Aaron was smart. A genius. Insanely smart. He would be that guy that everyone referred to as Einstein. He had a perfect balance of knowing tons of various things and being able to understand tons of various things. Where his IQ was, he hit near a one-sixty on average. He had dark hair that was sort of red and brown hat curled on its ends when he lest it grow. He had hard, gr(a/e)y eyes that could assess any situation. He had a light stubble on his chin and a nose that was extremely sensitive.

Aaron was also stubborn. Not determined. He was definitely stubborn. Because stubbornness is irrational determination. Doing things that don't make any sense with a passion was one of Aaron's specialties.

And, thankfully, Aaron had worked qualities that made him survive in a wild, easily upset world. One, he had no defects. No abstract mutations. He was free of any syndromes, diseases, and disorders. He wasn't compulsive, he didn't have a missing eye or arm, and he definitely wasn't crazy. Not crazy.

And two, and he most helpful quality, he was 'stupid'. Not incredibly stupid, but average.

Or, at least, that's what everyone saw him as. Everyone didn't see him as a nautical genius that makes little, if any, mistakes. They saw him as just plain old Aaron Whitaker. He blended in so well, people who didn't see him would occasionally forget he even existed. Teachers mostly.

And he lived peacefully, his parents usually away for work, him living with only his sister Eliza, who insisted that everyone call her Elli.

And today, Aaron was at home, finishing his homework. He had already come home from school for the three-day weekend and was going to end his homework and live the next two days doing something like finish a project he was working on that would be due next next Monday.

Aarons mind emptied for a moment. It began to wander everywhere. It was like being stuck in a room with the TV set to the local news, volume so low it could be muted, but not quite. I like reading a boring web page explaining global warming or quantum mechanics because you're too lazy to click away.

"Onii-chan!" Elli shouted. Aaron quickly snapped out of his mind funeral, then turned around. Elli was standing in his doorway, smiling, her grin both happy and mischievous. Her hair was that same shade as Aaron's, and, without that, they probably wouldn't have looked like siblings.

"Why do you insist on calling me that?" Aaron asked, annoyed.

"Because that's what you are, onii-chan!" Elli said happily.

"Probably because you watch too much anime. You need to focus on school more. Just because a three-day weekend is approaching, that doesn't mean you get to slack off." Aaron explained.

"Aww! You're no fun, onii-chan." Elli pouted. Aaron sighed as he turned around, resuming his homework.

"Onii-chan, you're supposed to respond back!" Elli shouted. Aaron kept doing his homework. In his mind, he thought if he didn't react, she would just go away.

"You're no fun." Elli said. Aaron heard footsteps and a door slam, then sighed relief. She was gone. Finally.

Then his cell phone rang. Caller ID: Carmen.

"Damn it. I thought I told her to leave me alone." Aaron said to himself. He picked it up, in fear of too many voicemails, and answered.

"What is it, Carmen?" Aaron asked angrily.

"Mad as ever, Aaron?" Carmen asked. Carmen was one of the few people that knew of Aaron's genius. She wielded a tongue just as sharp as Aaron's, and her level of genius was slightly under Aaron's. The only difference was Carmen didn't mind showing it off.

"And you're as of the ball as I am." Aaron said.

"Great. Now that we're on the same page, I need to discuss something with you. It's not very important, in a sense." Carmen said.

"In a sense?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah, like, on one point, it's important. But, in retrospect, it is, in fact, not important, in a sense." Carmen explained.

"You're just trying to piss me off, aren't you?" Aaron asked.

"Contextually, I'm trying to distract you." Carmen answered.

"..." Aaron managed. She was being unnecessarily distant, and, in turn, was making the situation more complex than it had to be.

"Are you getting what I'm getting at?" Carmen asked him. Aaron paused for a second before answering.

"Are you going to tell me?" he asked.

"Are you going to listen?" she asked.

"Of course I would." he responded.

"Of course you would." she responded. Silence.

"Go ahead, Carmen." Aaron said, losing whatever little patience he had left.

"So...the cards are in my hands, hmm..." Carmen commeted. Aaron leaned back in his chair then waited for her answer. She then spoke.

"I can't explain over the phone. Come on down."

"Down?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah, look out your window, idiot." Carmen said.