My name is Sam...or at least that's what I thought my name was. I'm actually called Number Five, from my home world of Lorien. I don't remember much about my home world, only that I had to leave in order to survive and then return to claim back my homeworld.
So you can say I am not normal, not one bit.
I am Number Five in a group of 9, all of us taken from our homeland to Earth in order to hide and be safe from the Mogadorians, hunters who want us dead. My protector is Nicolas, or Nico for short. He was sent from Lorien to protect me, make sure that I stay alive, and away from any harm. He's more like a father figure to me, since he acted like my father to the other humans when they asked. He acted like my older brother once or twice, and we pulled it off. But he is like a father, but not my real father.
Being an alien was already hard enough as being a normal teenager. I couldn't be close to any one, in school or at parties. I was sheltered and taken away from being social, but Nico explained that it was for a good reason. The Mogadorians could hack into any computer and find me if I had pictures up of myself, or any information about myself. So it was hard to make friends, and to keep them was harder.
And it wasn't like I was bad to look at, I was in fact rather good looking.
Nico told me it was part of my package, being a alien and all. It was like I was meant to be good looking to the human eye, but what was the point if I had to blend in as a human being and not be noticed. I would get heads turning in my direction whenever I would go to a new school from another move, or going with Nico to the store. They knew we were different, not because we were new, we were beautiful and unique in their eyes. I only wanted to be invisible, get through my life on this planet and hope I don't die.
Hope only takes you so far.
Number One died when I was young, I felt the scorch of the tattoo burning into my side by my ribs, showing me that I was one closer to death. Every time a death happened, we'd have to move and burn everything we had. I was in Michigan at that time, and being very young I didn't understand.
Number Two died while I was in a P.E. Class in Colorado. I fell to my knees and screamed as the tattoo joined the first one on my rib, getting a crowd around me as I tried to run out of the GYM. It felt like a kick to the chest that was on fire as Nico got us both to Alaska.
Number Three died while I was talking to a boy, a very good looking boy might I add, in a coffee shop in Juneau Alaska. He thought I was having a seizure when the tattoo was being engraved on my skin, now reaching my hip. I tried to look calm, but the pain was unbearable. Nico was already made at me for being close to people and trying to hold onto things, so when this happened we packed up and moved into Canada to one of the smaller towns. By that time I never wanted to move again. I was agitated, moody, and bitter.
Well I was a teenager after all.
Nico was patient with me when I had my moments, kicking and screaming as he threw me in the car for another move. "It's only for your safety." He would say to me, trying to make me understand that the moves for the good of our situation. All I ever wanted, was to be normal and have one normal friend. But heaven forbid that I made a friend, they have a myspace, and they place my face on their wall for my enemy to see, find me and kill me. They were smart, they could find me within seconds from a picture of me, so I had no choice. No, I was meant to be alone.
Why me?
That was what I was thinking of, looking out the window of the car we were in driving down South in Washington on a foggy day. I was now seventeen years old, and the recent move from Canada was odd to me. Number Four didn't die, so us moving after being in Canada for about a month was making me rather mad. But I tried to not look at Nico as we drove along the highway, seeing the Washington Forest on the left side and the Pacific Ocean on the right. The ocean looked so cold and gray, making me think of those pictures at my old high school in the art department. I leaned my head against the door frame, the window rolled down so I could feel the breeze going through my red hair.
"I know you're mad at me." Nico said to me while he drove the car. I looked over at him slightly, showing that I was listening but not wanting to hear it. I looked behind me at the Boreal Owl sitting on the seats, looking out the window and then over at me. As a Lorien, I had a protector, or a good Chimera, other than Nico of course, to be with me in case I was attacked. Chimera was a alien as well, but it shapeshifted into animals, and wherever we went, it would have to change and adapt as a animal that was common in the area. In Alaska it was a Boreal Owl, always staying close to me and never letting me out of her sight. I never named her, wasn't aloud to since Nico forbid it. But I did anyways, her name was Nora.
"Why now? Number Four didn't die yet." I muttered to him, looking down at the v neck shirt I was wearing and then rearranging the beanie on my head.
"I didn't want to take a risk." Nico said back to me, but I rolled my eyes.
"Number Three died a month and a half ago, I think we were pretty safe in Canada." I said to him in a low tone, but he said nothing for a minute or two. I thought back to my own thoughts, thinking of where we were going to end up next and what name I was going to be this time.
"Look, I know the past few months were hard, especially with the moves. And I know how you want a normal life, a normal living situation...but I'll make you a promise." Nico explained to me, having me look over at him with a eyebrow raised. What was he talking about? Was this a trick he was pulling, but he was never one for tricks, not with me anyways.
"I'll take us to our next place, and if we don't have anything going wrong for a while week, I'll make sure we stay for at least 3 months." He said to me, and a smile appeared on my face. He was never one to make a compromise with me when it came to where we were going or how long we were going to stay. He was in charge of that, and all I had to do was to stay alive. Everything else was in his court, and he was quite good with it.
"You mean it?" I asked him in wonder. He smiled stilling looking at the road and then over at me. His short black hair was blowing in the wind from his won window as his brown eyes looked at me. I could tell he was telling the truth, which made me smirk at him. But then there was another question as to where we were going. If it was somewhere completely miserable, I would have to shoot myself and save time for NUmber Four. But then again we had to die in order, so come on Number Four die already so I can make life a living hell for Number 6.
"Where are we going then?" I asked him back in my normal tone. Nico smirked at me and then looked back on the road, one hand on the wheel and the other looking at his cell phone for a brief second.
"You remember how a couple of years back you asked to go to San Francisco, but we went to Colorado instead?" He asked me in a regular tone. I nodded my head at his question, remembering that conversation happening between us. I was so mad at him for making me move to Colorado. San Francisco was one of my favorite cities, I loved the culture and the atmosphere it gave off there. But why would be bring that up? Then it hit me, and my eyes went wide with excitement and shock.
"We're going there aren't we?" I asked in a squeal, acting like a teenage girl for five seconds. Nico laughed and nodded his head, making me squeal one more second and have a smile plastered on my face that would not come off for another hour or two.
"But like I said before, we are here to make sure we don't get tracked, which means no pictures or fact about you online. If things get too heated there, we move with no questions or tantrums, got it?" Nico explained to me, his typical guardian voice and mood settling in over the excitement. But I had to nod my head and agree, there was never a time when he would take a request from me seriously, so this was a big deal to me. The rest of the ride was in silence as I listened to my iPod and pictured myself in San Francisco.
For once I was looking forward to a move.
"Here you are." The landlord said aloud as he opened the door to our new home. It was a studio apartment near Lombard street, overseeing most of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge: perfect. I smiled, walking in first as Nico followed with one of our bags in tow. The windows were open so I breathed in the sea air along with feeling the coolness on my skin. I was already in love with the bare place. One wall was brick, which was opposite of the three windows facing the Bay and most of the city on top of the hill.
"The one bedroom is to the left, and the second one is all the way down the hall here." The landlord said aloud as he walked down the hall with Nico right behind him. I looked at the view in front of me and smiled, wondering where was I going to go and what place to hit first on my explorations. I felt a gush of wind overhead and I looked up, seeing Nora fly over to one of the boxes in the corner. I watched as she hopped down behind it, hearing ruffling of feathers and bones rearranging. She was changing to adapt, her usual tactic as a Chimera. It took her a few seconds, and as she peeked out, she was a Orange Tabby Cat. I smiled, seeing the end of her tail white and her chest white as well. She trotted over to me and rubbed against my leg, already purring and I bent down, scooping her up and walking over to the window.
"What do you think? Do you like it there?" I asked her, seeing her look around as well as I did. I knew she would never answer me back, but when I was younger I would pretend she could and have a conversation with me. But as I heard Nico and the landlord coming back, Nora jumped out of my arms and ran behind one of the boxes and out of sight. I saw the two of them walking back towards the front room.
"Well I hope you and your father will be happy here, and if you have any questions, I am on the first floor." The landord said to NIco and then walked out of my new home. Nico smiled, closing the door and walked over to me, looking out the window and placing a hand on my shoulder.
"You know the drill, time to change." he said to me and I rolled my eyes, nodding my head.
When he says time to change, he meant time to disappear.
Author's Note:
So what do you guys think so far? Leave me a review and let me know!
