Chapter 3

The life of the Ankuris

To be honest, Edain didn't understand a word the doctors were saying. All he could gather was that he wasn't going to grow up (pretty much like Peter Pan in that human story dad used to tell him) and that, for some reason, everybody thought this was the worst news ever. The rest of the conversation was full of technical terms he had never heard, and he wasn't in the mood to try to understand them. Mum and dad seemed very interested in it, though, so he tried not to bother them while they talked to the doctors.

He'd been awake for a few hours now, and so many doctors had visited his room in that time that he was 90% sure he knew every single member of the hospital staff by now. Runa and Ainur had both left once they were sure he was on the mend, and Thais had gotten a special permission from her teachers to stay with him for the day.

She appeared through the door just then, carrying a paper bag. Edain threw his arms up.

"Food! Oh yes! I'm starving!"

Every adult in the room turned to look at him, but he didn't care. He hadn't eaten a thing in three days, it was about damn time he did.

"Thais" he asked once he had finished his sandwich, "What are they arguing about?"

Thais shrugged, but she didn't meet his eye. "I think the doctors won't let you go home today. Dad says that's nonsense, and you could catch another infection in here."

"You're a very bad liar, you know."

She blushed, but didn't defend herself. "What happened in the lab?"

Edain sighed. He had already told the story fifteen times to a ton of doctors that were researching on the Zooficus. But that wasn't Thais' fault, so he narrated quickly the whole thing. He stopped at the moment he had gone blind, though. She didn't need to know any of that.

Mum and dad's argument with the doctors lasted almost the entire evening. It wasn't just a discussion, Edain noticed. Dad was getting really angry. Mum didn't look happy either, but that didn't worry Edain. Mum could be really scary when she was angry, but it was like an explosion: it lasted a short time, and then everything was silent. Dad's anger was slower, and it built up over time. He never exploded. Like never ever. If he did scream, things were deadly serious. And he looked like he was about to.

Dad noticed him looking and led the group outside. Thais sighed.

"Don't worry about that, Ed. They're going to keep talking for a while. C'mon, let's play ludo."

She set up the board and the pieces, but Edain wouldn't pay attention. He was starting to get really worried about the discussion outside.

"What are they arguing about? Really."

"It's nothing, Ed, really. Forget about it."

"If it's nothing, how come they've been talking for hours?"

"Edie, you can't…"

"Can't what? They're talking about me, right? So why can't I know what's going on?" He pulled off the covers. "Okay, then I will find out myself." Gritting his teeth, he tried to stand on his feet. His muscles still ached, and everything turned red for a second.

"Hey, don't do that." Thais pushed him back to bed. "You still can't get up!"

"The hell I can't. I just need to… Argh." He just needed a little bit of time to get up, that was it.

"Edie, seriously, stop." His sister sighed. "You really aren't going to stop until you know what's happening, are you?"

"Nope."

"Okay then, let's make a deal. If you're a good boy and stay in bed until the doctors let you leave, I'll tell you. Deal?"

Edain's eyes lit up. "Deal."

"Very well. How much do you know about the Ankuris?"

"Uh… That I am one, and that they can't grow up. Isn't that everything?"

"Mostly, yes, but I think you're not getting the concept. If you can't grow up, it means you're always going to be a kid. It won't just be your body that doesn't grow, your mind will stay the same too."

"But isn't that good? I mean, everybody says that kids are much better at learning things than grownups are."

"It has some perks, yes, but the point is that you'll always need for someone to take care of you, Edie. You can't make it alone."

"Well, I have mum and dad now."

"Exactly. That's what they say. The problem is, Edie, there are no other Ankuris on Gallifrey. And do you know why? Because their parents trapped their souls in watches and sent them to Earth."

"What? Why would they do that?"

"Because if we turned you into a human, you would grow up like one. There would be no difference between you and the rest of the world. But if you stay on Gallifrey, it's going to get ugly."

"What do you mean ugly?"

"Timelords don't like kids, Edie. Think about it. Some of our people live thousands of years, and they are the most powerful of us. Children aren't important for them."

"So it's like I'm disabled, right?"

"You are disabled, Ed. And most people feel uncomfortable about it. That's the point."

"Well then, screw them. I don't care. But… you don't want me to go, do you?"

He wished that didn't sound so childish.

Thais smiled.

"Of course we don't. Mum and dad made that clear already. That's what they were arguing about earlier."

Edain sighed in relief. He had been really scared for a moment there.

"Wait. If that was earlier, then what are they talking about now?"

"After they made clear that they wanted you to stay, one of the doctors asked for permission to take you to a lab. You know, to do some research on the bacteria. It's really rare, so it could help them a lot. But mum and dad say no. They've been on that subject for the past hour."

"But if I could help…"

"Yeah, I know what you're thinking. But mum knows the researchers, and she says she wouldn't trust them with you, not even a second."

"Whoa. I stand with mum, then."

"You should. Okay, do you want to play now?"

"No. I think I'm going to sleep a little."

"Alright then." Thais tucked him with the blankets. "I'll be right here if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay."

He really was tired, he noticed. Something as simple as sitting up had left him exhausted.

His eyes were already closing when he thought of one last question.

"So what's going to happen now?"

Thais though about it for a second.

"Well, you're going to be a kid forever, and Rassilon told mum you're not allowed in the Academy anymore, so I suppose you'll stay home."

"Rassilon said that…?"

"Yes, but don't worry. Dad's going to teach you instead. It'll be fun for sure. I'm actually jealous."

"Try getting expelled too. We could stay at home together."

She laughed.

"I might as well give it a try." But she didn't sound serious.

"Thais…"

"What?"

"You guys really don't want me to leave, do you?"

"Of course we don't. You're staying with us, got it?"

"Got it."