Chapter 2: The Office Lee stood outside the door to Mr Daniels' office. He knocked once, before being beckoned in by the teacher. "Sit." spat the teacher, gesturing at the chair opposite him. As Lee sat down, he noticed the rather large folder on Mr Daniels' desk. He grimaced. He had wondered when his past record would get brought up. " Now. Let me just state it so there isn't any doubt. You are scum and I do not want your kind in this school." he stated, levelly. Lee was about to argue, but the teacher pressed on. "By that, I mean I do not approve of criminals and mixing with the leaders of the next generation. I've read your record. You've been expelled three times from different schools. Two of those expulsions were as a result of serious assaults on fellow pupils, whilst the other was for inciting a near riot during a school football match. You have been arrested twice for assault and have served 100 hours of community service, as well as a brief term at youth offenders. Despite all of this, you were still, somehow, accepted into this elite Academy. What I want to know is, why. Why were you accepted?" "Well sir, cuz I'm a genius. Since you have my records, you can see exactly that." smiled Lee. Mr Daniels' paused for a moment, picking up the sheet with Lee's entrance exam results. He barely looked at it though, as he, along with most of the stuff, had memorised his score. " Yes. 98.7%. The highest mark ever recorded in the exam. The person who came second got 87.2%. He got nearly full marks on the hardest public exams when he was younger, and attended the top private schools throughout his life. You. Well I've said enough about your past. Am I supposed to believe that someone like you achieved such an amazing score on perhaps the hardest exam in the country?" he asked, eyebrow raised. Lee's eyes narrowed. " Just what are you trying to say?" he muttered. His teacher leaned over the desk. "You cheated. It's in your character. I don't know how, but that's what you did." he hissed. Lee glowered. "I did not- "Just shut your damn mouth!" roared the teacher. Lee jumped to his feet. His eyes were narrowed, his hands balled into a fist. Mr Daniels' involuntarily flinched, the frankly threatening aura Lee had, stunned him. However, he quickly regained his composure. "Oh is the thug gonna attack his teacher?" he mocked. Lee took a step forward. "You ba- Suddenly, the door flung open. Miss Stewart entered. "Lee." she said calmly. "That's enough, relax." Lee was still tense, his body taunt. However, he nodded at Miss Stewart and took a deep breath, before stepping back. Mr Daniels grinned, sensing an opportunity to gloat. "Well, well- "Sir. That's enough." interjected Miss Stewart, shooting him a stern glance. Mr Daniels frowned. He was a tall man, well built and stocky. Although there was some more fat around his midriff as a result of his advancing years, he was still in decent shape. Being a former military man, he was also a stickler for discipline, and so didn't take kindly to Miss Stewart's tone. He reflected for a moment, before dismissing Lee and the assistant with a wave of his hand. "Get him out of my face. Listen to Miss Stewart, she'll help you out you little shit." Lee didn't need a second invitation, pushing past Miss Stewart and exiting the office. She quickly followed. Out in the corridor, Lee cursed. He was angry, very angry and wanted to vent his frustration. Miss Stewart placed a hand on his shoulder. "Relax Lee. He's a bloody fool, into the whole military command thing. Just forget it" "Does everyone think it?" he murmured. "Think what?" she replied. "That I cheated," he spat. She looked at him for a moment, before breaking into a grin. He looked at her questioningly. "Yep, they all think you did," she smiled. He punched the nearby wall and cursed. The pain shot through his knuckles. Miss Stewart gasped and took his hand in hers, stroking the knuckle. Lee noticed they were standing quite close to each other. She smiled up at him. "You know, for a genius, that was a pretty dumb move," she teased him, smiling again. This time, Lee broke into a smile, the tension fading from his features. Miss Stewart was pretty cute, he felt himself liking her. "I know Miss, guess I'm not thinking straight right now," he grinned, the easy confidence returning to him. Miss Stewart smiled, releasing his hand. "I see someone's perked up. Follow me Mr Carter," she said, turning briskly on heel and walking away. As Lee made to follow, she stopped to glance back at him. "Oh and when we're alone, you can call me Grace," she winked, turning away. Lee grinned broadly as he followed.