1 The bookstore

"Eat this Volum you nerd!"

Upon shouting, the bully punched Volum right onto the floor which was the trigger the others were waiting for. The others immediately ganged up on Volum and punched and kicked him onto the floor. Despite the pleas of Volum, they continued doing so and only stop after a few minutes. To add insult to injury, they even reach into his pocket to grab his wallet and took away all the money in it.

"Ha! Don't you know? My word is law in the school. Who will dare to go against my word? Right boys?"

"Yes! Jon's words are the law!"

"So next time, don't me so stupid to deny me of your money. Now get lost!"

Jon threw Volum to the floor who could only groan in pain and walk away laughing with his gang behind him.

Volum could only clench his teeth as his trudged back home covered in blue-black bruises. Despite him wanting to report the bully to the school, he knew it would not work as Jon's father was the director of the school and most people who tried to complain were never seen again.

While making his way home, he saw an alley that led to an old bookstore that he had never seen before despite walking the same path home. Being an avid bookworm and a rare collector of printed books despite e-books being the current trend, his curiosity led him to enter the old bookstore.