Disclaimer: I don't own any of this!
Chapter 1
Sanjay
"Master Luke!"
Luke Smith was jarred awake by the high- pitched voice of K9, but was in no mood to respond. Instead, he rolled over and pulled the blankets over his head.
"Master Luke!" K9 screeched. "You will be late!"
Luke sighed, throwing back the blankets and glaring at the robot dog, who stared innocently back at him. He'd just gotten back from summer holiday at his mother's and was well used to being able to sleep in. But those days were over now. He quickly got dressed, said goodbye to K9, and headed out the door.
Not to his surprise, a boy was waiting for him across the hall. The sight of Sanjay Malik got his stomach fluttering, as if there was a large bunch of butterflies trapped inside, just waiting to get out.
Sanjay was an attractive boy of nineteen. He had a toned figure and smooth light brown skin. His shaggy jet- black hair nearly obliterated his dark eyes, which glittered in Luke's direction.
Luke admitted to himself that he'd thought of Sanjay a lot over the summer. The other boy had become his closest friends since he arrived in Oxford. Of course, Luke hadn't told Sanjay the truth about himself: the robotic dog that hid in his bedroom, the alien computer that hung out in his adoptive mother's attic, his alien little sister, and definitely not that he was a genetically modified creation by an alien species who once used a soft drink called Bubble Shock to turn humanity into zombies. Sarah Jane had always impressed upon him and his friends to keep that part of their lives secret. That included Sanjay, who, Luke reflected, would probably flee in the opposite direction if he knew.
"Have a good holiday?" Sanjay asked.
"Yeah... It was interesting," Luke replied, thinking of the fake American man and the race of enslaved aliens he and his friends had freed.
"Pardon!" Another boy said loudly, plowing his way past Luke and Sanjay. He must be new as Luke didn't recognize him. He was very large with short blond hair that only emphasized his huge forehead.
Sanjay scowled in the boy's direction. "Rude!"
"Who is he?" Luke asked.
"Max Marshall. His mum's a professor here."
Marshall...Luke recognized the name. It was printed on his course schedule. He had her Astronomy course this morning.
As it turned out, Sanjay had the same class. They walked into the auditorium- sized lecture hall together.
Luke instantly knew Professor Marshall. She looked so like her son, quite a bit deal larger, the same pasty skin, and badly cut blonde hair. She stared with narrowed eyes as Luke and Sanjay took their seats in the front.
"I can't believe we're sitting so close," Sanjay grumbled. "You're such a nerd, Luke." Luke grinned, suddenly reminded of Clyde.
Marshall coughed loudly. "We shall get started, then. Welcome to Introduction to Astronomy. I am your instructor, Professor Marshall.
"In this course, we shall get as close as mere humans like us can get to exploring the stars." Luke bit back a smile. He'd been in space before. Since then, the Judoon grounded him to Earth, but he often thought about going back into space, exploring the worlds like Sarah Jane had with the Doctor. Now he thought wistfully of the TARDIS, racing through time and space with so much adventure to be had...
"... There are so many mysteries to the universe around us," Marshall carried on. "Is there life on other planets, for example? Well, of course there is!"
Luke looked up at her, shocked. Did she know something?
"I mean, it only stands to reason," Marshall said. Luke felt a chill as she looked right at him. "And you should be careful... Because not all of them are nice."