Nikhil(25)

"You probably weren't amongst yourselves." When she tilted her face up frowning at him, he continued. "It is part of what the educator does. It allows you to understand a language spoken to you and for you to speak it back. If one of your males spoke to you in your language, that is the language you would respond in. You wouldn't even realize it."

"So if I wished to speak my language, you would understand it?" Mac carefully listened to herself and knew she was speaking English. She saw Nikhil frown.

"Is that your language?" he asked in Zaludian.

"Yes," she responded in Zaludian. "Did you understand what I said?"

"No, I'm sorry, Little One."

"But I thought you said..."

"You will only understand and speak the languages programmed into an educator, and it seems the Ganglians only gave you theirs and the Zaludians."

"Will I be able to learn your language?"

"Yes, Little One, and so much more." He gently caressed her cheek. "Tomorrow, if you are feeling up to it, Luol would like to place our educator on you. It will contain all the languages in the Known Universes, and also a history and background on each."

"I will be able to speak and understand you in your language?"

"Yes."

"And you will understand mine?"

"No, as it is not one of the known languages. But with time, if you and your males work with Luol, we should be able to learn and record it so it can eventually be programmed in." He saw her start to chew on her upper lip. "What is wrong, Little One?"

"It's just... I just..."

"What? You can tell me."

"I want to learn your language and know more about... well everything. It’s just I hated having that thing on last time. It was uncomfortable, and I was scared."

"Uncomfortable? What do you mean?" Nikhil's entire body tensed. An educator should never cause discomfort. Had the Ganglian one harmed his Mackenzie?"

"It was hard and cold, and seemed to press so tightly against my temples." She didn't realize she reached up to touch the spot. "I didn't like it."

Nikhil rolled slightly so she was on her back, caged between his massive arms, surrounding her with his protection. "It will not be that way this time, Mackenzie, my vow. You will be safe. I will be at your side the entire time. Luol will make sure the educator fits properly, and it will cause you no discomfort."

"And I will understand things better, like how to open a door?"

"Yes, Little One."

"And what your beads mean?" She reached up touching the braided strands that had fallen over his shoulder.

"It will help you understand, yes. But I will tell you whatever you wish to know about my Suja beads."

"Suja beads... Why do you wear them?"

"All Kaliszians wear them." He shifted to his side, propping himself up on an elbow, then reached behind him to bring all his braids forward so she could see them. "These are my Bloodline beads, which I received during my naming ceremony shortly after my presentation."

"Presentation?"

"When I took my first breath?"

"You mean when you were born. Okay, I understand."

"This bead," he touched the red and amber one on the bottom of the braid, "represents my mother and her bloodline that now runs through me. And this one," he touched the green and amber bead above it, "represents my manno and his blood line."

"Manno... your father?"

Nikhil thought for a moment. "If father means the male whose bloodline you come from, then yes."

"So what does this one represent?" she asked, touching the large dark amber bead above it that was swirled with lighter amber.

"Me. If I am blessed with offspring, I will be able to take a portion of this bead and transfer it to him or her, claiming forever that the offspring is mine."

"And they will be able to carry that piece of you with them. Forever."

"Yes."

Mac thought about that for a moment and realized she wished she had something like that from her father. "So what ones did you get next?"

Nikhil went on to tell her about his beads, about how he earned them, how for certain achievements he received more. The majority of his beads were strung down his center braids and went nearly as high as his clip. These he refused to go into detail about how he had earned them, and only said that they were his Battle beads. Her grandpa had been that way with his medals. He would tell her what battle they were from, and the names of all the men that had been lost and how brave those men had been, but he wouldn't go further than that.

"What about this one?" she touched the single braid that hadn't been pulled over his shoulder. Instead, it brushed his massive bicep that was resting on the bed and held only one bead. A white bead with green swirling through it.