"Arthur, are you ready for winter break?" Roxanne asked in an oddly excited tone.

"Nay," I said, "I would rather see you than spend the winter in my home with my family."

"Do you want to see if we could have a joint family Christmas?" Roxanne asked.

"We are but teenagers," I said, "We cannot ask the adults to change their plans to include unrelated people."

"It'll only be one party," Roxanne said, "And it'll only be me and my Mom on my side if we do convince them."

"What about my birthday party?" I asked, "That would make more sense logically. Mom did say that she wanted me to invite friends over and you are my one and only best friend."

"I thought we were dating?" Roxanne asked, her tone a mix of confusion and a hint of anger.

"I told you before that I don't understand this dating thing," I said, "What do you wish me to call you then?"

"Your girlfriend," Roxanne said.

"I guess I should give an update to my Mother," I said, "She already told me that she was fond of you, even though you just help me with school stuff, play video games with me, and only met her once."

"She's probably just busy taking care of your grandmother," Roxanne said, "So, she probably just appreciates not having to worry so much about you."

"No, she asks me about you whenever I come home from your house," I said, "She told me just yesterday that she wants to invite you even if I don't... Which I thought was a ridiculous notion, but it seems that I forgot to invite you already. I will text you about it when my Mother gives me more answers."

"When is your birthday anyway?" Roxanne asked.

"January 1st," I said, "Just like before." Roxanne chuckled.

"Only you," Roxanne said, "Mine is July 19th, so we're a bit over 6 months apart in age."

"You like numbers, but you aren't good at Math?" I asked.

"I prefer simple adding and subtracting," Roxanne said, "Not whatever this algebra stuff is. Why do I want to find 'x'? Was it missing or something?" I found myself chuckling at her joke.

"If we were back on our original planet," I said, "You might not have needed this kind of education, Roxanne, but I find it rather intriguing and mentally it's the easiest to translate as we use similar number systems. My writing in the other fields is not as easy to translate, as the letters are different and the words differ."

"But you're at least improving," Roxanne said, "You can gladly show your Mom that A+ you got from the English teacher who previously hated you because she couldn't udnerstand you."

"I still don't understand their grading system," I said, "My former master never gave me letter grades... It was always graded in what meat I got to eat that night for dinner. My lower grades were feathered, my middle grades were scales, my highest grades were fur."

"Arthur, those weren't grades..." Roxanne said, "The dinners were whatever he caught that morning. Your master never graded you on anything, he just taught you how to survive when you were chosen to be the hero."

"That doesn't make much sense," I said, "But I guess your guess is as good as mine. I could never tell what he was thinking... And he died before he could tell me. I never thought that I'd lose him so quickly, or that he was sickly to begin with. He seemed rather healthy from what I recall of him."

"Hopefully you can meet him again and ask him," Roxanne said.

"If Faithilla has the power to bring you and I to this planet," I said, "She may have brought others. I just hope that he hasn't forgotten me."

"You are pretty unforgettable, Arthur Brown," Roxanne said. My face felt warm.

"You're not so bad yourself, Roxanne," I said, "If only you would tell me who you were."

"I'm not telling," Roxanne said, "You still have to guess."

"Well, I'm pretty sure that I don't know anyone who was nearly as stuck on me as you seem to me now in the old world," I said, "But I guess if I could get a hint, it would help."

"No hints," Roxanne said, "My lips are sealed." I didn't understand that phrase.

"How can I unseal your lips?" I asked.

"It's a secret," Roxanne said, "And until it's time, I will not say a word about it. Even if it takes until I'm dead and buried."

"I did not need to envision that, Roxanne," I said. Roxanne sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't asking you to," Roxanne said, "Just let me know about your birthday party and if you want to have a party for Christmas or not."

"I'll see what Mother wants," I said, "She said something about Father coming home, but I don't even remember him."