Two –
Natasia glanced at her watch, exhaling in relief. She had been mentally attempting to move the long hand to strike six for what felt like ages now, to no avail. She cleared her throat, “Alright, guys, detention's over for the day. I'll see your lovely faces again tomorrow.”
Aurora rolled her eyes theatrically, careful not to make eye contact with Natasia as she made her way towards the door. Natasia gathered her things absentmindedly, internally evaluating her first day fiasco. She slipped the strap of her bag over her shoulders quickly, but quickly stopped dead in her tracks. The hushed whispers of a heated argument could be heard from outside the door, which was slightly ajar.
“Detention again, honey? Really –”
“Get out of my way, dad.”
“If you'll just talk to me, Aurora, sweetheart – please. This is getting out of hand.”
“Sure, dad – I'd love to talk, maybe later tonight? Oh, no – you probably have another late night meeting – fucking late night meetings, really, Dad –”
“You watch your language, Aurora. I'm still your –”
Natasia winced as a clutter of stationery crashed onto the floor. The door swung open. Natasia found herself staring, mortified, at Aurora, whose nostrils were fuming in annoyance, and a man dressed in a black pinstriped suit. Aurora rolled her eyes again before stalking away angrily.
“I'm sorry you had to see that,” said the man, extending a hand.
“That's alright, sir,” replied Natasia.
The man was tall and slender, his gentle eyes the same piercing blue as Aurora's. His slicked back hair was specked with subtle shades of gray. He was clean-shaven, but Natasia couldn't help but notice the prominent rings under his eyes. “Ah, that's right – you're the new teacher, Ms. Gardner? I'm sorry I haven't had the chance to meet you officially. My name is Vicente Harland. I'm the principal of this academy.”
“Pleasure to meet you, sir,” said Natasia nervously, “Aurora's in my class.”
“Right. I'm sorry she gave you trouble on your first day. She can be quite a handful, but she's a good girl.”
“That's no problem, sir. I'm sure I can handle it.”
“Please – it's after school hours – you can call me Vicente,” he smiled, “The teacher's lounge is down the hall, to the left. There are a few teachers who like to stay back after hours to finish up on some grading. Feel free to take the empty desk by the coffee machine – I'm going to have to excuse myself, I've got a few matters to attend to.” Vicente nodded quickly before he hurried off.
The teacher's lounge was dimly lit, the rays of the late afternoon sun streaming in through the large glass windows. A pudgy man with orange-framed glasses and a matching tie stared thoughtfully at a stack of papers, red pen in hand. A young, dark haired woman, sitting on the couch by the vending machine, grinned as she beckoned for Natasia to sit next to her. Natasia smiled back at the first friendly face she'd seen all day.
“Hi! You must be Natasia, the new writing teacher. My name is Trudy – the kids know me as Ms. Abbott – I teach Chemistry.”
“Yup, that's me. Great to meet you, Trudy.”
“So – tell me – how'd your first day go? Are you adjusting to everything around here?”
“Not well. I had to give a student detention for disrupting the class,” said Natasia, nibbling on a fingernail, “And it was the principal's kid. Eek.”
“Aurora? Yes, I have her in one of my classes. She's got a mouth on her, that one – yet she's by far one of the smartest kids I've ever come across,” said Trudy, taking a sip from her mug, “Her business with her father Harland – quite the scandal, as you can imagine – is all over the school.”
“Ah, well, that's alright,” said Natasia coolly, “I don't like to intervene with my student's personal affairs.” Trudy clucked in reply.
A man entered the room, walking towards the vending machine, stopping just a few inches from the pair. The chirping sound of Trudy's voice trailed off to incoherency as Natasia watched him furtively. The man had long, coal black hair that was held back in a bun. He had a strong chin, the sides of his face lined with a neatly trimmed beard and goatee. He wore a tight-fitting sports tee that stretched over his broad shoulders. The silver whistle around his neck swayed with every movement he made.
“ –and Winky, that's my beautiful Persian, she's the baby of the family.”
Natasia's eyebrows rose as she turned back to Trudy. “I'm sorry, you have a Persian baby?”
“No, silly, my Persian kitten. They're all precious little kitties,” sniffed Trudy, “Ah – I see what you're looking at.”
“Hm?”
“That's De Wei. I know – isn't he gorgeous? He's the gym teacher, obviously,” she continued, “He doesn't speak much, mostly keeps to himself.”
Natasia watched as Wei rummaged through his belongings, his shirt raising slightly as he hunched over his backpack. She squinted, her eyes focusing on a large, S-shaped scar that ran down the side of his spine. It was a raw shade of pink and seemed to be whitened with age. Wei swung his backpack over his shoulder, turning to the door.
“Bye, guys.”
“I think I'll head home as well. Again, it was good meeting you, Trudy.” Natasia stood up.
Natasia pulled her blazer close as she ambled along the sidewalk. She had decided to take a walk around the park to unwind after a long day before heading to the bus stop. She walked past the bushes and warning signage, her thoughts wandering freely, the breeze blowing against the blush of her cheeks.
She knew it was cliché, but she loved parks. She loved the giddy sounds of laughter from the children running carefree on the playground. She loved seeing old couples, hand in hand, as they strolled down memory lane. She even enjoyed seeing the occasional demented soul in deep conversation with their own hand – even they seemed perfectly content with their lives. She walked around aimlessly, humming under her breath.
That's when she heard it – a disembodied, jagged panting. Natasia froze, the hairs on her arms standing. Hesitating, she walked towards the noise, the soft crinkling of leaves crushing under her footsteps.
“Oh my god.”
Natasia's mouth hung open, her throat dry. She whimpered as she scrambled backwards, falling. There stood the arched, looming figure of a creature with dark, ashen fur in the shadows of a large tree. It had sharp, pointed ears and an oddly shaped snout – one that looked almost human. Natasia watched in horror as the creature's mouth contracted, revealing a set of spiked, yellowish teeth. She whimpered in sudden realization as she spotted a familiar silver whistle, dangling on the creature's neck. Natasia gulped, her breath caught in her throat. The creature was looking straight into her eyes.