The Aleena Chronicles

by Tinker16

The universe is a big place, and Aleena has been trying to figure out where she fits into it. Since birth, the only thing she knew for certain was that she was different. Now her inner desire for belonging will lead her across worlds until she finds the truth of her origins. (Sequel to the Wanderer in Time Series)

4. Ch 4: Lost Parents

Hiya, readers!

Welcome back to another chapter. I hope it's a good one. ;)

XxXxXxXx

Chapter 4: Lost Parents

Right after that day she discovered her true parents, she ran straight into her room after she and Lia had gotten home. Pulling out her book of history, she flipped through and tried to think of what time period that had been. It had to be back in the 1500s of course. But which year specifically? She just had to get back there. She had to see them again. She just had to. Maybe if she saw them, they could explain why she was so different. Maybe they too were different? Of course, they must be. Why else would she be this way? Children always got traits from their parents passed down by genes. And obviously, they could jump through time like she just did. So that must mean there was so much they could really teach her. Not that Dwight was not a good teacher. But he taught her stuff about the world. She wanted to know more stuff about herself and what made her body tick.

She wondered what her true parents had been doing there. Who had been that other woman with them? Why were they wandering around that specific time period? How did they get there? How did she get there? So many more questions she had. Questions that she knew they would most likely have the answers to. But try as she might, no matter how much she thought over how she managed to get there to that alleyway, she could not think of how she had done it.

This went on like this for a year and a half. She would look through the area where she had gotten that ball and first seen her parents. But nothing happened again in that area. No matter how much she tried to replicate the event that made it happen in the first place. And looking through all her history books never helped. It never helped to just think about it, either. So, it seemed she was still stuck with Dwight and Lia. Not that she really minded. It was just she wanted answers from her real parents. That was all. She began to wonder here and there if maybe they really had abandoned her as Angie had said. But it just did not seem as though it was something they would do. Not that she really knew how her real parents were. It was just . . . a feeling she had.

Now, being six—almost seven—years old, she went about like normal as she could through school and life around her. Nothing much changed in a year. Kids still treated her as though she were a weird creature hanging around in their class. The teachers were still as frustrating to her as she was to them. Dwight still taught her on the weekends, and Lia still kept up that invisible barrier between the two of them. But still, things could be worse, right?

It was not until she had been bored at night that she finally replicated the moment when she had transported back in time.

She had been lying in bed on her stomach, reading through the old American history book of Dwight's. It was a repeated read. Mostly because she was running out of books to go through in the house. Dwight said he could hardly keep up with her thirst for knowledge and that he was going to have to make a run with her to the library in the city. That only excited her. The library was her favourite place to visit. So big and grand with that old smell of knowledge coming from all those books. She hoped maybe this time he might let her read some more fiction besides all the non-fiction for her studies. She would have liked to get the new book that continued from one of her all-time favourite reads A Wrinkle in Time. That book always held a spot in her hearts and she would love to see how else Meg Murry's story developed.

All the while of thinking of this, her mind played through images in mind of what she was reading. Finally, she brought her attention to what she was looking through, seeing she had reached the part of the book when the United States' moment of declaring independence and the men who wrote the Declaration of Independence and such. She gazed at the picture, seeing the image of the men signing the paper that sat on the desk. What had it been like back then? Where they all scared to sign such a document that would change everything they knew? Where they frightened to face against punishment for what they were doing? She could only imagine being there, feeling all their emotions and listening to their words.

Suddenly, as she had her finger on the picture, she felt the warmth go through her and saw the white light surround her body. She stood up quickly in bed from shock, only to find herself standing before a desk with her finger on a paper. Blinking, she stared the paper curiously, feeling the strange texture of it under her finger. A loud bit of gasping came around her. Looking around, she saw many men dressed in old colonial clothing staring right back at her. Quickly she looked over her shoulder, seeing one man with a quill in hand. It appeared he had just been about to sign the paper where her finger was placed. She then smiled at the man, recognizing him from the pictures in her book.

"Sign here, Mister Handcock," she said brightly before concentrating on an image of her room. As quickly as she appeared there, she had vanished and was back standing in her room with a finger on the picture of her book. She could not help but giggle in delight, so happy to have finally done it. She travelled back in time! And now she knew how to do it!

From then on, she began to practice her powers much more. All in secret, of course. Even from Dwight himself. She doubted he would approve of using her abilities as he never seemed to think it was good to do just in case she was to be discovered by others. She understood why he was scared, but as long as she practised in private she was certain that everything would be fine. So, she practised, testing herself in ways she never had before. She used more of her moving objects by focusing on them. A term that came to mind would be telekinesis (or psychokinesis how one might view it) in what this ability of hers was. But she did not feel as though this felt right. She could not tell how, but she just felt that it was not the object itself that she was moving. More of the surrounding atoms in the air that formed around the object. It was weird how she knew what this was, but she began to realize that she could almost see the atoms around the objects when she moved them. Maybe she had control over atoms and matter? No matter how much she read over this, though, she had no answers if this could be possible scientifically. Perhaps it was just something she could do. Maybe her parents could, too.

The one power she focused on the most was trying to travel through time more. This one was the hardest for her. She knew how she could do it. It was simple, just focus on a point of time she wanted to travel to by picturing it in her mind. But getting it to work was the real challenge. Travelling back too far would make her feel too tired if she did it more than twice a day. But going back by just a few minutes she could do about four times. But after that, she would have to get some rest for the headaches and body aches she get were just too much for her. Plus, there were a few times where she could actually be able to watch herself from moments ago and see her past self. When she began to realize she could accidentally run into her past self, something in her mind told her this was bad. Very, very bad. Like an instinct in her telling her to keep away from her past self. Luckily, she could always sense where past versions of herself were, so it was an easy thing to avoid. Not that she really went back all the time that shortly. It was mostly just for practice really.

Currently, she sat bored at a baseball game/cookout. Something Lia and her friends made of some sort of 'mom event' with their kids and husbands. Aleena just felt tired of watching the slow game of boys and their fathers running around. She would have had a lot more fun if they had let her join in the game. But apparently it was for 'boys only' as her mother and the others said. At least Dwight agreed with her. It was not fair for them to leave people out of the game. He sat next to her, talking with his old friend Gus Shepard. No one really paid her much attention. And that was when she got her idea of getting back at the stupid boys for not letting her play came in mind.

She glanced at Dwight, seeing how he was completely distracted by his talking to Shepard. Then she looked quickly around to everyone else in the metal stands around the baseball field. No one paid her any mind at all. Would they even know that it was her that would be doing it? She very much doubted it. Smirking lightly, she sat up straighter and focused on the ball that was being ready to be thrown. The boy threw it, making it fly very fast towards the batter.

"Hey!" yelled the one father who was the umpire of the game. "Watch how you throw that thing!" Aleena giggled as the ball bounced off the batter's helmet and went soaring back through the air towards the other players.

"Sorry!" called back the one boy. Aleena smirked even more. This was the one boy in her class that always picked on her at school. His name was Trenton and he always pushed her around on the playground. He would tease her all the time, calling her a 'freak' and other such names, pull on her hair, try to take away her books that she read, and anything else horrible he could think to do to her. He and the other boys on the field were a bunch that would gang up on her at school. Now it was time for some payback. She glanced at Dwight one more time before looking back out at the field.

Snickering, she made the ball bounce around the field, avoiding all the boys and fathers who tried to catch it. People in the stands began to notice, laughing at the sight of the ball seemingly rolling away any time a player tried to get it. Aleena laughed too, finding it much more fun than some silly game. Perhaps she had gotten a little too distracted in controlling the ball, for when a boy had finally grabbed it, it jerked out of his hand and slammed face first into another player. The boy screamed, clutching his nose as it bled as the ball rolled away. Aleena gasped along with the crowd. Feeling horrible about what she had done, she could only stare at the poor boy as the other players and parents came over to consult him. She did not mean to hurt anyone. Just mess with them is all. Oh, no. Would he be okay?

"What happened?" Dwight asked out loud, looking confused as he had not really been paying attention.

"It was strange. Like the ball had a mind of its own," Shepard told him. "It was bouncing all over the place and hit the poor boy smack dab in the face." Aleena turned to her dad, tugging on his shirt.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean it," she said to him, trying to convey what had happened. It only took Dwight a moment to realize what she meant. He glanced at Shepard quickly, seeing the slow frown that formed on his friend's face.

"Sorry, Gus, but I think it's time me and Aleena get headed home," Dwight spoke up swiftly, standing up with his daughter's hand in his. He then hurriedly proceeded down the metal stands and towards the parking lot.

"Dwight? Where are you going? I promised the girls we help out with cleaning up after the cookout," Lia said as they walked by. She crossed her arms in disproval, not liking how her husband was leaving without asking her first.

"Sorry, Lia, but Aleena isn't feeling good. I think she's had a bit too much sun," Dwight lied. Aleena kept her head down, knowing that most likely she should act like she was indeed not feeling well. The lie worked as Lia sighed and nodded.

"Okay. I'll get a ride home with Helen," she said. She then looked to Aleena in pity. "Get some rest, dear. Take some medicine when you get home. I can't have you getting sick on us, okay?"

"Yes, mom," mumbled Aleena. She followed alongside her father, jumping into Dwight's truck once they were at the vehicle. Dwight was about to get into the truck as well when a cough came from behind him.

"Dwight? Can I have a word?" he heard the voice of Shepard. Sighing, he stepped back out from the truck.

"Wait in here, sweetie. Just have to have a quick word," Dwight said, smiling a bit to reassure his daughter nothing was wrong. He saw how Aleena nodded lightly before he shut the door and turned back around to face his old friend. "What is it, Gus?" He tried keeping his voice light to sound innocent. But there was no fooling Shepard as the man crossed his arms and looked steadily at Dwight.

"She did that, didn't she?" Shepard asked, voice set in a hard stance already.

"What makes you think that?" Dwight responded as casually as possible. Still, there was no tricking Shepard.

"What else has she been able to do? Is making balls bounce around a normal trick of hers?" Shepard asked, glancing at the girl in the truck. The man saw how she stared back. Those brown eyes that always made him feel wary in the way they gazed at him. Like she was staring deeply into him and could read him like a book. It was why he stopped coming over to Dwight's house for a while now. The child just unsettled him so much. Especially when he knew he should have reported her to his higher-ups.

"Look, it was an accident. She didn't mean it," Dwight finally said, giving into Shepard's questioning.

"Oh, an accident, was it?"

Dwight narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Christ, Gus, it was just a bloody nose. It wasn't like she hurt the boy badly. And you heard her, she said she was sorry about it. I'll talk to her and make certain she doesn't use her gifts out of place like that again."

"'Gifts'? Is that what you call it?" Shepard shook his head at Dwight, staring at the man in disbelief.

"Okay, abilities, then. Is that better? Look I don't have time for you to question how I raise my daughter. I need to get her home."

Shepard could only stare at his old friend in disbelief. "'Your daughter'? Damn it, Dwight, she's not your kid. She's not even human."

"We don't know that."

"Oh, yes, we do. Last time you had me give her a checkup, there was nothing human about her. Her two hearts beat at a rate of a hundred seventy, her temperature is well below what any normal persons should be, she had multiple breathing lungs in her from what I can tell. And now, she's making balls hit little kids in the face. Who knows what she'll do next. That's why Colonel Jefferson always says to report stuff like this in case they're a threat to us. She may even kill someone if you don't—."

Getting angry now, Dwight stormed over to Shepard. "Now, you listen here. She is and always will be my daughter. Doesn't matter what you or anyone else says. And just because she's different does not make her some kind of freak or monster. She's just a child learning how the world works and where she fits into it all. Any kid with gifts like hers would act up just the same and have trouble controlling themselves. So don't act like she's something to lock up just because she's more gifted than normal kids." He turned back to his truck but not before looking at Shepard one last time. "Threaten to give my kid up to the Colonel again and I'll give you something to really report to our boss. You got that?"

He did not give time for Shepard to respond as he jumped into his truck and started it up. The engine revved loudly as he pulled quickly out of the parking lot and down the street. It was not until they were far away from the baseball field did Dwight finally relax his tight grip on the steering wheel. He looked at Aleena, seeing how she stared at her hands in her lap. Her expression was sad and dejected. A heavy sigh left him as he knew she heard all of that. Her hearing and other senses were always so much better than any normal person's.

"I didn't mean to hurt him," Aleena finally mumbled quietly. "I just . . . I got bored and wanted to pull a prank on them."

"I know, sweetheart," Dwight said softly, knowing what she had been thinking. Though she did not know it, he knew she had been practicing her powers off and on at home. It was not the first time she had pulled pranks with her gifts. There had been quite a few incidents at school with the teachers and other children. Nothing harmful. Just things like pulling chairs out from under people or making objects fall off desks or chalk flying off the boards or paper aeroplanes glide a little too smoothly around the classrooms. Things that no one could quite explain so they never directly pointed fingers at Aleena. But he knew just by the strange occurrences of what she had done.

"I won't use my powers ever again. I promise," Aleena said hurriedly, looking at Dwight with wide eyes of fear. "I promise I'll be normal like everyone else from now on. You don't have to get rid of me. Honest!"

Dwight could not help but laugh. "Now, why would I ever want you to try to be like everyone else?" He gave her a kind smile when seeing her bewilderment. "Aleena, your powers make you unique. Something no one else in this world has. Just as there's something unique about everyone in one way or another. We're all special, different from each other. Your gifts are what make you, you, and you should never feel ashamed of that." He could tell his words made Aleena feel a little better. She even smiled a bit. Though he could tell she was still worried. What Shepard said must have frightened her.

"But your friend knows about me? You always said that if anyone found out they would take me away."

"Yes. They would. That's why we have to be careful." Dwight let out a long sigh. "Aleena, you have to be careful from now on. You can still use your powers around me all you like while we're at home. Nowhere else though. It's too risky. Especially don't use it on people. We don't know how far your gifts go, so you might accidentally hurt them. Remember, you're a lot stronger than most kids your age and heal a lot quicker. So you have to keep that in mind."

"Okay, dad. I promise to be careful. I don't want to hurt anyone."

"I know you don't." He looked over, seeing the worry in her brown eyes. "But don't worry about that now. I know Gus, and he won't do anything to hurt you. And as long as you just don't use your gifts in public anymore, everything will be fine. I promise." He gave her an affectionate rub on her head, messing up her hair even more than it already was.

Aleena giggled, smiling even brighter now as she bounced lightly on the seat. "Could we go to that park I like? Please, please?"

"Sure! We haven't been there forever." A soft smile grew on his face as he watched Aleena cheer and bounced with excitement. It was nice seeing her be at ease as nothing more than a child. Sometimes it seemed she forgot to just let herself be a kid at times.

When they pulled up into the small parking lot to the park with swings, large slide, and merry-go-round, Aleena jumped out of the truck as soon as they were parked. Dwight smiled as he watched her giggle loudly in delight and run to go to the slide first. She always loved climbing that thing and pretend she was going up a mountain. He went over to a bench himself, sitting down to observe her play. There were even a few other kids with their families there. But as always, she stayed away from the other children her age. And, as always, he began to worry about her. She should feel like all the other children. Able to make friends and enjoy life like everyone else. How could he help her with that? Could he ever help her feel not so isolated from all the others? How can he give her the best life?

The bench creaked as someone joined him. He glanced over, seeing a rather strange man sitting beside him. The man was older than he in appearance judging by the lines in his face and silvery-grey hair. The eyebrows were rather noticeable, too. But that was another common thing with age. It was mostly the strange suit the man wore that made Dwight stare at him. The older man wore a three-buttoned navy jacket with red lining, though the jacket was only buttoned with one of the three buttons at the top. A white buttoned-up dress shirt, navy waistcoat that matched the jacket, black suit pants, and black, shiny boots. Dwight looked away when he realized he was staring for too long. But he could not help himself in letting a few glances go towards the man every few seconds, watching the way the man stare towards Aleena with such a sad expression.

"Is she happy?" the man suddenly asked. Dwight blinked, not certain why the man was suddenly asking about his daughter. Who was this man? Had Shepard already told the Colonel and now they were being followed? Should he hurry up and get Aleena out of here? Where could they go if they were being chased by the Colonel and his men?

"Ah . . . I like to think so," Dwight finally answered, feeling wary of the man. He did not look like Colonel Jefferson's usual. Mostly because the man had a noticeable Scottish accent. "Though . . . I worry about her from time to time."

"How so?" the man asked, sounding very curious, though still watched Aleena play with distant eyes.

"She doesn't wish to make friends with the other kids like I hope she would. I'm afraid she's going to grow up alone if she doesn't try to make a friend or two."

"Ah, well, friends come on their own time. The good ones, at least. But it's never about whether or not she grows up alone. We all grow up alone in some ways or another. It's whether or not the memories she has is happy enough to keep her from turning into a cold adult like me." The man grew quiet, watching Aleena climb up the slide again for the third time, laughing as she pretended to place an invisible flag on top and declaring it hers. "You gave her a home when you didn't have to. You gave her that bit of normal life, of a childhood all children need. You could have just sent her away. But you didn't. You chose to give her a chance like you were given when you were alone as a child. You chose to give her kindness, happiness." The man finally turned his blue eyes to Dwight. Eyes that stared at Dwight in a very similar way that Aleena always did. "Thank you for that."

Dwight stared back at the man quietly, feeling strange yet calm by everything the man was saying. And he knew from the man's words of who he was. Dwight looked back at Aleena sadly. "Are . . . Are you going to take her now?"

"No." The man looked away, back at Aleena with such a sad expression. "She'll come to me one day when the time's right. In fact, I really shouldn't be here. But we had an argument and I was just trying to think in how I can be a better father to her. I want to be a good man for her. Her mother would want that." The man sat there for a moment longer before getting up from the bench. He went to leave but turned once more back to Dwight. "Again, thank you. If there was anyone I would have wanted to take care of her, it was someone like you."

Dwight watched the man walk away from the park, going across the street to a strange blue box. The man stepped inside the box as though it were completely normal. A large truck drove by, blocking Dwight's view of the box. When the truck moved, the box was gone. As though it had never been there to begin with. He turned back around, facing the park and watching his daughter play. All the while thinking of the time Aleena would finally meet her real father.

XxXxXxXx

"All right, children, line up!" called the teacher, making all the third graders line up at the door. "I want an orderly fashion to the playground. No, funny business. And that means you, Aleena." The teacher shot the brunette girl a look, making Aleena frown.

"Yeah, no funny business, freak," came the hiss from Trenton next to her. She glanced over to the boys' line from where she stood with the girls, shooting him a glare. But she said nothing in return, only marched out with all the rest. Why did the teachers always think she was going to cause trouble? It was not as if she had corrected them rudely in a while or pulled any pranks. It had been months since she even spoke out of term. But no, apparently once one had done something wrong, then they would always be seen as troublesome.

Aleena left the line as soon as the children scattered and went their separate ways on the playground. She went over to a shady spot by a large tree in the corner of the area, sitting down and holding the book in hand that she had brought out with her. It was A Wrinkle in Time. She wanted to give it another read as it had been a while since she went over the story with Meg Murry. It was just getting to Aleena's favourite part, too. When the Meg, her brother Charles, and friend Calvin had arrived at the planet Camazotz, discovering what evils the Black Thing had done to the people in that world. She wondered if there was anything out there in real life like the Black Thing. She would love to fight it and win the battle for good like Meg did.

"Yo, freak!"

She glanced up from her book, looking to see Trenton and his three friends coming over to her. Great. Here they go again. Bothering her when she was just trying to mind her own business. Could not they just leave her alone? It was not like as though she went out of her way to bother them.

"What do you want, Trenton?" she sighed in exasperation. She refused to let them have the satisfaction in her giving them attention. The books on psychology always said not to show a reaction from a situation like this for it would only reinforce the bad behaviour. Something she remembered from the section she read on Skinner—"Hey!" She jerked forward as Trenton snatched the book out of her hands.

"What dumb book are you reading now?" he scoffed, looking at the book and holding it badly. If he dropped the book it would most definitely get dirty and crumbled.

"What does it matter what I read? Just mind your own business!" Aleena yelled, trying to get the book back. But she was pushed back another boy as they all laughed at her. Soon, the book was being tossed about by the boys while Aleena tried getting it back. It was like a game of monkey in the middle. Though the only laughter came from the bullies and the other children who began to gather around to point and jeer at her. The teachers were nowhere to be seen. Merely ignoring the growing crowd of kids in the corner of the playground. The feeling of helplessness and being pushed around only built up Aleena's anger, boiling up to the surface.

"You're always reading those books so you can show off to the teachers," said one boy nastily.

"Think you're so much better than us," said another.

"My dad says that's why you're an orphan. 'Cause your parents knew you were trash when you were born," laughed the last boy. Aleena rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yeah. That's the reason I'm an orphan. Reading books. And, you know, not because I lay around on my couch all day, drinking booze and yelling at a tv set instead of giving attention to any of my kids and wife like your dad does, Jason," Aleena retorted crossly at the one boy.

"What the hell do you know?!" yelled Jason as his face grew red.

"More than your dad does. So, don't use what he says to insult me because your dad can't even understand his own son," Aleena barked, narrowing her eyes at the blonde boy as she saw what had happened recently in his string's story. "Now just give me my book back. It's not like you can read it anyway." Trenton just had a smooth smirk on his face, glancing back at his friends.

"Should I give her book back?" he asked his friends. They all smiled and nodded. Suddenly, Aleena's hearts stopped when he began to rip the book apart page by page and toss the pages at her. Before long, the whole book was torn apart and left scattered at her feet. Aleena could only stare at it in pure disbelief and horror while the boys and everyone else laughed at her. "There. You got your book back. Have a fun read, freak."

Next thing anyone knew, Aleena let out an enraged yell and launched herself at the boy. She did not think of the consequences of attacking the boy for he was rather popular at school and his father was a 'well established' man with the school. So of course, she would be in big trouble if she did anything to Trenton. But she did not care. All she cared about was that her most precious book had been destroyed, and all she could see was red as she jumped the boy. She was just so angry. Angrier than she had ever felt in her entire life. She hit him wherever she could reach. At one point she ended up on top of him as he fell to the ground. It was only after her anger began to ebb away that she heard his screams on pain and fright. The white light around her body edged away as well.

"Get off of him this instant!"

Aleena felt herself be pushed away by a teacher as another crouched by Trenton to check him over. She stared at the sight of the boy while the teachers gasped in shock. Trenton had a bruised up body, broken arm, broken nose, and bloody lip. But that was not what made the teachers gasp. No, it was from the vicious red, burn-like, marks all across his face. As though someone had thrown scalding liquid all over him.

"What have you done, you horrible child?!" one of the teachers exclaimed in outrage. Aleena looked at the teachers and at all the other children. All stared at Aleena in horror. As though she were some kind of wild animal. She felt her hearts racing, breathing increasing, and cold chill go through her. She did not mean to hurt him. She never wanted to hurt anyone. But he had just made her so angry . . . Oh, no. What had she done? Was she a monster?

Panic went through her as she turned and ran away from the scene. The only thought going through her mind was to run away and get back home. The warmth and white light went through her quickly and, the next thing she knew, she was running up to the front door of her home. It was later in the day, though. Almost sunset. Much later than when she had been at school. But she did not care about that. She just wanted to be with her parents and seek comfort with them.

"Dad! Mom!" she shouted as she ran into the home. She saw Dwight and Lia sitting right there in the living room. Dwight had the phone in hand with the cable almost wrapped around him as he paced back and forth. Lia sat there nervously on the couch, twiddling her thumbs together. They both froze in shock when seeing Aleena standing there in the doorway with tears streaming down her face.

"Aleena?!" Lia gasped.

"Aleena, where have you been?" Dwight asked quickly, untangling himself from the phone cord and hanging it up. He then went over to his daughter, leaning down to give her a hard hug. "We were so worried."

"The school called and said you had gotten into a fight! You injured that boy horribly and then you ran off right after? How could you do such a thing?! What were you thinking?!" Lia yelled, going over to stand in front of Aleena and cross her arms tightly together. "Where did you even go? How did you get back here? Did you go hitchhiking?"

"No, mom," Aleena replied, sniffling as she tried calming herself down. She had to remember that, even though it had only happened seconds ago for her, what she had done to Trenton had probably been hours ago for them.

"Explain yourself, young lady!" Lia ordered, shaking on the spot as she pointed a finger at the child.

"Lia, calm down," Dwight spoke evenly, glancing back at his wife. He waited until Lia looked calmer before turning back to Aleena. "Okay, now tell us what happened, sweetie." Aleena shifted on the spot, afraid to tell them what happened. Afraid of what they would think of her. But she could not bring herself to lie to them. She never could.

"Trenton and his friends were making fun of me. He ripped up my book . . . and I got mad," Aleena mumbled, feeling her face go red from the shame she felt. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

"You got mad? Aleena, you burned that child's face. He's going to be scarred for life," Lia said, completely in disbelief. "How did you even do that?"

"I don't know," Aleena responded truthfully, feeling at a loss of how she had done such a thing. She remembered the white light . . . Did that have something to do with that?

"And how did you even get home? What—," Lia went to continue on, but was stopped by Dwight.

"Lia, that's enough," he said evenly. He looked to his wife, then back at Aleena. Letting out a long sigh, he rubbed at the back his head, trying to think of what to do next. The call he received only moments ago, a call from Shepard telling him of what the man saw while he had been in town near the school . . . and what Shepard decided to do next . . . Perhaps they had no choice now. Or, rather he had no choice. He would have to finally tell his wife the truth.

"Aleena, why don't you sit on the couch. I think it's time we've had a talk," Dwight spoke calmly. He waited until the child went over to the couch and sat on it, shifting in a nervous way. He then looked to Lia, seeing how she still stood there with her arms crossed, waiting for an explanation. He walked away to go to his study, only to come back with a stethoscope in hand. "Lia . . . there's something I've been keeping from you. I only did it because I was afraid you wouldn't treat Aleena . . . like any other child."

"What are you talking about?" Lia asked, looking more and more confused by the second. When Dwight handed her the stethoscope, he nodded for her to take a listen to Aleena's heart. Frowning, Lia placed the earpieces in her ears and crouched down in front of Aleena. She then proceeded to listen to the child's chest. The girl sat there as still as possible, with her hearts pounding away in her chest while her mother listened. She was so afraid for Lia finding out the truth about her, but if her father thought it would be fine then she was sure that her mother would be okay with it.

"Okay . . ." Lia said slowly as she gradually got back up to her feet, still frowning as she removed the stethoscope and gave it back to Dwight. "So, she has two hearts. What does that show me? It's just a birth defect. We could always get the second heart removed."

"That's not . . . That's not the only thing," Dwight replied, sighing as he felt frustrated Lia would immediately wish to remove a seeming defect from their child. He looked to Aleena, feeling uncertain, yet hopeful that Lia would come to understand. Once she understood what Aleena was, she would help him protect their child from whatever harm the world wished to throw at her.

Aleena too was thinking something similar. She was terrified to finally reveal herself to someone other than her father. But, even though Lia always placed up a barrier between them, Aleena felt it in her hearts that her mother would always love her. She looked at Lia with her large eyes, before letting out a breath and looking around objects in the surrounding room. Objects suddenly shifted before slowly floating up. There were a few books from the coffee table, a lamp in the corner of the room, the television, and even Dwight's comfy chair. Soon, she let go, allowing the objects to fall back into place with various thuds. She then smiled at Lia, waiting for the woman's response. Slowly, her smile faded as she saw the look of horror cross her mother's face.

"W-what . . . What is this?" Lia asked weakly, looking at Dwight for answers. "How did she . . . Did she just . . ."

"Lia, just listen," Dwight spoke up carefully, holding up his hands to keep his wife calm. "Aleena . . . she's more special than you could ever realize. That's why I refused to ever take her to any other doctor besides Gus. Because if they ever found out just how unique she was—."

"This—This isn't 'unique,'" Lia breathed, taking a step back from them both. "This . . . This isn't human."

"Lia," Dwight sighed, shaking his head, "it doesn't matter if she's not human. She still our daughter. And as our daughter, we have to protect her. Gus has already called in Colonel Jefferson and the others. They'll be here in a matter of minutes. We need to—."

"No, you need to do . . . whatever it is you want to do," Lia countered, shaking her head as she refused to even look at Aleena now. "I'm sorry, Dwight. But . . . I'm not going to be a part of this. This isn't right." The woman was shaking from head to toe as she turned quickly and walked out of the house. They heard her car start up before gravel sped from under the tires as she was clearly running away from them. Dwight could only stand there . . . stunned. After all these years of being together with the love of his life, she would abandon him just like that? And their daughter as well? He knew how much she wanted to stay in her world of normal and how much she denied anything unusual. But running away like that? He looked over to Aleena and felt his heart break upon the sight of his daughter silently crying on the couch.

Aleena felt her hearts twisting in pain. She felt such devastation, rejection, and at a loss. She always knew Lia never really felt attached to her. But . . . she knew thought that Lia would hate her that much to leave her behind. In fact, Aleena did not care much about Lia leaving her. Yes, it hurt so badly. But it was more that her mother left her father behind. She could feel his pain from Lia leaving, and it hurt even more than her own grief in losing the love from her mother. She looked up from her lap, staring at Dwight as he held a firm hand on her shoulder and crouched down in front of her. Her lip trembled as more tears fell down her face.

"I'm so sorry, daddy. I'm so, so sorry," she whimpered. She let out a soft sob, closing her eyes tightly to try and hold in her tears. She felt the strong arms wrap around her in a comforting hug.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Dwight told her calmly. He pulled back from their hug, giving her a reassuring smile. "Lia just got scared. Once she calms down she'll come back. I promise." He glanced out the window, wondering just how much time they had. "Aleena . . . there are some bad people heading for us now. So, I want you to go pack a few things into a backpack and get ready to leave. If things get too dangerous, then I want you to do what it is when you transport away from places."

"You know about that?" whispered Aleena.

Dwight gave her a smile. "I've known about it for a while, sweetheart. I was just going to let you tell me when you were ready. Now, if I tell you to run away, will you do that for me?"

Aleena began tugging on her earlobe, feeling her hearts sped up from her anxiety at the thought of strangers coming after her. All the years of Dwight warning her about people coming to get her if they ever found out about her she had never thought it would actually come true. She thought that Dwight would always be able to protect her. But now, in knowing because of her messing up, she would be ruining his life. She already ruined his and Lia's relationship. What more was she doing to her father? She gave him a nod, not letting him see her inner turmoil, before quickly going into her room. Grabbing the nearest spare backpack, she stuffed it full of clothes that she knew she might need. She even grabbed her light-blue jacket just in case she might go somewhere chilly. She paused by the small bookshelf in her room, wondering if she should bring any books with her. But the only book that would have felt worth keeping had already been destroyed. So, she tightened the backpack on her shoulders and went back into the living room.

Already, she knew something was wrong. She heard many cars coming up to their home, screeching across the dirt in their lawn. Dwight looked pale when she glanced at him. She was frozen to the spot, terrified by the look of fear on her father's face. He turned to her quickly in urgency.

"Aleena, run," he ordered her hurriedly. "Run out the back door and leave this place. Don't stop running."

"But what about you?" she whimpered.

"Just run," he responded fast when they heard the loud shouting of men outside their home.

"But daddy—."

"Run!"

Aleena turned tail and bolted into the kitchen and out the door in the back of their house. Dust flew behind her with how fast she ran across the dusty backyard of theirs. The ground of the desert shifting under her feet with every hard step. Before she had a chance to think of where she could jump to, the thundering sound of gunfire made her hearts freeze and halt in place. She skidded to a stop, turning around with a wide-eyed expression. With breath catching in her throat, she ran back to the house. She did not even bother fearing of those who might be inside waiting for her. All she cared about was getting back to her father. A grunt came from two men as she flung open the door in the back of the home, hitting the two in the face. She scurried around the rest before they even registered she was there, heading to the living room.

A cold chill washed over her, making her halt in place in the archway of the kitchen to the living room. Slowly, her hearts sped up in place as her eyes widened even more. All colour drained from her face as she stared at the sight before her. It looked as though there had been a struggle. As though Dwight had tried to keep the men out of the home. But they had forced their way in, and then . . .

All she could do was stare at the body of her father on the ground. His life long gone as she stared into his cloudy eyes. The glasses he always wore were broken at her feet, where they had fallen when punched off his face. Her whole body shook as she fell to her knees. Tears poured down her face with her eyes refusing to leave the sight of Dwight's body lying across the floor on his back. A wound was on his chest, showing her where he had been shot.

"There's our target," came the voice from a gruff sounding man. "Go ahead and pack her up. Let's take her back to headquarters." More voices came, but she did not pay attention. All she felt was her hearts pounding away, her shaking body, the way everything felt like she was dying. Her shaking hand grabbed Dwight's broken glasses as she let out a sob. The rough hand that grabbed her from behind woken her from her daze. She let out a scream from her terror, as well from her anger of what had happened. The white light lashed out from her body, throwing all the men backwards from the sudden violent release of energy. A few let out yells as they were burned across their faces, windows shattered, furniture flew back, and walls cracked.

Then, as Aleena kept screaming in her tears and terror, she vanished from the spot.

XxXxXxXx

Oh no. That poor child. :( Why can't anything ever just be nice for our Time Lord/Wanderer family? Agh! Well, any thoughts of what will happen next? I'd very much like to hear your thoughts. :) Please let me know in a review! Always helps to keep my writing in track so it stays good for everyone.

Reviewers:

Momochan77: So glad you're liking Aleena so far. :) Dwight is a good dad for her I think. Lia is not so bad, really. Just a person stuck in a normal, slow life. Something I know the Doctor runs into quite often on his travels. Angie though . . . yeah, she is a bit of work. Though old sadness like that can turn a person bitter. Aleena really does deserve a hug. That poor baby. :( Hope you liked the new chapter! Can't wait to see what you think. :)

bored411: I know I can't wait until Aleena and the Doctor finally meet. :) Let's hope she arrives in a good moment. And, yes, Aleena is very cute haha.

mjahappy: Well . . . some people were not happy, yes. But that's okay! I'm just glad that they gave my story a read in the end. Even if they didn't like the ending all that much. I'm so glad that you did though! :) I didn't always plan on it ending the way it did, but I think it was always meant to be. And now, it's Aleena's turn at a story. ;)

All The Stories Are True 24601: I'm just so, so happy that you're liking it! Aleena is rather cute haha.

Delightfully Tacky: Hello! She is rather adorable, yes. :) I believe if Alpha had grown up in a normal life (for a Time Lord anyway) then yes things could have been different. Then again, we wouldn't have Wanda around and I don't believe Alpha would have been travelling with the Doctor at all. Some things are just meant to happen. I believe she might just follow the threads of her parents' lives, coming across the companions as she goes. But we'll have to wait and see for sure. ;) Until next time!

NightHunterDeath: You're welcome! We writers must always help each other grow in our writing. :) There are time skips happening already. As we saw in this chapter, there's going to be a major change coming to Aleena's life now. For better . . . or worse. Hopefully Aleena continues to be a likeable character for you and ends all that dread. There's going to be a bit of healing for everyone (insides the story and out). Not really her first jump. You'll see more of what all those hints meant in the future to come. ;) Yay for liking it more! Don't be sad, the stars are a good thing. Something we'll have to wait and discover more about when it comes to Aleena's own stars that guide her. Sorry about the open wound. :( Hopefully a bit more of this can help us all move on and love the new story to come.

MaidenTouchOfMadness: I'm so glad you're liking it!

swimmjacket: I know I'm happy when I get to see you after the updates. :) I know, I'm still saddened by her loss as well. But we will grieve and learn to move forward, just I think others will in this story as well. But that's spoilers for now. Yay! I'm so happy that you're enjoying Aleena so far. :) Really hope she will continue to be an enjoyable character. Oh, I'm always worried haha. Dwight is a very good dad for her. Angie is just a woman who let her grief and anger corrupt her over time. But yes, she is terrible. Oh, I know. So close she gets sometimes. Ugh! Don't worry, Aleena doesn't really plan on leaving her adoptive parents . . . by choice. She is very much her parent's daughter. ;) And, oh, it will be a surprise all right. ;) Until next time!

LegendsOfTime: Yay! So glad you're liking it. Oh, it will soon enough. ;)

normandy1701: She really is haha. I think Aleena is going to get nice looks through all of her parent's lives. Or at least we can hope she can. Sorry for the sore heart. I feel you there, trust me. :( No worries on commenting! I'm just happy hearing from you whenever you get the chance. I'm very quick at updating sometimes haha. And you're quite right. We will be getting all our answers in time. ;) Hope to see you again and that you enjoyed the new chapter!

All The Stories Are True 24601: Glad you like! :)

wonderbitch26: It is very nice seeing Aleena have abilities like what her mother would have had if not for the split between her and Alpha. Aleena is also something very new to the universe. ;) I worried about that. Glad to see that Aleena is developing into a nice character to read! Aleena is definitely her mother and father's daughter haha Hope to see you again in the future!

CJ/OddBall: hahaha Sorry to say but there's going to be a lot of close calls through this story. Hope that's okay. ;)

Guest(a): Yay! I'm just so happy that you're enjoying it so far. I just really hope that I can continue bringing good chapters to the story. Oh yes, haha, most certainly her father's daughter.

ChickenPotPie: lol Happy that you're liking Aleena. She is rather cute isn't she? haha Angie is just a person who let her anger make her bitter over time. Such a sad fate, really. That's why I really wanted to do this story. Because I want to know what Time Children are like lol. Really hope that you'll like the rest to come. :)

BeCent: I'm excited that you're excited! :D So glad that you're liking it all so far. Can't wait for you to read the rest to come. :)

N7SpaceHamster: I cannot wait to see what you think of what's to come. I really, really have my hopes up that you will enjoy it. :) Love the similarities do you? ;) There's going to be a lot of moments like that. So close, yet so far. Just as frustrating for everyone. Lol, you're the very first to notice that! Yep, totally meant to do that haha ;) Quite a bit of similarity between River and Aleena I think. I've always wanted to see how Time Lords grow up. I know others have, too. So I thought it would be a nice moment for us to get to see that with Aleena. You called it. Most certainly an issue later. Unfortunately, I think this would have been the same reaction from Lia no matter what time it occurred. Angie just really let her bitterness overrun her life. So sad, yet yes I don't like her, either. Never make characters simply one way. Always make them a mix is my main goal in writing. Not so much telekinesis, it's something that will be explained a bit better later. But yes, most certainly super smart this child. ;) Gets it from her dad. Powers really come from being what new species she is. Think of it what Wanda would have been able to do if she was not so unstable. Though you could call it a bit of Alpha, too. haha Ah, to be young again. It's always nice seeing the world through a child's eyes. :) Being a Time Lord, there's that thirst of knowledge and to develop quickly almost right away. Plus, she gets it from her dad, too. ;) There will be more explanation as time goes on Aleena's insight, but yes, it's not like Wanda's sight. Aleena really has to look into the timelines (the strings) attached to each person to get a good picture of what's to come or has been and such. A Time Child always knows who their parents are. It's just instinct. Plus she's pretty smart, so she put two and two together lol ;) So glad you're enjoying it so far! Cannot wait to hear from you again and see how you're liking the rest of it. Until next time!

Hugs all around! Also, if you're currently going through winter, I hope you're all wishing for spring as hard as I am. lol ;)

~Tinker~