Thank you all so much for all the wonderful reviews. This is one of my first stories that I have posted so I'm glad that people are enjoying reading it. I will try to post a new chapter every week or two, but as always life happens so this might not always happen. I do not live in England (although I did visit for a few months when I was younger) I live in America, so please forgive me if some of the terminology or lifestyles are not correct. Please correct me if this happens, I am not having this beta read so all mistakes are my own. Again thank you for all the great reviews, enjoy the chapter.

Alex was waiting for Tom to get out of Science a few hours later to that they could head down to lunch together. Alex heard approaching footsteps and whirled around to find Jaylin, Chris, Dane, Demi, and Maria walking towards him,

"What's the matter druggie? Jumpy much? Worried that someone is gonna expose your little drug dealing gang and your gonna have to go back to prison for the eleventh time," Chris crowed at him mockingly

"Shut up Chris," Alex spoke allowing a little bit of a menacing tone to lace his voice, he was fairly tired and his wounds where really starting to hurt.

"Oh look at that he still remembers my name!" Chris exclaimed mockingly while his friends laughed behind him.

"Oh that's rich coming from the guy who's failing english," Alex snapped back his patience wearing thin.

"Why you little-!" Demi cried out moving forward, as Jaylin caught her hand as she went to hit Alex.

"Don't bother wasting your energy on such a useless piece of s**h, he's probably gonna die from drugs soon anyway," Chris spoke up wrapping an arm around her and heading off with his little crew of bullies.

Alex sighed and leadened back against the pole he had been waiting for Tom by. He grimaced in pain as black spots danced in his vision, Alex glanced up and down the halls, they where empty. Reaching into his bag he pulled a small pill bottle from the bag and glancing around once more. Alex took two of the pain killers dry. Slumping back against the wall he took a deep breath and slid down to the floor.

"Hey Alex you didn't fall asleep on me did you now?" Toms voice interrupted his train of thought, Alex chuckled as he slowly stood up.

"Naw, I just learned that dry painkillers taste like crap," he said as Tom followed him down the stairs.

"Wait you got hurt! What happened?" Tom said alarmed as he glanced at his friends face.

"Well as it turns out drug gangs don't like being exploited," Alex joked lamely.

As the pair pushed open the door that led outside so that they could eat there lunch and talk in private.

"Where did you get hurt?" Tom asked curiously,

"Knife to the face and ribs, three broken ribs and bullet four inches down from my shoulder," Alex said as he looked around once again for anyone out of place. But then again he found no one, Alex shook his head and returned to his conversation with Tom.

Half an hour later the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. Alex and Tom both had English next so they could walk together, the painkillers had taken effect so Alex was no longer wincing in pain whenever he tugged on the stitches. He sighed as the two friends headed up the stairs to class, everything seemed to be in order but the feeling of unease still followed him like a little black cloud. How was he to know that soon his two lives would come crashing together.

"Hello students! I trust you all had a good lunch," said Alex's English teacher Mrs. Brooke in her calm voice. There was a hum of agreement from the class,

"Now today is going to be the start of a new unit, we will be learning all about languages and cultures from around the world. So to start off we will be taking turns going up to the board and listing how many languages we are fluent in and what they are," she said pulling out a red marker and uncapping it.

"Now who would like to go first? Demi how about you?" Mrs. Brooke offered holding out the pen to the red head. Demi smiled thickly and pulled the pen from the teachers grasp and walking up to the board. Demi, two languages, English and Dutch. Andy, one, English. Sarah, three, two forms of Chinese and English. Lauretta, one, English. Chris, two, English and Spanish.

"Anybody else?" The teacher asked holding the pen out in an inviting gesture.

"Hey druggie! How bout you go, I bet you don't even know right English!" Chris called out suddenly.

"Chris! Don't say that! That's very rude!" Mrs. Cooke said looking shocked.

"No it's ok I'll go, also Chris the proper way to say that would be "English " not "right English," Alex said standing up and shooting him a look of satisfaction. Alex took the pen and mentally went through all the languages he knew. Alex, fourteen languages, English, Spanish, Russian, German, Mandarin, Italian, Indian, Cantonese, French, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Portuguese, and Turkish. The entire class sat in stunned silence as Alex returned to his seat.

"Yea right prove it!" Maria cried out having gotten over her original shock.

"Maria that is very irresponsible of you to say," the teacher snapped still looking shocked.

"But Madam!" The girl in question protested loudly.

"How on earth could he possibly know all those languages if he gets sick so often," Demi complained shooting Alex an evil look.

"Yea," Chris said slowly turning to face Alex, who sighed. A loud hum of voices had gathered in the room.

"Alright class settle down," Mrs. Brooke said raising her hand to calm the class,

"Mr. Rider the class seems to be very interested in how you know so many languages fluently, would you care to explain?" She asked kindly turning to Alex.

"Well when my uncle was alive every summer we would go to different countries all over the world and when we where there the both of us would try to lean the language, so that's how I learned the most of them," he said with a slight smirk. The teacher still seemed at a loss for words along with the rest of his class.

"Well thank you for sharing that with us Mr. Rider," Mrs. Brooke said turning back to the board, suddenly the intercom crackled to life causing the class to look up in surprise.

"Will all of Mrs. Brooke's year twelve class please come down to the gymnasium, Mrs. Brooke's year twelve class to the gym please," came the voice of Mr. Bray over the intercom. Mrs. Brooke looked confused but requested all the students to line up and head down to the gym. Alex overheard a conversation between a girl named Jenna and her friend Rona.

"Do you think we won the competition?" Jenna whispered excitedly flipping her auburn hair over her shoulder.

"I don't know, it would be so cool if we did," Rona whispered back. Alex frowned at this, what competition? He wondered,

"Hey Tom do you know what's going on?" Alex asked as they where lead out of the room and down the hall.

"I told you about it earlier, did you not hear me?" Tom demanded jokingly, Alex punched the boy lightly on the arm.

"Oww," Tom wined, well he thought it was light, "damn Alex your hits are getting stronger," Alex smirked ever so slightly and opened his mouth to reply. However, Jaylin felt the need to interject into the conversation,

"Really druggie Rider is getting stronger, that's something you don't see everyday!" He remarked loudly. He had turned himself around so he was walking backwards, so he did not see the pole coming up behind him, both Alex and Tom had seen it but kept their mouth shut.

"Aww what's the matter? Got noth-" Jaylin broke off abruptly as he walked into the pole and fell to the floor. Alex and Tom cracked up as they continued walking away leaving a muttering, ticked off, high schooler behind them.

"Anyway what where you saying?" Tom whispered as they approached the gym.

"Do you know what's going on? I heard Jenna say something about a competition," Alex asked again.

"So basically our school was elected to be placed in a trial run for a government project that, if this goes well all schools will be receiving. It's where one class from the top year is

chosen to get a three week training program with the SAS at some place called Brecon Beacons," Tom finished as the class entered the gym. Alex froze upon recognizing the figures standing up on the stage,

"Oh f**k,"