, looking at your cookbooks.”
“Not at all. You’ll have to tell me what is your favorite,” Pindari sidestepped the first question. “You’re to dine with Tendar tonight. I’ll excuse you early so that you can clean up and prepare yourself.”
“Tendar? He’s the head of this house. right?” Cam swallowed her nervousness. “Why? What does he want with me? I thought he’d forgotten I existed.” She knew the name, remembering how he struck her in the garden.
“Not likely. It’s been a busy week for him, with family visiting. But they’ve all gone now and he can return to what interests him.” Pindari smiled slightly and slid into the staging area of the kitchen. “What would you like for dinner?”
Cam took a step back. “It’s his house. What does he want?”
“For you to have what you want.” Pindari shook her head. “Why are you backing away?”
“I don’t want to meet him.” Cam whispered. “He…he hit me…”
“I heard. I’m sure there is an explanation, he isn’t a violent male. Unlike his brother.” The cook scowled.
Cam backed away, turned and shivered.
Pindari sighed. “I would like to attempt the tamale you mentioned your mother made.” She began to name off the supplies needed. Ca
meron slowly unwound from the tense pose, arms tight and back hunched, to assist.
Sometime later, Pindari looked up and suggested that Cameron return to her room to clean up. Cam froze, and then reluctantly did as she’d been told. The cook called out, “I will accompany you, Cameron.”
“Oh. I…thank you.” Cameron strode with more confidence from the kitchen. Maybe a female nearby would keep him from getting violent again.
That night, Tendar proved an affable host and eased Cameron’s defenses. He showed appreciation for how long she had avoided the selection process. “Few are so quick to realize how selection works.” He lifted his goblet to her.
“I was scared.” She simply admitted. Pindari didn’t sit at the table with them, but hovered close. It was still helpful.
They finished the entree and Pindari returned with desert. Tendar brought up the subject of Cameron’s ability to read and write.
Cam set her glass down. “I have never hidden what I can do.”
“Yes, just didn’t speak up about it. Silence again, eh?” Tendar set his hand flat on the table. Cam found herself studying that hand. Three fingers, exceptionally long. She’d watched Pindari, knew they could bend and flex well beyond what humans could do. The Kharmon moved gracefully, almost without effort. Sometimes she thought they glided.
With a deep sigh, Cameron nodded. “Yes. Silence. It worked for me.”
“What is a bookstore?” Tendar leaned forward. “I would assume from the name it is where books are sold? Or bought?”
“Usually sold.” Cameron looked at the table. “I worked at a bookstore. A very large one, where we sold books and music. I worked in the books. Why is it important? The only books I’ve seen here are Pindari’s cookbooks.”
“Where are books bought?” Tendar seemed almost to ask the air.
“Some places would buy used books, to resell them.” Cameron thought a moment. “Or do you mean…where do writers sell their books?”
“Yes, where do writers sell their books?” He gazed intently at her.
“They sell them to publishers, who mass produce them and then sell them to bookstores.” His question confused her. “You don’t know this?”
“Why would I? I’ve never been to your Earth,” Tendar replied. “There are no bookstores here. But I do have a library and the need for a librarian. What do you know of libraries?”
“Libraries lend books out. They assist people with information…uh… Been some years since I’ve been in a library.” Cameron picked at the cake set in front of her. “I never studied library science, though I thought about it.”
“What did you study?”
“I have a degree in language and literature.” Cameron nearly shot from her chair when Tendar slammed his hand down on the table.
He laughed. “Perfect. I am a fortunate one!” He clapped his hand twice and a pair of woman trotted into the dining area, giggling. He smiled at them, and then at Cameron. “I need to speak with Pindari. Go with these two and wait until you’re sent for.”
Cameron trembled, but didn’t know what else to do. His hand hitting that table made her belly tighten. She didn’t look at Pindari, and let the two lead her away, glad to be excused. They were giggling, shooting glances at each other. Cam had noticed this tendency with human women when they were near Kharmon males. She refused to speculate what it meant. These two were typical. Though not at all physically alike, they worked in unison. Cam followed them to an opulent tiled room. There was a small pool or what she thought was a pool, until she saw the faucets at both ends.
The taller of the women smiled at Cameron. “Tendar’s bath. Do not touch the water.” She turned the faucets on. No checking the temperature by dangling fingers into the flow. She carefully held her robe back. Cam swore she even held her breath when poised over the growing pool. Both women took up small nets and knelt at opposite sides of the pool, skimming away particles that Cam didn’t even see.
She sat to one side, wondering what Pindari and Tendar were talking about.
The Alien Library
Another Novel of an Alien Encounter
Book List
www.maureenobetita.com
Forever A Pirate
A Caribbean Spell, book one
Red Sean’s Revenge, book two
The French Gambit, book three
Magic’s Hostage, book four
The Hard Choices, book five
The Spanish Challenge, book six
The Blood Tears, book seven
A Desperate Course, book eight
Summoned Home, book nine
The Lurking Menace, book ten
Ruby, book eleven
Something More Than This, book twelve
The Hunter’s Trail, book thirteen
The Haunting, book fourteen
Upon the Bridge, book fifteen
The Magician’s Pearl, book sixteen
The Nightmare Nest, book seventeen
The Night God, book eighteen
Soul Struggles, book nineteen
Miranda’s Trial, book twenty
The Taste of Blood, book twenty-one
Lee’s Gift, book twenty-two
The Rebel Plot, book twenty-three
And seven to come
Other Books by Maureen O. Betita
The Kraken’s Caribbean Series
The Kraken’s Mirror, book one
The Chameleon Goggles, book two
The Pirate Circus, book three
The Kraken’s Promise, book four
Short Stories
Rumsgiving ~ A Holiday for Emily
Silvestri’s Unintended Consequences
The Founding of the Port
A Troubling Courtship
Keitran’s Ascension
Alien Encounters
Essentially Human
The Alien Library
The Embrace Protocol
No Place Like Holmes
Born in Flight
~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
Maureen lives along the lovely Monterey Bay and finds great inspiration in being so near the Pacific Ocean. She shares her home with Stephen, her high school sweetheart, married for over 30 years; a cat named Isabeau and a dog named Bonnie. She travels miles and miles to attend pirate festivals, renaissance fairs, scifi/fantasy conventions, steampunk cons and writing conferences.
You can visit Maureen at:
www.maureenobetita.com
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Essentially Human Page 25