— Are you sure we should trust him? — Peter asked.

— Nope — Jay simply said. — As much as I wish, you can’t trust anyone, not even Judah. — Peter heard it and took it as a certainty before he could continue. — But that also goes for me. You shouldn’t trust me.

— No way! — Peter complained. — There’s no one I wouldn’t trust more than you!

— Pete, my tall friend — Jay said, referring to how, even though Peter was short compared to most boys, he was taller than Jay. Peter just felt it was a nice compliment. — You are not supposed to leave your trust uncared. Humans are not made perfect, they break, and they lose their minds. What you are supposed to do is stay strong no matter what, to forgive when it’s needed, and to believe in acts, not in words.

— I know but… — Peter tried to say.

— Yahoo! — Judah shouted, still excited from making a living bird made from clay.

— I hope you are really happy! — Jay shouted to Judah, who came closer still jumping up and down.

— I knew it! I f___ng knew! There was supposed to have something more for me out there and I founded it! — Judah was almost breathless.

— I’m pretty sure it found you first, but I wanted to tell you, we can’t stay this way.

— Wait… What? — Judah made a confused face and looked down at himself. — S___! I’m dirty!

— Not my fault… — Peter said through his teeth and looking away.

Judah noticed Peter was still sad about what happened.

— Oh! C’mon! You forgive me, right? — Judah said putting his arm over his shoulder.

— … — But he remained quiet.

— He doesn’t like body contact — Jay explained.

— Oh, yeah, right! — Judah got away from Peter. — What do we do now? I didn’t bring any spare clothes.

— We take a shower and we can lend you your uniform — Jay smiled.

— My uniform? — Judah had totally forgotten what was happening that day.

— Jay made it himself — Peter let it out.

— With magic? — Judah's eyes widened.

Peter laughed and Jay just smiled.

— No. He really f___d his fingers sewing — Peter continued, still holding a giggle.

— Are you serious? — Judah asked.

— Yup — Jay simply said, feeling a little embarrassed.

— Do you really like me that much? — Judah asked, with a grin on his face.

Jay tried to hide a smile and nodded.

— Well, you shouldn’t! You know I’m trouble! — Judah said, making Jay laugh.

— The best trouble I ever had…

— Show me the way then! — Judah said making a reverence.

The three started walking their way back to the big house and to the shared bathroom, filled with stalls for individual showers. No doors to close then though. After each arrived in one stall, Judah couldn’t help himself and he was talking out loud so the others could hear:

— Why do you like me so much? No one has ever thought about me like that!

— If you ask me — Jay said, taking his boots off sitting on a stool. — I’m just betraying myself doing so… I don’t believe in love…

— Really? The Big Jay that everyone here likes doesn’t believe in love? Try again! I don’t fall for that! — Judah took his white shirt off.

— Love is… Hard to explain — Jay continued, unbuttoning his grey vest. — Humans can betray each other at any moment just because they think they need to do so. Love is not something you are just born with. Love takes time, you need to learn how broken someone is, how hurt they are inside, and — Jay sighted — there’s the part where you need to wait a very long time for something that may take centuries to happen…

— Centuries? — Judah giggled, remembering how humans barely live past one hundred years, and took his shoes off.

— You don’t know what Jay is, do you? — Peter asked from the other stall.

— What are you? — Judah inquired.

— Do you remember those people from the sacred books? Those who talked to Lord and all that?

— I guess… — Judah said trying hard to remember something he was sure he knew what it was. — Like those… those…

— Prophets…

— Yeah! I knew that! Prophets! Do you talk to the Lord?

— No. But since I have this special ability to dive into the past and the future when I dream, the priests think I’m one. There wasn’t any prophet to talk to the Lord in a very long time.

— Hummm… — Judah made. — So what’s the big deal with the guy from above? Is he afraid or something?

— Nope. The thing may be a little different from the books though.

— Hoh! That I want to hear. So the big guy wasn’t there or something?

— Again, it’s hard to explain. If you put someone to speak for you, and those people don’t know you, how can they say who is who?

— Good question and… Did you see the past? Do you know who talked to the old people then? Was it aliens like that tall guy, that… How was his name again?

— Jake! — Said Peter.

— Thanks, shorty!

— I’m Peter! — He shouted.

— Was it some kind of alien as Jake said?

— Hard to say what is alien and what’s not — Jay continued. — Would you say that if aliens from another planet would come to this planet and leave something alien growing here it would be alien too?

— I… Don’t know? Maybe?

— If you say so, everyone is alien. Don’t you think it’s a little weird how we are the only animals who think while lots of animals get pretty close to it, but never do exactly what we do?

— Now that you mention it… It’s a little strange. But what’s the point?

— Something happened. And that’s what science can’t see because it could have happened way before humans or animals in general came to be.

— Wait… Did you go all the way to the past in your dreams to see it?

— Didn’t need it. Someone showed it to me. The breaking point for us humans to exist didn’t start with the monkeys; it started with the soup.

— Haha, soup? — Judah laughed.

— Yes, it’s a silly name, I know, but that’s how you call when atoms are mixed with each other and produce the first molecules that would compose our body cells inside what would later be the ocean. It’s a long story! I know! But the thing is, someone made that soup, it didn’t just happen one hundred percent by chance.

— So the Lord made a soup, is that what you mean?

— No, not the Lord, an alien made the soup. And the Lord made that alien.

— An alien made us… This is getting weird. Why are we Black and White and not green like on TV then?

— Okay, the easiest way to say this is… I’m not White.

— What? — Judah couldn’t believe it. — How can you not be White? I saw you! You are as white as snow!

Peter laughed.

— Oh, no… Are you going to show him, Jay? — He asked with a giggle, starting the shower water.

— Wait? Are you going to… — Judah barely had time to say and Jay appeared at his stall. He was still wearing his shirt, while Judah's pants were already open. — Hey! I’m don’t wanna see your white butt!

— Just look, okay — Jay started to open his shirt. Judah didn’t want to look and turned away. — Some skin will not hurt you. You can look now.

Judah wanted to disappear ASAP, he was too embarrassed seeing another boy’s body like that and held himself down. Curiosity still won. When Judah looked by the corner of his eyes, he saw some dark skin patches on Jay’s body and he let it go as the boy was still wearing pants.

— What the…

— It’s called vitiligo. Though I may say this is not a normal one. It really took over my arms, legs, and face and I barely have any melanin left on my skin. From what I know, this is part of my condition, as your blue eyes are for you.

— Are you not White then?

— No. I’m also not Black. I’m mixed. You see, calling people by their skin tones was something pretty rude back in the day someone decided to do so. Many White people aren’t that white, lots of Black people aren’t that black. Aliens can be green, grey, black, white, or whatever. Colors don’t make who you are… But guess people, unfortunately, still have a hard time from how other people react to what they see.

— Yeah, sometimes I feel like some people look at me in some weird way, but when they see my blue eyes, they simply change…

— You are special, I’m sure of that. Don’t let what people think about you change your good heart, neither the criticism nor the praise about you.

— Talking about that… — Judah looked around trying to see if anyone was listening and Peter's shower was flowing. — Do you think I’m… big?

— Haha — Jay smiled. — I know what you mean, and yeah, I know everyone here and principally you.

— Me?

— Yeah, you! — Jay teased. — I know every inch of your body.

— Damn… Do your visions let you know everything like that?

— Like a pretty big 3D TV in HD — Jay smiled.

— So… — Judah started whispering. — Am I big or not?

— Let’s say, one of the biggest here, yes.

— Yes! I’m still an alpha!

Jay couldn’t help but admire Judah’s silliness and he turned away.

— Hey! — Judah called, again grinning, just to mess up with Jay. — Don’t you want to see the real deal?

Peter's ear was now glued to the stall wall.

— Would you like to show me? — Jay whispered in his ear.

— I asked first! — Judah complained.

— Okay, I show you mine, and then you show me yours.

— You called it then! — Judah was excited to mess up with Jay. If he was big, then or Jay would be smaller or the biggest. And he knew Jay didn’t have any pack to show.

Jay opened his pants, showing his white briefs, and it soon followed his pants.

— Hope you like the free show. I don’t hide this from anyone here.

— Wha… — Judah was speechless. — No way! Where… Where is it?

— I was never born with one to begin one.

— But… But…

— It’s the same with our skin. You presume I’m something from what you look, and even if I may look like that, you want me to follow what’s on your mind, while I can’t do that.

— Boy! You are completely smooth! How you… How do you do?

— If you think I’m crazy about you because you are big, no, that’s not it. What I like about you it’s something I can’t deny I miss feeling. Some tenderness, some warmth…

Jay got closer to Judah and touched his bare chest. Judah swallowed dry when he felt how cold Jay’s hand was. Then Jay held Judah’s hands and felt how his hands were soft, compared to his own dry and scarred ones.

— How much have you been suffering? — Judah simply asked, without knowing why he did it.

Jay looked him in the eyes like an old soldier looking for peace in the middle of a war, and a warm tear rolled his face. He finally gave in to his long-lost emotions and cried on Judah’s chest. Judah hugged his new friend back and helped him to the little stool in the shower.

— Sometimes is just too hard — Jay simply said, cleaning his tears. — Can’t say I hate you for making me cry but to be frank, most of the time I’m numb.

— Numb?

— I’ve learned to copy emotions. I barely feel myself excited for anything, or disappointed, disgusted, or mad. I’m just numb…

— So, you cried because I’m here…?

— Yeah, magically and physically speaking.

— Do you mean… we are…?

— Haha, no, we are not a couple just yet — Jay humor changed. — But darkness can’t exist without light. You are someone that completes me in a way that I can’t ignore. Can’t say I’m in love, because I need you to show me that you like me back. I know I can’t win your heart because I’m just a silly boy.

— And is smooth — Judah pointed out.

— Yeah, I’m a silly smooth boy — Jay agreed smiling. — But with you, I feel something close to feeling normal. Not normal like everyone else says ‘normal’. I mean, I feel that I am the person I would like to be, the one deep down I always dreamed to be…

— Gay?

— No silly! — Jay laughed kindheartedly. — The only thing that really matters.

— And what is it?

— To be a good person. I always dreamed to be good to someone… You may not understand how much I like you, but I feel you make me a better person.

— Damn, boy, and you say all of that naked?!

— If you want so much to be naked as well… — Jay dared with a grin.

— Okay, you showed me yours, I can show you mine.

Judah got up and started some silly dance to finish taking off his pants. With them at his ankles, he showed off his jockstrap. Peter got curious and used the stool in his stall to look over the wall between them, holding a towel around his waist. He was too short for seeing anything properly, but giving a quick leap, he could quickly see Jay was now alone.

— Hah! I knew it! — Jay said crossing his arms at the stall entrance.

— AAAAA! — Peter shouted, tripping from the stool and cowering into the floor. — I didn’t see anything! I swear!

— Don’t you wanna see it? — Judah dared.

— I… I… — Peter was conflicted.

— Show yours first that I show you mine — Judah got closer.

— No! Please! I do anything you want!

Judah tried to hold a laugh.

— I can already see yours… Hahah… — Judah teased, pointing out the towel wasn’t hiding it so well.

— What? — Peter quickly stopped cowering and covered it with both hands. — Please, don’t tease me!

— Nah! I wouldn’t, we are buddies now, remember! But since you showed me yours… — Judah started taking off his jockstrap. — It’s just fair I show you mine…

Peter stopped looking away realizing it was in full view now and he got mesmerized by its look. Judah held his jockstrap in his shoulder.

— How does it look to you? — Judah grinned.

— I… Hum… It’s… — Peter swallowed dry. — Thick…

— Just thick? C’mon? Praise this nature’s masterpiece!

— Judah — Jay came after him giggling. — This way you are going to kill him!

— Doesn’t he see the other boys very often?

— Peter? — Jay asked. — No. He would love to be like me posing to everyone showing I’m being true to myself. He’s too shy for that. He basically turns into a stone before he can’t see any of the boys like this.

— I’m his first?

— Yes. Can’t say it’s a bad thing too… — Jay grinned.

— Don’t you feel jealous seeing your Great Judah showing off to another boy? — Judah got closer, teasing Jay.

— Nope — he answered looking him in the eyes without fear. — It’s actually pretty cute to see you sharing something you wouldn’t show to anyone else.

— So, you know, right?

— That you hate boys looking at you? Yes. But guess no one can help with it, can they?

— Yes, but don’t know. With you two is different. I don’t feel judged, I feel… great!

— Glad to hear that — Jay said, moving his hand to the shower flow. — We shouldn’t waste water.

— Agreed — Judah said and looked at Peter, still on the floor. — C’mon! This will be fun!

Peter hand out his hand, thinking Judah would be helping him to get up, but rather, he pulled Peter in, hugging him close.

— You don’t need to be afraid of me! — Judah said.