January 1996- Emma is two years old.

'No, I am not going back to nursery!' I yell as Mummy tries to pull me into a dress. 'No, Mummy! No!'
'It's getting too risky,' Mum agrees. 'If someone finds out that Emma is part alien, the authorities will come down on us like a ton of bricks.'
'You're right,' Mummy agrees and takes the dress off. 'But Emma still needs an education. I still have to work-'
'How many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to work?'
'Well, I've not seen any of this money that you've been talking about, so I'd rather keep the job so Emma has a stable home where she can live.'
'You're right,' Mum nods. 'The money I have at the moment could run out fast. I would get a job, but we also have to focus on Emma's education. If at least one of us is working, we can continue to survive as we are.'
'I could ask Lavinia to help out, but you know what she's like.' Mummy sits on the bed beside me. 'I've not heard from her in three years.'
'Then now is the time to contact her.'
'I still don't know if she's still living in Moreton Harwood. Besides, Brendan wasn't happy when he found out I was in the family way.'
'What does that mean?' I ask.

'It means I was pregnant, Emma.' Mummy pulls me into a hug.
'Were you pregnant with me?'
'I was, yes.' I think about it for a while. 'All of the doctors and midwives said I was too old for a first child; I was forty-two at the time. So many things could have gone wrong.' Tears begin slipping down Mummy's cheeks. I reach out a hand and wipe them away.
'I'm here, Mummy. I won't leave you.' Mummy takes my hand and smiles.
'You're right, Ruby. Brendan is in San Francisco; he doesn't have to know about us getting in contact with Aunt Lavinia.'

Mum is staring out of the window. 'There is no reason to contact Lavinia; she's here.'
'WHAT?!' Mummy stands up and turns to the window. I stand up on the bed to have a look. A car much like the one Mummy drives, but in beige, is sitting in the driveway. A woman with short, blonde curly hair and a beige jacket and skirt suit approaches the front door. 'Ruby, can you get Emma dressed? I'll go and say hello to Lavinia.' Mum nods and Mummy hurries out of the door.

'Right, as you won't wear a dress, how about a t-shirt and some trousers?' I nod, and Mum helps me dress in a blue t-shirt and trousers.
'Mum, why do we live in a house with no stairs?' I went to a friend's house once, and she had stairs in her home. Why do we not have stairs?
'We live in a bungalow, and bungalows don't have stairs.'
'Why not?'
'I'm not the person who creates the terms for different houses, but we can research it later if you like.' I nod. 'Sarah?'
'I'm in the kitchen with Aunt Lavinia. I think we're ready to bring her through if she's dressed.' Mum picks me up, and we walk into the kitchen.

I now have a closer look at the woman I saw out of the window. She has sparkling blue eyes, much unlike Mummy's green eyes, but I can still see the family resemblance. Lavinia smiles at me when we enter. 'So this must be Emma,' she says. I hide behind Mum's leg and peer at the strange woman. I haven't even heard of her until today. 'It's all right; I won't hurt you.' Lavinia pats the space beside her, but I shake my head. My parents always warned me never to talk to strangers. But my mums know this woman, so she must be safe to speak with for now. But I will not sit beside her. When Mum sits, I sit in between her and Mummy.

'You couldn't have come at a better time,' Mummy smiles. 'We need your help.'
'What can I help you with?'
'It's Emma; we have to drop her out of the nursery. Up until now, it was okay for her to mingle with those her age; now, she could say something that others would find strange. What if someone reports it to the authorities?'
'It's not now that you have to worry,' Lavinia scolds Mummy. 'At her age, kids would think nothing of it. It's when she's older that you have to worry. Older kids could bully her mercilessly if they hear of Emma's past. Emma can go to nursery for now-'
'That's not the only thing we worry about,' Mum says. 'Emma has superior knowledge than other children her age.'

'That could be a problem, so we can try homeschooling her for the rest of the year. If that doesn't work, Emma can go back to the nursery.'
'But I have to work, and-'
'Don't worry, Sarah. I wanted to stay in the area for a few months to catch up anyway. What Brendan did was awful, and I want to apologise.'
'It's not your fault, Aunt Lavinia.'
'No, but I feel like it was. I want to make up for everything, and tutoring Emma will be the best way to do that. However, before I begin, I need to know how much Emma knows and where her strengths and weaknesses lie.'
'We can easily do that,' Mum nods. 'Do you need anywhere to stay or...?' Lavinia shakes her head.
'I am staying at a hotel, so I should be fine. It's Emma's education we need to worry about now. Emma, is it all right if I talk to your parents in private?' I nod, slip off my seat and head into my room.

I sit in the bay window and look out into the back garden. I have some play equipment, such as a blue slide and a playhouse with yellow walls, a red roof and a blue door. The window shutters are green, and the sight of it always makes me smile. Whenever the weather is beautiful, I would go outside to play. I also have a bike that I am learning to ride, and we keep that in the garage. Mummy doesn't let me have a football as she does a lot of gardening and doesn't want me to ruin her flowers. She also doesn't want me to break any windows. Today, the weather is excellent, but I don't want to go outside. I am thinking about my education. Mum says I know a lot more than a two-year-old should, and that might be a bad thing. But Lavinia, or my Great-Aunt Lavinia, as she is Mummy's Aunt, wants to help.

At least it will be better than going back to the nursery. I don't want to tell my parents why I don't want to return, so it will be better to keep quiet. I look at my white bookshelf before turning my attention to my bed. The base is made of white wood to match the rest of my furniture. My blue pillowcase remains creased after last night, and I threw my quilt off earlier today. I walk over to the bed and straighten my pillow and pick up my quilt. While I am two, I want to be neat. Nothing makes me angry more than a messy bed, more importantly, when it is my bed.

When I finish sorting out my bed, I open my wardrobe. I stare in disgust at the dresses hanging there. I never want to wear another dress, so I pull them all out. All that remains once I finish with my wardrobe are my trousers. At least I don't have to go through the chest of drawers I covered in different stickers. I like everything that is in there; it was the dresses that bothered me. But now what to do with them? Dresses in pastel colours cover the carpet that I threw them onto and clothes layer on top of one another. I hadn't thought this through.

'Emma, you're more than welcome to- what have you been up to in here? Has World War Three broken out?' Mum asks, leaning against the doorway. I can tell she isn't mad because she's smiling at the mess I made. 'Not World War Three, Mum, but a War of the Dresses.' Mum chuckles and helps me pick them up.
'While you might not want these, I'm sure there's some other little girl that would love them.' I nod. Giving them to someone else will be better than throwing them away, at least someone else will take better care of them.

We all gather in the kitchen again to discuss the next best steps. 'Emma, you'll have to do a test so I can understand where your level of learning is,' Lavinia explains. Her worn face now looks a few years younger, and her smile reaches her glittering blue eyes. 'I will give you one for each year group. You will want to be honest with your answers, and you can skip a question and go back to it later if you don't understand anything. This test is more to help me understand where you are, all right?' I nod. 'We'll also have to sort out a suitable learning place for Emma; the kitchen is not the best place for that. It will do for the time being, but we will need something more suitable shortly.' 'We'll sort something out for her soon,' Mummy promises. 'Now, I mostly specialise in maths and science, so one of you will have to teach her things like English, history and so forth.' Mum and Mummy nod. Wow, Lavinia makes an impression on them.

I have a free morning while Lavinia puts the tests together, which I will complete after lunch. Mummy is editing an article she needs to send to her editor, and Mum is working on something. I don't want to disturb anyone, so I go to my room and return to my bookshelf. Most children would have picture books or comics on their bookshelves; I am not most children. Instead, I line my shelves with stories and biographies about Henry VIII's wives. I read anything about them I can get my hands on, including the awful stuff.

After a light lunch of sandwiches and a slice of Victoria Sponge Mummy brought from the local shop, Lavinia gives me my first test. 'This one is for children in reception,' she explains. 'You do what you can, and we'll look at the Year One test later.' I nod and sit at the kitchen table. I have pencils and paper so I can answer the questions. 'You may begin.'

I breeze through reception and finish within ten minutes. Lavinia is staring at me in shock, but passes me the Year One paper without a word and collects the reception paper. It takes me twenty minutes to complete that paper, but I had to give more thought to everything. Lavinia blinks but takes the paper so she can mark it. 'Emma, I hope you realise that both reception and year one are meant to be above your level of intelligence?' I nod, and she gives me the Year 2 paper.

It takes me a lot longer to answer this paper, but I finish it within an hour. 'Good job, Emma,' Lavinia nods at me. 'I think that is enough tests for today. I will finish marking and see where you are, okay?' I nod and go to find Mum.

She is in the study with Mummy, so I know not to disturb her. I go to my room and select a book to read. As usual, I choose a biography on the Six Wives of Henry VIII. I sit on my bed and begin reading it. I am enjoying my book so much that I don't realise what the time is, and Mummy has to pull me from my book to join the rest of the family for dinner.

'Emma's doing well,' Lavinia says as we sit down to a takeaway pizza. Had Mummy tried cooking again? 'She passed both the reception and Year One papers, but she struggled on maths on the Year 2 paper but passed on everything else.' 'I can help her with maths,' Mum says. 'I'll make sure that she understands what she needs to know. But Emma is only two, and the maths I will teach her is several years advanced.'
'Well, geniuses do run in the family,' Mummy says.
'You don't say.'

'Well, it's good that you want to help, Ruby. But don't you want to apply for a job or something like that? Emma may want to go to school eventually,' Lavinia says. 'I don't want to yet,' I say. 'I get that,' Lavinia turns back to Mum. 'But you must consider the fact that Emma may want to grow up the same as everyone else; that will include going to school.' Mum opens her mouth to speak, but Lavinia raises her hand to stop her. 'I know I told you not to let Emma go to school, but times may have changed. Society may accept alien hybrids by then, or maybe you two can marry. All we can do is wait and hope for the best.' My parents nod, and we start eating again.