Alex: The Tiger Man
Early June 2021
In a secluded hermitage deep within a forest near a village in Bengkulu, South Sumatra, "Thump... thump... thump... thump..." a powerful heartbeat resonated. A young man with a remarkably muscular physique was meditating inside. His body slowly transformed, growing striped fur like a tiger. Sweat drenched his skin, and his face began to morph into that of a tiger. Once the transformation was complete, he immediately stood up and practiced his martial arts moves.
"Blam... blam... blam," his footsteps echoed, shaking the seemingly sturdy and strong floor tiles of the hermitage, a pair of karambit knives in his hands. An old man nodded, smiling as he watched the youth. When he finished, the young man leaped back, immediately sat cross-legged, and resumed his meditation. Soon after, his form returned to normal—a handsome and masculine face with a buzz cut, slick with perspiration. He regulated his breathing and opened his eyes.
"Excellent. You have now mastered the entire art of tiger silat martial arts, and your knowledge is profound. You are worthy of the title 'Inyiak'," the old man said.
"Thank you, Datuk," the handsome youth replied.
"Your talent is extraordinary. Even though you are half-American, your father's blood, that of a tiger-man, flows within you, and his knowledge has been passed down to you. Go, Alex. You plan to go to Lampung, don't you, to return to your mother's family home?" Datuk asked.
"That's right, Datuk. My aunt has already enrolled me in a good school there as she requested. I must take my leave now, Datuk. Thank you for raising me all this time," Alex said.
"Go," Datuk replied, turning away.
After bidding farewell, Alex stepped out of the hermitage and walked into the forest to return to the village. He turned back for a moment, looking at the hermitage that had cared for him since he was five years old, when both his parents mysteriously passed away. Later, his aunt, his mother's younger sister, who resided in Indonesia and worked as a teacher at a school, found him at sixteen and asked him to attend the school where she worked. In his heart, he expressed gratitude and turned to walk towards the village. Once he arrived, he immediately took a truck to the city and stayed there for a day before departing for Lampung city tomorrow.
A Few Days Later
At a good school in Lampung city, Alex met with the principal, who was his aunt's husband's younger brother, accompanied by his aunt, who also taught English at the school. They discussed Alex's interrupted schooling after junior high. Alex showed his junior high diploma and transcript. The principal nodded, looking at Alex's grades and his graduation exam scores listed in the documents Alex provided.
"Your grades are good. With scores like these, consider yourself accepted. I'm wondering, how about skipping to the second year?" the principal asked.
"Can you handle it, Lex?" his aunt, who was fluent in Indonesian, asked.
"What do you think? It's true I'm a year late for high school, but can I manage?" Alex asked both of them.
"Well, if you're diligent, I guarantee you can," the principal replied.
"So that means I'll graduate at 18 and can continue to university," Alex said, turning to his aunt.
"Yes, that would be just right for your age. What do you think? Do you want to?" his aunt asked.
"Yes, I do. When do I start?" Alex asked.
"At the start of the new academic year. It's already June now, soon there will be a long holiday, and then school starts again in July, so it's perfect," the principal replied.
"Alright, I agree," Alex responded.
"Good. You can stay in the dormitory here, so you can move into the dorm now. No need to spend more money, right?" the principal replied.
Alex turned to look at his aunt, and she nodded her head. Alex then agreed and began to live in the school's dormitory, which was in a separate building somewhat far from the school; at least a short walk was required to reach it from the school. After arriving at the dorm and submitting the documents from the principal to the attending officer, Alex was escorted to his room. Alex saw that his room was comfortable and had an en-suite bathroom. Although there was no air conditioning, it felt cool because a lush tree in front of it blocked the sunlight.
Without further delay, Alex immediately lay down on the provided bed, feeling pleased. He took out his smartphone and checked incoming messages, then he started playing the popular game played by young people nowadays for hours. When he got bored, he opened a famous streaming site and listened to his favorite music while still lying down. It was getting late, and Alex felt his stomach rumbling from playing all day. He sat up on his bed, then stood up and walked out of his room.
"What should I eat? I'll just buy instant noodles at Al** mart," he thought.
He left the dormitory building and walked on the sidewalk. He met a few female high school students who had just left school after extra lessons. They passed by Alex, who was tall, muscular, and handsome. The female students immediately stopped and watched Alex closely.
"Wow... cool..." the girls murmured.
Suddenly, "Thief! Help me!" a woman screamed. Alex looked ahead and saw a motorcycle speeding towards him. Alex immediately ran and jumped. When the motorcycle was right next to him, Alex's leg spun, kicking the two people riding it until they fell off the motorcycle, which also immediately flipped over, scraping against the asphalt as it was still moving. As he landed, Alex saw the two people groaning in pain, helpless. Alex picked up a bag with a broken strap. Then, a middle-aged woman, who seemed to have just returned from the market because she was carrying plastic bags full of vegetables, approached him.
"Here's your bag, ma'am," Alex said.
"Thank you, young man," the middle-aged woman replied.
People immediately swarmed the two fallen individuals and apprehended them. A security guard secured them so they wouldn't be subjected to mob anger. Alex quietly left the scene and ran towards the mini-market, intending to go straight inside to hide. But he didn't realize that the female students who had passed him earlier were following him and prevented him from entering by touching his back.
"Big brother... what's your name?" one of the female students asked.
"Um... me? My name is Alex... What grade are you all in?" Alex asked.
"We're in 2nd grade high school at that school over there," a girl replied, pointing to the school not far from the mini-market.
"Oh... I'll also be attending there starting this July. We'll be in the same grade, 2nd year, so don't call me big brother, okay?" Alex said.
Immediately, the female students asked many questions and wanted to exchange numbers with Alex, which made Alex feel a little uncomfortable.
"Ugh, this is so troublesome," he muttered to himself.