EONS of NEOS

of drowning under feet

III. of drowning under feet

Xavier was lost in his thoughts when he had the epiphany.

"Of course. . . These are Neo Ruhl's memories."

When he blinked himself conscious, his breath hitched. A boy was squatting in front of him, staring at him with a very curious expression.

A blonde.

"You alright, man? I was here for a minute, but you, like, didn't react at all. And how come I've never seen you around?"

Xavier blinked, taken aback by the fact that this guy seemingly came out of nowhere. His response was quiet. "I don't know."

Snorting, the guy stood. "What are you reading?"

"Yo, Archer!" Called a distant voice. At this point, the park was getting livelier by the second. Others his age began to file in like ants, each wearing a combination of navy blue and grey; Xavier realized that he might've come outside at the wrong time.

The park was a short walk away from Lincoln Middle, but he'd always been lucky enough not to run into the students. Of course his luck would run out on his birthday.

He would've left, but his mind had only just caught that name.

"Seriously, are you alright? You seem out of it."

"Um. Are you. . . Archer from the hospital?" As soon as he asked, he regretted it. The art of making friends rested above the ocean surface; after his mom died, Xavier was rarely ever given the chance to try. The aggressive squint-and-lean he got from Archer didn't help much either. "Sorry, I thought, maybe. . ."

"Oh! From the hospital! Uhh, Xavier, right? Oh, how's that scar? It healed yet?" Archer angled himself to inspect his hair.

Xavier felt himself smile, albeit with a wince given how loud Archer was. And how close.

"Say, do you. . . sometimes get his memories?"

The sudden question made him freeze.

Xavier could see nothing past the pair of legs right in front of him. Nor could he form a thought after that question. Thus, he was surprised to hear a different voice; this one grumbled. "Archer. You didn't hear me call you?"

The blonde straightened, turning to face another kid their age, a sleeve of tattoos on his arm. It was peeling at ends, of course, since they were only thirteen.

"Oh, Nate. What's up?"

The one called Nate clicked his tongue, but then he smirked and pointed over his shoulder. "Get this; that weirdo Madison was going to ask you to the dance."

"Who?"

"The nerdy one in our science class."

"Oh. Pfft!" In unison, they doubled over in laughter.

At the same time, Xavier's smile just as easily doubled over. Such laughs were never kind.

By now, the park was a transit point for the students. From the crowd, though, a black-haired Asian seemed to be heading in their direction. She was smirking, holding a notebook in hand while another girl walked after her.