Page 4 of Rok's Captive
My eyes are wide as I shrug in an ‘I don’t know what the hell they mean either,’ sort of way. “Maybe we’ll be dealing with Xyma researchers who don’t speak any Earth languages?”
Jacqui’s brows lift higher. “Doubt it. They learned Mandarin and English even before they revealed themselves to us.”
I tilt my head. She does have a point.
I glance around the seats and then in front of me, but I can’t see anything that looks like a translation device or the supposed literature. This isn’t like being on a plane and the seat before you has the safety information card in the pocket.
My mouth damn near falls open when a slot opens at my side, directly in the wall of the bus. Out slips two colorful flyers and a tray with two small circular discs.
“The fuck?” Jacqui breathes. It’s like her murmur echoes through the bus, other people expressing the same wonder. “Those can’t be the translators, can they? They look like earphones.”
Reaching for the two little white things, I pass one to Jaqs as I turn the other over in my fingers.
“How do you turn it on?” Jaqs whispers before she puts it into her ear. I follow her lead and do the same, glancing over my shoulder to see some of the other women following suit, while others seem more hesitant.
“Maybe they’ll tell us how it works when we get there,” I mutter.
Grabbing the two flyers, my gaze shifts to the driver, who still has his gaze on me. Is there something on my face? I find myself self-consciously wiping my hand across my jaw as I give Jacqui her flyer, too.
Finally, he looks away, our bodies jostling as the bus pulls out and continues down the city street. Air conditioning suddenly kicks in and I almost release a groan.
Jacqui huffs a laugh through her nose and shifts her body so she’s comfortable. “God, that feels good. I take it back, Jus. They don’t even have to pay us. Just let us sit on this bus. Fuck the heat.”
Someone chuckles behind us and I look over my shoulder to see a woman with long braided hair nodding in agreement. “She’s right,” the woman says, “it’s like hell out there. At least we’ll travel in comfort.”
A little shiver of excitement goes through me. “You have any idea what we’re in for?”
The woman shakes her head before shrugging. “Can’t say I trust these Xyma, but at this point, everyone and their third cousin twice removed is looking for work. Been at it for months myself.” She lets out a dry laugh. “This pays well and honestly sounds interesting. I mean, getting to work with Xyma tech has to be better than filing for unemployment again.”
I smile at her and nod. It’s a relief to know we’re not the only ones here for the money. I’m about to turn back around when some sort of commotion occurs farther down in the bus. A young woman is speaking rapidly in what sounds like German to someone on her phone, and the woman beside her with strawberry blonde hair is all but beaming, even slightly jumping in her seat.
“I can understand her!” The giddy woman proclaims, and my gaze shifts to Jacqui. My first thought is to roll my eyes. What’s the big deal? But then it hits me. I punch Jacqui in the arm and she winces.
“What the fuck, Jus?—”
“Talk to me.”
“Iamtalking to you.”
I shake her shoulder. “No, I mean in Japanese. You took classes. You must remembersomething.”
Jacqui rolls her eyes. “It wasn’t ‘classes’. It was myminor.”
“Jaaaqs…”
“Fine! Hello.”
“No, I mean, talk to me in Japanese!”
“Iamtalking to you in Japanese! Right now, everything I’m saying.”
“What?”
“Are you okay?”—I take the earbud out as she’s speaking—“Kikoeru?”
My eyes widen into huge pools. “Oh…my…God. I could understand you!” I almost scream. “InEnglish! Holy shit. Can this thing translate in real time?”
My exclamation spreads through the bus as everyone begins talking at once. “What, really?” Jacqui glances from me to the other women who are busy talking in languages they know. “Try it on me. Talk to me.”
