[ WP ] a shapeshifter has been walking among humans for thousands of years . write about him finally getting discovered , by a small child .

Her name was Ellie. 
 
 An unassuming creature, seven years old by declaration, six years, three hundred sixty days, twenty-three hours, twelve minutes with a handful of seconds and counting by calculation. He could ascertain the age of any living thing he came into contact with but himself, of course; after over twelve millennia and the course of history, his own age became as incalculable as the number of quarks inside the human myocyte. 
 
 She was small, with synthetic brown curls and a plastic crown, surrounded by loyal subjects from Mattel, Build-a-Bear and American Girl; The Hulk remained at her side, an ever-loyal body guard commanding her army of green wax soldiers and miniature Lego men. Her brother was their general, and like any praise-worthy leader, he slept and lived the life of his underlings. He was Eli. 
 
 He often charted close to Eli and Ellie ’ s room, mainly because the computer sat far away from the endless activity and conversation surrounding the nurses ’ station. Over the weeks since her diagnosis, tearful adults came and went, but Eli and Ellie remained active in a world where not even the degradation of the bone marrow could affect them. He could smell poison running through her veins from just outside the doorway, and yet her daily activities as ruler of Asgard, her brother as co-regent kept her busy and laughing. 
 
 He could not have children. The few remaining in his species could not, either. Consequentially, it was the reason most of kind chose to fare amongst other species. Cultivating surrogate families and being with them as the roots of their family tree deepened. It was considered a treasure to be the progenitor of a well-cultivated family. The name of his species ’ most well-known progenitor changed with religions; clever, really, in that he had produced a family of nearly 70 % of the human race. Eli and Ellie were his, in a way. A son and daughter of “ Adam ”. 
 
 Time passed, and he left home only to return after moonrise, Ellie ’ s condition changed to critical. The aftermath of resuscitation had cleared, and after the flurry of activity, only Eli remained by her side as he always had. He stood in the shadows of the room, observing the two left unguarded. Ellie ’ s heart strained, and he knew it would not be beating when the sun reappeared. 
 
 “ Ellie, ” Eli spoke. “ Do you remember Mom and Dad? ” 
 
 The two were adopted, he recalled. 
 
 Ellie couldn ’ t answer. 
 
 “ When they left, I said that we didn ’ t need them anymore. I told you that I would be with you instead. That I would always be with you. And you weren ’ t scared, even though it ’ s my fault they left. ” 
 
 He didn ’ t think much of the child ’ s statement. Guilt was very human, as was assuming blame needlessly. 
 
 “ I love you, Ellie. I do n't want you to die, but I don ’ t want you to be sick anymore. ” The child crawled into bed next to her, carefully rearranging her stuffed animals and dolls. Eli smiled, and as he carefully laid next to her, he became a woman with long red hair and a gentle smile. 
 
 From the corner, his eyes widened as Eli began to sing a lullaby in the woman ’ s voice. Ellie ’ s heart rate slowed on the monitor. Eli reached over and silenced the pre-programmed alarms as the girl slipped away from the rest of humanity and rejoined the universe. Eli cried, returning to his former self, holding his sister ’ s hand, head resting on her shoulder. 
 
 He slipped out of the shadows, in the body of the doctor. 
 
 “ Adam, ” He spoke. The child, Eli, ignored him, tears streaming down his ten year old cheeks. “ I ’ ve been searching for you for a long time. ” 
 

