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 wantedto 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 countrywhere 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?
