Force

My chief once laughed when I said we would never fall. 'Never say never,' he told me yet I was blind, and my people turned to ash. The storm took me, and darkness swallowed everything. Never say janmé."

Fifty years later, that warning drifts like an echo through Port of Spain's Pumarack Secondary.

On the first day of term, white-haired transfer student Zadian Zadarak strolls in late, claims the window seat, and dozes off. His "couldn't-care-less" vibe irritates top student Xeen Griffen, amuses bullies Loza & Poza, and confounds history teacher Mr. Lynchi until a spitball prank backfires and Zadian is forced to answer a rapid-fire quiz on the ancient Zira Clan. He aces every question without blinking.

Lunch only adds fuel: campus star Chippy Thomson returns from the Global Combat Arts Grand Prix, Loza tries (and fails) to impress Xeen, and a single tossed pebble turns into an after-school fight announcement that rockets across social media.

Everyone thinks Zadian is just lazy. They have no idea what's about to wake up.