Chapter 9 #2
Yawning, Kira’s niece pushed the door open a little further, just enough for her to slip through without giving a glimpse of what lay inside.
Rubbing her head and messing up the short locks, Elena covered her mouth on another yawn before blinking owlishly at the girl by Kira’s side. “Ziva? What are you doing here?”
At the sight of the dark circles under Elena’s eyes, Kira made a mental note to talk to Harlow about getting her niece help.
Humans had counselors and therapists. There had to be a Tuann equivalent.
Kira knew firsthand how long trauma could linger.
She didn’t want this to haunt the rest of Elena’s life.
Not if there was someone who could help.
“My seon’yer finally accepted me. This is my first task,” Ziva exclaimed, beaming with pride.
There was confusion on Elena’s face as she looked from the girl to Kira. “What task is that?”
Ziva snapped to attention. “I’m to guard the door.”
Kira rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. “That’s not even close to what I said.”
Her yer’se had a habit of taking her words and turning them into something entirely else. Just like another young girl Kira knew.
The sight of the tiny smile gracing Elena’s face distracted Kira from her exasperation. The mirth that now danced in her eyes had been sadly lacking over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know, Auntie.” Elena lounged against the door frame. “Ziva seems pretty convincing to me.”
Kira leveled an arch look at her niece. “Then maybe you should join her in guard duty.”
Elena’s smile grew into a full-fledged smirk as she stepped away from the door. “Maybe I should.”
Kira’s niece flung an arm around Ziva’s shoulders and steered her down the hallway. “Come on, little sister. Why don’t you regale me with stories about how you won Auntie over?”
“It wasn’t easy, I tell you. My seon’yer is exceptionally picky when it comes to her yer’ses. I had to be canny and patient to win her approval.”
“You realize it’s difficult to guard a door when you’re not anywhere near its vicinity, right?” Kira called after the pair.
For all the good it did.
Neither of the girls acknowledged Kira’s statement as they continued down the hall.
“I’m feeling a little bit peckish. How about you?” Elena asked.
Ziva touched her stomach and nodded. “I could eat.”
The rest of what was said was lost as the two turned the corner a second later.
“Your yer’se is good for her,” Zoella noted.
“Don’t start,” Kira instructed as Tavas placed his palm against the closed door, letting the system read his bio signature.
“Of course, youngest,” Zoella murmured as Kira headed inside. “I’ll be sure to notify you when I get a hold of Luatha’s Overlord.”
“I appreciate it.”
The door slid shut with a quiet groan as Kira stepped into the spacious room that served as the children’s common area.
A hallway to her left led to a series of bedrooms. There were enough rooms for everyone to have their own, but the children’s caretakers had noticed they seemed more at ease when they shared.
For that reason, only two of the rooms were currently occupied.
One for the older children. The second for the three youngest.
Since someone always had to be on duty to watch over the children, Wren’s oshota rotated use of the rest of the rooms.
To the right was another set of doors. One of which led to the unused med bay.
The first time the children saw it they had a meltdown. Since then, it had been shut away and was gathering dust from disuse.
In the common area, someone had arranged several seating and play areas. There were stations set up with activities for the children if they wanted somewhere to draw or paint. Or even play with any of the age suitable toys that Elodie, their healer and caretaker, had procured for them.
On the far side of the room, Harlow had built a jungle gym. It was a warren of towers and tunnels with climbing ropes located on the outside and interwoven rope bridges the children could play on.
A human would have considered it far too dangerous for a child, but for a Tuann hybrid it was a perfect medium through which to shed excess energy so they didn’t become overly aggressive.
Despite the care and effort that had gone into planning the space, the children rarely interacted with any of it.
Not the advanced entertainment system someone had been kind enough to set up.
The one with access to Tuann holovids in addition to a few human ones that Raider had donated from his stash.
Not the play gym and certainly not the toys or art supplies.
Mostly, the children sat—and stared. At the stone walls. At the deep well of the window that overlooked the sea below.
Other times, they simply stared into nothingness. Their features blank.
If left to their own devices, Kira was pretty sure they would never step foot out of their rooms.
It was heartbreaking—and sad.
Time might change that. Or not.
With these situations, it was always hard to tell.
Selene might have advice, but she was busy putting the final touches on the new haven she and the rest of the children in her care had relocated to after the attack on Jettie. Until a new line of communication had been safely established, Kira would have to hold all questions.
Just then, she noticed that the mood in the room seemed a little unusual. The children milled around, their features set in expressions of distress.
Anxiety filled the air.
In the corner, the eldest had been separated from the rest and faced off with Maksym, who while short was still built like a brick wall. His good nature was typically written all over his face. Right now, however, the red-head looked serious as he spoke urgently to the girl in front of him.
Physically, the girl looked like an adult. Her non-Tuann heritage was the most obvious. Scales ran along the edges of her forehead and neck. A tail tipped with a lethal looking barb twitched behind her.
Despite those differences, she also resembled Elise the most. Her features contained her egg donor’s unmistakable stamp.
Whatever Maksym said made her hiss. She exposed fang-like incisors and spat a stream of silk webbing at Maksym that the oshota gracefully dodged.
Before he could get close, she scuttled up the wall behind her. When she reached the ceiling, she dug her claws into the stone and clung.
Kira stopped Elodie as the healer rushed past her. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” Frustration bled into Elodie’s tone. “Something set her off during the attack. She’s been combative and confrontational ever since. We thought she was settling down. Then she saw Elise.”
“What do you mean she saw Elise? They brought her here? Why would they do that?”
She was still in a coma and needed care. More than the temporary med bay here could provide.
Elodie looked startled. “Wait—you don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“Elise woke up.”
Ringing filled Kira’s ears.
“I thought you knew,” Elodie whispered.
“I didn’t.”
Kira’s voice sounded strange to her own ears. Flat. Emotionless. Almost detached despite the storm swirling inside.
Elise was awake.
She was awake.
The sister of her heart was awake.
That was the sort of information you’d think would be important to pass on.
Except maybe someone already had. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but Finn’s suggestion that she visit the children first was out of character. In the normal course of things, the Overlord should have been her first stop.
“When did this happen?” Kira asked, squeezing the words past the lump in her throat.
“Shortly after the Nexus’s self-destruct.”
“Does Raider know?”
“He’s been with her since his return yesterday.”
Kira’s exhale was shaky as she glanced at the door she’d come through earlier. “That’s why Elena seemed lighter.”
It hadn’t been Ziva, after all. Though Kira was sure the girl’s presence hadn’t hurt.
The girl on the ceiling twisted to look straight at Kira.
“That’s new,” Elodie said. “She hasn’t shown any interest in her surroundings before. None of the children have, really.”
Meanwhile, the girl was still staring. Those eyes, so penetrating and intense. An exact replica of Elise’s.
Kira found herself moving slowly toward the girl as Elodie trailed at a short distance. The healer was careful not to get too close, not wanting to risk startling the girl.
“Youngest.” Maksym was careful to keep the girl in view out of the corner of his eye as he greeted Kira. “Glad to see your stint in prison hasn’t left you worse for wear.”
“Somehow I managed to survive.”
“It appears you’ve made a new friend too,” Maksym observed, nodding to the girl clinging to the ceiling above them. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this fascinated.”
“Has she given you her name yet?” Kira asked.
Maksym shook his head. “None of them have. Not unless you count growling as a form of identifier.”
Kira tried not to feel disappointed. Despite what humans sometimes thought, names held power. Even if that power was only over yourself.
They were a source of identity and strength.
Choosing their names was one of the first things Kira and Jin did upon escape.
It had been a pivotal moment in her life.
A way of proclaiming her freedom. Who she was.
She was no longer a number in an experiment.
She was Kira Forrest. Adopted daughter of Akira Himoto.
And later, the Phoenix of the Consortium.
The forty-three had done the same.
Kira had hoped the children would follow in that tradition. So far though, none had shown any interest.
Kira tilted her head to look up at the girl. “Hello.”
She repeated the greeting in human standard and Tsavitee.
The girl stared, offering no response.
Kira didn’t let the lack of communication deter her. She smiled, careful to keep her lips closed. Among Tsavitee, showing your teeth was a sign that you wanted to eat the other person.
She’d learned that the hard way after her first rescue mission.