The Inner Demons?

Chapter 1

Ayden sits on the school bus having the seat to himself as usual. He had very few friends and the ones he did have either lived too far away to ride the same bus or were homeschooled. The mid-spring day was another bright morning. The breeze kept the day along the cooler end but Ayden felt fine in just his long sleeve over shirt. His MP3 was playing a song he wasn't entirely paying attention to. His mind caught on the scenery as it passes the window, his imagination taking hold of what he saw. Dragons soaring in and out of the clouds high in the sky while a large white dog with red eyes and a long dangling tongue raced through the trees, dwarfing most of them. His size monstrous compared to Ayden making him want to look and see who else noticed the hound. A slight smile breaks Ayden's features at the thought, his mind focusing on the real world as the dragon and hound vanished, returning to his imagination where they had been created. The thought of being able to fly like a dragon or better yet become a dragon had always appealed to Ayden. Cartoons he had seen where heavily muscled men would be engulfed by an aura of energy, making their bodies grow larger and give them the ability to become stronger than anyone could hope. Shooting energy balls from their hands and flying around, getting into fights that were strong enough to shatter mountains and destroy planets.

Ayden had too many days where after watching an episode he'd go into the field beside his house and scream into the air like the fighters did, trying to raise his power level so that he too could be stronger. He knew if anyone saw him they'd think he was insane but he didn't care. Being strong enough to protect himself, protect anyone that needed it, that is what he wanted more than anything. If he could become stronger then he would never again have to replay that day in his nightmares. The day he lost his father was the day he lost everything. Blade had taken him in but only him, leaving his brothers by themselves. They still had their mother so at least they wouldn't be alone. Ayden knew they must hate him, knowing it was his fault their father was gone. If Ayden had been stronger or quicker he may have been able to think of a way to save his dad, protect him from those creatures. 

The bus came to a stop in front of the high school entrance. Ayden was 14 and had only been in high school for this first year, coming close to the end of freshmen year and already becoming the target for a few of the bullies. Most of them just shoved him or knock his books to the ground except for one kid. Andy was the only bully in school that had taken a shine to Ayden. The other bullies had a list of kids they would annoy or pick on but Andy had chosen Ayden to be his primary target. If Andy had pushed Ayden or knocked his books to the ground then Ayden would be fine with that, but Andy was a bit worse than that. He never touched Ayden, never laid a finger on him, but would find things that Ayden loved, that he treasured and take them. First, he found a picture of Ayden's father which he ripped up in front of Ayden after excessively taunting him about the fact that his dad was dead. Andy had also taken a locket that Ayden had gotten from his mother when he was about four and threw it into the goldfish pond that the school had made in their garden. As Ayden tried to find it Ayden had spashed him and called him names for crying.

Ayden stepped into the school when one of the bullies walked by and reached his foot out, causing Ayden to trip over it, collapsing to the floor. "Clumsy much? How about you watch where you're walking, moron." The kid turned around and jogged around a turn towards his locker. A hand came into Ayden's vision to help him up from the ground. Looking up he saw Kayson Willis, one of the only few friends that actually went to the school. Kayson stood about 5'7" with medium length, messy hair. Kayson used to be made fun of for the way he dressed, wearing cardigans from the woman's section due to the slimmer build of his frame. Kayson quickly learned to defend himself and after laying Nathan flat on his back he earned the respect of most of his classmates.

"Are you okay? I saw what Nathan did."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Not any different than a normal day." Ayden took Kayson's hand and pulled himself to his feet. They walked around the bend to get to class, the hallway already packed with bodies over kids rushing to class. They go into a line and squeezed through everyone, getting kicked in the shins and pushed around absentmindedly by the mass of people. Finally making it out on the other side Ayden saw Andy leaning against the locker directly next to his.