"It's all right!" Alex said. "Go outside and wait for me."
Heidi ran out, and Alex dashed to the corridor, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and helped the firefighters to contain the blaze.
The fire hadn't spread to other parts of the school, and within twenty minutes, it had been completely extinguished.
Alex walked over to examine the two assassins, wondering who they had been. He had been surprised by their skills, but they still hadn't been a match for him.
Heidi was waiting for him just outside the room, so Alex went out to check on her.
Heidi had seen the two bodies, and she was trembling so hard that Alex had to pick her up and carry her downstairs.
When he stepped outside, a group of students swarmed him, peppering him with questions.
No students or teachers had been killed, thanks to Alex's quick actions. Recognizing his bravery, the principal, teachers, and students burst into applause.
Billy stared at Alex, unable to understand why he wasn't dead. How could he have survived?
"Mr. Wilde, aren't you ashamed of yourself?" a girl asked. "You would have let Heidi die."
The principal snorted. He had heard Billy's remarks during the fire and was extremely disappointed in him.
Billy realized he had fallen out of favour and had lost everyone's respect. All but a handful of the crowd looked at him in disgust.
"I wouldn't…" Billy began to speak and then trailed off, flushing with humiliation. Unable to face anyone, he turned around and scurried away.
Alex took Heidi to his apartment, knowing that the dormitory wasn't fit to sleep in. It was getting late, and he wanted to get Heidi inside where she would be safe, but he knew other girls needed somewhere to sleep, and he racked his brain, trying to find a solution.
**
"Ms. Turner, please don't meddle in this matter," a man said. "The agency will be taking over from now on."
"You can't do that!" Celia protested. "We had a plan. Is there a problem with Mr. Ambrose? I'm sure we can sort it out."
"The decision has been made," the man said, refusing to argue.
"No one can protect Dr. Reels' daughter better than Mr. Ambrose," Ethan said. "His martial arts skills are extraordinary."
"He's not better than us," the man said. "Alex is just a teacher who knows martial arts. He doesn't have our discipline or our strict training. He's an amateur, and that's just too risky. We're taking over today, so tell Alex he can leave."
**
The news that Alex was leaving spread throughout the school, and soon everyone except Class 6 knew about it.
"Mr. Ambrose didn't even say anything!" Eric said, regaling the class with the tale of Alex barging into the club to save the girls from Devon. "He came in, ripping the door off its hinges. And you should have seen that door. It was a fire door, so it was seriously sturdy! And then he knocked that guy right onto the dance floor like it was nothing!"
Everyone in the class listened intently until the bell rang, and the students took their seats, waiting for the class to begin.
After everything that had happened, no one would disrespect Mr Ambrose by misbehaving.
The substitute teacher sighed when he walked into the classroom. Mr Ambrose had become a legend for his ability to manage Class 6, and the substitute knew he wouldn't perform half as well.
When Celia and Ethan had gone to the school to explain to Alex that the agency would be taking over Heidi's protection, they had apologized profusely. Alex had frowned, saying, "It's not easy to protect her. This isn't a good idea."
Celia and Ethan agreed, but there was nothing they could do. They had to obey orders.
Alex understood, so he didn't bother arguing. He simply packed his bags and left the school without even saying goodbye to anyone.
Billy had heard the news, and he was waiting at the school gates with Leonard.
"It's such a shame," Leonard said. "We're the only ones who came to see you off."
"Don't worry. I'm the head teacher for Class 6 now," Billy said, grinning at Alex. "I'll take care of them for you."
Alex didn't respond. Now that he was leaving the school, he couldn't care less about Billy and Leonard. He was worried that Heidi was still in danger, but he couldn't do anything to help.
Billy scowled as he watched Alex leave, angry that Alex hadn't even acknowledged him. Even worse, Alex had only been here for a week, and in that time, Billy's reputation had been shredded.
"It doesn't matter how good you were," Billy muttered. "You're gone now." He breathed a sigh of relief.
He couldn't wait to tell Class 6 that he was their new head teacher, assuming that they would treat him with the same respect they had given Alex.
He strode confidently into Class 6, noting that they were sitting quietly, not causing any trouble.
Eric was surprised to see Billy and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm your new head teacher," Billy announced, looking around at them.
The students stared at him, not reacting for a moment, and then they began to talk, asking what had happened to Mr Ambrose.
"Don't be silly," Heidi said, standing up. "That's not funny."
Billy frowned at her. "I'm not joking," he said. "Mr. Ambrose has been fired for violating the school rules, and I'll be taking his place. I expect you all to be on your best behavior from now on."
"Fired?" Eric asked, getting to his feet.
Dylan, Felicity, and Lance also stood up.
"Why?" Felicity asked. "What happened?"
"Sit down!" Billy said. "I didn't tell you to stand, so do as you're told."
"We asked you a question," Lance said, frowning at him.
The students were all staring at him, their expressions hostile, and Billy grew a little flustered.
"I'm your head teacher now, so do what I tell you," Billy said. "Mr. Ambrose will not be returning to this school, so you need to get used to that."
Another student stood up. "You'll never be our head teacher," he said. "Why was Mr. Ambrose fired?"