February 2004, Kloves Residence, London

  The mat felt solid beh my feet, grounding me as I circled or. He moved with the ease of a predator, eyes locked on mine, a smug grin on his lips. God, I hated that damn grin. I mirrored his movements heless, keeping my stance low a banced on the balls of my feet, as he had drilled into me. I could sehat he was ready to make a move at any time. My body was so used to his small tells by now that I would be severely disappointed if he didn't.

  Not oo disappoint, he came at me first, a quick feint with his left hand followed by a lightning-fast right jab aimed at my face. I leaned back just in time, feeling the air stir past my nose. He didn't pause, his right leg sweeping up in a roundhouse kick toward my ribs. I blocked with my left forearm, and instant pain shot up my bones. I ig and focused on the fight.

  I tered with a low kick to his left leg, aiming to destabilize him. My shin ected with a satisfying thud, but or barely flinched. If anything, his grin widehe asshole. He spun with the momentum, bringing his around in a backkick that I barely mao sidestep.

  "ry," he muttered, that smirk never leaving his face.

  I gritted my teeth in anger and moved in, closing the distao keep him from demolishih his deadly kicks. Kicks were his strong suit after all, while I preferred my hands to fight. I unched a series of rapid punches, mixing up jabs and hooks, trying to keep my movements uable. or, being who he was, blocked most, but I saw a flicker of surprise when one of my hooks slipped through his defense, gng off his jaw.

  He responded instantly, his knee shooting up toward my midse. I twisted, abs the blow on my side rather than my gut, but the force still khe wind out of me. I retaliated with an elbow strike to his ribs, followed by a quiee aimed at his thigh. My knee ected, and for a brief moment, I saw him falter.

  "I see your coess from a mile away, Troy," he warned, his voice calm despite the obvious pain he must be feeling. "You have yet to defeat me even a siime."

  I didn't fall for his obvious taunt a my head in the game by pushing him back with a flurry of strikes. A straight punch to his chest, a low kick to his calf, a spinning back fist aimed at his temple—he dodged the st one by a hair's breadth, but I didn't give up. I couldn't. I khe day of my victory would e sooner rather than ter.

  Then, just as I almost had him, he shifted gears. He abandoned his leg-based attacks and caught my pun his palm, twisting my arm in a painful joint lock that forced me to drop to one knee. Before I could react, his other hand was at my throat, his thumb pressing lightly on my windpipe. It wasn't enough to hurt, but the message was clear.

  "Yield?" he asked, his voice low.

  I gred up at him, but I didn't fight back. I knew I was beaten. Slowly, I nodded.

  He released me and stood, a hand to help me up. I took it, groaning as I got bay feet.

  "Good fight," he said, g me on the shoulder. "Yettier."

  I nodded, still catg my breath. "ime," I mao say, a grin tugging at the ers of my mouth, "I'll get you."

  or chuckled, shaking his head. "In your dreams, Troy."

  Before I could make a smart-ass ent, someone knocked on the door, only for it to be opened a moment ter.

  "Tobias is here, Troy," said Maria, one of our maids.

  I smiled at her. "Get him settled and offer him some refreshments. I'll be down in a few minutes after a quick shower."

  Maria left me aloh or, who was already pag his stuff. Theuro me. "I wasn't lying. Yetting a lot better. Just keep on practig, and soon you'll defeat me as well. As you are, an untrained civilian is not even a question."

  "Thanks," I nodded gratefully at him. I couldn't have do without his expert tutege.

  "And please ask Evan to find more time for these sessions. At this pace, he will never beat you, let alone me."

  "He's busy shooting a student film with his school friends," I expined. "Anyway, thanks for today's lesson."

  "My pleasure," or shook hands with me before taking his exit.

  (Break)

  "Tobias!" I greeted my manager enthusiastically, who was sitting elegantly on our couch, sipping tea. "Please tell me [Perks] is ready to start produ."

  He grimaced. "I wish. Chbosky is taking too much time to finish the spy and the storyboards. He wants perfe. He says it will take awo months before he's doh it."

  I frowned. "I 't actually bme him for that. I want a perfect film as well, but time is moell him in no uain terms that he ot dey beyond two months. We have to start shooting by Ju all costs."

  Even if he fihe script in two months, at least two more will be required for the casting process and other things involved in pre-produ that require a director's close involvement.

  "If it's not that, then why did you e here this fine day?" I asked.

  Tobias hesitated as he gave me a folder. "I wao give you a list of all the charities that you go to in London, as we had discussed earlier. I have marked the ones which I think would be the best for your image."

  I looked at him skeptically. "You could have emailed it to me. You didn't have to e in person. What are you hiding from me?"

  "Ah, fuck it!" he whispered under his breath before taking out another folder from his bag. "I have received a brand endorsement offer for you." I opened my mouth to say no when he added, "At least hear me out fully."

  I absolutely hated celeb brand endorsements. Most of these celebs blindly endorse a brand without knowing anything about it, and gullible people follow in these celebs' steps like sheep. There are rarely any celebs who actually use what they endorse. Tobias knew how I felt about it.

  "There is this new footwear brand called 'Crocs' which wants to onboard you as their brand ambassador," Tobias spoke out quickly. "I know how you feel about lifestyle brands, and I fully inteo dee their offer, but before I could, they sent me a lot of their slippers as samples. They were meant for you, but since I knew you didn't want them, I used them, and now, I 't use anything else. At all."

  It was then that I looked down at his feet to realize that he was wearing Crocs slippers.

  "I have brought some unused ones for you as well," he indicated the shoe boxes stacked i order behind him, that I had missed till now. "You don't have to agree to endorse them, but at least try them out. They are so fy that if I were in your pce, I would shout out to the world for free how good they are."

  My déjà vu powers were w in full forow. I knew how successful of a brand Crocs was iure. All because of ohing only: their fort level. Most people don't like sweaty, smelly feet at the end of the day. If your day doesn't involve running or intense workouts, then these are the best footwear anyone could get. They are not the best-looking, but Crocs have no pariso es to fort.

  "How much are they me?" I asked curiously.

  "5 million for 5 years," Tobias replied eagerly, smartly hiding his surprise at my question. "I'm pretty sure that they go as much as 10 million. This will include at least ten two-minute advertisements during that period, along with print ads. You'll also have to wear them publicly at all times, but they are so fy that you won't mind them at all."

  "Even at bck tie events?" I asked skeptically. "I don't think so."

  "They will make shoes for you for those occasions," Tobias reassured me. "So should I start talking to them?"

  "Don't push me into anything," I chided him. "Let me wear them for a few days and think this through before I make my decision. Even if I do agree with it, I will do it only if I'm more involved in the process than just advertisements."

  "I'm sure they will be willing to aodate that request."

  (Break)

  The corridors of St. Briar's Children's Hospital were a maze of pale walls and fluorest lights, the sterile smell lingering in the air. My footsteps echoed softly as I made my way down the hall, guided by Dr. Victoria Rothschild, the head pediatri.

  "You didn't have to apany me personally, Doc," I remarked casually as a camera crew followed our movement close by. "I'm sure one of the nurses would have been happy to give me a tour."

  "It's no trouble at all," the good doctor waved off my . "You don't realize hoy you have made our eaff. This is the first time any celebrity has e here. Usually, they go to one of those big hospitals with fancy equipment and huge funds already to their name. Your presence could very well put us on the map for donations from other phinthropists as well."

  I smiled. "You may not know this, but I was born in this hospital. So of course I would e here rather than one of those fanes."

  Although hospitals in the UK were supported by the NHS, their funds were stretched far too thin. This was the case with St. Briar's as well.

  "By the way," Dr. Rothschild said, "thank you so much for your donation. It means a lot to us."

  "No worries, Doc," I smiled at the woman as we stopped outside the children's on ward.

  I hadn't really donated all that much. Just half a million pounds. That's because I wasn't fully sure which charity I wao support. There were thousands of them in the UK alone. If we sider the world, the total number is untable. In the end, I chose a cause that I thought would be good enough for now on paper, and if I saw positive results from my donation, I'd increase the amount iure. I always wao start a charity of my own one day, but I never found a cause that was close to my heart to dedicate my free time to.

  "Do the children know that I'm ing?" I asked her.

  "They know someone is ing," she said mirthfully. "Your security team made sure that everyone here knows."

  I chuckled at that jab. After that i in LA, Paolo, my new head of security get a little overprotective. He usually checks all entry a points before I go anywhere. Believe me, that man is a little paranoid.

  Without waiting any longer, I opehe door to the ward and walked right in. As soon as I did, all the children turo me. A feed, "Harry Potter," a few squealed, and a lone curious little boy came up to me and looked up with squinting eyes as if iing me closely.

  I bent down to his level and patted his head. "Hello, lil' man."

  "You 't be Harry Potter!" he said acgly. "You are so tall! Harry is shorter."

  I chuckled at his words. "What's your name?"

  "Max," he replied heatedly.

  "Well, Max, when people grow older, they grow tall. One day, you will be taller than even me. I'm sure of it," I said with utmost belief in my words before looking around at the other children. "Why don't you introduce me to your friends over there?"

  "Fine, Harry," he said petuntly before holding my hand and leading me around to meet his friends. "This is Peter, Arjun, Brianna, and Abbie."

  "Hi, Troy!" Abbie, who was an irl of around 14, greeted me by my given name. She offered me a handshake, but I pulled her over and gave her a hug instead because I could see that's what she wanted.

  "You dummy," Brianna, who was younger, called out. "He's Harry, not Troy."

  "He's both," Abbie shot back after separating from me, a little embarrassed by my impromptu hug.

  "No, he's not!" Brianna shot back.

  The two tinued bickering lightly while I was whisked away to meet anroup of kids. It was a wholesome day at the hospital, that's for sure. I met so many kids in such a short period that I found it hard to remember most of their names.

  Dr. Rothschild and the camera crew kept following me around as I met more and more kids, but after some time, I had fotten about their presence. All I cared about were the little tykes running around me, oep away from giving me a God plex.

  The st stop of our tour rivate room.

  "Before we go in there," Dr. Rothschild begaantly, "I should warn you that this kid is a little sensitive."

  "Oh?" I asked leadingly.

  "She was…" The doctor hesitated as she took in my appearance. "I don't think I should tell it to you. You're too young for this."

  Seeing her hesitance, I said, "Don't tell me about her dition, just tell me how she is sensitive."

  She took a deep breath before turning to the cameras behiurn them off first."

  I motiooward the cameraman, a the hint. They turned off the cameras and mid stepped a few feet away.

  Seeing that we were all alohe doctor finally said, "She doesn't like being in the presence of any male. All our staff know this, and everyone going in her room, from ers to o doctors, all are female. When we go in, you ot initiate any touch, be it a handshake, hug, or anything, unless she asks for it. I'm allowing you to go in only because she is a huge fan of your films."

  The dread built up in my gut as I thought about the possible reasons why she could be fearful of males, and none of them were good. The most obvious one made my skin crawl.

  "How old is she?" I asked in a whisper.

  "12."

  "Who did it?" I had a very strong suspi about what it was.

  Dr. Rothschild hesitated before saying, "I 't firm what you're implying, but I tell you that her father was sent to prisoly."

  I closed my eyes as the realization dawned upon me. Car Armitage may have been ful, but she ouched me inappropriately. It is so bad that a parent whom you are supposed to love unditionally could do something like that.

  heless, I fixed a bright smile on my face as the doctor opehe door of the room a me in. The camera crew, being all male, was told to remain outside.

  "Felicity," she called out. "Look who's here to meet you."

  The girl, Felicity, was reading a book. She looked up at me as soon as we were in and pulled away in shock.

  "It's alright Felicity," The doctor tried to soothe her. "He's Troy Armitage, your favorite actor. You rex. No one will harm you."

  Instead of calming down, Felicity curled up in a ball and covered herself with a bhe doctor turo me helplessly, and I knew I couldn't do anythiher. My heart broke again after just imagining the situation, and she had to gh with it.

  "Maybe you try talking to her slowly?" The dgested.

  I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. My eyes were misty, and my throat was choking on air. I couldn't stand there any longer and without saying a word to the doctor, I exited the room.

  I took deep gulps of air when I was out of there.

  "There you are," Tobias said excitedly as he walked over to me. "The camera team from BBC just left. They got everything they wanted, and will make a–" He stopped mid-sentence as he finally saw me.

  "Are you okay?" He asked.

  I put a hand on my face to calm down before I broke dht then and there in the hospital. I don't know why I was reag like that. This was something that I felt very deeply about. And right at that moment, I knew I had found my cause.

  "I have decided," I said after regaining my posure. "I want to start a charity for victims of child sex abuse."

  _____________________________________

  AN: Visit my Pat reon to read ahead, or participate in free polls about the story.

  Link: (dot)pat reon(dot)/fableweaver