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Description
Aristophanes Millenough reclined in his chair and placed a hand to his temple. It had been a month since he had returned home, a month since he had heard his twin’s voice speak to him so gently.
     Students filed into the classroom in groups, choosing seats away from his own. One or two looked over and murmured one comment or another to their friends, but he didn’t pay them any heed. It was usually a challenge restarting at a new school, especially for Ari, but recently he had discovered restarting life without those he loved was a far more daunting task.
     When the final bell rang and the teacher entered, the students milling about took their seats, a few unwillingly sat next to him. All of them wore identical black pants and a white dress shirt sporting the school crest, branding them as student’s of Sacred Ash Academy for Boys. Ari didn’t recognize a single face, and deep down he hoped it would stay that way. He wasn’t quite ready to move on yet.

     The day progressed slowly, and by the time third period ended, no one had bothered to introduce themselves to him. When lunch arrived, Ari chose to exit the school, and sat beneath the shade of a nearby tree. Only a few students were out, most had chosen to go to the cafeteria to eat instead. Feeling very alone, and not spotting anyone standing nearby, he let a few tears fall silently down his face. If Sean had still been alive, he would have been sitting next to him.
     “Hey, stop crying.” A voice told him from nearby. Startled, he jumped and looked around. The voice sounded very familiar. “If any other student sees you crying like that they’re never going to let you forget it. You’re new here, aren’t you?” The boy who spoke was leaning against the same tree Ari was sitting under. Black hair fell down his face, for the most part concealing his eyes. He was tall and slender.
     “Yes, I am new.” He left it at that. The boy chuckled, and brushed his hair back. His eyes were an icy blue color.
     “Not too talkative, are you? I’ll fix that soon enough. They call me Faust. What about you?”
     “I’m Aristophanes.” He responded and then frowned. He hadn’t wanted to tell this stranger his name, but something about Faust’s eyes encouraged him to respond frankly.
     “Are you hungry, Aristophanes?” He smiled. It seemed strained.
     “No, I’m not.” Ari responded, looking up at Faust. Faust looked back down at him, his eyes deep and clear.
     “You’re hungry now.” As if on cue his stomach rumbled, proceeded by a rippling feeling of hunger. “Why don’t you come with me, and we’ll grab a bite to eat? I’ve got some people I know you’ll want to meet.”
     “I… Guess so.” Ari stood, looking over Faust with curiosity. He was hungry, and his soul told him to listen to this boy while his mind argued back futility; he was compelled to do as Faust told him.
     “Let’s get going, then. Follow me.”  Faust turned his back to him and started walking across the school campus. Ari followed, unable to disobey.

     “Erabliers, open up.” They stopped in front of a shed towards the outskirts of the school property. The roof was half fallen in and the wooden wallboards were rotting and warping. Why Faust would ask to be let in to such a place, much less even think of approaching something so rundown, was a mystery to Ari.
     Nothing happened. Ari frowned, beginning to question Faust’s motivation for bringing him out to such a remote location. He opened his mouth to begin to voice his concerns when Faust sighed heavily, “Erabliers, this really isn’t funny. I wouldn’t ask you to open up unless I knew there was no one around, and you know that. Open up now, or so help me…” The door to the shed clicked, unlocking. Faust turned to Ari, and looked him in the eyes. “You want to go in first.” He told him. Ari nodded and opened the door, stepping into the dark room.
      As he entered, lights flicked on, blinding him for a moment. When his eyes adjusted he saw that the small, rotting shed had turned into a large, orderly room. It resembled a lounge, and was furnished with two matching couches and a corresponding set of five lounge chairs. There was a large television mounted on the right wall as well as two computers on the left side of the room. The back wall boasted a formal looking doorway near which stood a refrigerator.
     “I-” Ari began when suddenly he came face to face with a pair of disembodied orange eyes.
      “This is it, Faust? I’m kind of disappointed. I mean, it feels powerful, but it looks weak.”
      “Yeah, really.” The first pair of orange eyes was replaced by a second. “I bet I could push it over with a feather.”
      “Give him a chance.” Faust spoke from behind Ari. “He’s new. I seem to recall two Erabliers who were pushed over by a feather on one occasion.” The eyes disappeared, and two identical boys appeared on one of the couches.
      “Alright, we’ll give him a shot.”
      “I can’t wait to see what Hayden thinks.” The boys, each with dark brown hair, grinned.
      Ari looked around the room, confused. His eyes came to rest on the happy twins, and his heart throbbed painfully. Had he once been that happy?
     Faust walked by him, and sat in one of the chairs. He closed his eyes. “Welcome to our domain, Aristophanes. I think you’ll find that we’re everything you’ve been looking for latel-”
     The door behind him opened suddenly, “I’m so sorry that I’m late. Tiller held me up again. He’ll never get off my case.” Aristophanes turned around with wide eyes to face the boy who had just entered. Like Faust, his voice seemed all too familiar. Ari’s heart skipped a beat as his mind recognized the voice he had heard to one he had longed to hear. The boy’s every detail was exactly as he had remembered. A soft white glow surrounded him, only adding to the beauty of what he was beholding.
     Ari’s hands trembled, and tears formed in his eyes. He grinned widely, at a loss for words. “I… I can’t believe it.” He stammered, looking the boy up and down, blinking to make sure he wasn’t imagining it. His gaze finally rested on the eyes of the boy that mirrored his own. “Sean… It’s really you.”

Description
Aristophanes Millenough reclined in his chair and placed a hand to his temple. It had been a month since he had returned home, a month since he had heard his twin’s voice speak to him so gently.
     Students filed into the classroom in groups, choosing seats away from his own. One or two looked over and murmured one comment or another to their friends, but he didn’t pay them any heed. It was usually a challenge restarting at a new school, especially for Ari, but recently he had discovered restarting life without those he loved was a far more daunting task.
     When the final bell rang and the teacher entered, the students milling about took their seats, a few unwillingly sat next to him. All of them wore identical black pants and a white dress shirt sporting the school crest, branding them as student’s of Sacred Ash Academy for Boys. Ari didn’t recognize a single face, and deep down he hoped it would stay that way. He wasn’t quite ready to move on yet.

     The day progressed slowly, and by the time third period ended, no one had bothered to introduce themselves to him. When lunch arrived, Ari chose to exit the school, and sat beneath the shade of a nearby tree. Only a few students were out, most had chosen to go to the cafeteria to eat instead. Feeling very alone, and not spotting anyone standing nearby, he let a few tears fall silently down his face. If Sean had still been alive, he would have been sitting next to him.
     “Hey, stop crying.” A voice told him from nearby. Startled, he jumped and looked around. The voice sounded very familiar. “If any other student sees you crying like that they’re never going to let you forget it. You’re new here, aren’t you?” The boy who spoke was leaning against the same tree Ari was sitting under. Black hair fell down his face, for the most part concealing his eyes. He was tall and slender.
     “Yes, I am new.” He left it at that. The boy chuckled, and brushed his hair back. His eyes were an icy blue color.
     “Not too talkative, are you? I’ll fix that soon enough. They call me Faust. What about you?”
     “I’m Aristophanes.” He responded and then frowned. He hadn’t wanted to tell this stranger his name, but something about Faust’s eyes encouraged him to respond frankly.
     “Are you hungry, Aristophanes?” He smiled. It seemed strained.
     “No, I’m not.” Ari responded, looking up at Faust. Faust looked back down at him, his eyes deep and clear.
     “You’re hungry now.” As if on cue his stomach rumbled, proceeded by a rippling feeling of hunger. “Why don’t you come with me, and we’ll grab a bite to eat? I’ve got some people I know you’ll want to meet.”
     “I… Guess so.” Ari stood, looking over Faust with curiosity. He was hungry, and his soul told him to listen to this boy while his mind argued back futility; he was compelled to do as Faust told him.
     “Let’s get going, then. Follow me.”  Faust turned his back to him and started walking across the school campus. Ari followed, unable to disobey.

     “Erabliers, open up.” They stopped in front of a shed towards the outskirts of the school property. The roof was half fallen in and the wooden wallboards were rotting and warping. Why Faust would ask to be let in to such a place, much less even think of approaching something so rundown, was a mystery to Ari.
     Nothing happened. Ari frowned, beginning to question Faust’s motivation for bringing him out to such a remote location. He opened his mouth to begin to voice his concerns when Faust sighed heavily, “Erabliers, this really isn’t funny. I wouldn’t ask you to open up unless I knew there was no one around, and you know that. Open up now, or so help me…” The door to the shed clicked, unlocking. Faust turned to Ari, and looked him in the eyes. “You want to go in first.” He told him. Ari nodded and opened the door, stepping into the dark room.
      As he entered, lights flicked on, blinding him for a moment. When his eyes adjusted he saw that the small, rotting shed had turned into a large, orderly room. It resembled a lounge, and was furnished with two matching couches and a corresponding set of five lounge chairs. There was a large television mounted on the right wall as well as two computers on the left side of the room. The back wall boasted a formal looking doorway near which stood a refrigerator.
     “I-” Ari began when suddenly he came face to face with a pair of disembodied orange eyes.
      “This is it, Faust? I’m kind of disappointed. I mean, it feels powerful, but it looks weak.”
      “Yeah, really.” The first pair of orange eyes was replaced by a second. “I bet I could push it over with a feather.”
      “Give him a chance.” Faust spoke from behind Ari. “He’s new. I seem to recall two Erabliers who were pushed over by a feather on one occasion.” The eyes disappeared, and two identical boys appeared on one of the couches.
      “Alright, we’ll give him a shot.”
      “I can’t wait to see what Hayden thinks.” The boys, each with dark brown hair, grinned.
      Ari looked around the room, confused. His eyes came to rest on the happy twins, and his heart throbbed painfully. Had he once been that happy?
     Faust walked by him, and sat in one of the chairs. He closed his eyes. “Welcome to our domain, Aristophanes. I think you’ll find that we’re everything you’ve been looking for latel-”
     The door behind him opened suddenly, “I’m so sorry that I’m late. Tiller held me up again. He’ll never get off my case.” Aristophanes turned around with wide eyes to face the boy who had just entered. Like Faust, his voice seemed all too familiar. Ari’s heart skipped a beat as his mind recognized the voice he had heard to one he had longed to hear. The boy’s every detail was exactly as he had remembered. A soft white glow surrounded him, only adding to the beauty of what he was beholding.
     Ari’s hands trembled, and tears formed in his eyes. He grinned widely, at a loss for words. “I… I can’t believe it.” He stammered, looking the boy up and down, blinking to make sure he wasn’t imagining it. His gaze finally rested on the eyes of the boy that mirrored his own. “Sean… It’s really you.”