Dreams in the Distant Sky

Chapter 4 - Art

Girl in the pic is Alice :) Happy reading!

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Kaya pov:

When I stepped out of the room, I saw many more people gathered in the courtyard in comparison to the number I had seen when I first arrived. They all looked pretty happy as they laughed and smiled while speaking to each other. Some were setting up the tables in the dining area, some were getting water from the well and some were taking care of other chores.

When Alice and I got close to the crowd, they all stopped what they were doing to look at us. Actually, they were looking at me specifically. Most of them looked surprised and they gawked at me. The whole crowd had fallen silent too. I managed a half hearted smile and I averted my eyes, feeling uncomfortable again.

"C'mon you guys! Stop staring at her like that! Introduce yourselves!" Theo hollered at everyone and I was glad that it made everyone stop staring.

"Oh! Sorry about that, dearie! How do you do? I'm Becci and the oldest of the lot here! I suppose you can say I'm the one who looks after everyone here." A middle aged woman spoke up first.

I bowed with my head and smiled, finding her friendly and motherly aura heartwarming. "It's nice to meet you ma'am."

"Oh no no no!!" Another guy spoke while chuckling. "You don't have to be formal with any of us here! We're all family and we like it if we're called by our names. I'm Elton by the way; you're one and only humble chef!"

He gave a dramatic bow, closing his eyes and placing his hand on his chest as he did so. It made me smile and I nodded in acceptance to what he said about calling everyone by their names.

"Okay, I'll take the liberty to be free with you all. My name is Kaya." I introduced myself, feeling much more at ease than before.

"That's a lovely name!"

"And you're so pretty!"

"I think your name really suits you! It has a nice ring to it."

"I have a feeling you're going to get along well with all of us!"

Everyone began to talk to me, introducing themselves and asking me details of my past while we sat at the long dining table. They were especially curious about why I was so healthy and fleshy. Some of them asked if they could touch my skin and pinch my cheeks. I let them do so, hesitantly, and it ended up with Theo laughing so hard because he found everyone's amazement funny. He got a smack on his head from Dean for making fun of everyone but they all laughed together at that too.

While they all walked around arranging the table, talking amongst each other and to me as well, I stayed mostly silent. My smile faded and I felt a sharp sting in my chest. Seeing how everyone got along here like a real family reminded me of my family. Images of my mother, father and my brother Riley flashed through my mind. Times that we spent together celebrating each other's birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and any other special occasion came into my mind. If I hadn't been in that lab as a part of the experiment, would I have been home right now with my family laughing and talking just like these people?

My eyes stung at the thought but I blinked rapidly and looked away because I didn't want anyone to ask me questions about why I was suddenly so emotional.

"Alright then! Eat up!"

I was brought back to the present when Elton placed a plate of food in front of me on the table. There was some sort of rice dish served onto the plate. I could see vegetables here and there and the aroma of the food was actually quite good. It wasn't until I took in the aroma that I realized how hungry I was. I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday and my stomach was really crunching up and begging to be fed.