AN
Okay first off, thank you for all the reviews it was a bit of a culture shock though (12 periods in a day! We only have five, each one 55 minutes long) Also one person was saying that Alex should go to a private school because Brooklands was private. Here's the thing, the very first copies of the Alex Rider series, the English Edition, Brooklands is a Co-Ed public school with Mr Bray as the principal, English public schools have uniforms, also it says in Stormbreaker that even though Alex could've easily gotten into a private school, Ian thought that a public one would've been more of a challenge for Alex. So while the American publishers were putting things into American lingo, they made Brooklands an all boys private school. We found this out when we pre-ordered Scorpia Rising and got it as hard cover American edition, and everything that we knew about Brooklands had changed. Another thing, Sabina goes to a public school, it says as much in Scorpia Rising, and due to Alex's mental state at the end of the series, I don't think they would chuck him into a private school where he knows no-one, they would send him to the same school as Sabina. Okay also I'm sorry but there won't be any K-unit, in this story, because an English SAS unit wouldn't be in America.
Anyways sorry for the long introduction and you know the drill, we don't own anything because Anthony is too stubborn, ah well never mind try again next chapter.

Chapter One
Red sky in morning...

Alex by any definition was not a morning person. He loathed them. Also it didn't help that this morning he woke up suffocating. He opened his eyes to see a great big lump of chocolate brown fur that Sabina referred to as a dog sitting on his chest gnawing at its leg.

"Get off me, Brax" Alex mumbled while trying not to inhale any fur.
When the dog just decided to stare at him, Alex shoved him, not gently, onto the floor. Brax nearly face planted the carpet, but he didn't seem fazed, he just sat up and looked up at Alex with his tongue out, tail wagging.
Alex swung his legs off the bed, and ran his fingers through his hair, he sighed.

"Come on you stupid mutt, let's go get you some breakfast"

"He's already been fed, he's just being greedy" Alex looked up. Sabina was leaning on the bedroom doorframe, already dressed for school, blue eyes sparking with amusement.
This was her last year of high school; she was already looking for universities. She wanted to be a fashion designer, and had even looked at possible campuses overseas.
Alex didn't want her to leave though, even though Alex had lived with her family for almost two years now, he wouldn't feel comfortable living with her parents without her around.
" Alex it's twenty past seven, you really need to get out of bed"

" Umphh" Alex rubbed the back of his neck, and looked back up at her. "Do I have to?"
She just laughed, and rolled her eyes at him.

"We have this conversation every Friday, Alex, get out of bed, and get ready for school. You know, I take back everything I said when I was younger about wanting a sibling, because you're just a royal pain in the ass"

Alex grinned at her.
"You know you love me".

Sabina just laughed, and walked away, with a Labrador trailing behind her.

It only took Alex five minutes to get showered, and start getting dressed. He looked at his torso in the floor length mirror in his room. There was a museum of scars marring his chest, each one telling its own story.
One long scar over his heart. Liverpool Street.
Another along his stomach. Bullring, South of France.
Choppy ones around his hips. Canoeing towards Bora Falls, unknown island off the coast of Australia.
Burn marks over his shoulders, and the back of his neck. Small airfield, Kenya.
His bangs covered the scars on his head from the car crusher, and the collision with the train in the French Alps. There was also a small straight scar along his neck from a close call of a sniper, looking at it reminded him of Yassen. He had a similar scar along his neck. One exception though, Yassen's shooter, Alex's Dad, pulled the trigger to save his life, not to take it.
Then looking in the mirror again, Alex focused on his eyes. Brown, closed off, and jaded. Cairo.
Alex leaned on the mirror, eyes squished shut, trying to stop the flood of memories. Jack's look of hope, thinking she had an escape plan. The jeep bursting into hot, red flames. Alex's doppelganger bleeding from a bullet in the head, killed by Alex's own hand. These scars were only noticeable to those who looked closely, unlike the others, these weren't able to be seen if the owner of them didn't want them to be, but they were still there.
Alex opened his eyes, pulled on a shirt, hiding the markings on his body. He looked at his right wrist. A few months ago, out of pure anger, and rebellion, he decided to get a tattoo.
It was the Scorpia symbol, about five inches long, two wide, in line with his pinkie finger.
Underneath it was the words, Veni, Vedi, Vixi, Vici, it was an extended version of the actual saying. This one meaning; I came, I saw, I lived, I conquered. He thought the saying was fitting with the situation, but he was not prepared for the Pleasure's reaction to it.
They were furious with him, they grounded him for a month, and he must keep it covered at all times, because the symbol was such a controversial one. Sabina even bought him a bandanna to cover it with.
He was doing this now. Wrapping the material around his wrist, making sure nothing showed, and then weaving his wooden beaded necklace in with it, given to him by Ian when he was thirteen.

Alex walked towards the window, stopping to stroke the picture frame sitting on his bedside table that contained him and Jack, and threw open the curtains.
The sight startled him. The sunrise had turned the sky into a brilliant red. What was that saying that Jack always told him? Red sky at night, Sheppard's delight, Red sky in morning, Sheppard's warning. This mixed with the amount of flashbacks this morning, Alex really hoped that the world wasn't trying to tell him something. Alex just shook his head, walked out of his room, and went downstairs.

Walking into the kitchen, Alex saw Liz Pleasure standing over the stove top, flipping pancakes.

"Morning Liz"
Said woman jumped like she had just been stung. She turned and saw Alex sitting down on one of the stools around the kitchen island. She took a deep breath, and smiled at him.

"Morning to you too, and I really wish you wouldn't do that, no-one can hear you when you walk so quietly"

"Sorry"

"No you're not, look at you, grinning, you probably thought that it was funny", she turned back towards the stove, and looked into the pan.

"You made me burn it Alex!"
While she was putting the burnt pancake in the dog bowl, Alex reached over, grabbed three pancakes from the serving plate, and drizzled maple syrup over them.

"Put that on a plate"
Alex looked up at her. She wasn't even facing him.

"How'd you know?"
She turned towards him, smiled, and tapped the side of her nose. That small action reminded Alex of Smithers, MI6's gadget man. Another omen?
The thought was interrupted by Sabina coming into the kitchen, and kissing his cheek.

" Well my ride is here, I'll see you at school Alex"

"Mhmm, see you later"
She turned to leave, stopping at the front door.

"You don't need a lift to school do you?, your friends aren't the most punctual people on earth"
Alex looked at the kitchen clock, Five to Eight.

"Nah, I've still got time"
Sabina nodded, grabbed her house keys, and left, the door slamming shut behind her.

Alex knew his friends had arrived when he heard the sound of a car horn being abused, and a loud female voice yelling out,

"Oi Wagon Wheel, get your British butt out here, we're gonna be late!"
Alex scoffed. Like that was his fault.

"I'll see you after school Liz "
He walked out the door, picking up his bag and keys, and headed to the waiting car.

It was occupied by three people, two girls and a guy. The guy, who was driving, was named Oscar. He was just borderline six foot, curly brown hair, hazel eyes, and currently had a very bored expression on his face. His fraternal twin sister sat next to him. She was the one who yelled out at him. Like her brother, she had curly brown hair, which was in a sloppy ponytail, and hazel eyes. Her name was Alexandria, but she preferred to be called Andi. They were a few months older than him, only just seventeen, they're also really close. Their mum left when they were three, their father raising them on his own. They both worked as mechanics at his shop, even convinced him to hire Alex, and teach him on the job, which Alex was very thankful for. Both of them are very loud, and had no filter between their mind and their mouth, never sugar coated anything which got them in trouble a lot. Alex couldn't look his maths teacher in the eye for a week after Andi had told her 'Just because they come in your size and colour sweetheart, doesn't mean you should wear them' referring to her shorts.
It was the contrast of personalities that had caused him to be friends with the twins.
They brought him out of his protective shell, and he made sure that they don't get given prison time.
Sitting behind Oscar was Eleanor, or Ellie. She was probably the greatest contrast from the rest of the group. She was 5 foot, three, slim with no obvious curves and a pale heart shaped face that still looked quite babyish. She looked about fourteen, but in reality she was older than them all. Her hair, dyed fiery red, was in a spiky pixie cut with a fabric pink flower clipped onto the side. Currently wearing a printed t-shirt, denim shorts, mix matched leggings, and combat boots, she reminded Alex of Luna from Harry Potter. She was the type of person that reads horoscopes every morning, believes in reincarnation, and talks about auras. She is very quirky, but also very perceptive. It is difficult to get things past her, Alex guessed this was because of how open minded she is. Like Alex, before she does anything, she will quickly analysis a situation before becoming involved in it. She tends to seem a bit spacey, but mostly because she broods on everything.
Alex had met her a year ago when they were seated next to each other in science. She took one look at him and told him that he had a very dark aura then asked him if he was okay. Five minutes later she asked him why he hid behind so many walls, at this he struck up a conversation with her, by the end of the lesson; they had done no work, but had talked about everything from politics to the amount of paranormal activity in the UK.
That same day, during lunch, he saw her being pushed around by a few older boys, because of her small stature; there wasn't much she could do about it. Alex walked right up to them, pulled her protectively behind him and punched out the ring leader. Alex was in detention for a week, but ever since, Alex has been her unbiological 'big' brother.

Alex slipped into the seat beside her and click in his seat belt.
Andi turned round to look at him.

"You took your time Wagon Wheel"
Alex raised an eye brow at her.

"You are the ones in the car, I was here waiting for you guys to arrive, so don't put the blame on me Pop Tart"
She glared at him, turned around in her seat, and folded her arms. Oscar snickered, and Ellie cracked a small smile for behind the magazine she was reading.
Oscar pulled out of the driveway.
...Line Break...

"What's your star sign, Alex" Ellie asked as they pulled into the school carpark.
Alex looked up at her.

"Um, I don't know, why do you ask?"
Oscar parked the car, everyone started to get out. The bell rang.

"For your horoscope, your birthday is February the 13th ae?" she glanced up at him, then continued "Aquarius, "The path ahead of you is a difficult one, but remember you can find help where you least expect it", that sounds rather intriguing doesn't it"

Alex scanned the school, even though he didn't believe in that kind of thing, that was something he really didn't want to hear.

"The bell has only just rung, where is everyone?" Oscar was also scanning the school it seemed. They were other cars in the car park, so that ruled out the idea of them being the only ones there. Alex spotted a group of teachers heading towards the school hall.

"Head towards the hall that's where they're going" Alex walked away from the car park with the others following him.

When they arrived at the hall entrance, they were hurried in. Apparently an emergency assembly had been called, about what was still unclear to the students, but the teachers seemed on edge and jumpy. Alex found himself scanning everyone in the hall. A habit that he thought had died years ago. He made his way to his seat.

"School please stand"
On cue, the entire congregation stood silently, and the Principal travelled up the aisle, followed by men in suits and police uniform.

Red sky in morning, Sheppard's warning.
Alex suddenly wished he had stayed in bed.

AN
Well that's chapter one, it was getting a bit long, so what is going to be said in the assembly will feature in chapter two.
Another thing, Alex's nickname. For those who don't know, a Wagon Wheel is a biscuit type thing you can get in England. It's really good. It being an English treat, Andi calls him Wagon Wheel, and in return he calls her Pop Tart, because Pop Tarts are American.
Makes sense, right?
Anyway reviews are much loved, and very helpful when it comes to improving and getting motivated to write another chapter.

- Jean & Diana