Not So Human

Prologue

The McClain family farm had been passed down from generation to generation for nearly eight-thousand years, yet no one in the family had ever seen the futuristic looking pod that was resting on the edge of their land - until now, that is. It had been found by the youngest person on the farm, a little girl who couldn't have been older than eight. She had run back to the farmhouse in the middle of the land to tell her family about her discovery. They were all standing around it by now, speaking in a mix of spanish and english. What was it? Where had it come from?

They didn't need to stand around asking questions for very long. The pod seemed to sense the group's movement, and soon enough it opened up to reveal a tiny baby boy. The little girl squealed and reached down to pick up the baby. Her grandmother stopped her.

"¡Oh, Madre! Can we keep him?" she exclaimed, turning toward her mother.

Her mother hesitated. If it was any other child, she would of most likely said yes, but she had no doubt in her mind that this little baby was not from here. Where he had come from, she had no idea, but it was obvious that the boy could get picked on for his odd hair color or the markings below his eyes. She was stuck in her thoughts when his appearance changed to match theirs.

"I don't know, baby," she kneeled down beside her. "He looks different. I wouldn't want him to be picked on."

The little girl started to tear up, looking from the boy to her mother with a pleading expression. It was then that she noticed that the markings were gone. She opened her mouth but shut it quickly, nodding slightly at her daughter.

"It's nothing a little hair dye can't fix."

The entire family seemed excited that they were getting another addition to their home. This little boy was just another mouth to feed - where was the bad in that? They would spoil him and treat him like he had been apart of this family since they day he was born.

"I wonder if he has a name?" the oldest of the household asked slowly, looking at the boy. "Is there anything in that vessel that might say what his name is?"

The little girl's mother lifted the boy out of the pod, making it easier to look inside. Her daughter poked her head inside and tried to find any sign of a name. She eventually found a piece of paper wedged in between the door and the seat. The only thing written upon it was 'Lance'.

"Lance McClain," someone mused. "I think it sounds wonderful. "We welcome you to the family, Lance."

Lance let out a quiet coo and curled up to his new mother.

9/23/17