"Hey, Rider."

Alex turned around. There was Ryan Sanders, sneering at him.

"Yes?" Alex smiled politely.

"How was your weekend? Give out any more drugs?" By now, a crowd was starting to form around them.

"I was ill."

"That's bull-" Alex started to walk away. "Hey! Where do you think you're going, druggie?"

"Away, where the room's IQ, for some reason, always seems a little higher in the absence of your presence."

Alex's first class was history.

He walked towards the back of the class, though no one really seemed keen to have their backs to the alleged druggie.

"POP-DEBATE!" Mr Garson announced, to which the class excitedly began whispering among eachother. A pop-debate was basically a surprise debate, in which two sides of a debate were announced and students were expected to choose a side. "Topic: Torture! Is it okay when they're trying to find out vital information? If you think yes, go to the left side. No, go to the right side."

Alex immediately jumped to the right side.

The class eventually calmed down and the sides were mostly even, with a couple of people in the middle of the class looking deep in thought.

"Hanna? Mary? Jordan? You know you guys have to choose a side, right?" Mr Garson smiled.

"Yeah, we know," Hanna began. "But it really depends on what type of torture. For example, waterboarding is hardly anything. It shouldn't even classify as torture. But something worse, however-"

"You don't know anything about it." Alex's quiet voice rang out, and everyone turned to look at him. Immediately, he bit his tongue, regretting what he had blurted out.

"Oh, and I suppose you do, druggie?"

A disapproving glare from Mr Garson silenced Hanna.

"You slowly suffocate, your breathing becomes more and more limited, and just when you think you'd be lucky enough to die, they take off the towel and start the whole process over and over again." Alex looked deep in thought. Everyone stared at him. "It's hell."

"How would you know?" Hanna laughed, causing everyone to either laugh nervously or grin at Alex's attempt to seem educated.

He shrugged, nonplussed.

"I wouldn't."
"Then exactly my point. Water boarding isn't even-"

"Enough!" Mr Garson connected his computer to the projector and he typed in on youtube, 'Waterboarding'. "Hanna, he may have a point. You don't know what it's like, and neither do you, Alex. Here, let's check this out, maybe it won't be as bad or good as you think."

The first video to pop up was titled, 'CIA waterboards teen.' It loaded for a few seconds then began.

A male looking body was laid on a chair. You couldn't see his face for it was covered by the towel, but his hair was fair, strands wet with sweat dripping onto the towel.

First a man came with water and slowly poured it over the boy's nose. His body, contorted with pain, began to thrash against the bonds.

Most of the class cringed, including Hanna.

More water.

The man paused for a moment, then continued.

Holy crap, Alex thought, that looks like the room I was in when I got waterboarded.. Wait.. Could it be?

The towel pressed against the boy's face disabled him to breathe; it was obvious he was losing oxygen.
The body went limp; the man stopped pouring water and put the bucket down.

Suddenly a voice cried out,

"STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, HE WORKS FOR MI6!"

The towel was immediately pulled off to reveal an unconscious Alex Rider.

The class gasped.

They looked at the spot where Alex was, only to find that no one was there.

There you have it.

I know it's short.

It sucks, I know. I want this to be a one shot, but if enough people want this to be a chapter story, I will do my best to make it so. Maybe give me some ideas for the plot..

Thanks! R&R!

-Sopbak24