THE LAST BORN

F O U R

ANA

"Good morning,"

The door is a jar and in front of it stands an old woman. All of her hair is grey and she is short and plump. She has a warm smile on her face with a darker complexion, her eyes are bright and lively despite the lines on the corners. On her side is a small bag, which looks heavy.

I instantly look at the bag and take a few steps backward.

Her smile flattens but the warmth in her eyes doesn't. "My name is Dania, I'm a nurse. May I come in?"

A nurse? For me?

When I don't reply, she steps inside and smiles again.

"I'm assigned to check on you," She says, this time the warmth in his face washed away and she looks sad. "Why don't you sit on the bed so we can get started?"

Dania turns to be a kind person. Her touches were light and she was very mindful with the slightest movement I made. I tried to sit still, not to move too much because I didn't want to upset her, I didn't want to upset anybody on this ship.

But she even apologized when I jerk slightly, she used a low tone when she spoke and she smiled every time our eyes met. So kind of her.

"Although you have no serious injuries, you're malnourished, there are a few cuts I need to clean and put balm over, they might sting, I hope you don't mind." She says.

I don't know what does she wants me to do to respond to her, I cannot speak, and I know I can't reach her mind, humans don't communicate telepathically.

"It is possible for you to take off the hard layer which covers your body?" She asks as she moves from my left to my right. "Is this some kind of clothes? Body armor?"

She means this? I let down my guard and my body plates get thinner and thinner until they disappeared on my skin.

"Perfect, thank you, darling,"

Dania continues to check on every inch of my skin, feeling every protruding bone and hollowness between them. I do enjoy her gentleness and am thankful that her touch doesn't bring me any pain.

"It was terrible what they did to you down there," Dania whispers as she puts ointment on an old scratch under my armpit. "You poor thing had to endure all of this," She adds as she found another old cut where I scratched myself.

"If I could bring you back to your home, I would."

My heart skips a beat.

"Where are you from, darling?" Her bright eyes are looking at me with sadness.

I would love to tell her where I'm from, and I never hate my inability to speak as much as I hate it now. I try to reach her mind trying to open a connection but her mind is just dark and empty. I try and try, and try until I'm shaking, trying hard to communicate with her.

"Shhh... it's okay, it's okay, it's alright now," Dania holds my shoulders trying to stop me from shaking my skin off. "Take it easy, breathe," She says guiding me to take a deep breath and to exhale.

"Everything is alright now," She whispers to me. Dania slowly pushes me to the bed and I start to feel... calm, very, very calm. "It's okay, you'll be alright,"

Dania keeps telling me sweet nothings and rubs her thumb on my cheek, I feel my eyes getting heavier and heavier, and her voice sounds farther and farther away, and the next thing I know, it's all blackness around me.

***

"So?"

Dania plays with her finger avoiding his eyes.

"Did you find anything? Anything at all?" He sits on the other side of the desk with his eyes glued to the old woman in front of him.

"What have you done to her?" Dania speaks.

Malcolm exhales loudly and his jaw is twitching. "Did you find anything?" He repeats his question, trying not to yell to the older-looking woman.

Dania eyes are hard on his in an instant.

"I did. I found how skinny she is! She is malnourished! All her bones are showing! She has scratches on her skin most probably self-inflicted because of the fear, she was having panic attacks I had to give her a tranquilizer, which by the way, worked for her, meaning that she is partially human!"

Malcolm bangs his fist on the desk but Dania stays her ground.

"You made an oath to protect us!" She sneers at her leader. "And you did a fantastic job until you decided to torture your own kind."

Malcolm stares at the grey hair woman hard and long. He remembered the day her mother passed away when she gave birth to her, her father, a good friend of his at that time, was grieving from the loss of his wife, and he made a promise to his dead friend to always look after his daughter.

It's the only reason why he doesn't set an example on her and remind the others.

"You'll thank me, for doing what I did, what I have been doing, the day I break the chain the UG put on our necks." He hisses.

Dania looks at her leader in sadness, "Then what the difference between you and those bastards?"

"I'M NOTHING LIKE THEM!" Malcolm burst.

"Says who? You?" Dania stands up and turns to leave. "What she did to three of our people was awful, but those are not her doing! Jake, Xenna, and Tobias couldn't take their regrets, shame, and guilt any more they decided to end their lives." Dania's voice shakes as she remembers those three people.

"Although her appearance is different than us, her inside is the same, the exactly same number of bones, exactly the same range of motion with her joins, exactly the same placements of her internal organs, she isn't what you believe she is. I hope that answers your question." With that, she closes the door quietly behind her.