Rebels at Heart Series: Book 2 - Courage to Change

Chapter 1 Part 4: Spike's POV

I suddenly halt as I realize I'm on the edge of the four story building. With my vision going hazy, I know I have to make a choice.

I glance behind me, searching for the figures of the gangsters pursuing me but I can't see anything. Everything is blurry around me.

Fighting the strange dizziness which has become part of me, I make my choice. I don't have much time, and if I don't go now they'll definitely catch me.

I suddenly gasp, and take a deep breath. Then I run blindly toward the edge, my heart burning with determination. I can do this, we have to do this or it could be a lot worse. Whatever happens, I cannot fall off.

Suddenly time stops, my heart beats wildly as I hover above the dark alley beneath me, a groping darkness that seems to be waiting to consume me. I fight the urge to look down, and continue the massive jump.

But just as I'm mid-air a sharp stabbing pain heightens in my right shoulder, and in pain I miss my landing. I was soo close.

As I grasp the wall of the roof, my shoulder going limp, I struggle to climb over as the rest of my body is hovering over the alley. I have to keep going! My hand slips and with a cry, I fall into the darkness, the words of the man above me echoing in my head.

"Ha, I gotcha now." The three gangsters make their way down, and very soon are by my side. "Where do you think you were going, huh?" The man pulls the knife from my shoulder and I scream in pain. I wriggle to get loose from him but he's holding me down on my stomach, his knee on my back. The other two men quickly tie my wrists with rope as well as my feet as I'm known to kick and defend myself in any way possible.

"Good to see you too, Dad." I mumble to myself, and he scoffs as he picks me up over his shoulders and drags me back to the pole in the middle of the gang.

That's been my life for the last half year. I have no idea why they decided I was the cause of this problem, even though according to the tattoo on my shoulder that they chose for me, I'm the one who is supposed to save them from the problem. I never was born the problem. But I'm trapped, there's no escape, and now with me running away and being caught again, I'm going to get it good this time.

I have to live, no matter what because if Clayton is out there, I will find him. He's the only true friend I have and I lost him nine years ago when all these problems originally started.

The entire gang comes to watch as my father drags me inside. I'm still fighting him, and wriggling to be free and at last he throws me down to the floor and beats me until I stop fighting him.

This is where all the criminals are brought when they get punished, and though I'm not entirely at fault, this gang is corrupt. But that's just my opinion, not like it matters now but someday it will. I'll make sure of that.

But as long as I am here, I'll be treated like this. None of them want to believe that I am the 'Machete of Strength'. I'll have to prove that to them, but until then this will be my life. And I need to get out of here now, or their beatings will eventually kill me.

I guess they're afraid of me, because I'm supposedly the most powerful in the gang. Maybe that's why they chose me as their target; so they can control me before I overthrow them. But they're only making me stronger, and bringing the fire on hotter than ever.

In their eyes I'm not worthy to have such an honor as 'Machete of Strength' so for now they call me 'The Curse' which isn't even an actual tattoo. They just had to find something else when they removed my original one at the split of our gang.

We now belong to the Viperis Gang, or 'The Vipers' and my best friend and truest one was left in the Serpentez gang or 'The Snakes'. This life sucks! It takes a big toll on me and I still have so many questions about why they chose to do this to me. Was it really because of my depth perception issues?