"Hi, there!"

Tyler had just reached the top step, but after being startled by the stranger, he almost fell all the way back down the stairs. He stumbled back, then caught his footing, blushing at the mishap. "Um, hi."

The boy in front of him grinned. He had messy brown hair that fell in his face, paired with a bright smile, and he looked to be a few years younger than Tyler, although he was nearly as tall. "My name's Brendon Boyd Urie, but you can call me Brendon!" The boy pointed at a figure mostly hidden in shadow behind him. The figure gave Tyler a shy wave. "That's George Ryan Ross the III, but he goes by Ryan. What's your name?"

"I'm Tyler." The boy was slightly taken back by Brendon's enthusiastic, hyperactive attitude, but at the same time, he couldn't help admiring him. Tyler was usually shy when he first met someone, but after spending some time with them, he was sure to warm up to them.

"Just Tyler?"

"Tyler Robert Joseph," he finished.

"Cool name! I'm assuming you're the new kid. C'mon, I'll show you to your room!"

Tyler followed along as Brendon led the way down the hall. Ryan quickly ducked into another room, leaving the two of them to themselves.

"Here you are!" Brendon pushed open one of the doors in the hallway, entering a medium-sized bedroom. There were two twin beds, two small dressers, and a closet. The left side of the room was plain and basic as if it were unclaimed. The right side of the room was occupied.

A stack of books was set on the right-side dresser. On the bed next to it, a boy was laying on his back, but Tyler couldn't see his face, because he was holding another book in front of it.

"Josh, it's the new kid!" Brendon exclaimed, but the boy on the bed didn't even look up.

"Ugh. Don't mind him, he's in one of his moods." Brendon happily plopped himself down on Tyler's new bed, apparently not caring whether Tyler invited him to do so or not. "So, what're your powers?"

"I don't know if I'd call them powers..." the boy lowered his head a bit, feeling shy. "My Mama just calls them special gifts."

"Powers, special gifts, same thing." Brendon hopped up and down on the bed excitedly, while Josh continued to ignore both boys. "What can you do?"

"I have a connection with birds."

"That's awesome!" Brendon beamed. "I can mimic voices." He quickly leapt up from the bed. "Name a famous person. Go on!" he encouraged when Tyler looked doubtful. "Preferably a musician, those are my favorites."

"Um..."

"Brendon!" a voice, most likely Miss Lindsey's, called from downstairs. "Come and help me set the table, please."

"Coming!" The boy shrugged at Tyler. "I guess I'll show you later, then." He quickly ran out of the room and down the stairs, leaving the boy alone with his new roommate.

Josh, however, didn't look up from his book, and it was clear that he didn't want to be disturbed. Not wanting to bother him, Tyler unpacked his suitcase into the dresser and put his three shoeboxes under the bed.

Maybe Josh would be in a better mood later. Tyler wanted to get along with the boy he would be sharing a room with, after all.

A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying this book so far! I have an updating schedule that I hope to stick to; I'll be publishing new chapters on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. If I forget to update on one of those days, I give you all permission to nag me XD