The World's Start

Jack

Jack Edens was looking at the pictures on the magazine. It felt strange, because he would never be photographed that way. He wouldn't have models half his age hanging off his arm -- and not just because people half his age were literally children -- and he would have never worn that carefree expression, winking at the camera as if the whole world belonged to him.

Still, to an untrained eye, the man on the page looked just like the one who was staring back.

If people got past the first glance, they would notice how the man in the pictures was older. They would notice that his brown hair didn't have rich hues of copper, and that the eyes were darker, too. They would point out that the older man had an expensive and manly haircut, and that his clothes were tailor-made, in the best fabrics from Padoa, no less.

Then, they would notice that Jack's hair needed a haircut really bad. It was messy, uneven, and it was almost shoulder-length, not on purpose. They would see that the suit he was wearing, despite being in bold pink and green stripes, was a cheap imitation he'd found in a charity shop.

But, when most people didn't pay attention, and Jacob Edens Senior was the most well-known man in the whole Everende island, and, according to some, the richest -- so rich, that he was supposedly among the top ten of richest men in the whole world, Jack had soon learned there was nowhere he could hide the resemblance.

So he didn't.

Jack's classmates were among the few people who would have noticed the difference, given their line of work, but, since there were so few of them, and Jack had worn the suit to attract the extra attention, he smiled smugly at their stares. 

Jack sat down next to his boyfriend Leo Collins. He made a conscious attempt of sitting with his legs closed, despite his favorite zine, Masculinity for Amateurs, MFA for short, claimed he should have them spread open. His father sat that way in the rare pictures where he was actually sitting. Jack didn't like it.

Heath Corrigan was doing a poor job of pretending his left eye wasn't twitching as he took a long look at Jack's colorful suit. It was no secret that Heath thought that Jack was tasteless, and a show-off. Jack didn't care for Heath even though he was the Laoch. He could preach all he wanted about Jack's lack of sobriety, but he still had obnoxious pink hair, and it was common knowledge that all of his favorite authors had written incomprehensible paperbacks whilst on drugs.

"You're late," the Professor, Paul Robert Tenney, pointed out. "I was just about to say how much you have all improved as a group of people. I, however, would like to choose a temporary leader for our next expeditions. I resolved to choose the best student, but I was left with a tie. Both Jacob Edens and Heathcliff Corrigan are equally qualified."

Leo snorted at hearing Heath's full name, though he did already know it. It took a little weight from Jack's chest. He didn't like to be called his father's name, so much that he had insisted on people calling him Jack instead of the more common Jake. He'd heard his father was known as Jake to his friends, and, according to rumors, would probably never grow out of it.

Ken Fallon sighed. Jack had never paid too much attention to him, since he was a friend of Heath's. However, being the student group only formed by five people, he still knew too much about anyone, and Ken was a headstrong, reliable guy, who would have just loved to lead the expeditions.

Jack contemplated saying no, because there was no way he would have the brains to lead anyone, and nobody would have the desire to follow him, anyway. Then, he figured he might just give this thing a try. After all, if he won, it would be one thing he could take from Heath.

"I'm flattered," Heath replied. "But please, Professor. Let's stick to our formal names like we've previously discussed."

"I did notice the disturbing fact that you all have pet names," Mister Tenney sighed. "Very well."