What I saw can't be what I saw. Wolves just don't go around biting off people's heads. 

The news wasn't even helpful. There wasn't even a report on a wolf attack or a missing man's report. Or the report of a body without a head. Nothing. 

What the hell was going on?

I arrived at school five minutes before the bell. Standing at my locker, I stared into the semi darkness. I reached for my literature book, but paused halfway to picking it up. 

That wolf hadn't seemed normal either. I've never seen such a large wolf before. He must have been the leader. Conjuring what little I knew about wolves, I wonder if the alpha wolf is bigger than their family. 

"Hey earth to Amelia," Clara's voice felt loud in my ear.

I turned to face her, noticing her face was a little too close to mine. Grabbing my book, I shut my locker door. "Hey oh, hi Clara."

"Wow." She held the 'ow' for a moment. "What has got your mind busy humming away?"

"Oh, nothing." Conflicting emotions clawed at me. I was surprised to see a wolf bite a man's head off, yet happy that I hadn't become his next victim. "Have you ever seen wolves attack people around here?"

"Around here no. Why?" She looked at me as we moved down the busy hallway.

"Nothing just thinking about wolves." And the fact that one bite off a man's head completely!

She placed a hand on my shoulder. "Hey, you ready for Jack's welcome back party?"

"I don't know. I'm still mad at you." I closed my eyes in fake anger. I knew she was only trying to help me, but she still needed to learn boundaries. 

She nudged my shoulder with her own. "Dean likes you. He was just having trouble seeing you until I pointed him in the right direction."

"You didn't need to do that," I sighed out. It's not like he noticed me without your help.

"I know that look."

"Ugh." 

"You're blaming him liking you on me being a cheerleader."

Yes. "No, I just think if he saw me why did he need your help seeing me."

"Because he's a bimbo."

I couldn’t help the smile that came to my face. "Dean is not a bimbo."

"A one track mind and broad strength, he's a bimbo."

I shook my head at her comment. Sure most football players only had football on their minds, but Dean wasn’t like them. He cared otherwise he wouldn’t get good grades. Right? I mean sure most of the football players were pigs and didn’t know one from two, but Dean, he was just different. 

“Omg,” Clara came to a stop, sticking her hand out in front of me, causing me to stop.

“Clara?!”

“Is that Mr. Knight? But who is that with him?”

I looked in the direction she was looking. I spotted Mr. Knight right away despite the students rushing to get to class. In front of him stood a pretty brunette, who I recognized as Miss. Alexander the home education teacher. They were both smiling and talking to each other. “The home ed teacher. She transferred here last year, remember.”

“I’m going to be really mad if she is asking him out.” Clara pouted beside me to my amusement.

I looked in their direction again. Miss. Alexander hadn’t been that much older than Mr. Knight. She was new last year and had half the guy population after her. She was nice, but there was something strange about her in my opinion. 

“They are probably just talking about whatever teachers talk about.” When he leaned over to say something near her ear, a jealous energy went right through me. 

Mine!

He most definitely was not mine, so why was I feeling this way? This strange desire to storm over there and place myself between the two. 

Whoa girl, calm down. He is your teacher, not someone you like. This is stupid anyway. 

But the more I told myself this, the more I found that I couldn’t believe it. I liked Mr. Knight more than a student should like her teacher. 

***

"Miss. Amelia."

Stopping, I turned around to see Mr. Knight walking to me. "Yes, Mr. Knight?" It was after school, and I was on my way home to help mom with dinner. 

"You missed an assignment that is important to your overall grade. I'll like to ask you to stay after class to complete it."

"Alright. Just let me make a phone call and get my things."

"O'course." He turned to head back in the direction of his classroom.

He was acting a little strange lately. I was late to class yesterday, and he didn't even give me detention. Then there's this feeling that he's watching me. I mean I could be exaggerating, but he seemed to be wherever I'm at lately. 

Not to mention this morning when he looked my way while he was talking with Miss. Alexander. His stare seemed to bring a calmness to me. One that reassured me that everything would be ok. 

Deciding to think over the odd behavior of my teacher later, I pulled out my cell phone. It rang for several minutes before she answered. “Mom, hey, I have to finish an assignment that I missed the other day, so I was calling to let you know I’ll be late.”

It had been just the two of us for as long as I could remember, so we were close. I don’t remember my dad, but mom told me he had died years ago. So up until now, it has just been us two. She gave me the ‘ok, see you later, be safe’ statement. I hung up and went and got my things from my locker before returning to Mr. Knight’s classroom. 

Walking into the classroom, I took a seat at the front. Mr. Knight approached me and sat a paper down on the desk. I then began filling out the questions on the paper. As I worked, I could feel his gaze on me. It wasn’t creepy or anything, but I did feel like it was curious. About what I don’t know.

After completing the worksheet, I rose and crossed the short distance to his desk. I was right. He had been watching me. Brushing a loose string of hair that had fallen in my face aside, I handed him the paper. 

He took it, but not before wrapping his other hand around my extended one. He took the paper, but turned my hand over. He stared up at me as if trying to tell me something. 

“Um, Mr. Knight?” I was feeling this pleasant sensation again. It felt good to be touched by him. Like we were the only ones in the world that mattered. Then it broke with the blink of an eye. He abruptly let go of my hand. 

“Sorry, Miss. Amelia, I thought I saw something.” He didn’t look up at me. "You may go,” he said all too quickly.

The warmth to my face was making me hot. I nodded and turned almost running out of the classroom. Once I was outside, I slowed and looked at the hand he had grabbed. 

What I felt, what did it mean?