After the realization that the power dampening cuffs could actually be hurting them (or at least the theory that they are), Lou hasn’t stopped thinking about it.

It made sense with her original symptoms and Jones’ continuing condition.

But the big question is why. What motivation would their school have to want to hurt them?

Will it affect everyone?

The muzzle made her physically ill in the beginning. She’s better now, though she’s always aware of it when she has to on. Why is she different than Jones?

Humans are too complicated for Lou’s taste. Their motivations could be anything. Animals are much better. They don’t try to hide their intent behind a mask.

There are no bad animals. Just humans’ interpretation of their actions that give some that label.

And Lou has a feeling that some of her classmates are being labeled as bad humans.

“Have you noticed that the muzzles have different colors?” Lou asks Amelia. It’s them and Liam in study hall together. The teacher grading homework at the front and doesn’t really care if they talk. All teachers kind of stopped caring now that they don’t have to deal with the human’s’ powers.

At first, she was so overwhelmed by her emotions and the lack of connection to animals, she hadn’t noticed the colors. Now that her mind is more clear, she sees that her own is bright green like parrot’s feathers.

When she talked to Jones, his was orange.

Amelie lifts her wrist up, and hers is green as well. “I think they told us that the colors don’t mean anything.”

“That could be a lie,” Lou points out. “Humans lie all the time.”

She’s seen it first hand. Humans make up all sorts of reasons to justify the lies, but at the end of the day, they are lies.

“True,” Amelie responds. Lou imagines she is also familiar with lies. Even though Lou doesn’t really care about soulmates, she acknowledges it must be hard to live in a world of soulmates when you don’t have one. When they first met, Amelie was an oyster. Closed off. Almost having to pry anything from her. But when she opened up, there is a beautiful pearl inside. That was always there if you are willing to put in the work.

“It’s most likely to identify the danger level,” Liam’s phone voice says. Lou turns to him and he’s already back to drawing in his sketchbook like he hadn’t spoken at all.

“Danger level?” Lou questions. She knows that the principal thinks they’re potentially harmful, but labeling them based on their abilities, seems kind of far.

Liam taps his pen, counting the magnificent little kitties he’s been doodling. “Jeremiah’s is red. So is Bell, Cross, and Ria. My brother and Roman are yellow,” he says, adding whiskers to one cat.

Both Lou and Amelie stare at him, mouths agape.

They are silent little mice which maybe Liam picked up on because he looks up briefly. “What? It was one of the first things I took in.”

Lou hadn’t even noticed. Though if it isn’t cat shaped, don’t expect her to remember.

“That would make sense. I don’t have powers, so I’m no threat,” Amelie reasons, going along with that explanation. She turns to Lou. “You’re power isn’t a threat at school, so you aren’t either.”

“The rest can be seen as more dangerous or potentially so,” Lou finishes for her.

But what did this have to do with hurting Jones. Sure, knowing what the threat level is of a student is fine and all, but it is hurting them. That’s not a coincidence.

Something in her brain is hatching. Maybe the start of a plan.

“Liam? How do you powers work?” Lou asks. When he doesn’t answer, she taps the table twice.

He raises his head, only slightly. “Pocket dimensions,” he answers, simple and curt.

Just how Lou prefers.

“Could you explain what that means?” Amelie gently questions. At first it appeared like he wasn’t going to answer again, staring at the cats on his page, but then he types in his translator again. “I make places that only I can go.”

“So you couldn’t get into a place that’s locked?” Lou inquires. Amelie raises an eyebrow at that. Lou could almost see her brain working to figure out where she’s getting at. Amelie is a silent but curious type. Catlike.

That’s probably why she’s Lou’s friend.

“I’ve never tried. Usually I use them to get away from people,” Liam answers, his hands moving in a motion that wasn’t exactly fidgeting but wasn’t fully conscious either.

If Lou has that power, she would use it for that exact reason.

Shaking her head, she focuses on her task at paw. There’s got to be someone with a power that can help her. She needs to know more. Because she will not wear this muzzle if they are harming her or her human friends. “What’s Zac’s power again?”

Amelie gives her another quizzical look. Liam pays no mind to the odd questions. “Tracking evasion. Which he tells me it means he doesn’t get caught,” he replies.

“What are you planning?” Amelie asks, voicing her confusion.

“I think it’s time we know what these muzzles do to us,” Lou reveals. Her plan coming out of its shell. Her human friend tilts her head like a puppy that didn’t understand. “Do to us? Apart from suppressing soulmate powers?”

Lou blinks and she is brought back to seeing Jones on the stairs, hunched over, unwell. The friend that understands her connection to animals the most. He doesn’t gawk at her animal friends or think she’s weird for liking animals for than humans. He just gets her. “Jones is sick. From the cuffs. I think I was too in the beginning.”

“So what are you suggesting? That we break into the school after hours and magically find information that explains this all?” Amelie questions in a tone that makes Lou think she actually doesn’t think she’s suggesting that. Amelie knows Lou well enough that she knows Lou isn’t joking. Because she doesn’t joke about her friends, humans or animals.

“Yes,” Lou simply says.

“Ria,” Liam says. Both Lou and Amelie look over to him. He is doodling more details around the cats now, a window to the outside being added. It is quite nice in Lou’s opinion.

At first, Lou wasn’t sure what he meant. But then she connected the dots in her head.

“He’s right. Her power could help in case we get caught. She could warp memories like we weren’t even there,” she explains.

It is coming together like a harmonious habitat. Each creature having a part in this. She needs Zac, Ria, and Liam. Possibly the others if they would agree.

She needs to do this. For Jones.

Amelie swivels her head to glance at Liam and then to Lou as if she is processing everything. It goes like that for a long moment before Amelie breaks the silence.

“Ok. I’m in.”

——— (Any time I have that Liam said anything, I am referring to his phone voice/translator.)

The new teacher, Dalos has something special, the rumors said. I have decided to seek the hidden truth of this myth. “Mr. Dalos, may I ask you a question?” I politely asked Mr. Dalos. “Yes, what is it?” He replied to my request. “Rumors said you have something peculiar, what is it?” I asked straight forwardly. “That was entirely false, what can I have that is peculiar?” he said directly, but I can sense a bit of hesitation before he answered my question. “Is that so?” I said, “your coworkers don’t seem to agree with that statement though”. Then Mr. Hanson came out of the corner of the room, “Dalos, I know you are hiding something cool, what is it? Come on tell us”. Mr. Dalos face went from friendly to hideous, “you all want to know it so bad?” He said with a creepy tone.

“Hundreds of years ago, the world largest empire, Jegodi, kept a powerful relic inside an ancient, secured fortress, their descendants continuesly kept it hidden well even after the empire fallen” Mr. Dalos said, like he is telling a tale. “Wait what does that have to do with you?” I interrupted his story “don’t tell me that you’re the descendent of the one who kept the relic safe”. Mr. Dalos chuckled, “of course not, I simply stole it from them”.

“Does that mean you’re a sneaky, little thief then?” Mr. Hanson said while being baffled by what he just heard. “Used to be one, but I’m no longer a theif, I have a proper job now” Mr. Dalos clarified. “What does the ancient relic do then? Can it zap people to ashes?” I curiously asked Mr. Dalos. “Nah, it can only summon some fruits from nearby places, I suppose it’s considered powerful during that time, it appear to be like infinite foods, it probably deceived the people at that time to believe it summon food out of no where” Mr. Dalos interpreted to both of us.

It's highly unlikely that he's an alien sent by the Mars government to spy on us. I’ve already scratched that one off the list ‘cause I’d totally know if there was an alien around me.

He’s probably not a zombie either. Definitely not a superhero.

After scratching nearly every possibility off the list, I’m starting to think that he’s just weird, unusual, peculiar.

He’s not normal. He wears his glasses without the lenses, two different colored shoes, and he only eats carrots. Sometimes he’ll be in the middle of a lesson and just whip a carrot out of his pocket and start eating it.

I’m not usually a judgmental person, but there are some things you just keep to yourself. Like, who clips their toenails in class, takes off their socks, and watches Star Wars on the big screen?

It's not just me who thinks he's a bit odd. Everyone's talking about him. They're all like, "Hey, have you seen Mr. Whats-his-name? He's so weird. I don't even think he's a legit teacher."

And I've had enough of it. So, I've decided to tell him straight up. I'll just walk up to him and ask, "What's up with you?"

He looks and me like I’m crazy and replies, "Excuse me?"

"Why do you act so weird?"

"Aren't you supposed to be at lunch right now?"

"Don't dodge the question."

"If I may remind you, I'm the teacher here, and I can send you to detention faster than you can count to three. But since you asked nicely, I'll tell you. I'm not weird."

"That's a lie. Why are you trying to act like you're not the weirdest teacher in the whole school? You wear long socks with short ones, you wear a fake mustache... You're just... different."

"You know about my mustache?"

I simply stare at him.

"Alright, listen, kid... I'm just being myself. You know what I think? Every teacher in this school is pretending to be someone they're not. In a way, you should be grateful to me for showing you how to embrace your true self."

"Really? So you're not some alien or anything?"

"I wish. That would make me a lot cooler, right?

I burst into laughter. "I guess so. Sorry for talking about your mustache.”

He swiftly removes the mustache and winks at me. "Thought I had you fooled. You're quite clever."

My name is boy and i was 15 at the time this happened it started 7 years ago the class had a new teacher Mr. calypso i had to say it was a funny name but my friend Miles has a dog with that name so i thought it was not that big of a deal the teacher opened the door and talked to the class in a loud but calm voice ‘’alright today is Thursday and the school ends at 2:15 so it is 8:34 and i will play a history video about a black hole that is 4 hours long so listen up’’ i was not in the mood to stay here in my chair for 4 hours but to get passed the time i will just watch it and eat candy corn and i fell asleep in class and it was night then when i looked out of the window i saw something close to impossible i saw a black hole but it was not sucking up the school then i woke up to the sound of my alarm bell ringing then i saw a Sign that said on Mr. calypso,s disk it said if you fall asleep in my class the punishment will be a slap on the behind with a ruler then the teacher stood in front of me when he was going to slap me with the ruler i back flipped out of my chair and when he hit my chair it left a big crack on it and i made a run for it then when i left the class there were 2 things that scared me class started at 8:34 and i was asleep for 5 hours but the time now is 8:34 and 2 I saw the same black hole from my dreams and i started flying towards it when i saw the most scariest thing in the world that gave me the chills running down my spine i saw a giant head above the black hole it had red skin yellow sharps teeth with horns on its head but its eyes had rainbow colors there was a rumor at school that if you see someone or something that has rainbow eyes that is the solar blood bath miles said that it is a she and a him and it can control space-time the growth of the universe and even the end of the universe itself and everything went black and i was in space but i could breath and float i only saw earth the sun moon no stars no galaxy,s no nothing just the moon earth and sun nothing more and nothing less and a portal just spawned in the middle of the earth and i got sucked it and i woke up and i looked into the black hole where the sun should be and haft of the moon then i got a star for breakfast and M R / mars water.

My name is boy and i was 15 at the time this happened it started 7 years ago the class had a new teacher Mr. calypso i had to say it was a funny name but my friend Miles has a dog with that name so i thought it was not that big of a deal the teacher opened the door and talked to the class in a loud but calm voice ‘’alright today is Thursday and the school ends at 2:15 so it is 8:34 and i will play a history video about a black hole that is 4 hours long so listen up’’ i was not in the mood to stay here in my chair for 4 hours but to get passed the time i will just watch it and eat candy corn and i fell asleep in class and it was night then when i looked out of the window i saw something close to impossible i saw a black hole but it was not sucking up the school then i woke up to the sound of my alarm bell ringing then i saw a Sign that said on Mr. calypso,s disk it said if you fall asleep in my class the punishment will be a slap on the behind with a ruler then the teacher stood in front of me when he was going to slap me with the ruler i back flipped out of my chair and when he hit my chair it left a big crack on it and i made a run for it then when i left the class there were 2 things that scared me class started at 8:34 and i was asleep for 5 hours but the time now is 8:34 and 2 I saw the same black hole from my dreams and i started flying towards it when i saw the most scariest thing in the world that gave me the chills running down my spine i saw a giant head above the black hole it had red skin yellow sharps teeth with horns on its head but its eyes had rainbow colors there was a rumor at school that if you see someone or something that has rainbow eyes that is the solar blood bath miles said that it is a she and a him and it can control space-time the growth of the universe and even the end of the universe itself and everything went black and i was in space but i could breath and float i only saw earth the sun moon no stars no galaxy,s no nothing just the moon earth and sun nothing more and nothing less and a portal just spawned in the middle of the earth and i got sucked it and i woke up and i looked into the black hole where the sun should be and haft of the moon then i got a star for breakfast and M R / mars water.

Katya: As we built our relationship, Elijah became more and more protective. He also became a lot more secretive. I knew he was hiding something and I was determined to get to the bottom of it. I’d been spending so much time occupied by spying on him, that I hadn’t realized when my grades started to slip. When I first noticed, I was quick to get on top of my assignments. However, as it went on, I found myself using my grades as an excuse to see him more. He would help me with reports and he would bump up my marks for his class, of course. In exchange, I would come over to his place a few times a week. It sort of turned into a routine for me. I continued to blow off plans with my friends, and missed study hours. I really thought it would be more worth it to work on this relationship.

Things between us went pretty smoothly for a while after then, until the day that the Marilyn incident occurred. Marilyn came into the classroom wearing a tight, red dress covered in bright flowers. She was smiling and humming a familiar tune. I’d been friends with Marilyn since the start of high school, but we talked less and less these days. About a month ago, she’d come to me telling me about her newest infatuation. She was always the type of girl to sleep around, but not necessarily in a slutty way. She truly got to know people, but she would hook up with them, and then drop them. Although that seems like a bitchy thing to do, it’s not the way anyone saw it. She wouldn’t be sleeping around with multiple people in the same friend group, and she usually only had one new boyfriend a month. She came to me to tell me how much she liked her new guy. He was dark and handsome, as well as well educated. She liked that in a man. The ways she described him reminded me of Elijah. I pushed that thought aside. If he was seeing someone other than me, I would’ve found out by now, right? I asked myself. As skeptical as I was about his loyalty, I chose to believe him; but not for long. He and I were discussing evening plans one day in his classroom. “Maybe we could go see a movie,” I suggested. “Or… you could come over to my place…” He grinned. “It seems like we’ve been going over to your place a lot,” I complained. “I thought we were trying to build an actual relationship here,” I added. “Come on Marilyn, you know how much fun we have together,” He said. My face dropped. There’s no way he just said that, I thought. “Marilyn?” I asked harshly. “Did you just call me Marilyn?” “No. I mean, yes, but-” “Did you just happen to get us confused?” I asked sharply. “Don’t you think you’re being a tad irrational?” He replied. “Irrational?! God you are such a fucking hypocrite, Elijah. You told me that we couldn’t be together because I’m your student, yet you proceeded to date god knows how many students. You sure love to call other people out for everything, when the only person who is truly to blame is you. “You didn’t even give me a chance to explain,” He whined. “Go ahead. Explain.” “You see, Marilyn has been needing some extra help with the novel study, and I generously offered,” He explained. He’s bullshitting me, I thought. He spends so much time with me, he’d never have extra time to help out another student. Plus, Marilyn is super smart, it’s hard to believe that she’s falling behind. “Okay, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that,” I lied. “I think I’ve just been a bit on edge lately. I believe you.” “Thank you. I know I’ve done some things before that might’ve led you to be suspicious, but I promise you’re the only girl for me,” He smiled. I knew he was lying. I was doubtful of his commitment to me since the beginning. In hopes to catch him in the act, I dropped all of my community service, and other extracurriculars. I would stop at nothing to prove once and for all what a cheating scumbag he was. The next week, I told Elijah that I was going to be out of town for a few days. It was the perfect chance to catch him when he thought there was no chance of being caught. I skipped out of school those few days, following him home in the evening. There was a new girl at his doorstep every night. Sometimes there were multiple per night! I knew he was cheating, but not like this. Every night I would take new pictures and videos of him with the girls. I needed blackmail if I was going to make sure that I was his only girl. I also needed to make sure that I kept calm, because otherwise I would end up ruining the whole thing. Unfortunately, on the final night of my plan, Marilyn showed up at his doorstep. Despite everything I did to control myself, an inexplicable anger came over me. I was practically pulling my hair out with hatred. I opened and slammed the car door behind me, as I rushed towards Elijah’s front door. I swung the door open with outrage. “Elijah! You shitbag! I know which whore is in the house tonight!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. He sprung up off his couch. He was fully undressed, and so was Marilyn. “I knew you couldn’t change! I knew I wasn’t the only girl!” “Calm down!” He shouted. “No! You do not get to tell me what to do after I gave everything to you. I knew you were a bad guy, but I thought that you’d at least care about me enough not to cheat on me. Especially after I forgave you for everything before,” I cried. He shook his head in disbelief. I don’t think he ever expected me to find out about this. He got dressed and sent Marilyn away as I waited with my arms crossed. I was tapping my foot with irritation and impatience. “Okay, I’m ready, let’s talk,” He said. “I don’t want to talk to you,” I replied coldly. “If you don’t want to talk, then why are you still waiting here?” “Look Elijah, you really hurt me. There’s nothing you can do or say to make me forgive you. I may have been naive before, but I’m not prepared to risk everything for you anymore. I’m done with this,” I told him. He snickered and scoffed with disbelief. “You don’t get it, do you? You may think that you aren’t a naive little girl, but I know the truth. I used you, Katya. I used you, and it was easy,” He laughed. “You cut out half your friends for me. Your grades dropped in an instance for me. Trust me when I say, I changed you so much. You used to at least have a chance at a future, but now, you have nothing. You don’t even have me. Now, after everything I’ve put you through, there will always be a part of you that wishes you had me. Your reputation and life is ruined forever, but before you know it, you’ll be begging to have me back,” He said. I feel sick. I feel so sick over him. Nauseous, yet lovesick, I thought. I ran away from him, fast. I got in my car and drove straight home. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to think that everything he said was just lies he used to manipulate me, but I wasn’t sure. I did turn my life upside down for him. I did spend all my time with him instead of friends. I put my grades at stake all because I wanted a boy to like me. When I got home, I ran inside and hugged my Mom. Tears were streaming down my face as I let out whines and shrieks. My parents both gave each other worried looks. They had no idea what was going on. I cried and cried for hours, but didn’t say a thing. I sobbed in the darkness of my room until I fell asleep that night.

The next morning, I woke up and headed downstairs. I sat by the kitchen island, sipping hot tea. “Morning honey,” My Mom said sweetly. I nodded and smiled at her. “A letter came for you… from Princeton. All of the sudden, my face lit up. This could be it, I thought. I may have gotten into my dream school! Nothing from high school would matter anymore if I got in. I enthusiastically tore open the envelope, revealing a letter addressed to me. Ms. Tyson, we regret to inform you that we do not have a place for you at Princeton the following year. You have a very competitive application, but ultimately, you have lacked many requirements in community service and extracurriculars this year. Our committee also received letters from a few of your teachers, saying that you have shown a strong decrease in your grades this semester. Thank you for your application. I was completely devastated. Everything I’d ever dreamed of had just gone up in flames. I was so preoccupied with Elijah, that I had ruined my chances at college. That’s what he was talking about yesterday. He knew that I started cutting back on school in order to turn my attention to him. The worst part about it, was that it had been entirely my choice. I broke down in tears. Tears of sadness sure, but mostly shame. I walked into school with confidence. After everything that Elijah put me through, I had learned a valuable lesson. Never throw your life away for a guy. In exchange, I planned on teaching him an even more valuable lesson. “Principal Carter, I have something important to talk to you about.” I hope he learned to never put your secrets into the hands of a girl.

Elijah: I really did mean it when I said it. I swear! I wanted to change for her. I was absolutely mesmerized by her, and I could never completely cut myself off from her. I also didn’t want to cut myself off from the other students. I was really into all of them. As much as I truly liked Katya, I didn’t want to give up the other hook-ups. I was in my 20’s, what was I supposed to be doing? Honestly, I really didn’t want to lose my job, and if being in a relationship with Katya was all it took to keep it, then it was a small price to pay. All I needed to do was be with her until graduation. By then, she would never dare turn on me, and she’d be fully devoted to college. She might be so devoted in fact, that she might have even broken the relationship off herself. It was a perfect plan. I didn’t think anything could get in the way. That evening, I was seeing my newest hook-up, Layla. She was a hot blonde with an unbelievably amazing sense of style. She was also one of the smartest girls in 12th grade, aside from Katya. What can I say? I’m into smart chicks. We were just hanging out on the couch in my room, having a middle school level make-out, when I heard a knock at the door. “Stay here,” I told Layla. She nodded obediently. When I got to the door, I looked through my peep-hole to see Katya standing on the front porch. She was holding a pie or something. I told her earlier that I was going to be home grading papers all night, so I had no excuse. I opened the door. “Hello Elijah,” She said sweetly. She leaned in for a quick kiss. Her lips were soft, and smelled like cherry lip balm. “Hey Katya! It’s good to see you. I’m glad you came. I just wished I would’ve known so I had a chance to tidy up,” I chuckled. “Come on in.” “Thanks, she said.” I walked her in, and led her to the kitchen. I turned on the oven to heat up the pie she brought. “Oh, by the way,” I started. “I have my step-sister here, she was just about to leave, but she swung by to grab something. I’m going to check on her quickly.” “Oh, okay,” She said, seeming a bit surprised. I headed to the room, where I found Layla on the bed, wearing nothing but her black, lace underwear. I was a bit startled to be honest. “Layla…” “Yes, Elijah?” She asked seductively. “I have company over. I completely forgot that I’m having dinner with my step-sister. I’m so sorry, but you’ll have to leave.” “Are you sure that you can’t just ask her to leave?” Layla asked me as she grabbed the end of my tie. I gulped. “Layla… as much as I’d like you to stay, we’ve canceled on each other 2 times already,” I lied. “Fine,” She grunted. She got dressed and swiftly left; no questions asked. Finally I sat beside Katya on the dining table to eat pie. Thank god I got away with it.

Katya: I ran home and headed straight to my room. I cried and cried, as I felt my nose start to stuff up. I can’t believe him, I thought. After all the back and forth, now he wants things to be over. He was the one pursuing me the entire time. God, how horrid can you treat someone? I could report him. No. I could never say that someone took advantage of me. I’m too smart for that. I chose for this to happen. I thought about the moments we had together. I thought of the feelings I had around him. I hadn’t been able to control myself around him, and he knew it. That’s what he’d used to put me in such a vulnerable position. I wasn’t going to let him get away with it. There had to be something I could use to get revenge. Everyone has secrets, I just needed to find out his. I spent the following weeks keeping a close eye on him. Of course school came first, but I made sure that I was always aware of my surroundings. Every day before I left, I would peep my head into his class, just to make sure he wasn’t doing anything suspicious. It’s not like I expected to find anything out, but it couldn’t hurt to try. Every time I saw his face I wanted to scream. It angered me the most that everyone around me was so charmed and impressed by him. Eventually, I grew tired of the same pointless routine. If I wanted to find some dirt on Elijah, I would have to take it up a notch. So, one day after school, I waited for him to leave. I first broke into his classroom, but found nothing useful in his desk. I’m about to make a big mistake, aren’t I? I thought. I quickly ran behind the school, where I found Elijah pulling out of the teachers parking lot. I borrowed my parents car today for a reason. I ran to my car, and drove quickly to follow him. I didn’t even put my seatbelt on! I was super paranoid, and for a good reason. This had gone really far—too far. Nevertheless, I was determined to find a reason to make him feel how he made me feel. When I noticed him slowing down, I parked the car immediately. It wasn’t far away, but I was far enough not to be noticed. He casually walked inside. I could see the lights turn on, and he went and sat in the dining room. I sat in the car outside for hours. I was waiting for something to happen; anything. I felt pretty guilty about what I was doing, but I tried to keep thinking of the reason behind it. He was my teacher, and he constrained me. The whole situation felt very selcouth to me, like I was in an out of body experience. Like I was looking down at someone else’s life, but not mine. The old me would never have been this obsessed with a guy. I shouldn’t have come here. What was I thinking? I was about to leave since I was so embarrassed, but then I noticed a shadow across the street. It had grown quite dark by now, so it was hard to make out her face. The girl headed up Elijah’s driveway, slowly. She seemed to be sneaking in the door. Oh my god. This is it, I thought. Someone is here! Someone is coming to see Elijah! I got out of the car very quickly and silently. I tried not to draw any attention to myself, but I was secretly wishing that he noticed me so that he knew that I could see everything he was about to do. As I approached, I saw him kissing the girl. That awful bastard! I knew he didn’t want to date me because I was his student, but I thought he’d take longer than a few weeks to move on. All I’m doing is torturing myself by watching this, I thought. But then I noticed something peculiar. The girl looked extremely familiar. Is she another teacher or something? I wondered. “Oh my god!” I screamed. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!” Elijah came running outside to see what all of the commotion was. “Katya? What are you doing here?” He called. “No!” I yelled. “What are you doing here? Another student, that’s what!” “Katya, I can explain. Please just let me explain,” He begged me. “You told me what we were doing was wrong! You said that being with me would be a mistake. You’re such a dirty, little liar! So, tell me, how many girls in the school are banging?” “Katya-” “Surely it wasn’t just this chick and me. Who is this chick anyway? Tell her to come on out here,” I laughed. The girl came out, you could tell she was nervous. When I saw who she was, I was speechless. It was Diana! My friend that gave me love advice! “Diana…” I trailed off. “Katya, I had no idea that he was the guy you were talking about on the bus. I’m so sorry,” She told me. I couldn’t handle any more of this situation. I walked away angrily. I had just put my fingers on the car door handle when Diana ran after me. “If I would have known, Katya, I swear, I would have never-” “You’re a little slut!” I yelled, then drove off.

The next morning I went to school. I was determined to solve this problem once and for all. I walked straight to the principal’s office, but Elijah came in between me and the door. “What do you think you’re doing?” He asked. “I’m ending this mess,” I grunted. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” He warned. “Are you threatening me?” I asked him, as I crossed my arms. “Look, Katya, please hear me out,” He pleaded. I stopped and thought for a minute. “Fine. Let’s go to your classroom and talk. If I decide to turn you in anyway, there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” In his classroom, he tried to tell me how much he loved me. Anyone would be able to tell how much I hated listening to this. I knew that every word that came out of his mouth was a lie. He proceeded to explain everything to me, like I was that naive. I wonder if he can tell that this isn’t working on me? I thought blissfully to myself. I was half trying to tune out his voice. I thought nothing he said would ever make me change my mind. Little did I know, I was wrong. “Listen to me, please Katya!” “You can call me Ms. Tyson,” I said bitterly. “I love you. I know that I hurt you, but I didn’t know what to do about these feelings. Okay? There’s no way I could’ve possibly hurt you as much as it hurt me to drive you away like that. I would do anything to make it up to you, but there’s no way to forgive and forget unless you try to forgive me. I won’t see other girls. I won’t give up on us again, or turn on you. I promise that I will spend every day trying to love you as much as possible,” He said warmly. It truly surprised me how I just fell into a trance again. It was like the first time I saw him. I could hear the honesty in his voice, and I believed in him. I kept trying to pull myself out of the trance, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to believe him because I didn’t want to get hurt again. Yet the way he had spoken to me had so much power over me. “Okay,” I told him willingly. No matter how much of a mistake this may have been, I was in it for the long-haul. He beamed brightly at me in a way that made me feel less regret. Later that day, I ran into him in the hallway. We gave each other a subtle glance. I wanted to ask him to make plans later, but there were countless people around. I passed him casually, careful not to draw attention to myself. I decided to stop by his house later. If I happened to find another girl there, at least I would know before I was in too deep.

Elijah: I knew that she was special from the very first day. More special than any other girl I’d ever met. I admired how dedicated she was to school, and extracurriculars. You could tell that she didn’t like to fall behind. That’s how I knew that something was wrong when she didn’t show up at school for a week. Of course I immediately clued in that it was my fault. The only thing stopping me from kissing her was—well, her. After she kissed me though, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to restrain myself. I was completely consumed by her. Everything she said, or did, was now something I needed to know about. I tried not to become some kind of creepy stalker, but one search on google led to another, and another. She fascinated me to the highest extent. She did something to me; something inexplicable. After Katya left that day, I sat in my classroom pensively. She had probably already run through every scenario in her head, but I needed to as well. We really aren’t being smart here. Do we really think that this kind of relationship can work? No. I don’t at least. I doubt she thinks this is real anyhow. How naive would she be if she thinks that there’s a possibility of us actually happening? I thought. I can’t bear to tell her that though. I’ll drop some hints, maybe see if she moves on by herself. It broke my heart to think of poor little Katya, crying over someone who didn’t care about her enough to fight for her. Regardless, it wasn’t my job to be her first love, or whatever I was to her. If anything, I’d consider something a little more casual with her. She would never do anything casual with me though. If she was willing to skip out on a week of school just because I almost kissed her, there was no way she’d be able to handle this. Plus, I knew how passionate she was. Anyone who read her writing would know that she looks for the moon and the stars when any guy jumps at her. You could tell she was a dreamer. She was really, really smart, but she let her imagination run wild. It was out of control. The next day, she stayed behind after class. I knew what was going to happen, but I couldn’t let it. Next thing I knew, we were making out on my desk. She sat on my lap, her legs wrapped around and squeezing my waist. “Katya, Katya, stop…” “Are you sure?” She kissed me harder. “Stop,” I said. She got up and combed through her hair with her hands. “What’s going on with you?” She asked me. I knew I should be upfront with her. “Katya, I think what we’re doing here is a mistake,” I started. “I think we should…” “Should what?” She interrupted. “I know what we’re doing is a mistake, but I thought it was a mistake we were making together,” She said angrily. I thought that I should tell her something comforting to calm her down. “Look, I don’t want to ruin your chances at college,” I lied. “No matter how badly I want this relationship, it’s dangerous for both of us. Maybe after you graduate, we can start something… something a little slower; more casual,” I told her. “More casual than making out in your classroom after school?” She yelled. “Shhhh! Someone might hear you,” I warned. “God Elijah, you are such a douchebag. I can’t believe you would use me like this.” “Hey! Let’s not be making accusations here! We can’t let uncontrollable tempers cloud our judgment,” I said in a threatening tone. “It’s over, Katya. I’m sorry, but you just have to deal with it.” She glared at me. She tried to act tough, but it was just a cover. She was really upset and I knew it. The whole thing ended up being worth it anyhow. I wasn’t looking for anything serious, but she expected me to make some kind of commitment. I was just glad that I hadn’t gotten in too deep. “Wow. I can’t believe you right now,” She said. She ran out of the room in tears. For a minute I thought, what if she tells somebody? I could lose my job. But no, there was no way. She has too much pride to ever admit that she was hot for teacher. I grinned and laughed to myself. I was glad that I’d gotten away with it. Now I had much bigger plans…

Katya: I remember the first time I met Mr. Grells. He was my English teacher. I was a naive little 12th grader. I had dark, black hair that fell below my waist, I wore a tight pair of blue jeans, and I had a short-sleeved, lavender top on. But most of all, I had a dream to be in love that I just couldn’t shake. I saw him writing his name on the white board on the first day of school, and I was instantly intrigued. It was the first time in years that I'd gotten a new teacher. I swiftly placed my papers and textbooks on my desk, and walked over to introduce myself. “Hi Mr…” I started. “Mr. Grells,” He told me. “Mr Grells, I’m Katya Tyson, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” I said. “The pleasure is all mine Ms. Tyson” He smiled. I sat down at my desk, and we started the class. I don’t recall most of the things we learned in that class. I was too mesmerized by how beautiful Mr. Grell’s eyes were. He couldn’t be much older than me I thought. He looks 24 maybe. I’m 17, I wonder what he thinks of me. I quickly pushed my thoughts aside. It was ridiculous. He was my teacher, he was a good teacher. There was no way that I’d be willing to jeopardize my chances at University, and his chances at a successful career. I wrote my notes quickly on the sheet, rushing to underline and circle all of the key points. But again, I was in a strange trance, like one you’d experience after reading a good book for a long period of time, or when you leave a movie theater; nothing seemed real. Later on that first day of school, I was heading to my art class, a class I’d been dreading the entire day. I was running a little late, so I was in a hurry. All of a sudden, I crashed into somebody. I fell to the ground, they did too. My papers went flying and so did my art supplies. I saw that the sleeve of their shirt had ripped open, and I winced at the scrape I saw down my own arm. I sat upright, looking toward the person I knocked into. It was Mr. Grells! He had spilled coffee soaking into his white, collared shirt, and his papers had been mixed into the pile with mine. “Mr. Grells, I am so sorry. It was an accident. I was in a hurry,” I quickly apologized. “It’s okay, Katya. I’m as much to blame as you are,” He frowned. “Why don’t I sort through this mess while you head to class. Meet me in my class after school, I’ll give you your papers there,” He suggested. I scrambled to grab my markers and sketchbook. “Thank you so much. I’ll see you later!” I exclaimed. After my art class, where I painted a desert landscape, I rushed to Mr. Grells class. I needed to catch the bus to the library right after school, so I didn’t want to be late. I had many upcoming exams next week, which I hated because school had just started. Regardless, I couldn’t miss the bus, because if I showed up late, I might get kicked out of my study group. People want someone reliable, and being punctual sets a good first impression. I speed-walked down the hall, talking left and rights everywhere. Our school was massive, not filled with students or anything, but it had very large classrooms, as well as several floors. Sometimes it could be difficult to find your way around unless you were exactly sure where you were headed. I was particularly careful not to run into anyone by accident, I definitely didn’t need any more setbacks today. Finally, I found myself outside of Mr. Grells classroom. I was about to open the door. When I suddenly felt my heart beating faster. I took a quick breath, not sure what was going on. I went to open the door again, but I could feel my chest tightening, and I was jittering nervously. I didn’t think much of it, and I forced myself to open the door. I instantly locked eyes with Mr. Grells. “Why hello there Katya. Come on in,” He calmly invited. I walked into his classroom, quietly shutting the door behind me. “I’m just here to pick up my papers,” I said shakily. “You seem out of breath, are you nervous or something?” He chuckled. My face turned bright red. I wasn’t exactly sure what to do. Finally I said, “I’m in a bit of a rush if you don't mind sir.” “Okay,” He replied. “By the way, you don’t have to call me sir,” He added. He handed me my papers. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to Mr. Grells,” I corrected myself. “It’s fine.” I turned around and placed my hand on the door handle to leave. “But I think it’s cute,” He grinned. I left the room, not looking back or reacting at all. I rushed to the bus stop, trying to block out the entire conversation, as it replayed over and over in my head. “Gee Katya, you seem awfully nervous. Did something happen?” Diana asked me. “Uh,” I blushed. “Ohhh,” She exclaimed. “It’s about a boy, isn’t it?” She smiled softly. “No!” I shouted. “Kind of,” I admitted. “Tell me more…” “Well, I. I can’t-I can’t really say,” I tried to explain. “I just-I noticed this teach… I mean, guy today at school, and I talked to him after my art class. He seemed really into me, but I just don’t think it’s right.” “So you’re saying that it’s not a good fit, or it’s a forbidden romance?” She asked curiously. “I’m not exactly sure. But I don’t think I’m going to pursue him anyway.” “Girl!” She yelled. “What?” I asked her. “You have to get out there. You’ve barely dated, and high school is the time to have fun with guys. I say go for it!” She encouraged me. I didn’t say anything for the rest of the bus ride. Anything I said was pointless. I could never, ever try to pursue him. It was wrong, right?

The next day, I felt like I saw Mr. Grells’ face everywhere I looked. Time and time again, I would cringe at myself, wishing I wasn’t such a naive idiot. The whole situation is in my imagination anyway I told myself. He would never pursue me, it’s not in the job description. I had his class for 3rd period, I was nervous, but I knew that there wasn't anything to worry about. I just needed to focus on school. When I came into the class, I took a seat at my regular desk. A few people were chatting for a few minutes while we waited for Mr. Grells. I was reading the Stephen King book Carrie. I had read it a few times in middle school, but I don’t think I could fully comprehend the writing until that year. 

“Good morning class, I’m glad to see you this morning,” Mr Grells said with a smile. I read one last sentence on my page, then put it down to focus on the teacher. “Today, we’re going to be officially starting a novel study. It is traditional to study Shakespeare, but I’d like to take a different approach this semester,” He explained to us. My hand immediately shot up. “Yes, Ms. Tyson?” “Mr. Grells, I thought that it was required to read Shakespeare this year.” I was a bit worried what Mr. Grells was getting us into. “Yes, it is. Next semester, your drama teacher and I will be collaborating to study and put on Romeo and Juliet. But this semester, we’re going to study a piece of literature that’s unique to what you’d normally read. We’re going to spice things up with a little Stephen King. Carrie, to be more specific,” He said as he diverted his glance directly at me. He looked me up and down, grinning as he noticed my book sitting face down on my desk. “It looks like some students are getting a bit of a head start,” He chuckled as he motioned towards me. The entire class turned their heads to look at me. I put on a quick fake smile, but you could tell I was a bit embarrassed. I raised my hand again. “Could I be excused for a minute please?” I asked. He nodded and I stood up to leave my desk. In the hallway, I breathed heavily. My chest was going up and down very quickly, and I could hear my shaky breath. After the interaction I had with Mr. Grells yesterday, it felt very strange that he just so happened to choose the book I was reading for a novel study. Is this really a coincidence? Was everything I thought before actually a reality? What if none of this is in my imagination? I took a deep breath in, still shaking a little. Why am I being so ridiculous? I thought. I decided that I was being paranoid. Or at the very least, I was making things up because I had a little crush on him. I calmly walked back into the classroom, and Mr. Grells started to hand out books. He gave a little smile when he came to my desk, and tapped lightly on my copy of the book. I gave a soft smile back, and looked down at his hand, which begged to be held; I wished I could grab it and hold it close to my heart. For the rest of the week, I just let myself fall into a trance every time I saw him. I would laugh at the little jokes he would make in class, I would find excuses to talk to him after class, and I would look back on playful banter we had. I just fell for him, in every possible way. Every class with him, I would notice something new to like about him, and I think…I think he would notice things about me too. After we’d finished the response questions for chapter 2, Mr. Grells was asking to see many students after class. A lot of people were getting bad marks, and he was reaching out to parents, trying to get them some support. I was confident that I’d be getting a good mark, considering I understood a lot more on the third time reading it. I was able to use things I already knew about the book to discuss possible motivations and troubles that the characters experienced. But one class, Mr. Grells asked to see me after school. After school, when I came into the classroom, he pulled out my response questions, and my face dropped. “Are you okay?” He asked. “I’m just disappointed that I failed the questions,” I said softly. “That’s not why I asked you to come here,” He told me. I looked up, and our eyes locked. “It’s not?” “No. You are an incredible student. These responses were thoroughly detailed, and they used above grade level vocabulary. I was extremely impressed. I asked you here because I want to write a speech about bullying for the upcoming assembly. After marking your responses, I noticed that it seems like you can really understand Carrie, and everything she’s going through. That’s why you’re the perfect student to be making this speech. Coming from you, it’ll sound caring and understanding, and maybe more students will come forward about bullying or other issues that they're experiencing,” He pointed out. “Wow. I’m honored that you’d think of me, Mr. Grells. I can start working on the speech right away. Are there any requirements that I should know about?” He smirked at me. “There is one requirement. We have to work on it together. So we’ll have to spend a lot of time together outside of school.” He came to the other side of the desk, stroking his hand lightly against mine. My eyes widened. I wasn’t making it up. There’s a spark between us. He’s making a move! He pushed my hair behind one ear, and he looked deep into my eyes. He leaned in slowly for a kiss, but I didn’t know what to do. I quickly turned away. Then he turned away with embarrassment. Before either of us could say anything, I ran out of the class, tears streaming down my face. I can’t believe that just happened. Not only had I almost shared a kiss with my teacher, but I wanted to do it. Sure, I was scared of what it could have led to, but I desperately wished to kiss him, and to hold him. If anything was considered a forbidden romance, this was it. As much as I tried and tried to block out every moment with him from my memory, all I could think was what if he wants me this much too? No, I can’t. I can’t do this. It would ruin everything I thought. But it just isn’t fair. All of the people around me get to be in love and happy, but there’s a barrier blocking me from experiencing it too. It’s like I can’t have any breathing room. If I wanted to be with him, really, it would always have to be a secret. Now I find myself stuck in an impossible situation, and I can’t get out because I’m too infatuated with him I thought.

I told my parents that I was sick for the next couple of days. There was no way I could face Mr. Grells after what happened. A part of me knew I was manifesting it, but I knew that it was his fault. It was extremely inappropriate for him to have pursued me that way, he should’ve known better. I mean, he was my teacher for god’s sake. Eventually I would have to face him though. The next week, I decided it was time to go back to school. I had already missed countless assignments, and I needed to tell Mr. Grells to back off. I knew that it was the right thing to do to tell him that there was no chance of us happening; ever. Thus, I headed back to school, where I immediately began drowning in homework and a hungry social life. My study group was in disbelief of how many sessions I’d missed, so I was of course kicked out. My friends felt abandoned, so we were in a fight. I also had teachers telling me that I had to catch up on my assignments by the end of the week, or I’d get zeros. I felt so overwhelmed with stress that I was chewing my fingernails and ripping out my hair. I hadn’t even talked to Mr. Grells yet! When it was time for English class, I slowly walked into class, put my things on my desk, and made my way to the front of Mr. Grells’ classroom. “Katya! Good to see you. How are you feeling? I heard that you were sick,” He said enthusiastically. I gave him a glare of complete disbelief. How is he acting so normal? “Um, yeah, I wasn’t feeling good. I was just wondering if I could speak with you after class?” I asked him while I avoided eye contact. “Sure,” He spoke in a soft voice, suddenly seeming very anxious. Afterwards, when the classroom had cleared out, I got up to chat with Mr. Grells. “Mr. Grells, I think we should talk about what happened last week,” I started. “I don’t know what you were thinking, coming at me like that. I didn’t feel that it was appropriate.” “I know,” He said. “I shouldn’t have ever…” He trailed off and looked me in the eyes. “No matter how amazing I think you are, I know that it was a mistake, and I’m fully willing to admit that. I tried to kiss you. I really, really wanted to kiss you, Katya.” We both looked at each other, but I started to glance at the floor. “You know, nothing can ever happen between us,” I said quietly. “Even if I think you’re a super smart and great guy.” “I know,” He replied. We looked at each other again. This time I didn’t look away. I knew the consequences this would bring, and how many problems would arise. Regardless, I wanted him. I needed him. I took his hand and pulled it around my waist as I put my arms up around his neck. I played with his hair as we silently soaked in this moment. I could tell that he was skeptical of whether or not he was taking advantage, but that’s when I leaned in to kiss him. A million thoughts were racing through my head. What if someone sees us? Is he enjoying this as much as I am? This is crazy, I never should have done this. This feels right though, like I finally have a chance at love. He slid his hands to the sides of my face and held it. I was hugging him with my arms. Suddenly, I turned away. “Are you okay?” He asked me, holding my hand. I dropped it and walked over to my desk. I gathered up my things, and decided to leave the room. “Wait!” He shouted as my hand grasped the door knob. I paused for a moment, then left in a hurry. I knew I couldn’t skip any more school. Even if my parents let me, I knew I wouldn’t be able to catch up. Besides, my grades were more important to me than some guy. If I had to face him in order to be a good student, I was willing to. The next day, as much as it hurt me to be in that god awful building, I went. I was confident that it was the day I got back on track. I started by having discussions with all of my teachers about project extensions, which I got a reasonable amount of time for. Except my history teacher, Mrs. Morris, refused to extend the due date on my report to the next week; she wanted it in by Thursday. I planned on skipping art so that I could work on it. I already finished my painting anyway. As much as I hated to admit it, I was good at art, and it looked good on college applications. I didn’t want to go to English class that day. So badly that I decided to skip out. Well… more or less. I read the next chapter of the book, and I printed off the chapter questions. Even if I didn’t want to see Mr. Grells, I wasn’t going to let him give me a bad mark. I wasn’t anything if not a committed student. I decided after a while that I was being a bit ridiculous, so I decided to go to his class the next day. I got to school bright and early the next day. It was sunny and warm, and the sky was completely covered in pure blue. I was wearing a mint green, strapless dress, which I paired with my signature strappy sandals. My olive skin was glowing in the sun. I felt so confident and beautiful. I especially needed that today because it would be the first time I saw Mr. Grells since I kissed him. English was my first class of the day, so I begrudgingly made my way to the second floor. I came in earlier than anyone else. I wasn’t sure if I subconsciously knew that I should talk to Mr. Grells, or if I was just naturally dedicated to being on time. Nevertheless, the classroom was silent as I read ahead through the book, and Mr. Grells soundlessly marked more assignments. I looked up at him; it was like he was willing me to come. “Mr. Grells, I…” He looked up at me. “I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s okay,” He said, “None of this is your fault. I should have stopped this before it even started,” He explained. “Please… Don’t,” I said back. “I could barely comprehend the idea of us being together, but once that door opened, I couldn’t close it. I think I might be in love with you.” He stared intensely at me, seemingly very confused. “It might be a bit of a stretch, but it was something I had to get off my chest Mr. Grells.” I had no idea what he could be thinking, but I needed to know. “Katya, don’t call me Mr. Grells—call me Elijah,” He declared. I smiled, and nodded at him.