Months have passed since Tadashi Astrowski came into Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins' life.

True, Tadashi was still a bit down with his parents dying, but he warmed up to Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins in no time.

He also gained an instant liking to Earth's antics. Books (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Watership Down, Captain Underpants and Alice in Wonderland), music (Hank Williams, Michael Jackson, Wham!, Rick Astley, 'Weird Al' Yankovic and A-Ha), technology (Computer, Television) and games (Pac Man)… the whole nine yards.

However, one thing that interested Tadashi more than anything else on Earth... was Mrs. Jenkins' stories about her kindergarten class at Hilltop School. Every night when he went to bed, Mrs. Jenkins would tell Tadashi about what happened at Hilltop School, whereas Tadashi would listen to it like it was the first time.

One day, Tadashi was reading on his bed: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The story about a ten-year-old who is mistreated and hated by his uncle, aunt and his spoiled, bullying cousin whom is treated like a king while Harry, a servant. Then on his eleventh Birthday, Harry learns that he is a wizard, a secret that his aunt and uncle have been keeping all these years and then he attends the enchanted Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, making new friends such as loyal Ron Weasley and bookworm Hermione Granger as well as making enemies including Draco Malfoy and the mysterious Potions teacher Severus Snape.

Tadashi was just up to where Harry coughed the Golden Snitch out from his mouth when his bedroom door was knocked upon.

"Come in," he called, bending the corner of the page and closing the book.

Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins entered. Mrs. Jenkins was holding an envelope in her hand.

"You have mail, dear," she smiled.

"Really?" said Tadashi excitedly. He never had mail since he had come to Earth.

He leapt of his bed, took the envelope from Mrs. Jenkins, and slit it open.

The mail was a card. Tadashi read the inscription:

Guess who is invited to Mrs. Jenkins' kindergarten class at Hilltop School?

He opened the card to find a miniature mirror glued inside, revealing his shocked face.

"Me?" He said, excitedly.

"That's right," said Mrs. Jenkins.

He hugged her, realising the fact that he was going to school with her. Soon after, he was in bed after reading as much as he could to make himself tired due to how excited he was.

The clock truck seven, Tadashi was up, had his breakfast, brushed his teeth, waved to Mrs. Jenkins to see her in a bit and the bus arrived.

Tadashi stepped into the bus.

"Hello, Tadashi," gretted the driver, a huge beaver. "I'm Henry."

"Hello, Henry," said Tadashi rather shyly.

Tadashi looked at the other passengers; two racoons, three cats, a beaver, a fox, two mice, two twin bulldogs and a skunk.

Tadashi went up to the back seat and sat opposite one of the two raccoons sitting next to one of the three cats. The racoon was wearing a dark blue shirt in white stripes and the grey cat was wearing a yellow dress with a pink cardigan. Her eyes were magnificent green.

"Hi," the racoon greeted. "I'm Timothy."

"I'm Yoko," introduced the kitten.

"Hello, you two," said Tadashi. "My name is Tadashi."

"Are you new?" asked Timothy.

"Yes," replied Tadashi. He thought if he wondered new to the world or to school but considered the answer.

The group got off the buss and stepped off into a big building. A very cute school it looked too, made with reddish pink bricks, a dark, green roof with a bell on the top of it. By the front doors was Mrs. Jenkins herself!

"A special day today for us children," replied Mrs. Jenkins. "In you come now, quick sticks."

Everyone entered while Tadashi had an uncomfortable feeling swimming in his tummy.

"You're probably nervous," suggested Timothy when Tadashi informed him. "We were all nervous when we first started, Ta - Teddy?"

"Tadashi," corrected Tadashi.

"Sorry," said Timothy. "I never knew anyone with a name like that before."

"I knew anyone called Timothy," said Tadashi. "Or Yoko."

"It's a Japanese name," informed Yoko.

They entered a colourful room with tables, drawings on the walls, traced cut-outs of themselves standing on the very edge, a costume box and huge piano. There stood Mrs. Jenkins.

They each took a space to sit on the floor and what Tadashi realized was that they were sitting on shapes. He chose a diamond shape and sat down.

"We have a new student with us today," said Mrs. Jenkins. "So let us sing Tadashi the welcome song."

Mrs. Jenkins then sat in front of the piano and started playing a very familiar song to Tadashi's ears.

Gather 'round and sit right down

Doesn't matter who you're next to

We're a lot the same, but with different names

And there's so many things that we're gonna do

You might feel a little bit shy

But we all feel that way sometimes

It's a new adventure

It's a brand new day

Anything can happen when we laugh and we play

Welcome to this brand new day

Tadashi wasn't expecting it, but the kids started to introduce themselves mid-sing.

Timothy

Frank

Charles

Yoko

Frank

Nora

Claude

Doris

Grace

Fritz

Lilly

Juanita

Tadashi, aware that it be rude not to, introduced himself back.

Tadashi

Mrs. Jenkins could not help but smile as she continued singing.

It's a new adventure

It's a brand new day

Anything can happen, when we laugh and we play

Welcome to this brand new day.

Tadashi had listened to a few lovely songs in his time at home but this song, in particular, was special.

He had listened to a few lovely songs in his time at home but this song in particular was special. He never so much at home before. Everyone welcoming a non-Earthling into their world. All this books he read with every child and animal ebbing welcomed into another persecutive; Tarzan with the apes, Mowgli with the jungle, Harry Potter with Hogwarts, Dorothy with Oz and Paddington Bear with London. Thinking of all those characters, he knew there was no need to fell shy or timid as they had all been in the same position as he was in right now. He pictured himself wearing the Sorting Hat announcing his house: "HILLTOP SCHOOL!".

Tadashi walked over to a racoon in a dark green T shirt. He looked up at Tadashi.

"Hello," Tadashi greeted.

"People don't wear eighties clothing on the first day," he said, a serious look on his face.

"Really?" said Tdashi shocked at a stingy remark. "I thought you were thirty years judging by your T shirt."

Claude looked at it, giggled and said they were good jokers, thought Tadashi wasn't really that convinced.

Tadashi walked over to the peach-furred fox who was making a necklace of dark green beads almost like peas.

"Hello," Tadashi greeted.

"Oh!" reacted the fox losing her beads from the lace. They fell off the table and rolled here and there, little Charles stepping on one and flying back landing onto of Timothy, to which they both giggled.

"I'm sorry," said Tadashi released that no one was hurt. "Let me pick them up."

After they were all retrieved, narrowly saving one from the Franks mistaking it for a bean, the necklace was resumed into building.

"Who are you?" asked Tadashi.

"My name's Lilly. What's your name? Topasta?"

"Tadashi."

"Sorry about that," Lilly blushed.

"That's okay," Tadashi forgave. She looked cute when blushing.

Lilly picked up her lace when the beads rolled off again, two of them falling off the table and were trodden on by Doris the beaver. She slipped and landed on a cushion, the Franks chuckling.

"It's not funny!" she whipped.

She handed them back to Lilly who was now knotting the lace before putting the beads back on.

"Is she always that forgetful?" Tadashi asked Doris.

"All the time," she replied. "Not her fault though."

"Fair enough," said Tadashi but then he thought of something.

"Say, I could make something to help her remember.

"What?" they both said.

Tadashi remembered what he shouldn't be doing so he quickly improvised.

"I like to make my own charms to bring luck. I could make something for Lilly to help her remember. I'm a bit of an inventor you see."

"Like Fritz?" said Lilly.

"Who's Fritz?" asked Tadashi.

"That skunk over there," replied Doris pointing over to a skunk rummaging through is backpack.

"Hey," said Timothy who came over to the table. "How are doing, Tadashi?"

"Fine thanks, Timothy," said Tadashi. "Are we okay to see Fritz?"

"Sure."

After that both said bye to Lilly and Doris, Timothy took Tadashi over to the skunk who was working on a rocket ship form paper mâché.

"Been working on her for two weeks," said the skunk proudly. "She's so beautiful."

"What's her name?" asked Timothy.

"...Debbie," guessed Fritz.

"What's your name again?" Tadashi asked the skunk.

"Fritz," he introduced. "And you must be Tadashi."

"That's right," Tadashi said. "I like your rocket. I've so many pass by my window."

Timothy and Fritz looked at him and then at each other.

"In my dream last night," Tadashi improvised.

Then the three now friends found themselves found themselves copying Fritz and were building their own rockets. Timothy's was very much like Fritz's using fragments of yellow crayon for flame boosters as well as drawing an alien inside. But they were both surprised at Tadashi's own design.

"What rocket is that?" they asked.

"A rocket," he explained. "A rocket I often outside - my window until I realised it was just a small toy."

And very much like one it was too. The rocket was silver with green linings and there were jet black windows.

"Tadashi? I need to speak with you."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no, dear," assured Mrs. Jenkins. "Just something we need to discuss. I saw you building rockets with Fritz and Timothy."

"They're great friends!" he explained.

"I'm sure they are," she smiled but then she went back to the subject. "Did you tell them anything?"

"I nearly slipped about a rocket passing my window but I made it up that I was dreaming."

"Okay," said Mrs. Jenkins. "Just be more careful next time. We can't have people suspecting and telling their parents. They might lure the government to suspicion and we cannot bare to have you taken from us."

So the day flowed through like chocolate milk drunk from a glass and soon, they on the bus (Lilly stopping everything so she could collect the cardigan she left behind and running back) and the bus was taking off, Mrs. Jenkins waving after them as she and the school shrunk away.

Tadashi was sitting in the back of the bus with Timothy and Fritz, the two friends he felt he couldn't ask for more of. Timothy was a gentle, friendly racoon who was ready help and be friends and Fritz was very intelligent and knew everything to do with outer space and it felt like a relationship despite the fact he was a skunk and Tadashi was an otter.

Tadashi and the two foxes were set around the table, their plates loaded with chicken, garlic bread and mushrooms. Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins were eating sensibly but Tadashi was enjoying it.

"So how was your day?" asked Mr. Jenkins

"Brilliant!" the otter exclaimed as he chugged his milk down.

"They all sang a nice song to me and I made friends with a racoon called Timothy, another racoon called Claude - I don't know if I like him much - and a skunk called Fritz. Me and Fritz have so much in common. He knows everything about space."

"Nice to hear," said Mr. Jenkins as he niched on his garlic bread. "But just keep your wits about you with your secret."

"I already told him of that," said Mrs. Jenkins. "I think we got it under control, haven't we Tadashi."

"Yes, Mrs. Jenkins," smiled Tadashi.