Born of Fire: The Dawn of Legend Read Online Free

at lunch, please.”
    Allison sat in front in the row off to the left of Rex. Rex thought she was beautiful and always found himself staring at her. Occasionally, she would turn her head, and he would quickly turn his so she would not catch him looking into her big blue eyes. As strange as it sounded even to him, Rex found himself almost hypnotized by her scent, which smelled of something he could not quite put his finger on. But it was there, drawing him in even though he dared not get too close. She was a good student, making good grades, but every now and then she would show up late to class acting strangely. Normally, she would have a note from her father, but she had been coming in late at least three times a week now, and she never seemed to have an excuse.
    As usual, Rex lost himself in his favorite class pastime, drooling over the pretty blonde. However, this time he noticed something that put him on edge. She turned her head slightly to the right, causing her hair to shift and expose the back of her neck. That is when Rex saw it, a bruise. He had come home with plenty of them from all the fights he used to get in, so he knew one when he saw one. He wondered where it came from.
Who would hit Allison?
he thought to himself. She was so nice to everyone, even him.
Come to think of it, she’s the only one nice to me
. She moved her head again, and her hair covered the bruise back up.
    Class dragged on for what seemed like forever, when finally the lunch bell rang and everyone headed to the cafeteria. Rex, remembering what his father had said, took a deep breath and headed to the cafeteria after everyone else had left, everyone except Allison, who walked up to Mrs. Bolster’s desk with her head down. Rex walked outside the door but stood just out of sight and listened in.
    “Sit down, Allison,” he heard his teacher say. “You’ve been coming in late more and more lately.”
    “I’m sorry, Mrs. Bolster,” Allison said in a soft, frail voice. “I promise to try to get here on time from now on.”
    “Allison,” Mrs. Bolster paused before continuing, choosing her words carefully. “Is…everything okay at home?” Rex leaned against the wall harder, as if it would allow him to see through it. Allison remained silent. “It’s okay, you can talk to me.”
    Allison finally spoke up in a shaky voice, “My…dad—”
    “Rex,” came a voice from behind him.
    He turned to see Vice Principal Goran standing halfway down the hall, looking at him with his hands on his hips. He motioned for Rex to come over, who groaned and complied despite his legs telling him to move in the opposite direction. Goran was a tall, lanky man with a bald spot and a dark mustache. He was notorious among the students for being mean, condescending, and never making an effort to hide the fact that he hated young people.
    “Is there a reason why you’re just standing out here in the hall like this?” he asked in his usual demeaning tone.
    “No,” replied Rex, trying to hold back his disdain for the man. “I was just heading to the cafeteria.”
    “Really? Because it looked to me like you were eavesdropping on your teacher.” Rex felt cornered, and when that happened, he became angry. “Maybe you and I better go talk about it in my office,” said Goran in an elevated tone that got under Rex’s skin. He felt like his blood was boiling. Normally, he only felt like this when the others his own age started trouble with him, but with them, he could just yell or throw a punch. Then again, perhaps he did not need to lift a finger, just allow his reputation to get him out of a potentially unpleasant situation.
    Meeting the older man’s gaze, Rex smiled as he furrowed his brow slightly. “You know, now that you mention it, there are some issues I’ve been feeling the need to discuss. Why don’t we go to your office? You know, someplace small and confined, with a locked door so no one can just barge in on us.” He leaned in close enough