I returned to the apartment to find Shelly absent. She must have gone to hang out with some friends. She usually didn't tell me about that until she came home. I didn't have a problem with it though.

I made my way to the bathroom and stood in front the mirror. Staring at me was a girl. She had tanned skin that seemed to glow. Her light brown eyes were almost a golden colour. Her blonde hair hung messily about her neck and beyond her shoulder blades. Without the makeup that she had woken up with in the beginning, she still looked beautiful. Her skin radiated gold, but not as brightly, and her eyebrows and eyelids did not have a gold shadow plastered onto them. The patterns that were stuck to her face were no longer present and her lashes weren't painted. She was natural and free of makeup in front of me.

What people stared at me for was questionable. Maybe I just glowed and stood out above the humans. I wasn't that much different to them was I?

I became rather bored after examining my reflection for a while, so I decided to visit James. I wanted to help him and make him feel loved and cared for.

After grabbing some food and sleeping materials, I made my way out of the apartment. While I remembered and followed my route from earlier that day, I ignored the stares I was given.

The pillow I carried under my arm was a spare one, and I was sure Shelly wouldn't mind that it was being put to good use. I would buy another one once I gain myself a job and some money. The food I had taken would surely be replaced at some point, and the blankets, well, there was plenty.

Once I reached the alleyway and made the two corners, I found the little boy crouched weakly in the corner. He looked tired and hungry. I wouldn't blame him, he had no one to lean upon for food, water, and shelter.

I smiled and approached him carefully. James flinched but once he recognised me, he gave a small smile.

I sat beside him, placing the goods at me side. James was curious as he tried to peak at what I had brought him.

I unzipped the cooler bag that contained the food and pulled out a packet of crackers to hand to James. He quickly snatched them from my hands and ripped them open. He continuously shoved three crackers in his mouth at once, devouring half the packet. I giggled and grabbed a bottle of water for him to wash the dry food down. He gladly took that as well, sculling half the bottle, followed by a large gasp of air once he finished. He gave his brightest smile and brought tears to my eyes.

He swung his arms around me, thanking me in the best way possible. I returned it, feeling the thin body covered in a layer of filth. I wanted him to have a chance in life. I wanted him to live in better conditions. He needed it. I wanted it for him. My heart yearned for this young child to be a bright star in everyone's lives.

I was left with a great idea.

I peeled James away from me and lifted his chin to meet my eyes. 'James, what I have here for you is some food, water, a pillow, and some blankets. I want you to have it, how does that sound for you?'

James nodded and smiled from ear to ear. 'Thank you. I would like that.'

I slid the bags of food and blankets to James, passing him the pillow. He looked further into the bag of food and his eyes lit up with excitement and need.

I turned James with his shoulder to face me again. 'What'd'ya say I take you to my home instead?'

James hugged me tightly, sending me off balance and to the ground. 'Even better.'

After gathering the bags of food and blankets, I let James carry the pillow. Since he was small and light enough, I decided to carry him on my hip like a child. My strength made James feel like I was carry a pillow.

He was super excited and awaited for a home he clearly longed for. I wanted to mother him. I wanted and needed to treat him with the love and care he desired. It broke my heart to know that James was left in the conditions we were walking away from.

James continuously squirmed from excitement, and I matched that. I was excited to play games with him, just as a child should. I was excited to give him a bath and make him clean. I was excited to give him a new home.

We reached the apartment and I instantly placed James in the bathroom, instructing him to strip his clothes while I turned the bath taps to the right temperature.

After I picked up the items I was going to leave with James, I walked to the kitchen and placed the food bag on the bench. I returned the blankets and pillow to their original places.

Then, I rushed to the bathroom, turning the taps off since the bath was full enough for a young child to bathe in. The naked James dipped his toe into the water, testing its temperature before sliding further into the water, getting a little assistance from me.

I scrubbed James well, ensuring the layer of dirt that covered him was eradicated. After multiple washes of his hair and skin, draining the bath and filling it again, I was satisfied with James' cleanliness.

I helped him dry with a towel and gathered some sheets to wrap him in, like the dress I had been walking around looking like an alien in.

Once I was satisfied that the clothing was stable and wouldn't undo, I led James to the lounge area, sitting him down to entertain him.

He found all the new, homely things strange. He found it comfortable and was thankful he had a home beyond a corner, able to move around and still be in the borders of home. He hesitated with everything, unsure about whether he was allowed to sink into the couch and enjoy it's comfort. Unsure about whether he was allowed to become clean and fresh and enjoy the warm water I provided him with, along with the soap and shampoo.

I grabbed my phone from the kitchen counter, placing it on the lounge table. As I made myself comfortable, I prepared to ask James a few personal questions. I needed to know a few things.

I examined James' happy mood for a little before gaining his attention. 'James.' He stopped observing the room and turned to look at me. 'How old are you?' I paused for a second before continuing. 'Do you have parents?'

James started an unexpected lecture. 'No parents. They left me when I was three, I remember that day. I didn't have a family and a home for 7 years. My birthday is June 3 and now I'm 10. I haven't had a party since my parents left.'

My heart filled with sorrow for the poor young boy. 'What about siblings?'

James shook his head in response. He seemed to remain rather calm and content when telling me his personal life. Maybe he had told that information to so many people that he knew what information was and what was not needed to give.

In return, I wanted to give him information about myself. 'I'm 19, in human age. And my birthday, well I don't really remember that.'

James quickly cut in. 'What do you mean by human age, and how do you not remember your birthday?'

I smiled. 'From what I can remember in my life, which isn't much, I'm 950 years old in a different realm to yours.' I poked James' chest with my finger. 'And as for my memory of my birthday, I simply don't remember that part of my life. It's like I've been in a coma, sleeping for over eleven thousand years. So technically I'm very old. Humans may not have been known to exist on earth in that time, but scientists have clearly concluded that I've been on earth for that amount of time. I mean in another realm your parents could be dead and you may be near to it yourself, with your own children aged enough to marry and start their own family James. Many humans would pass in that amount of years but not in another realm. Its extraordinary, don't you think?'

I looked at James who was clearly puzzled by it all. I could understand, so I grabbed my phone and educated James on Google. There, I researched things for him to ensure he could have a clearer understanding of what I had just been talking about. However, after he understood what I had been talking about, he laughed like it was all a joke. Learning about other planets that different creatures who were almost human like lived on, he didn't believe it. I didn't blame him, it was not something a 10 year-old could probably believe.

I told James that he could research necessary information as I knew it was important to gain an understanding of the world you lived in.

I decided to leave James to that and clean the apartment, but just as I stood to do so, Shelly entered. The creaking of the door made it easy to know she was home.

She came around the corner and screamed a little with fright.

She looked at me after examining James, pointing a hand in his direction. 'Who the hell is this?'

I looked at James, then back at Shelly. 'Shelly, James. James, Shelly.'

Shelly had unimpressed plastered on her face. She gave a quick smile to James, walked up to me, aggressively grabbed my arm, and pulled me into the bathroom, closing the door behind us.

She kept her voice to a low yell whisper. 'Explain please.'

I followed suit and whispered, ensuring James couldn't fully overhear the conversation. 'I was crying in an alleyway and heard him being bullied. I defended him, scared the bullies away, and visited James again this afternoon. I then made the decision to give him a home to live in, and form some sort of a family.'

Shelly threw her hands in the air with exasperation, and pinched the bridge of her nose. 'It's hard enough to have one extra person to support, but two, come on. Really? You do bring help to me with my apartment. You really do Rose, and that's the main advantage and positive about you staying here. This place is a heck of a lot cleaner and organised since you've been around.' She gestured to the area around us with her hands, proving the shine the white tiles gave off that I noticed weren't like when I showed up.

Our voices had become closer to normal volume. 'I will strive harder to find a job. I'll earn money and help pay the expenses. I'll look after James too.'

Shelly shook her head. 'But how? When you're working, how will you look after him? Who will look after him?'

I shrugged. 'I could take him to work with me. I mean if I work in a cafe, I can have James sit at a table most of the time.'

Shelly walked to the door, turning as her hand landed on the handle. 'There are a lot of people who suffer in many ways. James is only a small example. Many people live the way he did, and I will let you figure out how to deal with it, cause I don't want to get too involved with James. You can't just take a child from the streets and call them yours. Its not just Rosalie.'

I let Shelly leave it at that. She was right, I did need to figure out how to deal with James on my own. It wasn't Shelly's responsibility in the first place.

When I left the bathroom to return to the couch, Shelly had left, the door closing behind her. She probably went shopping and have dinner elsewhere or something. James sat innocently on the couch, so I joined him.

He looked at me, worry in his face. 'Rosalie, what was that all about?'

I smiled and gave a little huff. 'Adult stuff.'

James frowned in confusion but seemed to accept it. 'Okay.'

__________ __________

A few hours passed as I made dinner for James and I, a small meal at that since it was a struggle for Shelly. I had tucked James in bed and started reading Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone to him. It was interesting.

After I knew he was asleep and gave little snores, I made my way to go shower, tip toeing to keep quiet.

I jumped a little in fright as Shelly entered the apartment, clicking the door shut.

She tensed her face and made an apologetic expression. 'Sorry to startle you.'

I shrugged. 'It's fine.'

Shelly looked at me in uncertainty and apology for a little before breaking the silence. 'I have shopping that I would probably appreciate assistance with.'

I nodded in small response, helping her because it was the right thing to do.

We both went down the apartment stairs and to the front door to unload the shopping. As I placed my hand on the doorknob and turned it, a sense of uncertainty crept upon me. I quickly regretted ignoring it as I opened the door to a crowd of armed agents. They were like a pack of wolves waiting for their prey.

I turned to Shelly, seeing fright in her dark brown eyes. She quickly put her arms up in defeat and indicated that I do the same as she looked at me and raised her hands a little more.

I frowned in disapproval to follow suit.

As I turned back to the agents, a leading man stood in front the agents, unarmed and in a suit.

He called out to instruct us. 'Put your hands up and remain were you are please.'

The other agents all had the same pose and held a gun in front of them, pointing it at Shelly and I as a threat.

I examined the sky. It was lit up by the city's lights, blaring into the darkness. Everything was bright, and shadows lurked in small places.

I looked back at the agents, and made a very dangerous decision.