"There is something wrong with you," the lady spoke, and then she asked, "If you bring me food, what do you want from me?"
"Someone to talk to," Kein replied. "I've had friends before like this little one," she said as she lifted the spider. "But they don't speak to me. I want someone who can talk to me. I can come once a day, and you can talk to me."
"I know of the school that is beyond these woods. Will you not be missed?"
"My teachers don't like me, and I don't think the ones that I have before lunch will care if I show up or not, so I can come of a morning."
"What about school? You will miss out on learning. I might devour you later, but you will taste better if you are a little smarter."
"Maybe you can teach me," Kein said. "I can bring you other things that you need besides food, and you can teach me."
"It will take me some time to heal, and I cannot leave this cavern until I am healed so... I guess I can endure having to talk with my food before I devour you," the lady stated, and then she added, "But you cannot tell anyone that I am here."
"I know. They won't like that you're here, so I promise never to tell anyone."
"I guess I can only trust you on this. Come then... Come tomorrow with more grapes, and we will begin your lessons."
"What's your name?" she questioned. "My name's Kein."
"That is German, but it is not a name," the lady told her.
"It's what they call me," she said. "It has to be my name. Can you please tell me your name?"
"I do not think I will ever tell you my name," the lady replied.
"Why is that?"
"This will be your very first lesson," the lady stated. "My people only reveal their names to friends and family, and right now you are neither. Remember you are a little morsel and that is what I will call you."
"I don't think I understand."
The lady explained, "My people see our names as a part of us like an arm or a leg, but it goes even deeper than that. Our names are our very being, so we just do not tell anyone our given name. You have to be someone important to us or someone cherished, and little morsel, you are neither of these things to me, so if I should give you my name now I would be breaking a sacred tradition, and I would be insulting my own pride."
Kein thought about it, and then she said, "I think I understand. I'll learn your name once we're friends." She clapped her hands together and peered up at the lady's face as she said, "I can't wait... I bet it won't be that long, and I bet it's a very pretty name like something that has to do with your beautiful eyes. You can tell me your name, and then you can devour me." She started to run back the way she came, then set the spider down, and started running again for the exit as she shouted to all the small eight-legged creatures, "Goodbye!"
"I believe there is something not right with that one," the lady told the spiders around her. "I have never seen food so excited to be devoured that they would promise to return."
Kein paused once she was some great distance away and yelled, "Goodbye, lady. See you tomorrow."
The lady said nothing to her only shook her head as she watched the young girl run out of her prison, and then the lady spoke to all the spiders around her, "She is too small right now, so I will have to be patient. The food that she will bring me will nourish me until the day she will be enough for me to heal myself and leave this dreadful prison." The spiders started moving around at their normal pace as the lady said, "My kind lives a very long time, so I can wait... and then I can enjoy my sweet sweet morsel." The lady frowned as she added, "I will only have to put up with her until then." The lady lifted her voice and ordered, "None of you are to hurt her. She is mine. She is mine alone."
The next day...
The school had a special morning assembly, and it was mandatory that everyone attend, so Kein went with all her fellow students and sat with the other children in her grade. They all gathered in the gym where a huge red carpet had been rolled out over the basketball court, and chairs were set up for all the children, facing a stage, and a microphone on a podium was set up on the stage. The faculty sat in their chairs behind the podium and awaited the arrival of the headmistress. She arrived and walked out on stage as the children and faculty quieted without being told.
"What is that on the headmistress' head?" a girl to Kein's left asked the girl to her left.
"It's a veil. I heard the headmistress wears it everywhere she goes. She even wears it while she's in her office."
"Why is she wearing it?"
"I heard it said that her husband died long ago and that she's still in mourning over him. I heard it said that she'll never remove the veil until she either finds a suitable husband or she feels she has mourned her dead husband long enough."
The headmistress took her place at the podium and began to speak, "For the few transfer students that just arrived today, my name is Headmistress Blindheart. You may call me headmistress or you may call me Headmistress Blindheart; both are acceptable. I want to welcome you one and all to another semester and to remind all of you to work hard. Many of you will be our future leaders, so sharpen your minds and hone your bodies and always strive to better yourselves. This world wants to devour us and destroy what we stand for, but do not fear such a death. Hold solace that your clans or houses have already devoured you. Your clans or houses have eaten you from the inside out, and they own all of you. They are your family. Hold pride in that," she spoke, then glanced over the crowd, and seemed to look right at Kein as she added, "And for those few of you who have yet to be devoured, do not give up hope... A clan or house may come along and see the potential that is in you and devour you, inducting you into their family, so work hard for your future family. I was not born into the Fire Bird Clan. I was devoured into it, and I take pride that such a clan wanted me. Be it the clan or house you are born into or one that devours you, always put them before yourself. There is no self, there is only family."
Head Mistress Blindheart paused, and then she said, "Remember children, it is all about purity of the race. The strong and/or smart succeed. The frail and mediocre fail, and their line will not be carried on. Entice a clan or house to devour you. Show them you can bring strength and prestige to their name. We are only as strong as our weakest member."
The morning assembly went on for another thirty minutes, then the students were dismissed to their classes, and Kein hurried into the woods. She brought the lady grapes as promised, and she also brought her crackers and cheese. The lady found that she didn't care for either the crackers or cheese, but she did eat the grapes, and she ate all of them.
"What shall I teach you today?"
"There is something I would like to learn about," Kein replied. "What is important about a clan or house?"
"Clan or house? Is it not what you call your families?"
"It is," Kein replied. "What is their purpose?"
"These are questions your mother or father would be better suited to answer," the lady stated. "You should not bother me with such things. You should ask them."
"My mom and dad died long ago," Kein stated. "I'm not even sure what their purpose is supposed to be."
"What do you mean you do not understand their purpose?" the lady inquired of her.
The spiders of the cavern moved closer, but they kept their distance of the unusual girl except for the large brown spider Kein had picked up the day before. He crawled into Kein's outstretch hand when she offered to pick him up. She petted his fuzzy body.
"A mother or a father raise you," the lady said. "They take care of you."
"The school takes care of me, so would the school be this family you speak of?" Kein asked.
The lady answered, "I guess they could be. They just need to love you and help you grow up strong."
"No one at the school loves me, no one at the school even likes me," Kein stated, and then she bowed her head as she said, "They say that I'm cursed."
"Why do they say you are cursed?"
"I'm not really sure, but
they say that someone killed my parents and put some sort of mark on me."
The lady had been lying down, but she stood to her legs and walked around and noticed her injured leg didn't hurt as much, and then she asked, "Do you know where this mark is?"
"I think I saw it once," Kein replied, and then she motioned and said, "It's on the back of my neck."
"Let me see."
Kein walked over to her, lifted her long hair, and turned, so she could see the nape of her neck. The lady looked closely and saw what appeared to be a small tattoo in the shape of a circle with markings inside.
"Curious," the lady said. "It does appear you have been marked, but I am not sure of the purpose of this particular mark."
The lady put a hand on the young girl's shoulder and thought about sinking her fangs into the little morsel's neck, but if she did that, she would ruin any chance that she had of escaping her prison in the future. The lady was very tired and weak, and she would have given up long ago of ever leaving except for the revenge that fuels her desire to go on. The lady needed to get back into play.
"Let us talk a little more about the school that is taking care of you," the lady spoke as she removed her hand from her shoulder. "You said that they do not like you, but that they do take care of you."
"That's right," Kein answered as she turned and faced the lady. "I overheard one of the teachers say they wanted to use me for something when I get older, so they must bear the burden of taking care of me until some other school takes over my care or a clan or house does decide to take me." Kein paused, and then she asked, "Can you tell me the purpose of a family in greater detail?"
"I will try," the lady replied. "A family consists of a mother, father, and siblings."
"What are siblings?"
"Siblings are a brother and/or sister. They are people somewhat like you who must grow up and learn."
"From the mother and the father?" Kein questioned.
"That is correct. A family is two or more of those members living in a unit. It is how one learns so that they know how to survive through life," the lady replied, chuckled to herself, and muttered, "You would have been better off if someone had been guiding you, little morsel, then you would not be here with me."
"I like being here with you, but I do need a family," Kein said. "I need to find me a family." She then muttered to herself, "Two or more..."
"I do not think you can just go out and find you a family," the lady said as she lay back down on the pile of rubble.
"I would really like to have a family," Kein said. "They sound important."
"I know you would, little morsel, but it is just not in your thread."
"Oh... I guess I will have to make friends then. You can be my friend one day, you can tell me your name, and then we can be friends, or better than that... you can devour me."
"You are the most peculiar girl I have ever come across," the lady told her, and then she said, "As for your statement... One day might just happen. Now... What else should I teach you today?"
One week later...
The lady was lying down as Kein came into the cavern housing the arena size platform, and all the spiders seemed to let out a joyous squeal as she entered. Kein spread out her blanket, and she sat on it as she enjoyed her breakfast. She also started bringing her lunch and sharing it.
"I learned about your people today," Kein told the lady as she gave her her grapes and had her try liver.
"What did they teach you?" the lady inquired.
"They didn't actually teach me. I overheard. Your people come from a place that is a giant island, and they say the sun sees it first."
"Yes, that is where my people are from."
"Do you miss your family?" Kein asked her.
"I do. It has been many many years since I have seen them."
"I hear on that island you have your own language that's different than ours."
"We do," the lady replied. "Maybe one day I will teach you my language."
The lady tried the liver and found that she did enjoy eating it almost as much as the grapes. She looked down at the girl and said, "You are looking thinner. You need to eat more if you are to fatten up for me."
"I don't know if I can," Kein told her. "I've been sharing my meals with you."
"I see," the lady said. "And we cannot have that anymore. You will have to start taking more food for yourself so that you can share with me without taking away from what you need to grow up big."
"I will try," Kein told her.
"You said earlier that you brought something new with you," the lady stated.
"I did," Kein said. "I brought a comb. Kids are making fun of me because they say my hair's all messed up. Can you teach me how to comb my hair?"
The lady sighed, having to do something so tedious, then she held out her hand, and Kein gave her the comb. She took the plain blue plastic comb.
"Turn around and hold still," the lady spoke, then she took the comb and ran it through the girl's tangles, trying to force the teeth through the knots.
Kein's head jerked back as the lady continued to assault her strands.
The lady said, "Your hair is a real mess. It would be better if we shaved it off and let your hair grow back in. Turn and face me. Good... Now... Listen to me. I need you to go retrieve a pair of scissors and..." The lady paused as she noticed something out of the ordinary, and then she inquired, "What are those running down your face? Are you crying? You are... Why are you crying? Is it because I told you, you had to cut your hair?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cry," Kein told her. "It's just that... it hurts when you run the comb through my hair, so I couldn't help but cry."
"Why did you not say something? You should have told me I was hurting you."
"I don't know why I didn't say anything," Kein replied, and then she added, "I guess I thought it was supposed to hurt."
The lady sighed again, but this time, the lady was aggravated with herself, not the child. She said, "No, I did not mean to hurt you, little morsel. I was careless and in a hurry, but I promise I will be gentler and take my time this time. Turn around. I will comb your hair again and do so as I should."
Kein turned, and as promised, the lady took her time and removed the knots from her hair, and Kein didn't cry anymore. She actually enjoyed having the lady comb her hair.
A few days later...
Kein sat on a rock as she flipped through a magazine she found in the trash.
"Look," she said as she lifted it, so the lady could see. "These people have families and don't they look happy?"
The lady ate her grapes as she glanced at the picture, not interested at all in what the little morsel was saying to her.
Kein pulled the magazine back down and continued looking at the images as she said, "I think I should find me a family."
"A family is not something you can find," the lady told her. "We talked about this already, but if you want to waste your time looking for one, who am I to say you cannot?"
"I need to know more then," Kein told her. "Please tell me more about a mother and a father."
"A father is someone who... A father is a male who teaches you things like... what is right and what is wrong... He teaches you how to take care of yourself, he gives you wisdom, and he... he..."
"You said something about love," Kein interrupted.
"Yes, a father is supposed to love you," the lady explained. "He is supposed to care more about you than he cares about himself, that is a father. A mother is a female who basically does the same thing."
"They sound like they would be nice to have."
"If you say so..." the lady spoke, and then she said, "Hand me your comb. It is time to comb your hair."
A few weeks later...
"What are you doing?" the lady asked as she looked over Kein's shoulder.
"I'm trying to write my name. I saw that the others can write words down on paper and can talk to people that way, but I have yet to learn to spell my name."
"You cannot write? Your teachers must be very frustrated with you if you have not learned to write from them."
Kein bowed her head and stated, "They do say that I'm slow and that it would be a waste of their time to instruct me more than once, so I haven't learned yet. They also said something about me not needing to learn. They also said that the new school they'll be sending me to... that I'll have no need of knowledge there."
"You cannot go through life not knowing how to read," the lady scolded her. "I guess I will have to teach you. How else will you be able to get me some of the things that I need if you cannot read? Write out your A, B, Cs. We will start with that."
One month later...
The lady was able to walk the length of the platform twice before her leg started to hurt. Many of the spiders gathered on the platform when Kein came, but they never approached her as instructed. Everyone had a routine. Kein would arrive. She would play with the one large brown spider as the other spiders watched and made excited noises. Kein and the lady would eat breakfast. The lady would instruct Kein on some daily lesson, and then they would work on her spelling and writing. They would then have lunch. Kein would play with the large spider again. There would be a second daily lesson, and then the lady would comb Kein's hair before she left for the day.
"I brought you something!" Kein yelled as she ran up to the lady.
"What is it?" the lady inquired as she walked over to where the little morsel stood.
Kein handed her a piece of paper that had been folded up twice.
"What is this?"
"Read it," Kein urged her.
The lady looked over the crude writing and saw that Kein still needed to work on a few of her letters.
"Can you?" Kein asked her.
"Can I what?"
"Read it out loud. I asked you a question."
The lady spoke, "You are invited to Kein's birthday party."
Monster Of Monsters #1 Part One: Mortem's Opening Page 2