The Teacher is a Monster Part 2

Here is Part 1

I didn’t sleep that night.

Every time my eyelids grew heavy, I heard it—the faintest scrape of claws against glass, the whisper of my name curling through the air like smoke. My fingers ached from gripping the scissors too tightly, but I couldn’t let go. Not until the first light of dawn bled through my curtains. Only then did the tapping stop.

Only then did I finally breathe.

But I knew the nightmare wasn’t over.

At school, I felt Ms. Caster before I saw her. The air in the hallway seemed to shift, growing heavy, pressing down on my lungs like invisible hands. My body tensed, muscles screaming at me to run. But I forced myself to turn the corner, to act normal.

She stood by the classroom door, speaking in low tones to Principal Turner. The second her gaze landed on me, a slow, knowing smile curved her lips. My stomach lurched.

“Good morning, Emily,” she purred, her voice smooth, practiced.

I barely managed a nod before hurrying to my seat, my heart hammering in my chest. I had to find a way to prove what she was. To expose her. But how? My last attempt had failed—my phone had been wiped clean. She had power over technology, over people. I had no evidence, no allies.

But I did have one thing: stubbornness.

I started watching her more carefully, memorizing every twitch of her fingers, every flicker of something inhuman beneath her skin. She rarely blinked. When she did, her pupils flickered—just for a second—into vertical slits. She always wore gloves, even when it was warm. And, most unsettling of all, I never saw her eat.

I wasn’t the only one noticing, either.

“Does she creep you out?” Megan whispered one day as we sat in the library.

My pulse jumped. “Why?”

She hesitated, glancing around as if making sure no one else was listening. “I saw her outside yesterday. Near the woods.”

My stomach twisted. “And?”

Megan swallowed hard. “She wasn’t alone.”

A cold shiver ran down my spine. “Who was she with?”

“That’s the thing,” she whispered. “I don’t know. I couldn’t see them. But they weren’t human.”

My breath hitched.

That night, I made my decision. If no one would believe me, if my evidence kept disappearing, then I had only one choice. I had to catch her in the act.

I had to follow Ms. Caster.

After school, I waited until the last students had left before slipping out of the building and making my way toward the woods. The sky had darkened, heavy clouds swallowing the last rays of sunlight. The trees loomed ahead, skeletal fingers clawing at the sky.

A shadow moved in the distance.

I crouched behind a tree, heart pounding as I peered out. Ms. Caster stood in a clearing, her long black hair whipping in the wind. She was speaking—no, hissing—in a language I didn’t recognize, her voice low and guttural.

And then, the figures emerged.

They slithered from the darkness, too tall, too thin, their limbs too long for their bodies. Their eyes glowed faintly, the same unnatural green as hers. My stomach lurched. They moved in jerky, unnatural motions, as if they weren’t used to their bodies.

I clamped a hand over my mouth, forcing myself to stay still. To not scream.

Ms. Caster lifted her hands, and something shimmered in the air between them. A symbol, glowing and pulsing, like it was alive. The creatures shrank back slightly, but she hissed something, and they stilled.

She was controlling them.

I had to get out of there.

I started to back away, moving as silently as I could, but a twig snapped beneath my foot.

Ms. Caster’s head snapped toward me.

For one terrible second, the world held its breath.

Then she smiled. A slow, razor-sharp grin.

“Emily,” she cooed. “How nice of you to join us.”

The creatures turned as one, their glowing eyes locking onto me.

Then they moved.

I ran.

Branches whipped against my face, my lungs burning as I sprinted through the trees. I could hear them behind me, moving too fast, too unnatural. I wasn’t going to make it.

Then I saw it—the school, just ahead. If I could make it to the doors, I might have a chance.

I forced my legs to move faster, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The creatures were nearly on me, their hissing voices curling in my ears.

And then—

A hand grabbed my wrist and yanked me sideways.

I barely bit back a scream as I was pulled into the shadows. A strong arm clamped over my mouth, silencing me. My heart slammed against my ribs as I struggled, until I saw who it was.

Jake.

His eyes were wide, his face pale. He didn’t say a word, just held a finger to his lips.

Together, we watched as Ms. Caster and her creatures prowled past, their heads swiveling unnaturally, sniffing the air. They lingered for a moment, and then, as if some silent command had been given, they melted back into the trees.

I didn’t dare move until I could no longer hear them.

Only then did Jake let out a breath. “What the hell was that?”

I swallowed hard, my body still trembling. “I told you,” I whispered. “She’s not human.”

He didn’t argue.

For the first time, I wasn’t alone.

But we both knew the truth.

Ms. Caster had seen me.

And she wouldn’t stop until she got what she wanted.