CHAPTER 05

MATTHEW

Leo continued training me after my wound completely healed, and I poured all my focus on it. "I need to be strong"  are the words I keep chanting in my mind.

I do extra training on my own. I wake earlier than the other kids and train alone, and at night I study the books that Leo gave me.

I am ten years old now, and Victor and his friends started their bullying again when the kid they feared was killed by boss Teodor. They love to bully the five other kids who were always quiet together in the corner. They don't fight for food anymore. They only wait for whatever food was left behind.

Before they fought for food but since Xander died, they stopped fighting for it. I stay alone too. I don't want to be attached to anyone anymore because I'm scared to lose them like what happened to Xander.

I leaned on the wall waiting for our food and I saw Victor and his friends keep stealing glances at me. They are planning something. I touched the fork inside my pocket which I made as an improvised knife. I made it for my protection from whoever tried to hurt me. It's better to kill than to be killed.

The men place the food down on the mat and then quickly give us a signal to get it. I quickly moved towards it.

"Matthew behind you." I quickly moved to the side and a loud crash was heard when the wooden chair hit the ground. I looked at Victor who was furiously marching toward the kid who gave me a warning but before he could reach him I rushed to him and spun him around and threw a punch at his face. He staggered backward but regained his balance. Alex and Ian join on his side both holding a leg of the broken chair.

Victor rushed to me but I dodge him and caught Alex's wrist and took the wood from his hand and slammed it into Ian's face. Ian fell to the floor wincing in pain.

Victor attacked me again but I blocked him and sent a roundhouse kick to his chest. He fell on the floor coughing but quickly stood up. Axel and Lito join them. These two also hate me because I beat them one time during our food fight.

Victor grinned. Dean, the kid who warned me earlier stood beside me but I shook my head at him.

"Go back to your friends, I can handle them."

"But you are alone."

"I'm okay." Hesitantly he went back to his friends and resumed eating with their worried eyes looking at me.

Victor and Ian attack me but using the wood I am holding I hit them both on the head. They staggered backward disoriented with blood coming out from the small cut on their heads.

"Lito, Axel, and Alex followed. Axel on my right, Lito in front of me, and Alex on my back. I docked as soon as they are near me and swiped my right foot on their feet and they all fell on the ground, but quickly rolled down when Victor came barrelling towards me holding a knife.

I quickly stood up and we circled each other. He ran to me holding a knife ready to stab me, but I caught the blade before it could reach my body. I grinned at him even though my hands are now bleeding.

"You're going to die today." I let go of the knife and quickly kicked him on his stomach, sending him to the ground.  I pulled my improvised knife from my pocket and I grinned at him before and stabbed him in his stomach. He cried out in pain when I pulled the knife off of his stomach and was ready to stab him again but…

"Do it and I'll shoot you." One of the men watching us said. I chuckled and faced him.

"Shoot me then." I challenged him. I chuckled when he didn't. I know he won't. I turned to Victor again and kicked his side. "Next time no one will stop me to end your pathetic life." I kicked him one last time and took whatever food that was left behind and ate on the corner watching the men carry Victor away.

I looked at the other kids around me and now they are avoiding my eyes. That's much better. They should fear me.

***

Since that day Victor has always avoided me. I'm disappointed he didn't die that day, but it's okay I'll make sure he takes his last breath in my hand.

When I turned twelve years old, we were trained to use different weapons. Every morning we jog and spar. Everyone avoids me as their sparring partner but I don't mind. I trained on my own using the equipment, and Leo was there as my sparring partner.

I  wanted to escape but I couldn't do it. We were on an island surrounded by water and if I tried I'd only end up dead. I engraved in my mind everything Leo taught me because one day everything I've learned here, I'll use against these people.

It took me three years before I learned everything but it wasn't polished. I need to train more so that I can perfect all of it. Leo was there every step and he was patient with me now. Each of us has our trainer who trains us whatever they want, and some of them are not as lucky as I am.

Like Victor, his trainer is very strict and he beats him with every mistake he makes. But it works for him because as the days pass he's getting better. Even Leo noticed it.

"You should focus more. Victor is catching up. I'm sure his only goal is to kill you." Leo whispered one day while we were in the shooting range.

"I know. He can try but he won't succeed."

"You already mastered using different guns. Tomorrow we will polish your skill in using daggers. You still have not mastered how to throw it properly.  You only hit the bull's eye once in a while. You should perfect it."

"Okay." I shortly replied.

"Okay, that's enough for today, dinner will be served soon." I nodded and went to the dining area.  Victor's eyes never leave me. He always did every time I'm near him but I always ignored him as long as he didn't touch me.

Only Ian and Alex stay beside Victor after what happened three years ago. Lito and Axel form their group of three. Josh joined them.  There are two other groups; the silent group. I called them silent because they were always in the corner silently talking to each other, consisting of Dustin, Dean Arnold, and Bryan.

The other group I called, the cool group, because they are always calm and collective. Doesn't mind what is happening around them, they are just living life to the fullest. Marlo, Cyrus, and Jason.

Now that we're older we found out that we didn't need to fight for food because the food was packed enough for all of us. We didn't fight now, we took one pack for each one of us.

"No fighting for food anymore, we only fought during our spar but the men watching us always stopped us before we killed each other.