I

A FIST SWUNG AT HIS FACE AND HE DUCKED, NARROWLY MISSING IT.

Kingsley Hart wasn't even a professional at this fighting gig but he had speed and reflexes, both of which were keeping him alive at this point from the three bullies he was taking on.

How it all started?

An after school fundraising activity was on his daily schedule and he was too busy shoving the rest of his stuff into his locker, until he heard them.

"So you think you're tough stuff, huh? Just strutting around school just 'cause you're the new kid on the block?"

"I wasn't thinking anything. Leave me alone."

King slammed his locker hard.

The sound echoed and reverberated through the hallway and the three bullies turned to face him.

The leader of the trio smiled. Cody Green by name, he was a threat to people weaker than him, as normal bullies often are. Except in this case, it wasn't because he felt insecure about himself or anything. He really loved hurting people and well, action does speak louder than words.

And of course, he was reported by anonymous tips and complaints were brought in by parents. But if you're trying to tell on a bully and his dad is the principal, you can't exactly expect things to go your way.

He raised an eyebrow at the noise and rolled his eyes.

"You wanted something, Q-Kid? If not, then beat it."

Q-Kid. Short for Quiet Kid, because he was well, quiet. And he mostly kept to himself. There were rumors that claimed he was like that because of something tragic he'd witnessed. And of course, solitude attracts unwanted attention and two other bullies had tried to pick on him in the boys locker room after gym class and they came to school the next day to clear out their locker, covered in bandages. After that, people avoided him even more.

King sighed. He could've really just kept to himself and pretended he'd seen nothing. But there was a tiny part of him that he couldn't understand. A part of him that hated this stuff.

He sighed again.

"Just let him go, Cody."

"What?"

"Let. Him. Go", King repeated, deliberately splitting each word.

"I heard what you said, Q-Kid. I'm not deaf. And no, I can't just 'let him go', mate", Cody grinned, using two fingers as air speech marks.

"Why not?"

"He thinks he's better than us, that's why."

The new kid opened his mouth to say something and unfortunately, Cody saw him. King tried to warn him, but it was far too late.

For reasons unknown to everybody including himself, Cody absolutely hated it when his victims tried to talk or say something. It just made things worse.

"I wasn't-"

"Shut up!",Cody roared and brought a knee up viciously. The new kid doubled up on the floor, groaning and holding his stomach.

And with that, King made his decision.

He had already finished with the first one and was working on Cody's other lackey before Cody even realized what was going on. And that brings us back to the first sentence of the chapter.

The fist was followed up with a lopsided kick that he also dodged with ease and he countered with a savage right hook to the nose, followed by a knee of his own between the legs and topping it off with a throw over the shoulder. The unfortunate fellow somersaulted in the air, screaming and that was cut off when he crashed on his back and lay still.

Cody had reacted quickly to the situation and had fumbled in his pocket for his favorite knife. Now he produced it and went in for the kill. King saw him lunge and twisted desperately to avoid it but it wasn't enough. The knife grazed across his arm.

Cody lunged again, but this time he was slower. King side stepped and half twisted with a flying elbow. It found its mark at the side of Cody's head and he swayed on his feet for a moment. King poised, ready to strike again but there was no need. He pitched forwards and hit the ground, out cold.

King sighed again. He really needed to stop playing the hero sometimes. He examined his arm, which had stopped bleeding and went over to the drinking fountain to wash off the blood. He looked around for the new kid. No sign of him. Not even so much as a thank you.

Well that's just annoying, he thought. At least he had the sense to clear out anyway, when things had gotten out of control. He walked back to his locker and picked up his backpack, stepping over the bodies scattered around the hallway. It would take a while before someone found them. And of course, if they were questioned when they came to, they would say nothing. Even bullies followed the universal code. Nobody snitches.

His mood turned sour when he realized he'd missed the late afternoon bus. I'll have to walk for it now, he thought angrily. As if it wasn't bad enough, it had started to rain and he broke into a run, careful not to slip on the wet pavement.

As he ran, he thought about what had happened. It was a bit odd how the kid had just disappeared and nobody had known he was even gone. No doubt, Cody would try and stick that knife hilt deep into his back after he got discharged from the hospital, but he'd also go after the kid. Well, that wasn't his problem anymo-.

He suddenly stopped.

It's a natural instinct. Only a specific number have it. People claim it's even inherited. But when it's activated, it's almost never wrong.

The sixth sense.

Very useful in detecting something bad which will happen within minutes or seconds before it actually does happen. Also key in the area of prompting action without thinking. And finally, to determine if you're being followed.

He cast a wary eye around his present location. He was on the other side of the street. All he had to do was cross and he would be home. No doubt, Max, his legal guardian would be in by now from work and would've gone crazy, wondering where he was. He shrugged off the thought and made to cross the street.

And stopped again suddenly, this time scanning the area thoroughly.

It would be in the safety of his room a couple of minutes later that he would figure out what had actually happened.

It was the first and second advantages of the sixth sense that saved him. He had dropped to the ground at the same time an explosive crack was heard and a bullet whizzed just above him. If he had been standing, he would've been hit.

Springing up instantly, he bolted across the street, shielding his body with his backpack. It wasn't much but at least it was something, he'd thought as he closed the gap between his previous spot and his house with surprising speed. He had fumbled for his key and panicked when he almost dropped it, opened the door and dived inside, slamming it shut and locking it.

His guardian had demanded answers and King, not wanting to think he would assume he was crazy, fabricated a lie and dashed upstairs to his room, leaving his guardian confused in his wake.

Calm now, he rose again from his bed to peek from the blinds of his window for the fifth time. Nothing. He shrugged his shoulders and turned off the light. It was far too late to start questioning what was going on. He would just have to deal with it tomorrow.

Outside his home, three people, two boys and a girl, were talking animatedly about what they had seen. The one with the gun was still doubtful.

"His reflexes are very good. He uses the laws of physics to his advantage, too."

"So, what's the problem?", the other boy asked. "Look, we need one more. Just one more and we can start training so we can carry out the mission. He's basically fit for the spot"

"We can't just move in yet"

"Why not?!", the other boy exclaimed indignantly."You saw everything. How he handled the bullies. How he protected himself. We've been stalking this guy for weeks now!"

The girl had been listening to them. Now she coughed. The two boys turned to her.

"A final test. One that'll determine if he's capable and also to make you two shut up"

They both ignored the last part.

"Being an agent requires a lack of hesitation. Sure, he didn't hesitate to stick up for Wolf", she added, gesturing to the second guy. He'd posed as a nerd where King was schooling, hoping to get noticed by the bullies, and sure enough, he did "But that's because they were big and bad. They were doing something wrong, so he had a reason to go at them. So here's my plan-"

By the time she had finished, both of them had gone pale.

"You're not serious, Blue. Just tell me you're not serious and we'd laugh right now".

"Dude, we could kill him.", the second guy added.

Blue sighed.

"You know as much as I do that we pick only the best. This would test his brawns and his brains. And for tomorrow's sake, I hope he's got some".