The Legacy of Seán – Part 1: The Orphan’s Plight
Chapter 1: The Special Student | Episode 1
Just as with any story, there’s a point where a character is brought into the limelight. For Kevin, this moment was his arrival in the small town of Stourbrook in England. It marked the beginning of a new chapter in his life where he transitioned from the relative anonymity of boyhood to a newfound prominence in adolescence, although for complex reasons.
Kevin Seán Allen, fondly called Kevin or Kev by his friends, was not like any commonplace boy that you would find at every corner of your neighbourhood. He truly was an exceptional kid in all probable aspects.
There were rumours that the boy was discovered on the streets of a city in India. This left his origins and circumstances shrouded in mystery for the authorities. Many thought he was born there while some presumed he had been brought to the country from elsewhere. He might have got separated from his parents and left wandering in the country. To prevent potential inquiries and to provide clarity on Kevin’s unknown background, he was labelled as Anglo-Indian. This identification was employed to safeguard his foster parents from facing unnecessary questioning regarding his origin.
Kevin had certain behavioural traits and physical attributes that set him poles apart from what one might consider the ‘typical Asian’. His appearance leaned more towards European ancestry rather than Indian. His auburn locks, partly straight and partly wavy, often cascaded in a manner implicative of European hairstyles.
The boy’s behaviour exhibited predominantly Continental with a subtle infusion of Indianness, creating a captivating blend of cultures. However, there was one aspect in which Kevin differed from his European peers: his height. He stood a little shorter than the average British or Scottish child of the same age. This difference in stature in his case might be due to the complex interplay of genetics and the unknown ethnicity.
Nevertheless, the boy was incredibly handsome and his remarkable talents combined with charming personality made him a memorable presence in the community.
Unfortunately, nothing much was revealed at the beginning about his childhood days or parentage as he rarely spoke about those matters in public. What people of Stourbrook and other places later came to know was that he had been adopted and nurtured by an Indian gentleman based in Manchester, a figure of distinction and a noted businessman. This gentleman, who was referred to as Mr Balbir Saxena, had shouldered the responsibility of providing for the boy’s basic needs, ensuring he had a roof over his head and food on his plate.
What truly set Kevin apart was his extraordinary ability to secure scholarships at every school he attended. It was as if he possessed a unique gift for academic excellence, allowing him to earn these endowments effortlessly. His education, thus seemed, was never a heavy financial burden for the gentleman who cared for him.
In the year 1993, at the tender age of thirteen and a half, this extraordinary boy was sent from Manchester to the beautiful town of Stourbrook in Kent, the Garden County of England to complete his high school. It was unclear why the young boy was sent to a town so far away from his foster parents for studies. Nevertheless, his arrival in the town caused quite a stir after his introduction to the school and the community.
The town was in the midst of the monsoon season on the day he arrived there. It was raining profusely. However, it was not enough to dampen the spirit of this boy.
Wearing a new and neatly pressed uniform and accompanied by Mr Chirag Batra, the secretary of Mr Saxena, Kevin headed for his school to meet the Principal. As he reached the gate of the institution, he peered through the glass window of the car to get a glimpse of the premises.
I hope this school turns out to be better than the last one, he thought. He never liked his previous boarding school at Derby. It was large, with dark gloomy corridors and strict teachers who put importance more on textbook education rather than extracurricular activities.
The new school premises looked quite inviting to him. The building was old, large and yet welcoming with long panelled glass windows that reached almost the ceilings. It had a large open ground in the front, its grass neatly trimmed. Both sides of the pathway were adorned with a few ash trees, short well-groomed bushes of hydrangea and white-coloured benches for sitting.
This school building was distinctly divided into two separate wings. One side housed the secondary education sections, which encompassed Year 7 through Year 11, catering to students aged 11 to 16. The other part of the school was dedicated to the Sixth Form College, where high school students, older and more mature, engaged in their final years of secondary education.
The school had not started yet. A few students were still seen hurrying down the pathway at the last moment before the final bell rang.
I wonder if I’ll be able to fit in and make new friends here, Kevin felt a little twinge in his stomach.
The unfamiliarity of the new school, the new faces he would encounter, and the challenges of fitting in the new peer circle – all roused a sense of anxiousness in his mind. The boy was transferred to different schools several times in the past. With constantly facing new classmates who were always older than him, teachers, people to befriend, and an environment to adapt to, he felt stressed all the time. Being an orphan he felt lonely and longed for belongingness to a steady group of friends which he lacked.
‘Kevin, you better hurry up. Principal Anderson is waiting for you. This is your first day here and I want no trouble,’ Mr. Batra said sternly. This huge bearded man always sounded serious because his responsibility lay in taking care of the well-being of the boy.
Kevin stepped out of the car with a lot of excitement and anticipation. Mr. Batra was already out and he was holding an umbrella over the boy lest he got drenched.
The boy jogged alongside the towering, burly man, struggling to keep pace with his long strides. Though Kevin was always punctual, that day was his first day in the new school. He didn’t want to be late even by a second.
As Kevin made his way towards the office, he couldn’t help but notice the puzzled looks of a few students who were racing towards their classes.
Sixteen-year-old Samuel Wright, the Prefect of the school, Robert Bell, and Nori Baker, three friends, couldn’t help but pause and exchange curious glances with each other. They were astonished to see a dignified-looking boy being escorted to the office of the Principal.
‘Did you notice that new kid?’ Samuel, popularly known as Sam, whispered to Robert and Nori.
‘Yeah, hard to miss him. Looks like he’s from some important family, the way he’s being escorted,’ Robert, nicknamed Bob said, raising his eyebrows.
‘Guess what? The Principal was talking about a new special student joining our squad. I bet that bloke we just spotted fits the bill,’ Sam clued to his friends.
‘Has he told you about his speciality?’ asked Bob.
‘No. Maybe he’s from abroad or something,’ Sam said, lowering his voice.
‘I think he’s some kind of celebrity kid,’ said Nori. ‘Look how impressive he looks. Definitely a head turner.’
‘Let’s go to our class and inform the others that we’re going to have a VIP progeny in our school,’ Bob chuckled.
All three boys increased their pace and headed straight for their respective destinations, unable to hold their excitement and curiosity. Little did they know that the new boy’s arrival would indeed bring some unexpected twists to their otherwise ordinary school days as well as life.
© 2025 Panurge Publications. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of Panurge Publications, even in the case of brief quotations for review purposes. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission is strictly prohibited.