Adrift in Silence

Chapter 5

Lucina and her Master, Markus, had returned to The Evercliff's Academy but not all was right. Time rushed before their eyes as the autumn clouds glided rapidly across the flame lit sky. Feeling strange and out of place, Lucina asked, "Whatshappeningwhyiseverythingsofast?!"

"Itwillwearoffbymorningwhichisrightaroundthecorner," teased Markus and before she knew it, she was moving at the speed of sound. The grand halls rushed by and the lights that adorned the citadel blurred past her unfathomable gaze. Neon streaks zipped overhead like polar lights scattered across the arctic. Everything flew by so fast she couldn't comprehend it while at the same time she was completely compliant and responsive. When suddenly everything went black, and it stayed that way till the next morning.

Lucina rose from an elegant bed in a strange room with four other beds, dawning golden drapes. Where am I? she asked herself, holding her head, trying to keep it from spinning. Why is everything so slow, like Matrix slow?

"Morning!" a youthful, energetic voice meowed from above in a rhythmic tone. Lucina jumped from her bed, back pinned against the headboard, and frantically looked all around, searching for who ever said that. "Up here, silly," she giggled, "are you feeling any better?" Lucina looked to find a young girl, smiling joyfully from ear to ear, skin as radiant as the morning sun and hair as pink as the dusk sky. But what stuck out most of all were her large, pointy, cat-like ears on her head, above where her ears should be. Lucina pulled her blanket, as some weak layer of protection. Slightly scared but more enticed by her adorable ears. Although she acted scared, Lucina gleamed with child-like wonder.

"That's so cool! How are you doing that?" she asked, her hands barely visible from outside the blanket.

Curious the cat girl mentioned, "The caretaker brought you in last night and said you weren't feeling well. You went straight to bed, so we didn't get to officially meet," she explained. She floated down to Lucina's bed, her fuzzy ears twitching with excitement. "I'm Kirusami Anniharra, but everyone calls me Aaaa-nni, hehe," she gleamed, trying to be as cute as a button. "And your name is Lucina, right, that's what the caretaker told us?" Lucina pulled the blanket over and placed it on the bed and signed her name. "What are you doing with your hands, there?" Anni peeked around Lucina's head to see if she was wearing her translation device then checked to see if she was wearing her own. She poked it then asked, "You can understand me, right?" Lucina nodded yes. "Then why don't you speak? Come on, you don't have to be shy with me, we're roomies now."

Lucina was visibly upset, holding her knees up to her chest. It was hard enough to communicate with people in her world, now she's surrounded by people who may never truly understand her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Anni apologized, sitting next to Lucina and placing her hand on her shoulder. Lucina inched away, feeling somewhat invaded, and threw her hand up as if to say it's okay.

Lucina signed, "I'm mute," then mouthed the words desperately, "I can't speak."

"You can't talk, can you?" asked Anni, her ears dropping to the side of her head, and a tear nearly fell from her eye, sensitive as she was. Lucina nodded yes. "I'm so sorry, I wouldn't-"

Lucina patted her on the shoulder, cutting her off and signed, "It's okay, really."

"Is-is that how you communicate, with your hands?" she asked trying to hold back her emotions. Lucina nodded. She then pointed at her ears, hoping to touch them. Anni blushed and asked Lucina a question in a tone that gave Lucina the impression that she had asked this question a dozen times, "You want to touch them, don't you?" Lucina smiled nervously in agreement, slightly embarrassed to ask such a silly question. "Okay, I'll let you touch them just this once, okay, only to make up for being so mean." Lucina really wanted to tell her it was fine but realized it was futile to try and communicate that to her, so she chose to take the only opportunity she may have to touch Anni's adorably fluffy, pointy ears. She grabbed them gently with her thumb and index finger. They were soft and silky, just like the ears of a well-nurtured house cat.