*All characters copyrighted to Poseidon Simons

Chapter 3

Surprise, Surprise

Mrs. Hall smiled at James as he walked in. Gina had told her what he'd done for her, and she was starting to think that James was making real friendships among them. Yesterday durng recess he'd made a small tournament with their pinball chess game, losing to Nick and Gina, but having fun all the same. She wondered what he'd think of what was planned for today. As soon as he was seated she stood up, "Okay class, did anyone bring something for today's show and tell?"

Nick raised his hand as fast as he could with an eager smile on his face. Mrs. Hall looked at him with surprise. This was the first time he'd ever volunteered! He walked up to the front of the classroom, "I brought this." He held up a small fairy dragon, "I keep it as a pet. I found him once on my way home. I'm gonna keep him until his leg heals."

The entire class oohed and ahhed at the little fairy dragon. Mrs. Hall was interested herself, wondering what the colors were on the little creature. Nicolas sat down before she got a good enough look. To everyone's surprise, Gina volunteered next. She skipped up happily to the front and showed what she'd brought, "This is a picture my mom drew for me. It's of of my imaginary friend. We made her like the Protector, so that I'll always have someone watching over me at night and when I'm not with my family."

One kids raised his hand, "What's her name?"

"It's Maria."

One by one, more kids came up to talk about something. Many of them brought their favorite toy. Mrs. Hall wondered why James kept smiling. He raised his hand as the last child showed her doll, "Yes, James?"

"I have something to show the class too. May I?"

"Certainly. Go right ahead." She watched in confusion as James walked up to the front of the class with his mouth open.

"Hey Nino," he whispered, "could you come out?"

"What is it, nest?"

"Don't start that. Please?"

Nino answered, "Very well. Tell me what's going on?"

"In a sec." Nino jumped out of his mouth as he turned to the class. Player smiled at the shocked expressions on everyone's faces. He held out a finger for him to land on then spoke to the class, "This guy is named Nino. If what just happened didn't convince you, he lives inside me."

"Whoa!!!!!" Many of the children leaned forward in their seats to get a better view. Player nodded and whispered to him to jump off his finger and explore.

Mrs. Hall watched the fairy dragon, astounded, "It lives inside you? Shouldn't you operate and get it out? That has to be hazardous to your health!"

Player smiled, "Nah. After a few doctor visits, we found out that he won't hurt me at all. I don't have the slightest idea what made him want to make his nest inside me in the first place!"

Nick raised his hand, "Can he come and play with my pet?"

"I don't see why not. Hey Nino, there's another fairy dragon in here if you want to go meet him."

"What is his name?"

"His name is--uh...Hey Nick, what did you name him?"

"Jim."

Player turned back to Nino, "His name is Jim."

With an amused chirp, Nino flew over to Jim and spoke to him, "Hello Jim."

"Hmm?" Jim looked up. He wasn't familiar with the name yet.

"The anthros in here call you Jim." Nino explained.

Jim looked at them oddly, "Anthros? What those?"

"Those are the things in here besides us."

"You mean the giants?"

He chirped for an affirmative, "Yes. I am Nino."

"Why call yourself this? What it mean?"

"It is called a name. It is easier to speak to one another if you can refer to them by a name, Jim."

"And I am Jim?"

"To the anthros, yes."

Player laughed at the interesting conversation. Many of the kids, and the teacher as well, all asked what was so funny. Player blushed, but explained, "I can sorta understand what they are saying..."

"NO WAY!!!!!!" Nicolas looked at him with awe. Player cringed, afraid he had over excited his first friend from here.

"Well, yeah...right now Nino was trying to explain to Jim what a name was..."

"How can you understand them?"

"Er...maybe I shouldn't have said anything..."

Gina got up and held his hand, "He doesn't want to talk about it. Let's not make him."

Player sighed and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Thanks, Gina. I owe you one."

She just giggled and ran back to look at the fairy dragons. Mrs. Hall approached him, "James, how long have you been able to do this?"

"For a few years...could you keep this kinda quiet? Please?"

"If you'll explain all of this."

"Umm..." Player searched his mind for a convincing explanation that wouldn't involve him saying anything about his radiation. Nothing came to mind, "Look, I--can't really explain it..."

"Well, can you try? All of this seems to be a little too impossible."

"I really can't explain it. I'm sorry. Please don't tell anyone about this..."

She thought it over, then answered, "Alright, I won't. But I have to wonder what else you're hiding from this class..."

Player sighed and went back to his seat, "Nino, I think you should go back home now."

"What about telling me why you wanted me to come out?" Nino looked at him expectantly.

"I'll tell you later, okay? Not right now."

"Okay. We'll be waiting for your explenation."

He flew around his head a few times, then jumped into his mouth and down his throat. Right then the recess bell rang, and the kids all started to go outside. Player was the last one out. He was stopped by a little false horse dragon with gray hair except for the clump of brown hair on his head, "Um...excuse me. My name is Kenny..."

"I'm James."

"Yeah...Umm...thanks."

"For what?"

"Your fairy dragon was the first thing I was able to concentrate on. I've never been able to concentrate on anything in my life before. I forget things really fast...thanks."

"You're welcome..." Player walked outside behind Kenny and went straight over to Nicolas to play their game. After a few games, Player started to feel an itch at this one spot right under his chin...

"James?" Nicolas looked at him as he scratched himself so oddly, "James, are you okay?"

James looked at them, smiling and panting happily. He yipped at them a few times, even going so far as to lick their faces!

Nicolas wiped off the slober, "James, what are you doing?" He giggled at James' silly behavior as James started to chase his tail. It seemed like James had changed completely!

Gina watched him as well, already laughing, "James, you look so funny!" James yipped happily and bounded between them. He sniffed them as if he were an actual pet of some kind, panting and yipping with a huge grin on his face. He laid his head down on Nick's lap and started begging for him to scratch his ear. Nick obliged, confused yet having the time of his life. As he scratched, he noticed that James' tail was wagging.

"James, why are you being so silly?!" Nick asked him. He got a small bark and his face licked for a response.

A few other kids saw how he was acting and came over to ask what he was doing. James just barked and yipped happily, tackling some to lick their faces as well. He stayed by Nicolas and Gina the most, laying down between them and watching the chesss board intently. An odd look passed over his face, "So...who's winning?"

Gina laughed, "James, do that again!!"

"Huh? Do what agai--oh no..." His smile dropped, "Let me guess. I was acting like a pet, right?"

"Yeah. Do you do that often?" Nick asked, also hoping James would do it again.

"Er...could I ask you guys to do me a favor and not tell anyone about this?"

"How come?"

"Please? It would mean a lot to me if you kept the animal thing a secret."

Gina nodded her head, "Okay. I won't tell anyone."

Nicolas nodded as well. The small group of kids that had been watching slowly promised they wouldn't tell either.

*All characters copyrighted to Poseidon Simons

Chapter 4

Solving Problems

The weekend sped by with practices and a small concert. When Monday came around again, Player was more than eager to go. Kia walked with him on the way to shool. In one week his opinion about going to school had completely changed, and he had made friends among the children. Unsure how to speak to him, she started by mentioning a completely different subject, "How's Nino been?"

Player smiled, "He's been great! No complaints, he met another fairy dragon on Friday last week too..."

"Really?" Kia tried to keep him talking. She had almost built up enough courage to ask her question.

"Yeah. Nicolas had brought a small fairy dragon himself that has a broken leg...he named it Jim."

"Er...about the school James..."

"What?"

"I was wondering...I mean, you are happy there, right?"

"Yeah!!! Why are you asking?"

"Well...if you want to, we could go back to trying homeschool...I wouldn't mind."

Player looked at her, then smiled, "You miss me!!"

"Well, yeah..."

He sighed, "Thanks Kia, but for the first time since I met you guys, I'm truly happy. The kids there are so great...I wouldn't trade them for the world right now...I'd like to stay..."

Kia bit her lip before she said anything else. Player looked happy, and she didn't want to make him miserable.

Player chuckled, "Besides, the teacher said that if I kept practicing, I'd be caught up with the class in a few weeks! I can't wait for that!!!"

Kia bit her lip harder and stopped trying to talk, "He's happy..." She shook her head. Why was she getting so worked up about this?! Some kids were playing in the playground. Kia watched them, "He likes it here...why do I feel so sad? I should be happy for him right now! He's finally going to learn how to read." A girl waved over at them, and Player waved back. She looked back at him, then at the girl, "Pik was right. I need to take my mind off of him for a while." She patted Player's shoulder as he headed to the school, "I'll see you later James."

"Bye Kia." Player smiled back at her and jumped over the fence to see the girl.

Player hugged Gina the moment he landed, "Gina, what're you doing out of class?"

"Waiting for you. It's in between classes right now." She let go of him and turned around, "Nick's waiting in the classroom."

"You go on ahead. I'll be there soon." Player gave Gina a gentle push and waved at her as she went inside. He started going in and saw Kenny running around on the playground, "Hey Kenny, shouldn't you be getting to class?"

"Huh?" Kenny looked over at him, "Oh! Class...right." He started walking to the school building, but a passing bird caught his attention. He smiled up at it and started following it instead.

"Kenny, C'mon!"

Kenny looked back, "School. Right...I need to get to school." He was almost on the steps when something else caught his eye. Kenny turned around and started chasing a bug as it flew through the air.

"Kenny!" Player ran after him and scooped him into his arms, "We gotta get inside. We can't be late, you know."

Kenny nodded and let Player take him inside. Player set him down in his seat and went to the back of the class to start working on his letters. As he sat down he saw Nicolas doing the same, just in cursive, "Nick, remember. Today I'm gonna beat you at pinball chess!"

He smiled but didn't look up, "Sure you are..."

The bell rang before Player had a chance to retort. Mrs. Hall passed out the assignment for the entire class, giving Player his practice sheets as she came by him. Player set to work immediately, "In a few weeks I'll be caught up with the class. I've gotta get this done!!!" The recess bell rang as Player finished the letter Z, "Already? Wow...I didn't think an hour would pass so fast..." He got up with the rest of the class and headed out the door. Before he could get outside he started shaking, "The medicine!!" He reached into his pocket to grab the syringe and the bottle of medicine. Heading for the bathroom, he filled up the syringe and stuck himself. Wincing, he squeezed the stuff inside his arm. He packed the stuff up and put it back in his pocket before heading outside to play pinball chess.

Nick and Gina were in the middle of a game as he came out. A small crowd of children had gathered around to watch the game. Many were from the same crowd as Friday, as was evidenced by the amount of requests he had if he would turn into an animal again. He shook his head and sat down between Nick and Gina to wait out the rest of their game. He was about to set up his pieces when he heard a boy shout his name.

"Hey James!" Kenny came up holding a chess board, "Could you show me how to play?"

Player glanced at Kenny, "Okay, but you've got to try to pay attention."

"I'll do my best..." Gina and Nicolas began playing out another game while James tried to explain the rules to Kenny. It was almost the end of recess when they were set to play. Kenny won their game.

"Man, I'm being beat all over the place! I gotta figure out what I'm doing wrong!" He smiled and picked up the board as the bell rang. Mrs. Hall set down some papers on each child's desk, motioning for Player to join her at the front of the class when she finished. Player came up, "Yeah?" He whispered.

She had a huge smile on her face, "James, I want to thank you."

"For what?"

"The children had a nap in the class before you came, and Nicolas was able to fall asleep. That's not all. Ever since Gina met you, she's been more confident. I don't know what you're doing to those two, but whatever it is, thank you. They're almost stable enough to go to normal classes."

Player glanced at them, "But why would you be happy for them to leave?"

"While they are in this class, I try to help them get rid of their problem if I can. It's always wonderful to see a child leave this class and become normal like everyone else. Yo'd know what I mean if you could see their faces when they leave. It's so wonderful..."

"But I haven't done anything to them..."

"Actually James, if Nicolas can continue to take naps each day, we might be able to convince him to get an operation without giving him a heart attack. One operation is all he needs to be a normal kid, but since he's so nervous, telling him that could set off another attack. Don't you see? You're solving their problems!"

"But I don't want them to leave...I'd miss them..."

Mrs. Hall smiled, "So will I, but it's worth it knowing they stand a better chance if they don't have a disability anymore. Now get back to your letters."

Player obliged and slowly copied each letter once he sat back down.

Mrs. Hall watched the class as they read their books. The only kid who looked like he was having trouble right then was Kenny, but she marveled at how much he tried to concentrate. It was the best he'd done since he'd become part of her class, "James...where have you been? This is wonderful!!" Kenny was able to keep up with the class, though just barely. Even so, it was a vast imrpovement. He used to almost not even get halfway through the things he was supposed to read! She wondered who else James would change while he was here. She could almost see it as he came up to hand her his letters at the same time a mirus dragon was coming up to ask her a question. James accidentally hit the boy as he walked forward, stopping to help him up before he handed her his papers.

"Sorry."

"It's okay...I'm...not hurt...thank...you..."

"No problem. What's your name?"

"It's...Bruce...I...can't talk...very...well..."

"Oh. Well, it was nice to met you Bruce." James made sure he was okay before heading back to his seat. He yelped and turned back around to give his papers to Mrs. Hall, then sat down in his desk until the bell rang.

After school had let out, Bruce sat alone on the bus all the way home. No one ever sat with him because of his problem, "It's not fair! Why can't I talk right?! James probably thought I sounded dumb!" He thought back to how James had reacted, "But he was so nice, and he didn't say anything about my speech...was he being nice? Or was he just trying not to laugh in my face?" The bus stopped and he got off to walk to his house. His mother was waiting for him inside, "Hi...mom..."

"Hi Bruce." She took his backpack and set it on a nearby chair, "How was school today?"

"Remember...when...I...told you...about...that...grown up?.."

"The big common dragon? What about him? Did he hurt you?!"

"No...his...name...is James...and he's...really...nice. I...liked...him..."

"Oh..." She looked worried for a second, "Bruce, what does he look like?"

"He...wears...red pants...a...Deep Rockers...shirt...and boots. Why...do...you...ask?"

She sighed, "It's nothing Bruce. Don't worry about it. Umm...Bruce? I'm coming to school with you tomorrow. Okay?"

"Okay...mom..." He smiled and headed to his room where he had a poster up. It showed each member of the Deep Rockers on it, with James Elias standing right by Ace Jackson, "I got to meet James Elias...Since when does a normal kid get to do that?!" The thought made him laugh. All those normal kids who thought they were better than him only dreamed about doing what he'd done that day at school. Who was better now? His dad came in to say goodnight.

"Hey Bruce, mom told me about the guy you met today. We don't think it's a good idea for you to talk to him."

"But...he was...nice. He...plays...with...two other...kids...every...recess. He's...fun...to be...with..."

"That may be Bruce, but all the same, we'd like to meet him first. What's his name?"

"Mom...didn't...say?.."

"No."

"He's...James...from the...Deep...Rockers..."

Bruce's dad looked at him oddly but said nothing. After a quick goodnight--his dad had a strange work schedual and got sleep whenever he could--Bruce was left alone to ponder what had happened over the day.