It's coronation day, and the maiden's chamber is full of noise and chatter as everyone prepares for the day. Mummy and I slept in our clothes last night and stare around in surprise as the other maids-of-honour help each other get ready. Maria notices us and walks over. "It must be a massive shock."
"It is," Mummy agrees, "in our time, women can dress themselves and don't need help from anyone else."
"Can I make a suggestion?"
"Of course, you can."
"You two might want to change your dresses and kirtles. It is a bit obvious that you slept in them."
"But in front of all these people?" I ask. My back starts hurting again. I could ignore it for most of yesterday, but it's getting worse again. "Ow."
"What's the matter?"
"My back's hurting. I had the same pain yesterday."
"Do you want me to send for the physician?"
"No!" Mummy and I chorus, and the other women turn to look at us when a thought crosses my mind. Some of them will be even younger than me! Oh, what have I gotten us into?
"Emma is a bit different from normal humans," Mummy whispers, and thankfully, the other women look away. "If we call for a physician, whatever happens to Emma will become public. They'll lock her up, and—"
"Okay, I won't send for him. Emma, do you want me to have a look? I don't know much about medicine, but I might be able to ask someone who can help."
"That will be great," I agree, "but is it alright if we wait until the room is empty."
"Of course." Maria returns to her bed and continues dressing. Mummy sighs in relief and turns to me.
"That was a close one."
"Yes, all I can hope for is that the other women won't tell anyone. The court is full of people who will happily tell on others so they can get a higher place and become closer to the royal family."
"So, we must do everything we can to ensure that doesn't happen."
"Obviously. The sooner we get another room, the better."
As the maids-of-honour leave, Maria returns, Mummy helps me remove my clothes, and I lie face-down on the bed. Maria gently lifts my chemise down so she can see my back, and she gasps. "What?" I ask. "What is it?"
"No wonder you were in pain. There are blue things on your back?"
"BLUE THINGS?!" I jump out of bed, but there isn't a mirror I can look in. Mummy starts unpacking some of her clothes.
"I'm afraid all I brought with me was a hand mirror," she says, holding it up so I can see what's on my back. As Maria said, six small blue stumps are on my lower back.
"How did this happen?"
"I don't know," Mummy says, "could it be you are going through Qetesh puberty?"
"Qetesh?" Maria asks.
"I'm half alien," I explain, "which is why I'm different from everyone else at Court."
"What about the police box that was in the chapel?"
"That is a space and time machine." I lift my chemise up and begin picking out some new clothes for the day.
"Maybe you should not serve the Queen today," Maria says.
"But it's the coronation today!"
"I know, but there is always tomorrow. I can help you both settle in and show you what to do."
"That will be perfect, thank you," Mummy says.
Maria shows us around the Queen's quarters when we are both dressed. Tapestries of gold, green, silver, and red hang from the ceiling. The furniture is made of solid wood, and wood panelling decorates the walls. "This is the presence chamber," Maria explains. A throne sits by the furthest wall from us, and there are stools around the room. "We sit in here when we are not expecting visitors. The King and his courtiers will sometimes come in here to surprise us." Maria then leads us through a gallery to a privy chamber. She leads us through all the queen's apartments until we know them by heart. While we wait for the other courtiers to return from the coronation, we sit with some other ladies-in-waiting and maids-of-honour who couldn't go to the coronation. I look through one of my history books to find it blank. "What?" I breathe. I knew it was going to happen, but seeing it happen is strange. I then check my book on Catalina of Aragon to find that only part of it is written about her childhood and marriage to Prince Arthur. As I look, other words fade into existence, and I read about the coronation.
Catalina is facing off against a Slitheen!
I shut my book and run back to the maiden's chamber and pull my computer out. I google 'Catalina of Aragon coronation' Yes, all the websites and YouTube videos I look at talk about the alien. So, I guess lots of people will know about it. But how many will know about Torchwood, or about Mum, or me being an alien hybrid? I guess only time will tell. I shut my computer and put it back in the computer bag. I can't help Catalina here, so the only thing I can do is wait. I find my way back to the privy chamber and sit with Mummy.
"Is everything all right?" Maria asks.
"I just had to do a bit of research," I assure her. "I can't say more with the others around, I'm afraid."
"Can we talk about it later?"
"Of course." Maria turns back to her sewing once we end the conversation. Mummy looks at the book she's reading, and I realise it's one from the future. I have a couple of fiction books with me, which I left here when I ran back to the maiden's chamber, and I open one of them and start reading.
It takes several hours for the Queen to return, and the other ladies look rather pale. One is staggering on her feet and sinks onto one of the stalls. "Your Majesty," Maria says as she hurries over to Catalina. "How was it?"
"Can I talk to you, Mistress Smith and Mistress Smith-White alone?"
"Of course." Mummy and I follow the Queen and Maria into the Queen's bedchamber, where her Chamberers are finishing preparing the room. They curtsey to the Queen and leave.
"What happened?" Mummy asks.
"Something called a Slitheen tried to kill the King!"
"What?" Maria asks.
"A Slitheen," I say, "they're from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorious."
"I am not going to ask how on earth you can pronounce that." Maria laughs. "Well, what do the Slitheen want? Are they a different species?"
"They're a family of gangsters and chancers. They travel to different planets to destroy them and make a profit."
"So they are criminals?" Catalina asks.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Please, call me Catalina. You and Sarah Jane are welcome to use my first name when we are alone."
"Thank you, Catalina. Mummy and I have quite a bit of knowledge about the Slitheen."
"Then it is great that you are sticking around."
We explain to Catalina and Maria about the Slitheen a bit more and tell them about our previous encounters with the family while trying to keep the spoilers about the future as minimal as possible. "So, you are from the year 2010?" Maria asks.
"We are," Mummy confirms. "I was born in 1951; Emma was born in 1993."
"Wow," Catalina breathes. "But how can you live for several hundred years?"
"I am half alien," I say. "Mummy's human, but I made her immortal."
"That explains a lot. So, I guess your father is an alien."
Of course, people will assume that. It's not like anyone will think I can have two mums. "No, I have two mums."
"But that is illegal and against—"
"It's illegal now, but it isn't where we're from."
Maria sits down, and Catalina looks over at her. "I see, but if your mother comes through, you'll want to keep their relationship secret."
"We will do our best," Mummy assures her, "and if anyone finds out, it will only affect the two of us."
Catalina looks back at us. "I see no problem with it. So long as your relationships harm no one else, I see no reason to punish you."
"Thank you," Mummy smiles. "We don't know when Ruby will arrive, but we will do our utmost best to keep our relationship hidden."
"See to it that you do." Catalina holds her hand out to Mummy, and she takes it. "Do you have any children other than Emma?"
"I have a son called Luke. I adopted him."
"What does that mean?"
"I'm not his biological mother, but I am raising him, and I'm a parental figure for him."
"Is he an alien?"
"No, but he was created by aliens," I say, then pause, "will be created by aliens in Summer 2007. He appears human but has the mental capacity of ten thousand people."
"I would like to meet him someday."
"Oh, you certainly will." I better not say much more—I don't want Catalina or Maria growing suspicious of us.