Selective Breeding | EDITING

Part 9

Ruma sat at the table looking over the notes that she and Deon had jotted down to try and help them both to figure out a communication pattern since he wasn't accustomed to her way of speaking yet. For the moment it was limited by thought and deep feelings from being expressed properly but at least this was a start. 

It was already similar to her normal communication, it was just simplified for Deon to be able to understand her. Since she could hear and understand he wasn't going to need to translate back just speak. 

Deon signed, then placed his pencil down. "Alrighty lets try this out." he looked up at her. "Starting with something simple I guess. What is this place." 

Ruma used her small 'words' "This is Earth." 

Deon looked confused, Ruma wondered if that was too much for him yet. "Earth?" 

She perked up, he did understand, "Yes," 

"I thought that Earth was uninhabitable, that is why we humans left so many thousands of years ago." 

Ruma shrugged, "I don't know." 

Deon nodded, "Huh. Okay, um next why does the alien- uhm Vassenhilo need humans?" 

Ruma thought for a moment on how to simplify this one, "Create new" 

"Experiments?"  Deon questioned. 

"Correct." 

Deon thought long on his next question, "What for? Like what is his end goal?" 

"I don't know, maybe me again?" she stopped and thought about it. "Or create new, not me," 

"That's helpful but I think I get it." he leaned back and looked at the ceiling, "Why can't you talk I heard you speak before," 

"Painful," she signed. 

"Why?" Deon inquired. 

She just touched her throat and rubbed it a second, but that was all that she 'said' on the matter. 

They sat there just trying to figure out what to do. Deon was struggling with the thoughts of just settling and letting himself belong to another. "What is a Brude male?" 

Ruma lifted her head, her face was unreadable to him at that moment as she stared into him. Then she began to attempt to explain. Though halfway through he just shook his head, "I am sorry I am not catching on." she looked a bit dejected, but tried to think of another way to explain.

"Is there another experiment like you, that could explain?" he asked. 

She shook her head no, "Last one, others dead.

He grimaced, "Sorry. Okay, then how about this, have you had a brude male before?" 

She smiled with a deep set of sadness, "Yes," 

"And the other kind, a Meager?" With the same look, she signed yes again. "Where they like you or different?"

"Like me," 

"So they are dead too? What happened?" Deon asked. 

Her face hardened as an empty hollowed expression came over her eyes, "Killed." 

Deon's jaw dropped, "I'm- I am-" he couldn't find the words to speak. Though he watched Ruma stand up and walked out of the room, slowly it was like watching a ghost float through the air. He waited a minute, then stood taking his notes and retreating to his room, he wasn't equipped to help her, he didn't even know her. 

Ruma wandered around the compound for some time before she ended up in front of the cremator hut. What lead her there was just fate and her feet. Looking up she watched the black billowing smoke rise into the air again. She let her mind fall into that black abyss as she remembered a time that was easier. 

A small male with copper-tone freckles, and a large warrior with cool ebony skin. Her brude and Meager, she felt the sting of water forming up at her eyes. She wiped them away, though her heart still throbbed. It had been so many years since she allowed herself to think of them. They were hers and now they didn't even exist outside of her memories. 

"Ahh Ruma, there you are. I was about to fetch you." she heard Vassenhilo come up behind her, he laid his hand on her shoulder. "Let's go." she reluctantly allowed herself to be dragged off, watching as the black smoke became further and further away. As she slowly shoved her memories back into the boxes in which they belonged.