2 My Name
"I'm late!" Yelled the boy as he quickly bolted into the bathroom. After ten minutes, he stumbled across the hallway as he struggled to button his shirt and carried his bag in his mouth.
He and his grandfather lived in a small humble apartment with two rooms, a living room and a kitchen. The living room was of adequate size as one could see a sofa, TV and an out-of-place punching bag that hung from the ceiling in the corner of the room.
"Grandpa, I'm going to be late. Is breakfast ready? And can you help me with my tie?" He asked as he struggled with his new uniform.
"I knew you weren't paying attention when I showed you 3 times last night." Said the man as veins popped from his forehead.
"Why do I even need to wear a tie? What's the point of this posh school? I liked my old one just fine."
"I've already said it, haven't I? We're moving soon and this school will be closer to you. You know you can't travel long distances with your condition." Said a man with a thick British accent. He fashioned a white shirt that stuck to his bulky frame and defined his intricate muscles. However, his grey hair and wrinkles depicted his old age.
"But why a private school? I don't want to be sitting in class with a bunch of spoiled brats."
"Would you stop complaining? You're a grown man for god's sake. I used to go to school during wars and disaster-level weather when I was your age." Said the man with a reminiscent face.
"Yeah right. I'm surprised schools even existed when you were my age." Said the boy as he rolled his eyes before he was given a firm punch on his skull.
"You look a mess, mate. Tuck your shirt in and button it up. You don't want to be dressed poorly on the first day of school."
The boy did as he was told as he placed his bag down and walked to a small table with two seats, only to be met with a mountain of food. Eggs, bacon, sausages, juice and bread as well as multiple spreads. They all filled the table and looked as if it were a feast for a whole family.
The boy sat down with a straight face as if this were a normal sight for him. He waited as he eyed the food, drooling as if he hadn't eaten for days.
The old man walked into the room with a few more plates before placing them down and taking a seat opposite the boy.
"Alright, tuck in." Said the man as they both started to wolf down the food.
"You excited for your new school?" Asked the old man as he tried to make conversation.
"No." The boy said bluntly. He didn't understand why they had to move around all the time and why they couldn't settle in one location for too long. He had good friends he had to leave behind in his old schools. His grandfather gave an explanation and said it was about his condition, but the boy couldn't help but feel there was a deeper reason to this all.
"Come on, mate. You can't be sulking like that. Look, I'll make it up to you when you get home today."
The boy looked at his grandfather with a sceptical gaze.
"How so?"
"You'll see. You just be sure to be back early today. No mucking about."
After a few seconds, the boy decided to accept his fate as he gave a nod of understanding. The old man ruffled the boy's hair and laughed as they quickly and unnaturally finished their breakfast.
The boy stood up as he picked up his bag before the old man fixed his tie.
"Just because you're starting a new chapter in your life, doesn't mean you don't live by the same rules. Remind me of the code we Hale's go by." The boy smiled with a mischievous grin as he started to speak.
"We do whatever the hell we want." He said with a grin. Although, his grandfather looked at him with a raised eyebrow as if he were waiting for something more.
"Ah, yes. And we always go straight to the reduced section of the supermarket because it's the same food for less price." He said as he remembered what his grandfather considered to be the most important part.
"That's right. We may have a carefree lifestyle but we don't mess about when it comes to our grub."
The boy gave a firm nod as he put on his shoes and shut the door on his way out as his grandfather smiled.
He was immediately hit in the face with the morning breeze. He stood on the 5th floor, the highest ground of an apartment complex and looked into the horizon as he stood in front of a railing that separated him from a fall that would surely end his life.
He looked to his left as he saw the stairs one would usually descend from, however, he decided to walk to his right, the opposite way, only to be met by a wall that indicated the end of the road.
He looked over the railing and noticed a ladder that stuck to the wall and connected the 5th floor to the first that started from the ground. Most likely a fire escape.
Without saying a word, the boy jumped off as he gripped the ladder, sliding down at a frightening speed, and heading straight to the ground.
As the ground approached quickly, the boy looked unfazed as he waited out his descent. In the last second, the boy broke his fall with a tight grip on the ladder and both feet on it as well. Inches away from the floor, he jumped off as he breathed slightly heavily. He didn't look to be afraid, more like he was exhausted.
However, this didn't seem to bother him as he nonchalantly began his journey. As walked at a slow pace, he didn't spare a sight to the rough neighbourhood he was walking in.
Graffiti vandalised most walls and one could see multiple abandoned and destroyed vehicles that occupied the roads. Stores and buildings looked as if they hadn't been touched in decades as the faint smell of smoke and nicotine bombarded one's nose.
Nevertheless, this did not faze the boy as he walked with a face of indifference. Despite the rough-looking neighbourhood, few individuals could be seen in the area. Only when he turned to a somewhat dark alleyway did he see a few faces he recognized.
It was as if this dark corner of the neighbourhood had been occupied by residents as one could see old and worn-out sofas that were home to a few drug addicts and were the frequent workstations for prostitutes.
It was as if the further he ventured into the alleyway, the worse the area became. Soon he was met with the same sofas, only occupied by intimidating men with multiple tattoos and what seemed to be cigarettes. If one looked closely, they would even see a few burst veins on their forearm that indicated the insertion of a syringe.
Meanwhile, the boy didn't feel a hint of intimidation and he carried on with his day, not even sparing the men a glance. He had ventured into this alleyway multiple times, and these individuals had never bothered him, therefore he never felt threatened by them, only thinking that they didn't see a weak boy like him as sufficient prey.
He continued with his day as he left the alleyway and after a few more corners, he came across what seemed to be a few police officers in heavy gear that looked to be patrolling the area, however as a frequent passerby, the boy knew what these people were.
"What's your business here, boy?" Asked a man with a raspy voice. His face wasn't very clear to the boy as the man wore a helmet of sorts which covered his face. Nevertheless, the man's scrunched and disgusted face was still evident in his voice.
"I'm on my way to school." Said the boy as he pulled out his school identification and handed it to the man. The man stood silent for a few seconds as he stared at the ID. It wasn't that he thought the boy was lying, he instead had a feeling of disbelief and awe. However, this wasn't enough to change his attitude toward the boy.
"Get outta here." The man said as he handed back the boy's ID. As he walked away, he looked back as he scoffed, cursing at the individual under his breath.
In the next few seconds, the whole scenery had changed from the abandoned badlands that it once was, to a luxurious neighbourhood of small mansions and apartment complexes that put his abode to shame.
He kept walking as he soon made it to the city, where the scenery once again changed. This time, he stood in an extremely developed city of skyscrapers, fancy cars and the social elites that wandered the streets. However, this again seemed to not captivate the boy as he walked slowly to his destination.
He soon made it to a colossal building that had made anything he had seen up till now look minuscule. The building fashioned a large logo on its front that had a few words imprinted under it.
"Aurelius Academy. Even the name sounds unnecessarily fancy." He complained as he made his way to the grand front entrance. After walking in, he felt clueless as to what to do from there. He could've sworn he was told where his classroom was but he couldn't put his finger on it.
It wasn't until he found a wandering teacher and asked for directions that he finally remembered his classroom.
"I'd hurry if I were you. You're late." Said the female teacher as she walked off, however, the boy didn't seem affected by this. He carried on with his slow pace until finally reaching his class. He swung the door open and was met with a bald-headed male who stood in front of countless teens.
"And you are?" Asked the bald man. The tone he spoke in confirmed all the thoughts the boy had about this school as he gave a forced smile.
"My name is Isaac Hale."
