The Alien Within

Suddenly, the starter gun fired. The athletes shot forward as if pulled by invisible strings, their legs pumping furiously against the track. The stadium erupted into cheers, and the race was on.

The moment the starter gun fired, Bridget shot forward like a bullet, her legs pumping with a ferocity that sent dust flying. The crowd erupted in cheers, especially the Fiver Academy fans. They were eating up every second of her performance as she waved to them mid-race, her face stretched into a smug grin.

"Too easy!" she shouted, turning her head slightly as if to mock the others still far behind her.

The Fiver fans were losing it. They cheered so loudly that it nearly drowned out the entire stadium. "Where's your beast now?!" one Fiver fan shouted toward the Riverdale section.

Another yelled, "Tessa who? It's all Bridget, baby! This race is already over!"

Riverdale fans, though, stood firm, arms crossed, smug smirks plastered across their faces. There was no panic. No concern.

They didn't even flinch as Bridget took the lead. Instead, they looked at one another with knowing smiles.

Oxlade, Riverdale's loudest supporter, shouted back, "Oh, you lot think this is funny? Just wait... Bridget's show's about to end. Don't say we didn't warn ya!" He folded his arms, nodding confidently like he knew a secret the rest of the world hadn't been clued in on.

"She's just warming up, trust me," one Riverdale fan added with a chuckle.

The Fiver fans were puzzled. How could Riverdale fans be so calm when their girl was miles behind Bridget?

Tessa, meanwhile, kept pace easily, her feet barely seeming to touch the track as she ran. To the casual observer, it looked like she was lagging just slightly behind the leaders, but in reality, she was simply holding back, letting them have their moment.

Her movements were smooth, effortless, and as she ran, she took in the world around her—the roar of the crowd, the feel of the air rushing past her, the vibrant greens of the grass lining the track.

--

In the VIP section, James watched with narrowed eyes, his father beside him. His mood had soured the moment Tessa took her place on the track. He hated her smug calm, the way she seemed to think she was untouchable. And worse, he hated the way Adrian always seemed to be at her side, as if they were some unstoppable duo.

"Are you paying attention, James?" Mr. Rudbick asked, his voice smooth but with an undercurrent of something darker.

James grumbled, eyes glued to the race. "Yeah, I'm watching. She's not that great."

Mr. Rudbick raised an eyebrow but said nothing more. His gaze remained locked on Tessa, a calculating look in his eyes. He hadn't come to this event just to watch a race.

--

Back on the track, the race reached the halfway point, and Bridget was still in the lead, but the gap between her and the others was closing. She could feel Tessa's presence behind her, a shadow that refused to disappear.

Sweat trickled down her forehead, and for the first time, a flicker of doubt crossed her mind. What if Tessa really was the beast everyone said she was?

As they rounded the final bend, the crowd's cheering reached an ear-splitting volume. Tessa, still holding back, felt the ground beneath her shift ever so slightly as her body hummed with the anticipation of letting loose.

Bridget was straining now, her breath labored, but she was still ahead—barely.

And then, with the finish line in sight, Tessa decided to show the world just how fast she really was.

-

In a blink, she surged forward, her speed so sudden and so overwhelming that it seemed as if time itself slowed down for everyone else.

The other racers, including Bridget, were left in her dust as Tessa streaked past them, her feet moving faster than anyone could comprehend. The crowd gasped in unison, stunned by the sheer ferocity of her acceleration.

Zoom!

A blur, almost impossible to see, streaked down the track.

Tessa.

She appeared as if out of thin air, blasting past everyone else, including Bridget, in an instant. To the untrained eye, it looked as if she hadn't even been running at all.

One moment, she was behind, and in the next, she was yards ahead.

"Blink and you will miss that...!" The commentators' shocked voice blasted through the speakers.

Bridget blinked, her smug smile dropping as her eyes widened in shock. "What the—" Before she could finish her sentence, Tessa was already gone, a ghost in broad daylight.

Before she could even process what was happening, Tessa had already crossed the finish line, barely breaking a sweat.

The stadium erupted into chaos, the cheers deafening as fans from every school reacted to the unbelievable finish.

"Did you see that?" one fan screamed, clutching his head in disbelief. "She's not human! She's not human!"

"Did… did she just pass me?!" Bridget gasped, her hand still mid-wave.

The Fiver fans, once so sure of their victory, fell silent, their jaws hitting the floor. It was like watching a cheetah chasing a tortoise. No, scratch that—Tessa was faster than anything they'd ever seen.

"WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!"

"TESSA WHO? THAT'S WHO!"

The Riverdale fans erupted in a deafening roar. They had been waiting for this moment, and now that it had arrived, their excitement was impossible to contain. "That's our girl!" Oxlade shouted, almost losing his voice. He slapped his friends on the back, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.

One Riverdale fan turned to a stunned Fiver fan and said with a smirk, "Don't worry, mate, Bridget's still fast... for a jogger."

Another chimed in, "Maybe she should try the 5k walk next time. You know, something more... her speed."

The banter continued as Bridget pushed herself harder, her face flushed with both embarrassment and effort. But no matter how much she tried, it was too late.

Bridget, still reeling, stumbled across the line seconds later, her expression a mixture of shock and fury.

Tessa had unleashed her full speed—faster than sound, faster than anyone could fathom—and now the race was over before it had even really begun.

Oxlade, meanwhile, was standing on his seat, pumping his fists in the air.

"That's right! That's what happens when you mess with the Beast of Riverdale!"

The banter among the students continued, but it was clear that no one could deny what they had just witnessed. Tessa had lived up to her name, and more.

As the crowd continued to roar, Mr. Rudbick leaned over to James, his lips curling into a thin smile. "She's more than you think, James. Far more."

James clenched his fists, his jealousy burning hotter than ever as he watched Tessa celebrate with her teammates. His mind raced with thoughts of revenge, his hatred for her growing with every passing second.

But for now, all anyone could talk about was Tessa—and how she had just broken the internet with her otherworldly speed.

---

In the crowd, Adrian leaned back casually, watching Tessa with a relaxed smile. His confidence in her had never wavered.

"There she goes," he said under his breath, a small, satisfied smirk curling at the corner of his lips.

---

Mr. Thompson, the football coach, had been watching the race with growing excitement. He had always believed in Tessa, but even he hadn't expected her to pull off something so spectacular.

As Tessa zoomed past, leaving Bridget in her dust, Thompson jumped up from his seat, unable to contain himself.

"THAT'S MY GIRL!" he yelled.

In his rush of excitement, he grabbed Ms. Caldwell's hand without thinking. She was equally caught up in the moment, her usual calm demeanor breaking as she laughed at the absurdity of Bridget's downfall.

They stood there, hands clasped, staring out at the track, until the realization hit Thompson like a freight train.

He quickly glanced down at their interlocked hands, his face turning beet red. "Oh... uh... I... I didn't mean—"

Ms. Caldwell smiled kindly, gently pulling her hand away. "It's alright, Mr. Thompson. No harm done." She looked back at the track with a knowing smile. "It was quite the race, after all."

Thompson nodded awkwardly, trying to suppress his embarrassment, but his heart was doing somersaults.

For a second there, he had been bold. And in the midst of it all, his crush on Ms. Caldwell was growing ever more evident, though still, he couldn't quite bring himself to say anything.

---

As Tessa crossed the finish line with ridiculous ease, not even breaking a sweat, the stadium was in chaos.

Riverdale fans were on their feet, chanting her name, while Fiver fans sat in stunned silence. Bridget, panting heavily, could hardly believe what had just happened. She had been so sure of her victory, and now... she was second. To Tessa. To someone who had just treated the race like a casual jog.

"She's a beast!" one of the commentators said into the microphone, his voice barely audible over the crowd. "That... that was not just running, that was something else entirely!"

Tessa, ever the humble athlete, simply waved at the crowd with a soft smile. It wasn't arrogance—she didn't need to boast. The race spoke for itself.

And as the dust settled, one thing became very clear to everyone in the stadium and beyond. Tessa wasn't just fast—she was a force of nature.