Part 1: Being the part in which I introduce to you the main characters.

Books and papers flew through the air. Pencils newly purchased and freshly sharpened snapped in half as school supplies spilled across the courtyard.

“Welcome to Creighton, sir. We’ll see you in class.” The thundering oaf smirked, “Oops, make sure you get some new pencils there, newbie.”

Kyle’s face burned as he heard the bully’s laughter fade into the distance. He waited a full minute before rolling onto his back and sitting up, hoping that any onlookers would take him for dead and move along. Regardless of location or tuition level, private high schools were all the same; arrogant teenagers with too much money and too much time on their hands. Kyle glanced around to get his bearings, or the bearing of his backpack, more precisely, and sighed. His pencils were broken, the brand new graphing calculator purchased for him by his grandfather lay shattered a few feet away, and he watched wistfully as his class schedule floated away on the fall breeze. Family had always been a personal hassle, but it was in this new environment that Kyle realized the grief his last name could cause in the world outside his family home.

Kyle reached for his glasses, which had landed in a small potted rose bush behind him, and stood up. “Another year, another school,” he said to himself. “The President’s kids don’t move around this much.” With another long sigh, Kyle began the slow task of collecting his belongings and assessing the damage. Aside from the pencils and calculator, his school supplies seemed to be in good working order, if no longer in pristine condition, so he began the trek to the registrar’s office for a new schedule.

Kyle trudged through the courtyard toward the administration building, pointedly staring at the complicated red brick pattern on the building in front of him. He knew that if he looked to either side, he would find some reminder of the difficult school year that faced him. Being the grandson of a wealthy entrepreneur had earned Kyle undo acclaim from a young age. Countless times, he had been approached by complete strangers who had lauded the generosity and business practices of his absentee grandfather. Kyle had always refused to accept these occurrences as the norm, preferring, instead, to believe each one a fluke.

Now, here he stood. Being overshadowed on three sides by buildings that shared Kyle's family name only served to reinforce his feelings of insecurity. It had taken a full hour's deliberation before his parents agreed that a private school in his grandfather's name was the perfect place for their little boy to grow up. And while the name recognition earned his parents a tuition break, Kyle knew it would earn him only the stares and laughter of his classmates.

"And, don't you know, that's exactly what I need." Kyle kicked at the ground in frustration, narrowly missing a plaque embedded in the cobblestone declaring this area the Creighton Courtyard. A low growl escaped his throat as Kyle tried to stifle a much more colorful outburst about the contributions of his grandfather. "What? Are you following me now?" With the taunting of his relatives beckoning him from the ground, Kyle did not realize that he had an audience.

"Psychologists have shown that one of the first signs of schizophrenia is unprovoked conversation with imagined characters."

Kyle snapped around and found himself face to face with a plain looking girl dressed in the mandatory Creighton plaid uniform, although the girl had untucked the oxford shirt and tied the tails together in a complicated knot. He could understand why he hadn't sensed her approach; the girl reminded Kyle of a mouse and he decided that she could probably move as silently as one too. Her shoulder length brown hair was pulled back in a matching plaid holder and she had tied her uniform sailor tie to her wrist like a bracelet. Kyle felt at ease around this grinning face immediately, sensing the same slightly rebellious spirit in her that his mother often tried to punish out of him.

"Sadly, this character is far from imagined. He just doesn't happen to be in the courtyard at the moment." Kyle took a step back as the girl moved forward to look down at the plaque that had drawn his attention.

"Ah. Your conversation was with Mr. Creighton? Better be careful about things like that. Some of the students here are convinced that he is watching us through hidden cameras and stuff. You never know. He might have heard you."

"You don't believe that, do you? I've read about conspiracy theorists. Aren't you supposed to be holed up in a shack somewhere in Wyoming?"

The girl looked taken aback and, for the first time, a hint of a frown appeared on her face. "Not a conspiracy theorist. Just a realist. Besides, if I had the money to build an entire school, I'd want to keep an eye on its proceedings." She looked up towards the cloudy sky and sighed, "Anyway, it's just a rumor. You'll hear a bunch of them if you are going to be at school here. I heard on the bus this morning that Creighton's snotty nephew is starting here this term."

Kyle couldn't stop himself. "Grandson," he blurted. Then blushed and looked away.

"Oh, you heard that too? Wow, news travels faster than I thought. Isn't this your first day? I haven't seen you in any of my classes."

Kyle felt like kicking himself for his inability to turn off his mouth. "Yeah, um, sorry. My name's Kyle. Kyle Creigh..." Kyle cut himself off before he completed the name.

"Kyle Cray? Well, my name is Ashley. You're bound to find a bunch of snobs around here, so I always try to introduce myself to the new kids as soon as I see them. Gotta cut off the supply lines of new prey before the jerks here assimilate them."

Kyle smiled to himself and felt relieved to have found someone resembling normal.

Ashley looked irritated. "Why are you smiling? Did they already convert you?"

At this, Kyle couldn't help but let out a laugh. "No, it's just that I've already been introduced to the school of jerks and I think I failed the entrance exam." Kyle's experience with the bully a few minutes earlier was already beginning to sink to the back of his consciousness.

"Yeah, I saw him as I was leaving the Hacket dorms. That was Randy Batttleson. His dad is the head of the board of trustees at the school. Which, inevitably, makes him a creep creep, but don't let it get to you. In a few days, he will have gotten bored with you and moved on. And if that Creighton kid shows up anytime soon, you'll be a thing of the past."

"Great. Fresh meat."

"Exactly. And not only that, fresh meat with novelty attached."

Kyle felt bad about misleading the first person to treat him kindly since he arrived, but not bad enough to tell her the truth and face her judgment. "Well, I've got to go. I am already going to be late." Kyle slung his backpack over the opposite shoulder and, once again, headed off for the administration building.

Ashley jogged up behind him, "Why are you going that way? Classes are over here."

"I know, but I have to get a new schedule. Mine is probably halfway to Oz by now."

"Oh. Well, I'll walk with you. The Admin can be kinda confusing at first." Ashley felt into step next to Kyle and proceeded to walk determinedly toward the registrar's office.

"No, really, it's okay. I am already going to miss the second bell; I don't want to get you in trouble too."

Ashley shrugged, "Ah, it's no problem. Mr. Norton hates me anyway. He can't stand the fact that I won't let him get away with quoting directly from the textbook for an hour. He's a teacher, for crying out loud. So, teach! If I wanted to read the history book, I wouldn't have used it as kindling at the back-to-school bonfire!"

Kyle found himself laughing again. He was having trouble remembering why he had been in such a bad mood seconds before and was enjoying his conversation with the vivacious female on his right. Kyle let her keep talking all the way to the registrar's outer office without interjecting once and Ashley seemed perfectly content to provide the entertainment. Before he knew it, Kyle had a new schedule in hand and was headed to Algebra II as he listened to Ashley tell him about the incident with the dead chicken in the wall of the boys bathroom. Kyle chuckled and silently prayed that his new friend represented the majority of the students. For some reason, he doubted it.