One thing leads to another as time goes by. That's also what's happening at Cakrawala High School right now. Whereas only a few days ago the story of murder was the hottest, now it has changed with a handsome new teacher.
Hearing this, Karin was quite curious. She was not interested because the teacher was handsome, but she was curious about her feelings which became unpleasant if anyone discussed the teacher. even with just a glimpse of him, Karin felt goosebumps all over her body.
So, Karin chose not to get too involved with the teacher. fortunately, Mr. Ali is a biology teacher, which means he will teach in the science department. Whereas Karin was from the social studies department. It was unlikely that the social studies class would be taught by a biology teacher.
That's what Karin thought, but the reality was the opposite.
She stared in disbelief at the teacher in front of her. He who was originally a biology teacher, suddenly had taught English in this class. What surprised her even more was that the female students who usually did not pay much attention to the teacher, now became the most eager to learn and ask what Mr. Ali was.
"Tell me why Mr. Ali is here and not Miss April." Karin elbowed Selin's arm who was now inexplicably eager to pay attention to the teacher.
"Miss April is sick," Selin said while still focusing on her notes. "And Mr. Ali used to live abroad, so he offered to replace Miss April today."
"Just filling in, right?" Karin leaned closer to Selin. "Not a permanent teacher, right?"
"Yes, Rin."
At least Karin could breathe a little easier. Mr. Ali, who always made her feel uncomfortable around him, was only a substitute teacher. At this rate, Karin could study quite comfortably.
Not long after, Heri just arrived and casually knocked on the classroom door. his self-confidence deserves a thumbs-up. He casually opened the door and showed his wide smile to the whole class.
"Oh? It turns out we have another student." Mr. Ali stopped his writing and approached Heri. "Why are you coming now?" there was no tone of anger in Mr. Ali's words, but somehow Karin felt otherwise.
Heri confidently said, "I overslept, sir."
"And you're still so confident to enter my class?" Still with his friendly smile that looked like he was holding back an emotion.
"It's never too late to gain knowledge, sir."
Karin watched Mr. Ali who seemed very patient with Heri. However, for some reason seeing Heri who continued to answer the teacher's words without apologizing once, made Karin uneasy. It wasn't Heri who was afraid of Mr. Ali, but Karin.
In the end, Mr. Ali allowed Heri to attend his class and Heri looked very proud of what he had done.
"Maybe you all don't know. " Mr. Ali took out a black book from his bag. "But, I have a rule that must be obeyed by all students here." With a smile, Mr. Ali showed the black book to all eyes here.
"What is it, sir?" One of the students asked curiously.
"This is a special blacklist that I have prepared for children who violate the rules of this school." Mr. Ali took a pen from the desk and wrote something in the book. "And it seems that there is already one person written in this book," he said, glancing at Heri.
"Me, sir?" Heri pointed at himself.
"Yes, you." Mr. Ali nodded in confirmation. "If your name has been written three times in my book ...." Mr. Ali seemed to be silent for a while watching the curious looks of his students.
"We will be punished, right, sir?"
"That's right. There are very unexpected punishments for violators." Mr. Ali said so while smiling casually. "You won't be able to guess what punishment I'm going to give," he said as he glanced at Karin.
Karin, who felt that glance, got goosebumps. She really couldn't think anything good about this person.
***
Mr. Ali, the new Biology teacher who spoke English, was now really popular among the students. His kind manner and constant smile made many people like him. However, not Arzan and Karin. They were convinced there was something wrong with him.
Arzan didn't know why his memory was like this. Was it the effects of fear or panic that made his memory of the incident vague? Arzan realized that he was traumatized and thought this was the effect of that trauma.
His instincts told him that this teacher was a dangerous person. Even more dangerous than Ms. Linda, the fierce math teacher in the science department who did not hesitate to punish her students by standing in the middle of the field until they fainted.
And now from a distance, Arzan watched the famous teacher. Playing basketball with the kids with many students watching from the sidelines, including Arzan too. He was watching not because he was interested, but because he was trying to observe the teacher, looking for any opening that could connect him to Mr. Budi's murder.
The game was quite fun with many students cheering. Even some of the teachers came to watch the game. Mr. Ali brought a new atmosphere to the school, and of course, attracted a lot of fans among the female students.
Mr. Ali won the game with a stunning three-point shot. His supporters cheered him onto the court. Amid the fun, Arzan noticed that the ball was rolling away from the court.
It reached the feet of Karin who also seemed surprised by its sudden arrival. She had just come from the toilet and had no idea what was going on until everyone seemed to be cheering on the basketball court.
She took the ball and walked toward the center of the court. Looking for someone she could give the ball to.
Arzan, who saw Karin confused in the crowd, tried to come to her. However, his steps were halted when Mr. Ali stood in front of Karin first. In the end, Arzan only returned to watching from a distance.
Arzan watched their interaction. For some reason, just by passing Karin's eyes to Mr. Ali. Arzan assumed that Karin was also uncomfortable around the teacher.
Karin still tried to look polite, but from her body language, Arzan assumed Karin wanted to get away from Mr. Ali quickly.
Mr. Ali's gaze towards Karin also looked different. It was more intense than when he was with other people. As if Karin was a hunted animal that he could catch at any time. Mr. Ali also seemed to initiate more conversations when in front of Karin. Even though Karin was ready to leave, Mr. Ali always found topics to keep her in his sight.
Many thoughts raced through Arzan's brain. Should he talk to Karin about Mr. Ali? His instincts told him Mr. Arzan was someone who shouldn't be here. He should be kept away as soon as possible.
Because Arzan felt that sooner or later, there would be another problem coming. He didn't know what, but he was sure of it.