Oliver and Tate
Leroy had asked Oliver and Tate to deliver a message for him while he was in the meeting about Tate's foster family. This deliverly took them to a local farm run by an alien/human family.
The farmer took the message and read it. The look of astonishment on his face was unmistakable. He gave Oliver a surprised stare.
"You're Sam's son?"
"Err, well, one of them, anyway," he replied, a little uncomfortable.
The farmer shook his head.
"Well, I'm Sam and Leroy's brother Josh."
It was Oliver's turn to stare.
"What? Really?"
"Sure am."
"Are there any other uncles I should know of?"
Josh laughed.
"Well, there's Peter and Luke. I believe Luke is in Australia, but Peter's in England still."
"Any sisters?" asked Tate.
"One," Josh replied, a sorrowful expression flickering across his face. "She died as a teenager."
"Oh."
Tate might have said sorry, but she knew Josh didn't want her to be.
"Anyway, I have to finish up in the fields. You're to stay here for dinner - Leroy's going to meet you here. It'll be nice to catch up for real this time."
"Can we help? You in the fields I mean," Oliver asked.
"Nah. One thing is for certain, telekinesis is a very useful power to have on a farm."
"I suppose so."
"Why don't you two go on a walk?"
"Yeah, okay."
"Just don't wander too far and get lost. Keep the farm house within sight."
"No worries."
So Oliver and Tate started walking around the farm.
Buzza, Oliver and Tate
Tate paused.
"What is it?" Oliver asked, noticing her stop.
"There are other people here. Lots of them."
Oliver looked around.
"Where?"
"I don't know where. I can only sense that there are people, not where they are. It's part of my power, silly-billy."
"Oh," a sly grin crossed his face. "What do they want you to be?"
"Mmm, well, it's hard to say 'cause like, they haven't seen us yet," Tate replied, gettign a sudden urge to skip around. "But I'm feeling a little silly."
"You look a little silly too," Oliver grinned, watching her bound around the field.
"Hello!" Tate yelled. "I know you're out there somewhere oh silly ones! I wanna be your friend!"
Oliver chuckled. And then out came a... well, there was no other way to describe it, a swarm of, of something.
"Ooooh, who be you two?" asked a little voice.
"Me be Tate. This be Oli."
Oliver waved. It was a swarm of little people. Or maybe really big bugs. One or the other, he couldn't really tell.
"Tate! Oli! Tate! Oli!" came a chorus of voice.
One of the little creatures buzzed in front of Tate's face.
"Me be Buzza," he informed her.
"Hi Buzz-Fuzz," Tate replied with a big dopey grin on her face. "Wanna come play with me?"
"Yeah!"
"Umm, Tate? I think we should get back to the farm house," Oliver said.
There was a chorus of "aww's", Tate included.
"Come, come?" Tate asked them.
"Yay!"
So Oliver and Tate walked (or skipped) back to the farmhouse, half the swarm coming with them.
Mrs Brown stared at the swarm following Oliver and Tate.
"What the..."
"Oooh, look Mommy," said one of the Brown's children. "Fairies."
"Fairiezzz!" shouted Buzza. "We not be magical fairy beingzzz! We be mighty insect people!"
There was a chorus of agreement.
"Insect people?" Mrs Brown repeated. "How... where... the crops..."
"We likey your farmy. 'Tis very nice. Makes nice spot for nest."
"Nest!"
"Aww, insect people mean no harm, Mrs Brown," Tate said happily. "Insect people make the bestest friends ever."
"Bestest friends! Bestest friends!" cried the insect people.
Mrs Brown didn't seemed to know what else to do but get on with dinner. She constantly had to tell the insect people to get out of her way, but for the most part they were pretty good.
Soon Josh returned from his work, and he too stared.
"What do we have here?"
"Mighty insect people," Oliver drawled. "We - or rather Tate - found them in a field that direction."
"Insect people?"
"You don't need to worry about your cropsy-wopsys," Tate told him cheerfully. "Insect people be only part insect. The other part is human. They eat human food too."
The colour drained from Josh's face.
"You're a pathic shifter, aren't you?"
"Yeppers!"
"I'd better go wash up," Josh said, turning and hurrying away from the room.
Mrs Brown and Oliver's eyes met as if to say "what was that all about?"
It wasn't long thereafter that Leroy arrived. Josh greeted him immediately and privately.
"Tate is a pathic shifter! You didn't mention that in your note!" He hissed.
"Would you have prefered that I did?" Leroy asked dryly. "How'd you find out anyway?"
They walked into the kitchen. Tate was dancing around on the floor with the insect people all around her. Leroy was quickly informed of the situation.
"So, what are you insect people exactly?" Leroy asked, taking a seat.
"We're 'nomalies. You 'nomalies too? Or are you humans?" asked one of the insect people.
"I finkys dey be 'nomalies too," one said. "Me see dem use powers."
"I am a Dathrian," Leroy said. "As is Tate, Oliver and Josh. Josh's kids are part Dathrian, part human -"
"What's a Dafrien?"
"An alien."
"Ooooh!"
"Aliens!"
It took him awhile, but Leroy soon to them back on track. With help from Tate, who's power made her the perfect go-between, they figured out that these creatures were from another world brought here by accident and with no way home. That they had a certain kind of mutation unlike that of their mutant friends. A completely new species to this world.
Later Leroy posed Josh a question.
"I don't suppose you'd foster Tate?" he asked.
Josh was silent for a moment.
"Leroy, I have to decline. I have eight kids of my own to look after - I hardly haver any more room as it is. And even if I did, I... I never had the same experience you guys did. And let's face it with this new development, we're... those insect people are going to be around for a while it would seem. And, well, we've seen their influence."
Leroy nodded and sighed.
"Yes, yes I see your point," he said. "Well, you can't blame me for trying."
"No, I can't. But they are right, man. You're probably the best person on the planet for the job."
Leroy sighed.
"I just hope it doesn't end the same way."
"I'm sure it won't."
Later, as they left, Buzza wouldn't leave Tate.
"Me love you Tate. Me never going. You Buzza'zzz friend forever and ever and ever."
"It seems you've been adopted," Oliver grinned.
Tate patted Buzza on the head.
"Me don't care. Me love Buzza too."
Leroy stared sadly at Tate for a long moment. Tate returned his glance. Then Leroy looked at Josh, Josh shrugged. they said their goodbyes and left.