☄️ Chapter 6 Teachers Who Know Too Much
801 Words
Chapter 6: Teachers Who Know Too Much
The next morning, Minh arrived at school earlier than usual. The air felt dense, almost electric, like the world was holding its breath. Clouds hung low over the courtyard, casting strange shadows across the school gates.
When Minh stepped into the classroom, he froze. Mr. Lộc was already there, sitting at his desk, unmoving, eyes locked on the blank whiteboard like he was trying to read invisible words.
Usually, Mr. Lộc greeted students with a warm smile and a joke. Today, he looked... hollow.
— “Good morning, sir,” Minh said.
Mr. Lộc didn’t look up. After a pause, he muttered, “Minh, stay after class. We need to talk.”
A cold ripple went through Minh’s chest.
---
The rest of class passed in a blur. Even Lyra seemed quieter, her eyes darting toward Mr. Lộc with something that looked almost like suspicion.
When the final bell rang, Minh hesitated. Then he stepped forward.
Mr. Lộc shut the door, pulled the blinds halfway. The room dimmed.
— “Is something wrong?” Minh asked.
Mr. Lộc turned to him slowly. “Has Lyra ever told you anything... unusual?”
Minh blinked. “She’s... different. But she’s not dangerous.”
Mr. Lộc opened a folder on his desk. Inside were printed pages — Lyra’s assignments, test scores, even security camera stills from the school hallways.
— “This file is flawless,” he said, voice low. “Too flawless. No inconsistencies. No record of prior schooling. It’s like she appeared out of nowhere.”
Minh swallowed. “You’re investigating her?”
— “I don’t need to. Because someone else already is.”
Minh's pulse quickened.
Mr. Lộc stood and leaned close. “Be careful, Minh. There are things at this school you don't understand.”
---
Next period was science with Ms. Thủy. Young, sharp, and unnervingly precise, she had a way of speaking that made even simple facts sound like prophecies.
Today, the projector displayed a spinning double helix of DNA. She paced in front of it.
— “Genetics shapes who we are,” she said. “But mutations — intentional or not — can lead to unexpected outcomes.”
Lyra raised her hand. “Could mutations cause new abilities to emerge?”
The class chuckled, but Ms. Thủy didn’t smile.
— “Such as?”
Lyra didn’t hesitate. “Sensitivity to frequency. Rapid adaptation. Processing data beyond normal human limits.”
Ms. Thủy stared at her.
— “In theory, yes,” she said. “But it would require an extreme evolutionary catalyst.”
Lyra tilted her head. “Like prolonged exposure to cosmic radiation?”
Silence.
Ms. Thủy walked to Lyra’s desk, leaned close. Her voice was almost a whisper. “You’re not here by chance, are you?”
The air grew cold.
---
After class, Ms. Thủy asked both Minh and Lyra to stay behind. She locked the door.
She turned off the lights.
— “I know who you are,” she said.
Minh's blood ran cold. Lyra remained still.
Ms. Thủy continued, “You're not the first visitor to come here. But the last one didn't make it.”
Lyra's expression sharpened. “What happened to them?”
Ms. Thủy walked to a cupboard, pulled out a small, dust-covered box. Inside were old notes, photographs of star maps, and what looked like melted metal.
— “I was a field researcher before I became a teacher. There was a crash — not far from here. They covered it up. I saw the wreckage.”
Lyra opened her bag and held out the strange notebook she'd found in the locker. Its pages pulsed faintly with dim blue light.
Ms. Thủy froze.
— “That language…”
— “You recognize it?” Minh asked.
Ms. Thủy nodded. “Fragments of this script were found at the crash site.”
Lyra murmured, “It was one of ours.”
Ms. Thủy’s face paled. “Then you know how serious this is. The transmissions we've been detecting — they're not greetings. They're warnings.”
Minh stepped forward. “What do we do?”
Ms. Thủy handed Lyra a folded map. A red X was marked near the mountains.
— “Find the second signal. And whatever you do, don’t go alone.”
---
That night, Minh tossed and turned in bed.
He replayed every word. The last one didn't make it. They're not greetings. They're warnings.
He picked up his phone just as it buzzed.
A message from Linh:
> "Hải found something. Meet us at the old gym. Tomorrow. Before school."
Minh stared at the glowing screen.
The mystery was unraveling fast.
And somewhere in the sky, beyond the clouds and stars, something was watching. Waiting.
---
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