“You’re wicked distracted today,” said Bree at snack break. (Her mouth was full of beef jerky, so it came out more like “Fuur wik destrak tuhd.”) “What’s up?” (“Fshup?”)

“I told you about my dream,” I snapped with a sigh. “That boy… he was otherworldly. Godlike, even. I just can’t get it all out of my head…”

“It’s bothering you, then?” Bree inquired concernedly, swallowing the last of her beef jerky.

Yes, I thought. And at the same time, I wasn’t sure if I knew. “Is it bothering me?” I muttered. “Or am I the one bothering it?”

Bree gave me an odd look. “Are you sure you’re okay? Because that didn’t… make any sense.”

Maybe, I thought, it doesn’t have to make sense.

The pounding of the bell cut our conversation short. It was time for Marine Biology, one of my least favorite subjects. I could blame my parents for that, but at least there was some consolation in sharing the hour with both Vik and Bree. Our teacher, old Mr. Cho, meant well, but he had an impenetrable accent and a terminal case of ‘boring.’

Except Mr. Cho wasn’t there today.

He usually stood at the front of the classroom, leaning on his cane and quietly waiting for all the students to arrive, occasionally greeting them with a formal bow or a hoarse “Ni hao.” Today, though, someone else was sitting behind his desk.

The first thing that came into my mind when I saw her lounging at the front of the class was the look in her catlike hazel eyes. It was the half-lidded, tight-smirked look of a woman scorned. Her glossy auburn hair was coiled in an artful French twist. Under her half-slouched lab coat, her dress was glittery black, bare-shouldered and shone in the fluorescent light like it was covered in beetles. The moment I beheld her, I knew: whoever this woman was, she was utterly and completely heartless.

I sat down between Bree and Vik, unable to look away from the mysterious intruder in our classroom.

“Who is she?” Vik, gaped. “I’ve never seen her around before.”

“I guess Mr. Cho’s sick,” said Bree, already taking advantage of his absence to break class rules and sip on a juice box. “It happens.”

“If she’s our substitute teacher, I wouldn’t mind if Mr. Cho took another few days off,” said Vik with a smile. Bree rolled her eyes.

But even though they were joking, I could sense something was wrong. That look in the woman’s eyes… Something about it chilled me to the bone. The last few students sat down, and she stood up instantly. She strode across the tiled floor, her stilettos clacking with every sashaying step, and slammed the door.