I Am Warrior

by M E Williams

  “Watch this.” Vicki handed the man a paper. He looked at her, then at me, then to the Queen. “Will you just get on with it?”

  He read from the paper, “Uyazi umehluko phakathi kwesikhali nethuluzi?” When he finished speaking, Vicki pulled several items out. “Khetha ithuluzi.” I pointed to a shovel thing. “Khetha isikhali.” I pointed to the knife.

  “That’s great, but I already knew she could understand. What I want is for her to learn to speak our language or someone to learn to speak her langauge.”

  Vicki replied excitedly, “She doesn’t just understand our language; she can understand any and all languages. But we can’t speak her language. We can’t even form our tongues to attempt it. I’ve never seen it before.”

  Marriah cut in, “It’s true, Mom; we’ve been speaking in different languages, and bringing people in. She seems to understand them all.”

  “You have a solution for the barriers or I wouldn’t have been disturbed, correct?” she asked Vicki.

  “Well yes, maybe.” Before Vicki continued, the Queen nodded her head and the man left the room. “I would like to treat it like a trauma, like a stroke or something.”

  “How long?” the Queen asked. She had no concerns with reasons, experiments, or background information; she was very direct and to the point.

  Vicki looked like she did not want to say. “I mean, maybe three months, more or less. The good thing is she actually understands language. We can’t learn hers. But she completely understands ours. She can’t read but I’m confident she’ll be able to learn how to, and how to actually speak, and write. But like trauma or anything else, everybody is different.”

  “Do what you need to do, Vicki. Marriah is to be here whenever you are. Teach her everything you know.” She turned to me. Without a word, she left with the man.

  CHAPTER THREE

  So began our training. Every day. Every hour. Well, every hour for me. Even when they left, I had what you’d call homework. Vicki decided to use a mixed style of traditional teaching, phonemes or something, and tongue and mouth exercises.

  Marriah thought we would get started with the Latin alphabet because most of the people spoke English, and Vicki said it was also the language Queen Lisa wanted me to learn. Vicki told her always to start with pronunciation and syllables.

  She said it wouldn’t matter if it was sounds or names. The trick was to get my mouth moving a certain way, to make sure I was even able to speak a human language. We only spent a few days doing this. She said we needed to be ready the next time the Queen came to check, so I would practice oral and sound exercises randomly throughout the day even when I was alone.

  Vicki was not the only one under pressure. I needed to get out of that cell. I needed to convince them I was not the enemy. It was the truth. I was not the enemy at this point; I simply needed to complete my mission. Right now, it seemed getting out of the cell depended on whether or not Queen Lisa took me as a threat.

  Then we moved on to the alphabet and useful expressions. In the beginning, it took a lot of concentration to get the words to form. It seemed, even with the oral practice, there were always a ton of exceptions in the pronunciation of words. At times, they seemed frustrated but tried not to blame me.

  Vicki was just grateful I understood what they were saying, whether I was actually able to use the proper English for it or not. Even though we began to move onto more complex words, we would always begin the day with oral exercises, the alphabet, and useful expressions.

  Over time, we moved to introductions, counting, greetings, sound discrimination, and words most likely to be used around the compound. We didn’t focus on writing but used pictures and some written forms when Marriah and Vicki thought it would help more with my speaking. The days seemed to get longer and the work seemed more and more plentiful and arduous.

  Whenever we would learn something new, we’d continue to add it during the next days’ lessons until it was something I could do without thinking twice. Even then, we would revisit and expand on the same subject with more words every few lessons.

  What I mean by this, is we went from greetings and introducing myself to me introducing someone else or speaking of someone else, forcing me to learn and form my mouth for phrases I did not normally use or wouldn’t say. She taught me to speak about myself, about a family, and the compound.

  Once we completed the basics, she would bring someone random from the compound to speak with and work on what we’d covered. She said it was repetitious so it would become like second nature, and also, it would help me to be able to communicate with people with various accents or ways of speaking.

  We would move onto the concept of time, calendars, the strange seasons of the earth, and places we might want to travel one day. Of course, the places we wanted to travel no longer existed since a lot of the old world was barren, underwater, or too volatile for living things.

  It was time that I found most difficult; it was a strange concept for me and difficult to grasp. She once asked me how I knew it was a new day and I told her of the overhead activity, the changing over of shifts, and of course, when she and Marriah came for my lessons and left for good at the end of the day. She used my own experiences on this planet so far to help me remember timing.

  Food was probably my favorite thing to learn about. Every once in a while, Marriah would be able to bring different foods from people generous enough to help us. I could tell Vicki also was enjoying the food and couldn’t wait to be able to discuss her group prior to joining this compound. I was sure Kellyann did her best, but just from observation, it seemed Vicki either did not eat much or had not been able to eat anything she enjoyed for a while.

  We would go over the things people were most likely to trade, the leadership and symbols around the compound. We would revisit many topics over and over again and then expand on them and learn or review new words and new workouts.

  The three of us would speak or I would have to describe a picture and Marriah would have to guess the answers. I will take this time to admit, I became very fond of these two humans.

  One morning, though, neither Marriah nor Vicki showed up for our lessons. In fact, nobody even showed up to serve me breakfast. But I began my morning repetition of vowels and rhyming words anyway, on my own.

  I heard everything above us stop, just a deafening—silence—that never happened normally. Then, I heard them walking to the area that led to the steps to get to me. I sat back on my bed and picked up pictures before they came to the room. I knew the Queen would be here today, and with the stillness of above and the pace to get here, everyone seemed in step and efficient. I wanted to look very dedicated for her.

  Marriah, Vicki, two men, and the Queen walked into the room. Marriah had a big smile on her face, Vicki looked nervous. And the Queen looked unimpressed. That was how I usually saw her anyway, nothing new there. Vicki stepped forward and I rolled out of bed.

  “How are you today?” she asked in a voice sounding more official than our many conversations over the months.

  “I am…” I said looking at everyone staring back at me and searching for the right words. “I am hungry.” I finished my thoughts.

  The Queen threw her head back in a thunderous laugh. Very unexpected. Everyone around me was just as surprised. People began looking at each other anxiously at this odd turn of events. Vicki blushed and Marriah started laughing.

  She came up to me and placed her palm in front of me on the clear box. I stepped forward and mirrored hers on the other side. Marriah looked back, “Mom, can we let her out now?” The question was left hanging in the air. For the first time, the Queen looked unsure about what to do next.

  Queen Lisa turned serious again. “Are you here alone?” Marriah backed away now. I suddenly felt like Queen Lisa and I were the only two people in the room. “Yes, I am alone,” I lied. If they knew there were several of us around this planet, they might perceive it as a threat.

  “Where did you come from?” The Que
en was direct and to the point. I knew she would either let me loose or keep me here indefinitely based on my answers. Possibly even eliminate me.

  There was no direct translation so there was no way to tell her exactly where I was from, and it would be too much to explain why I was here. “NGNBM,” I told her but I looked to Vicki. She realized my slight discomfort and joined in. “We’ve found there’s no direct translation as to where she is actually from. I think it’s also rooted in comprehension or our lack of understanding. You see, if you try to speak it, nothing comes out.”

  “Did you come to attack?” She continued her questioning.

  This time, I decided to try to explain, “No, I crashed here.” This was the truth. She lifted an eyebrow but did not comment, so I felt maybe she did not understand. “Accident,” I said and looked to Marriah, but she would be no help. “I had an accident,” I said slowly. Perhaps my language was not clear.

  “So, how long until your people come looking for you?” The Queen continued this line of questioning.

  How was I to clarify this? “They will not come.” She continued to wait for me.

  “They will not come,” I said again.

  I looked down at my body. “Locator damaged? No tracer.”

  I was about to start rambling but the Queen continued. “What is your name?”

  “‘JHS.” I stated my natural name, but continued. “But Marriah and Vicki call me Mari.” The Queen looked at them and they just shrugged and blushed. It looked like Vicki was about to explain, but the Queen put a hand up, “I get it. Her language cannot be translated.”

  She stepped up to my cage, grabbed the key from her pocket, and unlocked the door. I stood in place. Many days ago, I was allowed to remove the chains while inside, from my arms, legs, and waist. She walked past me to where the chains lay, picking up the wrist chains and placing them on me, but loose this time around. “Whenever you are out of this room, I expect to see the chains. You will always be with the Princess, Vicki, or myself.”

  She began lightly pulling me by the chains for my first walk past the see-through barriers. Once in the now crowded area, she stopped me in front of the two men. “This is my husband Rodney. You saw him the day of your landing; he’s the Princess’s and my son’s father, and this is my husband Kwame. He is also our chief architect.”

  Kwame was just as tall and darker than Queen Lisa and had a much more muscular build. I would take him for a warrior, but as an architect, and with the constant moving of materials, I could understand his physique.

  “You will have a guard near you at all times as well, but if something goes wrong, then find any of us immediately.” I listened closely to her rules.

  “We will have our own private meeting soon enough, to find out how you will contribute to the compound. Everyone here is useful.” She nodded her head and her husbands left the room.

  She addressed Vicki. “Good job. You will remain here as our teacher for the children and adults who cannot read.” With that, Vicki left the room as well, but she did look back at me and smiled. I was happy for her.

  Princess Marriah, Queen Lisa, and I were left standing. “You will follow along with the Princess today. You’ll learn the expectations of the compound.”

  “Yes, my Queen.” She looked at me with appreciation. Marriah taught me that although she preferred to keep things informal, I must always stay formal around her mother and use all honorific titles. So far, it seemed like this lesson had paid off. Marriah could barely contain her excitement and to be honest, my nerves were jumping out of my skin. It seemed like it had been so long since I’d been above ground.

  The Queen left the room and a guard stood waiting for us to exit, another woman about my height and just as bronzed. She had on a long-sleeved tunic with dark pants. The markings on her right ear suggested she was a high-ranking warrior. They made sure to teach me the rankings around the compound as well, to prevent any confrontations with the wrong people.

  We walked over to the door and I sat there for a bit. For the first time, I began to feel real fear, waiting for the moment to leave the confines of the room—but now it was here, I felt I could not move beyond the thresholds.

  Marriah stood behind me and placed her left hand on the small of my back. “It’s okay. I’ve seen this before with some of the other prisoners. You’ll get used to being out of the cell again.”

  For what it’s worth, I did get used to it. I hated wearing the chains but enjoyed my time with the people I met. I had felt like some sort of animal in the beginning, the kind at Earth zoos. Well, actually, I related more to being like those human players in football games from the 20th century.

  I was able to to spend most of my time with Marriah, except when she had to tend her studies. The Queen made sure Marriah had access to the best in order to become the next Queen her people needed, and the only time I was able to observe Marriah during her studies was when she would spar with the warriors.

  Most days were the same. Marriah and a guard, sometimes familiar, sometimes different, would come get me in the morning. She knew how much I loved to eat, so the first thing we would do is go get breakfast.

  Her friends would meet us too. It seemed she had a friend in each of the sects: warrior in training, hunter in training, survivalist in training, doctor in training, horticulture trainee, masonry trainee, and not surprisingly, trainees whose sole purpose was to learn to build better weaponry. All her friends had one thing to learn.

  The Queen made sure each person was an expert in their field. They were all taught self-defense and how to fight when needed, but even her older brother Roci and cousin Rance had only been granted one learned focus. Marriah had to learn them all.

  The only one of her friends that ever had to wear a suit during the daytime was Rachael, who had been the first person to meet us in the food tent on my first day above ground. Most of the suit wearers, although they were trained protection as well, walked around in their suits during the daytimes—tending the herbs, preparing meals, and the really good ones were granted an actual speciality. The suits could only last for so long before they’d have to go back underground.

  When Marriah was busy, usually in the second half of the day, I would go watch Vicki teach. She would regularly bring me in to use as a demonstration. Sometimes, she would even have me teach. She would often say the best way to know that you had retained information was to teach it yourself.

  So, whether she was teaching children new words, or teaching adults how to read, she would rope me into her lesson. I did not mind it most days and wanted to be more prepared when the Queen called me next. Maybe I could get the freedom I needed to observe and report back to my LBK.

  One day, during breakfast, I was at the end of the table with Rance, discussing his upcoming test. He said it was one of several final tests he would have to pass to progress in his studies as a survivalist. They could only take a certain number of weapons and had to stay outside the compound with one bag filled with whatever they thought they’d need to survive.

  The compound was buzzing. The Survivalist Trainees would be dumped in a random location various distances from the compound and would have to make their way back. Most would probably not make it.

  I was in the middle of telling him the weapons I would take included some doubling as tools. He looked at me and said he agreed—and then changed the subject. “You know, if I pass all my tests, I’ll be able to date and begin my rankings.”

  I took a bite of my apple, “Um, do you know where you will bear your markings? I see survivalist like to make their markings less visible, very unlike warriors.”

  “I don’t know, maybe you could help me pick a place?” Roci looked up and started laughing so hard the food came out of his mouth when Rance said this.

  I did not understand the joke, “What is it? You know humor is difficult for me at times.” I started looking from side to side at them both, which made Roci laugh even harder than before.

  Rance and Roc
i began a back-and-forth banter, but I barely heard them as I was focusing on Marriah and her group of friends coming toward the table, hiding things behind their backs. They managed to get right up to the table before Roci and Rance stopped talking and looked back.

  “Guys, no—” Roci started saying, but they all broke out in song. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, happy birthday—happy birthday to you.” They all sang with the same tempo and rhythm but different harmonies. The one scout Mikisha was among this group and whispered something in his ear that made him blush.

  “Aht, Aht, stop all that,” Marriah said and put a cake in front of him. People stopped what they were doing and gathered around. It became a morning party.

  I suddenly felt out of place and found a place to sit and watch. “Why aren’t you there with everyone else?” I did not feel the Queen approach me.

  “I just do not understand it, my Queen.” I did not forget the honorific.

  “What don’t you understand?” She seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say.

  “The celebration of birthdays. It is just…” I lacked the words to explain the time.

  “You don’t understand it because time isn’t something you have markers for, and death isn’t something you fear.” The Queen understood. We had never discussed this topic of time, but she understood and had the words. Maybe not all the words, but at least enough for me to explain to someone else.

  “So, you celebrate birthdays as a marker for not dying?” I looked at her and tilted my head, a frown evident on my face.

  She laughed again, only the second time I had witnessed the Queen laugh. “I think you’re right. It plays a significant role in our lives until we die; most of the time, we’re hoping to meet those markers.” We stood silent for a bit. “Report to the warriors’ field.”