The Alien Within

Chapter 4: The Collision

Tessa's day could be summerized as an exhausting blur of lectures, whispered suspicions, and the ever-watchful eyes of Mr. Rudbick.

No matter where she went, she could feel him hovering, lurking just out of sight, but always there. Today, though, she was determined to keep her head down and avoid any unnecessary attention. She couldn't stop the fear in her heart towards the ever present Mr Rudbick, who stuck closer than a bee to honey.

She quietly took excuse from Ms Caldwell after her absentminded state was noticed, but as she planned to step out of the classroom, she wasn't aware that a pair of eyes that lingered around was stuck closer to the door. Without knowing about the lurking eavesdropper, she stepped out of the classroom, thinking she could just go to the bathroom and she would be fine afterwards, but the universe had other plans.

The moment she opened the door, she walked straight into him—well, almost.

Mr. Rudbick, standing right by the doorpost like he had been waiting for this exact moment, seemed just as startled as she was.

For a split second, it looked like they were about to collide head-on. Infact, humanly speaking, that should have been the outcome, but... Tessa's instincts kicked in at the last minute, the alien reflexes she worked so hard to suppress leaping to the forefront.

In a heartbeat, she twisted her body, her spine arching at a bizarre and inhuman angle to avoid the impact.

To any onlooker, it would have seemed like an acrobatic feat straight out of a circus. Tessa bent backward as if her torso was made of elastic, her head brushing her knees before she snapped back upright without a second thought. Mr. Rudbick, who had stumbled forward expecting a collision, ended up catching air, his hand awkwardly flailing as he tried to steady himself.

"Woah!" he exclaimed, nearly losing his balance. "What the—?"

Tessa quickly straightened her body as if she was putting finishing touches to an acrobatic dance, her face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger.

She hadn't meant to react so instinctively, but the last thing she wanted was to be touched by him. She had seen his face so many times that she usually has nightmares of him, and yet this relentless man keeps showing himself.

Mr Rudbick, as always, was too close for comfort.

"You alright there?" he asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. There was a smirk playing on his lips, like he'd caught her doing something out of the ordinary, something unexplainable. He reached out as if to touch her, to confirm what he had just witnessed.

But before he could get any closer, Ms. Caldwell appeared like a storm on the horizon. Her heels clacked sharply on the tile floor as she approached, and there was fire in her eyes. She had clearly seen enough. 'This bastard would not just stay away, he just keeps showing his disgusting face!' her thoughts and her emotions were swirling like an impending bomb blast.

"Mr. Rudbick!" she snapped, her voice cutting through the tension like a whip. "What are you doing here again?"

Mr. Rudbick straightened, wiping his smirk off his face but keeping his usual air of self-righteousness. "Just checking in on my son," he said smoothly, but the excuse was weak, and everyone knew it.

"Firstly, your son isn't in this class, To top that off, His class isn't even in this block!" Ms. Caldwell shot back, her arms crossing in front of her chest. She looked like a general ready for battle. "And this is the third time this week I've caught you loitering around this classroom. If you have any concerns, Mr. Rudbick, you should take them up with the administration."

Tessa stood silently, her heart pounding as she watched the exchange. She didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified.

She was inhuman and could do amazing things, but before this man , she felt like a lamb that could be picked for slaughter at any moment.

Ms. Caldwell had always been her protector, but Rudbick was relentless. Every time she thought he would back off, he found a new way to inch closer to the truth.

Last week's track event was an headline event for her. The entire school went crazy when her name was called as the best 'sports girl of the week'. Mr. Rudbick started asking the track meet organizers questions about how fast Tessa was and this caused a lot of eyebrows to be raised. He didn't stop there, he repeatedly spoke crazy words to the proprietor which made the latter a bit suspicious and full of questions. Yet this man is still relentless in his pursuit of his truth.

Mr. Rudbick raised his hands in mock surrender. "I'm just concerned about the safety of the students, Ms. Caldwell. After all, we live in strange times. It's important to be vigilant, don't you think?"

Ms. Caldwell's expression darkened. "Vigilance doesn't mean stalking my classroom, Mr. Rudbick. This behavior is inappropriate, and I will not tolerate it. If you don't leave now, I'll be forced to escalate this to the school proprietor."

There was a long, tense pause. Mr. Rudbick stared at her, his eyes cold and calculating, before finally nodding with a tight-lipped smile. "Of course," he said, stepping back. "I wouldn't want to cause any trouble."

As he turned and walked away, Tessa finally exhaled, feeling like she had been holding her breath the entire time. She had narrowly avoided a disaster, but she knew it wasn't over. Mr. Rudbick wasn't the type to give up easily.

Ms. Caldwell turned to Tessa, her expression softening. "Are you alright?"

Tessa was so lost in her thought that it took her a few seconds to come back to reality. Now she knew the true depths of the human emotion known as 'fear' and how disastrous it was.

Tessa nodded quickly, but her body was still tense, her muscles coiled like springs. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Ms. Caldwell sighed, clearly exasperated. "I've had enough of him," she muttered. "You shouldn't have to deal with this lunatic all the time, Tessa. I'm going straight to the proprietor."

Tessa wanted to argue, to say it wouldn't make a difference, but she bit her tongue. Instead, she offered a weak smile and thanked her teacher before slipping away. As she walked down the hall, she couldn't shake the feeling that things were about to get much worse, like they had just pocked a sleeping tiger.

---

Ms. Caldwell wasted no time. That afternoon, she marched straight into the proprietor's office, she didn't even knock as she rammed though the door like a released bowstring, her heels clicking with purpose. Mr. Hammond, the school's proprietor, was an older man with a thinning patch of gray hair and glasses that seemed too large for his face. He was always the picture of calm and collected professionalism, but today, Ms. Caldwell's fiery energy broke through that usual tranquility.

"Mr. Rudbick has been creeping around my classroom for weeks," Ms. Caldwell said sharply as she stood before Mr. Hammond's desk. "It's becoming disruptive, and frankly, it's inappropriate."

Mr. Hammond adjusted his glasses and blinked up at her, taken aback by her directness. "Mr. Rudbick, you say? The SSG government agent?"

Ms. Caldwell nodded. "Yes, and his behavior is crossing the line. He claims he's here for his son, but he's clearly using that as an excuse to investigate one of my students."

"First, lower your voice Ms Caldwell, please try to regain your calm nature, it is unlike you to be this angry"

Mr. Hammond leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowing. "Is this about Tessa?"

Ms. Caldwell hesitated for a brief moment before nodding again. "It's about Tessa. He's been fixated on her for reasons I don't fully understand, but I believe it has to do with his… work. I'm concerned for her safety, and frankly, for the other students as well. Everyday, he appears by my classroom window like a ghost, I have seen his face more times this week than I have the mirror."

The proprietor was silent for a moment, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. Finally, he nodded. "I'll handle it."

---

True to his word, Mr. Hammond took swift action. The next morning, a formal announcement went out, stating that Mr. Rudbick was no longer permitted to loiter near the classrooms unless he had an explicit, school-approved reason. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

But Tessa knew better. She could sense it in the way Mr. Rudbick looked at her when he caught her passing in the halls—his eyes full of suspicion and quiet anger. He might have been banned from lurking near the classroom, but that wouldn't stop him. He was persistent, and if anything, this would only make him more determined. They have finally pocked the sleeping tiger. If before the tiger was leisurely, now it would be active, and they better be prepared unless they may not have an answer when it decides to strike.