It's not long before we find ourselves hiding in the ladies' toilets. 'We can at least catch our breath, and we'll be safe for a while,' Maria says, then turns to Luke. 'It's the one place men never go. Sorry for dragging you into the ladies.'
'Why do men never go into the ladies?' Luke asks.
'Er...'
'It's our culture,' Catalina says. 'Men and women are biologically different, so it makes sense that their toilets are separate in public and workplaces.'
'I see, I think.' We hear the door open and dive into one of the cubicles.

The door opens, and we all stare in surprise. Mum and Mummy are standing there. 'What are you lot doing here?' Mummy asks, shocked.
'We could ask you the same!' Maria yells back.
'Who's he?' Mum asks, her brow creasing in worry. She takes in what Luke's wearing.
'My name is Luke. Emma found me during one of the tours in the factory.'
'We think they made him, but we don't know why,' I explain.
'What have they done to you?' Mummy asks, concern filling her eyes.
'I knew I had to get away,' Luke says.
'That goes for all of us.' Mummy looks around, then her eyes land on a window. 'Ruby, open the window! Come on, everyone.'

Mum opens the window, and we all climb out into the car park, where Maggie, Bessie, Joan, and Rocky are waiting for us. Mummy's car is also there. 'Get into the car,' Mummy says.
'We can't all fit!' Luke says.
'It's bigger on the inside,' Anne yells back, and we start climbing in.
'But my friend's in there!' Maria cries. 'Sure, I only met her this morning, but I can't just leave her there.'
'The bus is gone,' I growl. 'Maybe Hooper was on the bus.'
'I can't just leave her!'

Mummy uncaps her sonic lipstick and blasts it at the closing gates as the rest of us climb into the car and strap ourselves in. 'What's that thing?' Maria asks.
'Sonic lipstick. Now get in.'
'Search the perimeter,' we hear a woman bark.
'MOVE!' Mummy yells, and she and Maria bundle into the car.
'Retrieve the archetype,' I hear the man say as the doors close. Mummy presses her foot on the gas, and we zoom out the gates.

'Is that what they call you?' I ask Luke, horrified.
'I don't know. I never heard them call me anything. But you and your friends call me Luke, so that's the name I want to use.'

'Mum, Mummy, they know what I am. My bracelet stopped working just before I went through the security scan.'
'At least we know they won't tell the authorities,' Mummy says. 'Not if they're aliens themselves.'

We head back home, and Maria starts asking questions. 'I think we better answer them,' Catalina says. 'She's a fellow lady-in-waiting.'
'I saw you last night,' Maria says when it's clear that Mum and Mummy ignore her. They stop walking.
'What did you say?' Mummy asks, turning to Maria. Her eyes are wide, and she looks stunned.
'She saw us last night, with the Star Poet,' I say. 'And I think she deserves answers.'
'You do?' I nod.
'She at least deserves to know about what's going on at the factory.'
'Emma, the more people we get involved with, the more lives at risk.'
'Humans are at risk each time aliens try and invade or destroy Earth. How is this any different?'
'It's different because someone is getting directly involved.'

Mum sighs. 'Can you two please stop arguing? I'm with Sarah Jane on this one. The fewer people we get involved, the safer it is for everyone.'
'Maria, you need to go back home,' Mummy says. 'You must forget all about this, about us. Forget it all for your own sake.' Mummy turns back to us, and she, Mum, and Luke head inside. The ladies-in-waiting follow them. Maria turns and runs back to her house.

We all head into the living room. Mum and Jane disappear into the kitchen to get some food and drinks. 'No Bubbleshock!' Catalina calls to them.
'We don't have any. Don't you remember how Ruby reacted?' Jane shouts back.

'Emma, the Queens, and the ladies-in-waiting must have taught you to talk,' Sarah Jane tells Luke. We all sit down when Mum and Jane walk through.
'Emma visited me multiple times before today,' Luke says. 'The others were there a couple of times, but I haven't seen Maria until today.'
'She moved yesterday,' Maggie says.
'You must have a home,' Sarah Jane says. Luke looks around the room.
'Is this your home?'
'Yes, it is,' Mum nods. 'Anne, Jane, Rocky, and Maggie live with us.'
'But they're Emma's friends.'
'Anne and I were kicked out because we weren't straight,' Jane says. 'Rocky and Maggie moved in as their parents disappeared.'
'I haven't told Luke about sexualities yet, so he won't understand,' I tell Jane gently.
'None of us understood it until you explained it to us,' Anne says. 'You are a great friend to have. You understand us.'
'Even though I'm nowhere near five hundred years old?'
'Especially then,' Kitty confirms.

'Can I live here?' Luke asks.
'Oh,' Mummy says, a little taken aback by the question.
'He can use Mary's old room,' Anne says.
'Yeah,' Jane grins. 'We should do it.'
'Let's get through the day first,' Mummy says, then turns back to Luke. 'We need to work out why the people in the factory want him, then figure out their plan.'
'Maybe the two are linked?' I suggest.
'That's a possibility,' Mum nods. 'Especially as he seems to have the strengths and weaknesses of ten thousand people.'
'That would be all the guests,' Maria says. 'It would explain the security scan.'

'Sarah Jane?' Mr Smith asks.
'Who's that?' Luke asks, and we all turn in the direction of the hallway.
'Sarah Jane?' Mr Smith asks again.
'Not now!' Mummy yells up the stairs, and she shuts the door. She turns back to Luke. 'You must not go upstairs, Luke; it's private. You don't go up there unless one of us says so.'
'You don't trust me,' Luke says, in his matter-of-fact way.
'We hardly know you; that's different,' Mum says.

Mummy starts scanning Luke, and I head upstairs. Catalina, Anne, Jane, Anna, and Kitty follow me. 'Something's the matter,' Catalina says when I start pacing. 'You always start pacing when something's wrong.'
'Everything is changing so fast.' I look at my friends. 'All of it is out of my control, and... I don't even have a say in what I do in the future; everyone knows what will happen to me.'
'They don't know about your childhood,' Anna corrects. 'They don't know you from before you take your GCSEs; you have control of that.'
'But the most important parts of my life, who I marry, whether I have a child or not, that's all out of my hands!' I stop pacing and stare at my friends. 'I don't think I can cope for much longer. What if I fail? What if I can't be a queen and Henry executes me? What then?'
'Don't ask those questions. You are Emma Smith-White, and you're strong.'
'I'm not. I'm really not.' I shake my head. 'Remember the scene from Jaws I told you about?' My friends nod. 'I remember more. It wasn't just Juno and Howard there. Brendan Richards, Great-Aunt Lavinia's ward, was also there.'
'What happened?' Kitty asks.
'Juno and Howards turned the TV off as soon as I walked in, and they were happy to keep me company. But Brendan, he switched the TV back on. That scene played, and I was screaming at the top of my lungs. But it wasn't that scene that frightened me. It was what Brendan said afterwards.'
'What did he say?' Jane asks.
'He said...he said...' I cover my mouth with my hand as I remember Brendan's cruel words, how Howard told him to keep his mouth shut or he'll throw him out. 'He said that if I ever disturbed Juno and Howard with my silly nightmares... the...' I see movement beyond the door out of the corner of my eye. 'He said the shark would kill my parents.'
'My God,' Jane covers her mouth.
'That man will pay in blood for what he did!' Anne yells.
'He's working in San Francisco. We can't reach him,' I say. I see the person walk away from the door.

'We won't ever force you to watch that film,' Anna promises. 'You've got a good excuse to not see it.' We all gather in a group hug, and then we hear Maria yelling through the letterbox.
'Sarah Jane! Open up; it's me! It's Maria!' We all run out of my room and rush down the stairs. Mummy opens the door.
'I told you to leave us alone.' She's about to shut the door when Maria pushes it open.
'But it's the man from the factory. He's here on Bannerman Road!'

Kelsey starts screaming. We run out of the house to see an octopus-shaped creature with a Cthulhu-like head, only with one orange eye in the centre, stalks towards us, its tentacles sticking to the wall. 'Inside!' Mummy barks. 'Get in!' Maria and Kelsey run inside.
'What is she doing here?' Catalina growls. 'She's the enemy.'
'There's a great big alien out there, and you're interested in picking sides?!' Maria screams. Luke appears from the doorway of the living room. Mummy presses her back to the door, and Mum joins her.
'Can I kill him?'
'No, you can't!' Mummy yells back.
'He's an alien!'
'Still no!' The alien starts banging on the door. Mummy turns to us. 'Get upstairs!'
'But we're not allowed!' Luke cries.
'I'm allowing you, now move!' Mum and Mummy run from the door as Kelsey keeps screaming.
'Well, she's alien chow,' Anne says.
'What is that thing?' Kelsey screams as Mum and Mummy run past her.
'Just shut up and move!' Maria yells. We all run up the stairs just as the alien pulls the door off its hinges. We get to the door of the attic and stop running.

'Right, I'm killing him,' I say.
'No!' Mummy yells.
'I'm doing it, whether you like it or not!'
'I'll be ten seconds.' Mummy opens the door to the attic and runs inside.
'You will die, Miss Smith! You and the squealing pigs!' I place my hand to my stomach and close my eyes. I feel my hand slip inside my body, and I grab my stomach. I pull it out and get ready to fight.
'What the hell did she just do?!' Kelsey screams.
'I'm still up to throwing her to the octopus alien if you are,' Anne says.
'Anne, no one is dying except him,' Mum says. 'Emma put your stomach away.'
'No.' I say.

The alien appears on the landing below and slowly advances towards us. 'First the children, then your girlfriend, then you, old woman.'
'Hey!' Mummy yells, appearing at the top of the stairs with a canister. 'Less of the old!' She presses the top of the canister, and a blot of air hits the alien. It falls back against the stairs and fizzes back into the tour guide. He stares up at us in terror before fleeing the house, leaving a mess of black gloop behind. Mummy produces a pencil from the inside pocket of her cardigan before walking down to inspect the mess. Maria follows her.
'What's going on?' She asks as I put my stomach back.
'Maria, don't get involved.'
'I think it's a bit too late for that. Thanks, you saved our lives.'
'I suppose I did.'

I turn just in time to find Kelsey disappearing up the stairs. 'KELSEY HOOPER, GET BACK HERE!' I yell.
'OH, MY FLIPPING HECK!' Kelsey yells back.
'No! Don't go up there!' Mummy cries, and we all run into the attic. 'Who said you could come up here? Don't touch anything!' Mummy directs that last part at Kelsey, who almost picked up a textbook from Qetanish. She picks it up, and I snatch it off her.
'I'd prefer it if you don't flip through the textbooks the other half of my species gave me, thank you.'
'Is that why the machine at the factory picked you up?' Maria asks.
'That, and my bio-damper failed me.' I show my bracelet to Maria. 'You see that blue gem in the middle? That part is the bio-damper. It's supposed to screen my alien half.'
'And it had to choose today of all days to fail on you,' Mum says.
'It might need a recharge.' I head over to my desk, hidden away close to the safe. Maria follows me and gasps in surprise.

Alien objects and textbooks cover my desk. On one shelf is the charger I use for my bracelet. I take it off and place it on top of the oval charger. Small, metal clamps grow out of the charger and snap onto my bracelet. The charger starts glowing orange as it powers to life before settling on a silver glow. I sit down at my desk and place my textbook on the ever-growing pile of books. On the wall in front of my desk are photographs of my mums and K-9.

'This place is beautiful,' Luke says.
'Thank you,' Mummy says quietly. I turn to Maria and smile.
'Are these textbooks?' Maria asks, gesturing to the pile of books.
'They're from the other half of my species, the Qetesh. They will send some over for the queens and me each year, and they've given us scholarships, so if we want to study on Qetanish, we can. This is the first year they sent textbooks over, so we'll see how we get on.'
'Wow,' Maria smiles.

'Not so bad yourself, fella,' Kelsey says, looking through a magnifying glass.
'What does that mean?' Luke asks.
'He's mine.'
'Is that good or bad?'
'Kelsey, stop hitting on my brother!' I yell at her. 'That's bad, Luke. That's very bad.'

'Is it just you lot? On your own?' Maria asks, walking back to the main area of the attic. I join her. Mummy sits on the stair in the middle of the room, and Mum joins her.
'The government knows all about aliens, and there are secret organisations like Torchwood dedicated to finding them. But they tend to go in all guns blazing, and we think there's a better way,' Mum explains.
'But how did you start all this?' Maria looks around in wonder. 'And what about Emma and the queens? How do they all fit into it?'
Mummy smiles. 'We met this man. A very special man called the Doctor. Years ago, we travelled together.'
'In space?'
'In space and time,' Mummy looks off into the distance as she remembers. Her smile falters. 'But then it came to an end. And suddenly, we went back to our normal lives.'
'For years, we tried to forget,' Mum says. 'Then, Emma was born, and everything changed.'
'So, Emma's your daughter?' Maria asks.
'Our daughter,' Mummy corrects her. 'Emma is the best daughter we could ever ask for. Of course, we had our fair share of problems with her, most of them relating to her being a hybrid, but we wouldn't change anything for the world.' Mummy looks over at me and smiles. 'We kept trying to forget about the Doctor, but we met him at Deffry Vale last year.'
'Oh, I heard about that,' Catalina says. 'That school exploded, didn't it?'
'That was the Doctor,' Mum says. 'Aliens were infiltrating the school disguised as teachers.'
'At least that was the only time it turned out my teachers were aliens,' I say.
'Yes, but it did mean you had to change schools. But it was funny because while we all moved on, we were all still the same. We decided to carry on our lives, here on Earth, doing what we always did.'
'That's when we started this,' Mummy smiles as she looks around the attic. 'We began our lives again.'

'And the queens?' Maria turns to my friends. 'How do you all fit into it?'
'It's a very long story, and Emma hasn't lived through most of it yet,' Jane explains. 'But we'll give you the simplest version we can.'
'Emma was travelling in time,' Anne says, 'she never explained why, and her time machine crashed in Tudor England and broke down. She applied to have a job in Catalina's household, and that's where it started. Emma became a lady-in-waiting in Tudor England. She had to watch most of us die, and even though she knew it would happen, she later said it broke her heart.'
'Then, after my death, the King's eye fell on her,' Kitty says. 'Emma tried her best to stop the wedding, but it was all for nothing. The next year, August 1544, while Henry was fighting in France, Emma travelled to the Tower of London and resurrected us. We've been living through history together ever since.'
'Any interesting bits of history you got involved in?'
'Emma became a Suffragette,' Anna says. 'Then, after 1912, she left. She stopped fighting altogether.'
'Did she have enough, or what happened?'
'Maria, you must understand that 1912 is a sensitive topic for us,' Catalina says. 'Let's just say that something awful happened, and Emma lost her spark. The only way she regained that spark is through her daughter, when she was born in 1913, and her sailing career, which started on the Britannic.'

We then hear a beeping sound coming from the safe. 'He's back!' I cry, a smile forming on my face.
'Another invasion, obviously,' Kelsey says sarcastically. 'Little green men.'
Mummy opens the safe to reveal K-9 and the black hole he's guarding. 'There was a scientific project in Switzerland; they created their own black hole. If it ever gets free, the Earth will get swallowed up, so K-9's sealing it off.'
'He's been in there for a year and a half,' Mum says. 'Every so often, he passes our way.'
'Greetings, Mistress Sarah Jane, Mistress Ruby, Queens,' K-9 says.
'K-9?' Maria asks.
'He's my friend,' Mummy says.
'Your best friend is a dog with its bum stuck in a black hole?' No points in guessing who asked that.
'I know.' Mummy turns her attention back to K-9. 'How are you, K-9? How do you feel?'
'Misunderstanding of the functional nature of this unit, Mistress Sarah Jane. I do not feel. However, all systems are functioning at full capacity.'
'Can you ever come out, K-9?' Maria asks.
'Oh, K-9, this is Maria.'
'Greetings, young mistress. I cannot emerge until the breach is sealed.'
'How long will that take?'
'I cannot estimate the duration of this task.'

'What does he eat, nuts and bolts?' Kelsey jokes.
'The small female is hostile.' Catalina, Anne, Jane, Anna, Kitty, and I start giggling.
'Don't listen to her, K-9,' Maria tells him.
'Regret, I must transfer co-ordinates, mistresses.' K-9 says.
'Bye, bye, K-9,' Mummy says, and I hear her voice breaking. 'Good dog.'
'Affection noted.' K-9 turns away as he prepares to move co-ordinates. Mummy closes the safe when K-9 leaves, locks it, then turns to us. She places her back against it.

'How long's he gone for?' Maria asks.
'We don't know,' Mummy says. 'But we miss him.'
Kelsey starts giggling. 'Don't you dare laugh, Kelsey Hooper!' Mum barks. 'He's our dog. Our daft, little, metal dog.' She places a hand on Mummy's shoulder. Mummy looks at her and offers Mum a small smile.