February 1997- Emma is three years old.

Trigger warnings: child abuse (Lavinia hitting Emma)

I'm not sure what I should do now.

I am sitting in the bay window and look out into the garden. Lavinia, Mum and Mummy taught me for over a year now. I had no contact with anyone my age in over a year.

Have I done something wrong to deserve this? To have lessons on my own, only interacting with my family on a day-to-day basis. Every day is the same, and I am sick of it.

I was bullied at nursery before, not by the children. The teachers abused me, told me to suck it up when things weren't going my way. They wouldn't include me in group activities; every time I had a question, they refused to answer. I had to wait until I went home to ask my parents what I wanted to know.

I want to have friends, to have a childhood that I will never get if I stay here. Normal children get to have friends, go to nursery, enjoy their childhoods. Now that I stay at home, it feels like my family ignores me.

It happened the other day. I asked my parents if they could spend some time with me. 'We will, Emma,' Mummy promised, brushing her fringe out of her eyes. 'Give us five minutes; then we'll be there.'
'Okay,' I skipped into the living room and settled down on my bean bag. While I was waiting, I brought out the toys I wanted to play with and kept an eye on the clock. Five minutes came and went. I thought that either they lost track of time, or the task they were doing was taking longer than they thought. Five more minutes, I decided. If they do not come through, I will go to find them.

Ten minutes passed. Neither Mum nor Mummy arrived. I went into the study to find Lavinia in there with them. 'Mum? Mummy?'
'Sarah Jane and Ruby are busy,' Lavinia said.
'But we said we'd play. I waited ten minutes when they said they'd finish in five.'
'We have time to play now,' Mum smiled.
'But we still need to talk about what you two are going to do next. We can't keep tutoring Emma forever. We can get private tutors in for her so she can learn at her own pace.' I felt my shoulders slump in defeat. Of course, Lavinia would spend as much time with Mum and Mummy as possible. I turned and walked out of the room. When I reached my room, I grabbed a biography of the Six Wives of Henry VIII, curled up on my bed and started crying. Neither my mums nor Lavinia checked up on me.

'Mum, Mummy, Lavinia,' I say when I go into the kitchen.
'Not now, Emma, your parents are busy,' Lavinia says and resumes her conversation with my parents. 'About that-'
'But this is about my education.'
'You can tell us later, pet.' Lavinia turns back to my parents. 'You two will need to get jobs at some point. I will stay here and look after Emma.' Lavinia, looking after me?! No thanks. No way will happen.

I need to do something drastic to stop it from happening. What can I do to get their attention? I smile when I come up with an idea. 'I want a say in my education since it will impact my future.'
'Sounds interesting, darling,' Lavinia says. I take a deep breath. It's now or never.

'I want to go back to nursery.'
'Yeah, I know.'
'You... do?'
'We need to focus on Emma's education.' She didn't hear me. 'Staying at home is the best thing for her.'
'SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME!' I scream. Everyone turns to me. Lavinia's eyebrows crease in anger. Mum and Mummy look shocked. 'I want to go back to nursery. Not the one I was going to; a new one.'
'It is far too risky,' Lavinia says.
'You said it would be too risky when I'm older. I want to have a normal childhood, please.'
'You know that you can't have that. You are not fully human; we have to keep you safe.'
'But-'
'The answer is no, Emma. It will always be no.' I storm out of the kitchen.

So, what if I lost the fight? I will win the war; I'll make sure of it. But first, I need a plan. What can work?

There are some things I haven't tried yet, and maybe one will work. One of them must work. I will not throw a tantrum, that will get me nowhere. I need a better plan than that. What else can work? I need to think of something crafty; but if I can think of it, the adults might prepare for it. But they won't prepare for a surprise attack. I smile and begin getting to work, blocking my bedroom door with a chair. I can't have anyone getting in and stopping me. My parents knock on my door several times; Lavinia doesn't check on me.

By the evening, I am ready. I have created paper streamers I coloured in crayons and put them on my bookshelf. I made a banner with the words 'send me back to nursery' and stuck it on the window. I scattered my toys on the floor so anyone who enters will have a difficult time navigating their way around. I move the chair in front of my door and hide under the bed. 'Emma?' Mummy asks, opening the door. 'Are you all right? What have you done to your room?' She slowly begins moving my toys, trying to find me. She sighs when she sees the piece of paper I stuck on the window. 'Is this about your argument with Lavinia earlier?'
'Yes. I want to go back to nursery.' Mummy sits down in front of the bed.
'Most toddlers hate going to nursery and leaving their parents. I can talk to the headmistress about letting you back.'
'I don't want to go back to that one. The teachers bullied me.'
'Is that why you rebelled against us in the mornings?'
'Yes.'
'I'll ask around, see what we can do.'
'Thank you, Mummy.'

Mummy does as she promised. As soon as I come out from under the bed and begin tidying up, she slips out of the room. I finish tidying when Lavinia walks in. 'Emma, we have a lesson today.'
'I'm not going to continue learning with you. It is boring, we keep going over the same stuff, and I had enough. I am going back to nursery, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.' Lavinia raises her hand.

I hear the slap before I feel it.

My cheek is burning; I am sure a mark will appear later. Tears begin to fill my toddler eyes; I feel stupid to cry in front of this woman. So, I will not cry. 'That is child abuse.' Lavinia hits me again, but I am ready for the attack. I grab her hand before it can contact my face. I squeeze it as hard as I can. Lavinia screams. 'Leave. Me. Alone.' I let go of Lavinia, but she doesn't leave.
'You ungrateful girl,' she snarls. 'I am trying to help you; not everyone will.'
'Anyone who hits a child and claims to do it for the child's good is twisted and evil. You are not doing it to help me; you are hurting me. If you keep doing this, I will hurt you more than just squeezing your hand tightly.'
'You need to learn to respect your betters.'
'And you need to learn some manners. You cannot call children rude names; you just can't!'
'And what are you going to do about it? You have no power.' I decide to hold my anger in this time. The last thing either of my parents want is to walk in and find me hurting Lavinia. 'You are nothing.' I will not fall to Lavinia's level this time. I stay quiet, but I clench my hands. If Lavinia attacks me, I will retaliate in self-defence.
'I am something; I will not listen to what you have to say as you are determined to pull me down.' Lavinia glares at me. I want to run and hide, but I will not. I must stand my ground.

'Emma?' Mum asks. 'Sarah's just talked to me and- is there a problem in here?' I turn to Mum, so I can explain to her what is going on when Lavinia beats me to it.
'There is no problem here.'
'There is,' I argue. 'Mum, Lavinia hit me!'
'She's lying.'
'Oh, I know she's telling the truth,' Mum folds her arms. 'Did you forget that I'm a soul stealer? I was also here for most of the argument, so I know what is going on. Either leave Emma alone, or I'll make you.' Mum begins to approach Lavinia, who is glaring at Mum. At the last moment, Lavinia tries to duck under Mum's arm, but Mum grabs her. Mum presses a green gem on her silver bracelet, and both women disappear in white, sparkling light.

'What the hell just happened?' I turn to my bookshelf so I can concentrate on something else. While I am searching the shelves, I find a book there I never spotted. Aliens and what they mean. It doesn't seem like the sort of book I would typically read, but I decide to give it a go.

At the front of the book is a glossary. I keep looking through it to find any mention of a soul stealer. Maybe Mum isn't an alien; perhaps she's making it up. At least that is what I think until I find the following extract.

Qetesh- they are soul stealers. They are the devourers of lives and take pleasure in the hunt for a victim. The most notable Qetesh is Ruby Ann White. She was exiled, partly for her intense hunger, but mostly for her belief that Qetesh should treat humans as equals. Many Qetesh now agree with Ruby's views and are trying to recall her to Qetanish.

Below that is something about Human-Qetesh hybrids. I begin reading it, and I feel like I can apply some of it to my life. Knowledge beyond an ordinary human? I could almost form full sentences before I turned two. Superior strength to humans? Lavinia looked like she was in agony when I squeezed her hand. Particular interest in a specific person or group of people? I have fallen in love with the Six Wives of Henry VIII.

Oh, my God. Am I part alien?!

I better show this to Mummy. I take the book with me into the kitchen, where Mummy is making some tea. 'We heard screaming, is everything all right?' She asks.
'Mum's sorting Lavinia out,' I say. 'Mummy, am I part alien?'
'Yes, you are. We wanted to wait a while before telling you; we didn't know how you will react. Will you forgive us for hiding it from you?'
'Yes,' I say.

The next morning is Wednesday. I sit down at the table with Mum and Mummy. After ten minutes, Lavinia doesn't appear. 'Ruby, what did you do with Lavinia?' Mummy asks.
'She won't bother us again.'
'Did you kill her?'
'No, although she was abusing Emma.'
'She was WHAT?!'
'Don't worry; she won't come back.'

'I told Emma the truth about her past,' Mummy says.
'You made the right decision,' I say. I pull both my mums into a hug.

'We found a new nursery for you to go to,' Mummy smiles. 'We can go and have a look today if you like.'
'I'd love that,' I smile. 'I'll go and get dressed.'
'At least have your breakfast first!' Mum says. I continue eating my breakfast before I get dressed.

Mummy drives us to the nursery. The building is white with large windows, and there is a green fence around the building to stop toddlers from wandering off the site. The front of the building doesn't have a fence, and we walk into the reception.

There is a blue carpet on the floor, and the walls are white. There are certificates on the walls and pictures of past year groups. There is also a sign with the different members of staff on it. Opposite the wooden front desk is a row of chairs. 'Miss Smith, Miss White?' The receptionist asks. She has short black hair, and her brown eyes twinkle behind red glasses.
'Yes, that's us,' Mummy says.
'Welcome to Rainbow Nursery,' she says. 'Mrs Cloud should be here soon. Take a seat.' We sit down on the row of seats facing the desk.

'Miss Smith, Miss White?' A woman walks out, smiling at us. Her blonde hair is tied back in a ponytail, and a pair of black glasses cover her sparkling brown eyes. She is wearing a white blouse and a black skirt.
'Hello, Mrs Cloud,' Mum says, shaking hands with her. 'We understand how busy you must be.'
'Not at all,' she says. 'It is a pleasure to see you both.' She looks down at me. 'Is this Emma?'
'Yes, this is her,' Mummy nods. 'There are a few things you should probably know about her. Emma has times when she can slip into doing some odd things, things that humans normally don't do.'
'I see,' Mrs Cloud nods.
'She also knows the same amount as someone in year two,' Mum adds. 'Emma specialises in history.'
'We have students that are like that here,' Mrs Cloud smiles. 'I'm sure Emma will settle in wonderfully.'
'Who are those students?'
'Why don't we go and meet them now?' I nod, and Mrs Cloud leads us down a bright corridor with artwork hanging on the walls. She stops outside a classroom and knocks on the door. A teacher opens the door. The sound of laughter wafts out of the door.

I notice that she has long brown hair tied in a bun, and she doesn't have to wear glasses. She is wearing a jumper and a pair of trousers, making it easier for her to move around. As she must chase after toddlers most of the day, I'm not surprised that she chose that outfit. 'Miss Waterfield?' I look up at Mum and Mummy, who look shocked by the appearance of MissWaterfield. 'This is Miss Smith, Miss White and their daughter, Emma Smith-White.'
'Hello,' she says.
'Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you.'
'It's a pleasure to meet you, too. My name is Miss Waterfield.' When I look up at my parents again, they look worried.
'Miss Smith, Miss White, is something the matter?' Mrs Cloud asks.
'We met Miss Waterfield before,' Mum says, trying to disguise her shocked expression.
'Yes, it was a rather busy time,' Miss Waterfield nods.
'Shall we go in?' Mrs Cloud asks, obviously thinking that Mum and Mummy are friends with Miss Waterfield.

Some of the toddlers look up at us as we enter. There are five of them that grab my attention. One of them has brown hair that slowly turns into blonde. She is wearing a yellow t-shirt and a black skirt and leggings as well as yellow socks and black shoes. She turns to a girl wearing a green dress and shoes. They both grin and the girl in green places her head on the other girl's shoulder. A girl in a white jumper and grey trousers joins them, and she is carrying a card. 'Who wants to give this to her?' She asks, brushing her blonde hair behind her shoulder.
'I'll do it,' another girl says. She has brown hair tied up in a style I don't recognise, and she's wearing a red t-shirt and shorts, not quite the sort of clothing you would expect a child to wear in February.
'Anna, why are you wearing shorts and a t-shirt? It's winter!' The fifth girl asks. She has blonde hair, and it is pulled back into a ponytail. She is wearing a black t-shirt with a pink unicorn on it and black trousers.
'I don't feel the cold,' Anna says. They seem to be like me, I think.

'Those five girls there do everything together,' Miss Waterfield says. 'Emma, why don't you go and say hello?'
'Emma!' Anna calls over to me. 'Come and join us. You won't regret it.'
'Okay.' I walk over to the girls.

'Bonjour,' the girl in green says. 'Je m'appelle Anne Boleyn.' I blink. Did she just say something about Anne Boleyn?
'Anne, you gremlin!' The girl in yellow says. 'Emma doesn't know French yet.' She gives Anne a playful shove. Anne shoves back, and they turn back to me. 'My name is Catalina, but you can call me Lina. You already met Anne,' Anne sticks her tongue out at Lina. 'The girl in white is Jane,' Jane hugs me. 'She does like giving hugs. The girl in red is Anna; she's not so big on hugs. Kitty is the girl in pink; she loves all things supernatural.'
'Thanks, Cata,' Kitty giggles.
'And so far, she is the only person to dare call me Cata.'
'We made this for you,' Jane says, holding the card out to me.
'You can't have known that I would come today,' I say, taking the card.
'We have our sources,' Jane says. 'We're all going to be great friends.'

I only stay until the end of the morning, and my parents collect me. 'Did you have fun?' Mum asks.
'Yes,' I yell, jumping up and down. 'Catalina, Anne, Jane, Anna and Kitty are nice. We're going to be great friends.'