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Damien told him I had cleaned and I could dance. The man didn’t think that would be useful. However, the skills I had learned since coming here would be put to good use. He had the perfect job for me.
Rose’s owners showed up about that time. They went through the same scenario. It finally came out that Rose was not educated on this world, but she had been an educator of young children on Earth.
The man was thrilled. Rose and I would work together.
When Fuji arrived he was less excited to see her. Slaves from Batra typically came with a very small skill set. They also refused to take direction from anyone but their own Masters. It was decided Fuji would just sit with Rose and I. If she could be useful the Keeper would talk to her Masters.
The men finally left, although none of them liked leaving us. Frankly, for the first time at the Keepers, I felt worried. I wondered what would happen to us.
The building we entered was more elaborate than the Keepers compound we went to prior to this. Marble looking columns supported a shiny white structure. Multiple doors and windows were open on both sides to let the sea breeze come through and cool it. Colored flags and symbols adorned the outside.
As we walked in I read the symbols. They were motivational signs that talked about working to your full potential. Other signs said a happy men kept a happy slave. It was very strange.
Inside the building small groups of women were around low tables, working. They knelt at the tables, in a fashion. I’d seen ergonomic work chairs at home that these reminded me of. They allowed the slaves to kneel in the same place for a long time, while essentially sitting.
A couple of girls looked up when we came in, but they went quickly back to what they had been doing. Men wandered through the slaves, occasionally taking note of what the slave was doing.
Rose, Fuji, and I were settled at a small table. Something the size of a pad of paper was handed to me. It was small and thin, but suddenly it lit up. Characters slid across the screen announcing my name and asking me what I needed. I dropped the thing immediately.
The short man scolded me for dropping the pad. He placed it back in my hands and explained the process. This was our work station.
I knew the mountains and Rose knew children. We were instructed to write a story for the children demonstrating one useful skill in the mountains. It should be very simple, the man said, but interesting. If the story was good enough, it would be used by the Child Keepers to train the young men.
The pad in my hands was connected to every computer on the planet. It would know each of us. If we wished to write a story, we only needed to write that instruction on the pad. It would accommodate our wishes.
It was an odd morning. Rose and I finally decided to write a story about finding food in the mountains. The Warriors in our story hunted and trapped their dinner. We described how to kill and prepare it. It was very thorough.
Unlike me, Rose knew how children learned. She had to assume the children here learned the same way. She made the story interesting, yet to the point.
The lunch bell rang and I was surprised. The morning had passed quickly and we had a good draft of the story worked out. It had been ages since I had felt constructive and even longer for Rose. She beamed at our accomplishment.
“You must teach me to read and write,” she whispered as we walked toward the hall the other girls were heading to. “I could be more helpful if I knew how to make the characters.”
Fuji had been quiet and introspective while we worked. She watched us, but did not actively take part. I knew she saw no purpose in what we were doing. Unless her owners took an interest, she would maintain her disinterest.
The short man stopped us before we reached the hall the rest of the girls were heading into. My kneeling place was by the entrance to the compound. He directed me there.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.
I knelt silently and saw the Administrators’ feet pass me by. These men were dressed finely, I could tell just looking at their lower half. Their pants flowed like they were made of silk. Their shoes were the softest appearing leather.
These were gentlemen. They were negotiators and mediators. Unlike my rough Warriors these men understood the world and moved freely through the many layers of secrecy. I imagined they could probably be quite dangerous in their own way.
It was such a relief to see boots stop in front of me.
“Come, Ciara,” Evan said and I rose to follow him.
As per our normal routine he sauntered out the wall and into the forest. I followed him. Unlike the Warriors who ignored us when we did this, an Administrator stopped him. The man demanded to know why Evan was walking me into the woods.
I could hear the smile in Evan’s voice. He told the man to have lunch, but didn’t elaborate further. A moment passed before Evan turned away from the man and we walked into the forest.
This side of the forest was wetter. Evan guided me where to step so I didn’t put my feet in puddles. I followed his near silent footfalls through the woods.
“Evan-” I started to say and he cut me off with a sharp noise.
We continued to walk, but I didn’t attempt to speak again. It was really just as well. Evan walked briskly, but carefully. Following his footsteps exactly took a lot of concentration.