Our story begins on a farm. In the town of Frankfield, the morning was pitch-black with nearly freezing temperatures. Below, the ground still had signs of the deluge which unfolded the previous night with the water-filled mud puddles left behind. 

It was a treat for the tiny critters awake in their numbers, the bane of those who longed for sound sleep as they chirped without a moment's rest.

This farm was a considerable property. On it was a three-bedroom house and twenty acres of fertile land. A young man was plowing through the ground. He is known as Jamie Sinclair. He had a dark complexion, was 6ft in height, and had short trimmed dark hair. The farm belonged to him and his younger brother Shaun who was fifteen years old.

Jamie was thrust into adulthood early after the tragic death of his parents when Shaun was only eight. He'd matured overnight to fill the void in Shaun's life. Like most siblings, the two had contrasting personalities. Shaun was rebellious, always wanting a life far from the farm. He loved playing soccer for his high school team, but his dreams were grander. He had one goal, to become an Alpha Hero. The most elite of professions.

As for Jamie, like his parents before him, farming was in his blood; this life suited him quite fine. He liked the simpler things, and farming was a pleasure. Though the ground was muddy and the morning cold, he didn't mind and persisted in the plow.

Bzzzz! Bzzz! - He became distracted seeing a tiny ruckus unfold. A yellow and black hummingbird sought to steal some honey from a hive that wasn't too thrilled with its arrogance. Though it had the speed, they had the numbers and were willing to die to protect what was theirs. He chuckled but seeing neither party willing to give in, he uttered, "Spek, behave and let them be."

Hearing his command, the hummingbird instantly halted as it appeared on Jamie's shoulder. It seemed less than thrilled with his tone, looking away dismissively.

"You're mad, huh? Guess someone doesn't want the berries I picked for them," He teased, instantly drawing the attention of Spek, who pecked on his shoulder in demand of these supposed treats. It then buzzed around gleefully, seeing a blue bundle of berries within Jamie's hand. Though a proud creature, it allowed him to scratch its tiny head while it indulged.

Plop! - Jamie clumsily fell on some grass nearby. He wiped the sweat from his forehead while looking at the sun rising on the horizon. Meanwhile, Spek darted on and off his shoulder.

"Aren't you missing home, little fellow? Or will you eat all the berries that are on offer?" He questioned Spek, who gobbled up the berries with even more enthusiasm. It didn't take long for Jamie to once more start plowing away. Before he knew it, he had completed another two acres as sweat soaked through his farm clothing.

Jamie turned towards the old farmhouse as the groaning of the old worn-out front porch door was opened. "Yawn!" – A youth walked out with his arm outstretched, yawning. He was a little shorter than Jamie with a lighter complexion, but the resemblance was uncanny. 

Shaun rubbed his eyes, but he woke up instantly when he saw the look on his brother's face. Jamie's face showed calm, but he knew his brother was pissed. Today, he promised to help plow a few acres so that the new crops could be sowed.

"Before you get angry, hear me out," He hurried to speak, "So I woke up at like three in the morning, right? The rain was pouring like mad. I had a bit of a sniffle and a fever of about..," He scratched his chin as though trying to remember, "I don't recall, but it was high, I was burning up, man," A pitiful look showed on his face as he uttered the following words, "You know I am sickly big bro," —Cough! Cough!

He always knew how to draw sympathy from Jamie, but Jamie didn't look up; instead, he pampered Spek, still enjoying his berries.

"Poor thing, yeah, you are sickly. We should have a thermometer. It's on the table, go and fetch it for me," Jamie casually uttered as Shaun cursed in his mind, but then a smirk appeared. 

"No problem, bro, you know I would never lie about such things," He scampered off for the thermometer. 

Once Shaun got inside the small house, he saw the white digital thermometer on the table, just as Jamie had said. Also, the kettle with boiling water was on the table, which he had just taken off the fire before exiting the house.

Shaun placed the thermometer's tip within the boiling water and watched as the temperature spiked before hurriedly taking it out.

Hehe! – The teen laughed like an evil villain whose plans were coming to fruition. With the thermometer in his mouth, he went back outside. Surprisingly It was not Jamie who looked at the instrument but Spek. 

It then chirped in Jamie's ear, who chuckled, "185 Degrees, I am surprised you haven't combusted, Shaun; you wouldn't be trying to pull one over on your big bro, would you?"

"Never, the bird simply read it wrong," Shaun looked hatefully at Spek, who was always by his brother's side. He and the bird never got along. Spek seemingly took Shaun's words as though they were fighting ones as it chirped away angrily, "Why would Spek do that?" replied Jamie.

Ever heard the phrase, 'bird brain'? 'I don't know; maybe it's because it's a bird! It's not said because they're high on the intellectual spectrum, is it?" Uttered Shaun as he poked his tongue out at the hummingbird who was going ballistic.

Sigh!—"See, now I can't help you. Spek, will you please administer his punishment," Spek didn't even wait for Jamie to finish his words before charging angrily at Shaun, who started to cry for bloody murder. He was incessantly pecked while Jamie whistled, ignoring his pleas for help. Minutes later, he asked, "Tell me, what time tomorrow?"

"3:30 am sharp!" Yelled Shaun as Spek finally stopped. It had a proud look while flying to Jamie's shoulder.

Frankfield was a lovely, quiet town. It had a moderate population of approximately two thousand people. Its main livelihood was farming after mining ended about twenty years ago. In the centre of the town, Shaun rode his bike with a list in his hand. There were red spots all over his body after Spek's attack.

"Damn flying rat!" Still disgruntled, Shaun cursed aloud, "I should call Children's Protective Services on him." He smiled, thinking of the reprimanding his brother would receive, but then he processed the beating after that.

'Not my brightest idea,' He then took a small list from his pocket. He scoured the list, and there were only about ten items. He saw chicken and wished it would have been fried bird- The humming variety. The items could be picked up from the small grocery store right in the centre of the town. It was owned by the richest man around, Paul Reiss, who also happened to be the Mayor. 

It was Shaun's least favoured trip because of the Mayor's obnoxious son, Nick. Who always found the need to brag about his wealth and Shaun's lack of said wealth.

But he had to go; the last thing he wanted was to further piss Jamie off by not getting the groceries he requested. Shaun chained up his bike next to the store before entering and browsing through the aisles.

"Hey, Sinclair, might want to browse the milk cartons," Greeted one of the shoppers. A burly man in his late thirties with a thick beard, "And why would I do that?"

"Saw your face on one of the boxes because you always go missing in matches," the man laughed.

"You're a real funny guy, Burt," Shaun chuckled while walking over to the man. 

Hmmm!—" You know, I am happy to see you. I've been meaning to have a chat. So, want to know something even funnier?"

"Bring it, Kid!" Burt jeered. "Two weeks ago, Miss Patterson had ten pigs in her barn. A week after, two were missing. coincidently three days passed, and you had a barbeque; what was on the menu, I wonder?" As Shaun spoke, the smile slowly faded from Burt's face.

He retorted, "So what? Mr Hall also had a barbeque the following day?"

"True; however, I don't have pictures of Mr Hall sneaking into the barn, do I?" Shaun smirked as he stared coldly into Burt's eyes.

"You're bluffing?!" Burt panicked but tried to keep his voice down.

"Burt, Burt, Burt, I never bluff; I win. Now we wouldn't want those pictures to fall into the hands of the Sheriff, right. I might even place them on the net; what would that do to that little reputation of yours. A pig thief? I don't think that bodes well for a man in your position. We are a farming community, after all."

Seeing the constant sweating on Burt's face, Shaun knew just the right words to say next. "You're in a few associations, if I am not mistaken. Might even put in a challenge for Mayor one day. What a pity".

"Fine, keep your voice down; you win!" Burt reluctantly pleaded.

A smirk grew on Shaun's face when hearing the response, "Good, I'll be in touch, say hi to the wife for me."

"You're an evil kid," Burt uttered while looking at the smiling Shaun, who retorted, "Don't be ridiculous, Burt, Haven't you heard? I'm going to be an Alpha Hero someday. The likes of which the world has never seen before."

Shaun then walked away with his declaration, leaving a seething Burt alone with his thoughts.

"Asshole!"