Emma's Six

Downtime

Mid-September 1995

'Victoria wants me to work on something for New World university,' I can hear Mummy tell Mum behind closed doors. I press my ear against the kitchen door so that I can listen better. The wood door is smooth under my tiny fingers.
'What about our daughter, Sarah? Emma needs both of us, particularly with her young age.' I can imagine Mum's brown eyes staring at Mummy, but I cannot imagine the look on her face. Her tone of voice makes me think that she is mad.
'I know Emma will be two in December, Ru, but you can protect her better than I can. Let's not argue about this; I have a deadline to meet.' I step back as Mummy opens the door. 'How much of that did you hear, Emma?'
'A little,' I say. Mummy picks me up and hugs me. 'Mummy, do you have to go?'
'It will only be for a few hours, and then I'll be home. Everything will work out fine.' She brushes her brunette hair out of her eyes. 'I've still got to earn a living even though your mum keeps arguing I don't.'
'I keep telling you, Sarah, I've earned a large fortune from my centuries on Earth.'
'And yet you continue working?'
'I had to fit in at the time, especially once we finished university. It was the first time I earned a degree, and I wanted a job.' Mummy chuckles and passes me to Mum.
'Yes, I get that. But now you favour spending time with our daughter. I don't blame you, Ruby. I wish I can spend more time with you, Emma,' Mummy strokes my hair. 'But right now, that isn't possible. Soon, I promise.' Mummy grabs her handbag. 'Right, I'll be back as soon as I can.' We nod, and Mum puts me on the floor.

Mum looks at me once Mummy shuts the door. 'Well, Emma, I'm surprised you can form full sentences now.'
'Really?'
'You not even turned two.'
'Is that bad?'
'Humans think it's bad,' Mum sits on the sofa and picks me up so I can join her. 'But, for Qetesh, they only start speaking full sentences once they pass their first birthday. But as you can speak before your second birthday- I wonder...'
'Mum? What is it?'
'It doesn't matter, but Emma, no one can know about this. It's bad enough that you chose the name Smith-White, which could lead us all into trouble.'
'I didn't mean to, I promise.'
'I know, but you were a newborn. You wouldn't understand, I don't think you would now.'
'Can you put it in a context I would understand?'

'Sarah Jane and I, we're in a relationship. Society still doesn't accept the type of love that allows a woman to be with a woman or a man to be with a man.'
'So, as I chose the name Smith-White, that could cause trouble?'
'Maybe, there's no telling yet. But opinions are changing, so, someday, we could marry.'
'That would be a dream come true; we could be a proper family.'
'Yes,' Mum smiles. 'I've still got some work to do, so why don't you get back to the book you were reading?' Mum leaves, and I toddle over to the bean bag. The biography I was reading is still sitting there. The black cover portrays Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katheryn Howard and Catherine Parr. I open my book and continue reading.

I love history, always have. Someday, I long to travel back in time to see how people lived. For now, I have to keep to the history books and the biographies. My favourite part of history is the Tudor era. To be more specific, I love Henry VIII's wives. Yes, I know, not even two and I have an obsession with history. But these women fascinate me, their lives, their personalities. There are inconsistencies with some of their lives, and I want to uncover the truth.

Mum knocks on the door a few minutes later. 'Computer isn't working, so why don't we enjoy the day, eh?' I nod, and we head outside. I see someone wearing a green New World University jumper as we head to the river. They are also wearing a yellow baseball hat and black headphones. 'So, what were you reading about?'
'Henry VIII's wives.'
'Again?'
'Again. I love history; it feels like the path I want to take.' Green lightning flashes across the sky when we look up.
'We better get inside, come on.' We are about to head back home when the university students begin approaching us. 'I'll distract them, Emma. You need to run.'
'Run where?'
'Go to Mummy; I'll be fine.' I don't move. 'Go, Emma.' I run away from the students. I have to find Mummy. I run into the woods, searching for her yellow car.

I sniff the air when I catch her scent. She's at New World University. I run to find her following a green army truck. 'Mummy!' I yell.
'Emma, you shouldn't be here! Where's Ruby?'
'She's fighting off the Chillys that came after us.'
'Right, Ruby can look after herself.' She picks me up. 'You're getting heavy, young lady. I can't do this for much longer.' She carries me a little way before putting me back down. 'I want you to stay behind me, and don't lose sight of me, got it?'
'Got it.'
'Right, come on.' Mummy takes my hand, and we go to find out what is going on when we find a woman with blonde hair sitting at a computer. Mum is with her. I thought she was distracting the Chillys, so how did she end up here? 'This place is like a beacon,' Mummy says. 'It's Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, yes?'
'But-'
'Sarah Jane Smith, hello. Your father said it might be a family affair. So, show us where to find him.' Kate is about to turn back to the computer when she notices me.
'Is this your little girl?'
'Our little girl,' Mum corrects Kate.
'I can talk for myself, thank you.' I stretch my hand out to Kate. 'Emma Smith-White.'

Kate finds them, and we go to see the Brigadier. Kate hands the gun to my parents, but they argue that they have foul shots. 'Where's the back up got to?' Mummy asks.
'Those cuddly things have them,' I say.
'You wouldn't call them cuddly if you knew what they're like,' Kate says.
'Give me the gun.'
'I'm not giving the gun to a kid! You could shoot yourself.' I climb up and find the Brigadier. He is talking to someone he seems to call the Great One whatever that is, but then proceeds to call it the Intelligence. Seriously, what is its name? Any kid would get confused by the interaction. He must think that a kid wouldn't be here.

'Your power goes no further than the mainframe of this campus,' the Brigadier says. 'All anyone has to do is to pull the plug.' I duck back down.
'The Intelligence thing is trapped here on the campus.'
'Protect the generators!'
'We have to move quickly.' Mummy is about to run off to help, but Mum says she's going with her.
'Kate, look after Emma until we're back,' Mummy says.
'But I want to help.'
'No, Emma. You've already done a lot, leave it to us now, yeah?' Mum and Mummy leave, but three New World University students arrive. Two of them take Kate, and the other tries to grab me. I crawl away from him, kicking his hand away when he tries to reach for me.
'I won't let you get me that easily. What's wrong? Not used to a kid fighting back? If you want a fight, a fight it shall be.' Not. I turn and make a run for it, but the student is bigger and faster than me.

Well, the student is not an alien hybrid. I jump out of the way, up a tree. I swing my legs down, teasing him. 'You can't catch me!' I call to him in a sing-song voice before I climb higher. After a while, the pulsating coming from the university stops, and I finish climbing. The webs over the sky clear. Earth is safe.

Though I don't know where the students are. 'Emma?' Kate calls.
'I'm up here,' I yell. The Brigadier, my parents and Kate look up and see me.
'How on Earth did you get up there?' Mummy laughs.
'I climbed.' I jump to the ground and pick myself up.

'So, he said it was Victoria's dress,' Mummy tells the Brigadier as we walk along the river. 'And Ruby said, "Well, as long as Albert didn't wear it."'
'And you think it could've been Victoria?'
'She vanished into thin air,' Mum says. 'There's no sign of Victoria. Maybe it's for the best.'
'I'm sure you'll find her someday. Certain people we know make a habit of vanishing without a trace.' My parents and the Brigadier laugh. Kate returns with a little boy a few years older than me and introduces him to the Brigadier. Kate then approaches my parents.

'I'm ravenous,' Mum says. 'Fancy a pizza, Kate?'
'You know, I think I'd rather have a pint.'
'Make it a cup of tea so Emma can join us, and you're on,' Mummy says. 'I won't let you out of our sights for a while,' she says, turning to me.
'I know, but I didn't cause much trouble.'
'Not this time, but there could be other occasions where you slip up. People could notice.' I nod and join my parents and Kate as we walk away from the river.