BOOK 1- BETRAYAL

CHAPTER #1

All through their childhood, including middle school, the twins were best friends on top of being brothers. They helped each other with homework, pulled tricks on their friends, housekeepers, baby sitters and parents. They loved using their identical features to prank people. Not even their parents could tell them apart. In school they were just as mischievous, but both were competitive and made sure they always had the top grades. They first took on others and then when no one was left to beat them, they competed with each other. In sports, both were very athletic and competition was expected. And no one could get between them, the twins were always together. Then one disastrous day their dynamic changed.

Lu he didn't know why Qihe came home so late, because their martial arts master had ended their session hours ago. He didn't know why his brother was so angry, because for the first time in his life, Qihe wasn't talking to him. But unknown to him, Qihe was trying to protect his brother from feeling the pain he was going through. He didn't know how to release the rage that burned inside him. Online gaming didn't help, working out just gave him time to think and he wasn't tired, even seeing his mother and brother fuelled his hate. Unable to talk about what he had witnessed, Qihe felt alone and isolated. That night he slept very little. In the morning his father left the house early, but this time Qihe followed. It was to confirm that what he thought he knew, was really true. Doing that caused him to skip classes, for the first time in his life. And then he saw it all over again, which meant he hadn't made the situation up, it was real. Pain, hate and rage was all he felt, like it was burning him up.

Qihe watched his father and one of the enforcers, meet a woman and her kid. The pain pierced his heart again, when he overheard what they said.

"Son, you're late for school!"

"It's Mom's fault, not mine."

"He's right dear, I misplaced his backpack."

"We'll drop you off at school, just have them call me if there's an issue."

Qihe couldn't breath, he clutched his chest. Not only was his father cheating on his mother, but he had a boy with his mistress. This woman had been introduced two Christmases ago, as the girlfriend of his top enforcer, which was another lie. From what Qihe could see, their boy was close to his age too. The cold betrayal washed over him. He'd seen enough.

Eventually Qihe made it back to school, but seeing his twin, made everything worse. How could he tell Lu He and his own mother, what their father had done? This was beyond his experience, so terrible in fact, that it made him feel sick. Even though he was late to class, one look at him and his teacher had Lu He take Qihe to the nurse. When Lu He asked him what was wrong, Qihe threw up. The nurse excused him from the rest of the classes that day and his twin said he'd bring home the assignments.

On the way out of the school building, Qihe was stopped by the school bullies. But this time he didn't try to talk circles around them, instead he let his fists fly. Being trained in martial arts since the twins could stand, meant he was much more skilled at fighting than the bullies. He left his hands down by his sides, relaxed and slightly curled. His feet were planted in a fighting stance, as Qihe had been taught. Slowly the left hand was raised, palm facing the bullies, but with curled fingers. It looked like he was holding something and it made all the attackers focus on that one hand. Suddenly he snapped his fingers open and showed them that there was nothing in his hand. In that split second he moved sideways and threw his right fist up and connected with the leader who stepped forward, mouth opening to voice another insult. It was a beautiful uppercut to the jaw. The impact was so massive that it snapped his jaw shut, lifting him off the ground and dropped him vertically on the sidewalk. The leader was unconscious before he hit the ground.

"Go now and I won't hurt the rest of you," Qihe offered.

"F'ck you asshole, time to die," said the guy on his left.

With his right foot, he sent a kick to the groin of the guy and then spun back with an elbow strait into the head for his friend standing in the middle. The right side guy had thrown an uncontrolled roundhouse swing, which Qihe ducked under and fed a fist into his kidney. This was the first time Qihe was in a street fight, every other test of his skills had been a controlled setting with his MMA masters. Since he had free rein, there was no need to limit the damage or restrain his power. Another elbow was launched and it smashed the bridge of the fourth guy's nose. If Qihe wasn't so enraged, he would've laughed and shouted timber, because as the guy fell, he looked like a freshly cut tree. One guy who had the nick-name of Muscles, came at him next, but Qihe put his hand on the back of the guy's head and forced it downward, right into his upward thrown knee. He shoved the guy away and turned around fast, the last guy standing ate a fist so hard, that his teeth got knocked in and their edges tore Qihe's knuckle skin. But it didn't register. Toothless managed to land a punch, but Qihe still felt nothing. His wrath burned hot, but he was numb. In no time he won the fight and he was almost disappointed that there was no one left to challenge him. The nausea was gone, the rage had dissipated, but the anger remained. Instead of going home, Qihe went in search of another fight. And so he found out, that only fighting could help calm him down. There was no destination in mind, but he knew some delinquents always hung out by the internet gaming place that sold cheap snacks. Sure enough there they were, smoking cigarets and squabbling about who was buying the food that day. On purpose, Qihe let his shoulder bump the loudest guy.

"Hey watch it asshole!" The delinquent with the bright green hair tried to stop Qihe, throwing a left hook at his shoulder.

Practically dancing two steps, Qihe answered with a straight right fist into the centre of that shit talking mouth. Green-Hair stumbled back, shaking his head, but Qihe didn't let him get away and came from behind, clamping his arm under the chin and sinking a deep rear naked choke. This allowed him to use Green-Hair as a shield, from any blows coming head-on from the buddies. One guy similar in height, was a little smarter than the rest and came from behind, grabbing Qihe in a bear hug. Snapping his head backwards, with a reverse head-butt, there was solid contact made. Then moving quickly in reverse, he crushed the breath out of Same-Height-Guy as he got slammed into the building's wall. His shield was choked out and so, Qihe dropped him like a sack of rice. A short stocky guy, would've received a crushed windpipe, but tripped over one of the guys on the ground and ate pavement all on his own. To make sure the short guy remained that way, Qihe kicked him in the ribs, hard enough to break a couple. That was three down and two to go. But now people were coming out to witness the fight. He had to end this fast, before the delinquents got help.

The second last guy was weak looking, but that didn't mean he couldn't fight. To give himself some room to move, Qihe shifted to the right, and the two guys followed. The weak guy was winding up for a swing, but with a quick step back, it landed in the air as it missed its intended target. However the momentum carried the guy through a complete circle, giving Qihe the chance to strike. He was fast and nimble, with natural stamina like a true athlete already had. Everything thrown at him by the last two guys, he dodged or blocked with a well placed forearm. Getting angry himself, the weak guy rushed him, but Qihe was expecting that, and threw a kick straight up and into the guy's kidney. Immediately turning to the last guy, he didn't see the weak one falling into a fetal position of pain.

"Who are you?" The last guy standing demanded.

"Qihe Crane."

"Crane... wait are you THAT Crane?"

"He's my Dad."

"Shit man, I got no beef with you." The last guy headed inside the gaming place.

The onlookers where whispering to each other, asking who was Crane. But Qihe already was leaving and didn't care if they found out the answer. His torn and bleeding knuckles, had stained his school shirt. It was time to head home anyway.