Episode 4

•The GardNers Highschool•

The fenced high school was really beautiful, containing many buildings inside the compound. One of the houses, which was the highest of them all, had bold writing on top of the building.

"The Gardener's High School" was the phrase written on it, in gold color and very bold. The gold color glittered brightly as it reflects the sun rays.

The environment of the school compound was also very neat, well-decorated with flowers. In the center of the school compound, there was a beautiful small round garden that contained apple trees and other food crops.

However, there was a massive population of students entering the compound, and Aaron was among them. He headed straight to his classroom, where he sat down gently and started revising his books. He was actually one of the debaters but he wasn't prepared, which is why he was quickly reviewing the script he was given. He had little time left because the debate was the next day.

Although, he couldn't concentrate much because he was feeling very sleepy. This might have been because he had no time or place to sleep the night before. He had been in his wolf form all night, possibly lurking around the woods and cities until daybreak.

As Aaron found himself struggling to read with sleepy eyes, he inadvertently rested his head on his desk and fell asleep. He was still asleep when the class started.

And he was still in a deep sleep when a hand tapped him on the back. He gently raised his face, yawning and rubbing his sleepy eyes, only to realize that everyone in the class was looking at him.

Then he abruptly stopped, fully aware of his surroundings, and noticed that someone was standing beside him. He looked to his side and saw the class teacher "Mrs Emilia" standing beside him.

"Get up," the teacher ordered, and he gently stood to his feet.

"Why are you asleep while learning is going on?" she asked, pointing her chalk at him. He didn't say a word but rather remained silent.

Looking at him alone, the teacher could sense that he was not fine.

"Aaron, are you okay? You look troubled. What's wrong?" she asked.

Aaron took a deep breath as the teacher paid close attention to him, hoping he would say something. However, he ended up saying nothing, so she stepped a bit closer to him.

"You are acting so strange, Aaron. I know you are troubled. Maybe you don't want to talk about it here. You can come to my office after class," she said to him in a low voice before continuing with the lesson.

While teaching, she noticed that Aaron was not himself; he looked lost and was not concentrating. She could see that something was bothering him, which was unusual as he used to be a serious student.

Aaron had many things on his mind, but what occupied his thoughts was yesterday's incident involving him, Juan, and Alice. He was beginning to feel guilty for the words he used on Juan. He wished he could turn back time to stop himself from saying those hurtful words against her. He knew that truly, he was only alive because of her; otherwise, he could have been dead by now.

After a few minutes, the class was dismissed as they had finished the first period. Everyone left for a short break, leaving Aaron and the teacher in the classroom.

"Your presence is needed in my office, Aaron," the teacher said, packing up her books and leaving the class. Without hesitation, Aaron followed her immediately.

•The Teacher's Office•

Upon entering the office, she offered Aaron a swiveling chair on which he sat, spinning it around until she also took her seat. He stopped, expecting a serious discussion from her, as he already had a slight idea of why the teacher had invited him to the office.

"Aaron, I noticed how strange and unusual your behavior was in class today. I know you very well; you don't usually take class lessons lightly. What's the problem?" she asked, clasping her hands and awaiting his response.

"You can't tell me it's nothing. Nothing happens for no reason," the teacher interrupted him as he was about to speak, knowing exactly what his response would be.

Aaron nervously swallowed his saliva and bit his fingernails as he nodded. "You're right, but I'm sorry, I don't want to talk about it," he replied.

"Why?" the teacher asked, showing great curiosity.

"I'll be fine. Not all problems are meant for discussion, especially when they could be deadly," he responded, leaving the teacher puzzled as she didn't quite understand what he meant.

"Deadly? What do you mean?" she asked, prompting him to shake his head at her. "You wouldn't understand," he replied, leaving the teacher silently gazing at him, unsure of how to respond.

"Well, no matter how serious the problem may be, sharing it can help solve it. Maybe I can assist in some way?" she offered words of help and hope to him, but he still resisted.

"You're right, but it's not the kind of problem I can share," he replied, gazing out the window. Teacher Emilia also followed his gaze, thinking it might be something significant, only to find nothing.

After hearing everything Aaron had said, teacher Emilia believed that family issues might be causing Aaron's distress. Eager to help him in any way she could, she thought of inviting his parents to the school.

"Alright, I've heard everything you said. But where are your parents? Could you please let them know that they are invited to the school?" she requested.

"I do?" he asked, leaving her puzzled, not understanding what he meant.

He simply meant one thing: he was an orphan. Aaron was only admitted to the school with the help of Juan.

"An orphan has no parents," he added, leaving the teacher looking at him silently, feeling pity and almost in tears, wondering about the young man's struggles.

"What really happened?" she asked, prompting Aaron to flashback.

He didn't grow up with his parents and knew little about them. He lived with his uncle before he had to flee when his uncle discovered that he was a werewolf and called the hunters on him.

Managing to escape, he was on the run for his life when he met Juan in the forest, saving her from wild animals that attacked her. She took him home that day and treated him like family. This led to Alice's resentment towards him, as she was upset that Juan brought in a stranger to live with them.

Despite this, Juan felt a deep connection with him and decided to comfort him upon learning that he was a homeless orphan and also knowing about his other identity of being a werewolf.

However, Aaron could remember everything except for details about his parents, as they died on the day he was born.

According to what he had been told, after his birth, his parents were driving home from the hospital when they were attacked by a monster that killed them, leaving only him alive.

Aaron strongly believed that the monster must have been the werewolf that infected him, causing him to transform, which was curse rather than a blessing, and that could be the reason why he can't control the wolf's spirit.

However, the teacher was still waiting for Aaron to speak, but he was taking too long. Lost in his thoughts, she called out to him, bringing him back to the present. He looked at her with one eye, signaling his attention.

"Do you still not want to talk about your family?" she inquired. Aaron nodded gently, absentmindedly scraping the table with his fingernail.

"Talking about them only brings back painful memories," he replied softly, his voice filled with sorrow.

Hearing this, Emilia was deeply moved emotionally, unsure of how to proceed.

"Alright, I won't ask you any more questions at this point. Since you don't wish to share, you may go," she said, sounding slightly upset.

Aaron stood up gently and began walking away.

"Aaron?" she called out, unable to watch him leave like that. Aaron turned towards her, taking a deep breath.

"I just want you to know that you can count on me whenever you need help. Don't hesitate to let me know," she assured him. Aaron nodded gratefully.

"Thanks," he said. The teacher nodded at him, and he left the office.

As he left the office, he walked under the flower tree in the school compound. He discreetly scanned Juan's class window, searching for her, as it was close by.

After staring at the window for a while, he realized neither Juan nor Alice was in the class.

Feeling uneasy, he decided to swallow his pride and go find her to apologize for how things unfolded between them the previous day.

He headed to her class and as he entered, he encountered Lucy, one of Juan's close friends.

"Aaron," she called out, waving at him with a slight smile as he approached her.

"Lucy, how are you?" he asked as they shook hands.

"Fine," she responded, nodding. Before she could say more, Aaron, not wanting to engage in a lengthy conversation, interrupted her.

"Where's Juan?" he inquired.

"I was about to ask why she was absent from school today... I thought you both lived together?" she asked, and Aaron began to stammer.

"I... um... you mean she didn't come to school?" he asked, and she nodded. "Yes!"

"Okay then, take care," he said, acting strangely, and then left the class with a troubled expression on his face.

He knew Juan very well and knew that she wouldn't miss school for anything. For her to miss, something must have gone wrong.