Chapter 3
Jack POV
“Wait for us! Wait. You’re our king. Our last surviving royal.” The strange men said, running after me.
I ran through the woods as fast as I could to get away from them, but they kept coming until I could feel myself transform from man to beast. What was happening to me? Why had I become a beast?
I jolted awake from my nightmare with beads of sweat on my forehead, I breathed a sigh of relief when I found myself still in my bunk bed in the foster home.
I walked into the school’s cafeteria and could feel all eyes on me. It should have been awkward but I was used to it, I always get these awkward stares and giggles anytime I walk into class or a group of students or anywhere in this school.
I don’t think it was because I was taller than the basketball players or more introverted than the average person or even ugly. I know I’m not ugly. It looks like the other kids just agreed to pick on me for reasons best known to them. I didn’t have the physique of a normal high schooler in their senior year but I don’t think that was my fault, blame my genes.
I was born with big features like my hands and feet but those features come with having a height like mine. I was more sensitive and read people easily, I knew I was different but nobody understood me hence the hostility towards me.
As I walked through the cafeteria with my tray of food trying to find an empty table I suddenly tripped and fell landing face flat on the tray, spilling my food everywhere. The room roared with laughter. I sat up and looked around and came face to face with Kenny. He was the one who tripped me and you could see the satisfied look on his face as the rest laughed. I was as tall as a pole so making me fall was pretty easy.
I wasn’t even angry, I just picked up what was left of my food and kept moving.
“Hey, Foster kid! Is that going to be enough? You can come for my leftovers since you need food to keep getting taller.” Spencer, another one of the bullies screamed as the rest laughed and jeered at me.
“Jack!” A soft and warm voice called out to me, I looked up and saw one of the prettiest girls in school seated at a table alone, “Come and sit down.” She beckoned me.
I rushed to her side and sat beside her with a sheepish grin on my face. Marie was never scared to be on my side no matter who was against me. She would always stand up for me.
“Why didn’t you give that boy a good beating? I know you can.” She scolded me.
“I don’t want to get expelled when I’m almost done with high school. I’m on scholarship you know?” I reminded her but she only shook her head and frowned.
“In a few weeks, high school will be over and you wouldn’t be concerned about some scholarship I say beat the crap out of them.” Marie egged me on.
I only listened to her while eating but I had no intentions of going through with her advice. McAnthony high school was a high school for children of plutocrats and foster kids like me could only dream of being here. If I touched any of the kids here I could lose my chances of gaining a scholarship to further my studies and I couldn’t risk that.
“If I was as tall and strong as you, trust me I would beat up all those kids,” Marie replied.
“You’re from a rich home. Nobody can kick you out even if you did. For kids like me in a foster home, it’s a different story. I don’t even know who my parents are, I’ve always been in a foster home since I can remember nobody will save me if I get kicked out.”
She seemed to understand my point of view because she went quiet. Maybe she shared my reasoning, but suddenly, she corked her head sideways and leaned into my shoulder as if she were leaning in for a kiss.
“Tomorrow, bring some peanut butter to school.” She whispered in my ear.
I frowned. “What are you going to do with that?”
She flashed me a smile and got up, “Bring it and you will know.” Before I could say anything she was on her way out of the cafeteria. She was giving me no room to ask questions and that wasn’t fair.
But I had no option but to obey Marie, she was my only friend and the only one who cared for me. After school that day, I took another route home, mostly to avoid my bullies but also to get to the corner store and get the peanut butter. Only God knows what Marie needs that for.
As I walked down the lonely paths and through the shrubs I was only thinking of grabbing the jar of peanut butter and heading for the house before dark but when I was returning home, I saw a black luxury car that I had never seen before though I went to a school for plutocrat children. It was parked at the side of the curb with about 4 gentlemen well-built and tall standing on the sidewalk all dressed in black tuxedos.
I could feel my stomach tie up in knots as I slowly walked past them thinking that they were waiting for an important personality but they all bowed before me when I got to where they were standing.
My chest got even tighter, who were these people and why were they bowing before me? I wondered as I tried to get away from them but they blocked my path.
“Alpha Jack, we’re so happy to find you. You must come with us immediately.” The one who blocked my path said.
I frowned but then I laughed when I thought of how funny that sounded.
“My name is Jack alright but I’m no alpha. You may have mistaken me for someone else.” I said with a chuckle but as I tried to walk away it became clear that these people wouldn’t let me go.
“I am no alpha. What is an alpha anyway? Is it like a title or something? Just get out my way please!” I said.
“It was so hard tracing you in the human world and now that we’ve found you we can’t let you go.” Another one of the men answered.
I began to retreat for fear of being kidnapped by these well-built men. I couldn’t fight them. I didn’t stand a chance. I was just a teenager with no knowledge of martial arts or karate or any self-defense techniques so I started to look around and scan my environment. At the slightest opening, I was going to take the opportunity and bolt.