The Penny Drops (Sea the Depths Book 1) Karmon Kuhn (life changing books TXT) 📖

you all taken care of,” the woven-locked one said and patted my hand.

She left my side and busied herself with some things across the room. When I followed her with my eyes, I saw my satchel and sat up with a jolt.

“I need my satchel!”

“Here.” Penny brought my bag to me.

“Thank you.” I nodded as I was instructed to do in the tsez̈ø and rustled through the bag. Everything was still there. Some clothing, nutrient packs, emergency medical supplies, an identification card, and some green printed papers along with a pouch of jingling metal pieces deep in a hidden pocket. Behind the papers was the communication device that I’d been given. I took out the communication device and pressed it. Nothing happened. Before I could worry, the doctor spoke.

“Well, darlin’, I’ll have another look at you soon, and I think you’ll be able to check out after that. Is there anything ya need?”

“No, thank you,” I said dutifully, aiming to be polite even if unintentionally unclear in this encounter.

“Okay, then. If ya need anything, just press this button here and call the ladies at the nurses’ station. Somebody will come on over.”

“Okay,” I said, holding up my thumb to Loretta for good measure.

After she’d gone, Penny came over to me. “I’m volunteering here at the hospital, and I’m just supposed to make everyone comfortable or whatever. Do you wanna chat for a while, or can I get you another pillow or anything?”

“Chat?” I asked, unfamiliar with the vernacular.

“Just talk, I mean,” she said and then took a seat on the bed platform next to me, “Could I ask you a question actually?”

“Okay,” I said, lifting my thumb again in agreement.

“Are you from California? You seem to have an accent. I hope it’s not rude for me to ask!” As she added the last bit, her face turned a pink hue and turned down.

“I grew up off of the coast of India but recently moved to the area,” I answered truthfully and hoped that she would not ask for more details. My head was beginning to ache, and I was afraid I’d forget the particulars of the landmasses from which I’d supposedly come.

“What made you move here?”

“I was in need of a change.” I answered simply and then inquired, “May I ask you a question?”

“Sure! I’m an open book!”

I turned my head to the side a bit in interest, unaware of the phrase. “First, what do you mean by ‘an open book’?”

“Oh!” Penny said, shaking her head from side to side and continued, “I mean that I’m willing to tell you about myself. It’s like how a book that’s open has all of its words ready to read.”

“Interesting,” I responded and then continued. “Are you from California?”

“No. Is it that obvious that I’m a country bumpkin?” she laughed and the skin around her eyes crinkled.

As soon as she answered, I sat up a little straighter and focused on my body. Despite being weak and housing inferior human senses, I could still detect the slightest fragrance. I closed my eyes for a moment and concentrated on my own scent. I hoped that it would reach her.

When I opened my eyes again, her head was cocked to one side as mine had been. Confusion?

“Have I asked something strange?”

“No. I’m just surprised that you could tell that I’m not from around here!”

There was a sparkle in her eyes then. The bonding process had already begun with a tsùges̈ss! A tribute I could retrieve for the tsez̈ø. And, on my very first day! Clearly my body had enough resources to produce some level of pheromones even after the difficult start. Perhaps, this misstep was fortuitous!

“Penny, tell me something about yourself.” I leaned closer, making sure to look into her eyes as I’d been taught.

“Um, okay,” she answered, sitting on the edge of the bed, and then said, “I just moved to Ciudad Pacifico last summer for school. I’m a student at Pacific U in the nursing program, and I’m volunteering as a candy striper.” She looked down at her hands as they twisted in her lap and her cheeks grew even redder. “Are you in college?”

“Yes. I also attend Pacific U.” I repeated the name in my mind a few times as she continued, so I could request credentials from the tsez̈ø.

“That’s great! How’s it going so far? Which program are you in?”

“I study linguistics,” I answered. Honestly, again, “and I enjoy it very much.”

“Wow. I barely made it through high school English. I can’t imagine what a linguistics college program must be like.”

“English can be quite challenging, as are all languages.” I stated in a way that I hoped was conversational, still looking into Penny’s face as we spoke.

Her eyes were a deep, thoughtful color. A bit like burnt umber or deep brown sea glass with flecks of amber around the pupil. I wondered what mine looked like now. If they were still a deep amber like my natural eyes or the algae color that they were in the sea or something else entirely. I hadn’t had an opportunity to inspect my human body to be sure that my eyes had properly transitioned.

"I tried to learn Spanish in high school, and I don't remember a single thing. I don't have a gift for languages. I've gotta say that it's embarrassing being monolingual, though. It's an awful stereotype of Americans, but there’s a vein of truth in it!"

"A single language?" I broke Penny’s gaze for the first time and stared at the floor. The impotence. Ignorance!

"Yeah. Um . . . I mean, we don’t really learn other languages in school, so it’s hard to do. Heh."

I looked up at her blankly. Considering that the globe housed billions of humans with millions