"You've got good taste." Max closed his locker on Monday morning to see a boy leaning up against the locker next to his. The boy had shaggy brown hair and brown eyes. He wore baggy jeans and a short sleeved plain white shirt, but the casual look was upgraded by the black vest left unbuttoned over his white shirt and the black fedora with the checkered band perched on his head. The boy also had a checkered sweatband around his left wrist and most noticeably of all, a British accent.

"What?" Max frowned as he looked at the boy. He had never seen him before in his life and it was odd that anyone would be talking to him, as he didn't have many friends.

"You've got good taste," the boy repeated, reaching into the pocket of his loose jeans. He pulled out an iPod, holding it out to Max. "You're missing the Mighty Mighty BossTones, though, thought you might want to know that."

"What?" Max grabbed his iPod. "How did you get this?"

"The EMTs left it behind when they took you to the hospital." The boy shrugged.

"Wait…" Max frowned, shoving the music player into his own pocket. "You were there?"

"Fucking yeah I was." The boy nodded. "I mean how did you think called the paramedics? Did you not remember?"

"Remember?"

"You spoke to me! You were writhing around, screaming on the sidewalk, yeah? Then you passed out and I checked you for signs of life, called for an ambulance and you woke up for a couple of minutes, said you had to help Carol, said that 'they' were in trouble…whoever 'they' are." The boy shrugged again, and confusion soared through Max.

"I've never seen you before in my life…" Max gulped.

"I wondered if you'd recall, suppose you didn't, but it's no matter, really." The boy held his hand out to Max. "I'm Liam, just moved here from Liverpool."

"Um…Max." Max hesitantly took the other boy's hand, shaking it loosely.

"Good to meet you, Max." Liam smiled, reaching into his backpack, pulling out a blank CD in a clear plastic holder. "Here you are."

"What's this?" Max looked even more confused as he accepted the CD.

"I told you," Liam stated. "You're missing the Mighty Mighty BossTones."

"Oh." Max transferred the CD to his own backpack. "Um, thank you?"

"You're welcome – I mean, not that it takes long to burn a CD, that's just one. If you like it, though, I've got all of their other ones, I'd be happy to make you copies."

"I meant thanks for, you know, calling the ambulance and returning my iPod, but yeah, the CD's cool too."

"You don't need to thank me for the other two." Liam shook his head. "Just did what anyone should've. I mean I probably shouldn't have gone through the iPod, but it wasn't like it could hurt to see what you listened to."

"Don't worry about it." Max pulled his backpack onto his back. "Well…see ya." He walked off, leaving the boy behind. Max knew that he was being rude, but he didn't care – what else was he supposed to do? A lot of things were still confusing to him and now this Liam guy was saying that he had been talking about Carol. That part of Max's life was over…or at least it was supposed to be.

In class, Max sat in the back as he always did, but instead of doing nothing and staring at the wall, he pulled his pencil out and began to scribble in the margins of his notebook. At first, it was just a tiny doodle, one tree and some earthy ground, but it soon grew into a forest, trees dancing all of the way across the page. Before he knew it, a figure joined the trees, then another and yet another and Max became completely lost in the drawing.

"Oi, chill out there!" As the bell rang, Max jumped as he was jarred from his artwork, and a newly familiar voice filled his ears. "It's just the bell."

"I know that," Max snapped, getting to his feet. He moved to close his notebook, but Liam was faster, snatching it away, eyes scanning the drawing.

"Whoa…" Liam let out a deep breath as he looked at the sketch. "This is really, really good, mate! These monster things, they're well brilliant!"

"Give me that." Max grabbed the notebook, shoving it back into his pack.

"Whoa, no need to get your knickers in a twist!" Liam looked hurt as he backed away from Max a few inches. "I was just admiring your artwork."

"It's not artwork." Max shook his head.

"Then what would you call it? Because to me, that was a fucking amazing drawing. I mean I've just begun to try my hand at drawing, but I'm no good, maybe…maybe you could help me out?"

"If I do, will you stop grabbing at my things?" Max asked. For some reason, this boy was persistent to speak with him, refusing to let it go, and while Max normally would have brushed him off, ignored his presence entirely, he did feel as though he owed Liam something. After all, had Liam not been around, Max would have been laying on the sidewalk unconscious for a lot longer and far worse things could have happened to him.

"Fair deal." Liam nodded. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded up piece of paper. "Take a look at this for me, yeah? I mean I don't know what it is, it just sort of came to me in the middle of class, it's just a doodle, really, but I like the image, I'd like to maybe try and draw it for real, but I'd like some help."

"Alright." Max took the paper and unfolded it. A sharp gasp escaped Max as his eyes fell upon the drawing of a boy in a white wolf's suit, a crown on his head. He dropped the paper to the floor, his hands beginning to shake, followed by the rest of him. Liam looked around the classroom, which had emptied around them, then back at Max.

"You alright?" Liam frowned as Max began to shake more violently. Seconds later, Max emitted a cry of pain and his hands flew to his forehead as he fell to his knees. "Max?" Liam's eyes widened as Max began to scream, pain taking over his body. "Somebody help!" Liam got to his knees, putting his arms around Max as he continued to shout for assistance, trying to steady the seizing boy.

Someone called 9-1-1 as Liam attempted to move Max, who was flailing about like Liam had only ever seen in the movies. It was blatantly clear now that Max was having a seizure and from classes Liam had taken, he knew this wasn't a good thing. He put his hands on Max's head, knowing that this was the most important thing. Once he had the boy semi steady, he rested the boy's head in his own lap, pulling his soft, leather wallet from his pocket. He slid the wallet into Max's mouth, trying to keep him from swallowing his own tongue.

"I've got you, you're going to be ok," he whispered, holding Max as steady as he could, waiting for the paramedics to arrive. After almost a minute, Max stopped shaking, falling unconscious in Liam's arms.