Introduction

A/N This is my first attempt at writing on here so I'm still new and I'm also trying to figure things out. I hope you don't mind and I welcome all forms of criticism.

“So, why are you here?” Headmaster Finnegan of Lion’s Pride Boarding School, asked sharply, glaring at the small boy who sat on the chair on the other side of his desk. The boy had short, messy black hair. His hair was dry and looked pitiful. His uniform was rumpled and messy, his face pale, lips cracked and eyes bloodshot. He looked like one who had returned from war and had seen many things that he would not forget easily.

“Because my aunt decided to send me here,” the boy mumbled, voice rough as if he had shouted all day.

Finnegan pursed his lips and grabbed the folder lying on the desk in front of him. He opened it and took out its meager contents. “Terry Fallows,” he read out loud, “Sixteen-years-old, citizen of Australia. Your accent doesn’t sound like it,” he remarked, glancing upwards.

The boy squirmed uncomfortably before saying in a low voice, “My parents were Canadians and moved there before I was born. They spoke perfect English and I was home schooled.”

“Then why’re you here?” he asked, not caring if he was being rude. His school was brimming to the top and five hundred rowdy boys living in his school did not make his life easy.

“My aunt sent me here,” Terry repeated, still not looking at his headmaster.

“You aunt?”

“My parents died,” he said softly. “My aunt took responsibility of me but decided she didn’t want to waste her time with me and sent me here.”

The headmaster rolled his eyes. He had heard hundreds of stories like his. “If you think I’m giving you special treatment because of your loss, think again. Your dossier says you have no criminal records and your school reports seem well enough. You can stay here but if I sense any trouble coming from you young man, you can pack up your bags and go back home. I don’t care how rich your aunt is. I will not tolerate misbehaviour here.”

“Yes sir.”

“Stop the ‘sir’ thing,” he ordered. “Save it for your coach.”

“In gym?”

“No,” he smirked. “There is a mandatory self-defense class here. All of you boys have to take it. I figured you all need a time to ah, exert your physical stress and that’s when you do it. It’s better than having you pound each other in the halls and making a mess for my janitors to clean up.” This skinny kid won’t last one week, he thought to himself triumphantly. He’ll be gone within the month at the most.

“Oh,” he said quietly. His face which was still angled towards his knees didn’t give out any emotions.

Without bothering to ask if the boy had any questions, he grabbed a different pile of paper that was considerably smaller than the other stacks that piled on the desks and handed it to Terry. “Everything you need to know is in here. If it’s not there, than you use your brain to figure it out. The school map is on here and you’re in Room B6A10. Your aunt was kind enough to put you in the best rooms so I suggest you write her a thank-you letter. You’ll be rooming with Timothy. His last room-mate left last week so be grateful. If he didn’t leave, I wouldn’t have accepted you as that’s the only room here. Classes are just ending and there’s an hour before dinner starts. Now go,” he ordered.

Terry jumped out and left the room quickly, clutching what he now realized was more or less his survival manual. Taking out the map, he located where the main office was and slowly traced out a route to his room. Several wrong turns and many curses later, he arrived in front the building that housed one fourth of the boys. A large “B” marked the front door.

He opened the door and swallowed hard. The main lobby was jammed tight with guys who were all taller than him. They were all surrounding two guys that were exchanging hard punches, taking turns. Their jaws were clenched as they fought hard to not let out cries of pain.

It’s that dumb game they play, he thought to himself, where they punch each other and see who lasts the longest. Although they could easily avoid it, some people were just masochists and had to seek out pain for themselves.

“My money’s on Caiden,” one of the guys near him muttered.

“Of course you’re betting on him,” another guy scoffed. “You’re from F so you have to support him.”

“He’ll still slaughter Jeff’s butt,” he snapped except he didn’t say butt.

“B’s can kill F’s any day loser,” the second guy sneered. “Want me to prove it?”

“Bring it,” the first guy said.

Without another word, the second guy slammed his fist into the first guy’s arm, causing him to stumble back. He retaliated by punching him, not in the arm, but in the face. His blow glanced off of the other boy’s cheekbone. He snarled and jumped him and the two of them started rolling around, sending punches back and forth. The guys around them cheered and turned away from Caiden and Jeff but watched the two scuffling boys instead. Soon, similar fights broke out in the main lobby and Terry groaned, closing his eyes.

Why I thought I’d find peace here, with four hundred ninety-nine other boys, I’ll never know, he thought. Dragging his suitcase behind him, he edged around the crowd and towards the elevator.

“Those don’t work,” a voice said from behind him. It was Jeff, one of the two boys that were playing the ‘game.’ “Finny got sick and tired of us breaking them so he’s not getting it fixed for two months as a punishment. We have to take the staircase instead. Want some help, man? I don’t think you can even lift that suitcase.”

Up close and ignoring the small bruise he had marring one of his sharp cheekbones, Terry could see that he had icy blue eyes. His brown hair was spiked up neatly and gave him the bad boy look. Towering over Terry with almost half a foot, Terry knew he didn’t want to get on his bad side. Muscles could be made out from under his t-shirt.

Terry shot him a dirty look and picked up his suitcase easily before turning to the direction of where a door with the words “stairs” hanging above of it.

“You’re new right?”

What made you think that? He ignored him and kicked the door open before hauling his luggage up six flights of stairs. By the time he made it to the sixth and final floor, he was sweating. Why did I sign up for sixth floor?

He groaned when he realized he still had to do some more traveling. Looking around him, his eyes fell on a hallway that was marked “A”. Dragging his bags now that he could, he traveled down it until he reached a door marked ‘10’.

Fumbling for his keys, he opened it and was met with a large, spacious room. Two large, comfy looking beds were in the center with a night table beside each one. A large window was beside the occupied bed farthest from him, overlooking a forest to one side and a small town that could just be made out far, far, below. A television hung from one wall. One either side of it, was a desk with a lamp and a laptop was on one of them. To the right of the door way was the washroom and to the left, were two small closets.

Dropping his bags to the untouched bed, Terry walked into the washroom. Making sure he locked the door, fell against the wall and slumped to the floor. Closing his, or rather, her eyes, she thought tiredly, I wish I was a girl again. I wish I didn’t have to pretend I’m a disgusting boy. I wish I can be back who I am. I wish I was Taryn again.