the ground in shock and astonishment as everyone glared at the Xapiens, because they looked very familiar.

'What the hell is going on here?' Scott said as he turned round and gave Charles and I a mean conspiratorial look. He turned again and looked at Gabriel and the woman with him. My heart sunk as I looked at Gabriel.

'Why is everyone quiet?' he asked. As I strolled towards him my body trembled. Confusion crossed my face. I pointed at the Xapien woman.

'Who? Who are you?' I asked because she looked very familiar to a woman I know very well. She took another step back and hid behind Gabriel.

'Her name is Pamela,' he answered for her. She is my wife and daughter of my predecessor.'

Scott stood in front of meThe bodyguards also joined in as they pushed them back.

'Can anyone tell me what is going on?' Gabriel shouted with a loud terrifying voice of authority. Everyone stopped and stared at him. He spoke English, but he had an accent.

I took a deep breath then walked towards Gabriel.

'How many of your people are coming in?'

'All of us, about 500, 000,' he replied.

I nodded and sighed. 'Oh, same number as the population of Appian. Tell them to come in,' I said.

Powerless and livid, red-faced Scott looked like he wanted to speak his mind as he clenched his fists but held back. It was one of those rare occasions when a true story is even stranger than a fiction. Gabriel looked identical to Charles and Pamela looked identical to me,