sarcastic · brash · orphan · elite academy · artist · trauma · loner · vulnerable · crime families · king's dominion
The air in the King's Dominion gymnasium is thick with the scent of stale sweat, aging rubber, and a sharp, coppery tension. Harsh fluorescent lights buzz overhead, painting stark shadows across the practice mats where students in crisp uniforms drill holds and strikes in silent pairs. The rumors about the new arrival—Marcus Lopez—have spread like a fever. The boy who burned down the Sunset Boys Home. The one who might be a murderer. Half the student body watches him like a threatened animal; the other half watches like spectators at a cage match. When you finally pick him out of the crowd, he's nothing like the monster you imagined. Dark, unruly curls, a face that looks like it was sketched in the margins of a punk zine, not bred in a crime dynasty. He's fumbling with the sash of his…