Person of Interest

By Philip Hartman

Book 1 of the Paul Smith series.
After Paul hits a bully (twice his size) out cold with one punch and with no recollection of how it happened, he realizes that he may have more hidden power inside him. His best friend, Christoff, helps him along the way and discovers there might be some truth behind Dragon Ball Z and how Paul generates more "Energy".
While figuring out how to juggle school, girls and training the worst happened: He was being followed. And so Paul becomes the person of interest.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Philip Hartman
• Release date: Oct 20, 2015
• ISBN: 9781370678389

Philip Hartman

Nov. 2023 Edit: To anyone who comes across my profile. Book 3 is 2-3 chapters from completion. It is still an ongoing process. Books 2 and 3 will be released with the newly edited book 1 (with the help of a professional editor). Please consider buying the Viewpoint book if you want to support me. As it takes place during book 2, book 2 and 3 does contain some Easter egg call backs, for you to pick up on.Born and raised in South Africa. Took up a writing hobby in my final year in high school. Since then I've completed my B.Ed. degree in Mathematics and Physical Science and been writing in between.Now, April 2020, I'm Au-pairing in Austria. We're in lockdown and I've been using this time to edit my works published on Smashwords and continue working on the sequels. Book 2 is in editing phase and Book 3 is already a few chapters in. The more I write and read the better my writing becomes, which is why I feel it is only fair that Book 1 also get the same treatment the others get. The books are in a constant evolution.Finally if you like my book and/or have any suggestions, please feel free to contact me.

Book preview

Person of Interest

By Philip Hartman

Copyright 2018 Philip Hartman

Published by Philip Hartman at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this eBook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please return to your favourite eBook retailer to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1: The discovery

Chapter 2: The slow start

Chapter 3: The one

Chapter 4: The mistake

Chapter 5: The summer vacation

Chapter 6: The need

Chapter 7: The song

Chapter 8: The truth shall set you free

Chapter 9: The finals

Chapter 10: The idea

Chapter 11: The old wounds

Chapter 12: The gossiping

Chapter 13: The exchange student

Chapter 14: The apology

Chapter 15: The build-up

Chapter 16: The fight

Chapter 17: The half-truth

From the author

Other books by Philip Hartman

Prologue

I have met the person, Paul Smith and I am the only one who knows his true identity.

The setting is a small town called Orkney, with 2000 or so inhabitants. Orkney is 15km from the city, not a very large city, but if you are used to Orkney it’s pretty big. That city’s name is Klerksdorp and all this is located in the North-West Province of South Africa (Central-top South Africa next to the Vaal River).

North-West is a dry-savannah province in South Africa, but there are no carnivores roaming freely in North-West (Lions do not walk in the streets). North-West has kind of wet summers and dry winters. This is the general climate in this area.

Orkney has three primary schools (grade 1-7) and one High School (grade 8-12). Schools start in January and ends in December. They work in quarters, not semesters. Klerksdorp has eight primary schools and six high schools. Orkney is a small miner’s town and Klerksdorp is in the centre of the miner and farm towns in the surrounding area. During the Second Boer War (1899-1902), heavy fighting occurred in the area, which also housed two large concentration camps, one for Whites (centred on modern day Klerksdorp High School) and a separate one for Africans (situated in the area that is today the Ellaton and Neserhof suburbs). Woman and children (black and white) died in that concentration camps which forced the Boers to surrender.

Chapter 1: The Event

Paul only sees red and destruction is the only thing going through his head. This is not the first time it happened and he doesn’t care about the consequences. The other guys try to throw him off, but they only get thrown away; until Paul feels this enormous pressure. It is surrounding him: Pressing against his mind… his body… he has never felt anything like this before.

The pressure is getting so overwhelming for Paul that he returns to normal. The feeling of destruction is gone. At least he didn’t pass out this time. A man appears before him, holding a large needle and emitting this enormous pressure. This pressure is some physical force living inside, it gets expressed to show power. Paul closes his eyes and calms himself. He lets this power all in: Running it through his body.

And then he feels it.

He opens his eyes with a small grin. He only sees the man for a split second before the man disappears. Paul feels a sharp sting in his neck. It’s the needle.

***

Paul Smith is a strange little boy. Not that he can lift cars or anything, but in his own world kind of strange. His mother, Maryann was getting very annoyed with him when she took him to school. He was always taking his time, looking into the sky as if he could see magical creatures flying around.

His father once told him he was born with a ball in his hands. Whenever there was cricket on TV, he wouldn’t stop playing cricket outside and whenever there was rugby on TV, same thing occurred. Though rugby is the main sport in the area, he was a fan of soccer as well. He would round up all the kids from the block to play with him. He was very competitive, a control freak of some sort and couldn’t stand losing.

He wasn’t very fast at sprinting, nor very big build, nor very tall, but his hand-eye coordination was excellent and his agility not to bad either. It meant he was not good in athletics at all, which is the second biggest sport in the community. His best friend (Franco) and he played a lot of sports together during kindergarten and the start of primary school. Franco was exactly the same build as Paul. However, Franco had a long face, brown eyes and straight brown hair with a natural tanned skin. Paul’s face was little more round, blue eyes and wavy blonde hair with a light skin that was a little tanned in the summer and not so much tanned in the winter. Franco was just as good as Paul in sports, but Franco was a faster sprinter.

Paul went through a quiet phase when his father walked out on him and his mother just after he turned 9 years old (Grade 3). His birthday is on the 18th of February. It was followed by his mother shutting herself out and then Paul shutting himself out. The boy who saw flying creatures was no more. In this time a new boy arrived at school that same year: Frikkie (pronounced: ‘Fricky’). Frikkie was a bully to those who weren’t considered ‘cool’ by him and the recent events made Paul a soft target. Frikkie was twice Paul’s size, in length and width and a year older, because he was held back a year.

The rugby season started in March and Paul made the team quite easily. He was beginning to regain his old self, but all his friends, Franco included, were now Frikkie’s friends and there were a mutual hatred between Frikkie and Paul. With the bit regained self-confidence Paul made some new friends, mostly African friends. Omega was known for his thick lips and Paul considered him as his side kick. Whenever he saw Frikkie coming he just gave his tuck shop money and bread to Omega. For some reason Frikkie ignored the African kids like they were ghosts.

As the years passed on Paul made some new friends and regained some old ones, but he knew that neither of them where that friend he could trust 100%. His mother also started speaking to him with more words than ‘eat your food’ or ‘get ready for school’. She also got a good job to support them both. Frikkie and Paul were only staying outside of each other’s way, but worked extremely well together when the played rugby or cricket together. Though they hated each other, they understood each other.

In grade 7 a new boy, named Rocco, came into school. Everyone thought he was Paul’s cousin or something. They had the same features, except Rocco’s blonde hair was straight and not wavy and he was a few centimetres taller. Frikkie didn’t like him straight away. Paul and Rocco shared a mutual enemy and they became good friends during the year.

And as always there’s a girl: Judy. Paul saw her as his female double. Almost all the girls were taller than him except for Judy. They both had blue eyes and blonde hair and she weren’t taller than him. Paul was 3rd shortest from all the boys.

Paul made prefect in Grade 7 and Frikkie made head-boy. Paul was liked by the teachers and he was quite well known in school. Mostly because of his good manners and friendliness, and… sport also helped a bit. Frikkie was also liked by the teachers, because he was a good leader and everyone respected him.

Paul and Frikkie were getting along well until Paul invited some of the