The Alien Within

Chapter 8: The Beast of Intelligence

The bus ride back from St. Francis Academy was nothing short of a victory parade.

Tessa, sitting near the back as usual, quietly stared out the window, her fingers absently tracing the condensation on the glass.

The rest of the students, however, couldn't stop talking about her. She could hear her name on everyone's lips, mingled with words like "genius," "prodigy," and "beast." It wasn't that they were calling her a monster—quite the opposite, actually. "Beast" had become the highest compliment for someone who excelled beyond the ordinary, someone who was so good at something, it was almost terrifying.

"Tessa's not human, I'm telling you," Ethan, one of her classmates, declared dramatically, waving his arms for emphasis. "Did you see her during the quiz? She didn't even flinch! And she answered all the math questions like it was child's play."

"Yeah," chimed in Sarah, another classmate. "And that bit about world politics? I mean, who knows that stuff? It's like she's read every book in the library."

The bus was filled with excited chatter, and for the first time since joining the school, Tessa was the center of attention, whether she liked it or not.

Her cheeks flushed a soft shade of pink as she tried to hide behind her hair. She wasn't used to this—praise, admiration, and the sudden spotlight.

When the bus pulled up to the school, the students practically spilled out, still buzzing with energy. As they filed into the hallways, word of Tessa's extraordinary performance had spread like wildfire. By the time they reached their classroom, it was as if the entire school had heard about "Tessa the Genius."

Ms. Caldwell had a satisfied smile on her face as she led her students back to class, but she couldn't have predicted what would happen next.

Almost immediately, other teachers began to descend upon the classroom like curious spectators at a circus.

"Where is she? Where's our little genius?" Mrs. Thompson, the English teacher, said as she barged into the room, looking like a proud mother hen. She spotted Tessa, who was trying to shrink further into her chair, and rushed over with her arms wide open.

"Oh, my dear, you were incredible!" Mrs. Thompson cooed as she pulled Tessa into a tight hug. "I knew you were special from the moment I saw you in class!"

"Wait, wait, let me congratulate her too," interrupted Mr. Benson, the PE teacher, who suddenly appeared at the door. "You know, Tessa, with that kind of brainpower, you probably have the coordination of a champion athlete. You should definitely try out for the track team."

Tessa blinked, feeling utterly bewildered by the sudden surge of affection. Her cheeks were now practically on fire from all the attention.

Ms. Caldwell, who had been trying to keep a handle on things, was now desperately shooing the other teachers away.

"Alright, alright, give the poor girl some space," Ms. Caldwell said, pushing Mrs. Thompson and Mr. Benson back toward the door. "She's not some exhibit at the zoo!"

But it was no use. The more Ms. Caldwell tried to restore order, the more teachers seemed to pop out of the woodwork, each one eager to bask in the glory of having such an exceptional student under their roof.

"She's a marvel, an absolute marvel," declared Mr. Higgins, the science teacher, as he entered the fray. "I wouldn't be surprised if she invented the next great scientific breakthrough!"

"Tessa, darling, I just know you're going to represent us at the regional sports competition," Mr. Benson added, beaming with pride. "You've got the mind, now let's see those legs in action!"

Tessa looked at Ms. Caldwell with wide eyes, silently begging for some kind of intervention.

The praise was too much. She wasn't used to this level of attention, and the idea of competing in sports was the last thing she wanted on her mind.

Ms. Caldwell, sensing her distress, finally managed to usher the teachers out of the classroom, but not without a lot of back-patting, handshakes, and more hugs than Tessa had ever received in her entire life.

"Good grief," Ms. Caldwell muttered under her breath as the door closed behind the last teacher. She turned to Tessa, who still looked dazed and flustered. "Sorry about that, Tessa. Sometimes, people just get a little carried away."

Tessa nodded, her cheeks still burning. "I didn't… I didn't expect all of this."

Ms. Caldwell gave her a sympathetic smile. "You've earned it, though. Just take it one step at a time. You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with."

Tessa managed a small smile in return, grateful for Ms. Caldwell's reassurance. But before she could properly relax, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, expecting a message from her mother or maybe a reminder for her homework. Instead, she froze when she saw the name on the screen.

James Rudbick.

Her heart did a weird flip. She had completely forgotten about James in the midst of the quiz competition chaos.

They hadn't spoken much since their last encounter, but now, out of the blue, he was texting her. With a mix of curiosity and nervousness, she opened the message.

"Hey, Tessa. I just wanted to say… you were amazing at the quiz. Like, seriously amazing. I've never seen anything like it. You're incredible."

Tessa blinked, her mind racing. She hadn't expected such a heartfelt message from James. And it wasn't just about the quiz—there was something in his words that made her heart flutter in a way that was completely unfamiliar. Before she could fully process it, another message came through.

"I know this might sound weird, but I really like you, Tessa. I mean, I really like you. I've been thinking about it a lot, and I just wanted to be honest. I think you're amazing, not just because of how smart you are, but because of who you are."

Her cheeks, which had only just started to cool down from the barrage of teacher praise, turned an even brighter shade of red. What was she supposed to do with this information? James… liked her? As in, liked her liked her? Tessa could barely wrap her head around it.

Ms. Caldwell, who had noticed Tessa's sudden shift in expression, raised an eyebrow. "Everything okay?"

"Uh… yeah," Tessa mumbled, quickly tucking her phone away. "Just… a message from a friend."

Ms. Caldwell gave her a knowing look but didn't press the matter. "Well, don't let it distract you too much. We've got another competition coming up, and apparently, everyone's expecting you to not only ace the academics but dominate the track and field too."

Tessa groaned inwardly. Of course, now there was the added pressure of sports on top of everything else. She wasn't even sure how that rumor had started. She was good at math and politics, sure, but running? Competing in athletics? That was an entirely different feast.

The rest of the day passed in a blur of congratulations and awkward high-fives from classmates. Everywhere Tessa went, someone was either praising her intellect or encouraging her to "run like the wind" in the upcoming sports event. It was exhausting. By the time school let out, Tessa was ready to crawl into bed and hibernate for a week.

But when she got home and finally had a moment to herself, her phone buzzed again. It was another message from James.

"I know it's probably weird that I'm texting you like this, but I just really wanted to tell you how I feel. You don't have to say anything right away. I just thought you should know."

Tessa stared at the message, her heart doing that weird flip again. This was… complicated. She didn't know what to think. James had always been nice to her, sure, but she had never imagined he saw her this way. And now, with all the attention from the quiz competition and the upcoming sports event, she felt like her world was spinning out of control.

She wanted to reply, to say something—anything—but the words just wouldn't come. Instead, she sat there, staring at her phone, feeling a mix of confusion, nervousness, and something else she couldn't quite name.

What was she supposed to do with all of this?

---

Meanwhile, across town, Mr. Rudbick sat in his dimly lit office, staring at a stack of papers scattered across his desk. He had been following Tessa's every move since the quiz competition, his suspicion only growing stronger with each passing day.

"James, you fool," he muttered under his breath, his fingers tapping anxiously on his desk. "She's not like the others. She's hiding something, and you're too blinded by… whatever it is you're feeling to see it."

Mr. Rudbick had never given up on his mission to uncover the truth about Tessa. The way she had effortlessly answered those questions, the way she had outperformed every student in the room—it wasn't normal. And now, with her newfound popularity at school, it was only a matter of time before she slipped up.

He had already reported his findings to his superiors at the SSG (Secret Surveillance Group), though they had laughed him out of the room. But Mr. Rudbick knew better. He had seen the way Tessa moved.

James couldn't bring himself to think properly. He didn't even know how the feelings started. He just felt like he should run to Tessa and hug her, he felt like he should stand by her side and protect her, like he would go to war with whomever tried to harm her, including his father. When he looked at her now, it was like staring at the most beautiful jewel that even the merchants won't put up for sales, and to add to all of this, his father was a bigger pain in the butt than anything else.

'Is he going to ruin all of this?' He thought as he focused on the small round ball he was playing with in his hands. James turned on his bed and closed his eye to get a much needed sleep after an exhausting day.