Being Human

Age Quod Agis

Chapter 3

Age Quod Agis [1]

     “Hey new kid. Hey new kid!”

     The girl next to me was snapping her fingers under my nose. I gave a start, and asked her the stupidest thing I could say for the first time as a regular mortal:

     “Who am I?”

     She stared at me, and then grabbed something at the front of my shirt. It hung from a lace that matched the color of my blazer. “This is your ID, genius,” she said, indicating the rectangular plastic thing in her hand. “It says here that you are….hey, that’s odd.” She said, frowning. “You have no last name….Louis. Oh that’s right, I forgot! You’re obviously a new student. This is only a nametag. But whatever, your name’s Louis. What’s your last name?”

       “I…my last name is….” I looked around desperately for inspiration. “I’m Louis, uh…..” Then I spotted a chart of constellations hanging near the windows, and said the first constellation I saw. “Archer. Louis Archer.”

      “Well, hi Louis Archer, I’m Megan,” the girl said, extending a hand. “Megan Smith.”

      “Ms. Smith! Extending your father’s diplomacy, aren’t you?” the teacher said sardonically at the front of the room. She dropped her hand awkwardly, her face pink. “Sorry, Mrs. Cooper,” she muttered, scowling.

      Mrs. Cooper snorted, and proceeded to talk about oxidation numbers. “What class is this?” I asked Megan quietly.

     “Chemistry. The science of the elements and compounds and stoichiometry and whatnot,” she said under her breath. “Mrs. Cooper’s the best teacher for the subject, but she’s a witch if you don’t listen to what she’s saying. Whoops,” she added, moving away. “Look in front now.”

     Mrs. Cooper was looking at our direction again, but this time, she was looking at me like a hawk. She marched down the aisle towards my seat at the very back of the room. “What is your name, boy?”

    “Louis, ma’am. Louis Archer,” I said, swallowing. What is this ridiculous feeling in my chest? Why do I feel like I want to run away?

    “Very well, Mr. Archer, can you explain to me the significance of protons in identifying the atomic number of an element?” she barked at me.

    “I, uh, they are important because-“

     At that precise moment someone knocked on the door. One of the kids near the door stood up and opened it, and a woman in her thirties entered. She had brown hair, and she had a slim but compact figure. Her glasses were perched precariously on the bridge of her nose as she looked at us all. Apparently she was looking for someone in our class, but who? Then she spotted me, and smiled.

     “Mrs. Cooper, could you please direct Mr…?” she paused, raising an eyebrow to my direction. What is she asking me?

     “What? Oh,” I said as Megan nudged me. “I’m Louis, ma’am. Louis Archer.”

      “Well then, Mr. Archer, come with me to the guidance office. Your brother’s here to pick you up,” she said kindly, gesturing to the door.

     What? “My…brother?” Since when did I have a brother?

     “Yes dear, your brother. He’s waiting for us now. Now, go get your bag, I’ll wait for you outside.”

     A bag? I had one of those? I looked behind me and there, hanging on my chair, was a bag crammed with heavy books. I grunted a bit as I carried it over my shoulder, and followed the woman out the door. These things were ridiculously heavier than I thought. “I haven’t introduced myself properly, have I? I’m Ms. Hart, your guidance counselor. Now, I understand that both of your parents are out of town, so your brother’s the only one responsible for you for the next six months?”