Muted

Muted Chapter 19

Andy briefly stopped his argueing tournament with Christian to explain what was going on to Clark. The house began to smell of marinara sauce as Andy talked and my stomach growled expectantly.

"Easy girl," Christian said with a grin. I shook my head and laugh silently. 

"Don't speak to her," Andy glared at Christian with contempt and I placed my hand on his to calm him down. His face simmered to a mere glare then continued to talk to Clark. I ingored Andy and signed for paper and pen. 

Christian began his hunt and returned quickly with a crayon and napkin. "Sorry I couldn't find anything else. This place is like a blackhole.

*Will they start your aging process too?* I wrote down and handed the napkin with purple scrawl to Christian. 

"More than likely. But while I'm here it won't matter," He said matter of factly. I looked at him questiongly. "Clark has a spell on this place that stops the aging. As long as I don't leave I won't age," He told me and I started wondering. I grabbed the napkin and turned it over. I wrote small to conserve space.

"So do all of these refuges just stay here and never leave?" I asked. 

"Sort of. They can leave occasionally but for no more than a few months at a time. And most won't. The Deave are hunting the escapees down as we speak. It's not an easy life. They imprison themselves for protection, but it's better than the Deave," He said with a sad smile. His accent was the same as Andy's when Andy got angry.

The slight french lith to it was entertaining to pick out of his words. "Some soul reincarnates don't have the life Andy and I do. Many of them are prisoners under the Deave. Their used for ruthless testing," Christian said and a grimace crossed his face.

*What kind of testing?* I wrote down and I watched Andy storm out of the kitchen angerily. I ignored his childish temper tantrum at my talking to Christian and continued to recieve much needed information.

"The Deave aren't nice, Mari. Their testing is rape, plain and simple. Whether their raping the minds or bodies, it's torture. That's why these refuge's escape one prison for another. At least here they aren't in a painful prison," He said sadly. Tears sprung to my eyes at the idea of these people being used in such a cruel fashion. My losing my voice seemed a  picnic to their lives.

Christian patted my arm consolingly and I cast my face down. Clark too seemed upset by this conversation as he sighed disheartedly. 

"I wish I could stop it. But now all I can do is offer those few who have escaped a place to stay and some warm food," Clark sighed wisfully as he dulled the noodles into a gigantic bowl. He did the same with the sauce and it smelled delicious.

"Clark you do so much more. You make these people feel human again. You save them," Andy said as he wandered back into the room and stared at our somber faces. He came to me and tucked my face under his shoulder. I fit so perfectly with him and snuggled more.

"Some," Christian began quietly. "Some of the soul reincarnates leave and let themselves wither away within a year. They just give up," Christian said with big gesture of his hands. He then grabbed one of the large bowls of food from the kitchen and followed Clark out of the room with the other. 

"Dinnertime," Andy said. "Marianna please don't wallow in this. It's not anyones fault what these cruel people do. If I could save them all, I would," Andy said and a sudden thought entered my mind. I pulled quickly away. 

I grabbed the napkin and scribbled quickly. *You worked with them! For years and you knew what they were doing. You and Christian!* I through the napkin at him before leaving the room in a huff.