[h1][color=olive]Franco[/color][/h1][hr] 


	Franco watched from the forest's edge. He blended in quite well among the shrubs and tropical leaves there, his dirty clothing appearing like plastic bags clinging to the low-hanging branches of a tree. He chewed on a four-inch white quill that looked like it came off of a gigantic cactus. He watched as the newcomers were herded onto the beach in droves. None of them seemed particularly dangerous. He looked around at the forest around him, watching for others. No one else seemed to be around. He puffed out a sigh of relief and knelt down. He took off his white stetson and looked up at the sky. It was a captivating shade of blue today, and the white heat of the sun cascaded down unimpeded. 

	He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the sun on his face. The chloroplasts in his skin cells went to work converting the sunlight into chemical energy, glucose to ATP to energy. Franco remembered studying biology in college. He had been a business major, but his school required him to take a science class. That business major right now was about as useful as an art history major. His skin flushed a deeper shade of green. He spat at the sand and stuck the quill he was chewing on into the root of a palm tree. Then he put his hat back on and melted into the greenery. He had to get back to his home soon, or else it might end up belonging to someone else.