"We will become exinct," The king's cracked voice was solemn as he looked around the temple, in every nook and cranny of which there sat or stood one of his followers. Large eyes were fixed on the three royals; the king, the queen, and their young daughter. "We will wither and die..."
The king's silver eyes fell on a pale-skinned form near the back of the crowd. "And to prevent that from happening, we need one of our own kind to visit this...extraordinary planet that the humans call Earth. We need someone to stay hidden there and provide us with vital information that the humans will undoubtedly have. Information about the worlds that surround us. The stars. Galaxies." There was a murmer among the crowd. "We cannot remain on this planet forever. It is, after thousands of ages, dying. The star that gave us warmth will fade soon - not in our lifetimes, but in the lifetimes of our descendants. We will freeze to death. Our enemies, the scuttling creatures that live beneath our feet, will pick us off one by one. We need one of us, just one, to travel to Earth, to live there, and one day we will join them. The shuttle required for this immense journey is already waiting and ready to lift off..."
A shout from the crowd. "When?"
"Nightfall."
Danila opened her eyes, a few drops of water splashing onto her cheek. The blue koi in the pond stared up at her with its beady eyes, and she sat up wearily. Must have fallen asleep. It was nighttime, the faraway stars twinkling, ever-bright. She swept her black hair back from her face, morphing her features so that she appeared just as normal as anyone else before standing up and walking back into the large mansion she now inhabited. It was lonely there; there were no stores or other houses for around a mile, and very few people ever came by here. The mansion had cost a fortune, but Danila had plenty of money - that was something her people had provided her with before the shuttle lifted off. She entered the diningroom through the back door, sighing as she looked around the spotless surfaces. The mansion was far too empty... The woman -- well, in appearance at least -- trudged upstairs, gold eyes half-closed in exhaustion. It took her only moments after flopping fully-clothed onto her bed to fall asleep.
It had been a month since she'd left her planet, and only a day ago had she entered the galaxy that Earth belonged to - the Milky Way. Her people were clever; the shuttle Danila was held inside was the most advanced thing they'd ever built. Humans had not come close to building something like this - and yet, the shuttle was small. So small, infact, that only three people could really move around well in it. The planet Earth was in sight now, blue with white swirly things...Loneliness ate at Danila's soul as she prayed for time to pass more quickly.
Sometimes, Danila would look up at the Sun that heated the Earth, and wonder if it, too, was going to die. She was certain it would - no star could last forever, could it? Now, however, the sun warmed her back as she lay tangled among the deep blue sheets of her double bed, utterly content. There were twigs and blades of grass caught in her dark hair due to the Forest's late-night adventure, but she didn't care. She simply lay there on her stomach, face to one side, eyes closed in relaxation, enjoying the warmth while she could.
Which wasn't very long. The phone rang loudly, vibrating on the bedside cabinet. Danila groaned, reluctantly moving her arm to pull the phone over to her ear. "Who is it and why the hell are you phoning me so early in the bloody morning?" She said hoarsely, anger clear in her voice.
"It's Thomas," A smooth Cockney-accented voice replied in her ear. "I thought I should wake you up. How's your head?"
"Fine," She replied flatly, but then lightened up. "You don't normally phone just to wake me up."
"Yes I do."
"Well...Yeah. But what else is up?" She rolled onto her back, being careful not to stretch the phone cord too far.
"Well..." Thomas' voice faltered briefly. "I was wondering if you'd mind me coming over today?" His clear uncertainty made the other laugh, shaking her head slightly.
"Sure, Tommy. When will you come over?"
"Um...Just-- just now, preferably."
"Sure, sure. Give me ten minutes 'til I take a shower, then start driving. Make sure you're not followed. Be careful."
"You know me."
He hung up.
She was terrified, bug-like gold eyes wider than ever as the shuttle spiralled towards the ocean, out of control, flames and smoke blasting from the back. I'm going to die, I'm going to die.
But as the spacecraft collided with the liquid, it began to change, and only the slightest disturbance was made. Everything bubbled around her as she struggled to get out, eventually succeeding - just as the shuttle melted away into the water. Danila stared in utter disbelief as she realised that it was the salt in the water that had caused this; her people had already warned her this could happen. They'd told her not to land in water. Struggling to stay afloat, she glanced at the surface as drops of dark blue blood plopped into it with a hissing noise, and then began the long, watery journey towards land.
Planet Earth was not the most welcoming of places.
The doorbell rang, and Danila answered it bouncily, gold eyes alight with excitement. Before her stood Thomas Rush, or as he had once told strangers before his musical career kicked off, Thomas Wood.
"'Lo, darlin'," She greeted him with a quick and brief hug before allowing him to enter her house. The orange-haired man -- well, the blonde roots had almost taken over -- chuckled lightly before hanging his coat on the coatstand near the door, along with his black hat.
"Good morning," He answered politely, but not in the formal tone he usually spoke to people with. "How are you?"
"Pfft, I'm fine as always."
"Nothing life-threatening happening?"
"Nope."
"Really?"
"Yup."
"Are you s--"
"Tommy, shut up." Both were grinning now. Thomas chuckled before seating himself on the wide sofa infront of the TV, Danila perching beside him. She was frowning at the ground, and her friend's expression slowly mimicked hers.
"Danila..."
"I creeped someone out," She said tonelessly, looking at her fingernails. "They could tell I wasn't normal, I think. It was a deer."
"Well, that's to be expected. We have odd ways of knowing things." One of his large hands rested gently on the alien's shoulder, as a source of comfort. Physical comfort wasn't something Thomas was big on.
"I guess...It just kind of sucks."
"I know, love. I know."
The time of hiding from the world as a middle-aged man was over. People were starting to question him, or her. So Danila had resorted to turning into someone else. Now she was known as Danila Zranii - the previous name had been Aleksis Fedya, who had apparently just disappeared without a trace.
Danila gazed into the koi pond, a pale blue skinned figure staring back at her. Enormous gold eyes hid emotion in their depths.
Alien eyes.
For that was what she was.
"You know something, Tommy?" She held a glass of water in her hand, now curled up on the sofa, leaning on Thomas' shoulder. Thomas, who had been drinking, moved his head slightly to look at her.
"Mmmm?" He slurred, eyelids fluttering.
"I love you lots."
"Of course you do," He chuckled. "I think someone's had...too much to drink, perhaps?"
"No, honestly." She sat up, practically in his lap, expression serious. "You're one of the only friends I have. I'm a freak and all, but thanks for being here and stuff."
"I love you too."
"Really?"
"Of course."
She felt more human than she'd ever felt before.
