They were a tourist attraction. A living and breathing tourist attraction. Thousands came from all over the world. Yet none of those thousands had been Dekka Talent's parents. They'd abandoned her at Coates Academy and never came back. Even now, as the barrier was transparent and the outside could finally see in, they hadn't come to finally see her; their daughter - the lesbian.

The adults outside couldn't hear from the kids inside, and then vise-versa. The barrier blocked out sound, but now it allowed vision. The adults came day and night with signs riddled with messages and questions to their lost children. Only half of the messages were usually returned.

Dekka sat on the edge of the cliff that Mary Terrifino had decided to throw herself off. She sat with her legs dangling over the side and her hands flat on the ground beside her. She was conscious the people outside could see her, and yet, she wanted to show them she was human and not a freak of nature. She didn't know quite how she'd achieve this without speech, but sitting, gazing out to the wave-less sea seemed to be the only way.

"Can I sit with you?" Out of nowhere, Orc had appeared. He was standing awkwardly just behind Dekka, rock fingers twiddling with one another. When she didn't respond, he said, "You always sit up here by yourself."

"Good place to think, I guess." She answered him finally, still gazing out to the ocean.

"With all the people watching you?" Orc questioned, glancing at the transparent barrier.

Dekka didn't have an answer for that. She couldn't actually put her finger on why she chose to sit so close to the barrier every day to watch the ocean; perhaps it was to show the adults outside, despite the fact she could levitate pretty much anything, she was just as human as they were.

Orc settled himself down beside her. He was much taller in comparison. His enormous head was turned out to the ocean as well watching it just as Dekka was.

"Do you think we'll be accepted if the barrier ever comes down?" Orc asked suddenly. The question hung in the air.

Dekka didn't have an answer for that either.

"Howard would know." Orc said quietly.

"I think we'll be fine, Orc." Dekka took her chance to answer the question, streeing away from Howard. "If we're not, we can always move out somewhere quiet and leave the world alone." Dekka suggested. She looked at Orc.

"Together?" Orc asked, looking down at Dekka.

Dekka considered his question for a moment. She let her gaze drift back out to the ocean, and then slowly back to the transparent barrier.

"We're both different." Orc started up again. "You like girls and I'm made of rock."

"I guess that makes us similar." Dekka recalled the conversation they had in the desert just a matter of months ago.

"So can we go together?" Orc dug up the question again, obviously most eager to learn the answer.

"Yes, we can." Dekka answered him this time.

Dekka put her hand gently on his enormous stone hand. She had never been fond of touching people, but Orc seemed to understand what she had gone through her whole life. Being the oddball was something that Dekka thought only she had to live with.

But along came Charles Merriman, made of stone and grieving the loss of his best friend.