MONSTER

PROLOGUE

Eric Derns. A man in his mid-thirties, calculus teacher, and probably the most clever person in the city. Growing up from an unnaturally successful family, he was immediately sent to teach at a school called CliveWood, a highly acclaimed facility in somewhere in the middle of the United States. Derns, of course, accepted the position immediately. He was especially known for his compatibility with teenagers. The move to hire him was largely supported mostly and probably because of his former position as a professor at Yale University, where he had several and various degrees from more than one college, a very impressive record.

Within one year, Derns became the most popular teacher in the entire school, with students and teachers alike. So if any teacher-student relationships were disconnected before, Eric Derns and reconnected them. Personally, Derns was proud of the praise that surrounded him and the school, and was grateful for this.

CliveWood, the school that Derns taught at, was a four story tall building built for all grade levels. It was a box-shaped building that looked very professional. But the appearance of professionalism wasn't an illusion. There was never a student that was held back. There was never a bullying case, or anything more complicated than someone losing a few pencils. The citizens of the town were proud of the environment.

As it happened to be, the entire city was without trouble. Since its founding in 1955, the city naturally remained peaceful and without the misery of murders, thefts, and rape hogging the newspapers for weeks, unlike certain cities. Nothing to induce a feeling of insecurity, or fears of being killed and your loved ones being killed. The city, including the school, were considered not only lucky, but the standard of comparison for an amicable environment.