Bryan still could not believe what had come out of her mouth. It had not been a growl, a snarl, a howl or anything of that sort. It had been a word, a name, her name. She felt an unfamiliar emotion. It was happiness, yes, but something else, something different. Something more. But what? She was so curious about everything now; what things meant, what all the emotions were, stuff like that. Carl had never taught her anything but how to fight and kill and she didn't remember much from her childhood.

As Bryan looked around the living room, her fingers trailed over everything, memorizing the different shapes and sizes. The entertainment system where the TV was had doors so she opened them. Inside were peculiar rectangles with words and images one them. She took one out. This one had a picture of a tall looking, handsome black man standing behind some words with his hands on two of the letters. One foot was crossed over the other. Bryan narrowed her eyes on it.

"Have you ever seen that movie?" Lee asked from behind her. Suddenly feeling as though she did something wrong, Bryan stuffed the movie back in its place with the others, shut the doors and spun around, biting her lip. Lee narrowed his eyes. It was as if she was expecting him to hit her. He gave her a gentle smile. "It's OK," he assured her and opened the doors again. He took out the movie Bryan had been looking at. "You ever seen it?"

"N...No," she said then widened her eyes. She did it again! Bryan covered her mouth with her hands with a smile. She smiled again!

Lee chuckled in amusement. "Have you ever said anything before?"

"No," Bryan repeated and a sad look came upon her face.

He decided it was time to change the subject. He didn't want to see that look on her beautiful face. He cleared his throat. "Well, this movie is called Hitch. That guy is Will Smith. You ever see any of his movies?" Bryan shook her head. "Have you seen any movies?" Again, she shook her head. If she ever saw a movie, she didn't remember. "Well, this one is good. It's funny. Will Smith is funny. We have all of his movies. I think Aunt Darla is obsessed with him." His tone was light and joking, making Bryan smile again. She had such a pretty smile. "Anyway this one is about how he's a date doctor and-"

"Date doctor?" Bryan asked, slowly, repeating exactly what he said.

"Yeah," Lee said, nodding. "He helps men get the courage to ask the woman they like a lot out on a date. But even though he has all the answers, things get shaky when he meets the woman that he likes." Bryan was listening intently. She liked the sound of his voice.

"You have many..." she searched for the word he had used. She knew what some words meant from listening to Carl all day everyday but others were foreign to her.

"Movies," he supplied. "Do you read?"

"I don't know how," she admitted, looking a little embarrassed.

Lee smiled. "Would you like to learn?" Bryan's head shot up and she nodded, a grin spreading across her face. Lee chuckled and for the next three hours, filled with patience, devotion and determination, Bryan started learning how to read. They started with small books then went to bigger ones. Bryan was a quick learner and she was enthusiastic.

After another hour, Lee yawned, stretching. "I'm pretty tired but we can do more tomorrow," he said. Aunt Darla had made up the guest bedroom so Bryan had somewhere to sleep.

"OK," Bryan said, happily. Without knowing what she was doing, Bryan threw her arms around Lee's neck, holding him closely. In one of the stories Lee had read to her, she remembered them saying that this was called a hug. With her heightened senses, she secretly inhaled his scent.

Lee was startled by her reaction but nonetheless, he wrapped his arms around her, embracing her. Quickly, Bryan pulled back and smiled hesitantly. "Thank you," she said.

Lee smiled back. "You're welcome. Good night."

"Good night," she said back. He got up and left the room. She picked up the nearest book when he was gone and started flipping through the pages until the same sound as before drifted to her ears. Bryan followed the sound up the stairs and to the room she had first seen Darla in. Darla was playing the same thing she was before but a different song that was a bit faster but no less beautiful.

Darla felt someone watching her and glanced up to see Bryan with fascination in her eyes. Darla smiled. "How was the reading lessons?" Lee had told her all about it.

"Good," Bryan answered, shyly. Hesitantly, she stepped into the room. "What is that?" She pointed to the instrument that was now in Darla's lap.

"A violin," Darla informed. Her gaze flicked to the collar still around Bryan's neck. What was that contraption?

"Violin," Bryan repeated.

"Yes," Darla said. For an hour, Darla pointed out the different instruments and gave a brief history about them and how they were played. Bryan was intrigued with the guitar more than anything. "I can teach you some time if you like."

Bryan nodded. "Yes, please!"

Darla chuckled. "Of course. Right now, though, it's pretty late. How about we get some rest? I'll get you some pajamas." Bryan followed Darla into a large bedroom with a big bed, a dresser, a desk and closet. Darla pulled some clothes out of the dresser and handed them to Bryan. "Do you need help changing?"

Bryan shook her head. "Thank you," she said and went to her room, closing the door. There was a small dresser with a lamp beside a twin bed. Other than that, the room was bare. She didn't mind. Flicking on the lamp like Darla had taught her earlier, she changed into the comfortable gray sweatpants and white tank top. Turning the lamp off, she crawled into bed, snuggling deep into the covers.

It was so warm and comfy that she drifted into a sleep plagued by dreams.