THE TEACHER'S VIRGIN STUDENT MATE

ELARA ASHFORD Run, Elara. Run. I blink my eyes, feeling my bare feet running across the damp earth of the surrounding forest. I still don't know where I am, but I can't stop running now. I turn my head, screaming and widening my eyes, as I see the shadow of something relentlessly chasing me. I try to run as fast as I can to escape. But the creature keeps pursuing me. I don't know what it is, but I can see its golden eyes staring at me and its sharp teeth ready to attack. "Help me! Help me!", I scream in fear, feeling the tears in my eyes. My heart is pounding hard inside my chest at this moment. I look ahead, only able to see the outlines of the surrounding trees. It's very dark, and I use my hands to push away the branches of trees that slap against my face with force. My lungs beg for rest, but I can't stop. The forest is so dark and gloomy. There's no one here to help me, even though I keep screaming loudly. The creature is going to kill me. I hear the growl of the creature's mouth opening as it runs after me. I blink my eyes, trying to see something beyond the surrounding darkness. I look up, seeing the moon shining in the sky. I scream, tripping over something, and seconds later, I fall hard to the damp ground. I groan, hitting my head, before trying to get up. I'm scared and feel every part of my body trembling with fear. I feel a pain in my foot that keeps me from getting up. I blink, lying on the ground, and lift my head just in time to see the creature rushing toward me. I widen my eyes, screaming as the terrifying golden pupils get closer to me. I raise my hands in front of my face as I feel the impact on my body. At that moment, the moonlight allowed me to see the face of the thing running at me. I can see the outline of its sharp teeth and black fur. A wolf. But not just any wolf—one that is different and much scarier. With a single movement, it leaps into the air, and I scream as it pounces on my body, its teeth very close to my neck. I struggle, crying and trying to escape, but I can't. There’s something in its eyes, something different, and I feel the tears wetting my face as I look at it, raising my hand to show its sharp claws. A kind of werewolf. Its golden eyes fixate on something on my shoulder. I close my eyes, crying and waiting for it to bite or attack me, but when I open my eyes, I see it getting closer. Horror completely overtakes me when I see its face so close to mine. I stop breathing, watching as it howls toward something. Then I realize it's looking at the mark on my shoulder, the same birthmark I’ve always had. The creature growls loudly, howling more as it pins me to the ground while still over my body. It opens its mouth to bite me, and I scream, bracing for it, but it doesn't happen. And then, I hear my name being spoken by it between howls. "Elara..." I open my eyes, terrified and trembling. I blink several times, realizing I am having yet another strange nightmare. I sit up in bed, breathing hard. I place my hand over my chest, feeling my heart racing. Jesus. I close my eyes, lower my head, and try to calm my body and mind. I look at my skin, feeling the sweat stick to my forehead and back. This time, it felt much more real than before. "What's happening to me?", I ask before opening my eyes. My gaze fixes on my shoulder, and I touch the mark I’ve always had. It’s almost like a drawing of a full moon. I’ve always tried to figure out its meaning, but no one in my family has the same mark. I'm the only one, and I’ve been dreaming about it for a long time. Someone knocking on the door startles me, and I look at my bed, seeing the open books, realizing I fell asleep while studying. I ask them to come in, and seconds later, my mom enters the room, looking at me the same way she does when I have intense nightmares. She looks at me with a worried expression, and I know what she’s going to say. "I heard your screams. Another one of those nightmares again, sweetheart?", she asks, and I nod as she approaches. "Yes, I have them every night, but now they're becoming more frequent." "You should consider what I said about seeing a psychologist, Elara. These nightmares aren’t normal, and it’s affecting you a lot." "I'm fine, Mom." Telling every detail of my life to someone who’s being paid to listen doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. She touches my shoulder, and I blink, feeling the tears in my eyes, but I don’t want to cry in front of her, so I keep my head down. "Elara, you know I only want what's best for you and whatever is good for you. Having nightmares about horrible things like this isn’t good for you." "I'm... just very tense about the new school year. I’ll be fine, Mom." I lift my head, seeing that she’s still looking at me. She touches my face before sighing and nodding. "I'll respect your choice, but I can take you if you change your mind, Elara. I love you." "I love you too." "Dinner is ready.", my mom says with a smile, but I sigh, picking up my phone from between the books on the bed. "I can't stay for dinner, Mom. I promised the school group I'd go to a party to celebrate our last year." "That's fine. You need to have fun and hang out with more people your age, but eat a little before you go, and be careful, okay?" I nodded with a smile, watching her leave the room. In all my nearly 18 years, my mom has always respected my space, and I love that about her. I touch the phone screen, seeing a message from Chloe, my best friend at school. Hey, Elara! I hope to see you at the party tonight. It’s going to be so fun, and the whole football team will be there. Maybe you’ll lose your virginity tonight. I start laughing at her message, shaking my head. She knows how much I like one of the guys on the football team, but she also knows I’d never lose my virginity in a forest at night. I want to do it with someone I truly love and who loves me the same way. Being a virgin at almost 18 isn't very common among girls my age, but I don’t care about that. I get out of bed and take a shower before getting dressed. The party in a clearing in the forest is a celebration of our last year in school before university, and I’m excited about it. Tomorrow is my first day back at school, and tonight I want to have fun. After putting on a red floral dress and boots, I grab my jacket before looking at my reflection in the mirror in front of me. I feel beautiful. I blink, seeing my long, dark curls falling over my back. My lips are covered with gloss. I don’t like wearing too much makeup. I’m ready. Going out and being with my friends will allow me to forget all my nightmares for a few hours. My mom let me use her car to go to the party, and I drove carefully through the night, feeling the cool night breeze against my face. The location is far away, and it takes an hour before I finally get close to the city’s mountain forest. I park among the other cars and get out. I walk with my hands inside my jacket, observing the dark forest before me, but after walking for a few seconds, I can already hear the party’s noise. People are talking and laughing, and the sound of music is loud. There are a lot of people here, and I look around, trying to find Chloe. I see all the guys from the football team, and I feel their eyes on me. There are many beer cans scattered on the forest floor, which makes me frown. The smell of alcohol is very strong, and I hear someone shouting my name. "Elara! You came!" I lift my head, seeing Chloe running toward me and holding two red cups. She hugs me tightly, and I do the same. She looks beautiful as always. "Yes, I'm here. I think I need a bit of distraction tonight.", I say, and she looks at me, sighing. "Did something happen?" "No, nothing out of the ordinary in my life.", I force a smile, and she hands me one of the cups. "Great, then drink this, and let's have fun!" I hold the red plastic cup that Chloe put in my hands, and the strong smell of alcohol immediately rises, burning my nostrils. My fingers circle the rim of the cup as I try to ignore the growing discomfort in my stomach. "Going to the first day of school with a massive hangover isn't really my goal, Chloe.", I murmur, frowning at the golden liquid. Chloe smiles, leaning toward me like an accomplice to some secret plan. "If you want to forget about your life for a few hours, trust me, this is what you need.", she says with a laugh, giving me a knowing wink.