Amongst The Stars

Chapter 1: Secrets

Mr. Kolivan had contacted Mr. Ranveig for Mommy, he told him that Mommy was stuck on his base while her ship refueled and blah blah blah other stuff that Keith didn't understand or care about. Mr. Kolivan was scary but he was nice, he had let Mommy stay another day but she still had to leave. So now he stood in the hangar with Tok and waived good-bye to Mommy. She promised she would be back but that it might be years before they saw each other again, just like it might be years before he saw Daddy again. That made him sad, Keith missed his Daddy, he missed his Daddy a lot; and now he was going to miss his Mommy too.

She had called him a big boy, a brave boy, but he wasn't brave because he was crying. He felt Tok's tail wrap around him, it was comforting - like a hug but a little stranger. The hangar door closed and he ran to the window, watching the purple light of his Mommy's pod as it disappeared between the two scary black things and the bright blue one. He felt more tears on his cheeks and Tok picked him up.

"Ok little man, time for you to get to class. You're starting your first Galran lessons today."

He sniffled, not really understanding. Keith already knew how to speak Galran, his Mommy had taught him, so why did he have to take lessons? That just seemed silly. He voiced this thought and Tok laughed at him. "You can speak it sure, but you still need to learn proper grammar and how to read and write. So off to lessons you go!" And with that Tok marched off.

Keith was slung over those big shoulders, his head falling against Tok's back, and he used his hands to push himself up and stare at the hangar doors. He gave a small wave and whispered 'Good-bye, Mommy' in his Daddy's language before they turned the corner down the hall.

When they arrived in the classroom there was only one other boy there. He had seen TV shows back home with Daddy and knew the room should be full of other kids, so this just seemed weird. But Tok plopped him down in the only other chair, directly beside the boy. Taking stock of the other, he noticed that the boy had a tail. It was thicker than Tok's tail and had three spikes (or barbs?) on it. The boy was also taller than Keith, but he seemed older so maybe Keith would grow to be big and tall just like all the other Galra. Maybe he would get so tall that he would tower over his Daddy when he went back to Earth and saw him again. That would be funny and his Daddy would be really surprised. He giggled to himself and the other boy tilted his head, raising an eyebrow at him in question.

"Keith, this is Regris. Regris, Keith." Tok ran introductions and he stuck out his hand in greeting. The other boy, Regris, grabbed him just below the elbow and shook his whole arm.

"Hi Keeeeth." The name sounded strange coming from him, though he wore a broad smile.

"Keith." He corrected.

"That's what I said. Keeeeth."

"No, it's KEITH."

"Key-ith?"

"No. KEITH."

"Key-the?"

"NO! KEITH!!"

"OH! Key-ith!"

"Ughhh, you said that one!" Keith groaned. He didn't think this boy would ever get it right so he just gave up. Throwing his arms in the air and letting himself fall forward against the desk in defeat.

Tok had been speaking with their teacher but now he was chuckling to himself. Keith was about to ask what was so funny when he heard Regris speak. "I thought you had to be Galra to be a Blade, why are YOU here?" It wasn't meant to hurt him, he knew that, but for some reason it still made him angry. He was Galra. His Mommy was Galra and that made him Galra. He knew he didn't look like the other Galra, but that didn't change anything, Mommy had said so.