"John?? John!?" Startled at the sudden voice, I involuntarily brought my fists up in a fighting stance, only to note the butter knife held in one of them and the puzzled expression my mother was currently giving me. 

"Are you..." my she started, only to be interrupted by my father's hearty laugh "Well done!! That's a perfect stance you got there!!" he commended, as his expression grew serious "But you'll need more than that if you want to get a gir..."

"Honey??" my Mom intervened almost immediately.

"I... I mean when you fight those..." 

"Dear??" Mom called while giving him a sweet smile (The kind that sends shivers down your spine) poor Dad, he was just making things worse.

"I... I" he coughed "Don't get mixed up in any funny business!! Your studies come first, you hear?!" and he gave me a grave (Help me out here!!) look and after taking another sip of coffee, he all but hid his face behind the morning newspaper.

'That's right, I've come back' I took advantage of the moment to remind myself of the fact 'And I'm not dreaming...' there were somethings you couldn't just dream up and the intensity behind the glare my Mom was currently giving my Dad, was one of them. 

My father's last tour ended a short while back and he'd just begun working at a local law firm, courtesy of his contacts. His office was only a short distance away from our place and though she tried not to show it, my mother was quite pleased with the new development.  

My sister walked in just then (I was pretty sure I saw a whirlwind trailing in her wake) 

"What'd I miss??" she asked as she took the chair next to me and began filling her plate. 

"Well, Dad..." I started in a low voice, giving her a quick rundown of the events so far. 

"Finish your breakfast..." My Mother sighed at my sister's knowing grin while sending her husband an exasperated glare.

I told my Dad, switching to a different language altogether, making no effort to contain the mirth in my voice. 

My Dad had picked up quite a few languages during his service, and seeing as I had a knack for learning them, started teaching me a few weeks ago.

It had almost become accustomary for us to speak a few sentences during every meal, and seeing that it wasn't a new development anymore, neither my mother nor my sister paid us any head. 

his gave me a mock threat, as his head finally emerged from behind the newspaper  he didn't fail to comment.  

I pretended to grumble and I watched as his expression changed instantly. 

He unknowingly put more force into his voice, earning us a questioning glance from his wife. 

"Wallace??" 

"Nothing to worry about Amanda... His pronunciation still isn't up to par, so I was giving him another example" My Dad smoothly came up with a cover story, while I sent him a grateful glance. 

he reasoned as I scooped a spoonful of cereal.

I explained.

Dad gave me one of those glances, that could potentially see right through a person

I quickly assured him

My father stayed silent for a while  he finally gave in

And I cheerfully began demolishing the rest of my meal. 

he asked in confirmation

I replied, my voice firm

"Your school starts at eight, so that gives you a little over an hour" my Mom suddenly reminded me, giving us both a look that clearly said 'Stop talking and finish eating!!' and we promptly obeyed. The rest of breakfast passed by in silence but it was this very silence, which was both warm and comforting, that I'd dearly missed and yearned for.

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It also gave me an opportunity to gather and clear my thoughts 'I'll have to slowly figure things out from here, but one thing's for sure' I glanced at the people around me. My loving mother, my awkward yet caring father, my clumsy but doting elder sister and the image of yet another person surfaced in my mind 'This time, I'll be the one to protect all of you!!' I promised, my eyes narrowing suddenly 'And I absolutely will not let history repeat itself!!'

"I'll finish that if you don't want it..." my sister's voice broke my train of thought and I hastily glanced at my, now empty plate "Hey!! I was just gonna eat that!!" I glared at her.

"No, you weren't!! You even had this creeped out look on your face!!" she retorted. 

"Did not!!"

"Did too!! It was almost like..."

"Give it back!!" I intervened and made a grab at her, ultimately forcing her to move out of reach.

'I should pay more attention to how I act around people...' I made a mental note on the side.

"No fighting at the table!!" My Mother warned us in a stern (barely trying to contain her laughter) voice, while my father went back to his paper.

"Nyssa, didn't you have to leave earlier today??" Mom asked, and my sister's eyes widened in shock.

"Yikes!! That's right!! Thanks, Mom!!" and she quickly devoured the waffle she'd swiped from my plate, much to my despair "See you guys later, good luck John!!" she grabbed her bag and was out of the door in a flash, I couldn't even get in a word of complaint!!

'So much for enjoying the silence...' I grumbled as I gulped down the rest of my juice, I was getting short on time myself.

"You sure you've got everything??" My Mother asked as I grabbed my bag in turn.

"Yeah, Mom I do..."

"It’s quite a long way so it won't hurt to double check" She advised, "And are you sure you don't want us to drop..."

"Mom!! It's fine!! And I need to get used to the route anyway, so the sooner the better!!" I gave her a hasty hug before dashing out of the house "Later Dad!!" I called back and immediately took off at a run, I had a lot more ground to cover as compared to my sister, and her school wasn't exactly close either.

I ran full tilt, a blunder on my part, as I soon found out 'Well… damn' I'd barely even reached the end of the street before I was forced to stop.

'Okay… First order of business' I let out another gasp, 'Get yourself in shape!!' I'd forgotten to factor in the limitations of my current self. 

It took me a good few moments to catch my breath 'Well, I shouldn't be surprised...' I smiled bitterly as I continued on, though this time I settled for a normal jog. I'd been on the scrawnier side all through high school, add to it that I was tight-lipped and shunned people in general.

Well, let's just say that calling me unpopular, would have been an understatement.

The school I was attending, had quite the reputation, its student's given first preference in many a renowned University. Hence, the number of students and their diversity therein were quite phenomenal, though the majority of them were from society's upper echelons. 

Sons and Daughters of Powerful Politicians, Diplomats, Businessmen and in general, those students whose parents could afford to send them here (Not to mention their trusty lackeys) 

And then there were scholarship students like me, now when you have such a large number of students gathered together at the same place, scruples and disagreements were bound to occur. Furthermore, these weren't just limited to just the above-mentioned groups (or maybe factions?) For internal conflicts, within the so-called factions, were quite common as well. 

The smallest trigger could set it off, a spark of envy or a sliver of jealousy and 'boom' you've got yourself a wildfire, this was when one's family background came into play. 

And if you find yourself on the losing side, it's best you give up or back off at the very least, any further actions on your part might end up adversely affecting your family instead.

Messed up right?? My father hadn't exactly been kidding about me needing to toughen up, but given that my background was relatively decent, as long as I didn't personally go looking for trouble, I'd be let off easy. 

Some of my peers had it worse, and I mean way worse, bullying and the occasional beatings were quite commonplace.

“How can the school board allow such a thing?!!” One might ask. Well, rules were established and they were quite strict, but they only extended as far as the school gates. The school couldn't control what happens out of grounds, and neither could they be held accountable for it, which was understandable.

'I can't take things lightly, I have to get stronger... And fast!!' And clenching my teeth, I burst forth with new vigor.

Luckily for me, the climate had taken a turn for the cold, but I took a quick look at myself in the window of a nearby Restaurant, just to make sure I wasn't too much of a mess. 

A somewhat scruffy boy looked back at me, his disheveled hair a shade of dark brown, while his eyes were a curious mixture of greyish blue.

Everything aside his unusual eyes, to sum up in one word, was remarkably 'average' a fact which didn't bother me in the slightest 'It could even turn out to be quite useful...' I glanced at the sign beside my reflection, before I resuming my jog towards my 'new' but old High school.

'This sure brings back memories…' I passed by the gates easily, blending with the crowd of similarly dressed students with a few teachers added to the mix here and there 'I remember how nervous I was, when I first passed through here' I grinned, spotting several students sporting similar expressions, as they were forced to follow the general direction of the crowd.

'I'd better get to class...' and with some difficulty, I managed to extract myself from the sea of people, many of which were no doubt heading towards the school notice board. I already knew where my First-year classroom was, so I took different corridor altogether.

Naturally, I was one among the first students there and taking advantage of the fact, I quickly chose a seat of my preference 'Near the window towards the back of the class... Perfect!!' I was close enough to listen in but far enough to ignore everyone if need be.

I dumped my bag on my bench and flopped down on the chair 'Okay then...' I made use of the remaining time to draft up a rough plan of action 'I can't afford to draw attention' I surmised 'Not until I've sufficient power to back myself up at least...'

I raked a hand through my hair, as I mulled over the situation 'I'll need contacts and connections, and for that, I primarily need...' And it ultimately boiled down to one entity 'Money' one couldn't do much else in this world without it.

I decided that investing in stocks and as such, was the best way to start off, and it could also double up as a front later on 'But maybe an occasional...'

"Good morning class..." My train of thought was brought to a stop yet again 'Ms. Keen...' And I had my first step all figured out, I was literally staring at her in the face.