Page 16 of Undone
“And you’re to be the teacher?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Please,” he said gently. “Call me—”
“She will call you Bahntan,” Vahni cut in, eyeing him. He eyed her back with a press of his lips before looking at me again.
With his eyes still on me, he said, “You are excused, Vahni.”
Her mouth flopped open like a fish, and even I was surprised. For a second I thought she would override him, but instead she raised her knee and marched away. My eyes flitted back to the Senator, and a swirl of strange emotions filled me. His face, his presence, gave me comfort, though in my mind I knew it shouldn’t. I had to look away.
“You’ll have to excuse her rigidness,” he said. “That is the way of our people. Everything is black and white, but they are . . . efficient.”
Judging by the way they’d killed most of the people on our planet, if their goal was absolute cruelty, I’d say efficient was the right word.
“What do you think of the children?” He glanced toward the tiny worker bees with absolute affection, and again I marveled at how different he was.
“They’re sogood,” I blurted.
This made him chuckle. “That they are. It is not in the nature of the people of Bael to rebel or go off course.” And then, as he stared out, he said almost to himself, “Though there is something remarkable to be said about wild children who scream and run and laugh when they play. Human young are beautiful when they get carried away by the moment.”
“Yes,” I breathed. He looked at me, and for that split-second we were united in something that once was, but now was lost. It took my breath away, and I had to break our gaze, staring down as I caught my breath.
This man. This alien. He was not like me. I didn’t know what game he was playing, but he was dangerous, and I couldn’t let myself get caught up in his duplicity.
“I overwhelm you,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
And he could read me. Fantastic. I swallowed and swung my head up, plastering on a nervous smile.
“Like I told you, I always admired your work. For years . . .” I shook my head. “It’s just surreal to stand in your presence.”
One side of his lips tipped up. “You flatter me.” But he didn’t look proud or egotistical. He looked humbled. Even sad.
No. There was no way he felt those emotions. He was Baelese. He was incapable. I looked over at the children again.
“Am I supposed to teach them about humans?”
“No,” he said. “Interacting with you will be lesson enough. They are studying English through you, since it will be the universal language for humans, and they will someday oversee Primo Town and workers around the world. They are well-versed in our language and ways.”
The sound of curt high-heels on tile made us both turn toward Vahni.
“Gather your things, Ms. Haines. You will now return to Primo Town.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The Senator tipped his chin down to me. “Best of luck tomorrow.”
“Thank you, sir,” I told him.
I was going to need more than luck. Despite the Senator’s false friendliness, which I couldn’t understand, something told me that if I wasn’t successful at teaching these Baelese children quickly, I would be discarded without a passing thought.
