As Mr Justice had said, the attention of the students was directed at me, the newcomer, who moved in the last year of middle school. As soon as I arrived in class, I saw the boys turn to me, I took a few steps and sat down at the front desk with my name on it, above it was an envelope, always with my name, but I didn't open it because the professor entered at that very moment: «Good morning, guys.» - the students answered the teacher in chorus, I stood up and he stared at me: - «You must be the new student...» - he took the register and read: «...Johnny Straut... am I right?» «Yes.» - I took a bow. «No need to be so formal.» - I was surprised at what he said, at that point I was sure the outside world was really different from my own: - «Forgive me, but in the previous school we had to stand up in the presence of a teacher and bow. I was taught this and, if it’s too much for you, I’ll try to please you.» - this time it was him who was surprised. Before this school, I had not attended other institutes because everything had been taught to me by the brothers and I had a personal teacher, a part of the convent, to whom I brought enormous respect as it suited to the place where I grew up.

Maybe such respect was not contemplated by the minds of my peers who were already confabulating something behind my back. «All right, thank you. Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?» I nodded, I quickly came back to mind what Mr Justice had told me to say and I said: - «You already know my name so I can tell you that I'm of Finnish origin, I live with a tutor and I come from Naturan.» - there were some whispers. Mr Justice predicted that there would be such a reaction, after all, the last thing I said, the hometown, was for some time at the centre of an internal political debate between human and demonic ambassadors.

Naturan was a war-torn city, where the World Division had not yet issued a warning, he was in Alaska and communications had been interrupted for a long time. Some people came from there as war refugees and the mixed families who had just left were barbarically divided by the new law.

And it was pretty much the same thing that happened to me. I had been removed from the safe convent where I had grown up and immediately moved to the house of a monster, although this monster was Mr Justice. 

According to Mr Justice, if I said Naturan, the kids would never ask questions about my past, so they would never find out I was a Mantis. Mr Justice, then, had not chosen that city at random because he himself came from there and found it logical to use that place as an excuse for his work. Returning with my mind in the classroom, the morning passed quietly and when the two arrived, I immediately withdrew to the center, I didn’t want to go home any more than I wanted to hear the boys whispering, I was afraid I’d become the laughingstock of the school, and that would make it worse for me not to make eye contact. I had already imagined the distress and frustration of Mr Justice, not to mention his anger, which he would surely pour upon me.

I sat on a bench in the plaza and breathe deeply, as if I had been in apnea until that moment, then I thought about which bar to go to since my smell was fading away. Being a hybrid, half-human and half-monster, I did not possess the unmistakable smell of the monsters they felt to recognize each other and therefore I had a lighter human odor. To disguise myself among them, I used a special perfume for hybrids, created by our parents. In my case, however, it was Mr Justice who decided that.

«Cocoa mousse...» - this is what Mr Justice told me about my smell. «The mousse has no smell.» - I wanted to clarify. «Then chocolate... you have a smell reminiscent of chocolate...» Who knows how I looked, as smell, to the other monsters?

«Did you skip school?» I was scared to death but when I realized who it was, I calmed down: - «Mr Justice!» - he was there, in front of me, all dressed up and with his jacket in his hand. «Miller, what are you doing? Don’t come?» «Just a moment!» - I noticed that there were some men behind him, not far away, perhaps working colleagues, who seemed visibly annoyed and one of them kept looking at the watch on his wrist: - «Then? You answer me?» - he called my attention with that question and I stared at him, for a moment I was afraid to have upset him. I knew I wasn’t in a position to expect a walk like any other guy: - «I just finished.» - I decided to say just that. «So why aren’t you at home? I told you when I work, I don’t want you around alone.» «Yes, sorry...» - I shouldn’t have complicated his life any further, this time I was wrong.

«Miller, look the break ends!» - the previous colleague put it back and at that point I felt out of place so I decided to get off the bench and clean my jeans. «I’ll be right back.» «No, stop...» - he took my shoulder: - «...come eat with me, then I’ll take you to work.» I couldn’t say no because he grabbed my arm and dragged me with him. A few steps and we were in front of the men who were calling him just before. Their robes, which from afar seemed "normal", so to speak, were not. I wasn’t stupid. Reading the initials and recognizing the logos of fashion houses was something that even a hermit could learn, and in front of me I could recognize very expensive garments. It was way out of my league.

After a quick glance, the men looked at Mr Justice: - «And this? Who is it?» «My pupil, he's the boy I look after.» - he replied, holding me for a few moments. «Are you coming to eat with us?» - asked a different man, he looked at me with coldness, just like the previous glance of Mr Justice. But maybe his eyes would have turned out colder in comparison. «Yes.» - said my tutor. «Look that I have no money for.» «I'll pay it.» - made sure to add so as not to disturb others. «Ok.» I didn’t say anything, just to say okay, it seemed to me that they belonged to another world than my average student.

They were all lawyers, maybe as successful as Mr Justice, so for a moment I felt in an unpleasant situation. We headed to a restaurant where Mr Justice asked for a table. As soon as we sat down, instead of talking about work, he turned to me and said: - «So, how was school?» - he had quietly ignored the fact that he had five coworkers with him. «Well...» - stutters, I was not really comfortable surrounded by people bigger than me, they could also understand that the smell was fading. I couldn’t say it out loud, and that way I would definitely get in serious trouble. I saw him pondering, getting up a bit from his place, touching my forehead: «...are you okay? Do you feel weak?» - I moved away from his hand and swallowed empty for the surprise. «Yes, all is ok, Mr Justice.» - I answered quickly. He closed his eyes sighing: - «I understand. Let’s eat and then go home right away.» «No.» - I said. «No? Why not? I can clearly see that you feel bad so you should rest.» «I don’t need you to babysit me, I’d rather not distract you from work.» «You are not a distraction, I'm your guardian, it seems logical to worry about you.» «But skipping work for me, it doesn’t seem honorable.» «I can’t stay in multiple places at once, so I’m forced to choose the best thing.» «Being with me is not the best thing.» - our little bickering got stuck with Mr Justice’s slit eyes. «So you tell me what is the best thing to do at this juncture.» - I paralyzed myself.

Mr Justice’s icy gaze was really cold, it did not move from my face for a second and me, in front of him, on the opposite side of the table, I began to feel oppressed by those eyes as if my own guardian wanted to devour me. For a moment I thought I’d offended him by telling him it wasn’t best to be near me, after all he was chosen by my parents because he was the best at protecting people and so, for him, I was an obligation that came before anything. But that was the point. I didn’t want to be an obstacle to Mr Justice’s brilliant career, I immediately thought it would be better to go home immediately instead of wandering around the city, I would avoid disturbing him.

I lowered my head until I hid between my shoulders: - «I don’t know.» - I whispered, and it was true. I didn’t know what to say to him, that situation made me tremble until I heard: - «Don’t you think you’re exaggerating, Miller?» - I turned my face a little, crossing the face of a man with short and brown hair, glasses and a frosty look, was one of the colleagues sitting at our table. The same one who had repeatedly called my guardian when we were on the outside. «I’m not exaggerating.» - answered Mr Justice bluntly, and that firmness in saying so made me shudder. «He is a boy, he could even go and play with his friends instead of having to go home.» - added the man who seemed particularly annoyed by Mr Justice’s decision. «Because he is still a boy, I would like him not to be too out of it.» - I felt impressed by what my guardian said. «This means that you do not trust him. Do you think that he can get into trouble?» - asked the man. «I am only worried about his health.» - I stared at Mr Justice’s face, and he kept looking at me with condescension and coldness. «Your concern is exaggerated, you should give him more breathing space.» - the colleague said again, there was a moment of silence and I thought I could speak. «In fact after this I'll go home, there is no need to accompany me.» «Forget it.» - I stared at my guardian: - «Your parents entrusted you to me, this means that my word, for you, is equivalent to law.» «I'm not a child.» - «Yes, you are, for me you will be forever.»

At that point I was irritated.