Only Skeletons Remain

Chapter 38: Learning the Language

The dim light of the setting sun filtered into the small room, casting long shadows on the worn wooden table. Harper sat on one side, her fingers nervously tapping against the surface. Across from her, Tyler sat with a notebook open, his face calm but focused.

"Alright," Tyler said, his voice low and steady, as he pointed to the words on the page. "Say it again. 'The cat is on the mat.'"

Harper frowned, her lips moving silently as she tried to form the unfamiliar words. English was still strange on her tongue, its sounds heavy and awkward. She exhaled through her nose, focusing. "The... cat... is... on... the..." She paused, her frustration mounting. "Mat."

Tyler nodded, his lips curling into a small smile. "That's it. Better than before."

Harper let out a frustrated breath, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. "No... not better," she muttered, her accent thick and the words clumsy.

Tyler raised an eyebrow but didn't push. He had learned patience with her in the few weeks he'd known her, knowing that frustration was part of her process. "You're improving," he said, his voice calm and measured. "You just need to practice more."

Harper shot him a skeptical look. "Practice... is slow." She sighed, rubbing her temples. "I am... not good... at slow."

Tyler chuckled softly, leaning back in his chair as well. "Slow's alright. You'll get there. You helped me figure out where I belong, didn't you? I can help you with this."

Harper looked up at him, something soft flickering in her eyes. Tyler wasn't like the others. He had been around, watching over her, guiding her—not just with English, but with everything. The thought unsettled her, but there was a comfort in it too. He wasn't pushing her, wasn't demanding anything. He just... waited. Just like her biological father had.

She sighed again, more resigned this time. "Okay. The cat... is on the mat," she said, quicker now, though the words still felt awkward.

Tyler smiled wider, his expression warm and encouraging. "Good. Better." He turned the page in his notebook, writing something new. "Now try this one."

Harper leaned forward, squinting at the new sentence. "The... dog... sits?" She glanced at him for confirmation, and he nodded. "The dog sits... on the rug."

"Exactly," Tyler said, nodding again, his voice full of quiet pride. "You're getting it."

Harper sat back, her tension easing slightly. A small, rare smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Thank you," she said slowly, carefully, as though the words themselves were a test. "You... are good teacher."

Tyler's smile softened. "Yeah? Well, you're a pretty good student." His tone was teasing, but there was something more behind it—a kind of protective warmth that had been growing between them.

He wasn't sure when it had started, but over time, Tyler found himself looking at Harper differently. Not as a responsibility, or a duty, but something more personal. He watched over her, guided her, not just because it was expected of him, but because he cared about what happened to her. And she, in her guarded way, was slowly letting him in.

Harper shifted, her gaze flickering away from him for a moment. The praise, while appreciated, made her uneasy. It was still strange, this feeling of being taken care of—by him, of all people. But she found herself trusting him, in small ways she hadn't thought possible.

"You're... patient," she said softly, meeting his gaze again. "More than I deserve."

Tyler's expression grew serious for a moment. "You deserve more than you think," he said quietly. "And I'll help you figure that out, too."

Harper blinked, her chest tightening at his words. She didn't respond, but something in her softened. Tyler wasn't just teaching her how to speak. He was showing her how to live, how to believe in something more, even if she didn't fully understand it yet.

She nodded, glancing down at the notebook again. "The dog sits on the rug," she repeated, her voice steadier this time.

Tyler smiled, the warmth returning to his eyes. "That's right. One step at a time." He tapped the page gently. "You'll get there."

As the evening light dimmed further, Harper relaxed into the moment, feeling the unfamiliar but welcome sensation of being cared for. She wasn't used to it, especially not since her parents had died, but maybe... just maybe... she could learn to trust it. Trust him. 

"It's getting late, we should probably head to sleep." Tyler said, moving towards his bunk, and he furrowed his brow when Harper didn't move. "Uh... dormir?" He tried, only having a basic understanding of Spanish.

Harper laughed a bit, shaking her head. "I understand." She got up. "No tired. Um..." She blinked a few times. "I think..." She said. 

Tyler frowned a bit, walking towards her. "Está bien?" That was as far as he knew in terms of making conversation. 

"Sí," Harper replied. "I go back with hermanos." She said, motioning in the direction of the quarters her and her brothers slept in.

"I can take you." Tyler offered.

"No, no, is okay." Harper replied before she turned on her heel and began moving towards her brothers' room. She wondered how they were doing. She had unofficially been put in charge of them since their parents had died, and now Harper had been ripped away from them. She pushed open the door to the apprentices' quarters to see Liam tucking in Andrew.

"How are you?" Harper asked, immediately switching to her native language, where she felt comfortable. She walked over to Liam when he turned to look at her.

"We're okay. The brothers are tired, but that's normal. They've been training a lot." Liam replied. "How are YOU?" 

"I'm okay. I'm in charge of watching someone. I'll have to go back soon." Harper sighed. She didn't like all of this responsibility, but she was used to it. It was how her householf functioned. "I had a dream. Papí was there. He said we have to stay here until it is safe to leave."

Liam furrowed his brow. "A dream? Was it a vision?" He asked.

"I don't know. I'll try and see if Lisden can give me more tips and tricks." She checked the clock on the wall. "I should probably go back." She walked over to Andrew and Micah, giving each of them a kiss on the forehead. 

She said her goodbyes to Liam, promising she'd return in the morning, and she walked back to the library. She stayed among the shelves, grabbing one of the books with an orange cat on the cover of it. 

"I can read it to you." Tyler's voice came up from behind her, causing Harper to jump.

Harper looked at Tyler before she handed him the book. She followed after him as he went to her quarters. He patted the bed, and Harper crawled beneath the covers as Tyler began reading the book.

"A half-moon glowed on smooth granite boulders, turning them silver. The silence was broken only by the ripple of water from the swift black river and the whisper of trees in the forest beyond." Tyler began to read. Harper listened quietly, finding the man's voice surprisingly soothing.

"There was a stirring in the shadows, and from all around lithe dark shapes crept stealthily over the rocks. Unsheathed claws glinted in the moonlight. Wary eyes flashed like amber. And then, as if on a silent signal, the creatures leaped at each other, and suddenly the rocks were alive with wrestling, screeching cats."

Tyler continued reading, and he looked over to see Harper asleep. He smiled softly and finished tucking Harper into bed. He walked to the door, turning to look at Harper one last time before he left the room and shut the door.