Status: Discontinued [2018]

Dust of a Star

Chapter Six: Two Weeks

I hated the next two weeks. There were horrible. Every day was crammed with something to learn. Characters and words to etiquette and proper titles. I was to use more Eltherôn than my native tongue. I was smacked every time I didn't use Eltherôn by my teacher. She seemed to hate me. Or that was what I thought. She glared at me as if I had done something wrong even before I met her.

Then there was the etiquette training. Eltherâks were very structured and everything had a place and a meaning. The fork was placed on the left side for it represented Kafnal. The spoon or something close to it sat on the right, representing Xabtûl. When used together as for what we humans would call pasta, it represented the two combining. I would never look at table settings the same ever again. The plate was suppose to be the planet or the universe. My teacher, Madam—don't ask—Wavo'i told me everyone had a different idea. Some even said it was a representation of themselves. A glass was placed in the center at the top of the plate, holding nothing but water. A glass with anything else was placed to the right or the left depending on what it was.

Then came the tailors or Gahalén. They measured, recorded, and prodded me all through the day. It took hours for them to match my skin tone, darker than most humans that lived in space. They chatted with each other, muttering how one color looked great, but the next made me look sickly. They had picked a green and a purple—not that I would have chosen those colors together. The three of them worked on it right there, leaving me nearly naked in the bathing suit-like garment they gave me to put on.

After that whole ordeal, I was taught about history, politics, what not to say or talk about, and everything else beneath the sun. They wanted me prepared for just about anything. And my poor brain was nearly ready to explode from all the information in it. I had only a few hours to take a reprieve. That was taken up by eating and other necessary things.

Next thing I knew it was the day before the feast. I was sweating and worrying over how this would go. Leatho was calm and told me to calm down several times. I think I was annoying him with my pacing in the lounge—living room. More than once he pushed me into a chair to try and keep me from wearing down his carpet, but in a manner of moments I was back up again.

He was in the kitchen, making something. I didn't know what. But it kept my mind off of my impending doom that was going to happen tomorrow.

“Sit down or I will have you bound to it.” I didn't protest as I sat down. “Now, stay there quietly for a bit.” I sat. The silence was getting to me. My mind was starting to play tricks. I would hear whispers in the buzz that engulfed my eardrums. Whispers of reproach and disapproval. I tried to ignore them, but they kept coming back.

I wasn't good enough. I knew I wasn't.

My leg started bouncing. I bit my non-existent fingernails as I stared off into nothing.

Clang!

Jumping from my spot, I snapped my eyes to Leatho. He stood behind the counter looking a bit peeved. Then I saw it. He had a metal knife in his hand, laying against the hard counter-top. “Would you sit still for one moment?” he questioned. His eyes flared. They weren't his normal dark brown, but a burnt brown that looked hard as any metal. I didn't know if he was angry with me or just annoyed. It was hard to tell.

“Kafer jahal, Tüvo.” I looked to the wall, white with only a few paintings on it. Two in fact. I didn't want to face Leatho, not now.

“Ol'am.” I slowly turned my gaze to the male in the kitchen. But he had moved. He was standing at the far end of couch before me. “Everything will be fine tomorrow. Nothing will go wrong.” I stared at him, surprised. He never encouraged me before. He always said I need to be better. That I needed to improve. Especially with the etiquette and Eltherôn. He critiqued just about everything I did or said.

“How do you know? I may make a mistake and that will make everything fail. What if I slip up?”

Leatho sighed, gripping the couched before walking to me with a white cup in his hand. Steam was rising out of it. “What do you think will go wrong? What do you think will happen if you slip up? All you can say is that you are helping me gather information. What harm is in that?” I didn't know what to say. He was right, but there was a nagging feeling that this wouldn't work out in the end. But what do I know? I am just a woman from the slums.

The councilor handed the cup over to me. “Drink. It will help settle the nerves.” Hesitantly taking the cup, I looked in it. It was a dark blue liquid that shone brightly. It didn't look natural. “It is a tea from the Al'haknér plant on my home planet.” Al'haknér? I didn't know what that plant was, and I didn't know if I could have it without dying. But would Leatho poison me? Would he stoop so low as to get rid of his mistake? Was I a mistake in his eyes? “It is not poisonous to humans.” Did I have that look on my face? “I told you before. You show everything in your expressions.”

“Oh. Right.” Leatho kept watching me as I looked at the tea in the cup. Gathering up my courage, I brought the white thing to my lips. I was trembling. The liquid sloshed to my closed lips, nearly scalding them. Tears threatened to release, but I held them back, taking a deep breath and opening my lips slightly. The tea slipped in, and I rushed the cup away from me, scared. The hot liquid moved around in my mouth for a moment before I tried to swallow.

The instant it was down, and I didn't feel any pain, I noticed it tasted slightly sweet. Warmth spread through my body. It was calming and wonderful to feel. I felt my muscles relaxing, and my mind starting to slow. But then I though about what if this was the poison. What if the poison was going to stop my heart.

I couldn't hold back my tears any more. They spilled down my cheeks. I couldn't take it any more. My life was doomed since the day I was born. I knew there would be a time when someone would kill me. I just didn't think it would be like this.

“Ëaro.” I didn't want to look at his face. The face of the man that killed me. “Isis Ëaro, look at me.” Slowly, I turned my gaze to him. “You are not dying. The al'haknér plant relaxes the body and mind. I did not put enough in there to even be dangerous to you.” He crouched in front of me as I slowly curled upon myself. His eyes were warm. They didn't look threatening. Not at all. But could I really trust that? “You have nothing to fear from anything within my quarters. Not me. Not anyone. Remember this. I will not let any harm befall you.”

I stared at his face. I traced the markings—Valthôk—with my eyes. He had from the corner of his eyes, curling up and down. The upper one swirled upon itself and then split off, swirling and curling before connecting with the other side that mirrored it. The downward one cut straight down to his strong, square chin. At his chin it ran back, hitting his neck before heading towards the dip in his collarbone in the very center. Then that line disappeared into his robe.

The robe was loose and clearly for casual wear. There was nothing special about it. It was gray in color with only the belt to offset it; it was emerald green. My eyes traveled back up to his head, locking eyes with him. He seemed to be searching mine. I didn't know what for, but he was. His hair was pulled back, at least half of it, keeping it out of his face. Seeing him like this, I figured he wasn't going out any time soon.

“Go to sleep. You need it. I know you were awake most of the night.” I didn't bother protesting or refuting that statement. I was much too tired. “Come,” he said softly. His warm hands grasped mine gently as if I would break under any pressure. Using only very little of his strength, he pulled me to my feet. I stood unsteadily on my two appendages. It felt as if my whole body was tilting to the left. “May I take you to your room?” He hadn't asked that before. He usually just pushed me along my way, but usually I am not indisposed.

“Sure.” Leatho pulled me closer, wrapping an arm around my waist, holding me close. I felt my cheeks start to heat up. We had never been this close before and with good reason. It was a very intimate distance. And we were not intimate in any way. I was helping him. He was helping me.

But those thoughts quickly vacated my mind as he placed his other hand upon my hip. We were facing each other, staring into the other's eyes. I blinked. And he moved, picking me up into his arms and carrying me to my room. The door hissed open. Leatho walked swiftly to the bed and laid me upon it.

It was inviting. I snuggled into the silk blanket on top, loving the feel of it against my skin. Smiling, I pulled the blanket closer to me, but not over me. I didn't want to fall asleep yet. But Leatho had other ideas. He pulled the blankets beneath me out and over me. “Sleep, ol'am. You will need it for tomorrow.”

All I could manage was a slight nod of the head. I just wanted to drift off into my dreams, dreaming of the wonders of the world or if I could fly high in the sky.

I would never be that lucky.

My dreams turned into nightmares.

I was falling. Falling fast through an abyss. I couldn't see anything nor feeling anything. Tears fell, passing upward. This was my doom. I didn't know how I knew, but this was how it would feel when I died.

Something was chasing me. I didn't know how I knew, but I knew something was coming after me. Something powerful and large. It fell down this endless abyss with me, but it knew the way. I was hopelessly lost and still falling. My hair, brown, flew back and whipped around as gusts of air blew past.

Hot. Hot breath. It was on my neck, breathing. This, whatever it was, was breathing on me and very close. I was waiting for it to kill me. To capture me in its claws and pierce me. But it didn't. Laughing. The creature was laughing at me. It liked watching me squirm and try to fall faster. Why? Why would it watch me? Did it get pleasure from doing so?

I saw the floor. The end for me. It was fast approaching. Even though it would be useless, I pulled my arms in front of my face, trying to protect it. I hit. Something. I didn't know what. I had closed my eyes before I hit the floor. Then I felt something cut deep in my torso. It dragged up to my chin and back down. My vision blurred as something covered in a pall came closer. I could only see green eyes. Human eyes. It laughed. The thing cutting me to pieces was gone. But it still hurt. The cuts would scar, and they stung. It hurt just as much as the cutting. Couldn't my brain decide I had enough pain? Couldn't it just turn off my nerves?

“W-who a-are you?” I found myself asking. It just came out. But deep down. I knew who or what this creature was.

It came close, breathing softly against my lips. “You know who I am.” A light, a blessing in this darkness, appeared. It lit up the creature before me. I gaped at the familiar face above me. “You.” I was staring at myself. The only difference between us was the one above was smirking. I was not.

Image


“Ol'am.” I was shaken awake. Hol'ræ was next to me, holding my shoulder. I blinked, feeling the dried tears caked at the corner of my eyes. Hol'ræ was waiting. She didn't say anything as I sat up, feeling rested, but at the same time not. Not after that nightmare. “We have to get ready. Prepare for tonight.” Had I slept that long? “Madam Wavo'i will be here to make sure you remember all of the etiquette you have been taught." I wanted to groan and disappear beneath the covers, but I bit the inside of my cheek, keeping myself there.

“Okay.”

“I have laid out what you will be wearing tonight. And what you will be wearing for the few gæs before.” Hol'ræ moved around the bed and pulled up the green and purple dress as well as the simple dress for the rest of the day. It looked almost like a slip to go under the other dress. Maybe it was. “I will leave you to change.” She strolled out. The door closed behind her.

It took me a moment to get up out of bed. I didn't want to leave the warmth and comfort it gave me. Sighing, I walked to the chair that held the dresses. I was surprised that the green and purple dress was as beautiful as it was. The green was the majority of the dress and the purple was the accents. And at the bottom the green faded into the lavender.

I picked up the white slip and changed into it along with everything I was wearing yesterday; my sleepwear. Shifting the white thing, I pulled it down and up, trying to find a good place for it. I didn't like it pulled all the way down for it showed too much of my breasts, my cleavage. Then if I pulled it too far up, I was showing off my calves. I didn't have a problem with that, but it did look weird.

After a while I just gave up. It wasn't worth this much attention. Slipping on the slippers that I ran around in for most of the days I spent in Leatho's housing unit, they were comfortable enough. Walking through the thick door, I saw my favorite person waiting for me. Madam Wavo'i. “Late. You will take better care to be on time. It is never polite to be late.” Grinding my teeth, I stayed silent. “At the very least you are not making excuses. That is a start.” This was going to be a long day.
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Translation:
Kafer jahal - Forgive me
Eltherôn - the language of the Eltherâk
Gahalén - tailors, seamstress, crafters of cloths (and any other name for clothes makers)
Alright, that is chapter six done. :)

Did you guys like it? Enjoy it? Do you like the protagonist? Do you hate the story?

I would love some feedback! ^_^

But I do love that you have read this. Please keep it up.