Power

The students were starting to leave after the fight ended. It fight has become a new trend among the students in martial arts class. The student had jumped from number 52 to number 4. It was probably the greatest leap ever by a student.

Lewis got off the floor after some time. He dusts off his cloth like nothing happened and left the hall silently. He was no longer in pain, it looks like so.

The boy was still standing in the same spot when everyone left. He didn't do any celebration whatsoever when he won the fight and he just stood there still looking as feeble as when he was walking up to the stage.

After a while, Master Leao went to do his own thing and almost all the students had left the hall then. The boy finally left the hall.

I told Jane to go ahead and not wait for me. She protested that she wanted to follow me but the boy might not be comfortable if we meet him together so I asked her to stay behind.

Something looks to be troubling the boy. The fight didn't seem to have settled whatever thing it is that he has with Lewis. He was scared that he might not win the fight and at the same time scared that he didn't lose. That's my thought though.

I saw him running towards the library when I got outside the hall. I followed closely behind him. I didn't want him to know that I was following him, so I followed him and hid behind students whenever he gets suspicious.

I could have walked up to him and asked him how things are with him or why Lewis had proposed a spar between the both of them, but I want to know where he's going right now. Perhaps, I could get my answers that way.

After following him for some time, it was as I expected. He entered the library. I entered the library soon after and saw him sitting at the very end of the room. The deserted part of the library. He quickly buried his head in the library table.

I entered the library and walk toward him. There were very few students in the library now as the day is already over and most students will probably be in their dorms now or trying to rest after the day's activities.

"Are you here also here to challenge me to a spar?" the boy questioned.

"No...no I'm not," I stuttered, quite surprised that he found me out.

The boy didn't say anything thereafter. He simply raised his head, asked me that question, quite aggressively, then placed his head back down.

"My name is Mase. Hope you won't mind if I know yours?" I asked him as I brought out a chair and sat opposite him.

"My name is Alex," he said.

"Nice to meet you Alex" I stretched forth my hand expecting a shake from Alex.

"I never said I wanted to be friends," he said keeping his hand to himself.

My hand was left hanging in the air and I had to withdraw it to avoid embarrassment.

"I know you are strong and that must be why the teacher asked you to officiate the fight," Alex said. "But I'll like to advise you that being friends with me will bring you nothing but trouble. So it will be better if you just leave now. For you and me," he said and placed his head back on the table.

"Please tell me, what issue do you and Lewis have and why did you fight him in the first place," I asked the boy.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to answer your question. I already asked you to leave, haven't I?" he said coldly.

I have always struggled with this kind of person. When someone pushes me away like this, I most times lose the motivation to continue the conversation. I'm not the best at those types of stuff and I seriously wish I brought Jane along. I have to keep this going though.

"Just tell me one thing and I'll leave. I probably have a solution to your problem" I said in an attempt to prompt Alex to speak.

"What is it that you want to ask? Ask and go" he said. I sighed to calm myself as he was beginning to annoy me.

"What is the problem between you and Lewis and why did he challenge you to that spar? It wasn't ordinary, was it?" I asked.

"Lewis and his friends always come to me to ask for foodstuffs, quite politely at first. As time goes on though, it began to occur regularly and they started to collect my foodstuffs with force. Whenever I refuse and try to put up a fight, they'll beat me till I can stand no more."

The conversation went on for longer than we initially intended. That Alex initially intended.

Alex told me that Lewis claimed he was sent by the seniors and that if he says anything to anyone about them collecting his foodstuffs, they will chop off his fingers.

After some time, Alex said, they began to collect his money too and he was left with nothing and made to starve or send a message home for money.

He said when that wasn't enough, they began to toy with him. They would send him on errands non-stop and make him do insane things. They said he must not have a friend, if he does, they'll report to the seniors who will make his and his friend's life hell.

"When my foodstuffs finished yesterday for the fourth time this term" Alex mentioned "I decided to meet Lewis and beg him to give me back some of my foodstuffs. He said that I should fight him in a duel and if I win, he'll return my foodstuffs to me."

"You've never fought anyone in the martial arts class before, right?" I asked and he nodded in response.

"That's why you've remained at the bottom. But do you know how to fight before?" I asked Alex.

"I have answered enough of your questions and I can't trust you yet," he said, "but I'll tell you. It won't cause more damage than it already caused afterall".

Alex looked around the library checking if anyone is listening to our talk. He checked around for up to a minute to make sure no one was spying on us before resuming his talk.

"I...I have a power" he said.

I tried to hide the shock on my face but couldn't. My mouth was left wide open and my eyes tried to shoot out of their sockets.

"Power?" I asked after a while.

"Yes. I have a power," he said. "I can see a few minutes into the future."