Kai
Time is weird. You don't really notice it until it starts slipping through your fingers. Like sand. Or breath.
I used to think life was on a track—wake up, go to school, survive the day, repeat. But sometimes the train skips the rails and suddenly, nothing makes sense anymore.
The alarm goes off at 6:30 a.m., same as always. I lie there for a second, just listening to it. Not moving. Not ready. The sun's not even fully up yet, and neither am I.
Mom's already in the kitchen, clanking pans like she's at war with breakfast. I can smell eggs burning. Again.
"Kai! You're gonna be late!"
I sit up, rub my eyes, and grab the hoodie hanging on the chair. My backpack's still zipped from yesterday—sketchbook inside, along with notes I'll probably never read again.
When I walk into the kitchen, Mom smiles like she always does. Tired, but trying. Her hair's pulled back and there's a streak of flour on her cheek.
"I made eggs," she says. "Sort of."
"Thanks," I mutter, taking the plate and poking at the lumpy mess. I eat anyway. She tries. That's more than I can say for most people in this city.
We don't talk about Dad anymore. Not since he left. Not since he just… vanished. Time didn't stop then. I thought it would. But it kept going, dragging me along with it.
After breakfast, I throw on my headphones and head out. Music drowns out the rest of the world. It's easier that way. Easier to ignore the sirens two blocks over. Easier not to notice the tension in people's faces as they pass.
I take the long route to school. Past the abandoned lot where kids used to play. Past the alley with the broken time capsule no one ever opened. I don't know why, but I like walking by there. Like if I listen hard enough, I'll hear something whisper back.
School is the same. Teachers droning. Lights flickering. People pretending. My friend Marcus tries to talk to me during first period, cracking jokes like always. I smile. Or try to. But it feels fake. I don't feel here lately. Like I'm moving on autopilot.
Third period, I zone out again. There's a clock on the wall, ticking way too loud. Every second sounds like a hammer.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
Sometimes, I think I can feel time slowing down. Like the room stretches. Like I'm stuck between seconds. I blink, and it's like everything jumps forward. The teacher's in a different spot. The clock hand skips. I shake my head.
"You okay, Kai?" she asks.
"Yeah," I lie.
After school, I wander. I end up on the overpass, watching cars zip by underneath. It's peaceful in a weird way. Nobody knows I'm here. Nobody expects anything from me.
That's when I hear it—screaming. Fast. Close.
A girl's voice.
I snap around and see her across the street, frozen in place. A car's speeding toward her, tires screeching, too fast to stop.
And I don't think.
I move.
Or—I try to.
But everything…
slows.
The air thickens. The colors smear. And I feel something shift inside me, like a gear finally turning. I'm standing in the middle of the street, but the car is barely moving. The world is… paused.
What the hell is happening?