Coach Kael
778 Words
Mira
The moment I stepped into the gym hall, I knew something was off. The basketball hoops looked untouched, the balls still lined in their racks. The room, usually echoing with sneakers squeaking and volleyballs bouncing, was dead silent, except for the low hum of whispers that danced between the gathered students.
Everyone was lined up like we were back in kindergarten, about to be scolded for wetting the carpet. Only this time, the atmosphere felt even more tense that I felt like it would be hard to walk through. I adjusted my gym shirt, damp at the armpits from the walk over, and slid into place next to a girl whose perfume was entirely too lemony.
I stood on my toes, craning my neck to see Mrs. Mamean, the school Dean.
The Dean stood at the front like a heavy cloud ready to burst. She was a plump and tall woman, and she wore her signature baggy brown tracksuit like a curtain draped over a boulder. Her dark spiky hair was chopped so close to her scalp, it made her already square jawline look sharper. The effect made her look more like a retired soldier than the Dean of Students. Her double chin shifted slightly as she turned her head, and her fat nose sat like a lump of clay in the middle of her usually tired-looking face. Today, her expression was different though. It was sad and serious.
"Students," she began, her voice rasping like chalk against concrete. "I hate to be the bearer of such grim news…"
The murmurs died out completely. "But, there was an incident in the woods last night," she continued, clutching a clipboard to her chest like a shield. "Your former coach, Mr. Mikano, was attacked by a wild animal while he was out hunting."
I held my breath. Wild animal?
Mrs. Mamean cleared her throat, her eyes darting around the room as if she could quiet the ripple of fear before it began. "He is currently hospitalized. The attack left him immobilized, but thankfully, he is stable."
A ripple of murmurs passed through the crowd.
"An animal?"
"Did they catch it?"
"What was he doing in the woods?"
My own heart pounded so loud I was sure the girl beside me could hear it.
"But," she added sharply, "this unfortunate incident will not affect your training schedules. The school has made swift arrangements. We’ve brought in a temporary coach, one with extensive experience. He was transferred here from the North this morning."
She glanced toward one of the lecturers standing near the equipment room. The man nodded and walked off.
Seconds later, he returned with someone behind him. The moment he stepped into the room, it was like the world lost sound. A collective gasp rippled through the girls at once. One squealed, while another whispered, "Oh my God."
But I didn’t move. The man who walked in wasn’t just handsome, he was ethereal. His presence swallowed the room whole, like the whole universe stopped to stare at him. My eyes locked on him like I’d forgotten how to blink.
He was tall, too tall, and lean with muscle in all the right places, wearing a black training jacket that clung to his torso like second skin. His dark jeans hugged powerful legs, and when he took another step, his boots thudded softly against the wooden floor. But it wasn’t the way graceful and confident way he walked that unsettled me.
It was his face and all the details that pulled me in. A strong jawline with a shadow of stubble. High cheekbones and lips that looked like they’d never curled into a smile. His eyes looked like they could cut a bone in two. I couldn’t tell what color they were from this distance. All I knew was they burned.
And the moment they met mine, I stopped breathing. I had never seen him before, but those eyes looked like I'd felt them on me before. Every hair on my skin rose, my heartbeat tripled and my vision swam for a second as something beneath my skin screamed danger, and yet, I couldn’t look away.
The lecturer introduced him.
"Everyone, this is Coach Kael. Your temporary sports coach for those playing basketball."
Kael. The name sounded like it was straight out of a fantasy book. Like the kind of books I spend a whole night reading, picturing myself as the protagonist who fell in love with a dragon slayer. Everything about him looked like the dragon slayer I read in my books, but rather than feel a certain pull to him my instincts screamed for me to run.
Weird.
- Writer
