A/N: The last part of the 3-part mini-adventure "Laser Tag."

As always, kudos and comments are greatly appreciated and will also keep me motivated to post more. Even if you don't have anything to say about it besides "great story," I'm totally okay with that. It'd at least let me know you're enjoying the story.

Chapter 7: Healing

"Give me the keys!" I demanded as I helped Hazel into the passenger-side seat of her car. "I'll drive!"

"But you've never driven my car before," Hazel said as she tried to push me away, as if she wasn't obviously injured. "I'll drive—ow!" She yelped in pain, clutching her burnt arm.

I sighed in exasperation. "Haze, you can't! you're injured, I'm not! It's okay, I'll figure it out. Hurry, the Sontaran could be following us!"

"Sontaran?" Hazel asked with a puzzled frown.

"That's my name for that sicko that attacked us," I explained as I strapped her into her seatbelt. "It doesn't matter. Just give me the keys, quick! It could come out here any second!"

Hazel reluctantly handed over her car keys, practically shoving them into my hand. After I closed the passenger-side door, I ran to the driver's side and pulled the door open.

While I was preparing to get seated in front of the wheel, I immediately paused as I heard an eerie, harsh scraping sound in the distance. It sounded vaguely like the noise I heard in my dream when I was seven, when I dreamt of my biological parents holding my infant body in the large room with the strange circular column from which the noise was emanating from—a noise like a house key scraping along old piano strings. I searched around the parking lot, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from and what it could be. At one point, in the distance on the far side of the lot, I thought I saw a faint blue light shining through some trees, but it was so far away, I couldn't quite see what it was or what was causing it; and, strangely enough, something in my mind told me that the noise was coming from that light.

"What is it, Syd?" Hazel's puzzled voice startled me out of the apparent trance I was in. I glanced at her, and from the look in her chocolate-brown eyes, she didn't seem to hear the otherworldly, yet also strangely familiar, sound.

"Uh, nothing," I said uncertainly, glancing back toward the direction of the sound, the sound that I could no longer hear. "I just…thought I heard a noise." I abruptly shook my head, thinking of Hazel and our near-death experience. "It doesn't matter. We need to leave before the police show up." I then started the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot at a brisk but safe pace.

As I was steering toward the parking lot's exit, Hazel frowned and said, "Uh, it looks like the police are already here." She pointed out the passenger-side window, toward the trees where I saw the strange light. "There's a blue box over there that says 'Police' on it. That's weird. Since when do police use boxes? They haven't used those since the fifties."

I did a quick glance out the window and saw, to my amazement, a large blue box standing innocently between the trees, seemingly inconspicuously. The box looked about the size of an old garden shack with panels and windows occupying every side. Along the top of each side was a sign that read "Police Public Call Box" in bold lettering. When I first laid eyes on the strange object, something sparked in my memory that I couldn't explain—a spark of recognition.

"No idea," I murmured in a reply, trying and failing to comprehend the feelings of familiarity running through my brain. Why do I get the feeling like I've seen that box before? I couldn't help thinking to myself.

"You have?" Hazel turned to me with a frown, and I realized I'd said my thought out loud. Apparently I had a bad habit of doing that unintentionally; although, most times I did it, I was ninety-percent positive that my mouth wasn't moving. "When?" She then gasped, facing the road. "Syd!"

I turned back to the road and slammed on the brakes, almost rear-ending the car in front of us. "Sorry!" I felt the need to apologize.

Geez, Sydney, focus on the road and not a measly little box, I chastised myself, even though it's one I've never seen before, at least here.

"Where did that box even come from anyway?" I briefly wondered aloud. I then shook my head. "It doesn't matter. You're injured; I need to get you home."

"Home?" Hazel exclaimed. "Don't you think a hospital would be better for me? Look at my arm! You can almost see my bone through the burnt flesh!"

"Under normal circumstances, yes, I would send you to the hospital," I said, this time putting my full attention on the road, despite my curiosity of the blue box eating at me; "but I'm not going to take you there."

"Why not?" Hazel asked in an incredulous tone.

"Several reasons," I said. "One: the nearest hospital is much farther than your house. Two: I doubt you'd want to be pointlessly poked and prodded all day long when you can spend your time in the comfort of your own home while your arm heals. Three: I personally can't go to hospitals, because my parents don't allow me to go for fear of the doctors and nurses testing me too. There is a part of me that I don't want them to find out about, and if they found out about it and tried to 'fix' the situation, they could kill me instead of heal me. And four: yes, I can drop someone off at the hospital, but I have a much better way to heal you than anything that typical ailments can do."

"Like what?" Hazel asked, apparently doubtful that I had the knowledge and skill to help her in any way.

I paused. "Uh…you'll see. We'll have to wait until we're behind closed doors first. It's kind of a secret." 'Kind of' being an understatement, I thought in my head. I then said out loud, "Technically, I'm not supposed to tell anyone, not even you. But this is something I can't just keep between my parents and myself."

"So you're gonna break the rules and tell me anyway?" Hazel said with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course," I nodded; "you're my best friend. Friends tell each other everything. There's still a lot about me that you don't know." Actually, there was just one thing she didn't know about me (that being my non-humanness), but I guessed my two hearts and regenerative powers were things that combined to make me appear not human.

"I don't understand," Hazel shook her head. "How're these 'secrets' gonna heal me?"

I sighed. This was not how I imagined I would reveal these secrets to her. I had hoped I would show her when things weren't so chaotic, when we weren't under some alien threat like we were during our Laser Tag game just minutes ago.

When my life wasn't so complicated, I added in my head.

"You'll see," I said. "How I'm going to heal you is the secret. Of course, it may come as a shock to you, so I don't want you to scream and alert your brother if he's around."

Hazel sighed as well. "Well, if he is around, I doubt he'd be remotely concerned for me. He's worthless and doesn't care about anyone but himself. He's much like Sam, just less…narcissistic."

We both laughed, as we knew that was all too true. Although, I couldn't help but feel sorry for Hazel. I couldn't imagine having a sibling that didn't have a care in the universe about me, even if my life (lives) was on the line.

I shrugged. "Well, just in case he tries to barge in, I'll lock the door. I certainly don't want him finding out about this secret. It's probably the biggest secret I have." If being born a non-human isn't, I thought in my head. Suddenly thinking of Sam, I said, "Speaking of Sam, I hope he's alright. I didn't see him on the way out, except in the arena before I rescued you."

"Yeah, I didn't see him either," Hazel shook her head; "not since the game started. His friends, though… Brian Daniels…he got shot and killed right in front of me."

I nodded gravely. "Yeah, the same thing happened with Cyrus. He tried to flee, only to be shot in the back. I'm not sure if he survived." A part of me felt responsible for his and Brian's death, as I could've saved them, urged them to leave, rather than have my curiosity of the situation get the better of me like it ultimately did.

"That was so horrible," Hazel said, squeezing her eyes shut, feeling disturbed. "That was almost us, Syd! We were almost killed by that…that… What did you call it; a Sultan?"

"Sontaran," I corrected. "I'm pretty sure that thing wasn't human."

"I don't think so either," Hazel agreed. "I mean, that thing had three fingers; only three! I can't imagine what it would've looked like without its helmet."

"Me neither," I said, feeling a shudder run down my spine, just thinking about what monstrosity we might've witnessed if its face weren't covered. "Good thing it was wearing a helmet, huh?"

"Yeah," Hazel agreed again. She then glanced uncertainly at me. "How did you stop it? That armor it was wearing looked hard to smash through, and you just whacked it on the back of the neck, and it collapsed so easily. How did you do that?"

"I don't know," I said honestly. "There was a little vent-hole on the back of its collar that acted as a sort of breathing apparatus, and I just whacked it, hoping I'd clog it or something. Thank God it worked, or we both would've been toast."

Hazel sighed. "Well, whatever you did, you saved my life."

"No prob," I said with a smile; "you would've done the same."

"Actually, I don't know," Hazel said hesitantly. "I honestly don't think I would've had the courage to. I'm surprised you did."

"Me too," I agreed. "To be honest, I'm not sure where I got the courage from. I guess I must've suddenly found it in my hearts or something."

"Hearts?" Hazel suddenly asked, puzzled.

Fudgeknuckle, I cursed myself for accidentally revealing my 'two hearts' secret. "Uh, did I say 'hearts?'" I said, trying to play dumb. "I meant to say 'heart.' Duh, 'cause humans have only one heart; it'd be impossible for them to have two, right? Unless you're an octopus; in which case, you'd have three."

"Uh, Syd…are you alright?" Hazel said in a concerned tone. Clearly I was playing too much dumb, and she wasn't believing any of it. Of course not, I chastised myself, because I'm an idiot. "You're acting really weird again, but at least this time it's not 'something bad is about to happen' weird." Her tone briefly made me wonder which version of 'weird' she preferred I acted. I honestly didn't know which one I preferred.

"Uh…no, I'm fine," I said, suddenly having a hard time keeping a firm grip of the steering wheel, as my palms were sweaty. "I'm just still shaken from the near-death experience, that's all. Sometimes I say things that don't make sense when I'm flustered. Anyway, it doesn't matter; we're almost to your house."

Yeah, like Haze would believe that lie, I scoffed to myself.

Hazel glanced uncertainly out the window. "Yeah, we would be if you hadn't missed the turn just now."

Apparently, she was right; I had missed the turn. I guess that's what I get for almost giving away my secret at the wrong time, I thought dismally to myself. I apologized and corrected our path to her house, but there was a downside: the missed turn cost Hazel an extra two minutes in agony from her burnt arm, and it was my fault. Some savior I am, I thought, mentally slapping myself in the face for my stupidity.

We arrived to Hazel's house five minutes later (or what should've been three, if I hadn't missed the turn), neither of us saying a word to each other during that time, mainly because I was embarrassed with myself for the way I acted. It wasn't until after we entered her house when I finally spoke up, "It looks like we have the house to ourselves." Hazel told me shortly after she picked me up earlier in the day that her parents would be out of town for the weekend, so she'd be home alone with her obnoxious brother; that was, if he wasn't staying out late with friends like he often did. Not that it mattered, as Hazel had invited me over for a sleepover the previous day.

It wasn't until I walked further into the house by the stairs that I suddenly heard loud music coming from one of the upstairs bedrooms. "I stand corrected," I sighed. "Sounds like your brother is having a party upstairs. We should crash." I then noticed Hazel's incredulous stare, and I instantly thought better. "Oh my god, I'm kidding."

"Actually, you'd be surprised he may not mind you crashing," Hazel said as she went into the kitchen and started sifting through the cabinets and drawers. "I overheard him talking with one of his friends on the phone the other day that he's developing a crush on you."

I almost gagged. "Seriously? Your brother has a crush on me? Wow! And here I thought he only had a crush on himself." For some reason, I was having a hard time believing that story.

Hazel laughed. "Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. The last time he talked to me was to ask if you were seeing anyone."

I snorted. "Well, of course I can see everyone; my vision is excellent."

"Uh, I meant 'seeing anyone,' as in 'looking for a potential date,'" Hazel clarified.

I laughed again. "Yeah, I know; I was just teasing. And no, I am not seeing anyone; certainly not him." The image of me dating, or even marrying, her good-for-nothing brother suddenly popped into my head, and I felt the need to stick pins into my eyes for it. No! Thank! You! I thought in disgust.

Hazel laughed again as well. "That's exactly what I said." She suddenly groaned in irritation.

"What are you doing?" I asked in concern.

"I'm looking for the First-Aid Kit," she said, slamming a drawer closed with a loud bang. "We usually keep it in this drawer. It must've gotten moved again."

"Oh, we don't need that," I said, shaking my head.

"What?" Hazel frowned, puzzled.

"I told you, I have a better way to heal you than anything that typical ailments can do," I explained. "With a burn like that, nothing you have in the First-Aid Kit will help you."

"Which is exactly why you should've dropped me off at the hospital," she argued. "No offense, Syd, but you don't have the medical expertise to heal me. And like you said, there's nothing in the First-Aid Kit that will help me."

I sighed, feeling guilty. "You're right. I may not have any medical expertise, but I have the power to heal you."

"'Power?'" Hazel asked, frowning again. "What do you mean, 'power?'"

"I'll show you," I said, gesturing for her to follow me. "Upstairs." I then noticed her seemingly doubtful look as she approached me. "Trust me," I said calmly.

Still seeming uncertain, Hazel did as I requested as we went upstairs and crept past her brother's room—not that we needed to, because he was playing his music so loudly that he wouldn't have been able to hear anything, not even a robbery—and into her room.

"Are you sure about this?" Hazel asked after we entered her room. "I still think we should get back in my car, and you drive me to the hospital."

"Would you rather I take you to the hospital, but you have to deal with a burnt arm for several days?" I said as I closed and locked her door. "Or would you want your arm to be healed my way, where you're completely healed in two seconds?"

"How would you heal this in two seconds?" she asked with a frown. "This looks much worse than even a third-degree burn."

I sighed as we sat down on her bed. "I know this all looks strange, me about to heal you without need of a First-Aid Kit…"

"Ha!" Hazel scoffed. "'Strange' wouldn't be my word for it. More like 'mad,' 'crazy,' 'insane!'"

"Well, what you're about to witness might just be the most insane thing you've ever seen," I shrugged. "Also, as I've mentioned before, this might be my biggest secret I have; in which case, it is absolutely vital that you don't tell anyone. I promised my parents that I wouldn't tell anyone, not even you; and you've already guessed that I'm risking a lot to break this promise. In fact, I am literally risking my life to do this."

"Your life?" Hazel cocked her head to the side with a raised eyebrow. "How?"

I figured she wouldn't understand much without an explanation first, so I decided to give her one. "Do you remember learning about Regeneration in Biology?" I asked to start off the explanation.

"Kind of," Hazel said, her raised eyebrow still present. "It's when an animal renews its body, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's very common with lizards and starfish…and possibly Time Lords."

"Time Lords?" she asked, her frown also showing no changes. She then paused. "Wait, that Sultan—Sontaran, sorry—mentioned it was looking for a 'Time Lord female.' I'm assuming it was talking about one of us, since we were the only females in the arena; but it confirmed I wasn't the one, so it must've been talking about you. The school intruder back in Second Grade mentioned he was looking for a 'Time Lord' as well."

I nodded again. "Yeah, I'll get to that later. Anyway, Regeneration…that's the secret I'm going to show you."

"How?" Hazel asked, looking me up and down. "You don't even have a scratch on you."

"This is a different kind of Regeneration," I explained. "Normally, when a limb is lost or cut off, a lizard can simply re-grow it back, same with starfish. But with Time Lords, I think it's different. For them…" I paused, thinking that I might be part of this group—or rather, species—too. "For us, we can conjure up a light from our bodies, which bursts out like a firework and completely rewrites our DNA where we look completely different from our original bodies. This exact thing happened to me when I was four years old."

"What happened?" Hazel asked curiously.

"Since my adult teeth were growing in at such an early age for me, my parents gave me aspirin to help soothe the pain," I explained, "but it gave me a severe allergic reaction and almost killed me. But instead of just dying, I regenerated into a whole new person. Actually, I don't look that much different from my previous body; just physically older and taller. Although, it could also be that I didn't want to change. Why would I want to anyway?"

Hazel shook her head. "I wouldn't really want to eith—argh!" She suddenly screamed in pain, clutching her arm.

"Hazel!" I cried, alarmed, as I laid a hand on her shoulder. "I need to stop rambling," I chastised myself. "I need to heal you…right now."

"But…didn't you say you'd…literally be risking your life to do it?" Hazel panted, seeming to barely get a word out because of the pain.

"Yeah, I'll probably be sacrificing a year or two of my life," I said in a no-big-deal manner, which, to me, it wasn't, because Hazel's well-being was more important than my own life. She was only human, after all, and I, apparently, wasn't. Who really knew how long Time Lords could live up for, but humans only had one life, and that was all they would get.

I then shook my head. "It doesn't matter. You need to be healed, or it's just going to get worse."

"Of course your life matters!" Hazel said incredulously. "It sounds like you could die after doing this!"

I shook my head. "Not if the light still exists within me. As long as I still possess the energy, I can't die. I guess that's part of being 'Time Lord,' whatever that is. Hopefully my bio-parents will know. Although, as a female, you'd think I'd be called a Time Lady instead. Or, maybe not. Female humans are still called 'humans' instead of 'huwomen.'" Damn it, Sydney, stop rambling! I groaned in my head. "Sorry, rambling again," I said out loud. "Anyway, it doesn't matter how much of my life I'd be sacrificing; I have to heal you now."

I raised my hand in preparation to conjure up the energy, even though it had been over a decade since I had done it last, but this didn't mean that I had forgotten how to conjure it. The reason why I hadn't used my energy in so long was because I didn't want to attract any more danger to our town, certainly not to my family or Hazel. I had promised myself that I was only going to use my energy if I was ever in a life-death situation; and considering what had almost happened with Hazel during Laser Tag, I felt this was one of those instances. Obviously, that laser gun the Sontaran used did a lot of damage to Hazel's arm, and I doubted any human medicines would heal an injury as severe as hers. This only meant one thing: only my energy—the energy of a Time Lord—would heal her.

"Wait!" Hazel cried, raising her good arm up to stop me. "What are you going to do?"

"Remember the 'light' I told you about?" I asked. After she nodded, albeit uncertainly, I said, "Well…" Shortly after, I made my hand glow gold with the energy. "This is it," I said, raising my glowing hand. Hazel immediately screamed and shied away from me. "Haze, it's okay!" I assured her. "It's not going to hurt you. In fact, it's going to do the exact opposite. You'll see."

"What…" Hazel was speechless, which wasn't a surprise. "How…"

"It's complicated," I sighed sadly. If I was born normal, I wouldn't have looked like a total freak to her, if that was truly how she was seeing me. Of course seeing someone with glowing hands wasn't normal. "Do you trust me?"

After spending several moments in seeming indecision, Hazel eventually nodded and scooted back over to me.

I sighed again. "Okay. Hold still."

I took a deep breath as I gently lowered my glowing hand on her burnt arm. She flinched for just a second, but she composed herself and stayed still like I asked. I kept my hand on the burnt spot until I could see that the injury was completely healed. After a few seconds, I lifted my hand away to reveal her fully mended arm.

"Oh…my…god!" Hazel cried in genuine shock as my hand stopped glowing. She felt along her arm as if trying to find any evidence of an injury, but there wasn't one. It turned out that my energy could make even scars disappear.

"How does your arm feel?" I asked hesitantly, hoping that Hazel no longer felt any pain.

"How did you do that?" Hazel asked instead of answering.

I chuckled. "That doesn't really answer my question. Anyway, to answer yours, I don't really know; I just did it on command. Like I said, it's complicated."

"How long have you had this ability?" she asked another question that was similar to the first.

I shrugged. "Forever, I guess." This was an honest answer, as I didn't truly know how I could do something like this, nor where it came from. For a long time, I guessed my powers came from some genetic experiment gone wrong by my bio-parents, but later I started thinking that maybe I was actually born with them. From my research on Regeneration, we didn't have the technology to allow the human body to completely change its physical form at will, not to mention conjuring up an otherworldly golden light, or even growing in a second heart after the first time. This meant I had to have gotten these abilities from another source—from a source that was not from this planet; but what source from what planet, I didn't know. Again, this was something I figured only my bio-parents would know, as they must've possessed the same abilities; if only I knew who they were and how to find them.

Hazel then got up from her bed and started pacing back-and-forth. "Wow, I have so many questions," she said.

I laughed. "Well, you've already asked two of them. There's plenty more where that came from. You have all weekend to ask them; of course, you can't ask them in front of my parents. I broke my promise by sharing this secret to you." I then paused, feeling a strong sense of guilt hit me like a punch to the gut. "Of course, I may have also attracted danger to our town…again."

Hazel suddenly stopped her pacing mid-step. "You attracted danger here? How did you do that? And what did you mean, 'again?' Are you saying this wasn't the first time you've done this?"

I shook my head. "I don't know." I then sighed, feeling the need to confess. "You remember the school intruder saying that there were a lot of beings in the universe that could smell 'Time Energy' across the cosmos? Well, I think he was referring to my regeneration energy, the energy I just now showed you. Apparently, every time I use it, there are people out there—dangerous people—that can sense it; and when they do, they immediately come running after it like a moth to a flame. I think that was how the school intruder incident happened. I may have brought him here when I stupidly used my energy to heal a paper cut a few days before."

"And now that you used your energy to heal my arm, you think you attracted more dangerous people here?" Hazel asked to clarify what I said.

I shook my head again. "I'm not exactly sure. We won't know unless the danger actually shows up, which could happen anytime. I'm sorry, Haze. I may have accidentally attracted a dangerous psychopath from another world to your house, and it's only a matter of time before it shows up."

"Well, what are you going to do if it does show up?" she asked a bit nervously. I knew she wouldn't have liked the idea of a dangerous person—or alien—showing up at her house, and I thought she would've thought the same way about me. Then again, I figured if I protected her with my Martial Arts skills, maybe she'd think differently—that I was an alien that protected her from other aliens.

I smirked. "I guess I'll use my black belt to kick its ass, show the sicko that this planet is protected."

"Surely not just by you," Hazel pointed out the painfully obvious.

"Oh, no, of course not," I said, shaking my head; "that'd be too much of a responsibility. I'm sure my parents are working just as hard to protect this planet too. My bio-parents, I mean. If I ever meet them, maybe we could save the world together, as a family. How fantastic would that be?"

Hazel nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that would be very cool." She then said, changing the subject, "So…a Time Lord… You think that's what you are; I mean, your species? I mean, from what you just showed me, no human being could possibly do something like that. You can't be human."

"Would you be surprised if I told you I wasn't?" I asked a little hesitantly, not knowing how she'd react. "Not that I know I'm not human; it's just a theory."

She nodded. "Of course I'd be surprised…" She then shook her head. "But I wouldn't hate you."

I perked up at her declaration. "Really? You wouldn't hate me? Good, that's what I was afraid of."

"Of course I wouldn't hate you," Hazel said as if it was obvious. "You're my best friend. I'd still consider you my best friend, even if you were actually a tiny slug in a human suit."

I suddenly frowned, feeling grossed out at the idea. "Really?" For all I knew, I could've been.

She then thought better. "Okay, maybe not as a slug, but you know what I mean."

I smiled and wrapped my arms around her in a hug. "Thanks, Haze. You're the greatest friend anyone—human or non-human—could ask for." It was the truth. My whole life, I was worried that I would lose my best and only friend if she suddenly decided that she didn't like the idea of being friends with an otherworldly 'being,' like me. I was very grateful to be wrong.

After a few minutes, I sighed and said, "Wow, this was definitely not how I imagined we would start our 'well-deserved summer break.'"

Hazel laughed in agreement. "I know, right? First, we ran into peacock, Sam Davies, from school; then, we were almost killed by a psychotic armored dwarf from another world during what was once an innocent game of Laser Tag; and now, you've just shared with me the biggest, and possibly most dangerous, secret of your life."

"Or lives, considering that I've lived two so far," I pointed out.

"Yeah," Hazel nodded. She then asked curiously, "How many more times do you think you can 'regenerate,' as you say?"

I sighed, shaking my head. "I don't know. As of right now, that may be the only time. I honestly don't want to 'die' again and find out; the first time was excruciating enough. At least now I know to stay away from aspirin." This statement briefly made me wonder if all Time Lords had this allergy, or if it was just me. Either way, I knew the damage it caused to my body and planned to never take the med again.

"Right." She then sighed. "Well, you were right about one thing: there were definitely a lot of things I still didn't know about you."

"Did I mention that I also have two hearts?" I said, thinking I'd might as well reveal that secret too. It was only fair, all things considered.

Hazel then frowned, shaking her head in exasperation. "Okay, now you're just making things up."

"No, I kid you not!" I said with genuine honesty. "You got a stethoscope?" I figured using a stethoscope would be the easiest thing to use as proof to show her my two hearts, but she said she didn't, so I suggested she put her ear to my chest instead, which she ultimately agreed with, albeit awkwardly, as she seemed to feel a bit uncomfortable by leaning her head against my chest, to which I responded that it wasn't a big deal.

Without further questions, she placed her ear against my chest for a few seconds, and when she straightened back up, her face bore the expression of shock, which wasn't a surprise. I then explained my theory about how the second heart appeared, and that they were why I wasn't allowed to go to hospitals—the reason being that the doctors and nurses would think the extra heart was a birth defect, or something of the sort, and would think to have it removed, which would kill me. I figured my bio-mom had explained this when she handed me over to my guardians on the night they adopted me.

"Wow," Hazel said, still genuinely shocked, "you are definitely not human."

"Unfortunately, I might have to agree," I sighed sadly.

"Unfortunately?" Hazel asked, puzzled. "Why do you say that?"

"I never asked to be born this way," I explained. "I never asked to be 'Time Lord,' whatever that is, and that's the main problem. I don't even know what a Time Lord is; I'd never heard of such a thing. For a long time, I thought the name came out of a Star Trek episode, and you'd be surprised how disappointed I was when I found out that wasn't the case. For years, I've been trying to find any and all information on the Time Lords, including my bio-parents, and every time I've come up empty-handed. I'm getting sick and tired of not knowing what I am or where I come from. You have no idea what that's like. Heck, 'Sydney Elise' may not even be my real name; for all I know, 'Nova Susan Song' might be, if she isn't my sister. If I were born a normal human, things would make so much more sense. As a Time Lord—Lady, whatever—nothing makes sense to me."

Everything I said was the truth. My whole life I was raised as a human, simply because I thought I was human; however, this turned out not to be the case. Apparently, my whole life, I was raised as something I wasn't…something I never was. Apparently, I was never human; instead, I was a Time Lord…always a Time Lord. How was I supposed to be something I was born as but was never raised as, especially when I knew absolutely nothing about them? I was frustrated at this, but I was more terrified than anything else. For all I knew, I was a descendant of one of the most malevolent species in the universe, and I couldn't imagine how people would react to me—how they'd treat me—if they found out.

Hazel shook her head incredulously. "Syd, you don't get it. As humans, most things don't make any sense for us either. We're all just cooped up in our own problems to really have the patience to understand what really goes on in the world. It's incredibly hard for us too." She then put a soothing arm around my shoulder. "And I bet we're not the only ones with this problem. I bet there are lots of species in the universe that are dealing with the same issue on their planet. This feeling you're having of not fitting in, it's completely normal for everyone…no matter what species you are, apparently."

That seemed to lift my spirits up a bit. Hazel was right, of course. This changed my way of seeing the world so much better. I couldn't believe I'd never thought of it that way before.

I smiled, wrapping her up in another hug. "Thanks, Haze. You sure know how to make a person happy…even a Time Lord." This made Hazel laugh as well.

After I released her from our hug, Hazel said incredulously, "Holy bologna, this changes our friendship so much! Ever since I met you, I thought you were…well…just like me—normal and human. But you're not! I mean, you're not human! Never in my life would I have thought I'd be friends with an alien."

"Hey!" I couldn't help but feel slightly offended at her statement. I guessed I thought the idea seemed downright ludicrous to her.

She then shook her head, thinking better. "Oh, no, I'm not saying that's a bad thing; it's a good thing. It's awesome! I'm sure a lot of people would give up anything to be friends with an alien." She then paused. "Oh, I'm sorry. They'd give up anything to be friends with a Time Lord. Being called an 'alien' must be really offensive to anyone outside Earth, right?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, probably. If you ever meet my bio-parents, who might be ali—Time Lords—too, be sure to not use that term around them. You wouldn't want to offend them."

"Deal," Hazel laughed as well.

After this conversation, I couldn't stop thinking about my bio-parents, whether or not I would ever meet them, and if they'd take me back if I did. If not, I would at least want to know about my ancestry and where I—we—came from. The idea of not knowing what I was terrified me to my core, and I had often had nightmares about never fitting in or being treated like an outcast, but at least Hazel was willing—or at least seemed to be willing—to still be friends, even if I was a slug in a human suit, as gross as that sounded.

Despite everything, one thing was for sure: I was happy to have a friend like Hazel.

A/N: TO BE CONTINUED!