The Boy from the Stars and the Girl from Between the Worlds

"GIR, hurry up!" He shouted at his robot. The alien's eyes glowed red in the pale moon light as he fiddled with his invention. Stepping back, he admired his work. It was large and bulky with a frame that resembled a dream catcher with many computers along the side.

"Yes, Master," GIR's metallic body glinted as he carried a massive piece of machinery and attached it to the base of the invention as Zim, the alien, connected what appeared to be a PDA to the device.

"Computer, run a diagnostic check."

"Levels are normal. Frequency emitted at 5432 E 24 hertz. Everything remains stable," an electronic voice recited somewhere inside the device held in Zim's hand. Several bars and monitors flashed across the screen in an array of colors.

"Excellent, excel—GIR, stop chasing that squirrel!"

"Oooook."

"How many times do I have to tell you? We need to be completely focused! Do you have any idea what we're doing out here?"

"I don't know," GIR's voice fluctuated between several octaves. He stared at Zim, with empty blue eyes that would normally suggest that someone was not completely present inside their own mind. It was days like today that Zim began to wonder if GIR was fully functioning.

"As I said before, the tallest have never been able to seen an armada due to the length of the voyage. With this, we can shorten the amount of time it takes to travel. All we have to do is create a rift that splits space and time between these worlds causing them to overlap. That will allow us to create the primary portal here and a secondary portal next to Irk," Zim shouted at the top of his lungs. He began laughing maniacally. His voice echoed through the open field where they stood and reverberated around the trees. The leaves rustled in the gentle breeze emphasizing his insane laughter. GIR cocked his head to the side indicating he did not understand.

"Do you remember when we tried to send Dib to the room with the moose?" Zim sighed. "It's the same thing."

"I like moose."

"I know you do," he growled as he began flipping switches and turning dials. The machine flickered to life and an electric current began to course through the center of the oversized ring that made the invention.

Turbines began to spin, faster and faster while generating more power. The center glowed, bright blue and then green as a thin, translucent veil formed in the ring, but something went wrong. The veil's faded to purple as it began overheating. Components that were designed to ensure everything went according to plan begin malfunctioning. The portal grew, its gravitational pull dragging everything around it before it imploded and collapsed on itself. Energy was forced out the way air would be forced out of a popped balloon.

It then she had appeared as the velocity gave her the appearance of flight as she was forced out of where Zim had began his experiment along with copious amounts of dirt and debris. She was screaming the entire time, her shrill voice piercing the silent night. The girl collided with the ground forcefully and skidded to a stop as the friction from the grass slowed her. A few moments after she had stopped moving, she pushed herself into a sitting position. Her hand was pressed firmly against her forehead as if trying to resolve her dazed and disoriented state.

Zim stared, with mouth agape. His plan had failed, miserably. He was frozen where he stood, unable to comprehend what had gone wrong. All of his calculations were correct as far as he knew and he, Zim, would surely know better than anyone else. It was true he made a functioning portal, but she was not Irken. In fact, it was not difficult to distinguish her race. He could tell by her blonde hair and pale skin that she was human, and probably no different than the other worm babies. The girl's figure was identical to them.

"Damn it," she muttered under her breath. It was almost intangible. Zim was sure the only reason he could hear it was that his antenna were more developed than human ears.

"Now where am I?" The human child continued as she began massaging her right wrist as she looked around clueless. He could see her blood dripping from a couple of scratches she had acquired on her arm. Her clothes were torn. The Earth people were so feeble and weak. Zim could not understand why they lacked the durability of Irkens.

She turned and Zim could see her emerald eyes with flecks of blue. It was then he came to the realization he was not wearing any form of disguise. The girl blinked a couple times as if her brain was trying to register something it didn't have the capacity to handle. She rubbed her eyes and as she did this, Zim was able to sneak into the shadows with GIR. He ordered his robot to be quiet while they hid. The female looked around confused and Zim wondered how much she had actually seen. It was possible that the shadows that stretched among the darkness would conceal him partially and what she had seen would register as a trick of the light, or lack of light.

"Hey, is anybody out there!" She called helplessly while looking around confused. After several minutes of silence, she bit her lip. "That's so weird I could have sworn…"

He could see her eyeing his invention. It had collapsed on itself, and probably happened when the portal disappeared. She walked up to the scrap metal and kicked it as she grumbled some kind of inquiry about a person being stupid enough to leave it unattended. The girl searched her surroundings, but either she didn't have the ability to understand what had happened, or she didn't care. Either way, she shrugged while limping away. When Zim was positive she was completely gone, he turned to his assistance droid.

"GIR, arrange a transport to hide any evidence of our presence here."

"Yes, Master," the robot's tone deepened and its eyes flashed red.

Amber Collins awoke on a park bench the following morning. She grimaced as she tried to stretch her stiff muscles. They protested with a consistent ache as they wanted to refuse cooperation. Part of her wondered if sleeping on the ground would have been easier on her body. Amber slid off the bench. Her stomach growled acknowledging she hadn't eaten in several hours. She glanced over her shoulder at the empty park. The only other life she had encountered in this world would have been the figure from the previous night. However, it had disappeared so quickly she was now begging to assume she had imagined it.

Amber shrugged. She had seen many bizarre things that normal people wouldn't understand since she began (for lack of a better word) jumping between worlds. She was curious how much time had passed in her home since she had fallen through the rift. Would it have been only a few moments, or several centuries? Every world appeared to have its own time line. Her green eyes searched her surroundings, looking for something that indicated where she currently resided. When no clues became evident, she began wandering around the town.

There were several stores with clothes displayed in the windows. Amber looked at her own attire which had several tears and holes in it. She sighed knowing that a new outfit was needed. Her clothes in their current condition would not be practical for blending into this society. Reluctantly, Amber strolled into a nearby shop. While she was there, she picked up a new shirt (which was long enough to be a short dress), tights, black boots, fingerless gloves, and a short sleeved, hooded jacket before sliding into a back room and changing. Using a knife hidden underneath her right sock, she cut off the tags and sensors before leaving and walking out of the door of the shop. Amber hated stealing, but her old clothes were torn and tattered, most likely from the crash that occurred during her entrance. Besides, without money there was no way to pay for anything, so she would have to make due. It was almost like unknowingly donating to charity. Well, that was a poor comparison, but at least she actually was homeless.

Amber continued walking and glanced at her reflection in another store further down the street. She stopped examine herself in the window hoping that she would pass for normal here. Her new jacket was green with white sleeves and hood. The striped tights were a perfect match, alternating between the two colors. Slytherin, Collins smiled, how fitting. She combed her fingers through her hair, attempting to straighten of the loose tangles. Two strands of hair were becoming particularly annoying as she toyed with them. Both stuck up behind her bangs and swished in a graceful loop ending close to her ears. No matter how hard she would press them against her skull, they refused to lay flat. It was clear that getting her hair to do what she wanted it to do would be difficult here.

"Why does life have to be so unfair," she whined while she explored the unfamiliar streets. Nothing was recognizable and everything was either terribly average or incredibly disgusting. It was dark, even the grass and sky were incredibly drab. She leaned against a chain linked fence, exhausted. "I don't remember seeing any of this. Hey-" Amber exclaimed as was hoisted up into the air by the back of her hood. Her feet dangled freely above the ground, and she tilted her head so she could make eye contact with a very large and dirty man.

"Hey, what? You're supposed to be in school," he grunted. His breath was worse than his body odor.

"School? What school?" Amber raised an eyebrow. This world had a school. That was a start. Most places she had visited did not require her to have a political based education.

"There!" He turned her to face the direction of a nearby building that read "Skool." She raised an eyebrow unsure if he was being serious.

"Your school, spelled school wrong," her tone was flat.

"No, they didn't. You just don't know because you are not in school. That means you're not smart enough to understand."

"Ok, first of all, I don't go there. Second, put me down."

"No, you need to go to school so you can get smarter-er."

"But, that's not even a word!" Amber protested as the man grumbled and dragged her across the pavement. Amber tried to resist, but the man was a lot stronger than she was, not to mention, three times her size. She yelped as his grip tightened in order to prevent her from flailing around like a fish out of water. The struggling accomplished nothing as he forced her into the building and opened what she assumed to be the closest door he could find.

"Ms Bitters, I found one. She was trying to escape, but I found her."

"Found me? I don't even go here you oversized gorilla!" Amber snapped. Her temper was getting the better of her and she could feel the control of her tongue slipping.

"Her? Her who?" The woman behind the front desk questioned with a scratchy voice. She must have been the teacher. Before Amber could blink, the woman was in front of her, dressed in black from head to toe. "She doesn't look like any of my students and I don't believe I lost one recently. What is your name girl?"

"A-Amber Collins ma'am," Amber stuttered as her blood turned as cold as ice. Terrifying would be an understatement to describe this teacher. Demon in human form, that one would be the most accurate.

"Thank you, Mr. Hoffsteader." Ms Bitters smiled as the man dropped Amber on the floor and left. Ms. Bitters turned to the class while grabbing Collins by the shoulder to prevent her from sneaking away. "Class, it appears we have a new student. Please, welcome Amber. I expect you to make her life as miserable as you do mine."

Amber glanced over the class. Her eyes settle on a boy in the front row. More specifically, her eyes settled on the green boy wearing a black wig. He scowled in his seat obviously not interested in learning. Horror spread through Amber and dread made her stomach churn. She screamed as her brain registered where she was. As soon as the sound escaped her lips, she clapped her hands over her mouth realizing the mistake.

"Is there a problem, Amber?"

Amber shook her head instinctively. She was not about to make this teacher angry.

"Then perhaps you will be polite enough to take your seat next to Zim?"

Amber nodded obediently and plopped down at the empty desk feeling as if her mind was no longer inside her body. She was not pleased. This show was creepy enough when she was watching it on the television, and now she had to live in it.
"Great, just great." Amber thought as she turned to the alien boy sitting next to her. His eyes flickered for a moment and she tried to avoid them by focusing on the chalk board at the front of the room. Unfortunately, it was almost as if they were baiting her. She looked, again, out of the corner of her eyes. This time, it was Zim who turned to face the board in order to avoid eye contact.

There was no mistaking it. Amber could see it through the plastic lenses. Her hypothesis was only reinforced by Zim's inability to continue to look at her. It was faint, but still there. He may still be unsure or in denial, but all of it was written on his facial expressions and body language. Most people wouldn't notice it because the actions would be too subtle, but it was the same distinct, glimmer of recognition that Amber had whenever she recognized someone from a new world when she had visited. That was the only reason she knew what his expression meant. The proof was there, the conclusion was evident. Somehow, Zim knew her.

Amber had tried to be a model student. One of the girls next to her had given her an extra notebook and pen. She had wanted to take notes, but after hearing the word "doom" being constantly repeated by the instructor for over an hour, her notes quickly became a sketch depicting Ms Bitters burning in the sun. Zim leaned over his desk, intrigued at what Amber was focused on. It didn't take long for her to notice him; he wasn't exactly inconspicuous. She angled the page so he could see the drawing. It must have amused him because he began laughing uncontrollably after seeing it.

"What is so funny?" Ms Bitters shouted. She glared menacingly at them. Instinctively, Amber tore the page out of the notebook, crushed it into a small wad, dropped it on the floor behind her, and kicked it several rows back.

"N- Nothing," Amber stuttered. "Just your impending 'doom' in the sun," she muttered quietly under her breath. Zim began snickering and Amber assumed he had heard the second statement. Ms. Bitters must not have noticed, because she continued rambling about how the universe was doomed.

"Would you be quiet? You're going to get us caught." Amber's voice was barely audible as she addressed Zim.

"Nonsense foolish human worm baby, the she devil is as oblivious as the pig smellies."

"Really? Good to know. So, if you think you're so much better than anyone else, why are you talking to me?"

"Do not be mistaken by the thought that I, Zim, would think different of you, child. You're mockery of the she-beast merely entertained me, nothing more."

"Amber, my name is Amber. It's not that hard to remember. Call me anything else except that and you will be leaving school with your arms tied in a knot behind your back."

He glared at her and Amber responded by sticking her tongue out. She knew it was probably foolish in insult him, and one of the few things she remembered was that he had a tendency to overreact. Unfortunately, Amber was currently having trouble in terms of considering Zim a threat. He would most likely thwart himself without any help. Still, she knew that tempting fate would not be in her best interest. Was that not how she got forced in her current predicament? A bell rang and Amber stood. Even when she was wearing boots that elevated her height, she was still barely as tall as Zim.

"Look, I'm having a bad day," Amber explained. It wasn't a total lie. "Cut me some slack, ok?"

"What is this slack you are referring to? Tell me."

"You're joking, right?"

The irken didn't say anything. He blankly stared at her. Was slang really that different here? She was still on Earth, a bizarre and disgusting Earth, but that shouldn't have made a difference. Apparently, she was wrong.

"I guess not," Amber sighed rubbing the back of her head. "It means, don't take it personally. I'm taking my frustration out on you, and I shouldn't."

"Why are you apologizing to him?" A boy dressed in a black trench asked. "I doubt he has feelings anyway."

"Why wouldn't he?"

"Did you not notice the green skin when you met him?"

"Oh my word! You have green skin!" Amber exclaimed. Her jaw dropped and she fanned her arms as if she had made an amazing discovery. The mannerisms were slightly exaggerated by her sarcasm, but the expression was believable. Dib slapped his forehead and sulked away grumbling something about Amber being just like everyone else in his school. Amber smirked when Dib was out of earshot.

"That was kinda funny."

"What?" Zim raised an eyebrow suspicious of the girl standing next to him.

"Come on, you don't think I realized you had green skin? That was the first thing I noticed. Then it was your ears- or lack of ears- in this case. How hasn't anyone noticed that by the way?"

"It's a skin condition."

"And people believe you?"

"Yes, the humans aren't the—Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Zim snapped. He jumped onto a nearby desk to make himself look taller. Amber held his gaze not knowing why it was so easy to show her true personality around him. It could have been because she knew both of them were hiding some form of a secret that could destroy them if the wrong people discovered it. Of course, the other logical possibility was that she didn't view him as a threat. It was hard to take someone seriously who appeared to be fueled by immense amounts of caffeine and sugar.

"Sorry, kid, but you're really not that intimidating," or maybe her desire to flirt with danger and tempt fate gave her a death wish. Now that Amber thought about it, the last reason would be the most likely.

"Tell me now, Human!"

She smiled over her shoulder as she turned to exit the classroom, "tell you what?"

"What you were just saying about people believing me."

"Oooooh, I forgot."

Zim twitched. Amber bit her bottom lip to prevent showing other signs of emotion. His expression was priceless, falling somewhere between calm rage and constipation. Oh, yeah, it was definitely influenced by the third one.

She skipped down the hall in the general direction she had seen then other students go. Luckily, Zim was going to the same place, so she was able to follow him. Amber had slowed her pace so he could pass her. He was still annoyed, but that would pass (she hoped).When they had entered the lunch room; they were separated in the large crowd of students. Amber got in line and one of the employees gave her what appeared to be a combination of black tar and gray goo.

When she reached the dining area she searched for a place to sit. Most tables shunned her because of her "new" status. Amber snorted and rolled her eyes. This was a unique experience that reminded her why she disliked this show in her early teens. "Stupid cliques."

"Well, if you're human, why don't you eat any food?" Dib questioned as she passed. Amber stopped. This conversation sounded interesting.

"Nonsense, my human-earth belly is just full from eating so much delicious food," Zim raised his voice while patting his stomach as if he was trying to get everyone in the cafeteria to hear him.

"Face it, Zim, you can't eat it because you're-"

"This stuff is edible?" Amber interrupted. She scooped up the black substance with her spoon. It clung to the edges and slid back onto her tray. "It looks like sludge."

"It's just spinach."

"What kind of spinach looks like this?" Amber asked as she held out another spoonful for Dib to examine. He slapped it away from his face and out of her hand. She pouted upset by the loss of her spoon.

"Why are you defending him? Can't you see he's an alien?"

Collins turned to face Zim. He was sweating and his eyes shifted back and forth nervously. Zim's fingers drummed steadily on the table as he struggled to remain calm. Was he relying on her to confirm or disprove Dib's accusations? She was clearly more intelligent than most people in this world, and Amber wondered if Zim recognized this, too. Somewhere, Amber felt a new sense of sympathy. It wasn't his fault that his leaders hated him, besides who was she to choose who deserved to hold this world's fate. It's not as if the series ever ended, and it had several main characters, not just one like most places she had been. Mentally kicking herself, she realized what she was about to do.

"Nah! He's just a kid with a skin condition. He told me," she said matter-of-factly. Dib was furious, and had no idea what to do. His mouth kept opening and closing several times while trying to fathom how so many people could believe that lie. Amber jumped onto the table Zim was sitting at and set her tray beside her. Changing the subject would be in her best interest, and she wasn't a fool.

"So," Amber began while grabbing an apple off of Dib's tray. She held it up to him and he nodded, acknowledging she could have it. Tossing it between her hands, she continued, "do you guys have a computer lab here?"

"Go out those doors, down the hall to your right. It will be on your left, but Ms Bitters doesn't like it when students sneak around the halls during lunch."

"Don't worry, Dib. I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, but-" Dib hesitated and eyed Amber suspiciously as her comment registered, "I never gave you my name."

"Ahh, you didn't, did you?"

Amber laughed nervously and could feel the blood drain from her cheeks and take away the warmth from her face. She continually grew paler from realizing the mistake that he brought to her attention. Today was not a good day, and she was getting more reckless by the minute. Amber coughed as if she was clearing her throat. Truthfully, she was just trying to buy more time while racking her brain for an excuse. Collins desperately wished she had more knowledge of the characters from this realm. Time was ticking and Amber knew she would have to come up with an explanation soon or have its validity questioned. She scratched the back of her head and then, the idea came.

"Your dad"

"My dad?"
"Yeah, he's a famous scientist, or something, isn't he? I saw a picture of him with you in the news."

"Yep, Professor Membrane, I'm surprised you know about him. You don't strike me as the type that would."

"Believe me, there are a lot of things you wouldn't expect from me," Amber grinned and took a bite of the apple. Dib didn't know how much the truth was behind those words. To an average person who couldn't fully comprehend, it would be assumed that she was referring to him judging people before he knew them. Many wouldn't consider the possibility of communicating with someone who had been between worlds.

Regardless of the extent Dib understood, it did bring up an interesting topic. Before Amber knew it, they were in an in depth conversation about the paranormal. The main focus was on aliens, which Collins admitted that the existence of life on other planets was fathomable for her imagination. In her mind, she noted that it wasn't something she could criticize considering her experience on the subject. They spent the entire lunch period talking about it. At the end, Dib left to meet with his sister and waved as he departed. Amber slid off of the table and flinched when she saw Zim. He was being so quiet she had forgotten he was there. That was ironic; she never considered Zim would be able to keep his mouth shut for an extended amount of time.

"What?" Amber asked. Zim wouldn't stop staring at her. It was as if he was expecting her to grow a second head, and it was starting to freak her out.

"You are a strange, human."

"What do you mean?"

He refused to answer her question. Zim only pushed himself away from the table, turned, and strutted out of the cafeteria. She watched him leave, slightly baffled because of all the people in this world, Amber would have considered herself the only normal one. Now that she thought about it, if she acted different than everyone else, that would make her the strange one here. Amber stretched as she followed the majority of the crowd, but instead of turning in the direction of the classroom, she turned right toward the computer lab.

If she was going to reside here, she would have to make accommodations. Before she was completely separated from the group, Amber instructed one of the girls in her class to inform the teacher that she wasn't feeling well and went to the infirmary. Her classmate agreed to the request without questioning Amber's motives. In some circumstances, Amber was fortunate that many people here were oblivious. She would just have to remember to be more careful around Dib and Zim. They were the ones (if anyone) that would discover her origins, and Amber didn't feel like explaining her situation to either one of them.