Tessa’s POV“Get out of here, Brian. Nobody wants you around,” Ruby hissed to him, narrowing her icy eyes in his direction.“He insisted that we came here,” Amanda, who was leaning against the lockers, said while rolling her eyes.“I just want to talk to—” he began to say until his eyes finally found mine. “Tessa!”I glanced back at the closed door to Joseph’s classroom before looking at Brian with wide and alarmed eyes.“Just let me talk to you for a minute,” Brian said, stumbling towards me.I stared up at him with a frown. I could smell the alcohol on his breath.“Brian, what are you doing here?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest.“I want to explain myself,” he said, lowering his tone. “Tessa, you know I love you more than anything. You were the first girl I’ve ever loved. Don’t throw that away because—”“Because you cheated on me?” I asked, filling in the blanks. “I can’t be with a cheat, Brian.”“I didn’t cheat on you, Tessa!” Brian said desperately. “Amanda was drunk, and
Tessa’s POVHad Joseph just done that to Brian?Brian remained on the other side of the hall, trying to recover from that massive throw. Amanda ran to be by his side, causing Ruby to roll her eyes in annoyance.I couldn’t keep my eyes off Joseph though. He stood with his arms across his chest, staring down the hallway with disinterest on his face.It didn’t make sense that Joseph was able to throw him across the hallway so effortlessly like that. Brian was a big, muscled guy and Joseph had a more proportionate body. However, Joseph was taller than Brian.“Holy hell!” Ruby laughed, clapping her hands together. “That was incredible!”How had I not realized Joseph was nearby in the hallway? His classroom door hadn’t budged the entire time we’d been out here.But maybe with all the commotion a few minutes ago, I didn’t notice him leaving the classroom.“You’ll pay for this!” Brian mumbled as he got back to his feet. He began walking back toward us and for a moment, I feared what he might
Tessa’s POVThe Nightwalker police were wildly known for their “secret” organization. Nobody has ever seen them in person, but we have all heard of them.They handle the most dangerous and unheard-of cases that the normal police can’t handle.Nobody knows who the members of this police organization are, and nobody knows where their headquarters are. So, for Joseph to be able to connect with them with a single text message was incredible and unbelievable.Brian slowly hung up the phone while his mother was still talking. We all continued to stare at Joseph in awe.“How did you do that?” Brian asked him.“We all have our secrets,” Joseph said, and for a moment, I wondered if that was a shot at me.“Who are you?” Brian’s voice trembled as he asked.“Let’s just say, I’m not someone you can mess with quite as easily. But please, feel free to try again.”Brian held up his phone to reveal the video that was sent to the Nightwalker police. I was still in shock that Joseph was able to reach th
Tessa’s POVWhen I looked back over my shoulder at the motorcycle, I saw that there were several more following me.My first thought was to run, but I knew they would be able to catch me quickly on their bikes. It would be pointless and would probably make things a lot worse. Not that screaming would be any better, but then maybe I could get someone’s attention.I looked around the dark streets, trying not to be too obvious. This was the section of the city that not only had fewer pedestrians but also no working street cameras. This was the perfect spot for all sorts of crimes, including those animal attacks that have been all over the news recently.I shuddered at the very thought, remembering the images that have been spreading all over the internet.Maybe they weren’t animal attacks at all.Panic began to set in as I realized that I was in some serious trouble. I could tell from the matching jackets that these bikers were part of some gang. They were also people I didn’t want to me
Tessa’s POVWhere did he just go?He was only there moments ago.The only proof left of anything happening was the crumbled motorcycles left in the streets. I stood in place, trying to make sense of everything that had happened, but my mind couldn’t comprehend any of it.Soon, a police car was pulling out in front of me, along with an ambulance. A couple of cops got out of their cars and rushed toward me once they saw the shards spread out across the street.“Are you okay?” One of the officers asked, examining my body with his eyes. “Can you tell us what happened?”I was still staring off in the direction of those goons, tears lingering in my eyes and threatening to escape.“I was attacked,” I managed to say, turning my direction to the officer taking the notes. “These gang members on bikes followed me and tried to get me to go with them.”“We have an officer patrolling the area as we speak,” he explained. “Just try to breathe. You are safe now.”“How did you know I was in danger?”“J
Tessa’s POVI woke up early so I could make some finishing changes and revisions to my short story before I sent it in by the 10 am deadline.Ruby left her room, already fully dressed.“Good morning,” Ruby said with a smile. “Have you been up all night?”“No, I got a few hours of sleep. I just want this paper to be perfect,” I explained to her.This was the first time I had written so fluently in the process of creation. Stories like this had never come so effortlessly before. I was nervous about sending this in, but at the same time, I was also excited.Ruby grabbed a pop tart and sat at the kitchen table while I finished.“Did you already finish your paper?” I asked, peering over at her.“I submitted it last night,” she told me, but I could see the worried look on her face. “If I continued working on it, I would have ruined it. I just wanted to get it over with.”I thought about asking her what she wrote about, but I thought it might have been better if neither of us knew too many d
Tessa’s POVWe walked up the stairs until we reached the faculty center. It was fairly vacant considering it was late in the evening and most teachers had already gone home.Joseph’s office was in the back corner and secluded from most of the others. Like his bedroom, the office was extremely shaded. It was like he was afraid to allow any kind of sunlight through the window.Not that there was much sunlight right now anyways.Looking through the curtains that occupied his window, I could see the area of the street where the motorcycle gang had me surrounded.He really did have a good view of that.I wondered how I must have looked to him from up here. I wondered what he must have felt when he called the police.I looked up at the camera in the hallway that captured him in his office during the attack. It didn’t look like a camera that was out of the ordinary.“Was there something you wanted to talk about?” Joseph asked, peering over at me from his desk.“Thank you for calling the poli
Tessa’s POVI felt my body tremble under the intensity of his stare. He was only inches from me, and I saw how red his eyes had gotten.“I’m not trying to look at your neck,” I said to him in a small voice. “I thought I saw something on your shirt I was trying to get for you.”It was a lame excuse and telling from his expression, he knew it. He released his hold on me, allowing me to move from beyond the wall he had me pinned against.His expression was back to normal, and I felt like I could finally breathe, at least for a moment.“You can leave now,” he ordered, keeping his tone low and his eyes away from me.“I’m sorry—”“I don’t know what any of this was about, but don’t make these excessive moves again,” he said, sending a shiver to course through my body.I quickly nodded my head, showing him that I understood.“It won’t happen again,” I assured him.I mean that as well. It was clear to me now that I was hallucinating the entire time. Joseph was never there last night. He only s