Jus' so you know, this story is supposed to be in year 2903, soooo.... in some places its pretty void of technology while in others, machinery is everywhere.... well, you'll see. This story's gonna have quite a few sequels, since I'm beginning to link some of my stories together. ________________________________

A Starlight I Once Knew © Emily Anne D.

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Sam paces in circles around his room, occasionally glancing irritably at his computer.... Minutes pass before he finally stops at his desk and sits down, switching on the computer microphone. A small box comes up on the screen, stating that it is recording.

"Computer log, day one...... the alien has landed. I believe that it is currently residing in my neighbors' home, Manda and Jimmy Morrison. The alien was seen, by me, Sam Trewper, being driven away in by Manda Morrison last night.... in the back of her truck.......

"The being was injured, dazed, or simply peaceful. It was not attempting an escape.... Perhaps Mrs. Morrison wasn't aware that it was there, though she did mention seeing an angel, which might have been a mistake on her part.... I will be visiting my neighbors shortly..... but first...."

Sam poses for the web-cam he had set up the day before.

"I must prepare myself.... Good day."

Switching off the camera and mic., Sam goes to take a shower.

"Dun' ye worry abou' tha' swea' heart. Mamma Manda's go' ev'thang unda control."

Masking his annoyance with a blank look, Nilden watches as Manda dials up a number on her phone. He hears a dull ringing sound and then a click.

"Benneh!"

'...... M-Mrs. Morrison?'

"Tha' it is, Benneh. Ah need ta call ye up on ye'r favor, as ye ah'r owin' meh."

'Oh.... oh, well..... ok...... I do owe you, but-'

"Ne' talkin' buts, boy!" Manda gives the phone a stern look and smirks as she practically hears the receiver cringe.

'Y-yes ma'am.'

"Ah need ye ta put a frien' o' mine inta theh system, Benneh."

'........... What??!'

"Ah've sen' ye a photah o' him so ye cin ma'e a ID for 'im."

'But.... But everyone is put into the system as soon as they're born, how the hell is he not already in there? That's impossible, unless he's not human and the others don't go in-'

"Benneh, Ah knows ye ain' tryin' ta snoop nah, ah'r ye?"

'...... No ma'am..... I'll get right on it, ma'am.'

"Ah though' so. Ah knew ye was a good boy, Benneh."

Far away, in the city of New York

A young man with elbow-length dyed-green hair stares around at the room he is sitting in, the metal walls snaked with wires on any space a screen or keypad does not cover.... huddled in a shadowed corner, a small, sheet-less cot and a table stick out gloomily, not looking especially used. Any who entered the room would be attacked viciously by the strong smell of old Ramen Noodles.

Benny sighs, running an alarmingly pale hand through his hair, blue eyes wide as he quickly answers, "Yes ma'am" five more times into the phone, to whoever he is talking to. Finally, the woman's voice on the other end stops and Benny hangs up.

Pulling the wrinkles out of the black *I Love Me Hacker* t- shirt he had been wearing for over a week, Benny shuffles resignedly to one of the smaller consoles surrounding him to begin his next assignment.

'Dammit..... I was looking forward to going home today.... getting mom to do my laundry...... maybe actually eat something other than stale crackers I found a month ago..... oh well....'

Not five minutes after the call, Manda hobbles down into the basement and sits down in front of her ancient computer. Opening up her e- mail account, she waits expectantly.... and is not disappointed.

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Mrs. Morrison,

I've got him into the system and I'll be sending his ID in the mail. There are still a few things I will need to work out, but this should be enough for now. I've set your friend up with a temporary, basic, profile, just in case anyone looks him up, or if Nilden needs a job, they will definitely bring up his info. I wasn't sure from the picture, but I'm assuming that he's a guy..... if not, I can change that...

Name: Nilden Geo

Age: 19

Sex: Male?

Born: September 23, 2884

School: Livin' High School Graduate student- High Honors

Records- No offenses

That's all I've got into the system so far, it should be enough for him to pass himself off as a citizen. I'll be making an ID ring, of course, you'll be getting it in the mail. For all anyone knows, you are now a grandmother. Congrats! :) I wasn't sure if 'he's a guy or not, but looking at the picture I made a guess, let me know if it's wrong and I'll change it.

Happy to be of service,

Benny Guy _______________

Manda smiles gently at the boy's light humor, sending a quick thanks, and heads upstairs to give Nilden the good news, her steps quick and perky. Halfway to the guestroom, she pauses, her expression thoughtful.

'..... ya know, I never really thought what sex the angel is....... I think Nilden's a boy....'

Nodding to herself, Manda tucks away the question to ask Nilden. Now sidetracked, she heads to her own room and begins rummaging through a drawer. Smiling gently, Manda pulls out a long-haired brown wig, a reminiscent gleam in her eyes, before setting it softly down on her bed.

Manda skirts around the corner of her bed and opens a make-up cabinet, plucking out a small container shaped almost like glasses. Popping it open a tiny fold of paper flutters out, leaving a small metal piece with miniscule attachments sticking out like spider legs. Picking up the paper, Manda unfolds its creased edges and reads fondly.

_________________

Try not to use this too often. Your eyes are too beautiful to hide.

Love ya babe,

Cara

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'..... If you only knew how much I'm forced to hide these days.......'

Sighing, Manda drops the paper on the floor, gathering up the wig to bring to Nilden in his room. As she passes the door on the right side of her bed, it opens. Jimmy peeks his head in, eying the items in Manda's hands with distaste.

"Ye'r ne' usin' tha' a'r ye?" He asks gruffly, caterpillar brows scrunching disapprovingly.

"No, you idiot. I know I'm not allowed, this is for the boy."

".... Ye don' ser'ly thin' he's ah'n ange' do ye?"

"......... I admit that he probably isn't, but what harm has he done?"

Jimmy simply snorts, snapping the door to his interconnected room shut. He didn't have time to delve into an actual conversation with his partner.... it was bad enough that he was forced to marry her.

Humming her irritation, Manda shakes a tangle of wiry white hair from her face, striding from her room and up a second flight of stairs to the attic guestroom. Upon reaching the door, she slumps slightly, into a more senile stance, and knocks gently with her knuckles.

Nilden slowly opens the door to 'his' room, a single wide eye staring out wearily. Seeing Manda, Nilden smiles shyly and lets the door swing open the rest of the way on its own accord. Manda is greeted by the sight of a small room with a blue sheeted bed in the right corner, a desk with mirror next the door, and a large dressor in the middle of the left wall. "Hi."

"H'lo, dear. How'r ye doin'? Comfeh in he'r?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Ye'r wel'cm." Manda pats Nilden on the arm, shuffling to the desk to set down her items.

Nilden stares at the mass of fake hair and the plastic container curiously, looking back and forth between them and the old women who had put them there. "..... What are those, Manda?" He asks quietly.

"We' Ah figur'd, ye can' poss'bly blen' in lookin' li'e ye do. Se, Ah'm givin' ye a disgahz."

".... Oh. Thank you, Manda."

"Ne need to than' meh. Jus' use 'em we'."

"I will.... how do they work?"

Beckoning Nilden closer, Manda picks up the wig and fans it out with a flourish before draping it over his head, using hidden clips to keep it held in place firmly. Opening the container, she dips her finger inside, the metal piece stuck to the tip when she takes it out.

Placing the piece directly beside Nilden's eye, she pushes gently, activating the sensors and causing the small tendrils to latch onto the skin there. Nilden's eyes flash a bright blue briefly before settling on a chocolate brown color.

"......... very good....."

"Ah though' ye'd thin' so."

"Where did you get this?"

"We', thi' sorta thang ain' tha' rare to co' by. Pe'ple'r a'way wantin' ta chan' som'thin' bou' themse'ves."

"Oh."

"An' goo'ness knows, Ah use' ta play preten' a lo' no' so long ago."

Nilden raises an eyebrow at this statement, but does not question it, instead looking to his reflection in the desk's mirror. A small smile curves his lips tentatively as he stares with an expression of almost-fear. Nilden looked like a normal human apart from his pallor. An extremely feminine human, but a human just the same.

"..... Oh, Ah almo' fo'got. Ye'r a gah, righ'?"

".... What?"

"A gah..... A male."

"Oh..... I...... Yes. Yes, I am a male....."

"Good."

Nilden nods silently, still admiring his reflection. Manda turns to exit the room as she hears the distant sound of someone ringing the doorbell. Jogging as fast as is believable for an old woman down the stairs, she calls out to the person on the front porch. "Coming!"

Nilden slowly begins to unclip the wig, but pauses as he hears something trotting up the stairs and then nails tapping on the wooden floor. Turning, Nilden stares at the small animal at his feet, not knowing what to make of it. He had never seen a dog before and this creature seemed absurdly strange with it's puffed out brown hair and curled tail, a pink tongue seemingly sticking out of nothing but a mass of tangles fur.

'.... That's what I saw in the vehicle on the way here....' Kneeling down, Nilden reaches out tentatively and runs a hand through the dog's tail, receiving an energetic whine for his efforts. Giggling, he continues to pet the small creature, delighted by the happy sounds.

After a minute or two, Jimmy's mildly annoyed voice calls up the stairs. "Qui' ye'r racket, Skippet! Ah'm tryin' ta sleep ye stupi' mutt!"

Making a face resembling a pout, Nilden hugs Skippet close and stands, carrying him to his bed. Picking up the book that Manda had distracted him from, Nilden cuddles against Skippet's fur and continues his reading.

-

Pacing back and forth in front of the door, Sam waits impatiently for one of the Morrisons to answer. Glancing sideways, he sees an almost abnormally large cow watching him calculatingly, chewing a clod of dirt and dried grass slowly. Shaking his head, Sam puts that out of mind. 'Paranoid much? A spying cow??! Next you'll be-'

Sam's hand freezes right before pressing the doorbell a third time as a ruffled looking Manda Morrison appears. Raising an eyebrow at her somewhat lop-sided hair, he smiles charmingly at the elder woman. 'She wears I wig! I knew she was bald!'

"Hey, Mrs. Morrison."

"Sam! Mah goo'ness, seein' you two times in such a shor' time?"

"uh, yea. I was just wondering..... did you see anything unusual last night- '

"Apar' from the angel, ne.'

Sam bites his lip, and stares down at the ground momentarily before looking back up. "Yea, about that angel..... are you sure....... well, I mean, it could be an easy mistake......"

"Sam Trewpah! Ye best no' be snoopin'!"

"What?" Sam's eyes dart sideways minutely. "No! Nonono, it's just that I'm looking for this-"

Manda smiles, speaking as if she were talking to an upset child. "Oh, ah see wha' this is all 'bout. Ye're still goin' on 'bout tha' alien bus'ness."

"Well, actually-"

"Now ye lis'n ta meh, boy. Don' ye be both'rin wi' tha' pish-posh. I' ain' gonna do nothin' for ye in the end, mar' mah words, Sammeh."

"....... Yes ma'am...."

"Na', co' insi' an' have so' tea."

"Ok, ok....." Sam grumbles. Looking up out of instinct, he catches sight of a lamp lit in the attic window, Manda's dog Skippet barking down at him excitedly.

'Isn't that the guestroom?'

-

Nilden takes a deep, shaking breath; clutching Skippet close. He had heard the conversation between Manda and Sam vaguely and though he hadn't made out all of it, the general gist was obvious.... That human knew what Nilden was, or at least suspected it.

Running a hand self-consciously through his hair, Nilden stands, dumping Skippet onto the bed, and begins pacing. 'Did the human know what he looked like? Would he recognize him? Did this mean he would have to leave and go into hiding?'

Whimpering quietly to himself, Nilden tugs a lock of somewhat wire-like brown hair, a few strands of his own white mixing unnoticeably with the fake.

-

Sam fidgets, watching blankly as Manda shuffles around her small kitchen. Looking around the familiar room, he searches his memories of this room. He hadn't actually visited this house since he was at least seven. The 'wooden log illusion' wallpaper still clung to the plaster walls, though the years could now be seen with through the peeling. A short counter runs straight across the room, the fridge and stove appearing to be squished in the middle.

Tapping his nails on the small wooden table's surface, Sam squirms in his chair, his curiosity piqued by the light sounds of pacing above. Judging by its faintness, he could tell it was coming from the attic. Everything in the old house could be heard, no matter how small the sound..... Sam could hear Jimmy snoring on the second floor.

"Here ye' go, Sammeh Dear."

Sam jumps, then grins abashedly for his behavior, accepting the tea Manda holds out to him, graciously. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Ye're welcome, Darling."

Quickly finishing the drink off, Sam stands. "Well, I-"

"Yes, you probably should be going."

"What? No, I-"

"Go on, then."

"Uh.... oh-ok....."

Sam remains standing just in front of the house, long after Manda closes the door behind him.... he could place his finger on it, but something..... something.... had seemed completely off right before he had left....

Growling, he finally snaps out of his thoughts. "That didn't go according to plan.... I didn't find out anything...... but there IS someone other than Manda and Jimmy in the house.... maybe......"

Shaking his head, Sam begins his long walk across the field, home.

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