Anthony Petrov was not human.

I knew it upon first sight of him, when he looked up with iridescent green eyes. Even in the way he sat, with his knees folded up against his chest at all times. However, he could hold more human conversation than any human I had met. He could walk like a human, and talk like a human. In fact, I was the only one who knew he wasn’t.

And now, as he sat across the picnic table, bare feet poking out through jeans, he looked less human than ever. It was his eyes, like before. An emerald flame seemed to be alive in the irises.

“Adam, do I creep you out?â€? he asked, suddenly and frankly.

“…No.”

“Mm.â€? He tucked in his legs a little more. “Do I creep other people out?â€?

“Well, probably. Everyone creeps someone else out. No one is happy with everyone.â€?

Silence pervaded the grassy area for a little while, until he broke it again. “But do I attract attention? Do other people notice what I do? I know I don’t do everything exactly like other people.â€?