Chapter 7 #3
Kaden nodded, trying to picture it. “I’m worried about how you’ll manage. You’ll need food, clothes, a place to stay. Money. An identity.” He chewed his nail then pulled his finger away from his mouth. “The world can be… complicated.”
Dangerous? Like on television? People with guns? Things blowing up?
“Sometimes,” Kaden said carefully. “But it’s not always obvious danger.
Most people are good—really good. They help each other.
But there are some who don’t. And they don’t always look like villains.
” He paused, choosing his words. “You’re kind and open.
That’s a good thing. It’s just something people might try to take advantage of. ”
Joe was silent, listening.
“We spend our entire lives learning how to read people. When to trust, when to step back. Even then, we don’t always get it right.” He gave a small, self-aware laugh. “I want to believe the best in everyone. Even Harris. I should have known better, but…”
You have a kind heart.
Kaden smiled despite himself. “Thank you. I just want you to be safe when you come out of me. You won’t be alone, okay? I’ll help you. We’ll figure this out together. I can help you learn—not just facts, but how humans feel. And you can ask me anything. Anytime.”
After a moment, Joe replied, Then I think I’ll be all right.
And for the first time since the conversation began, Kaden felt something steady settle in his chest—not fear, but hope.
Why didn’t your friends warn you about Harris?
“Because I didn’t tell them he’d hurt me.
What they saw, they didn’t like. I should have finished with him that first time.
But I believed him when he said he’d never do it again, said that he was sorry.
He begged me to forgive him and I did. More than once and I’m ashamed of that. I made a mistake.”
He could have killed you.
Kaden felt Joe stroking his back.
“He wouldn’t have.” Kaden tried to keep his thoughts positive. “But it does happen. People getting bent out of shape and rage consuming them. They lose control.”
What chance do I have if you can’t see the truth in people?
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to desert you.
You’ll have to stay with me. But only one person is supposed to live here.
The landlord’s flat is on the top floor so if he sees two of us coming and going, I’ll be in trouble.
I can’t afford to rent anything larger at the moment.
The bigger problem is that if the police stopped you, for whatever reason, you wouldn’t be able to prove you were entitled to be in this country.
If they thought you were British, you’d have no explanation for where you’ve been living and why you have no ID. I don’t know what they’d do.”
Would they eliminate me?
“No, we don’t do that. Not anywhere in the world that I know of.
You haven’t done anything wrong, but they’d want to know where you came from.
They’d expect answers they could believe.
If you said you were from another planet, they’d think you were being deliberately awkward or maybe that you had a mental illness.
You could claim to have lost your memory but that probably happens a lot.
People claiming that, I mean. They might put you in a hospital.
Or prison. They’d definitely take your fingerprints and check databases. ”
My fingerprints need to be different to yours?
“Yes. Everyone in the world has different fingerprints, even identical twins. Would your DNA be the same as mine?”
No, because it would be a blend of yours and mine. Well, what passes for DNA in my species.
“What would happen if you were ill and needed hospital treatment? Would it be obvious you’re not human?”
No. I will pass as human.
“Remember you need to read about immigration. We might as well start now.”
A few minutes later, several websites had been read at Joe-speed, which gave Kaden a headache before Joe soothed it.
Tell me your idea.
“You’ve seen that people from other countries travel through France and cross the Channel to ask for asylum here.
Their boats are sometimes intercepted at sea and Border Force officers bring them to Dover.
The migrants are screened, interviewed and put in accommodation paid for by the Government, but if you have a friend or family you can stay with while your claim’s being considered, you can do that.
If you pretended to be an asylum seeker, which you are, and I was the friend you wanted to stay with, it would be a way of getting you accepted here and eventually, you’d get new documents. And you could get a job. And a home.”
I’d be an actual illegal alien.
“Was that a joke?”
Yes. You didn’t laugh.
Kaden chuckled. “It was funny.” He could feel Joe preening.
Where could I have come from?
“Somewhere like Albania, Iran, Lebanon, Palestine or Afghanistan. If you could darken your skin, then the choice would be wider.”
I can’t make it very different. I’m fixed close to your skin colour, your hair colour. I like your hair.
Kaden smiled as he felt fingers slide through it and massage his head.
I like touching you.
Oh. Kaden trembled.
Don’t you like being touched?
“Yes. I like being touched.” He took a deep breath.
Get your head in gear! “You’d need to learn the language of whichever country we decided you’d come from, but I’m assuming you can easily do that.
You’d also have to know all about the city, town or village where you’d claim to have lived, as well as details about the country, past and present.
Coming from a city would be best. We could find information more easily.
And you need a reason for coming to the UK.
A reason that would stop them sending you back. ”
Because I fear persecution due to my race, religion, nationality, political opinion, gender identity or sexual orientation.
“Yes. Exactly what the internet says.” Kaden bit his lip.
“I think…saying you’re gay is the easiest option.
Worrying you’d be killed would give you a perfect reason to flee to a country where homosexuality is accepted.
We’d have to make up your family history, pretend you had no relatives or only ones who wanted to hurt you.
The less detail you give, the better. If you say anything that could be checked, then your story might fail.
Once the British authorities know you can speak English, they’ll talk to you in English, but you still need to know the language of the country you’re supposed to have come from.
You can’t speak English too well or they’ll be suspicious. ”
I’d have to pretend I crossed the Channel? What boat did I use? Was I with others?
“Let’s read about the boat crossings.”
Kaden kept moving from site to site, speed-reading with Joe until he clicked off Google.
“You’d be unlikely to arrive on your own.
When you speak to the police, you’d need to say you were brought across with a group from a different country to yours, so you didn’t understand them.
You could say you fell out of the boat and swam ashore at a different point to where they came in and lost your backpack.
That might work. Or they just dumped you when you landed because you didn’t have money to pay for more transport.
Or they drove you to London and left you.
You’d have had to pay the traffickers who arrange the crossings.
Maybe the last of your money. But you wouldn’t know names.
That’s okay. Though, there is a problem. ” Kaden’s mind was racing.
What?
“There are CCTV cameras everywhere in the UK. Not being seen would be as suspicious as being seen. We have to be careful once you’re out of me. You’d need to leave me, go to the police, tell them you need asylum, give them my name and address and say we’re friends.”
Joe stayed silent.
“I think that might work.”
How were we friends? Did you write to me? Email me? When did our friendship start?
Kaden groaned. “Good points. Er… Maybe we played online games. The police could probably check the chatrooms but why would they bother unless you’d done something wrong? If I’m offering you a place to live, that should be enough. One less person for them to worry about.”
I need to come out of you somewhere you can get help if there’s a problem. A hospital.
“Really?” Kaden tensed.
I want you to have help if you need it.
Kaden couldn’t think of anywhere in a hospital he could access that would be private. There probably were places but he’d get caught on camera looking for them. Unless…
“A hospital toilet might work. The only problem is that toilets are small. Though accessible ones are bigger. Oh, and they have a red cord you can pull if you’re in trouble. How long will it take for you to come out of me?”
I don’t know. How long can you last without oxygen?
“I can hold my breath for around 70 seconds. But under stress not as long as that. Brain damage starts after three minutes, I think. We’d need to use a toilet that isn’t in a busy area. Maybe I could put an out-of-order sign outside, if there’s one handy.”
A lot of planning was required.