Deprived

Chapter 33 - Monsters

Xavier watched with gentle eyes as Jesse nibbled on a sandwich, nose curled up delicately with each bite. Both he and Clarise, the local cook, knew not to take it personally.

After all, Deprived were known to become fussy eaters, if they even ate anything at all. Trying to get them to eat when they never felt hungry, felt guilty for eating while their deceased partner never could...

He'd seen countless of Deprived become anorexic or bulimic. It wasn't necessarily because of a bad self-image or a dislike for their body weight.

But each time they sat down for a proper meal, their minds would naturally remember times they shared with their deceased mate. A mate that could no longer sit down with them to enjoy a meal themselves.

That burning guilt and self-hatred was enough to lose anyone's appetite.

A soft sigh escaped the Improba as he watched Jesse chew slowly. Plucking off bits and pieces of the bread and smushing it together before eating it with reluctance.

He could even see the Deprived swallow convulsively, fingers pressing against pale lips as his stomach momentarily rejected the offering before the meal sank down.

Still, it was progress. After Jesse had broken down in his arms, after he had reassured the Deprived as best as he could, there had been some progress.

Probably too little for outsiders to see but there were faint little things. Reacting when someone called his name or spoke in his direct surroundings. Looking up when someone entered the house.

All of them were small, basic gestures that to others, were pretty normal. But each time Jesse looked up to check his surroundings, or turned his head when his name was called, was a giant leap forwards in Xavier's eyes.

But he wasn't about to start pushing Jesse to make more leaps and bounds. Every step of his recovery, of any Deprived's recovery, was being closely monitored.

They needed to process and slowly progress through what happened to them. Slowly accept what happened to them, realize that nothing was their fault and take steps towards a hopeful long and joyful life.

But to the Deprived, that was a monumental task. They had found themselves at the bottom of a seemingly endless abyss and were told to climb out and up a mountain outside of it.

It was a near impossible assignment, if they had been left to fend for themselves. Xavier was glad that they had fused the two compounds together.

Because now, the Deprived that were taking those difficult, first steps towards recovery, had something to look towards to.

All of them had various journeys ahead of them, with their own hurdles and difficulties. But they could look up to those that have successfully latched onto life.

They could see that it was possible. No matter how hard it was, no matter how much pain they endured... there was a glimmer of hope that shone brightly in their future.

They just needed to work towards it. Slowly, step by step without anyone rushing them. Even if they had to crawl. As long as they made that progress forwards.

Now, if only there was that hope for his species.

Xavier had several long and exhausting meetings with the other three Improba, sharing his concerns and doubts about an idea that had been niggling in his mind.

The four of them were a great help for all these Deprived but there was only so much pain and suffering that they could take away. They weren't bottomless pits that were capable of draining every last drop of the Deprived's suffering, no matter how much they all wanted to.