Genesis (Prophecy Rock Series, Book 1)

Chapter Thirty Six

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“Go away!” Gama threw his empty milk bottle at the little girl. “She’s always following us, Rad, it’s so annoying.”

Raden chuckled at Gama’s indignation. To think that a skinny little girl would set him off like this. 

“Why’s she always following us, Rad? I don’t want to be her friend. She’s funny looking. Big head, weird blonde hair, and yellow colored eyes; she looks like a dandelion.”

“Relax, Gama. She’s probably just scared and looking to make friends.” 

Why she had decided to follow them was still a mystery to Raden. She was only slightly younger than them. According to Gama’s grand philosophy on life, a third grader had no business trying to make friends with older fifth graders. Raden had noticed her around the academy, hiding beside the benches, behind the library, peeking out every once in a while to steal glimpses of him. Being new to the academy must’ve been hard; he knew the feeling all too well. For the first half of fourth grade, Raden had been the new student. Picked on by bullies, ignored, and laughed at by the girls in his class, Raden knew how cruel children could be. And so he did just what this little girl did; he hid, he kept to himself, and he completely disappeared. He was invisible; even the teachers seemed to forget his name at times. Frustrated by his constant distractions and inattention, they had simply ignored him. That’s how Raden’s life began at the academy, and he learned to accept it. It wasn’t in the cards for him to make friends, he told himself. The bullies even stopped harassing him as they moved on to other new students. Fresh meat they would say, as they’d chase the terrified new kids around campus. That’s how life continued, until that one day, after the winter break.

The self-titled Super Squad had decided to target the newest addition; a tubby little kid who always had food hidden away in his pockets and food stains across his cheeks. Raden watched from his regular spot, hidden along the perimeter of the playground. Raden sat next to the hedges, picking at the daisies, and peering out onto the street. He gazed at the grass, flower petals, and trees nearby. Symbols of the Ancients flickered in and out of view. When the symbols disappeared, he watched the pedestrians walk through the village, going about their business. He passed the time by imagining stories of where they were going. The blacksmith raced by, probably off to forge a mighty sword for the next great Renzai warrior. Farmers hauled fresh produce along cart driven ox, rushing off to provide fresh food for weary soldiers in battle. He stared out through the fence, the academy nothing more than background noise to him now, until he heard the furious sounds of feet and fists nearby. Raden turned to see what all the commotion was, and suddenly found himself caught up in the middle of a fight. The Super Squad had tried to take the tubby kid’s snacks and found unexpected resistance. The tubby kid punched, kicked, grabbed, and bit with no reservations whatsoever. The only ones crying this time were the three bullies themselves, who ran away as fast as they could. The new kid, overtly proud of himself, called out all types of expletives at the would-be muggers; half of the words Raden did not know the meanings of.

Raden was in awe. Never had anyone tried to stand up to the bullies before, let alone win a three on one fight. The new kid pulled out a sweet treat from his pocket and began to chew it when he caught Raden staring at him.

“You want some of this, too!” he yelled at Raden, waving his candy filled fist in the air.

“No, no… not at all. I just think it’s…” Raden searched for the right words to describe what he just witnessed, “awesome… what you did to the Super Squad.”