Page 1 of To Teleport, or Not to Teleport?
Chapter 1
“Ms. Sniffer?” Leila asked, the concern in her voice drawing me back to the present.
I shook my head, hoping the images violating my personal space would disperse, but alas, Kenny’s morning masturbation session was still fresh in my mind. Don’t get me wrong, good for him, but yuck. I had no desire for the visual.
I rubbed my cursed nose and sighed. “Sorry?”
“Are you okay?” Leila asked. She had stopped me outside of my classroom to talk to me about something, but my mind was distracted.
I did my best to ignore Kenny and any lingering scents in his vicinity. He was standing a few feet away, eavesdropping on the conversation between my student and me. If knowing my coworker’s morning activities wasn’t bad enough, I couldn’t help but wonder if they involved me. Shudder! He’d asked me out on numerous occasions over the last year, but I’d never been interested in him.
Objectively speaking, he was a nice-enough-looking man and had no weird habits. If he did, I would know, with my quirky gift of involuntarily sniffing people’s secrets and future events. I could thank my witch mother and beagle Shifter father, and I knew the irony wasn’t lost on me. I was weird, even for a witch living in Assjacket, West Virginia.
There was no spark for me where Kenny was concerned. I preferred living happily single than being a part of a relationship that didn’t fit me.
“I’m fine, Leila, just a squirrel thought. Can you repeat the last bit?”
“I asked if you’d sign off to be our new coach for the running club,” Leila said.
“What happened to—Ohthat’s right. Mr. Gram’s moving.” Most residents didn’t leave their supernatural community, so I was tempted to ask him how he was managing his escape. “Um, the thing is, Leila, I’ve never coached. I wouldn’t even know—”
Leila waved her hand dismissively. “We run for fun. We just need an adult to do it with us, no coaching required.”
I pursed my lips in thought. My own runs could be switched to the afternoons, and my planning to the mornings. I furrowed my brows, realizing my brain wouldn’t be firing on all cylinders with that plan.
As if she could read my mind, Leila blurted, “Everyone is okay with running in the mornings instead! I know you run in the mornings, and we don’t want to mess up your schedule. To be honest, mornings are better for a lot of us and—”
Chuckling, I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Breathe.”
Leila’s eyes rounded, and her lips pressed into a thin line.
“I’ll do it. Tell the group to meet me after school tomorrow for a quick meeting. I’ll talk to the principal and let her know I’m stepping in.”
Leila bounced on her feet twice, the grin filling her face reminding me she was a fox Shifter. “Thank you!”
I started nodding and nearly fell over at the impact of Leila’s sudden embrace. Before I could react, Leila took off down the hall and out the double doors.
“Technology teacher by day, granting wishes by afternoon, and now running coach by mornings,” Kenny said, drawing closer to me.
“It’s rude to eavesdrop, Kenny.”
He shrugged. “It’s not my fault she spoke loudly.”
I rolled my eyes at his weak excuse. “What if she’d been talking about her period?”
Kenny grimaced at the topic, shivering for added effect. I opened my mouth to remind him it was a normal biological function, but he spoke first.
“All right, I wasn’t eavesdropping, but I was waiting for the girl to be done.”
“Did you need something?” I asked.
“I wanted to know if you were interested in grabbing a bite at the diner with me?”
The man refused to take any of my hints. “Oh, yeah, I can’t. I have a stack of essays that won’t grade themselves.”
“Can’t you cast a spell or whatever and be done with it?”
My eyes widened in horror. “That would be abusing my power! How dare you suggest such a thing? Baba Yaga has enough on her plate. She doesn’t need me—a teacher— setting a poor example!” I snapped and looked up and down the hall, waiting for the head witch to pop in at the mention of her name.
