A/N: Just wanted to say thanks for the feedback on the first chapter! I really appreciate it! So, here's the second chapter and enjoy :)

It was kind of really intimidating to stand in a room full of experienced scientists when you're just a kid in high school.

"This is Aster. He's a student at Burgess High and he'll be my assistant for the duration of his school year." Dr. Henders said as she laid a hand on Aster's shoulder. "He plans on working in botany and I'd like for him to learn as much as possible while he's here. So, I'd really appreciate it if we all helped him out a bit, whether it's answering a question or explaining how something works."

"Welcome to the team!" Someone called out enthusiastically from the back of the room.

Laughs broke out and some people started clapping.

"See? No need to be nervous, they like you already." Dr. Henders whispered to Aster.

It only eased Aster a little bit, but he still smiled, trying not to seem too intimidated. "Ha, guess so." He replied, messing with the sleeve of his new white lab coat. But as his eyes scanned the crowd, he came across a startling pair of yellow eyes.

It was like he was untouched by what was going on around him, like nothing mattered but his own hardened stare which he kept on the young high school student in front of him. He was grayish and still, like stone.

It scared Aster and he looked away, feeling as though he trespassed on forbidden ground. He'd never seen eyes that color or such a rotten look directed at him- not even by Jackson.

"Aster?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, he blurted, "Yes?"

Dr. Henders raised her eyebrow, "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Aster asked. "What? Uh- yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

She couldn't really believe him, but she also couldn't blame him for being so nervous. So she brushed past his strange behavior. "We've still got a bit of time before the break ends. Would like to greet some of the scientists?"

Aster glanced out into the crowd, searching for the yellow eyes without a second thought.

They were gone.

He relaxed a little and nodded, "Yeah, sure."

And so he went from table to table with Dr. Henders, where scientists sat for their breaks. They all had something to talk about, whether it be the main project they were working on, their theories, or a cheesy joke about rock formations. Some were young, some were old, but they all had the same look of passion and interest in their eyes.

Guess I won't be getting tired of doing this. That'll be nice.

He had just gotten done talking to another scientist who was studying the water quality in a nearby lake when he turned away and bumped right into someone.

"Excuse you." They hissed in a strong British accent.

Aster looked up and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw the familiar yellow eyes staring him down.

Still, he found himself saying, "Listen, mate, it was an accident."

"Then maybe you should watch where you're going."

Aster felt his patience diminishing by the second. Who did this guy think he was? Why was he glaring at him earlier? Why did he seem to hate Aster? He had absolutely no reason to. He'd just barely met him! "Look, I said it was-"

"Oh, Kozmotis." Dr. Henders was suddenly by his side, looking apprehensively at the yellow-eyed man. "You're getting acquainted with my assistant, I see?"

Kozmotis.

You must not cross his path. He's dangerous.

Oh God.

The older scientist gave a wry smile. "I'd rather you refer to me as Dr. Pitchiner."

Dr. Henders' gaze didn't falter, nor did her polite smile. "Of course." She grabbed Aster's shoulders and shook them encouragingly. "Aster, this is Dr. Pitchiner. He's been here a little bit longer than I have and he's the head scientist of the geology department."

The two men stared at each other, Aster in shock and Dr. Pitchiner in annoyance.

Dr. Henders rolled her eyes, amused at their little tiff. "You know, a handshake would be polite, Aster."

Aster blinked. "Right. Sorry." He stuck out his hand.

Dr. Pitchiner's eyes flicked down to the teenage boy's outstretched hand. He considered turning and leaving, telling Dr. Henders that he'd see her some other time and ignoring Aster completely.

But he didn't.

Instead, he grasped Aster's tan and warm hand with his own gray and frigid one.

Aster immediately wanted to yank his hand away; he felt like he was shaking hands with a corpse. But he fought the urge and mustered up a smile. "Sorry about bumping into you. Just a little overwhelmed I guess."

Dr. Pitchiner bared his teeth in a lame attempt at a grin. "It's fine."

They let go.

It was quiet for a moment, and Dr. Henders simply observed. She wanted to see how the two of them would react.

Nobody ever really talked to Kozmotis and she was curious to see just how he handle human interaction.

Dr. Pitchiner was curious too. Aster was from the same school that Moon taught at now. It made Dr. Pitchiner cringe inwardly. He'd hate to work with teenagers. Not to mention the wage cut that came with teaching. And Moon was so talented at what he did…

"Do you know a Moon?"

The question confused Aster and he pulled away from the scientist. "A moon?" And then he realized what he meant, but he wasn't sure if he should tell. Mr. Moon hadn't seemed too comfortable with talking about Dr. Pitchiner

But Aster hadn't even had a chance to lie; Dr. Pitchiner had gotten frustrated with him and practically snapped, "Do you know anyone with the name 'Moon'? Sorry, I thought you were able to understand what I meant."

Dr. Henders made a face at the backhanded comment, but stayed silent.

"Yeah, no, I get what you mean. Uh…" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, unsure of what he should do. "I think?"

Dr. Pitchiner smirked.

The boy was a horrible liar.

And Dr. Pitchiner wasn't afraid to let Aster know that he knew it. "Tell him I said hello. He'll know who I am." He told him a voice that could cut through steel.

"Alright, break's over! Head back to your labs!" Someone shouted behind them.

Dr. Henders let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She felt a little guilty about making Aster her temporary guinea pig, but that would be the last of it. She rarely ever saw Kozmotis outside of his lab. Not that she wanted to, either. "Come on, Aster. You've got work to do now." Dr. Henders said warmly, smiling as she began to steer an uneasy Aster away from Dr. Pitchiner. "I'll see you again, Dr. Pitchiner." She said, more like a statement than a goodbye.

"I will see you around, Dr. Henders. You too, Aster." Dr. Pitchiner said, not bothering to move as he watched them leave.

The man was like stone again, cold and watchful.

And Aster was afraid to know why Mr. Moon had called him dangerous. But he knew his science teacher was right.

Meanwhile, Toothiana was in a much less intimidating situation herself.

In fact, she was leaning over and watching with a critical eye as her father worked to put braces on a preteen boy named Marvin.

When all was done and over with, Toothiana's dad grinned and stepped back. "Take a look, Toothie. What do you think?"

Toothiana did as she was told and looked down at the young boy's new braces. He'd chosen blue bands and they made the new brackets on his teeth stand out. He had bright white teeth, obviously well taken care of, and his teeth were relatively straight already. But his jaw needed to be aligned and the braces would hopefully help with that problem.

"Looks good, Dr. HyLoo." Toothiana replied, calling her father by his professional name.

Her father grinned even wider and turned back to Marvin. "Do you want to see, Marvin?"

"Uh." He flicked his tongue over his braces experimentally. "Sure." Marvin nodded. He didn't seem too happy and Tooth could figure why. She'd never really seen a patient that was actually happy about receiving braces.

"Be right back." And with that, Tooth's dad excused himself.

She took advantage of his absence and turned to the young boy sympathetically, "You okay?"

He shrugged. "I guess. It's just my first year in middle school and I don't want anybody to remember me with dorky braces or something."

"Oh, pffft." Tooth waved her hand dismissively. "Trust me, no one will care. There'll be other kids getting braces all throughout middle school and high school. It's all a part of the experience."

Marvin raised his eyebrows at her comforting words. "Really?"

Tooth smiled warmly, nodding herself. "Really."

He mirrored her expression, showing off his new braces. "Thanks." But then the smile disappeared and he raised an eyebrow. "Why does your dad call you 'Tooth'? Is it just a nickname or-"

"It's my name." Tooth immediately told him. Then she reconsidered, "Well, okay, it's kind of a nickname. My full name is Toothiana."

Marvin gave her an odd look and she was worried for a moment that he might make a rude comment about it or even make fun of her, but then he smirked. "That's cool. Mine's just Marvin. Sometimes people call me Marv, but only my friends."

Just as Marvin finished telling Toothiana this and pleasantly surprising her, her father walked in carrying a small mirror. "Alright, Marvin. Look at the new you."

He handed it to the young boy and Marvin smiled widely, checking out his new teeth.

"Do you like them?"

Marvin looked away and handed the mirror back, giving a small nod. "Thanks, Dr. HyLoo."

"And thank you, Marvin, for being a good patient." He replied, taking the mirror. "Now let's go talk to your mother about taking care of your new smile!" Tooth's dad rubbed his hands together excitedly as he led Marvin out of the room and into the waiting area.

Tooth gave a small wave at Marvin as he left, feeling like she'd made a tiny but important difference in his outlook. "Bye, Marv."

He turned back and smiled once again, waving. "Bye, Tooth."

Her father gave her a questioning look, but then he continued on his way out.

"So, Toothiana made a friend today."

"Oh, did she now?" Tooth's mother glanced at her. "Was it your hair? You know how the little ones just adore your hair."

Tooth ran a hand subconsciously through her hair at the mention of it. It was a dark, glossy brown that was cut shoulder-length. The lower half of it wasn't brown, however, and instead an ombre of the color yellow, pink, and blue. They all faded into each other, reminding her of a tropical sunset. It was usually a source of amusement and awe for her parents' younger patients, but not in this case. "No, actually."

"What happened while I was gone?" Tooth's father asked her as they walked through the emptying halls of their office.

Tooth shrugged, "He was just a little self-conscious about his braces. I told him it wasn't really a big deal."

Her mother beamed with approval. "That's my girl. You'll be great at this, I can tell already."

She was referring to dentistry, as her parents both operated their own office together. Often times, Tooth would drive herself there after school and help them out. She'd been doing it since she got her license and it was something she thoroughly enjoyed. Teeth had always been fascinating to her and when her parents offered to let her help them out with their everyday jobs, she was more than happy to make after school trips there.

"I hope so. I'd love to do this." Tooth gestured grandly to the office around her.

Tooth's dad rested his arm on her shoulder as reminded her, "And you will, Toothie. You will."

"Jackson, can I use your skateboard?" Claude shouted from across the street.

Jackson looked up from the homework he was doing. He had been sitting outside on his front steps, his skateboard leaned up against them, so that he could keep an eye on his younger sister as she played with the younger kids on their street. Jackson shook his head, giving a lopsided smile, "I'm sorry, Claude, but not right now."

Claude frowned, his arms going limp at his sides. "Aw, Jackson!"

"One of these days, Claude! One of these days…" Jackson's voice trailed off. To be honest, he was just afraid that Claude would hurt himself on his skateboard. If the young boy had some good experience riding, he would've been more than happy to let him use it. But he didn't, and Jackson did want any parents to be mad at him because their kid had gotten hurt.

"Can you play, then?" Another boy called out.

Jackson looked back up and saw that it was Jamie calling out to him.

He was holding a Frisbee and he had a pleading look on his face, using his own wide brown eyes to his advantage.

Jackson sighed and set his homework aside on the steps before standing up and stretching. He checked to make sure Emma was still with Pippa and Cupcake down the street. Once he saw his little sister sitting in a small circle, drawing various things in one of the girl's yard with chalk, he continued across the street.

"Okay, Jamie. You're distracting me. Better make this a good game!" Jackson said once he was on the sidewalk.

Jamie raised his eyebrows before smiling deviously. "Oh, I will!"

And before Jackson knew it, it was two hours later and he was still playing Frisbee with Claude and Jamie, while his paper lay untouched across the street.

Soon his mom came home and saw her son doing what he had been doing since they'd first moved to Burgess. "Jackson, I'm home!" She shouted.

Jackson turned and saw his mother, Frisbee still in his hands. He grinned and waved with the Frisbee. "Hey, Mom!" Turning back to Jamie, his handed him the Frisbee. "Gotta head home now, you two."

They both said their goodbyes after making the teenager promise to play again the next day.

"Em!" Jackson called down the street.

She looked up, her eyes so much like his own, and replied, "Yeah?"

Jackson nodded towards their house. "Mom's home!"

"Okay!" She said, before standing up and saying goodbye to her friends.

His mother stopped at their steps and picked up Jackson's skateboard. Shaking her head, she made a comment about his discarded homework. "Jackson, I'd love it if you finished your homework earlier. It worries me when you stay up as late as you do."

Jackson walked over and jogged up the steps, taking his skateboard and scooping up his books and papers. "Hey, I'm never up past midnight."

"That's still late."

He rolled his eyes as Emma made her way up the front porch and stood next to Jackson.

"Hi, Mom!" she said cheerily.

"Hi, sweetie!" She replied, opening the already unlocked door and leading her children inside.

The kids rarely spent their afternoons inside, only choosing to do so when it got colder. And even then, their mother would come home to Jackson sitting on the porch, doing his homework by himself.

That would usually lead to the two of them arguing over him coming inside. Sometimes his mother won and other times Jackson won. But even when he won, he was forced to at least grab a coat because his mother didn't want him getting sick.

He never did, though.

He liked the cold. He always found it somewhat comforting.