1 Leo

Running through the jungle, gasping and almost out of breath, Leo ran as fast as he could, his skin being cut and bruised by the tree branches that hanged low and falling down a few times due to the uneven topography of the jungle.

He felt his body giving up and knew that he would collapse from exhaustion at any moment.

He thought to himself.

'Why?!, why do I always have to suffer?'.

He contemplated whether he should stop running, but then he realized that although his life had always been a mess, he didn't want to die.

Behind the exhausted Leo was a beast that he could not see because of the thickness of the leaves in the jungle, but instinctively knew from the roars and loud stomps that the beast made as it pursued him, that he would be dead in an instant if it caught up to him.

Leo chose to survive and somehow managed to keep running far beyond his limit.

The human body has been studied for centuries and determined to be unable to surpass certain limits, no matter how hard the body was trained or chemically enhanced.

However, the discovery of Chi brought a new possibility to light.

Chi, an energy that is said to reside within the human body and all around us in the air we breathe, the plants, the seas, the very ground on which we stand, drove scientists to the brink of insanity as they tried to harness the power of chi.

A good number of the scientist had come up with theories that suggested the possibility of controlling chi with the help of a device that could tap into the immense energy around and transfer them directly into the human body.

Scientists have long since, conducted different experiments and researches to make such a device.

This task was issued by the Government with the intention of creating soldiers that were faster, smarter, and stronger, because the energy was expected to affect the entirety of the body.

The research was carried out for years with absolutely no result and this led to the conclusion that permanent chi control was impossible…

Or so they thought.

The time is 6 am, Tuesday, the 25th of May.

A constant and loud beep is made by an alarm that irritates a sleeping Leo causing him to slam the alarm.

He stared at the ceiling, unhappy that he could not sleep a bit more.

"1, 2, 3!"

He immediately jumped off his bed and began going about his normal morning routine of taking a dump, brushing his teeth, work out, washing up, and putting on his work uniform.

He finished up in less than 30 minutes and then proceeded to go downstairs to prepare breakfast for both him and his younger brother, but before that, he stopped by his brother's room to wake him up.

"Jax! Wake up, it's a school day, you need to get ready or you are going to be late".

A sleepy Jax tiredly answered "okay" before going back to sleep. Leo approached him and pulled out a pillow.

[Smack]

"I'm up!, I'm up!"

Leo laughed and left to prepare breakfast.

He fried some eggs and placed them beside slices of bread already laid out on plates.

"Hey! Breakfast's ready."

He came down already prepared and ready for school and complimented on the aroma of the fried egg as he sat down to eat while Leo poured him a glass of milk he retrieved from the fridge.

As Jax enjoyed his breakfast, he mumbled with a stuffed mouth.

"It sure is awesome having a brother that works at a restaurant"

This forced a smile on Leo's face.

"Don't talk while eating, that's bad manners".

Jax apologized and rushed his meal.

After their meal, they both began talking and laughing hysterically throughout the conversation, hinting at their fondness for each other. They left the house at the same time with Jax entering into a school bus and Leo walking to work, as the restaurant was a 20 minutes walk from the house.

As Jax got into the bus, he turned around and yelled.

"See ya later bro."

Leo, already some distance off from the bus could not help but smile.

"Make sure you behave yourself."

Leo's shift always started at 9 am and would last till 3 pm unless he was asked to fill in for any of his colleagues that couldn't make it to work.

Leo, 24 years of age, slim, tall, and having a chin that would make glass look rough. He was a young man that was thought by many to be an introvert.

He wasn't the type to make small talk, he spent most of his time alone and he always seemed uncomfortable when anybody would try to engage him in a conversation. This behavior of his, was no secret, especially to his colleagues at work and to his boss, Mr. Edward.

Mr. Edward was the owner of the local restaurant called the 'Tasty restaurant'. He was a giant standing at nearly 6.5 feet tall, having a protruded belly and a very funny way of laughing.

His employees viewed him as a kind man and they were always willing to impress him in any way they could.

Leo also sought to impress his boss because of the very fact that Mr. Edward was one of the few people that knew that he was not an introvert but in fact just shy.

Leo always craved the company of others but his shyness was always a deterrent. He was scared of being disliked by anyone who got to know him better and was unable to express himself when he had to.

Mr. Edward spent most of his time at work, making sure that everything was in tip top shape. He made sure to understand the faults of his employees and knew how best to accommodate them.

After Mr. Edward noticed Leo's shyness, he immediately switched him from taking the customers' orders and serving their meals to helping out in the kitchen. But most times Mr. Edward would sit with Leo and talk with him in a Father-Son way.

"You should learn to face your fears like a man, being shy would only hinder your progress, you have to be able to express yourself with confidence."

Mr. Edward would go on and on about how Leo should conquer his fears with the latter always being quiet and attentive.

'How can one man be so lucky, he has his own business, a happy family and he is confident. He never holds back from expressing himself. I envy you sir.'

Mr. Edward knew that Leo's problem could not be solved by simply talking with him, but by pushing him to interact with the customer's on a daily basis…but he could not jeopardize his business, as Leo's conduct might annoy the customer's.

"He has to get over his fears himself".

Mr. Edward thought of Leo as his favorite, because he reminded him of his younger self. He then decided to tell Leo a story.

Leo was sitting in a corner of the kitchen, with a knife on his right hand and a potato on his left. He was very quick at peeling potatoes and was generally good at using the knife. His colleagues and Mr. Edward were always marveled when he handled a knife.

Richard, another employee of Mr. Edward. A good looking guy with long hair and very nice skin. He loved relating everything and anything to art and this made him stand out as a weird guy among the other workers.

"Ahhh!!" Richard screamed in a seductive manner.

"My darling Leo, your knife handling skills are always so elegant, so beautiful. ohhhh! How I wish the others could be more like you or like me!".

Richard would go on and on, causing Leo to smile because he felt more normal whenever he was around Richard.

Mr. Edward was also weirded out by Richard, but he respected Richard's cooking skills and how he barely made any mistakes because he always paid attention to details.

"Master Ed." Richard called out in his usual manner.

"Don't you agree that your restaurant would be more beautiful if everyone was more like me!!?".

Mr. Edward would always make an excuse to avoid talking with Richard.

"Eh...I think I hear my phone ringing in the office. Hey Leo, come with me, I need to speak with you for a minute".

"Alright sir."

They both sat in the office and Mr. Edward began telling his story.

There was a look of ecstasy on Mr. Edward's face because he loved telling a good story, but this look immediately changed after he realized that Leo's attention was somewhere else.

"Leo!...are you with me boy?"

"Sorry sir, but was someone just in your office?"

Leo couldn't shake the feeling that someone, just right now, was standing behind him.

Mr. Edward was confused that Leo would ask such a weird question.

"It's just the two of us. Are you ok?"

Leo shrugged off the feeling and apologized for his behavior.

"Maybe it's just my imagination"

Mr Edward then continued telling his story.

One benefit of being shy and quiet was that Leo was also very observant and aware of his surroundings. In order words, his sense of perception was high when compared to others.