The Alien Within

Chapter 30: "The Taste of Trouble"

After the relay, it was time for the lunch break and for everyone to rest and prepare for upcoming matches.

The lunch break of the Peri inter-region track competition was supposed to be uneventful. The cafeteria bustled with students and teachers grabbing a quick bite, the air filled with the chatter of victories and upcoming races.

However, for James, the mischievous son of Mr. Rudbick, it was the perfect time to satisfy his curiosity. He had noticed something odd about Tessa.

While everyone else had been indulging in school cafeteria food, Tessa always ate the same meal, day in and day out.

She had a special cook who prepared her meals with no salt and under strict instructions. But James didn't know this. And honestly, even if he did, it wouldn't have mattered. Mischief was his middle name, and today, he was in the mood for some playful havoc.

James glanced at Tessa's neatly packed lunch. "Why does she eat the same boring food every day?" he wondered. 'Is she so proud and perfect that, she sees herself as a god and the rest of us have to worship her? What is so great about her, she doesn't even know what true love is, what a waste of space?' Then, an idea popped into his head. He had spotted an identical container earlier—a cafeteria meal that looked exactly like hers.

He smirked, the kind of grin that could only mean trouble. Swiftly, he made the swap, his fingers working fast like a magician pulling off a trick.

Tessa, oblivious to the mischief, returned to her table after some discussion with Mr. Joel, she then grabbed what she thought was her food and took a bite.

It didn't take long. After just a few spoonfuls, her face paled, and she staggered, clutching her stomach.

The room fell silent, like someone had pressed mute on the entire cafeteria.

Then, panic ensued. Tessa collapsed, her breathing becoming rapid and shallow.

"Help! Someone help!" shouted Oxlade, rushing to her side. Ms. Caldwell, who had been sitting with Coach Thompson (who was still floating in a dreamy state from the earlier cheek peck), bolted up and sprinted to where Tessa lay gasping.

"Get the nurse! Call an ambulance!" Coach Thompson screamed, snapping out of his daze.

The medics arrived, but no one knew what had caused it, neither could their medical knowledge prepare them for the anomaly that lay right before their eyes.

Ms. Caldwell, her eyes wild with fear, stayed by Tessa's side, her hands trembling as she held Tessa's limp hand.

The competition ground to a halt. Everyone was trying to figure out what had happened. But one person stood in the shadows, smirking. James!

James didn't know the full story, but he had a pretty good idea. The cafeteria food had done the trick. It had sent Tessa to the hospital, and he was happy about it.

Meanwhile, Adrian had been walking nearby when he heard the commotion. His senses heightened, and within seconds, his alien abilities kicked in.

Adrian's heightened ability allowed him to trace air and sound waves, effectively reading movements from the past, up to 72 hours prior.

His mind filtered through the noise, focusing on Tessa's food, the swap, and the culprit.

James.

Adrian's fists clenched as he felt a surge of anger rush through him. He tracked down James, who was standing smugly by a corner, clearly feeling proud of himself.

Without warning, Adrian moved like a shadow, his alien speed making him appear right in front of James within seconds.

The last thing James saw was Adrian's fist flying towards his face, and the next moment—blackout.

James hit the ground, his face smashed, blood trickling from his nose. He didn't stand a chance.

The force of Adrian's punch sent him straight into a coma. The onlookers gasped in horror, unsure of what had just happened.

"Adrian, NO!" Ms. Caldwell screamed, rushing over just in time to witness the aftermath. She looked horrified. Adrian had never lost his temper like this before, and now, James was lying unconscious, his face a mess of broken bones.

Teachers swarmed in, dragging Adrian back. Mr. Thompson, trying to keep the situation under control, called security, while Mr. Hartwell, the chemistry teacher, looked at Adrian with disbelief.

"This kid just rearranged that boy's face like a chemistry equation gone wrong," he muttered under his breath.

Adrian was immediately taken into custody, and there were talks of expulsion, maybe even jail time. He sat in silence, unbothered by the chaos around him, his thoughts only on Tessa.

Ms. Caldwell, furious and confused, stormed into the room where Adrian was being held.

"Adrian! What on earth were you thinking? Do you realize you might get expelled or worse—jailed—for what you just did?!" she shouted, pacing around the room.

Adrian, calm as ever, explained. "James swapped Tessa's food. I saw it, Ms. Caldwell. I used my abilities to track it. He's the reason she's in the hospital."

Ms. Caldwell stopped dead in her tracks, her anger melting into shock. "Swapped her food?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Adrian nodded. "Tessa's meals are made specifically for her—no salt, no additives. James swapped it for cafeteria food. That's what caused her collapse. I couldn't just let him get away with it."

Ms. Caldwell sat down slowly, her mind racing. She had been so angry at Adrian, but now, it made sense. Of course, no one else would understand what had really happened.

To them, it would seem like Adrian had lost control, but in truth, he had done what he thought was necessary to protect Tessa.

After a long pause, Ms. Caldwell stood up and placed a hand on Adrian's shoulder. "I'll handle it. But you need to be careful next time, Adrian. You can't let your emotions get the best of you."

Adrian nodded, grateful for her understanding. "I'll do better," he promised.

As the news spread, Riverdale Academy was forced to pull out of the upcoming 800-meter and 1500-meter races. Their star athlete, Tessa, was now in the hospital, recovering from the incident. The rest of the students were in shock, and rumors swirled about what had really happened.

Pt 2: "Bloodlines and Betrayals"

The atmosphere around Riverdale Academy had shifted. What had started as an exciting day for the Peri inter-region track competition had spiraled into a mess of drama, danger, and deception.

The stadium was quiet now, with only a few scattered voices murmuring in the aftermath of Tessa's sudden collapse.

Mr. Thompson, who had been hovering near Ms. Caldwell like a loyal knight, was now by her side as they followed the ambulance to the hospital. He was deeply invested in both Ms. Caldwell and the wellbeing of her star student.

Tessa wasn't just any athlete to him; she represented Riverdale's pride, and he couldn't afford to see her in such a fragile state.

The ride to the hospital was tense. Ms. Caldwell had a thousand thoughts racing through her mind, trying to piece together how Tessa could have collapsed so suddenly.

She held onto Tessa's cold hand, her heart sinking. "Hang in there," she whispered. Mr. Thompson, seated nearby, was unusually quiet, his eyes glued to the road ahead, his thoughts torn between Tessa's condition and Ms. Caldwell.

At the hospital, the doctors ran several tests, but the diagnosis was grim: Tessa needed something extraordinary to recover. Her alien biology was reacting violently to the cafeteria food, and normal medicine wouldn't work.

She needed a transfusion, but not just any blood—alien blood. And there was only one person who could provide it.

Adrian.

The problem? Adrian had been asked to leave Riverdale after his brutal altercation with James, and no one knew where he was.

Ms. Caldwell was desperate, her frustration boiling over. She knew Adrian was Tessa's only hope, but she had no way of contacting him.

Meanwhile, back at the school, the news of James' coma had reached Mr. Rudbick. Furious at the state his son was in, he wasted no time.

He summoned every SSG agent he could find, ordering them to track down Adrian and apprehend him, intending to make him pay for what he'd done to James. What Mr. Rudbick didn't know was that Adrian had already being suspended, he was out of sight before the agents could even catch a whiff of his scent.

---

The competition, meanwhile, had fizzled out in Tessa's absence. The once enthusiastic crowd of Riverdale fans had grown quiet, their spirits dampened by the tragic turn of events. While the competition ended officially, it didn't feel like a victory for anyone. Tessa's collapse had left a dark cloud over everything.

In the aftermath, Bridget, Tessa's supposed ally, had been busy with her own agenda. She sent a heartfelt message to Tessa, publicly wishing her a speedy recovery. To everyone's surprise, the message was full of love and concern, and for a moment, the world believed she truly cared.

But Bridget had other plans. The sweet message was nothing but a ruse. As soon as her public display of kindness was done, she took to social media in a different tone, her words sharp and cruel. "How does someone get taken out by their own food?" she wrote, mocking Tessa's collapse. "Maybe it's not her stomach that's weak, but her spirit."

Her words were like gasoline on a fire. Riverdale fans, already on edge, exploded in fury.

The comments section was flooded with insults and brutal comebacks aimed at Bridget. They called her out for her fake concern, labeling her a traitor, and their insults grew nastier with every passing minute.

#BridgetTheBackstabber and #TessaStrong trended within hours, with Riverdale fans fiercely defending their fallen star. Bridget, who had thought she'd get away with her petty insults, found herself on the receiving end of an online storm. It wasn't long before the pressure became too much for her.

What had started as a small joke turned into a tidal wave of abuse that sent Bridget crying, her phone blowing up with notifications of hate-filled messages and threats from Riverdale's die-hard supporters.

---

Meanwhile, Adrian was racing against time. He knew Tessa's condition was critical, and he had to get to her before it was too late. The SSG agents were hunting him down, but he was faster. He had always been faster. The problem wasn't just evading them—it was finding a way to reach Tessa without getting caught in the process.

His mind replayed the events of the day. He could still see the smug look on James' face just before everything went downhill. A mix of anger and guilt swirled in Adrian's chest. He hadn't meant to put Tessa in danger. All he wanted was to protect her, and now, she was the one paying the price for being different.

He needed to find a way to give her his blood. But with the SSG agents breathing down his neck and Mr. Rudbick's wrath looming large, he knew he couldn't just walk into the hospital without a plan.

---

Back at the hospital, Tessa's condition worsened. Ms. Caldwell paced the waiting room, her hands shaking with worry. Mr. Thompson, despite his romantic inclinations, was genuinely concerned, his eyes flickering with hope every time a doctor walked past.

Ms. Caldwell sighed, leaning against the wall. "Adrian has to come. He's her only hope," she muttered.

Mr. Thompson nodded, his usual upbeat demeanor gone. "We'll get him here. We have to."

Outside, the rain started to pour, mirroring the tension inside the hospital. The clock was ticking, and with every passing minute, the situation grew more dire. Would Adrian make it in time, or would Tessa's story end here, not on the track, but in the sterile, unforgiving halls of a hospital?

The fate of Riverdale Academy, and perhaps something far greater, hung in the balance.