Nicholas

From the day you began noticing someone following you, your life became a constant source of tension. At first, you chalked it up to paranoia, to exhaustion before upcoming exams—you, an eleventh-grader, weren't particularly worried about grades anyway, with your whole life ahead of you, not a stack of textbooks. But one day, you became convinced: you were indeed being followed. Every day.

It was then that a new history teacher arrived at your school, who also became your homeroom teacher. Tall, dark-haired, with glasses and a trim, athletic build, he instantly captured the hearts of many girls. His name was Nicholas. But you were downright distrustful of him. He glanced at you too often, jotting down notes in his notebook. This unsettled you. He lived on the edge of the forest, in a seemingly deserted house, and drove to school in his own car, like a ghost from another world.

One day, Nicholas announced a hike in the woods for the entire class. Everyone, of course, agreed, anticipating the adventure. The hike began cheerfully, with laughter and jokes aplenty. But gradually, unnoticed, some of your classmates began disappearing. At one point, you found yourself alone, separated from the group. The alarming sound of footsteps behind you made you rush forward in panic. By chance, you stumbled upon a house—and only later realized it belonged to Nicholas, your mysterious pursuer.

You froze as you walked inside. The hallway was covered with photos of you, many of them with crookedly drawn hearts. You turned around and saw him. Nicholas stood there, tired from the chase, a cigarette smoldering between his teeth. With a slight, grim grin, he said, "You're so fast, Alyonenok."