Aaron awakened to find himself snuggled close to Christopher's side. His warmth provided him a great source of comfort. One of which he wished that David could provide. This seemed to be the only thing that he lacked in his life, other than feeling lonely and afraid all the time. Christopher is his only father figure, the only one to show him compassion and kindness. Unlike David, Christopher was patient with him. When Aaron would do something he wasn't supposed to do, Christopher would always give him a warning. As for David, he would always do something that he would later regret, giving him a warning afterward. The problem seemed that David has no patience and always takes action before thinking about the consequences later. The total opposite of Christopher.

Aaron laid there by Christopher's side, wishing that the warmth could never leave him and wishing Christopher was his father. Oliver, snuggled on the other side, had awakened, waking up his father as well. Aaron let out a disgruntled chirp as Christopher rose from his slumber, taking away Aaron's state of bliss. He knew that once Christopher got up, it was time for them to get up and start their usual routine.

The first thing they do is fetch the water from the well to wash up and get ready. Then they eat breakfast which is usually canned food stored down in their secret place, or sometimes they eat cooked meat. And then Christopher goes to work while Oliver and Aaron go to their unofficial school where the Poleepkwan elders teach the younglings and sometimes tell stories about their homeworld. Aaron loved hearing their stories. He had dreamed of one day visiting their home planet.

Aaron and Oliver each carried a large, empty bucket, and then they followed Christopher to the well. The well wasn't very far from where they lived, and not very many Poleepkwa use it because of the new water supply the Nigerians offered them. However, a fee was charged in order to use their water. The fee wasn't expensive, which drew in many Poleepkwa. The Nigerians used this to their advantage to further exploit them, sometimes even bribing them with cat food to come to use their running water. Christopher never trusted them. He heard of some Poleepkwans going missing and are never heard from again. He would often warn Aaron and Oliver never to venture too close to the Nigerian compound. The Nigerians were also known to capture the younglings to recruit them into their gang.

They reached the well and filled the buckets with cold freshwater. Christopher carried the two heavy buckets while Aaron and Oliver followed. Oliver hopped happily while Aaron trailed behind, taking a glimpse toward the fence every so often. He wondered if he should tell Christopher and Oliver about his encounter with the friendly human. They were prone to understand that not all humans are as bad as some Poleepkwa say. He then wondered if Sequoya had kept her promise to meet him again.

When he first saw her standing by the fence on the other side, he thought that maybe she was lost. Often times he was always wandering off into his own world and playing by himself. That's when he spotted Sequoya walking up to the fence, and he hid within the junk piles, blending in perfectly with the gravel. He thought that maybe she was one of the MNU workers sent to check on the Poleepkwa activity, but then why send an MNU worker alone to District 9, let alone a female human. She did not appear to be affiliated with the MNU and was not a prostitute working for the Nigerians. Otherwise, she would be on their side of the fence soliciting the older Poleepkwa. She didn't seem to be doing any harm by just standing by the barbed wire fence and watching. That's when Aaron's curiosity took over, and he decided to approach her.

"Aaron!" Oliver's voice startled Aaron out of his thoughts, "What are you looking at?"

Aaron shook his head, "Nothing. Just thinking."

"Father said to keep up," Oliver said in his cheery tone. He turned and ran to his father, who stood and waited for them. Aaron trailed behind Oliver, matching his pace with his. Aaron enjoyed being in Oliver's company since they're so close in age.

Christopher waited for the younglings to catch up and then continued to his shack. Once they got there, Christopher took the two buckets full of water down to the secret place while the younglings followed close behind. Aaron knew that he and Oliver were not allowed to play down there, but they were allowed to help Christopher in whatever he needed to be done. Aaron liked to call it their secret place since Christopher keeps the ship well hidden from the MNU, and they don't seem to suspect anything.

Christopher had some storage device for their canned food that mainly consisted of fruits and vegetables. It was a narrow, metallic, cylinder-shaped container from the mother ship. He used it to freeze or heat their food and water instantly.

He placed the two buckets of water into a small compartment within the storage device, and with less than a minute, the water was steamy hot but not too hot for the younglings. Aaron and Oliver waited anxiously by Christopher's side as he took the buckets of water from the storage device. He carried the buckets back up to the shack and poured the hot water into a small tub. The small tub was a part of a sink found within the rubbles of junk. Christopher had repaired and cleaned it thoroughly before using it as a tub for Oliver.

Aaron and Oliver hopped right into the tub soon after Christopher was done emptying the second bucket. The younglings happily played and splashed about.

"Settle down, you two!" Christopher said, placing each hand on the younglings to keep them from splashing.

They obeyed him as he placed several tablets into the water. The tablets contained a cleaning solution and dissolved quickly in heated water, so as long as the younglings soaked and played in the water for more than 15 minutes, they would be clean.

Aaron loved the hot baths. Having a buddy to play with was even better. He wished that life could be this good in his own home. Unfortunately, David never gave Aaron a hot bath. He always got his water supply from the Nigerians, and the water was never heated.

After the younglings got done with their bath, they ate freshly cooked meat that Christopher had prepared for them. Aaron devoured his meat in seconds, leaving no trace. Christopher and Oliver, however, took their time savoring every bite. Aaron waited patiently for them to finish, then they got ready and left the shack. Christopher walked the younglings to their school.

Along the way, Aaron looked out toward the fence, wondering if he should tell Christopher about his plans to spend the day with his human friend. He didn't want to go wandering off without Christopher wondering where he was heading off to. Besides, they made a promise to each other some time this morning, and Aaron had forgotten all about school when he made the promise. Skipping school was not part of his plan, but he was willing to give up his time from school to be with Sequoya.

"Christopher! There is something I want to tell you."

Christopher glanced at Aaron as they walked and asked, "What is it?"

"I made a new friend yesterday and …..I was wondering if it was okay if I could go play with my new friend instead of going to school today."

Christopher and Oliver were surprised to hear this. They knew how eager Aaron always was to go to school.

"It's good that you're making new friends, Aaron. But can't you wait until after school?"

Aaron shook his head no. Oliver then said, "Maybe you will see your new friend at school. Then, we can all play together."

"No. She won't be at the school."

"She?" Christopher asked. Aaron nodded his head. "Is she an older friend?"

"Yes. We promised to meet somewhere." Aaron gazed up at Christopher with pleading eyes and asked, "Please! Can I go see her?"

"You can see her after school."

"Really? I can see her!"

"Yes." Christopher said and then continued in a more serious tone, "Afterschool!"

Disappointed, Aaron put his head down in defeat. He hoped that Christopher would let him skip school. At least he tried.

They arrive at the school, where their sessions are held in several large shacks. Unfortunately, the shacks were still not large enough to house the growing number of young Poleepkwans, so they had most of their sessions outside. Christopher kneeled closer to Aaron and Oliver. Oliver jumped and latched onto his father, giving him a big hug. Aaron watched them embrace each other with the utmost care and love they had for one another. If only he could have that with David.

Christopher scooped up Aaron with his free arm, startling him a little, and hugged him as well while still embracing Oliver with his other arm. Aaron wrapped his arms around Christopher's neck, sharing his embrace with Oliver. Even though Aaron had no relation to them, they truly made him feel like he was part of their family.

Christopher carefully placed them down.

"I'll be back to pick you two up later." He said to them.

The younglings nodded to him and watched him leave for work. Aaron grabbed Oliver by the arm before he could run into the shacks.

"What?" Oliver said, trying to pull his arm away.

Aaron waited until Christopher was out of view before answering, "Can you keep a secret?"

"A secret?" Oliver's eyes lit up as if Aaron had offered him a piece of candy. He nodded his head and replied, "Yes."

Aaron looked down at his feet, shifting nervously. "Do you promise not to tell your father?"

"I promise."

"I'm not going to school today."

"Why?"

"I'm going to see my new friend. We made a promise to see each other again. Please don't tell your father that I skipped school. I don't want him to worry."

"Okay! But will you be back before he comes to pick us up?"

"I don't know. But if I don't, tell him that I went to go see my friend and I will be back before sunset."

"Okay! But who is your friend?"

Aaron began shifting even more nervously. He debated whether he should tell him or not. He considered Oliver his best friend, and he never held back secrets from him. "Her name is Sequoya."

"Sequoya? That is a funny name for a Poleepkwa. Which shack does she live in?"

"She doesn't live in District 9. She is human."

Oliver's eyes grew wide in shock, and he replied, "A human?"

"Yes. Please don't tell your father she's human. If he finds out, then David will find out."

"Don't worry. I will not tell my father anything."

Aaron knew he could trust Oliver not to tell, even though he hated keeping secrets from Christopher and David.

"Thank you!" he told Oliver.

Sequoya walked up to the fence on the same spot where she had first met Aaron, the cute little alien who had as much interest in her as she had with him. She set the paper bag down beside her to rest her tired arms. She stared out beyond the fence, hoping to find Aaron approaching from a distance. She honestly did not know which direction Aaron had come in before. However, she knew that he had approached her without her noticing. He had a dark beige exoskeleton that blended closely with the dirt and rubble around them.

She placed her hand on a piece of the barbed wire and waited for Aaron to arrive. It wasn't long before she thought she had seen something moving within the rubble not too far in front of her. She leaned her head forward a little closer to the fence, trying to get a better look and trying not to cut herself from the razor-sharp barbs. Then she heard gunshots ring out in a distance that terrified her. She moved away from the fence and frantically looked around to find the source.

"Sequoya!"

She looked down in front of her to find Aaron walking through the huge gaps in the fence and approaching her.

"Aaron!" she said and crouched down as Aaron came closer to her, "I'm so glad you came."

More gunshots ring out and this time a little closer, every shot making Sequoya twitch in terror.

"It's okay." Aaron reassured her, placing his hand on her arm, "It's just the Nigerians."

"Why are they shooting around?"

"I don't know. I think they do it just for fun."

Sequoya can hear the men shouting in the distance, along with the gunshots that echoed across the territory. She looked down at Aaron's tiny hand touching her forearm. His little fingers were on her skin. He quickly recoiled when he noticed her looking at his hand.

"I'm sorry." He apologized as if he offended her, "I didn't mean to …."

"Oh, no. It's okay. Don't be sorry." She reached out with both her hands and grabbed his hands, bringing him a little closer to her. "We're friends now!"

She noticed his tiny mandibles making a widening sort of expression, which she can only guess was a smile. She smiled back at him. She peered into his jade green eyes, the one detail that seemed to stand out from the rest of him. His gaze turned to the paper bag sitting next to them on the ground.

"What do you have in the bag?"

"I bought some snacks for the two of us."

"I'm not hungry right now."

"I know. I just thought I'd bring some snacks for us. In case we get hungry later on since we're going to spend all day getting to know each other better."

Sequoya gently let go of his hands and reached for something in the paper bag. "I got something for you."

She pulled out a small dreamcatcher and showed it to him. Aaron took the small strange object and looked at it carefully. Sequoya watched him examine the dreamcatcher.

"That's the only thing I didn't buy. I made it back home. I thought I'd give it to you as a gift."

"What is this?"

"It's a dreamcatcher."

"What is it for?"

"It is a charm used to catch all the dreams and filter them out to protect you from the bad dreams."

Aaron held the dreamcatcher close to him and gazed up at Sequoya. He had never received a gift before. It was also a strange gift, but it was the first gift he had ever received, especially from a human.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

Aaron grinned and replied, "I like it. Thank you!"

They hear more gunfire in the distance, ruining their moment of peace and quiet.

"Do you wanna get out of here?"

Aaron nodded his head eagerly. Sequoya picked up the paper bag.

"Where do you think we should go? I haven't had the chance to go sightseeing around this place."

"The park. I know a spot where they allow Poleepkwa."

"Cool. We can hang out there."

Sequoya crumpled the top part of the paper bag, turning it into a large brown bag for their soon-to-be lunch meal.

"Lead the way!"

"Okay!" Aaron reached out and grabbed her hand, leading her away from the forsaken territory he called home.