"Good morning Fluffy."

"Aaaaaaah" I stretch my arms and legs, but only then do I recognize the voice. 

"Katie? Where's Nyana?" I look around me, but she's definitely not here. So much for protecting me all the time...

"Why do you always call her Nyana?"

"Because...that's her name?" Silly question.

Katie rolls her eyes and gives me a motherly smile. I can see her eyes sparkling, she's up to something.
"Nevermind, you cuddly bunny. Nyana, ahhh, Nana I mean, promised to prepare a traditional Enkirian dinner for us today. She's browsing the internet for ingredients and will probably be occupied for the rest of the day. She  asked me to help you enjoy another day out. You know, just a day relaxing with me after all the stressful events around here."

"We...can go out? As in have fun? Really?"

"Yep, you got it. Allie is with her grandmother, and Ewan agreed as well, so what do you say?" 

"If Nyana says okay, then...YES!" 

"Good answer little one. Now let's get you a quick shower and then have breakfast together."

"A shower? But...I just woke up?"

"Do you want the others to think that you are a smelly little girl?"

"Ahh...that's just mean. I just bathed yesterday."

"Yesterday is yesterday. Today is today."

Suffice to say that I lost the argument, but I still pretended to hate the shower. It actually helped me wake up. Katie then toweled me dry, much more carefully than Nyana, and helped me get dressed.
Now I at least know where the "cuddly bunny" came from. I'm wearing a gray sweater with one mommy bunny and many little bunnies around on it. I have to admit that it looks cute.
Oh god, I think I'm getting used to this already. Is there any hope left for me?

We enjoyed breakfast together and Nyana made sure that I was wearing the new clothes that would keep me properly warm. After Nyana's kiss on my forehead and a head pat from Ewan, Katie and I were walking towards her car.

I want to open the passenger side door, but Katie takes my hand and gently pulls me back.

"Katie?" I said, looking confused.

"Sorry honey, you were lucky yesterday, but from now on, you are going to sit in the back. Here..."
She opens the back door on the driver's side of the car and lifts me up....then puts me in a child car seat. 
How embarrassing...

"Don't give me that look, Maya. It's the law, you know." Katie then makes sure that I'm properly protected by the special seatbelts and checks that the child seat itself is properly fixed to the car.

"I know.....but Katie?" 

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Where are we going?"

"Nana and I were talking about how children always seem to like animals, so I wanted to show you Earth animals while you are still here."

"But...I know lots about Earth animals?" I do, don't I? At least I think I do? It's all getting a bit fuzzy..what's real and what's not.

"Maybe...but did you ever see them up close? Mmm?"  She bumps my nose with her index finger, making me giggle for a second.

"Noooo..." I look down at my white shoes while my feet are dangling in the air. Well, my legs are short, so what can I do?

"See, now let's have some fun today, alright?" 

She sees my silent smile as an "okay," gets behind the wheel and starts the car.

Katie is humming in sync with a song on the radio...country music I think. She seems to be in a good mood. 
Occasionally she checks the rear view mirror and smiles at me. 
"Just a few more minutes, Maya. Aaaalmost there."

"Okaaay."  I'm in no rush, really. Does she think I can't wait anymore? It's just a bunch of animals, right? Anyway, I don't want to spoil her day and it just might be fun.  

"There, see?" Katie points across the street. "That's the Central Park Zoo. Are you excited?"

"Yeah..." I tried to sound at least sincere and added a smile. Can she tell how I really feel about this? Nah, my acting skills are second to none.

We drive into a nearby parking garage where Katie holds some kind of plastic key near a terminal. The gate opens and we drive inside. There are not many free parking spaces available, so Katie needs to look a while for one that can fit her SUV easily. 

Katie gets out of the car and opens the door on my side. "Are you alright sweetie? Ready to have some fun?"

"Yep! Ready to go!" I really try to sound enthusiastic here. Somehow I'm really beginning to feel excited. 

After freeing me from my prison in the back of the car, she sets me down on the parking deck. 
Then Katie gives me a little backpack.

I take a moment to observe the object in my hands as if they were explosives that need to be dismantled...holding it away from me. 

"Maya, what's wrong? Never seen a backpack before?" She smiles, so she doesn't really seem to be bothered by my behavior.

"Well, I have. But this one....this one is so...tiny?" I look up into Katies eyes, and then see a warm smile that shows me that she's enjoying my remark for some reason.
But it really IS tiny! A tiny pink backpack, with a reflective coating on it, and...it has ..of course...more bunnies on it. At least they're no cats.

"Ha ha ha, that's because it's for you honey. It's the perfect size for you. Open it, will you?" She pats my head, making my ears twitch for a moment.

I open it and look inside. "Aika?" A big smile shows on my lips. And when I take Aika in my arms, my tail wants to show the world it's happy too...it's swaying noticeably.

"Yes sweetie, you two should always be together, right? And now you can. Just make sure to keep her in the backpack and keep it strapped onto your back."

"Thank you...."  Somehow I really like my present. Very much even.

"Awww, come here." She gives me a quick hug, then takes my hand and matches the speed of my little legs. We are now leaving the parking deck and are walking towards the zoo in the streets of New York.

The tail and ears you ask? I'm beginning to think that Katie is a thrill seeker, not afraid to talk her way out of situations. So here I am, proudly showing my tail and ears to the world. But I'm wearing my fake human ears too, so it should be fine. While she appears relaxed and shows me her motherly smile, I am a nervous wreck on the inside. What if they recognize me as an alien? What if things go wrong?

"Maya, don't worry. Just play along. People will believe you are dressed as a little fox girl, just enjoy! Many children do that. And I will be there to keep you safe at all times. The idea is to have fun, so give me that lovely smile again." 

Oops, so far for my impeccable acting skills...she can simply see right through me.
You know what? She's right. I'm always worrying about everything. They really took great care of me, just like Nyana. And now Katie even takes me out so I don't get stuck inside all day. 

"Yes Katie. Thank you." I looked up and smiled while our eyes met.

"Good girl." Katie said, also smiling.

Alright, little girl mode is it. Let's thoroughly enjoy it. It's the best and safest way to behave anyway. Asking her about the migration pattern of penguins might bring me more trouble than it's worth. Sooo....back to a four-year-old it is! 

Now that I think about it, the Watcher told me that I would feel more and more like the four year old that I'm supposed to be. Granted, I have the occasional childlike outburst, but I mostly feel like a mix of my old and new self. What should I do? I don't want to see the Watcher again...no offense....so should I just....pretend? 

When we finally approach the entrance, Katie shows her pre-purchased admission tickets. 
She also shows her military ID, as she apparently was eligible for a discount. Great, that makes me feel less guilty about a trip here, just for my sake. 

"Awww, look at that. Here little one, for dressing up as one of our animals you earned a little extra."

The ticket lady gave me a blue plush dolphin keychain. 

"Thank you lady." I said meekly.
Well, it's not a pink one, but it still reminds me of...of what again? Nevermind, probably not important.

"You're very welcome. Have a nice stay, you two!"

Wow she's really nice, isn't she? Katie carefully puts the keychain in my backpack and makes sure the zipper is closed properly.

We walk through the gate and it doesn't take us long to spot the first animals. Humans I mean. It's beyond crowded. It's about 10 am now, and the place is already packed. People are all around me, trying to get the best spot to photograph the animals near us. Katie says that there are red pandas here, but all I can see are people everywhere. I make sure to hold my tail, because I don't want people to step on it. This is not fun, not at all!

Katie firmly keeps holding hands at all times. She then bends over so I can understand her, you have no idea how noisy this place is.
"Maya, I'm sorry, I had no idea the place was so packed. It's still too early for the holidays so I don't know what's going on. Let's try further on, okay?"

"Okaaaay." I don't want to be rude to her. It's not her fault.

She picks me up and carries me in her arms for a while, trying to keep me safe.

But wherever we go, people are everywhere. Finally we arrive at a spot where it isn't as crowded. 
Katie lets me walk on my own feet again, gently shoving me forward so we can see some animals. 

"Look, Maya! Those are mongoose.....eh...mongeese....no definitely mongooses. Anyway, they are cuddly furry animals, just like you." She helps me all the way to the front, so I can almost touch them. 

"Ahh....they are just like Brimrots!" Yes, they look exactly like the ones from home!

"Brim...what?" Katie looks confused.

"Brimrots! They look exactly like them. You know...like them." She tries to make sense of what I said.

"You mean....from your home?"

"Yeah! I visited our zoo with Nyana a while ago. They let me pet them. Can I pet those too?"

"Ah, so that's what you meant. But no, these are not used to people very much, only their caretakers. ...Maya?"

 

But she couldn't get through to me anymore. Those furry creatures are so cuddly. How they are playing and running after each other. Why are they in black and white now? Who cares? Their paws are glowing bright yellow and their centers are bright red. They smell wonderful. "Growwl." My stomach confirms...they seem delicious.  
"Come here." I think while watching them. One of them stops chasing the others and stares at me. It seems to be in a trance-like state. "Come to me." And it slowly walks my way. Closer and closer....closer and closer. Almost here....

"Maya stop it!"  Then I smelled something minty, which made me focus on Katie again.

"What? What did you do?" I'm confused..I seem to have missed something? Why is that Brimrot so close to us suddenly?

Katie looks around, but nobody has noticed. "What did I do? I let you smell some tic tac mints. Don't like the smell, huh? The real question is what did YOU do? You were staring at the mongoose and your fangs were visible. Then that one was walking right towards you."

"Sowwie.. but they really look yummie."

"Oh god, I hope nobody heard that. Come, let's have lunch already."

She drags me to an isolated picnic table, a place people seem to avoid because there's literally nothing interesting around that spot except for a concrete wall with, what else could there be, animal posters.  

She sits down next to me and takes a deep breath. "Honey, I think we need to find someplace else to go. This was not what I had in mind."

"I know Katie. It's not your mishtake."

Katie grins, then says "it's not mishtake but mistake." 

Did I really mispronounce that? Wow.
"I'm hungry."    I swear the Watcher heard me, he's forcing me to do this, right?

"Yes, yes I know. Nana packed you some egg sandwiches, she says those are okay for you. And some green tea to wash it down with. Is that alright with you?"

I nodded, completely focused on the sandwich. Before Katie could pour me some tea, which was visibly surprisingly still warm, I already ate the entire sandwich. 

"Where did the sandwich go?" Katie said in a playful manner, pretending to look for it.

I looked down at my tummy, then up at Katie.

"Yep, that's what I thought. In your tummy already. Do you think your body can handle a sausage?"

My eyes grew wide. Did she say.....sausage? I smiled and nodded vigorously.  

"Here you are. But drink plenty of tea, alright? It's the same as in the vegetable soup Nana always feeds you. I don't think she noticed all the ingredients, so it should be good for you."

I took the sausage and closed my eyes. I inhaled the smell and then tasted it, but it was gone before I had even realized it. God, that really was delicious!

"That good huh?" 

"Yep!" Another bright smile from me. "Thank you auntie!"

"He he, wait...Auntie?" She tilted her head in surprise.

"Sowwwiee." And gone was my big smile. My ears are now lying flat on my head. Why did I say that? Is she angry? 

Katie then embraced me and whispered in my ear "it's okay honey, I don't mind. You can call me by my name or just auntie. I don't mind, okay?"

"okaaay!" and I then finished my green tea. I really have to ask Nyana to let me drink other flavors of tea.   

I waited for Katie to eat her sandwich and took in the area surrounding us.

There seem to be many kids who must be here on a field trip. Maybe today is the national "visit the zoo day" or something?
"Look auntie! Another foxy! She's just like me!" 

She needed a second to see where I was pointing at, but then found another girl with furry ears and a tail. Obviously fake.  

"See, told you so. You're not the only one. It's perfectly normal for kids your age to wear those things. As long as you have fun." 

I nodded. The girl happened to watch this way, then she waved once she noticed me. I waved back at her and we both smiled, knowing that we were not the only ones looking like this.

I observe the passing people for a while longer, but honestly....most kids aren't dressed up as animals. But it's good to know that I'm not the only one.

Just before we are about to leave the zoo, hoping to find a quieter, fun place, someone shouts.

"My god...no...my heart...." A man, probably in his late seventies collapsed only a few feet away from us. 
People are screaming, but nobody seems to act, except for Katie. She's by no means a medic, but she's still trained for things like CPR.

"Maya stay! Someone call 911!" Katie shouts. Some people are taking photos as if this were a show, can you imagine that? Katie then does everything she can do to keep this man alive.

"911? We need an ambulance at..."   I tuned out the rest of the conversation from the lady behind me, and focused on Katie.

A staff member from the zoo comes running this way, carrying an AED which should help to get his heart stabilized for now. Just before she arrives to take over from Katie, she shouts "everyone get back! I will take over!"

 

"Hey Sara, what did I tell you? Always stay together with your classmates."
A lady in her thirties, I guess, looks at me. Huh? Yes, she really seems to be talking to me.

I point at myself while showing a confused expression on my face.

"Oh god yes Sara. You. Now come here! People don't want you in the way."
The lady, probably a teacher, grabs my hand and pulls me away.  

"No!! Katie!!!" I shout as loud as I can.

But it's too late. I'm being taken against my will, fighting with all my might, but she's just too strong. Then the lady gets tired of me trying to break free, so she just picks me up. 

"Noo!! I don't want to go with you! Let me gooo!!!!"

"Maya!!!" is all I can hear from Katie. But she's no longer near me. I'm gone....lost in the crowds.
I keep kicking in the air and my instincts are about to kick in. Then the lady slaps me in the face! Gently I must admit, but still she slapped me! How can you do that to a child?! I start crying and say "mommy! help me!" but people probably just think that I'm a spoiled brat, asking for attention. 

We leave the zoo and are heading for one of three similar looking buses parked nearby. Oh god..are those....school buses?

"I found the little straggler. Her name is Sara, are we complete now?" She handed me over to another lady and made sure that all kids were accounted for. Then she left me here alone, in the arms of this lady. Yeah..leave me..you evil woman, or else!

"Lady, I'm not supposed to be here! I am Maya not Sara." Somehow I could finally think clearly again and tried to reason with this other lady. 

"No Sara, that's not going to work with me. I know of your little antics, just be nice and you'll be home in no time."

She takes me inside the bus where other children are staring at me. All of them seem to be around my age or a bit older than me. She finds an empty seat and puts me there, right after she takes off my backpack and puts it between my feet. 
"Don't give me anymore trouble young lady, or else!" She uses her index finger to clearly show that she's serious. 

And here I am. A case of mistaken identity. They are adults, can't they even count?
There...! Look!! In the other bus, the girl with the same ears!  She's there!

"Miss...look!" I pointed at the other girl.

"No Sara, I don't have time for jokes. Be nice, okay? I have enough stress already."  

Well...on the bright side, at least I have a window seat. The real question is...where are we going?
None of the other kids even remotely showed any interest in me. Why? Do they also think that I am that Sara girl? Is she a meanie? 

I take a deep breath and pray that this mixup gets discovered soon. Maybe Katie can find me somehow? 
As soon as I get a chance, I will run away! Is there no emergency backdoor here? No...of course there isn't.
I let my head rest against the window and accept my circumstances for now. I need to conserve energy and run whenever I can. But for now....I must endure.

The bus departs, following another bus. Twenty minutes later and we are driving on a highway, but where are we going?  

I try to ask the girl next to me, "do you know where we are going?" She's definitely older than I am.

"You're not funny, Sara." Is all that I get as an answer. 

Great, there really is no way out of here, is there? Well, worst case they figure it out when we arrive wherever we're going. 

The windows are getting foggier by the minute. I can't resist drawing a sad, crying face on the window. 
Nobody cares, so at least let me have some fun. 

The sound of children chatting and the monotonous sound of the bus driving at constant speeds make me feel drowsy. I'm in no immediate danger, so maybe I should just relax. It's as if we are standing still and the outside world is moving. Trees pass us by at high speeds. I can see fields of green in the distance. Factories, <yawn>, ah look...cows. I have already seen more animals from inside the bus, than in the zoo. Maybe......I......should......zzzzzzzz.

"..up.....ke up..!  Wake up already!" Someone is trying to wake some person up. Wake them up already, so I can sleep in peace, will you? 

But the voice is relentless. "For god's sake, wake up, will you?" 

"Ouch!!!"  Someone pulled my right ear!
I blink and confirm that someone is indeed trying to wake ME up. Ah crap, I fell asleep. I was supposed to run away!

"Finally you're awake." It's the lady from this bus, not the one who kidnapped me in the zoo.

I look around and notice that the other kids are outside. Some are looking at us. It seems that the bus is parked at a highway rest area. I smell fresh air coming in through the front door.

"I'm Maya, not Sara!" I tried again to reason with the unreasonables.

"I know honey, I'm so sorry. We mixed you up with Sara. She's the one in the other bus. And well, we counted one child too many."

"Why didn't you listen to me? I even shouted!" A tear is falling from my right eye, making its way down over my cheek.

"Yes, I know. Please forgive us Maya. You see, Sara loves to prank people, and we really thought you were just trying to make fun of us."

"Oh. What are you going to do with me now? Leave me here?" I look outside, to emphasize that this is the middle of nowhere. No place for a child to be alone.

"Of course not, sweetie. Tell me, how old are you?"

I showed my hand, five, then used my other hand to hold my thumb back. 

"Five...four? Amazing. You speak really well for your age. May I look inside your backpack?"

I nodded and gave it to her. She zipped it open and pulled out Aika.

"Aika!" I shouted instinctively.

The lady smiled and gave Aika to me. "Don't worry sweetie, I won't take anything from you, I only need to check if you have an ID in there. There...see? A business card...  Katie Davies....ATF.
ATF? Isn't that......your mommy works for the government?"

I shrugged. "She's not my mommy, miss. She's my auntie. My mommy is far away."
Why did I just feel another tear rolling down my cheek? 

She smiled at me, probably for addressing her as "miss." No, she's pitying me.

"I will call your auntie immediately, let her know you are safe. We will get you home soon, I promise."

The lady then called Katie with her cellphone. 

"Excuse me miss Davies? This is Lauren Frazer. I'm an elementary school teacher and have your Maya here and.....yes, yes she's fine. I'm so sorry....yes, of course. Maya, she wants to speak to you."

The lady gave me her phone. "Maya?" I heard Katie's voice.

"Katie!"

"Oh my god. Are you alright? We turned the whole zoo upside down. Where are you?"

"I'm on a school bus. They thought I was one of their kids."

"Ah, I see. Can you ask them where you are exactly? We will pick you up at once, honey."

The lady then told me where we were. It took a moment for me to register.

"Katie...she says we are heading north on I 81 near Harford. They were heading for Toronto, Canada. But we are now parked at a restaurant near the highway."

"Okay honey, just wait for a moment, we are tracing this phone call. Can you tell them that...never mind. We have a fix on your location. Yes......alright someone will come to pick you up."

"But Katie, mommy says I shouldn't trust anyone else."

"Maya, really? You trust ME, don't you? Someone from the police will arrive there soon. They will tell you if it's safe for you, okay?"

"Okaaaay."

"Good honey, now return the phone to the lady. See you soon."

I nodded, but of course Katie couldn't see that. I returned the phone and waited for the lady to finish the conversation. 

"Yes......ye....bu....may.....yes ma'am. We are truly sorry, this.....yes I know......No never!....Yes we will wait for the police. But.......ye.....Yes ma'am, it's the least we can do. Sure, anytime. Goodbye miss Davies."

The teacher seems worried about the aftermath. I guess the other teacher, who kidnapped me, is going to have a looooong talk at the police station soon.

"Maya sweetie, we will wait here for the police to arrive, so don't worry, okay? Do you want to drink or eat something?"

"No thank you. I can't eat what I want, my tummy will hurt."

"Ohh..food intolerance. Right."

The other kids are guided into a nearby restaurant. I guess they don't want kids gawking at the police and making a scene.

Not even five minutes later, and I see a police car approaching our location. It stops in front of one of the other buses, but that doesn't matter, the lady, Lauren, guides me outside. 

She holds my hand and walks towards the police car. 

A lady officer gets out of the police car, it's not Becker, bummer. She's listening to Lauren's story and occasionally smiles at me. 

After a few minutes, a noise suddenly approaches us, just as I start feeling cold from the wind. There is not much protection against the wind here. But the noise comes from above...and it creates even more wind!

Wow! A helicopter is landing near us. It's a police helicopter. Or is it...
I can see some kids pointing this way. At least they are having a blast today.

Lauren doesn't seem to understand what's going on. How does a helicopter fit into this situation?

The helicopter's rotor blades slowly stop spinning and a man in suit gets out and walks towards us.
No, more precisely, he walks towards me.

"Are you Maya?" This could be Ewan's brother. Same suit, same style sunglasses...

"Yes sir, I am Maya," I said. He's definitely with the ATF. My reply earns me a smile, they are military afterall, so best to speak the same language. He nods at me, and shows all of us his ATF ID, including me. He introduces himself as Eduardo Puckett. 

The police officer confirms his identity by checking with dispatch on her radio, after which the police car leaves us. 

"Maya...those ears...are they real?" Oh oh. Lauren's on to me. 

I checked my fake human ears...they were not lying flat against my head anymore...oops.

I can almost see the gears in Eduardo's brain spinning, looking for an appropriate way out of this situation, but I beat him to it. From somewhere an answer came into my mind.
"Uh-huh, mommy told me something happened when I was in her tummy."

"Ohh...I see. I'm sorry. I didn't want to.." 

I had to stop her, I don't want to talk about it.
"It's okay. Mommy loves me! But I must go now!"

"Alright then. A thousand apologies Maya, we're really, really sorry. Can you forgive us?"

I look at her. What should I tell her? "You? Yes. The other lady? No. Goodbye Lauren."

For some reason Lauren needed to hug me, then she remembered that I had a backpack when I first came here. She asked us to wait a bit longer.

She ran into the bus and gave me my backpack and Aika.
She was still panting when she returned my most important possessions.

We said our goodbyes for the final time and I was guided into the helicopter, which flew me directly to the ATF HQ, a.k.a. HOME. 

My ears hurt again from needing to fold them against the noise, but it was worth it. I'm home again. Well, more like home away from home, but you get my point.

Eduardo guides me to the familiar conference room and I see Katie waiting for me. She's writing something, until she sees me...she drops everything and stands up immediately.

"Katie!" I run over to her at maximum speed and she kneels down, ready to embrace me.

"Oof, you little rocket. God, I'm so glad you're safe. We were really worried about you!" 
She looks me in the eyes.

"Sowwwieee."

"Oh no no, honey. You didn't do anything wrong. It's just...you're like a mini-magnet, attracting all sorts of trouble. And.. nevermind. Welcome home sweetie."

"Thank you auntie for getting me here!" I nuzzled my nose against her shoulder.

"Aww, anything for you, Maya. Oh, Eduardo, thank you for your assistance. Please follow up on this case so people won't start talking about her appearance. You're dismissed." Katie says after Eduardo nods. He then leaves us alone.

"They wouldn't listen to me! They were mean."

"Ahh, I know Maya. But you are safe now. Mmmm, it's about time for dinner already. 
How about you come with me? Nana is waiting for you in the restaurant, you know?" 

"The..restaurant? Why? Is she hungry already?"

"Ha ha, no. She prepared an authentic Enkirian dinner for all of us, remember?"

I grimaced. Vegetables. The Japanese ones were much tastier.

"Oh c'mon, you'll love it. I know." 
Katie then decides to pick me up and carry me to the restaurant by force.
I see Ewan already seated and Nyana is almost running to set the table. Taking little baskets, small boxes, and candles are lit. Wait candles? We don't even have those at home?

Then Ewan pretends to cough and looks my way. Now Nyana spots me! 

"MAYA!" She drops whatever she was carrying on the table and runs towards me, her arms wide open. 

I do the same, but she's already here. I can't run nearly that fast. 

"Ooof" I crashed into Nyana. 

"Maya. Oh goddess, Maya. Don't ever scare me like that again. Are you alright, honey?"

"Sowwwiee. I'm okay."

She gives me a kiss on the forehead. "I'm so glad that they found you. We were all really worried."

"I know, Nyana. But I couldn't run away! They were meanies, they wouldn't listen to me!"

"Awww Maya, nobody is angry with you. We were just worried. Did you at least have fun in the animal sanctuary?" Nyana asked.

Katie approaches us from behind. "If you mean the zoo, Nana, then that one also wasn't successful. She couldn't see many animals, and then they took her away from me."

"But Katie, the Brimrots were fun!" I said. They really were! Honestly!

"Ha ha ha, that's not the kind of fun I had imagined, Maya." Katie is laughing loudly.  

"Katie, you have Brimrots here???" Nyana seems surprised.

"Eh no Nana, we call them Mongooses." Katie said.

"I see. Anyway, there's nothing you could have done. I know how protective you are, Katie. She's safe, so let's forget what happened and enjoy dinner all together!" Nyana is glowing with happiness. 

Only minutes later we were seated at the table. I had a similar reunion with Ewan, but he's mostly teasing me for some reason. It seems they reserved the restaurant just for us tonight. I feel sorry for the other staff. Where do they eat now?

My friends are gathered around the table, the food has arrived and there are smiles all around me. 

"Sooo....did you like your first school field trip, Maya?" Ewan was grinning, the meanie.

"Noooo. But riding the bus again was fun. It reminds me of old times."

"I never thought I would hear a four-year-old say that," Katie said. "You went to school on Enkiria?"

I couldn't remember. "No...I don't think so?" I must have a confused expression at the moment.

"No, she's still too young. But in a few more months she will start pre-school. It starts in the month when she celebrates her fifth birthday." Nyana said.

I looked at Nyana. Like...really? Do I have to go to school again?

"Don't look so surprised, young lady. We talked about it, remember? School is important!" Nyana said, showing her index finger.

"Yeahh...I remember.....now." 

"Ha ha ha...." everyone else had a good laugh at my expense. How would you feel about returning to pre-school?

"Maya...just so you know.....if you can't get home soon... You may have to start pre-school here, you know?" Ewan winked at Nyana.

"Of course, mister Ewan. You are correct. School is important after all." Nyana said smiling.

I want to let my head rest on the table, to show my dissatisfaction, but I can't even reach it. Noooo!

"Ahh, stop teasing her, guys. Let's eat already. Nana has been working all day for this." Katie's words of wisdom save the day.

And so we enjoyed the same food we always eat back home. Me being fed as usual. Honestly...the Japanese lunch was waaaay better. Oh oh...did Nyana hear my thoughts?
"Mmm.. yummy, Nyana!" Let's not take any chances, shall we?

When everyone has finished eating, the adults start talking about tomorrow's departure. Ah, that's right, we are going to another guardian, or something similar....exciting. We are leaving early...not exciting.. Well, maybe we can go home! 

This feeling of going home and the taste and presentation of Nyana's dinner..... it really, really makes me emotional. I'm absolutely homesick.

"Maya, are you....you're crying! Did you hurt yourself?" Nyana is checking my body for injuries.

I shake my head "I wanna go home! Mommy! Daddy!" I almost shouted.

"Maya, maybe tomorrow. Otherwise soon, okay. I think you are exhausted from today's events. Let's get you a warm bath." Nyana said.

"Nooo, I shoowa this morning!" Why am I acting like this? And now the tears are really flowing. 

The Niagara Falls would be jealous by now. "Waaaaa."

"She's just tired, please excuse us." Nyana picks me up, even though I'm still crying, and carries me to our apartment. 

After Nyana gave me a bath, she put on my pajamas and put me in bed, dimming the lights and windows. 

My face is all red from crying all the time. I have a headache and only now start feeling tired. 

Nyana then gives me Aika and says "Maya, sweetie. Sometimes you just have to wait in life. The Watcher man said that we would be going home, so..so just try to sleep for now, alright?

Another kiss on the cheeks, and Nyana leaves me all alone. But what if the Watcher isn't honest? What if we never get home? What if they force me to go to school on this planet?

I must have fallen asleep at some point, because I can now feel Nyana's warm tail lying next to me. 

"Ah sorry Maya, did I wake you?" Looks like she just got in bed.

"Nooo. Nyana?" I said with a sleepy voice.

"Yes sweetie?" Nyana whispered.

"Thank you." 

She gave me a kiss on my forehead, and whispered "sleep well Maya. Tomorrow is a big day, so try to sleep, alright?" 

But I was already asleep again. Feeling warm and safe with Nyana who would always protect me and be kind to me.