A dark-haired boy with brown eyes sat in the school courtyard. He adjusted his large uniform for the umpteenth time in a minute.
He held a half-eaten apple in his hand and chewed as he watched passing students and clouds in the sky.
Someone cleared their throat behind him and he turned to them. Ray stared at his classmates surrounding him and he smiled nervously.
He pitched the apple at the head of one of them and ran forward and out of the school.
'What did I do this time?!' He cursed himself and his luck under his breath as he pushed himself.
Ray jumped over a sign and landed in a field, rushing forward despite the clear 'No running.' sign placed by it.
He tripped on an oddly placed blade of grass and fell heavily against the ground. Before he could get his bearings, he heard the pounding of feet close to him. He looked up and saw himself surrounded.
His uniform was dirty and torn a little above the sleeve. He stood up slowly.
Ray smiled wryly, "Come on guys, we don't have to do this."
One of the others rushed forward, his movements almost a blur to Ray.
He covered the distance between them in mere moments.
Ray twisted his back and felt the wind fan his face as a fist scraped by his jaw.
His eyes flickered to the footing of the first one. Without hesitation, Ray shot a foot forward and tapped on his toes.
The boy tripped and fell, brushing against the grass.
Ray inhaled sharply and ran a shaky hand through his hair, "See guys? It actually isn't best that we continue. Who knows who might walk by?"
Sweat ran down Ray's face, 'Damn! I can't fight all six of them! I need to escape. Time to use my charm.'
Before he could speak, another one rushed forward, his movements strangely fluid and unobstructed.
Ray blocked his fists but before he could react, the boy twisted his leg unnaturally and his heel connected to Ray's jaw.
The force threw Ray's head back and he landed against the grass.
His jaw burned and he winced. It was definitely going to bruise.
'Shit!' Ray glared at them and gripped a handful of sand from the ground.
As the fluid boy stood over him, a proud smirk on his face, Ray scowled and threw the sand into his eyes.
"Argh!"
Without waiting to see the effect of his attack, he turned on his heel and took off. Cowards lived to see another day and that was all that mattered.
Ray ignored the shouts behind him and pushed forward despite his burning lungs and pulsing legs. With how much he ran, he should consider joining the track team.
A large body suddenly rammed into him, knocking the air out of his lungs and tossing him to the ground.
Ray skidded against the grass and tried to stand but was forced down by a weight. No doubt one of his assailants.
"Come on! What did I do?" He gritted his teeth and tried to move his head but couldn't.
A few chuckles left them, "You really want to pretend like it wasn't you that told the school that we skipped class?"
Ray blinked rapidly, 'How did they find out?!'
"Yes? I mean, no? Okay, there's no correct answer to that question."
"Wrong answer." The voice above him flared. The knee dug deeper.
"Hold his arm up."
Panic flared through Ray, 'No. No. No!!'
He forcefully twisted his neck to make eye contact with the person pinning him down. Marcus.
Marcus pinned Ray's hand into the grass. He was truly stuck.
'Marcus is the issue. If I can get him off me, I'm free.'
Ray looked at Marcus, "Wait!"
They stopped and stared at him like he was insane.
"If you do anything to me, who do you think the first suspects would be? Me, with the bruises and injuries? Or you guys with the personal vendetta?"
The fluid boy stepped forward into Ray's line of sight. His eyes were red and sand flakes were still crusted in his lashes.
"I don't care, you're gonna pay for my eyes."
Ray smiled weakly, "Oh well, I tried reasoning with you."
He closed his eyes and focused on his solar plexus where two small spheres were rotating around each other like twin suns.
One was a bright red and the other a deep blue.
His cores appeared stunning—like everyone else's yet he didn't have time to admire their subtle beauty.
The blue core pulsed twice, like a heartbeat, and released a surge of ice-cold energy.
A chill ran down Ray's spine as the energy flowed through his body. It wasn't much but it would be enough for his plan.
His muscles and bones eased as Ray twisted his arms unnaturally sliding them out of their joints like an elastic material.
'Two can play at this game.'
He quickly placed his arms against the ground and pushed himself forward.
His body slid out uninhibited and Marcus tried to grab him but it was too late. He was already sprinting again.
"Fucking coward!" A voice yelled out from behind him but he didn't bother turning around.
'Says the people who required six people to handle me.' Despite having escaped the field, Ray didn't stop running.
He navigated the roads until he came upon an empty road. His steps slowed and he leaned forward, gasping.
"I'm surprised it hasn't hit me—" Then it did.
The red core pulsed- once, twice-sending a wave of red-hot energy through him. Ray's skin turned red as his body temperature spiked.
The ice-cold energy flowed to meet it and a world of pain met him.
His muscles spasmed under his skin and he fell to his knees. Ray chewed on the inside of his cheek until he could taste metal, "Argh!"
He fell and turned around, losing track of time. After what felt like hours to him, the pain finally eased off yet Ray didn't stand.
The sun had been high in the sky before their chase but now, he stared at it setting and basked in the cool, evening air.
A shiver ran down his back as the breeze hit his sweat-licked skin.
"It feels like it's getting worse." He groaned as he stood. His eyes landed on the tear above his sleeve, "You have got to be kidding me!"
"I can't keep doing this." He muttered as he headed home.