The Alien Within

Chapter 18: Hidden Cameras, Chemistry, and Secrets

The school returned to its usual buzz, though a certain tension lingered. Whispers about the strange construction work and the two injured men floated around, but no one had any clear answers.

Tessa on the other hand felt she was being watched, She had learned to trust her instincts by now, the subtle, heightened awareness that came with being Kaelrian. But this feeling was different. Someone was observing her, not from a distance, but up close.

She could feel it in the way people looked at her, the way whispers followed her down the halls.

She didn't know it yet, but someone had recorded her during the construction site incident.

A shaky, distant phone video captured her movements, the force with which she had hurled one man and injured the other.

The person behind the camera had remained hidden, choosing to stay anonymous for now, but the footage was damning. It wasn't just grainy school gossip—this was evidence of something unnatural.

The uploader had shared it on a private network, and it was only a matter of time before the video made its way to the wrong hands.

But oblivious to this looming threat, Tessa continued to navigate her days at school.

The incident had left her shaken, but something else seemed to distract her now. As much as she wanted to blend in, her abilities kept making her stand out in ways she couldn't control.

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Tessa sat in her usual spot at the back of the chemistry class, looking out the window and wondering what this newfound chaos meant for her.

The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement.

The teacher had decided to host a quiz to prepare the students for the upcoming exams, and everyone was eager to prove themselves. Well, almost everyone.

The chemistry quiz—a fierce competition amongst the students, one that Tessa would no doubt dominate.

But this time, something was different. The air in the classroom felt charged, like a storm waiting to break. As the other students filed in, they couldn't help but glance at Tessa with admiration, awe, and maybe even a bit of fear.

Word about her inhuman reflexes had started to spread, though no one quite knew how to explain what had happened or where this information originated from.

Then there was Adrian.

As calm and collected as ever, he sat across the room, quietly observing her. His deep blue eyes—too deep, too clear—almost glowing under the fluorescent lights of the lab. He was an alien among men, a prodigy not only in football but in any skill he set his mind to. His indifference to most of the human activities around him only heightened his otherworldly presence, making him a mystery everyone wanted to solve.

James, on the other hand, was growing increasingly restless. Though he had momentarily put aside his rivalry with Adrian during the last football match, that quiet cooperation had long since evaporated.

James's feelings for Tessa were no longer just schoolboy infatuation; they had deepened into something more. But every time he thought about getting closer to her, Adrian's figure loomed large, reminding him of the growing gap between them, both on and off the field.

The school bell rang, pulling everyone's attention back to the front of the classroom.

Tessa, seated in her usual spot near the back, tried to remain inconspicuous.

Her mind was still racing from the events of the past few days, but there was no escaping her natural ability when it came to academics.

Ms. Caldwell had always praised her for her intellect, calling her a "beast" in the academic world. Tessa didn't like the attention, but when it came to quizzes or competitions, her instincts kicked in. She couldn't help herself.

The chemistry teacher, Mr. Hartwell, shuffled some papers on his desk and glanced up with a smile. "Alright, everyone, it's time for the quiz. I expect you all to give it your best shot today, though I suspect we already know who'll come out on top."

A few of the students chuckled, all eyes turning toward Tessa, who shifted uncomfortably in her seat. As confident as she was in her abilities, she hated the spotlight. But when it came to academics, something else took over her—something fierce, unstoppable, and borderline terrifying.

Mr. Hartwell began reading the questions aloud, and the atmosphere in the room grew thick with concentration.

"Question one," he said, pacing back and forth. "What is the molecular geometry of sulfur hexafluoride, and why?"

Tessa didn't even blink. "Octahedral. Sulfur hexafluoride has six bonding pairs of electrons arranged around a central sulfur atom with no lone pairs, resulting in an octahedral geometry."

The class was silent. Not because the answer was surprising—it wasn't—but because of how effortlessly Tessa had rattled it off. Mr. Hartwell nodded approvingly.

"Question two," he continued, "What is the first ionization energy of magnesium, and how does it compare to that of sodium?"

Again, Tessa was lightning-fast. "The first ionization energy of magnesium is 737.7 kilojoules per mole. It's higher than that of sodium because magnesium has a greater nuclear charge, holding its electrons more tightly."

James let out a low whistle, shaking his head. "She's not even human at this point," he muttered, half-jokingly. But there was a strange truth to his words that made him shudder.

"Question three," Mr. Hartwell went on. "Can anyone tell me the hybridization of the carbon atoms in ethene?"

Tessa's hand shot up. "sp2 hybridized. In ethene, the carbon atoms form a double bond, and the sp2 hybridization allows for the formation of three sigma bonds and one pi bond."

Mr. Hartwell smiled broadly, but the rest of the class was practically gaping at her now. Even Adrian, who had maintained his aloof expression throughout the quiz, seemed intrigued. His fiery scent—the one that always followed him, like smoke on a breeze—drifted toward Tessa as if acknowledging her prowess.

As the quiz went on, it became less about chemistry and more about the sheer spectacle of watching Tessa dominate. Even the teacher seemed to be enjoying it, throwing increasingly difficult questions her way just to see how quickly she'd answer them.

"Next question," Mr. Hartwell announced, looking more amused than ever. "What is the entropy change when one mole of an ideal gas expands isothermally and reversibly at 298K from a volume of 1.0L to 2.5L?"

Tessa's eyes flickered with excitement—this was the kind of question she lived for. "ΔS = nR ln(V2/V1). Substituting the values, ΔS = 8.314 J/mol·K * ln(2.5/1.0), which gives us approximately 7.88 J/mol·K."

The classroom was dead silent. Mr. Hartwell grinned. "Well done, Tessa. As expected."

Tessa, however, barely registered the applause. Her eyes were drawn to Adrian, who had been watching her intently the entire time.

There was something in his gaze that made her feel… uneasy. Or was it excitement? Either way, it was unfamiliar.

Question after question, her hand shot up, providing correct answers without hesitation. The other students stared in awe as she explained complex chemical reactions and formulas as though they were elementary.

Her shy demeanor vanished when she was in her element, replaced by a calm, fierce determination. She turned her opponents into wooden poles—just like she did in every academic setting.

By the end of the quiz, the class was silent, and the teacher, Mr. Hartwell, was grinning ear to ear. "Well, Tessa, I think it's safe to say you've set the bar incredibly high," he said, clapping his hands together.

The students murmured amongst themselves, shooting glances at Tessa as if she had turned into something otherworldly right before their eyes.

To them, she wasn't just the quiet, mysterious girl anymore. She was a god-like figure, untouchable in her brilliance.

James, who had been sitting a few rows ahead, looked back at her with a mix of admiration and something deeper—something more personal. His competitive edge had always driven him to try and match Adrian on the field, but when it came to Tessa's intellect, there was no competition.

She was on another level, and the more he watched her, the more he realized how much he wanted to be closer to her.

James, noticing the way Adrian was looking at Tessa, felt a surge of possessiveness. He wasn't blind to what was happening. The rivalry between him and Adrian wasn't just about football anymore—it was about Tessa.

And as much as they had worked together on the pitch, here in the classroom, they were on opposite sides.

After the quiz, the students swarmed Tessa, praising her brilliance. Her cheeks flushed red from all the attention.

One by one, they approached her, offering compliments, pats on the back, even awkward hugs. Teachers were no different, fawning over her like she was a goddess descended from the heavens.

Tessa could barely keep up with all the attention, and for someone who preferred to stay under the radar, it was overwhelming.

"Alright, alright, give the girl some space!" Ms. Caldwell stormed in and called out of nowhere, pushing her way through the crowd with a protective smile. She placed a hand on Tessa's shoulder, shooting a glance at the other students. "Let her breathe, for goodness' sake!"

Tessa managed a shy smile, her face burning from both the praise and an emotion she couldn't quite identify. As much as she loved succeeding academically, this was a bit much.

But the overwhelming attention wasn't the only thing making her heart race. Just as the crowd began to disperse, Tessa's phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw a message from James.

"We need to talk. Soon."

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