After getting on the bus things went smoothly and everything was normal. Natchitoches was a small town with only 12,000 people living there and almost all were just humans. So most of the kids his age were normal human children with no powers what do ever. The only ones who really stood out were the two gnome children and Jacqueline, but that was it. 

His elementary school was not really anything to talk about as it was pretty basic and looked maybe 40 to 60 years old since it was built. Once he actually got off the bus and started making his way inside the building he spotted two people that were familiar to him as his father had introduced them as some of his cousins from his grandma's side of the family that lived here in Natchitoches. 

He remembered his father warning him that the majority people in this town were related regardless of race or other factors due to the small population. Even if people didn't know it everyone in the town openly acknowledged that it was a regrettable truth. Even though he knew that the two in front of him were actually much more closely related to him the sheer fact that half the kids at the elementary school might be some really distant cousin made him feel nervous. 

He was only 9 years old, but he was very smart and knew a lot about the world and how people worked due to his fascinations with it all. So it was hard for him not to think about the fact that most people in this town were to some degree inbred. Cousins marrying cousins either knowingly or unknowingly didn't sit right with him no matter how distant the relationship your blood would be. 

Another factor that he kept in mind was the cultural dynamic of the city. He was old enough to understand the importance of race and cultural differences in America as a country and the history they're in. He had been from one of the most prodigious schools in New Orleans for upper class family to send their kids to. On top of that he was a naturally talented genius when it came to his ability to soak in knowledge and comprehend it. 

Max thought that with the little bit of research he did about the new city he called home it was weird with how it's changed over the years. As the oldest city in Louisiana that has always had a very small population even since it's inception it's population was a majority Caucasian with few African Americans. Originally most of those African Americans were of course slaves that eventually became free left and then came back. However the African population of the city was quite low up until the 1980s where much more African Americans started to migrate to the city until the ratio of African Americans to Caucasian Americans in Natchitoches was almost 50/50. 

Of course there were a handful of Asians and Hispanic people but they were so rare for a long time and still are to a degree even if their numbers have grown. It perplexed him because as he looked around he noticed most of the kids of his school had similar skin tones, hair color, eye color, facial features, and other similarities. This is because over the last 90 years most of the racial groups in the city that had primarily only interacted with each other in passing begin to intermingle and produce offspring of multiracial status. 

It only compounded for him given the fact that everyone looked so damn similar due to what his father had told him when it came to most people being related in this town somehow some way. Most of them shared a similar skin tone to him which was a darker shade of tan, if not borderline caramel; with very few having something of a darker or lighter shade that would be considered notable. Most of them had either black or blonde hair but of a similar natural look more kin to what people expect from African Americans or Hispanic Americans to have. Most notable is everyone having brown eyes with a very very few having anything else other than that. 

Most people shared similar nose structures, cheekbones, chins, and more. It all just felt odd especially given Max's unique look. Although Maxwell's eyes were brown and he shared many of their facial features, he stood out because he was born with naturally solid white hair of such a pure shade it was almost the same color as snow. 

His grandfather, his father, and his uncle all had the same colored hair. His grandfather and his uncle had red eyes but his father's eyes were blue. Although Max has never gotten an actual answer for how or why that was the case with the research he's done he believes it might be due to albinism. At least to some degree he believes it has occurred in his family even if their skin tones are clearly still far dark enough to not be technically considered albino. 

Outside of a physical difference that he felt when it came to the people around him there was also the cultural difference that was even harder for him to understand. Maxwell by normal people standards is technically African American. His grandfather was biracial being partially Caucasian and partially African-American but of a very light skin tone. While his grandmother was a very dark brown woman of African descent even though she was also technically Hispanic as her parents were of the primarily African Hispanic peoples of Central and South America. 

Maxwell's father, Arthur is of a slightly lighter shade than Max himself but not by much but would be considered at least 2/3 or more African-American even if people were to be a little bit picky about it. His mother, despite how Max disdains her for walking out of his life, was for all intents a black woman of a similar shade to his grandmother if not just a tad bit lighter. So Max despite his dark tan skin tone was for all intents and purposes a black boy. 

However he did not feel like it. He didn't really mesh with black culture in America. Even back when he was in New Orleans he understood well what black culture was in the perception of most African Americans and most Americans in general. He could not agree with it though. 

It made him feel like he was an outcast amongst his own people. He could not get behind their message or cultural identity. The way he saw it most of them could only see themselves as victims and use that viewpoint as an excuse to commit horrible actions against their fellow man. And if anyone dare to call it out for what it was they were labeled as not being black anymore or being subservient to "the white man". 

No matter how much he tried to look at it from different points of view that was the majority of what being black in America was both told to him as being and described in media and other sources as. He could not see himself as someone who was oppressed given the lifestyle that was provided to him thanks to his grandfather's hard work and efforts as well as his father's love and kindness. His grandmother gave him a culture he could agree with though. 

Her African Hispanic roots gave her a different outlook on life separate from the modern interpretation of what it means to be black in America. It helped him gain the values and beliefs and morals that he actually connected with. It taught him respect and discipline. She showed him how to appreciate the people in his life and the hard work of those who love him. She was able to instill in him the concept of honoring those who came before and paying homage to the legacy that they built and left behind. 

It was also prevalent that both of his grandparents are very strong believers in the faith of the Dark One. An extremely powerful God who happens to be one of the first angels in creation and the first being to ascend to godhood at the behest of the Maker of All Existence. Even his title, the Dark One, is a moniker that was given to him by the demons of hell because they view him as the boogeyman for demon kind. So powerful is the god that his grandparents worship that all non-humans and most of the aliens that live on this world worship him because he is the origin of all magic and is the embodiment of destruction. 

Despite these horrible things that most people would rightfully so be afraid of the dark one is primarily a good God. In simple terms most people would quantify him as a more chaotic good due to his instances of horrific unforgivable sins that he commits on his enemies. But those moments are so few and far between and outweighed by the good he has done that it makes it hard to fear him without respecting him more than the fear a person may feel.

Max too, is a believer of the Dark One. Simply because he knows for a fact from conversations with his grandfather and confirmation from literally every authority on the matter of the Shattered Infinity that he was the god who gave powers to the world that humankind have gained access to.

His faith was a big issue though at this school as there were symbols of the Christian cross everywhere. Although it was not a religious school in any sense it clearly wore its religious connections openly. Most people here were Christians if not that they were the new age version of Christians that follow the true faith in regards to the Maker. 

Being that the maker of all and the god of Christianity are one and the same and those who believe in the Maker do primarily also consider themselves Christians they are mostly called the Servants of the Maker or the True Faithful. Their religion is mostly backed up by the words of actual demigods, angels, demons, and beings capable of traversing space and time that all agree that the first God ever was the Judeo-christian Islamic God that they all simply refer to as the Maker or the Creator. 

The differences in their belief stems from what they know from what has been told to them directly from being who are credible on the existence of the Maker, actual historical documented evidence of interactions with the Maker, the words of other Gods who have spoken about the Maker, and of course the words of the Dark One himself the last time he actually came down to earth and walked amongst mankind telling them about the Maker and blessing the progenitors of most of the non-human races with magic.

He was worried that there would be potential conflict with his fellow students due to his religious beliefs and cultural differences. So like a child his age would definitely rationally come to he somewhat distances himself from other kids his age once he made it to school. 

The only one he seemed to actually walk alongside or interact with was Jacqueline because he knew for a fact she too was not originally from this town and has no connection to these people. Sticking with her actually became a comfort that helped him get through the day. She had almost the exact same class as him except for one towards the end of the school day. 

To his surprise though most of the kids were accommodating and some even treated him rather nice. The ones that didn't really like him didn't really seem to bother him though. They mostly just ignored his presence and pretended like he wasn't there.  

All in all it was actually a pretty calm first day of school until after school was over and he went to find Jacqueline so they could get on the bus together and go home. He ended up finding her surrounded by three taller boys from the sixth grade who seem to have her pushed up against a locker. 

He did not approach at first and simply evaluated the situation from a distance. He tried to figure out what was going on before he did anything. He quickly noticed their angered expressions and how they were being very rough with Jacqueline. However it wasn't until he heard what they were saying that he realized what was truly going on. 

"I asked you a question freak! Were you talking to my girlfriend or not," angrily shouted one of the boys that was getting real close to Jacqueline and making the most obvious intent to cause physical harm. 

Jacqueline was still in her shapeshifted form looking like a boy and she responded not really showing any emotion, "Yeah. The teacher assigned us to work together on the science project. Of course I was talking to her. How else are we going to do the project?" 

"Shut up you liar! You're trying to steal my girlfriend," the boy shouted back with his two friends making obvious signs like they were about to all three gang up and beat up Jacqueline. 

The main boy reared back his fist for a punch and Maxwell quickly tossed his backpack as hard and as fast as he can at the boy while rushing up to assist. The heavy textbooks inside caused enough force that by the time it hit the kid that was the main bully in this situation it still hurt enough to cause them to stumble back and fall on their butt looking confused.