We moved shortly after the beginning of junior high, but not far enough to allow me to escape from the stigma that I now carried. Our new home was in town. Dad just couldn't make the farm thing happen, so he took a job at the mill. Mom continued to take in alterations from the local cleaners. She was pretty handy with a sewing machine.

With no pond and really nowhere to go without constant ridicule from people who recognized me from school, I spent my afternoons after school in my room immersed in science fiction books. Thankfully, the library was just around the corner. The old ladies that worked at the counter became my good friends. They even said I was cute! Can you believe that? Of course, they made me blush, but I got all the new science fiction books before anybody else. Cool. I often wondered what they would think of me if they could hear the whispers in the hall and even the crude remarks by some of the jocks. The words echoed in my mind and slashed me like a bullwhip. Faggot. Cocksucker. And the jocks would just laugh and point as they walked by. I'd give anything if those asshole jocks could feel the way I do when I hear those words.

"Cameron," my mom called out. "What are you planning to do for your birthday?"

"I thought I'd go down to the cinemaplex and catch a movie. The new Star Wars movie just came out and I really want to see it," I said as I walked into her sewing room. She paused from her work, looked up at me and smiled.

"Do you have anyone special to share this evening with?" she said hopefully. My mom knew I didn't have many, hell who are we kidding here, I didn't have any friends. I just looked down at the floor and shook my head.

"Come here, kiddo," she said. I walked over and she gave me a warm hug. That's what my mom's best at ... hugs. She could give you a hug that would literally drive the rain away and bring out the sun. I couldn't help but smile as I hugged her back. "What time's the movie?" she asked.

"I want to go to the late show. There won't be many people there and I can watch the movie without having to put up with a lot of talking." She saw right through me and knew that I didn't want to go and hear insults. She didn't know about the insults and she didn't know I was gay, at least, I didn't think she did. But she did know that I liked to spend my time alone and crowds bothered me. She just smiled.

"Well, we'll have a later dinner so you won't have to buy too much popcorn and maybe you'll have some money left over." She reached into her apron and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. Now please understand, my dad works at a mill and my mom sews. Twenty dollars is a lot of money. I openly gasped. "I wish it was your very first car, honey, but your dad should make supervisor soon and he's promised that he'll do everything he can to get you a car." I knew she was covering for him, but I smiled anyway. We hugged again. She gave me the money and kissed her on the cheek. Then I left her to her mountains of sewing.

When I got back to my room, I stretched out on my bed and folded my arms behind my head. I'll be sixteen years old tomorrow and I have no one to share the moment with. This is what I get for feelings that I don't understand and can't stop. What did I ever do to deserve this? Crossing my legs, I sighed and closed my eyes for a brief rest.

Immediately images of that blond boy in the shower flooded my mind. I found myself standing in the showers once again looking up into his baby blue eyes. They had me spellbound. I couldn't move. The hot water still pounded down on my skin, but the radiance of this boy's beauty had grabbed me like a deer in headlights. The only sound was that of the shower. Everything else faded into the background. My eyes caressed his face, moving slowly down his smooth cheek to his full, red lips. His slight smile caused my heart to jump and me to look down from embarrassment. But when I looked down, my eyes came to rest on his manhood. My mouth involuntarily watered and my knees started to shake. I looked back into his eyes and he seemed to urge me on.

"Cameron! Suppertime!" The images disappeared as if someone had flipped a light switch. My eyes snapped open and I was immediately washed with anger. Why had I been jerked away from what I so desperately wanted? I jumped up from my bed with my erection straining for release. I clenched my hands in frustration and was just about to yell when my desk chair fell over on its side. It caught me totally by surprise. My anger immediately subsided. I blinked my eyes and looked at the chair. I was looking directly at it just as I was going to yell out in anger and frustration, and it just fell over all by itself. Weird.

"Cameron!" my mom called out again.

"Be right there," I answered. I quickly went to my bathroom and splashed some water on my face. Returning to my bedroom, I started to head for the door, but stopped long enough to put my chair back it its place. I turned to leave, but stopped and looked back at my chair. Something weird's going on and I don't understand it.

Mom had cooked my favorite, lasagna. I devoured it and a salad in no time. Mom explained that dad was still at work and probably wouldn't be back before time to go to the movie. She smiled, still trying to cover for him.

The cinemaplex was just down the street, so I planned to walk. I had to admit, even though I missed my lazy afternoons skinny dipping at the pond, living in town did have its advantages. The night air was refreshing and I breathed it in deeply, filling my lungs with its cool dampness. I was actually in a pretty good mood as I walked down the sidewalk toward the cinemaplex, thanks mostly to the wonderful dream I had before supper. The movie promised to be good and I could hardly wait. I wasn't disappointed either. Walking back out of the theater my mind replayed all the action scenes. I started back down the sidewalk headed for home reveling in memories from the movie.

"Hey faggot," I heard someone growl. I quickly spun around to see four dark figures silhouetted in the light from the cinemaplex markee. I was about to lift my hand to shade my eyes so I could see who they were when they rushed me, throwing a blanket over my head and wrestling me to the ground. I tried my best to fight them back and get away, but it was useless. I felt myself being picked up. Still I squirmed, desperately trying to escape. I felt myself being lifted up and then I fell, hard. Pain shot through the right arm that I had landed on. I could feel movement as they gathered around me. Then an engine started, tires squealed and I felt movement. I had guessed that I was in the back of a pickup and the silhouetted figures were probably jocks from my school. They all drove pickups. Another sharp pain hit me center chest. I heard laughter. Then a sharp pain in my back, and another in my chest. The blows just kept coming. The pickup suddenly screeched to a stop. I was picked up again. Then I felt them throw me into the air.

The pain was like a bee sting, quick and sharp, only this pain was amplified a thousand times. And that's when I saw them! Stars! I couldn't believe it. I remember growing up and watching Saturday morning cartoons. They would always show some cartoon character with birds or stars flying around after behind bonked on the head. Then, as if by magic, a huge lump would simply grow up out of his head. But right now, I was actually seeing those stars, but they only lasted a fraction of a second and then, everything turned dark. Finally, this nightmare had come to an end. And just as I was starting to fade into a sea of blackness, the final cruel joke kicked in. I could hear everything, perfectly. My body had reacted to the pain by shutting itself down. All the energy that usually is spread out had concentrated itself in my ears. I suddenly became aware of a host of sounds that were there all the time, but simply went unnoticed. The hum of the streetlight, the breeze rustling the leaves in the trees, the crickets, the dog barking nearby, the distant wailing sound of a siren, water was running somewhere and then, the footsteps. I could make out the subtle differences in each one as they walked around my seemingly unconscious body. Their hushed voices boomed in my ears.

"Dumbass faggot. We really kicked his ass."

"Yeah, Tom. We really showed him." I could sense one of them bending down.

"Damn, man! Why'd you have to hit him so hard?" I recognized the voice. It was Scott. He lived just down the street from me. Hell, we used to play together when we were growing up. But I hadn't seen or talked with him the past couple of years. And now, here he was, part of this gang of kids beating me senseless.

"He deserved it! Faggot piece of shit." I knew who that voice belonged to. Brandon. What a piece of work. Look up asshole in the dictionary and you'll see his picture.

"Shit, there's blood! His head's bleeding from where he hit the concrete. It's pretty bad man. Should we do something?" It was Scott again. Was he actually showing some concern for my well being?

"Yeah, Scott. I think we should." And with that comment, Brandon kicked me hard in the ribs. I could hear a bone break, but thankfully, I couldn't feel it. I just heard it.

"Damn, Brandon! You're gonna kill him!" Ah, Scott coming to my rescue.

"What are you, Scott? A little faggot too?" boomed Brandon.

"No, no man, I mean ... just ... well ... "

"He's the disease and we're the cure. Got it? Faggots should be rounded up and shot. They're freaks of nature man." Oh boy. This Brandon asshole was really on an adrenalin high. "Come on, let's get the hell outta here."

"Are we gonna ... just ... leave him here?" Scott persisted. Either he actually cared or he was scared he'd get in trouble. I'd like to think that he cared. Even though, now that I thought about it, I guess he had been right in there with the rest of them beating me.

"Do you wanna baby sit the little faggot? And explain to the cops? Hello dumbass! It's time to go. You're either with me now or I'll be whippin' your ass next." Brandon was such a shit. He actually, really didn't care if I lived or died. I heard the footsteps as the others got back in their pick ups. Then I heard Scott stand and walk away to join them. So much for my knight in shining armor. The engine started and, being the little red necks they are, they squealed tires leaving the parking lot ... leaving me all alone. Leaving me to slowly bleed to death.

The crickets got louder and the wind picked up. I suddenly became aware that I was cold. It was more of an inside feeling than an outside one. I mean, I couldn't even feel my body, but I felt cold, and worse, alone. The first few raindrops went unnoticed. But then my body slowly started to awaken. My senses slowly returning to normal. And for just a brief moment I had forgotten it all, but my slow realization returned with the new sensation of pain ... intense pain. Movement was not an option. Breathing was exercise in pain management. Every nerve in my body was screaming at the top of its lungs. The raindrops on my face were like ice cycles. Each one a tiny dagger, trying to drive it's way into my skin. Then I felt something warm. My head felt as though it were on a soft warm pillow. But the rest of my body grew colder by the minute. The center of the pain seemed to be right on top of my pillow. Then it started to sink in. The warmth was my blood. And the coldness that was enveloping my body was the result of ... bleeding. Oh my God! Here I am on the cold hard concrete parking lot behind a closed down store in the middle of the night ... bleeding ... to death. The cold slowly gave way to numbness. My senses began to blur. I could barely make out some kind of movement around me, but I was too far gone to care, much less make out what it was. A cold darkness wrapped me in its blanket and everything went black.

A bright white light urged me to open my eyes. The pain was gone and I felt like I was floating on air. "So this is what it's like ... " I said to myself. "... to die."

"Not quite, but very close." The voice came from within my head, but it wasn't me.

"What the hell?" I thought to myself.

"You're fine now. We've made repairs to your injuries and you're spending some time in biomedical stasis to fully recover," the voice calmly said.

"What the hell is ... "

"You need to rest now. It won't be much longer and then all your questions will be answered." The voice seemed very young, definitely male, with a friendly, understanding sound to it, but jeez, it was coming from inside my head! "You're among friends, Cameron. You're being taken care of. You are in no danger. Now, just try to relax. You're body was severely damaged, but seems to be healing nicely. There probably won't be any scars ... physical scars, but we can deal with all of that later. Right now, I want you to rest."

"OK ... OK, I'll rest," I thought to myself.

"Good. We'll talk soon ... " said the voice as it trailed off into the darkness that once again took me away.

The first sense to return was my hearing and it was greeted with the soft sound of gently flowing water mixed with very strange low hum, like a window air conditioner, but much softer. I forced my eyes to open and I found myself in what appeared to be a tropical rain forest, but there was a strange blue glow to everything.

"Cameron?" It was the voice inside my head again. And I had thought it was all a dream. Hell, maybe it still is.

"Yeah," I thought to myself.

"How are you feeling?"

"Uh ... I ... uh, don't know just yet."

"That's OK. I completely understand. Do you remember our last conversation?"

"Uh, kinda."

"Well, Cameron. You're OK now. You're safe and I apologize for being so secretive. But we had to make sure before we go to the next step."

"Where are you?" I screamed in my mind. "What step? Who are you? Am I dead?"

"Cameron, you're not dead. Sit up and look to your left," the voice said softly. Slowly, I started to sit up. I was on some type of bed that looked like the ones you'd find in a doctor's office, but it was covered in a fabric that I had never seen before. Remembering the pain from the last time I tried to move, I slowly and carefully sat up. Everything was perfect. No pain. I tentatively looked to my left and standing not more than five feet away was the most gorgeous boy I had ever seen and he was smiling ... at me! His beauty was breathtaking. He looked to be about my age, sixteen or seventeen. He was even my size ... five foot six and about a hundred and thirty pounds with not an ounce of fat. He was wearing khaki cargo pants, a simple red tee shirt and a pair of multi-colored Tevas. I felt the blood rush to my face as I blushed. I just couldn't help it. His golden hair fell softly across his forehead and ended up brushing against his eyebrows. But the one thing that really made my heart skip a beat were his eyes. Brilliant pools of green. And they seemed to look directly into my soul. His soft pink lips, beautifully flawless skin, cute pug nose ... he was perfect and I was blushing even more. I dropped my gaze and looked down. Oh shit! I'm naked and my obvious excitement is rising from between my legs. He just smiled again and nodded toward a chair beside the bed. There on the chair, folded in a neat stack, were my clothes. I pounced on them like a tiger, trying to cover myself.

"I'm flattered, Cameron." I looked up at him again, but the words had come from within my head. I guess he saw the confused look on my face and he took a couple of steps and knelt down beside the chair. He was close enough for me to feel his warmth, and his smell. Oh, it was delicious; a mixture of soap, shampoo and boy that sent another pulse of excitement right between my legs. He smiled again, like he knew exactly what I was thinking. "If you'd like me to turn my back so you can get dressed, I will," he said. It was the first time that I actually heard his voice and it almost purred to me; soft, gentle, caring and sensual, all at the same time. It seemed to caress me and comfort me, not with his words, but with the very sound of his voice. Holy smokes! This kid is pushing all my right buttons ... at the same time. "Cameron? Cameron?"

"I'm sorry, yes, would you please?" I said, out loud this time and blushing even more. He smiled as he slowly stood up. He hesitated a brief moment and then turned his back. I probably dressed in thirty seconds flat, but took the time to push myself into a comfortable position within my briefs. "OK," I said as I finished tucking my shirt tale in. He slowly turned and his smile returned. He moved slowly toward me, stopping only when our faces were merely inches apart. He leaned in and gave me a hug.

"Cameron, everything is going to be OK. I know that you have lots of questions and I'll be happy to answer all of them, but it will be easier if I show you the answer to most of them."

"Who are you? What's your name? Where am I? How do you talk to me in my head?" I asked.

"Easy, easy," he said putting his fingers to my lips to quiet me down. Then he took me by the hand. "Come with me, Cameron."

"God, I would follow you to the moon," I thought to myself.

"That won't be necessary, we're already half way there." Busted! Jeez! He can read my mind. Hell, I should have figured that one out by now. I guess I'm still a little groggy. Then he reached up with his hand and waved it through the air in front of us. Immediately the rain forest disappeared only to be replaced by brilliantly white walls. Then a doorway appeared in the wall. He started to move toward the door, but I found myself unable to move, still in awe of what happened before my very eyes. He turned back toward me, moved in quickly and lightly kissed me on the lips. My legs immediately got weak and he took me in his arms. "Cameron, my name is Jevic. I am a Watcher. Watchers protect and guide. We don't hurt or mislead. Please trust me. You will understand everything in time."

"I ... uh ... Jevic?"

"Yes, Cameron."

"I wanted to ... uh ... thank you for what you're doing for me. I don't even begin to understand what you're talking about, but somehow, I ... uh, want to trust you." I did. I really did! There was something so calming and peaceful about Jevic. And there was also something so very erotic about him. He definitely had the attention of my hormones, but he was also beginning to get the attention of my ... dare I say it ... my heart. Whoa! This is way too fast. I don't just meet someone, talk for five minutes and end up head over heels in love with them. That's just not the way I operate. But this was way different. Hell, I don't even know where I am, what time it is, or even what day it is, but I don't care. Jevic had one hundred and ten percent of my attention. I was putting my entire life in his hands. And I was perfectly comfortable doing so. He had, after all, saved me from sure death.

"Cameron, I ..." Jeez, did I detect a slight tear in his eye. "I'm glad. You have been through a lot in your short sixteen years. Most of it lately has been ... ah, difficult. But no more. I'm here for you now. I'll protect you. I'll watch over you."

"But ... why are you ..."

"Because that's what I do best, and in your case, I'm going to be excellent at it. Come on now. I have something to show you." He tugged gently at my hand and I found myself following him happily. But when we walked through the door in the white wall, I wasn't really ready for what I saw.

The room was dark at first, but my eyes slowly adjusted. It appeared to be something right out of some science fiction movie. God knows I've seen enough. Control panels and screens covered the walls. There was something that resembled a desk in the middle of the room. It was also covered with panels, switches and screens. Just beyond the desk was a huge screen, or was it a window. I don't know, but the scene it showed took my breath away! Far below us was planet Earth. I suddenly felt queasy. Jevic turned to calm me. He held me tight, but still allowed me to see the expanse of technology before me that I knew only existed on some Hollywood movie set.

"Wha ... what is ..." I stammered. Jevic grinned.

"I told you that it would be easier if I showed you. I know it's a lot of take in at one time, but try to stay with me, OK?" All I could do was nod. "First, that's not a picture of earth, that's a window." Oh boy! This is way too much and way too fast. What the hell kind of dream am I having? I wanted to close my eyes and somehow will it all to go away, but it was so beautiful I couldn't even blink. Jevic led me over to a small couch so I could sit down. "Cameron, are you OK?"

"Who ... who are you?" I asked finally being able to turn and look him in the eyes.

"Like I was telling you earlier, I'm a Watcher. A long time ago, my people came to this planet and gave evolution a ... well, a little booster shot. Our scientists thought they had it figured out, but it turned out that it was way too much of a shot. So they left a colony on the planet to oversee its development ... to make sure nothing really bad happens ... to watch over it." He paused to let what he said sink in and then continued. "Cameron, I'm a descendent of that colony, still here, watching over planet Earth."

"You're ... you're from ... from another planet?"

"My ancestors are, but I was born right here on Earth, just like my parents and their parents. My people have been here since before the dinosaurs."

"You're a fuckin' alien?"

"Cameron, technically speaking, I'm an Earthling just like you. I just happen to have ancestors that aren't. There's lots more to tell you, but I think it's time to go home. I was forced to bring you here to put you in biomedical stasis so you could heal. We've been here for five weeks."

"What? Five weeks? Oh my God. Mom. Dad. Oh shit, I'm in trouble."

"You're not in trouble. When we return, I'll take you back to the parking lot where I picked you up. It will be the same night. It'll just have a happier ending." Whoa! That's it. I've been patient up until now, but this was getting a little out of hand. Somebody slipped me some real powerful drug and I'm trippin'! I've got to wake up! This isn't happening! I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. It was getting hard to breathe. Oh God PLEASE let me wake up! Suddenly, there was an intense flash of white light! The last thing I remember was Jevic telling me it would be OK.

I could hear the crickets and the wind rustling the leaves in the trees again. Water was still running somewhere, but this time the dog was quiet and there was no distant siren. I blinked my eyes open and looked up into the stars. "Holy shit! That was intense!" I thought to myself as I smiled, knowing that I finally woke up.

"Cameron! Cameron! Oh my God! Cameron! Are you OK?" It was Scott! He came back! He ran up beside me and knelt down. Tears we streaming down his face. "Dude, I was so scared. Please tell me you're OK." I blinked my eyes and looked at him. A grin slowly crept across my face.

"I'm fine, Scott. Thanks for coming back," I said as I sat up.

"Oh thank God you're OK!" he sobbed as he wrapped me in his arms and held me tight. I hugged him back and in that brief instant forgave him for his participation in my ass whipping. We held each other until the sobs slowly went away. Scott helped me to my feet and looked me over. "Cameron," he said, suddenly concerned. "You're not hurt. You're not hurt at all. You're shirt's not ripped. There's no blood in your hair. It's like ... nothing ever happened."

"Huh?" I looked down at my shirt. It looked brand new. My jeans looked the same way. Scott ran his hand through my hair and felt the back of my head. There was no cut, no knot, no nothing! We looked at each other, frowning.

"What the hell's going on here?" he asked. The events of my dream came back to me full force and I staggered from the implications. Scott caught me and looked me in the eye.

"Dude, I thought you were gonna die. I mean there was blood everywhere. I heard your bones break when Brandon kicked you. Your face was all cut up and now, hell, you look better now than before you got beat up. What gives?"

"Scott, I'm ... I'm not really sure. I can't explain it."

"This is really weird, dude. It's scary. Something fucked up is going on here and I don't know what it is, but I'm so glad you're OK," he said, finally breaking into a grin. We hugged again.

"Thank you for caring. Thank you for trying to protect me. Thank you for coming back. And, most of all, thank you for being my friend." Scott held me tighter and I felt like the tears would start again. Here was my childhood friend, knowing that I was gay and not bothered by it at all, hugging me tightly in the middle of a parking lot in the middle of the night. It can't get any weirder, except, maybe in my dream. "Jevic," I sighed to myself in my mind. "Come on, Scott. Let's go home."

Just as we turned to head out of the parking lot there was a brilliant white flash. We were both knocked back a few steps by some sort of shock wave. Scott grabbed me and I grabbed him, not knowing what was going to happen. Then we both saw it. It hovered no more than twenty feet in front of us. And just as suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared in another brilliant white flash. We were both stunned and unable to talk. Scott slowly turned to look at me. His eyes were wide open, as was his mouth.

"Please ... please tell me you saw that too," he said matter of factly.

"I ... I saw it," I stammered, not knowing what to believe.

"Oh man. We just had a close encounter of the piss my pants kind!" he chuckled.

"What the fuck else does this night have in store? Come on. Let's get outta here." Jeez, this has been one hell of a night. It was a dream. I've got to keep telling myself that. It was a dream. It's all too weird. Too impossible. Too way out there. Sigh. I need some sleep.

Scott and I parted ways at the corner and I headed home. Slipping through the front door without making a sound is one of my better abilities. After all, I had practiced it again and again. I even blindfolded myself so I would learn how to make it to my bedroom in complete darkness. I crawled onto my bed, not even taking time to undress or pull the covers down. I was exhausted, both physically and mentally. I pulled my pillow up and wrapped my arms around it. And just as I closed my eyes, I heard it.

"You're going to be OK, Cameron. I'm watching over you." I jumped up out of bed looking all around me. Nothing!

"Jevic! Where are you?" I shouted.

"Cameron. I'm with you mentally now," he said inside my head.

"It ... it wasn't a dream was it, Jevic?" I thought to myself, trying to communicate with him with my mind.

"No. It was all real. But right now you have to go to sleep. Your mind is trying to accept all that has happened and your body is exhausted. Sleep now, Cameron. Sleep. We'll talk again."

"Jevic," I said quietly to myself. "I miss you." There was a slight pause, and then he replied.

"I miss you too, Cameron, very much. I promise you that we will see each other face to face again real soon, but right now I want you to get some sleep. I won't be far away and don't worry. I'll always be watching over you. You're a good person, Cameron. I'll protect you and take care of you. Don't worry anymore. Get some sleep and we'll talk again soon." My head eased back onto the pillow and my mind immediately filled with images of Jevic. His beautiful smile and golden hair, so soft. I fought to stay awake, to keep dreaming of him, but I was slowly losing the battle. As sleep slowly took me away, a smile stayed on my face from the sheer joy of finding someone that cared so much for me. My usually dreams of trying to escape from hatred and ridicule were replaced with dreams of this beautiful boy from outer space.

Oh God, why did you have to give somebody the intelligence to invent the alarm clock. That person should be shot on sight! I slammed my fist into the square box that called me from my much deserved rest causing it to drop to the floor with a thud. And yet, it still had enough wits about it to keep on buzzing! Damn! So the next step was ripping the cord out of the wall. That took care of the incessant buzzing but now I was wide awake. Arrgh! Oh well, what's the old saying ... another day, another dollar, or in my case, another day ... another round of humiliation.

After a quick shower, I dried my hair. I checked my face in mirror for any signs of needing to shave. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I didn't even have any pimples to mess with. Just smooth skin. My mousy brown hair hung on top of my head like limp spaghetti noodles. No life and no direction. It just sorta hangs down in my face, but I keep it short around my neck. Some of the girls at school tell me that my big brown eyes are sooo sexy. Sure they can get away with telling me that, hell I'm gay. And they ask ME what I think of their boobs! Jeez Louise! I slipped into my official school uniform, jeans and a tee shirt, and headed down for a Pop Tart. Dad works late nights, so he's always sleeping in and mom goes to pick up her sewing early in the morning, so it's up to me to get motivated to go to school.

At the same time the toaster popped up breakfast, there was a knock at the door. It was Scott and I waved him in.

"Ya want a Pop Tart?"

"No thanks, mom cooked this morning," he said cheerfully.

"Must be nice."

"Look, Cameron, I ... uh ... wanted to ..." I could sense what was coming next. He was stopping by to tell me that he wouldn't be talking to me at school because Brandon would kick his ass. Nobody, and I mean nobody wants to hang with the gay kid.

"Save it, dude! No problem. I'm used to being alone. Why change things now?"

"That's not what I was going to say. I wanted to see how you were feeling."

"Sorry, Scott. I'm fine. I'll be OK and no, you won't hurt my feelings if you don't talk to me at school. It's cool dude. Shit, we never talked that much before last night anyway. You've got your friends and I've got, well, I've got me." He looked down at the floor, shuffled his feet a little and finally looked back up.

"I'm sorry, Cameron, but if Brandon even saw me near you, he'd hurt me bad. But I'd like to stop by this afternoon. We can hang out if you want to?"

"Uh, I don't know." Scott walked over to me, hesitated, and then gave me a big hug.

"You're not alone, Cameron," he whispered in my ear. "You just happen to be the only one everybody knows about, but you're definitely not alone." What!?! What is Scott saying? I pushed him back and stared into his eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" Scott smiled. Then he pulled me closer and kissed me right on the lips! It wasn't a sensuous kiss. It was more of a friendly kiss, but it was a kiss! My heart skipped a beat, my knees got weak and my stomach turned summersaults. "Are ... are you ... are you..." There was his beautiful smile again.

"Yeah. I'm gay. And so is my boyfriend Greg."

"Boy ... boyfriend?" Scott blushed and nodded. "Greg? Greg Kimball?" And he nodded again. I had to sit down. Talk about being literally blown away!

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah. I just wasn't ready for that. I can't believe it. You and Greg? Boyfriends? Jeez! And all this time I thought that I was a freak of nature of something."

"Like I said dude, you're not alone. We just keep it real quiet. Listen, we've both gotta get going. We're gonna be late for school."

The bombshell of bombshells. Scott was gay and had a boyfriend! Well, like he said, at least I'm not alone ... in being gay. I knew that I wasn't alone. I just thought that I was alone at my school. And in another way of looking at it, I still am. I got busted looking at this really cute guy in the showers and got hard. Yeah, I know. Jeez! What could I have been thinking? Anyway, one thing led to another and pretty soon everybody knew it about it. So instead of trying to weasel my way out of that one, I decided to just take my lumps and keep going. Little did I know that those lumps would manifest themselves into actual physical harm. And actually, if that was all it did, I probably could have taken it. But the reality of it all is that I'm an outcast. Nobody to talk to. Nobody to eat lunch with. Nobody to walk to school with. I'm never invited to parties. There's the snickers in the hall. And I can always hear the whispers. And then there's the jocks who like to call me a faggot. So here I am taking all the shit and Scott and his fuckin' boyfriend are having all the fun. The more I thought about it, the more it pissed me off.

Just as I locked my bike in the rack, along comes my worst nightmare ... Brandon. Oh fuck! Here we go again.

"Didn't expect to see you here today, faggot." His voice spat daggers of hate and they rammed right into my heart. I tried to ignore him and just go to class, but he would have none of that. I felt him grab me by the arm and suddenly I was spun around to face him and his other ugly cronies. "What ... what the hell?" he stammered. "I beat the ever loving fuck out of you last night faggot and you don't even have a mark. I guess you clean up real good and you know what that means? I'm gonna have to fuck you up again." He and his buddies laughed and suddenly he grabbed me by the collar and pulled me close to his face. "I don't like you," he snarled. "I don't like your kind. I don't want to see you. I don't want to have to put up with you. I'd just rather see you conveniently disappear." Then he drew his fist back. I turned my head anticipating the pain of his blow. Then, nothing. I opened one eye and looked. The expression on his face was priceless. He had indeed driven his fist toward my face, but it stopped in mid air, inches from my cheekbone. As I watched, his expression changed from one of 'what the hell' to one of agony. The bones in his fist started cracking as if some unknown force was crushing it. He cried out in pain. I could only watch in wonder. His eyes were wide open in horror and he looked straight at me as if I were the one causing his intense pain. And as if a giant fist struck out of nowhere, Brandon was suddenly thrown backward and onto the ground clutching his hand and writhing in pain. His cronies could only look on with mouths wide open wondering what had happened. I was looking on wondering what had happened myself.

"What the fuck did you do?!?" he screamed. I could only look back at him. I couldn't help it, but a cheap grin made it way across my face.

"Cameron. It's time to leave." It was Jevic in my head. "Leave now, Cameron. Go to class and don't look back. I mean it. Don't look back. Go now. Don't question me, just go now." I didn't even answer him, but turned immediately and headed for the door. I heard screams behind me, but I didn't look back. I quickened my pace and just before entering the door, I stole a quick glance back. Not only was Brandon still on the ground, but all of his buddies were too. My heart was beating a hundred miles an hour as I quickly made my way to my locker and on to my first class. How did Jevic do that? What powers does he possess that I have no knowledge of? It scared me, but at the same time, it intrigued me. I wanted to know this boy better, a lot better.

The rest of the school population wasn't privy to what had happened by the bike rack, so I was subjected to my usual shit. Brandon was the usual brunt of it, but it came from all over. Lunch couldn't come quick enough. At least it was a brief break from the monotonous classes and the ever present heckling. Brandon and his bunch were nowhere to be seen. Good. At least I wouldn't have to deal with him and his shit.

The morning's events played back over and over again in my head. Jevic obviously had powers that I was just beginning to understand. God, how I wished it had been only a dream, but today, I was glad that it was reality. A reality that I was going to have to deal with. Questions? You betcha! Hundreds of questions needed answering. And the answers could only come from one person ... is he a person? I mean, is he human? Maybe he was born here, but he has ties to his past that I can't begin to understand. All these questions are making me tired.

As my afternoon classes slowly drug on, my eyes got heavier and heavier. By the time I finally made it to history, my last period class, it was all I could do to maintain consciousness. And then Jevic came back into my head.

"Cameron. You should pay attention. This is an interesting class."

"Give me a fuckin' break dude! You don't have to be here day in and day out listening to the monotonous ravings of a boring, borderline retiree."

"But what he is saying is important. You should listen."

"OK, I'll tune him in and see what's up. But I have to see you again. I have so many ..."

"Tonight, Cameron. I'll come see you tonight."

"I ... uh ... I miss you Jevic."