Third Dimension

Differences

"Damen, will you take off that hood, you look fine! You're attracting weird attention."

"In case you hadn't noticed, Cal, I've got a gigantic scar across my face. This hood is much less conspicuous."

It had been six months since my fall, and I was all patched up. Today was my first day of school. Sally and Cal hadn't really questioned me, but I told them I was an orphan and ran away from my abusive foster parents. I lived with them now.

Cal rolled her eyes, convinced I was going to get bullied to no end at her high school. I'd been to high school before, of course, but not this one. Not in this dimension.

We heard the bell ring and walked into the building with all the other students, checking the big notice board for our locker assignments. Turned out Cal and I had lockers next to each other. Nice.

After I stuffed my belongings into the tall, thin metal box, I headed to my homeroom, room 212, and put my stuff on a desk just as the teacher began calling roll. As she called each name, she looked up at the student and wrote their name on a seating chart.

Finally, I heard my name. "Damen-" she broke off, confused. "Damen, what is your last name?" oh god, not this thing again. "I don't have a last name."

She looked up at me, not amused, and saw that my huge black hood was still up, covering my face.

"Mr- Damen, take off your hood, we are in school."

No! I couldn't let them see my face! What would they think of me? What would they say to me? I shook my head.

"Damen, I wasn't giving you the choice. Take off your hood this instant."

I paused. Should I hide my face and get in trouble, therefore attracting attention to myself, or should I take off my hood and attract attention to myself? If I get in trouble with the teacher, I figure I'll end up having to take off the hood anyway, as well as being labelled a troublemaker. I decided to show my face.

I reached up, slowly pulling the hood off my black hair as I put my head on the desk, hiding my scars.

"Head. Up." the teacher growled. Okay, have it your way. I looked up.

Every person in the room gasped, taking in my brutal scars. I knew how they felt, I'd spent an hour in front of the mirror this morning, trying to cover them up, but I couldn't. This was the mark of a traitor. A murderer.

The teacher's expression was priceless.

"Well, Damen. What is your last name?" she said shakily, staring at my face."

"I don't have one, I told you. It's just Damen. That's all there is. That is my name." I practically growled at her.

"Okay, Mr- Okay, Damen."

Dust's POV

I sighed heavily, slumping into my seat, resigning myself to another year's boring, stupid schoolwork. Then I saw him. He wasn't very tall, about 5'6", and he wore torn dark grey jeans and an oversized black sweater with the hood up, hiding his face completely. I smiled. I love new kids. Especially the mysterious ones. The teacher came in and began to call roll, going down the list of names. I'd heard them all before, but I was dying to know the new boy's name. A second later, my wish was granted.

"Damen." Oh, his name even sounded mysterious! I liked this kid already. But he was having an argument with the teacher, she was telling him to take his hood off. Well, I couldn't say I disagreed. I wanted to know what my stranger looked like under there. Ah! Yes, he was lifting his hood- and putting his head on the desk. At least now I knew he had black hair. This guy was too good to be true. The teacher yelled something, and he was raising his head. Yes! I could see his face! He was- I gasped in shock, as did the rest of the class.

Across his face, from his forehead to his chin, was a big, red X.

************

"So... Damen... Where are you from?"

His expression darkened and he grimaced, brushing his hair out of his eyes. As he did, he ran his fingers up the left side of the X.

"I... I don't talk about where I'm from. Or what they did to me." he said in a low voice, adding something in a whisper that I didn't quite catch. I did hear two words, though: pushed me. I wondered what that meant. Had someone pushed him down the stairs or something? I didn't have a clue, but my friend Damen was VERY interesting. I decided I was going to push a little bit -no weirdness intended- and see what he would tell me.

"Are you sure? You look like you could use someone to talk to."

"I'm fine... What is your name?"

I grinned. "My name is Dust."

"Well, Dust, I have another class to go to and another teacher to bother, so if you'll excuse me." he picked up his books and walked around me, pushing past the rest of the students out the door.