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"My Name Is Jesus."

"My Name Is Angel."

"Study hard, my little saint," Mary said, handing Jesus a basket of bread and fish and cheese, and a little jug of water. "The school master is expecting you along soon."

"I'll hurry, Mother. Is Angel in my school?"

"Yes…yes, I believe she is. Rafael and Ednah are determined to make something out of her. Now, hurry, Jesus. Mustn't be late!"

Jesus turned and ran, his bare feet making little imprints in the sand, as he neared the tent that served as the school.

"Sir," Jesus said respectfully to the schoolmaster. "I'm Jesus. I'm here for school?"

"Ah, yes, Joseph's boy," the schoolmaster said. The schoolmaster was a short, fat, balding man named Saul, and what little hair he had left was white.

Jesus bit his lip to keep him from saying that he wasn't Joseph's boy. Mary had told him not to tell anyone their secret.

"Come along," Saul said, and Jesus followed him into the large tent that served as the school.

"Sit here, Jesus," Saul said, putting him in the middle row. There were lines of 5 across and 5 down, and Jesus was in the 3rd row of both. Peering ahead, he saw the only female present in the hut. Angel was sitting in the first seat in the first row, and he could see the back of her head covering from where he sat.

"Psst, psst, new boy."

Jesus turned his head and stared into the face of a boy with cropped brown hair, dark brown eyes, and an oval face. From his clothes, you could see that his parents were wealthy. "I'm Adam."

"I'm Jesus."

"You see that girl over there?" Adam pointed to Angel.

"Yes?"

"Me and the boys are going to put a frog in her lunch basket. You wanna help?"

Jesus looked aghast. "No! How can you do something so mean?"

"Aw, it's just a little fun."

"It's cruel and inhuman. Do you want to hurt her more than she already is?"

"Who's talking?" Saul demanded.

Jesus and Adam quickly settled down.

"You're missing out!" Adam whispered fiercely.

"Adam, would you like a whipping?"

"No, sir," Adam said and returned to his work.

"Psst. Psst."

Angel looked up. She had been sitting cross-legged, her forehead leaning onto where the legs crossed. "Yes? What is it?"

"Adam and the other boys…they want to put a frog in your lunch basket."

"I know."

"You KNOW?!" Jesus was aghast.

"They already did it. I caught it and set it free." Angel reached into her lunch basket and pulled out some cheese.

"You're still eating out of that?"

"It's the only thing I'll eat today."

"Are you serious?" Jesus looked incredulous

"Yes." Angel looked perplexed. "My mother and father say that I don't need as much food because I'm a girl." (A/N: 6@$t@rd$, ain't they? It's too bad Ednah has been brainwashed that girls are inferior to boys)

Jesus shook his head. "You want some of my lunch?"

"Really?" Angel's whole face lit up. "Thank you!"

"My name is Jesus," Jesus sad, putting his lunch basket on the ground between them.

"My name is Angel."

"I know." Jesus puled out his bread, ripped it in two, handed Angel a half, and ate the other half.

"You're nice, for a boy," Angel said. "Boys like to pull my hair and put frogs and dead fish in my lunch basket."

"Don't you have any friends?"

"No. Mother and Father say I'm not supposed to."

"Well, I'll be your friend!" Jesus said happily.

"Thank you," Angel said, as she ate a hunk torn from Jesus' piece of cheese. She smiled, with yellow cheese bits stuck in her teeth. Jesus laughed, and Angel giggled, and they split the rest of his lunch.

Little do they know that a childhood friendship will lead to a lifetime of partnership.

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