Chapter 11: Alien GPS
Adrian's distinct smell hit Tessa the moment she stepped into the classroom the next day. It was subtle at first, but unmistakable—the scent of fire, not the overwhelming stench of smoke, but something purer, like the first crackle of a flame in dry wood.
Tessa's heart raced. She knew exactly what that meant. She was now sure of it, unmistakable, undisguisable, uncoverable.
"Another Kaelrian," she whispered to herself, her gaze immediately searching for him.
Her suspicions were confirmed when her eyes landed on the new boy in the back of the room, his piercing blue eyes standing out even more than the rest of his features.
She wasn't the only one who noticed. The girls in the class had already begun fawning over him. Adrian had an aura about him, much like Tessa did. He was different, and she could tell he was trying hard to blend in, just as she once did.
But she could sense it. The same way she could always tell with Kion and Cale. This wasn't just any boy. This was a fellow Kaelrian.
Ms. Caldwell entered the room, her eyes briefly flicking between Adrian and Tessa. As the bell rang, class resumed, and Ms. Caldwell began her lesson, though Tessa barely heard a word. Her mind was fixated on Adrian.
"Are you going to just stare at him all day?" one of the girls beside her whispered with a smirk. Tessa blinked, realizing she had been caught.
"N-no, I wasn't staring, it's not like that," she stammered, her cheeks burning, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"Yes, right?!"
But how could she not? There was another Kaelrian here. In the same room as her. What did that mean? Could he be a threat? Or worse, was he being sent to spy on her?
As class went on, Tessa noticed that Adrian didn't speak much. He listened, nodded, and answered only when directly asked a question, but even then, his responses were brief. He was playing it safe, just like she had done for years. He was trying to stay under the radar, but his scent—his Kaelrian essence—was impossible to hide from her.
---
After class, Tessa lingered in the hallway, trying to collect her thoughts. She needed to talk to Ms. Caldwell about this, but how could she bring it up without raising suspicion? She was about to head to the teacher's lounge when her phone buzzed in her pocket.
It was a text from James.
"Hey, Tessa. I've been thinking a lot lately, and I just wanted to not bother you but to put a gentle reminder that I really like you... like, a lot. I know this might seem continuous , but I can't get you out of my head. You're amazing. I hope we can hang out more."
Tessa nearly dropped her phone. James? Confessing? Now? Her cheeks flared again, this time from the confusing surge of emotions. James had been acting oddly since the quiz competition, but this? First he confessed, then he confessed again, now a reminder, is he playing dumb or is his mind just wired differently? Well what did she know about relationships, she never expected him to say something like this anyway.
She fumbled for a response, but the words seemed to slip away from her. What was she supposed to say? She liked James... as a friend. Or at least she thought she did. But now that he had confessed, and keeps confessing, everything felt complicated. Did she even have time for this?
A gentle hand rested on her shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"You alright, Tessa?" Ms. Caldwell asked, concern in her eyes.
Tessa nodded, hiding her phone. "Yeah, just... something on my mind."
Ms. Caldwell raised an eyebrow but didn't push the issue. Instead, her gaze shifted to Adrian, who was quietly gathering his books across the hall.
"New student seems interesting," Ms. Caldwell remarked casually, but there was a knowing look in her eyes.
Tessa glanced at Adrian again and then back at Ms. Caldwell. "I think he's one of us."
Ms. Caldwell nodded slowly, her lips pursed in thought. "I had a feeling. The way he holds himself. The way he listens. Be careful, Tessa. We don't know why he's here or who sent him."
"I know," Tessa whispered, feeling a knot tighten in her stomach. "I'll keep my distance."
But even as she said that, she knew it wouldn't be that easy. Adrian wasn't just any Kaelrian—he smelled like fire. There was something dangerous about him, and Tessa couldn't shake the feeling that their paths were meant to cross, whether she liked it or not.
It is bad enough that I have to be constantly watchful of Rudbick, now I also have deal with James which I'm not entirely sure how to handle that, now there is this new guy, somebody bite me!
---
Later that afternoon, as Tessa made her way to the track for practice, she found herself lost in thought. Between James's confusing strings of confessions and Adrian's mysterious arrival, everything felt like it was spinning out of control. Just a few weeks ago, her biggest worry had been keeping her secret hidden from Mr. Rudbick and the rest of the world. Now, her life was tangled with complicated emotions and the arrival of another Kaelrian, who, for all she knew, could be a threat.
As she stretched by the track, some of her classmates approached her, still buzzing with excitement from her performance at the quiz competition.
"Tessa! You were amazing out there!" one of them said, clapping her on the shoulder.
"Yeah, you're like, a genius and an athlete? How do you do it?" another chimed in, their admiration evident.
Tessa smiled awkwardly, trying not to let her discomfort show. She wasn't used to this kind of attention, and she wasn't sure she liked it. Being in the spotlight was dangerous for someone like her.
Ms. Caldwell stood nearby, watching as the other teachers gathered to praise Tessa as well. Every other minute, one of them would come over to congratulate her, and Tessa's face only grew redder with each new compliment.
"I swear," one of the gym teachers said, giving her a wink, "you're a child prodigy. What's next, Tessa? Solving world hunger?"
Tessa chuckled nervously, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. "Uh, no... I think I'll just stick to math for now."
Her classmates laughed, but Ms. Caldwell could see the unease in Tessa's eyes. She quickly intervened, gently pulling Tessa away from the group.
"You've had enough attention for one day," she said with a smile. "Why don't you take a break?"
Tessa nodded gratefully, following Ms. Caldwell to the sidelines. She was about to ask her teacher about Adrian when her phone buzzed again.
Another text from James.
"I know this might sound crazy, but I've never felt like this about anyone before. I just can't stop thinking about you."
Tessa stared at the message, feeling a strange mix of emotions. She liked James, but this was all happening so fast. Why now? And why did it have to be at the same time as Adrian's arrival?
"Tessa, you've got to make a decision," Ms. Caldwell said softly, noticing the troubled look on her face. Tessa had decided to confess the truth to Ms Caldwell, and she could also see the sincerity in James.
She could have put a stop to all of this but love is a funny thing, it has a way of blooming in the unlikeliest of places. Who would have ever thought that the son of the hunter is in love with the hunted, sounds like a scene from a romance novel.
Tessa sighed. "I don't know what to do. James... he's sweet, but I don't feel the same way about him. I like him, I do but now in the way he expects. And now with Adrian here..."
Ms. Caldwell gave her a reassuring smile. "Take your time, Tessa. You don't have to decide anything right now. Focus on what's important."
Tessa nodded, though her thoughts were still swirling. How was she supposed to focus when everything felt like it was spiraling out of control?
As she headed back to the track, her mind drifted to Adrian. She needed to figure out who he was, what he wanted, and why he was here. There was no way this was a coincidence.
But for now, she had to play it cool. She couldn't let anyone—especially Adrian—know that she was onto him. Not yet.
She sped off into the horizon, with her feet eating yards of space, her alien energy pumping high and wide, she felt like a fish at sea, like a bird in the air, free and unrestrained.
The air beats back behind her, as she sailed through the track like a Boeing 747, a jumbo jet on a high. All the thoughts, the complicated feelings, the uncertainties, all faded to the background, only the pleasant feeling of running remained.