章 99: Chapter 88 - Dwindling Belief

Adeline and I walked around Spain aimlessly,

The journey to get here was difficult since we avoided everything,

Trains, Buses, Cars, friendly people, anything or anyone that could see our strangeness,

We were naïve, not knowing that lack of reliance on Earthly means would just make our lives that much more difficult,

It was until then that we realized how different Earth was from Lorien,

Since the humans looked just like us we mistakenly thought they acted like us as well,

The suffering on Planet Lorien was enough to teach us divine lessons that were only emphasized that much more as time passed,

Be kind, be nice, be grateful, be willing, be helpful, be everything you can be – that's what it means to be a Lorien,

That belief was dwindling as we got turned away from numerous homes, hotels, and even the dirty barns.

Apparently, on earth, other humans, or rather Loriens weren't even good enough to sleep with pigs and horses,

I found that strange since I thought Earthlings valued each other more than their food,

I guess I was wrong for assuming that, this is… after all an entirely new planet, an entirely new culture,

Maybe common sense was not a thing on this planet?

I could see something breaking inside Adeline each and every time we were turned away,

I could understand but I could not empathize, I was too young to comfort a grown-ass woman with understanding words,

Think about it, if a 5-year-old child came up to you said 'it's okay to cry, I understand what it is like to lose a husband and children'

I have no doubt you would be more freaked out than grateful for such comfort,

I often had dreams about the Mogadorians slaughtering our people so this little amount of suffering was nothing in comparison,

But I failed to note that Adeline had just lost not only her husband but a daughter and son as well.

Lost could be a subjective interpretation of what had occurred,

She was forced to leave them behind to take care of a girl similar aged to her deceased daughter - me,

What would you have chosen? Leave your family behind for the greater cause? Or damn the world to be with your family until the end?

A classic example of Moral Relativism, there is never a correct answer – just the answer that is right for you,

That was a huge blow mentally and physically for Adeline, as the rejections increased so did her haggard appearance,

The greatest kindness we received was from a sympathetic farmer with a poor family,

He was by far the least wealthy person we had come across, he offered us a night in his barn, stale bread to soothe our aching stomach, and wool to cover ourselves from the cold of the night,

This kindness brought both Adeline and me to tears, after wondering for all these months we finally found a place to rest for the night other than under bridges, dark corners, or just bus stops.

Had Adeline not been skilled in combat, I could imagine our dire futures as one night some men wondered under the bridge we were sleeping,

It does not take a genius to understand what their motives were for that intrusion,

I was in a deep sleep till I heard the screams of the men being butchered by Adeline, I guess she really needed to blow off some steam,

Some of the blood-smeared my sleeping face, I can still feel the soothing rub of her hands as she brushed it off my face,

But the good times weren't going to last, we spent a couple of weeks sleeping in the barn taking care of the pigs and horses.

It was a happy time as we felt like we belonged, but nothing good lasts forever,

One night the farmer's son came in when we were sleeping and attempted to rape me,

Adeline knocked the boy out, that night we were driven away by the farmer who refused to believe our story,

Ever since that time Adeline would look at me as if it was my fault, she didn't openly express it but I knew what her eyes meant,

'Why couldn't you just be raped? Be quiet and take it like a woman, that way we would still have a home' – yes we'd still have a home, but at what cost? Why should I have had to yield?

Ever since that time we began to drift apart slowly but surely, the only thing holding us together was her duty to protect me,

Later on, even that didn't become enough, and what tied us together was simply the comfort of knowing we were from the same planet,

Adeline had lost everything, quite literally, her home, family, life, food, sleep. And now her sense of duty to Lorien.

Just like that, we wandered around for a month or two before we came to the front of a coven. It was called Santa Teresa Coven.

Unlike all other places that turned us away, they welcomed us with open arms for a couple of days as it was mandatory they did as believers in 'god',

They would help us get back on our feet before we would be requested to leave,

However, when the time came to leave, they asked us one question "Do you believe in the grace of God?"

I hesitated but Adeline immediately replied "yes" like a person in the desert who finally found an oasis, but I suspect it was a mirage,

I acknowledged next, knowing I couldn't go anywhere without Adeline and thinking, falsely so, that she had a plan,

Remain here for a couple of months before we move on, but I was sorely mistaken,

Months turned to years, years turned to ten and now I was approaching my 18th birthday, the time when nuns had to leave the coven to go and spread the word of god,

I just hope we can finally leave the coven as we had already learned to adapt, we have already been here too long and I began to suspect we are being watched by the Mogadorians.