Chapter 14: Geneieve

Oceane glanced up through slitted eyes as the door opened. She didn't know how long she had been here, but she had come to learn that if she pretended to be asleep when someone entered then they generally left her alone. There was a clatter as a man carelessly placed down her dinner. Another man called from outside the room. "Habsiet, graa ne eraku?"

The man inside the room called back loudly in a guttural voice, "Na he!" Oceane twitched at the voice and the man turned back, narrowing his eyes. He stepped closer and Oceane tried to keep herself from stiffening at his approach. Suddenly the man laughed, almost making Oceane start.

"Vanne, Vanne! Cem thue!"

"Resu?" The other man returned.

"Graa na he ne semas!"

"Renha?" the second man entered the room. The men's voices were grating on Oceane's ears, the unfamiliar words making head hurt. Suddenly the two men stooped down and picked up Oceane and her eyes shot open, no use pretending anymore.

"Sena?" the first man asked, laughing. The two men carried her out the door, kicking and yelling, and down a hallway. The hall had windows and Oceane was able to tell it was night. The men took her into a plain room, it's only fixtures were a couple chairs, but at least it was lit. The men set her in one of the chairs then left, the second man turned at the door and commanded, "Sems," then laughed as he closed the door and Oceane heard the click of a lock.

Oceane shivered. She hadn't been anywhere but the dark room so far, what was this room for? What was going to happen now? She looked about the room, there was nothing to see but at least she could see. Her eyes streamed slightly at being reintroduced to such lighting when she stared for too long.

Heavy footsteps in the hallway made Oceane's head snap back to the door. The lock clicked again and a girl and boy about her age and a large man with a beard that seemed to be attempting to claim his whole face walked into the room. The girl and boy both looked her over curiously then the man set his eyes on them and they obediently sat down. The man turned his gaze to Oceane.

"Naire yahast densh?" The man asked in a gravely voice and Oceane could do nothing but stare back at him. Suddenly the girl spoke.

"Revois naght huerft?" She asked it in a way so similar to the man's question that Oceane suspected it to be the same question, even though it sounded so different but she was still helpless to answer. The man seemed aggravated. Finally the boy spoke.

"Nanne namie quie?" he asked and suddenly Ocean's eyes widened, none of the words were quite right but they sounded rather similar to French. She took a guess hoping she was right.

"O-,"she started then changed her mind at the last moment, "G-geneieve," she managed to stutter. The bearded man made a sound of triumph and began speaking quickly to the boy. Oceane guessed he was hoping the boy would translate. Oceane hoped she would be able to understand. After a couple tries the words started to fit into her mind.

"Where did you come from?" the boy asked.

Oceane considered and then attempted to respond substituting French for the words that she hadn't heard yet. "I come from America." she finally decided on because where ever she was, she was positive it wasn't the same country. Her accent was bad but at least the boy seemed to understand her.

He relayed the information to the large man who turned to look at Oceane with narrowed eyes and spoke again as the boy translated, "There is no such place."

Oceane became distressed by the statement, "Please! I don't understand how I got here! One moment I was with my friends and the next I was in plains. I'm telling the truth!" Oceane had switched to full French in her panic and the boy sat a moment trying to decipher her words as the bearded man waited impatiently. After the boy had finished relaying her words the large man put a considering hand to his bearded chin and thought in silence for a moment, staring at Oceane.

Finally he asked a question. The boy blushed and averted his eyes asking "Are you of the desert filth?"

Oceane shook her head in confusion, "Where I come from there is no desert near." The big man considered her for a moment then shrugged and murmured a brief question. Oceane tilted her head in confusion and the boy quickly translated his words.

"He is wondering where a land with no damned desert is near could exist, he would like to journey there." The man looked up at the boy's speaking and demanded something the boy quickly repeated. "How is it that you got here?"

Oceane concentrated, trying to remember. She and Devyn and Tiar were in that parking lot and Devyn was lacking in dexterity so she went to help clasp on Tiar's new necklace and then... Oceane shook her head. "It got very cold she told the boy, and there was this enormous light, it swallowed my friends and I and then I was suddenly here." When the boy finished telling the man what she had said he spit on the ground and made a sign with his hands, murmuring to himself.

The boy told her "Magic, he's making a sign against evil."

The man stared at Oceane for what seemed an eternity then suddenly stood, his chair legs scrapping the ground with a loud noise. He spoke first to the girl who nodded in response then addressed the boy before quickly striding out of the room. Oceane looked about herself in confusion. The boy smiled at her.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. My name is Tòmas, and this is my sister Tamsyn." She smiled at Oceane when she heard her name. "That man who was here before was Shaa'reeif, our leader. I know he seems a little gruff but he's really very kind, he was simply worried that you were a sneaking desert spy." Tòmas looked cross for a second then his face cleared and he continued. "Now that he knows you're not you are welcome to stay with us as it doesn't seem you have anywhere else to go. Tamsyn will help you get clean," Oceane glanced down at herself, noticing for the first time that she was completely mud-encrusted. "And then find you some new clothes."

"Thank you." Oceane said gravely and both grinned and nodded, his sister guessing what Oceane had said.

"Gen-ei-vev," Tamsyn said, attempting to pronounce the name Oceane had given as her own. Technically it hadn't been a lie; it was her middle name after all. Oceane nodded reassuringly and Tamsyn smiled. "Gen-ei-vev," she repeated and beckoned for the other girl to follow her. Oceane followed her out of the room and down the hall. It was really quite a pleasant area when she wasn't being carried kicking and screaming. Oceane looked closely at the beautiful tapestries on each wall, depicting beautiful scenes and portraits of beings that could never be. Oceane paused open-mouthed before one, wondering how fingers and thread could ever have possibly rendered it.

It depicted a woman, hands spread out wide as if receiving the world tenderly, her head was thrown back and long golden hair flooded down her back like burning fire. Even her skin seemed to glow with a light its own. What appeared to be tiny stones and gems were sewn into a black and midnight blue background, winking like stars in the nighttime sky. Tamsyn had stopped and turned back when she noticed Oceane was no longer at her side. She smiled when she saw what captivated her.

"Shams," she said pointing to the woman.

"Shams," Oceane repeated staring in awe at the portrait as Tamsyn smiled. Tòmas walked up behind the two and Oceane nearly jumped.

"She is the goddess of the sun," he said.

"She's beautiful," responded Oceane. Tòmas nodded and turned Oceane to face the other wall where she saw another tapestry just as fabulous as the last. This one had a man on it, the cloth was a dark, dark blue, like a brooding sea. His eyes were sewn gems, glittering in the light. Behind his figure were black storm heads, rolling with lightning. A single thin tornado spun down from the clouds to kiss the Earth. His skin seemed to radiate cold light, a blue luminescence. His hands were cupped and pale blue stones were sewn in as water droplets.

"This is Shams' brother, Raad. He is god of skies and storms." Oceane felt she could stare at the tapestries for the rest of the day, fortunately Tòmas interrupted. "You'd best be going to get cleaned up. You're starting to smell,"Tòmas joked and then ducked as Oceane swung a light punch then laughed running down the hall opposite of the way Oceane and Tamsyn had been headed.

"Don't worry! Tamsyn will take good care of you! She'll bring you back to our house when you're clean and have new clothes!" Tamsyn smiled and waved after her brother.

"Gen-ei-vev," she said and once again started walking down the hall, Oceane following obediently.

It felt good to be clean. The clothes that Tamsyn had found her were soft, not as much as cotton, but also more durable. Oceane's own clothes had been thrown away, beyond hope of repair. Ocean pulled the shirt strait and walked out of the room she had used to dress. Having been waiting in the hall outside, Tamsyn looked up and smiled.

"Gen-ei-vev kuriv," she said and Oceane simply looked at her confused. Tamsyn laughed then pantomimed cleaning herself and repeated the word "kuriv". Oceane laughed, understanding, and nodded. Tamsyn held out a short strip of leather and pointed to her hair, where a similar piece held her hair in a pony tail. Oceane took it and tied her hair back, grateful to get it out of her face.

Tamsyn nodded approval and said, "Tòmas," then began walking away, expecting Oceane to follow. Oceane guessed that meant they were going to go see Tòmas now. Oceane also hoped that food would be involved, she was starving.

Tòmas looked up when Ocean and Tamsyn entered the room and smiled.

"Amazing, under all that mud your hair is actually straw." Oceane shook her head and rolled her eyes then spied a plate laden with food and nearly began to drool.

Tòmas laughed, "It's for you, eat before you drool all over the rug." Oceane would have had a snarky response if she weren't so hungry.

"When you're finished we'll take you around to show you your new home. Once you're settled in we'll have to find you a job, and you'll have to start training too."

"Job? Training?" Oceane paused in eating to ask.

Tòmas nodded, "Our society is a...nomadic one. Everyone is responsible for pulling their own weight, even small children have responsibilities, not important ones necessarily, but everyone must do something. And they must also be able to watch after themselves. We all train from a young age to be able to watch after ourselves. I'm guessing you don't have much fighting experience?"

Oceane shook her head.

"I thought not, I'm afraid you will have to start training lessons with ... well, young children, but if you improve fast enough you'll be with people more your age. Oh! And we'll have to work on teaching you our language too."

"kuriv", Oceane said, beginning to see that her new life was not going to be easy.

"What?" Tòmas asked.

"Kuriv means clean," Oceane said and Tòmas laughed while Tamsyn beamed.

"Tamsyn has already started teaching you then? Well, one word down I guess."

Oceane finished eating, "Is there anything I should know now before I really mess up?"

Tòmas laughed, "Don't worry, you'll be fine, it's really not as bad as it sounds."

"I guess I'll just have to take your word for that."

"You ready to go now?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Then let's get started!" Tòmas, Tamsyn, and Oceane left the room and somehow Oceane felt that she would never be Oceane again. She was Geneieve now, and that was the way it was going to be.