Time skip (alexei, matthias, and vancethey r 16 now. jiara is 15)
"Behind you, Alexei!" Vance shouts. I look behind me to see a man twice my size, about to bring his fist down on my head. I dodge and kick him, knocking the wind out of him and then sending him to the floor. By the look of surprise on his face, I don't think he was prepared for how strong I've gotten. Thanks to Mr. Sergei, I've gained so much strength that I have to train myself to not accidentally hurt someone. It doesn't show very much, though. I'm still really skinny looking. Holding the man down on the pavement, I put a foot on his chest. He struggles but eventually gives up, knowing that Matthias and Vance will prevent him from escaping. "What should I do with him, guys?" I ask my friends. "Let him go, I think," Matthias offers. I nod, taking my foot off his chest and letting him stand up. "Consider this a warning. If this happens again, you won't be so lucky, punk," I spit out the words.
"Consider this a warning! That was awesome, Alexei!" Vance laughs. "Really, I'm so glad we met you," Matthias says, smiling. I grin. "Thanks. I gotta head home. Mr. Sergei needs me back there to help him with something. I hope it's not…y'know…" I say. "Yeah, okay. See you around, guys." I start walking back to Mr. Sergei's house.
"Mr. Sergei! I'm home!" The house is quiet. I find him outside talking with two, scary-looking men. I recognize them as members of another gang. He seems to be in a difficult situation and I don't want to make it worse by stepping in. I watch from behind the house. The men seem to be arguing with Mr. Sergei because I can hear shouts. He's pushed to the ground. Then one of the men pulls out a gun. I freeze, realizing what's going on. I run inside and grab my rifle. By the time I'm outside, it's too late. Like my parents, Mr. Sergei lies on the ground, a hole in his head. NO! I think, angry that I allowed this to happen. Angry that I allowed this to happen after what I promised all those years ago. I notice the men getting into a car, silently cursing them as they drive away. I'm not going to sit quietly and let this happen this time. Thanks to Mr. Sergei, I now have many ways to make them pay. I'm just gonna need the help of Matthias and Vance. Together we can exact the perfect revenge. I run to go find them. Man, this is gonna be great.