A sign welcomes the Greyhound bus as it pulls into the campus, reading "The Son of Polybus Charter School.” The bus stops, and the driver gets out and opens the storage hatch by the rear tires. A young man, about sixteen years old, steps out of the bus first.

  The boy is wearing a black school suit, displaying a black tie within the breast pocket. He has embroidered on the pocket the school logo, a hexagonal peace symbol. The tips of the teen’s bangs curve to the right and down the side of his face. The left part is lying straight down and meeting the rest of his hair in the back, which acts in more of a free-flowing manner than the rest. Between the part in his hair lies a pair of lime-colored irises.

  "We look like that? And why is this in the third person?"

  "Because it is easier to explain this way."

  With a yawn, the lad stretches his arms and walks to the driver in the back.

  "Your name, sir?" the driver asks.

  "Juno," the boy leisurely responds.

  "And your surname, young one."

  "Like there's anyone else here with the same name as me." Juno states, irritated. Following with a mumble, "Damn parents naming me after an internet service."

  "It is required by-"

  "Yeah, yeah, spare me the speech," Juno interjects. "It's Brownson, Juno Brownson."

  “Hah, bond joke.”

  "Thank you." The driver digs around the small storage hold before pulling out a wheeled travel bag and checking the tags. "Very well, here are your bags. Have a good day."

  "Yeah, sure thing, Jeeves."

  Juno spins on his heels and tries to step forward when he encounters what seems to be a short and rather jiggly wall falling down.

  "Wahh!" a yelp releases into the air as the person bounces on the cement.

  "Whoops, sorry, ma'am." Juno apologies.

  "Ma'am?" the large, mound of a person questions.

  "Wait, you're a dude?"

  "Still not sure of his, or her gender."

  "She got the surgery about three years ago. She had quite the celebration. You should remember. We went to it. Her name is now Anelie, and she is quite the woman now."

  "You sure she needed one?"

  "Juno, please be respectful. She has the same rights as you and me."

  "Technically, you don't exist. So, you don't have rights."

  "Who said that I did not exist?"

  "The kind doctors, nurses, and therapists in the medical ward."

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "They still don't believe you."

  "Why would they? I have a voice in my head that I often talk to."

  "But, you let me negotiate with them."

  "I think that is the reason they splashed us with water from a bottle with a cross on it."

  "They did do that, didn't they?"

  "Yes, yes, they did."

  "Yeah, and-" the poor person gets cut off.

  "You sure don't sound like one." Juno helps the chubby kid up from the ground.

  "Thanks, I guess. I'm,” the person pauses with a wince. “David." The unhealthy person holds their hand out for a handshake.

  Juno pauses to think and confirm that his eyes are not fooling his brain. David stands about four feet tall and is definitely over any doctor-recommended weight. In the same black suit, except for the even stranger rainbow of colors that could barely be seen hiding under their overgrown body mass.

  “They really did improve themselves after her transition.”

  “Why is your tie a different color?" Juno tilts his head to the side. “Aren’t they supposed to be black?”

  The ball begins speaking, "Oh, the ties, we each get a different color based on our area of study. Rainbow, like mine, is here for general education. We really don't have any adept abilities, but our parents are rich, and it's a really nice school. The majority of people here can tell what field you specialize in just by looking at your tie. Blue hues indicate language arts, where reds indicate athletics, yellow is history, purple: art, green: science, orange: mathematics, and.” They pause and eye the tie in Juno’s jacket pocket. “Black? Black is unusual. That means that you are enrolled in our Argonaut Project, which kinda makes me jealous."

  "So, ah, Michelin Man, why are you here?" Juno replies.

  "I'm your class rep. So I'm here to show you around."

  "I'll handle just fine. It’s not my first time here. Although I was like five at the time, but once I've been somewhere, I always remember how to get around."

  "Hold on, what did you say?" David demands.

  "I said that I’d make do without your guide."

  "No, did you just call me the 'Michelin Man'?"

  "Yeah, and what of it?" Juno shrugs.

  "That's not very kind of you," they reprimand.

  "Never said it was."

  A taller, older woman approaches David from behind. Her long blonde hair follows suit, with a center part that reveals her ice blue eyes. Her blue eyes' hue slightly diminished from the thin-framed glasses she wears. The fair complexion below the lenses is complemented by a large bosom. Even the dull white lab coat looks elegant on such a creature. "Yeah, that’s not nice. I think you should apologize."

  "Sam, don't you have work to do?"

  "Yeah, but can't I say hi to my brother?" she questions, then follows in a mockingly cutesy tone. "All grown up and going to the ‘fancy school.’" While pinching his cheeks.

  Juno sighs. "You know Mom and Dad already had this planned since I was, in like, well, before I could read and write."

  "Yeah, but it's funner to try and annoy you."

  "'Funner' is not proper English."

  "I know, but it's funner to say."

  "Um, am I being ignored?" David questions.

  "Yes," Juno replies.

  "That was not polite."

  "I never said it was," Juno responds.

  "K' guys, I gotta' go, being the Head Adviser for the Science Division is a pain in the ass."

  "That's all you came here for? To say 'Hi'?" David questions.

  "Yup, pretty much. Especially with the new staff coming in, and the reconstruction of the science wing."

  "Well, have a good day."

  "Yeah, you too." Sam giggles as she walks towards the partially built science wing. “And apologise to David for calling him the Michelin Man!” she yells as she walks away.

  "Michelin Man? Really?" David sighs.

  "Congratulations! You have a nickname. Get used to it. They tend to stick sometimes."

  "Michelin Man? Don’t get me wrong, I've been called worse, but Michelin Man? That's the best you can think up?"

  "Yeah, not my best, I could come up with something better if you’d like.”

  “Or, just use my actual name.”

  “You did’t seem to care for your actual name much. So, I picked one.”

  “I don’t like that one either,” they mutter under their breath. “David works,” they pause before sighing out, “for now.”

  “I'm going to my room; it was a long-ass bus ride, and I want some rest before I go and explore the campus." Juno starts walking off with his belongings toward the dormitories.