Rain
It was the middle of summer, and it was raining. And not just rain. This was a downpour, the raindrops bouncing off the streets and the cars as if trying to get back to the sky. A boy left his home in Chelsea and walked down the street. His name was Alex Rider. Stupid weather, he thought. It had been like this for a few days now, and frankly, he was fed up of it. His long trudge to his school – Brooklands – could never have been more boring, and Alex simply wanted to get to school, indoors, in cover from the rain. He had enjoyed school recently, unlike most of his classmates. But what they didn't know was that Alex had had quite a strange time recently. He had been blackmailed by MI6 Special Operations to work for them twice, and they had used him many times afterwards. But after his last assignment, he had been injured, and he had been promised by the deputy at MI6 – Mrs Jones – that they weren't going to use him again. He felt good, living a normal life. Going to school, talking to friends – the few he had left anyway – and mainly not being in danger of death every five minutes. And Alex felt he was finally starting to get back into things. Business as usual.
And then one of the cars exploded. Instinctively, Alex threw himself to the floor. It was just as well that he had, because a second later, a large chunk of shrapnel spiralled over Alex's head, and he knew if he hadn't have moved, it would now be lodged in his back. Brilliant orange flames curled up from the remains of the car, and threatened another explosion. Alex lay curled on the pavement, until he was sure the fire had gone out. He stood up, and inspected the damage. A few windows of nearby houses were smashed, and there were dying embers where people's shrubbery had been set alight. It was a miracle that the fire hadn't spread, although the rain must have helped, Alex thought. He had no doubt that the police were already on their way, but just to be sure, he dialled 999. About ten minutes later, the whole area had been cornered off with blue and white tape, and if you looked closely, you could have noticed the boy being driven away in a black Land Rover, with a stern, blank faced man at the wheel.