It was getting dark and the newly christened Keira was nodding off. We'd put 'Keira' to Sarah Jane who had approved of it and the name had stuck from then on in. Rani and Clyde had to be off and Sarah Jane was thinking of supper. She wanted to make something special for Keira's first meal.

Before Clyde and Rani left, they helped as carry all the equipment up the stairs to Mr. Smith. They moaned that they wanted to stay, but they had to get back to their suppers. They left and I plugged and computers and monitors into Mr. Smith so he could look inside their files to see if there was anything that we could use in them. Sarah Jane had been all fingers and thumbs with the cables, not sure where to plug them all into, so I took over and was done in a minute.

Then Sarah Jane went to start supper and I went with Keira to find some more temporary clothes that she could wear. Sarah Jane had gone through some of hers during the day and had picked some that she didn't want any more or she thought would fit Keira, so we dragged the pile into the spare bedroom and started to sort through them.

"Here's something." I tossed her a top that looked like it wouldn't be too big. She laid it down her front to measure up the sizes and made a face when she saw how long it was. I grinned ruefully and carried on looking. "This one?" she caught and measured it, then started to take off her t-shirt.

I immediately looked away before she got it all off. Yes, we were quite similar. She, too, had no idea about earth etiquette the same as me.

"Luke?"

"Yes?" I answered, managing not to turn round as habit told me too when someone said my name.

"When are these coming off?" I turned round to see her motioning to her bandages. I felt a light sweat come up on my forehead. Hadn't she put her top on yet? Mercifully, the bandages covered her entire chest and stomach. She looked pitifully tiny. Next stop: food.

"Soon." I promised. "As soon as your cut gets better. We may need to take you to the Doctor's for stitches though." Blank look. Of course she'd never heard of a Doctors. I had forgotten how hard it was in the beginning. How many things you have to learn.

Thankfully, at that moment, she pulled the top on and went to look in the mirror in her wardrobe. She stood and looked herself as I rooted in the pile for a pair of trousers or a skirt. Something that would cover up her legs and also stay around her thin hips. Nothing, but there was a sarong-like thing she could wrap around.

After another quarter of an hour of rummaging, trying on and me politely looking away, Sarah Jane called us down for supper. Luckily, she now had a half-decent set of clothes to wear. We would just have to go shopping sometime and pick up some clothes that actually fit. Probably aged 9-10.

As soon as she got out into the hall, her head started turning this way and that, sniffing at the air. She could smell the meal that Sarah Jane had made us. She was bound to be hungry, after only eating biscuits. We needed to feed her up. To an outsider, she would look undernourished or anorexic

Usually, Sarah Jane and I sat opposite each other with no other people around our small table. Tonight, Keira sat to my right. She rested her small elbows on the table and looked at the flowers Sarah Jane had placed in a vase in the centre. Sarah Jane had certainly gone to a lot of trouble to make her feel welcome. My welcoming committee was a wonderful night time drink of lemonade with Sarah Jane and Maria. The night they named me and the night Sarah Jane legally adopted me.

As if reading my mind, Sarah Jane handed me some sheets of printed out paper.

"Mr. Smith sorted it all out!" she beamed. I looked at the adoption papers. Keira Smith…It sounded so strange.

"What did you put for her age?" I asked flipping through the papers. There were lots of printouts of laws.

"I made her just old enough to be in your year." Sarah Jane answered. "I didn't want her to be held back and I wanted her to be with someone she was comfortable with, like you had Maria. She'll have you, Rani and Clyde to look after her."

I nodded. It was a good idea, but looking at Keira now I wasn't sure she could pass for someone of my age. She looked like she should be a couple of years below.

"We'll say she's your younger sister. You are old for your age group and Keira's young. You've got over a ten month age gap. It works out fine." She took the paper from me and handed them over for Keira to look at them, ruffling her hair.

This seemed to remind her of something. "We're going to need to cut this hair of her's." she remarked. "It's too long for someone so young to look after. We should chop it to at least her waist. It'll get in the way otherwise."

I nodded, though it would be a shame to cut off that gorgeous mane. It really was ridiculous though.

Sarah Jane served up the fish and chips she had made for Keira's first night. I got the camera out and took a picture of all of us together, enjoying our first meal together as a family. It felt good to think that. We were a family now. Probably one of the strangest families in the country, but still a family. I realised there was one person I wanted desperately to tell all of this to.

Sarah Jane was thinking the same thing.

"What time would it be in America right now?"

After dinner, I took Keira up to the attic again. I didn't want to keep her up too late, but it felt important that I introduce her to Maria.

"Hey Luke!"

Just hearing Maria's voice made me feel nostalgic. When was the last time I had seen her? I remembered waving her off in her taxi. Her face filled the screen in front of me, her smile huge. It was always weird seeing it light there when it's dark here in England.

"I just got back from school!" she informed me with a grin. "How are your GCSE's going? Silly question." She laughed. "You'll be sailing through them." I missed her laugh and her infectious grin.

"They're good thanks, Maria." I answered. "How's everything over there?"

"Aww, it's great!" enthused Maria. "Missing you of course!" Her dad walked across the screen behind her.

"Hi Mr. Jackson!" I called to him. He waved a hand in greeting and walked off the screen.

"There's actually someone I'd like you to meet." I said to Maria. I pointed the screen at Keira who peered into it curiously, her large eyes flickering around, making sense of the image. "This is Keira. She was created, like me." I realised I hadn't mentioned any of this to Keira yet. We needed to talk and ask her if she remembered anything before the alleyway.

"Hi Keira!" Maria was saying. She was always so accepting and friendly to everyone. I don't have half her charm. "So you're Luke's new sister! How is everything?"

"Um, good thank you." Answered Keira shyly. She looked up at me as if to see if this was the right thing to say. I smiled encouragingly back at her. "We just had fish and chips. And apple juice."

I smiled. Of all the things to say.

"Anyway, I won't keep you up." Said Maria, "Unless there's anything else you want to talk about? It's just I've got this Biology paper I need to get finished."

I felt slight disappointment, but I knew she had her own life now in America and I couldn't take up all of her time. She had a whole new school and her own new friends and people to hang around with.

"Sure, shall I tell Clyde and Rani you said hi?"

"Sure. Thanks for calling, Luke, and nice to see you." She smiled at Keira. "Nice to meet you."

I stared for a moment into her darks eyes before she terminated the connection.