It was shortly after assuring Sirrus he would be on his best behavior that Achenar made a mortal enemy for life.

Walking down the school hallways to his first period class, rabidly baring his teeth at any student foolish enough to look him in the eyes, Achenar had been daydreaming about all the torture and mutilation he would get to perform on his captive "test subjects" when he and his maniacal little brother finally got the damned Myst linking book and started their conquest of this Age.

Alas, he was violently jerked from his blissful reveries when an elbow sharply knocked into him, pushing him into a row of lockers. Furiously turning his head to see what imbecile had dared to challenge him, he was aghast to see a group of three muscular boys (probably athletes, by Achenar's reckoning) laughing and looking back at him in cruel amusement while they continued walking down the hall.

The boy in the middle, the tallest of the bunch (and the classic 'pretty boy' archetype that Achenar detested with all his inner fury), even had the audacity to shout a jeer. "Watch where you're fucking going, retard!"

Never one to back down from a fight, and always one to escalate any and all hostilities, Achenar immediately and briskly followed close on the heels of the three boys before savagely sucker punching the middle boy in the back of the head. In retrospect, this was perhaps not the best strategy Achenar could have followed.

Before he knew what was happening, he found himself slammed into yet another row of lockers as a barrage of fists rained upon his stomach. By the time he had any awareness of his surroundings, he was on his knees with the wind thoroughly knocked out of him, the uproarious laughter of the three athletes echoing in the distance.

"Yo dude, you see that? Nate Jacobs just kicked the new kid's ass, man," one unfamiliar voice rang out. It was followed by a chorus of laughter from bystanders.

Rising painfully to his feet, Achenar stared down the crowd of a dozen or so students with the most hateful stare he could manage. This seemed to do the trick, as the audience quickly dispersed, leaving the man standing in the hallway with a bruised stomach and the unbearable weight of public humiliation.

Nate Jacobs, eh? Achenar thought to himself spitefully. In mere seconds Achenar had made a definite decision about resolving this newfound rivalry. I will destroy that child and everything he loves and holds dear, or I will burn this Age and all its filthy inhabitants to cinders. Mark my words, he will be begging for a quick death by the time I'm through with him!

…

Storming into the library at lunchtime, Achenar immediately spotted Sirrus sitting alone at a table and marched over. Throwing his schoolbag carelessly onto the table, Achenar sank into an empty chair with an exaggerated huff.

Sirrus, who had several notebooks, papers, and schoolbooks lying on the table's surface as he diligently performed his research, looked up at Achenar before giving a cheerful greeting. "What the fuck have you been getting yourself into?"

Achenar rolled his eyes and brushed his long, greasy black hair out of his face as he leaned back in his chair nonchalantly. "I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about."

Sighing in irritation, Sirrus neatly placed his pen down and leaned forward before chastising his brother via angry whisper. "The talk of the whole damn school is that you decided to be a big hero and get in a fight with the star athlete wunderkind."

Growling, Achenar abruptly pounded his fist on the table before retorting with his own angry whispers. "That spineless troglodyte jumped me with his goons in the middle of a public hallway. I had no choice but to defend myself! But worry not, Nate Jacobs' corpse will be buried in a deep layer of mud within the week."

Burying his exhausted head into his hands, Sirrus muttered curses to himself before responding. "For the love of God Achenar, please just let this go. We have to devote our energies to decoding this journal; it's the only chance we stand of tracking down the linking book before our deadline."

"I can multitask," Achenar flatly replied with a shrug. "What progress have you made so far?"

Energized by the change in subject, Sirrus looked through his notebook which already boasted several pages of mad scribbling. "I think I'm on the precipice of a major breakthrough. Atrus seems to have used a simple substitution cipher for large sections of his journal, and the first page indicates the keyword has something to do with the school mascot."

"The Blackhawks?"

"Precisely. I've been doing some research on the common black hawk and trying out some different keywords related to its anatomy, habitat, flight patterns, etc. Of course, the work would go a lot more smoothly with your help," Sirrus insisted in a sarcastic tone that made Achenar want to knock him upside the head.

"After school would work better," the older brother said absently. "I've got some research of my own to work on."

"I'm busy after school," Sirrus replied irritably. "I've secured a...business meeting of sorts with a potential ally and her friend."

Achenar skeptically examined Sirrus' slightly guilty expression. "...You're gonna get high, aren't you?"

"Well, it's better than starting a blood feud with a teenager!" Sirrus said, throwing up his arms defensively. "And pray tell, what research do you have to do during this period?"

"Reconnaissance on a certain football meathead," Achenar explained with a malicious grin.

"By the Maker, will you please forget about the jock?!"

"Sorry, can't talk, gotta roll," Achenar said cheerily as he quickly stood and left the table, leaving Sirrus to lay his head down in defeat.

…

Lexi wandered into the library shortly after the start of the lunch period, figuring that was exactly the location she would choose to hide away in if it was her first at a new school and the entire student population unanimously decided they hated her.

And, sure enough, as she walked into the cool, familiar air of one of her favorite sanctuaries, she spotted the two brothers seated at a table across the building. Though this was quickly reduced to one brother, as the eldest abruptly stood from the table and left the library, a noticeable skip in his step as he whistled merrily.

Huh, he got over the Nate thing remarkably quickly, Lexi mused to herself.

Observing Sirrus from afar, she internally debated whether approaching him was a good idea; after all, he was the object of school-wide ridicule and might prefer to be left alone. He even seemed to be deeply engrossed in his studies at present.

Taking a deep breath, Lexi decided to throw caution to the wind as she made her way over to the table. Upon hearing footsteps, Sirrus jerked his head upward and eyed the nervous girl suspiciously.

"Yes, can I help you?" he asked in a not-so-friendly tone, as he (for some inexplicable reason) rushed to stack all of his papers and books out of her view. Perhaps he was working on something more private than homework?

Lexi shook her rambling thoughts away. "Uh, hi, yeah. I just wanted to introduce myself, since I know you're new and all. My name's Lexi Howard. I'm in a couple of your classes, but I don't know if you remember me."

Extending her hand outward, she felt an almost embarrassed amount of relief when Sirrus shook it after a brief moment where he seemed to size her up.

"Ah, yes...you sit in the front row of my Spanish and History classes," Sirrus observed, breaking the handshake. "Well, Lexi Howard, it's a pleasure to meet you. I haven't gotten many chances to say that today."

Taking his pleasantries as an opportunity to sit down, Lexi gently lowered herself into the chair across from Sirrus as she rushed to reassure the new student. "Oh, don't worry about all the chatter! I'm sure kids will get bored of talking about you and Achenar by the end of the day and move on to something more entertaining."

Sirrus nodded, seeming to seriously listen to her and consider her words. It was an uncommon courtesy for Lexi to encounter; so far in her life, the only people who regularly gave her that pleasure were Rue and Fezco. The sensation was...warm and satisfying, but also strangely uncomfortable. She enjoyed being heard, but it almost seemed like too intimate of a feeling to share with a stranger.

"I suppose you're right," Sirrus said with a sigh. "Oh well, my brother and I are hardly unfamiliar with being the odd ones out."

Lexi felt her heart tug at that; she knew the experience Sirrus referred to all too well. "Where did you two go to school before you transferred here? I mean, if you don't mind me asking."

Sirrus waved his hand dismissively. "A private school up North. It doesn't matter, we're here now and we'll adjust to it."

Figuring that this was a sore subject for the boy, Lexi attempted to shift to a lighter topic. "So, what do you like to do for fun?"

His face lighting up at the question, Sirrus leaned back in his chair as he rattled off his response. "Oh, typical things. I read a great deal; mostly nonfiction, but I enjoy a thrilling classic as well. Science is my true passion, and I intend to break serious ground in the field. I'm also quite fond of puzzles, and I'm a strong chess player if I say so myself."

Lexi found herself immensely pleased with Sirrus' response. As her initial impression of him suggested, he confirmed himself as a real, bona fide intellectual. Though, much to her distaste, he exuded arrogance; he intended to "break serious ground" in science? It took major effort not to roll her eyes at that.

"Wow, we have a lot in common. I also love to read; my sister Cassie always says if I spent as much time going out as I do reading, I'd be the most popular girl in East Highland," Lexi said...and then immediately hated herself for being so awkward.

Sirrus, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy her remark greatly, giving a wide grin. "Yes, Achenar's voiced similar sentiments. 'Always a nose in your books and never your feet on the ground,' and such tripe."

She couldn't help but giggle softly at Sirrus' gruff impression of his older brother. "He's not a big reader, huh?"

He shifted in his seat (almost uncomfortably, Lexi thought she saw) at this question. "My brother is...a scientist himself, in some ways. But, mostly I think he'd consider himself an outdoorsman."

Lexi nodded understandingly. It wasn't easy having an older sister so radically different from herself, and, to her joyful surprise, Sirrus seemed to know the feeling himself. She reflected on how interesting the situation was; she'd come here suspicious of the brothers, and now she felt like they were deeply familiar to her.

Before she could expand on that, she heard the bell ring. They had really been talking all of lunch?

"Ah, I should get going," Sirrus said as he packed up his belongings. "But, it was truly a pleasure chatting with you, Lexi. We should talk some more when we get a chance."

Lexi beamed involuntarily at his suggestion. "I would love that, Sirrus."

And, just like that, she felt a heavy weight she didn't know she was carrying lift ever-so-slightly from her shoulders.

Sirrus may be weird, but he was Lexi Howard's brand of weird.