An Alex Rider Adventure

The Lost World

Chapter 1-Beginnings

Alex Rider was sitting in his Geometry class, listening to the drone of his teacher, when it, as it usually does, happened. The bell rang. As the rest of the class poured out of the room, Alex just sat there. Once they had all left he slowly got up, grabbed his things, and left. On his way out of school, he saw many people he knew, but they, or he for that matter, didn't bother to say hello. They thought he was strange, and he was, but not because he was always missing weeks on end of school.

By looking at him you couldn't tell. All you would see was a fourteen year old English schoolboy from a West London school. He was wearing a blue and gray school uniform and you couldn't pick him out of a crowd if you wanted to. But Alex Rider had not been such a normal fourteen year old schoolboy ever since his uncle Ian Rider died in a mysterious car crash. Alex would never have changed if it had been an actual car crash. Alex would never have changed if there weren't bullet holes in the windshield. Alex would never have changed if his uncle wasn't a spy for the British military intelligence agency MI6.

Alex Rider, like his uncle before him, was a spy for MI6. He had already been on four successful missions, and was gaining a name for himself in the business. Always, after every mission, he vows he will never go on another, and always he ends up being forced by MI6 to do another. His constant leave from school had cost him his social life, and might cost him his actual life.

He walked home from school and circled around his block a few times, there being nothing better to do. Finally he decided to walk in and was greeted by Jack Starbright, his red-haired American housekeeper and guardian since his uncle died.

"Hey Alex," the housekeeper said cheerfully,"How was your day?"

"How do you think it was," Alex shot back, "Terrible as usual."

"What happened"

"The same thing that always happens! No one even notices I'm there! No "Hi Alex" or "Wassup A-man" not even a "Hello Mr. Rider" from a teacher!"

"But Ale-"

"I don't want to hear it! I'm sick of the way MI6 uses me to their advantage!"

"But Ale-"

"I don't think you heard me! Everyone thinks I'm a freak and-"

"ALEX!"

"What!"

"You have a visitor."

"Who is it?"

"Guess."