For a long time I believed that intent was everything. I was a nice person, and I only ever wanted to keep Caleb safe. He was the only family I had left and I had sworn to do anything to protect him. I never expected that in doing so I’d end up covered in the blood of innocent bystanders and on the run from every cop in the city.

All I wanted was to help people.

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Our troubles began six months ago, after my little brother was robbed at gunpoint three times in one week, in a quiet neighborhood that was once renowned for its safety. They took everything he had, which wasn’t a lot, but it kept us hungry and short on rent.

He came home shaking after every mugging, his young face pale and his hair matted with sweat. He was lucky not to have beaten or worse, but Caleb hadn’t slept soundly since then.

It pissed me off to see him so scared. He was helpless and alone, and we didn’t have friends in the neighborhood, so I was the only one who could take care of him.

When I was six years old I started training in Muay Thai, and fourteen years later I still studied and trained every day. There was no one in the country who could best me in a match except for my teacher. It was through him that I got the idea for protecting my brother and the city as a whole.

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“I know I tell you this all the time, Fletcher, but you can do a lot of good in the world with Muay Thai. But you can also do much damage. It depends on how you use these skills…” Master Ty trailed off, and I dodged a kick from him as we sparred.

I grunted in agreement as we moved and twisted. He had repeated this mantra of sorts hundreds of times over the years, but there was a seriousness in his voice that told me this time what he was telling me was important.

We twisted and dodged in quick, controlled movements, always trying to avoid and confuse each other. Master was sweating, and I tried not to focus on the sweat dripping from his strong, bare shoulders or from his slightly graying beard. His face was lined with age even at 53, but he was tough and wiry, still one hell of an opponent in the ring. I could barely get a kick in with how naturally he moved. I finally landed a blow on his side and he went down. We were both breathing heavily because of how long we’d been fighting, and I prepared myself for his counterattack.

Just as I thought Master was going to make one last move he stood, offering a gloved hand to me. We tapped gloves in respect for the other fighter. Master continued his speech, with me trying to follow along and figure out why he was telling me these things again.

“I do want you to use these skills, and not just in this room. You can do a lot of good for a lot of people. You just have to decide where your skills best serve you.”

“But where?” I had no clue how to use these skills. Briefly I had considered the Armed Forces route, but I knew I wouldn’t cope well with being yelled at and ordered around. And I wasn’t assertive enough for a security gig. I occasionally made money on the side through bodyguard and bouncer jobs, but I tried to stay away from bars, mostly because I didn’t drink and besides, any time I was around drunks things got ugly. It felt as though all of my options were closed to me, and I was left with barely enough money to get by and two hungry mouths to feed. Caleb was still too young to work, so all responsibility was left to me.

I was left worrying over all of these things while Master Ty removed his gloves and headed contentedly for the showers.

“Lock up when you leave,” he called from over his shoulder. I grabbed my bag and locked the doors distractedly, still sweating and deep in thought as I biked my way home.