The first Time I saw Him

It may sound absurd, but my history teacher, who is arguably the most attractive man in the school, only glanced at me once. "You're new..." he glanced at the register and continued, "Ms. Julia Murphy! Welcome to Shadowbrook!" He smiled, and from then on, he never looked at me again.

I really liked that, not that I don't like being admired, but he is young and handsome yet he took his job so seriously, that was really impressive.

Later in the cafeteria, Dominic came up to me at my table and handed me a rose. "I know this is cheesy, but I like to welcome new students!"

There was something about him that would attract any girl, his amazing eyes, his messy black hair, his physique, his height! I took the rose and said, "Thank you!"

Even though I didn't feel any romantic attraction toward him.

Then we spotted Victoria, as she walked in, everyone's eyes were on her.

"Meet Victoria, the most popular girl in our school!" Jeniece winked.

Victoria smirked and glanced at Dominic, I looked at Dominic, and his face went pale as if he had seen a ghost.

She came over to our table. "Is there a problem?" Victoria asked him.

"No, you look... beautiful!" He tried to play it cool.

"I know I do! You, on the other hand, look just about the same as always!" She rolled her eyes and sat down next to us.

I was confused, what was going on? I had no clue.

Because it wasn't just Dominic whose face turned pale, but his friends were also visibly shaken.

"Those two have a history!" Jeniece whispered to me.

"Oh!" Finally, things started to make a little sense.

"Why don't we change the subject?" Victoria suggested with a smile.

"Of course!" I agreed. As I was getting my things from my locker in the hallway, I turned around and accidentally bumped into Mr. Redwood, our history teacher.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ms. Murphy!" He apologized.

My book fell and I bent down to pick it up when he stopped me.

"Please!" He interrupted me and then stated, "My mother taught me that regardless of the profession, it is not appropriate to let a woman kneel before you, especially when you can offer assistance!" He grabbed the book and handed it to me.

A smile formed on my face. He was the kindest man I had ever encountered.

"And I am deeply sorry about your father!" He placed his hand on my shoulder.

"How do you know?" I asked, feeling puzzled.

"I am your neighbor. I was at home yesterday when your mother brought cookies.

I live with my grandmother, and I was with her when she shared the news about your father.

She is a very kind woman, and you are fortunate to have a mother like her!" He smiled, although his eyes revealed a hidden sadness.

"Just let me know if there's anything I can do for you," he said before heading back in the direction he was going in.

"Thank you!" I expressed my gratitude.

This encounter didn't change anything for me, but it seemed to have turned his entire world upside down.

Suddenly, he experienced a sharp, shooting pain in his head and jaw. He stumbled right in front of me.

"Are you okay, Mr. Redwood?" I inquired.

"Of course, I'm fine. Thanks for asking!" He replied, and we both continued on our separate paths.

As I made my way toward the exit, I overheard a whisper that sent chills down my spine, "How is she alive?" A man's voice reached my ears.

I sped up my pace, trying to escape from that place as fast as I could.

Meanwhile, Mr. Redwood gathered his belongings from his office and returned home.

As soon as he entered, he noticed the nurse was about to leave. "Amaya, could you please stay a little longer? I don't feel well!" He requested, and she agreed.

He excused himself and hurried to his room, and locked the door.

His full name is Evan Redwood, the only child of his deceased parents.

Amaya, his grandmother's nurse, took care of her since she was gravely ill.

She had been stuck in a wheelchair for a long period of time and had even lost her ability to speak for the past two years.

Whenever Evan wasn't around, Amaya would step in to provide care.

Anyway, as Evan made his way to the bathroom, he felt immense pain throughout his body.

His eyes burned, and his jaw muscles ached. Hoping to defeat the discomfort, he decided to take a bath.

However, as he exited the tub, his foot slipped, causing him to fall and hit his head against the bathtub.

Unaware of what had just occurred, I was happy that it seemed like a good day, unaware of what was about to come, with things finally returning to normal.

I spent the entire day with my mom, sharing stories and ensuring that she knew I was still as close to her as I had been when I was younger.

As I drifted off to sleep, I was suddenly awakened by strange noises coming from out of the house. It sounded like grunting.

Startled, I got up and felt as if someone had just left the house and closed the door behind them.

I hurried outside and was met with a haunting silence that spread across the entire town, turning it to look more like a graveyard. The chilling wind only added to the sense of horror.

Just as I turned around, I heard panting and the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching.

I spun around and came face to face with a young boy, no older than nine years old.

He trembled as he pleaded, "Help me!" 

"What is wrong?" Concerned, I moved closer to him, but in an instant, a massive wolf jumped at the boy, tearing a large chunk from his neck.

Paralyzing fear gripped me, but I still pushed myself to help him, I ran to him and pushed the wolf aside, by that time kid was already dead and the wolf’s attention was shifted to me, I stepped back and my leg stumbled against something that made me lose my balance, and then I found myself on the ground.