Awakening.

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At Acha's observation, Amy blushed. 'You are correct, in both ways. For us, we date. Go on outings and get to know each other. If we date for long enough and fall in love with the person, we wish to marry them. I was in love, once. There was a man that I adored with every fibre of my body. I loved him so deeply. But he fooled me into believing he loved me as well. We were going to get married, until I found out that he was having sexual relations with another woman. That other woman being my sister.' Amy said, biting her lip to keep old angry tears from resurfacing. 'Like I said, humans can be cruel.' Amy looked at Acha and sighed. 'But that was many years ago. I have not had a relationship since. Being alone isn't always that bad.' Amy knew she was lying, being alone sucked. But she had to just shut up and deal with it, because no one really cared.
 
Acha shook her head in a melancholy way. She could feel that whatever Amy said, she was in fact sad and lonely... it was audible to her, like a sigh. She didn't understand why she wanted to hide it. Did she maybe have to? Was that something humans would look down on her for?
Yes... that is cruel. I'm sorry. I don't understand why somebody would do that. But... it's all right to feel that way. To feel sad and angry when you are betrayed, and to feel lonely when you are not loved. Do humans judge you when you speak of this? I want you to know that I won't. I may not be very good at helping, since I don't know much about it, only what I heard from you, but you can tell me and I won't judge.
 
Amelia smiled at Acha. 'Thank you. You have no clue how much that means to me. But yes, others don't approve of public emotion, unless its happiness or content. Anger and sadness get locked up inside of people until they are in private. Crying is frowned upon, even though I cry quite often. From many different emotions and experiences. We deny our most basic selves to fit in. Its disgusting really.' Amy clasped her hands together. 'Plus, what happened to me is not uncommon, so people have no sympathy towards me. Not even my own family cared. They've never liked me anyway.' Amy found herself with words just pouring out. She felt comfortable with Acha.
 
I would have thought if it was common, they can sympathize even more, because they understand... I'm sorry. I don't know why humans do this to each other. It must be awful to have no one in the world who cares about you. Acha stopped; she realized that she now also had no one. It was so hard to even comprehend. All her life she had been part of a community. Now, if she ever gets out of here, everyone will be a stranger and a threat. Well... everyone but Amy. I think we are a little alike now...
She raised a hand to her hair, and concluded that it was dry. Her light clothes dried even sooner. She considered looking for something more to wear, but knew that if she touched any fabric, it would fall apart in her hands, and she didn't want that. At least now the room looked like it was still in use.
I think I won't be cold now, she said. Maybe we should get going. She reminded herself to turn off the heater before they go. An insect accidentally flying into it would surely die.
 
Amy smiled a bit at Acha. 'Yes, i suppose we are." Amy agreed. 'We should. I'm hoping nothing else is in bad shape.' Amy adjusted the straps on her backpack. 'Once we get out, ill find you some more clothes. You are about the same size as me, I think.' Amy said, looking over Acha. Amy stretched and made sure she wasn't in the way of the streams. 'Its you and me now.' Amy said to Acha as she began to hum a song to calm her nerves.
 
Acha pulled up the tube, using a wheel in the side of the table, until the end of it rose from the ground. This way if the ground moves, it will not break. She somehow wanted everything to stay as untouched as it can, even if no one will ever live here again. She smiled at Amy as she spoke. It was comforting to have a new friend, now that her old ones were dead. It made it seem more worthwhile to try to go on.
Yes. It's you and me.
She listened to the music Amy made somehow inside her as they walked. It wasn't like the sound she made while talking, but another one; it sounded soothing.
What is this music called? she asked. I can make music too, but only with instruments, and I don't have them now.
 
Amelia looked at Acha in confusion for a moment. 'Oh! I was humming. Humans can make music with their mouths by humming or singing. I can sing as well. In high school, I was in the choir. A choir is a group of humans that sing in a group. I got several solos, where I would sing all by myself.' Amy said, continuing to hum. 'I know a lot of songs. I cannot play instruments, but I can sing. I went to college, the highest level of human schooling, on a vocal scholarship. Thats where they pay, or provide, for my schooling, as long as I sang in their choirs. But I got several degrees in sciences and math.' Amy said. Amy paused for a moment. 'Would you like to hear me sing?'
 
Yes, I would like that very much, Acha answered. I would also like to show you how I play. If we can get up to the next level, we might find some instruments left in the music hall. We liked playing there because the shape of the room strengthened the sounds, though I don't know if it would still work that way if you hear sounds through the air. We have to go in that direction anyway, if we want to get to the surface.
Indeed, they had now come to a staircase leading both upwards and deeper into the ground.
The storage areas are below us, she explained, as well as the laboratories. I work... used to work in there, studying the properties of the ground veins. Orem, the mate of my sister, had some ideas for machines we could use if we could siphon the energy-carrying fluid from the veins, take it away and return it later. So far it seemed we can only use it while it is connected to the vein network, if we then lead it back without breaking the line. But we were working on it. Oh, I don't know if that even interests you. You seem to have solved this problem. She gestured with the portable lamp in her hand; if that worked in a similar fashion, then they must have found a way to carry and contain it. I hope you won't mind telling me how later. I would like to know what I didn't think of.
 
Amy smiled and began to sing a song from the musical Annie. 'I would love to hear you play!' Amy said, as they started up the stairs. Amelia looked at her flashlight. 'Of course this interests me; I'm a scientist. Actually, we don't use the ground veins. My people don't even realize their potential. We use electricity, which can be generated by nature, or by nuclear power plants. You know what lightning is, right? Er, you may not know the name. When it storms and there are those bright flashes of light?' Amy paused, looking over at Acha. Amy was still singing, loving how the sound carried in this underground structure.
 
Acha was very impressed with the sound. Singing was a wonderful thing, even much more beautiful than humming, and she was glad to have met someone who could do that with nothing but her own body. It was so lovely she found it difficult to divide her attention between that and their discussion.
Oh, of course I know lightning. Don't worry, it's not the words you communicate to me, it's the intent behind them, so as long as I know the phenomenon I understand you. But it sounds almost miraculous, harnessing the power of lightning. I would love to learn about that. And in return I can teach you about the ground veins. But - she stopped, suddenly concerned - just promise me you'll be careful if you want to tell humans about that...I know they are your people, but they sound so dangerous I'm a little worried.
No sooner had she finished saying that than they arrived to the music hall. In the middle of the domed construction, on a metal platform designed to strengthen the vibrations before they reach the ground, stood a small number of instruments, neatly arranged as if they were coming back to play them tonight. This struck Acha with the reality of their situation perhaps more than anything before. Her tears burst forth soundlessly, like a river, and she sat down on the ground and wept, unable to stop.
They aren't coming back, are they? This is real... They won't come back later. I know, I just can't imagine...
 
'Ill keep it close to myself, I promise.' Amy said, finishing up her song. As Acha sat, weeping, Amy frowned. 'Im so sorry. I wish that I could bring them back for you... I have no idea how hard this must be for you. But, Ill always lend you my ear without judgement, that I promise. Er, is it ok of I hug you?' Amy asked. 'Whenever I was sad, my mother used to hug me.' Amy said, feeling a bit awkward, but determined to help. Amelia could feel Acha's sadness and loneliness.
 
Through her tears, Acha nodded. She wasn't exactly used to hugs, her people didn't usually touch each other unless it was necessary for some reason - to help up or carry a sick person, for instance. Or unless they were mates. But she decided that she qualified as sick now, and needed help. She didn't know if a hug would help, but even just the intention already felt good. She felt in it that she didn't lose everything, there was still someone beside her, someone who wanted her to feel better and would try anything for that. And even if that someone was from the new race, the dangerous race, what of it? She was a good person.
 
Amelia sat next to Acha and pulled the bluish girl into her arms. Amelia closed her eyes. 'When we get out of here, you will always have a place with me in my world, as long as I am living.' Amy told the crying girl, trying to be as gentle and soothing as possible. Amelia hummed a bit of a lullaby softly to help soothe Acha's sadness.
 
Acha froze for a moment at Amelia's embrace; she was just unused to it, and she felt very aware of the warmth of her body, of her breathing. The sound of her humming was much louder this way, Acha felt it with all of her skin. Then slowly she relaxed against her, letting her head sink on Amy's shoulder. Strangely enough, it did lessen the burden of sadness. It was safe and comforting, as if she belonged there.
Thank you. Thank you.
After a while her tears stopped. Not forever, the sadness would never be further than an arm's length for a long time, she knew that; but she felt better.
I'm sorry. I promised to play and I almost forgot. But I think I can do that now.
 
As Acha relaxed into Amelia's arms, Amy smiled slightly, glad to help. This was weird for Acha, Amy knew, but it was odd for her as well. Acha felt... Well, human. But she wasn't. Her hair felt just like Amy's- everything felt similar. Except it wasn't. They were different creatures from different cultures, and Amy felt a bond with woman.
'You're welcome.' Amy said to Acha, holding her as she cried. As Acha's tears stopped and she offered to play, Amy pulled away from the embrace. 'You don't have to be sorry. And I would love to hear you play.'
 
Acha stood up and stepped on the metal platform, finding an instrument that was like hers. It wasn't, of course, hers, hers was in her room and inaccessible; these were the ones that always stood here, for when a group of friends should decide to play together.
If she had known what a harp was, she would see that it was somewhat similar to a harp in construction, consisting of an arched frame which held, instead of strings, narrow metal strips of varying length. She flicked one blade with the back of her right forefinger; it gave a clear sound that went on for a long time as the blade oscillated. She tapped it with the soft tip of her left to halt the vibration: the sound stopped immediately. It seemed still in working order. It was an important feature of the instrument that instead of playing chords in succession one could start them and then stop them at a later time, letting the sounds overlap each other as much as needed; so it had to be played with both hands at once.
The tune she played was not from memory, she rarely ever learnt tunes; to her, music was ephemeral by nature, and all the more fitting for the occasion. She played what she thought of at the moment, a low, haunting, mournful melody to express her yearning for what was gone.
I think I would like to take this with me. I think I would miss playing. And I'd like to have a keepsake.
It was, of course, rather heavy for a keepsake, but she didn't think of that at the moment.
 
Amelia sat and watched Acha play the harp-like instrument. It was beautiful, and so was the music. To the human ear, this music would sound like harsh grating. But since Amy had learned that they hear by vibration, Amy put her hands on the floor and felt. Surprisingly to Amy, it felt amazing. The sound had completely different dimensions when heard through vibration. Amelia's admiration was cut off when Acha made her request. Amy looked over the instrument. 'We would have to carry it out, and its a bit heavy. I suppose we could try, if we didn't have any more stairs to go up, but I'm a bit worried about the weight.'
 
Acha stopped and let the last notes fade away naturally.
Yes, I suppose that's true. I didn't usually carry mine either. I'm sorry, that wasn't a very practical idea. Do you think I can build one when we leave here? She caressed the instrument that slowly stopped playing, and stood up. Everything will change. I think I just want to carry something over from what everything was like before. She shook her head. Let's not take it. We can come back one day, when the ground settles again, and maybe we can take it then.
 
Amy nodded. 'We'll come back. One thing I do want to extract from this place is your hibernation chamber. I want to save it from harm so that you have it if something goes wrong.' Amy said. 'There is one thing we need to do before we leave. A cover story. I'm going to tell everyone that you are human. Im going to say that you have a rare new disorder that I alone have a grant to study, ergo you will be staying with me. I will also say that you are mute to explain the no talking thing.' Amelia said, standing. 'It will be easier than trying to hide you. You do have ways of fighting off enemies, correct?'
 
That plan sounded very good to Acha - it almost reassured her until the part came about fighting enemies. Was human society that dangerous? Did they constantly fight each other? It wouldn't have surprised her, in fact. But still, just what sort of place was it she was going to? How did somebody as kind as Amy even survive there at all?...
I have never fought anything. We preferred to just hide instead... I once stepped on a snail. It was horrible. I could feel the waves of suffering. I don't want to kill. I can't do it.
She was suddenly anxious to have her chamber with them. If it was going to be like that, she might need it every day. She would have to study the ground where Amy lives, and find ground veins as fast as possible, so as to set up the chamber. And she would need to dismantle the outer opening mechanism. She trusted Amy - but what if someone else comes?
 
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