Writing Prompt

I’m drunker than a sailor with daddy-issues.

This college party is absurd. I couldn’t if I was on the dirt or if I was floating.

Turns out I was actually throwing up into the corner of the backyard. Before that happened, I was outside—well… taking shots— with crowds talking and someone actually dived off the roof into the pool.

I thought that was only in moives.

Now I’m in my pink T-shirt, cooped outside next to the DJ, bobbing his head to the music. The song shook the ground. We’d get a noise complaint any minute now and I’d be going to jail. But I’m too drunk to care…

But I couldn’t help but dance a little.

Then suddenly, it all stopped. And my heart stopped beating and I’m on the ground.

Silence…

“Whoa… What’s going on here?”

A prank? Mist pours from the sky. No. They are legitmately frozen. Did I just freeze time?!

Someone in dark cloak, with a weapon tucked in their boney fingers. Who is that?

“Heart attack.”

The man said with a cruel voice. I’m starting to accept my fate. Not much I can do but accpet i’m dead. I died a virgin with no friends.

“Come on!!” Addy groved on the dance floor, holding her red plastic cup up in celebration. I shuffled to the dance floor, so much for fitting in. In a sudden motion, Caleb bumped into Abby, knocking her drink. It was about to fall on me. I braced for impact, expecting to p wet from whatever she was drinking, but nothing was there. I looked up, seeing her frozen emerald eyes, shocked. I moved to the side, as time resumed again. “PALETTE!” She screamed before the juice hit the floor. “Oh my gosh- I’m sorry.” Caleb scratched the back of his neck, “good call, Palette.” I gave a sheepish smile, _what the heck just happened? _Inside, I was panicking, “yeah. I don’t know how I did it myself either.” “That’s my friend. Best reflexes ever!” Addy claimed brightly. She has such radient energy as her brunette curls bobbed up and down. She put her hand up to high five me, after I did, it didn’t go down. Time stopped again. Curiously, I started to walk, everyone frozen within themselves. Was it my fault? I look around, until my eyes are locked in with a man on the other side of the room. Wearing a black cloak, revealing no skin besides his dark eyes. He pointed to me, starting to charge as an red bloody orb formed in his hand. As we whipped it, I quickly ducked—hearing an explosion behind me. My ears burned, screaming for mercy as the impact boomed. I turned around, trying to run, but could not as fire burned behind the walls. I tripped over my shoes. So much for first best party. “Got you now.” His voice echoed as he tilted his head, forming an even bigger orb but was suddenly stopped by an icy shatter. _ What was going on? _“Gah-“ the mysterious man groaned, experiencing an impact from the cold. I quickly stood up, being greeted with a man, tall with brown hair. His blue eyes gleamed with encouragement. _He just protected me. _ “Quickly. This way, he won’t be like that for long.” He said, grabbing my wrist. I swatted it away, “who do you think you are?! Is this a mad prank?” He scoffed, “no. Now come on-“ “Not until you tell me who you are!!” I demanded roughly. So much for being kind. _Stubborn. _A voice said to me, but it wasn’t my own, “stubborn?” I said out loud and he froze, gritting his teeth. “I’ll explain later. Hurry up.” His voice was steadily getting more tense, grasping my wrist tighter as he started to use his other hand to take out the flames. Everyone remained frozen but the two mysterious men fighting over me. We ran into the forest, and I halt to a stop. What was I thinking? “Tell me what is going on, NOW.” I said sharply, looking around quickly and picking up a stick in my defense. He stood there, “no need for a stick. I’m Joshua, and the things you just saw there are Kai’s doings.” “Who?” I slowly put down the stick, still ready to attack. “Kai, he thinks he’s an evil master. His soldier froze time, waiting for anyone who holds any powers would reveal themselves. And roughly—you did.” He grumbled disapprovingly. A strand of his brown hair fell out of place as the wind blew more harsh. I stared, “enough with this crap. I don’t believe you-“ He sweeped up the floor as ice shatters rose from the ground, yet there was no snow from the weather. He let his hands down as the ice fell to the ground with them. “Case and point.” “So your telling me those who hold these powers can move during time freeze?” I asked. He gives me a smirk, “finally, your catching on. And there’s a lot more to that, just follow me.”

Jittery. Photogram. Frame. I. Click. Through. Space. Again. I zoom out, and time unrolls infinitely. Each nanosecond cinematised, shot by shot. Until I’m trapped in a single frame.

Beat beat. Pause. Beat beat. Pause. My heart alone now keeps up with the fading echo of a song just a moment ago blaring out of a floor speaker. Beat beat. Pause. Gold chains suspended over necks of bodies hanging midair. Beat beat. Pause. Touchscreens frozen midscroll under hovering thumbs. Beat beat. Pause. Booze turned to stone mid-journey as plastic cups kiss lips. Beat beat. Pause…

I’ve done it again, I think. Again, I’m the only pulsating sonar in the depth of spacetime. For a while, I know I’ll be utterly alone in this sea of frozen bodies. It brings me peace, somehow, to feel that I’m in control of an utterly mystifying universe, this proof that I’m ruler of my own destiny. I feel like I’m chosen to make sense of it all — and that I will…

Beat beat. Pause. But just as this thought crosses my mind, she sees me. Beat beat. Pause. Her dark eyes are blinking. Beat beat. Pause. They are approaching. Beat beat. Pause. Her hand grabs mine, I can’t help staring at her deep deep eyes. Beat beat. Pause. She shakes my hand and says: “Finally, I thought time was ripe for you to meet the Director”.

Two days ago, I was at the coffee shop, waiting in line to get my usual morning drink when it happened the first time. One second you could hear the bustling of baristas and the conversations of customer, and the next second it was silent. I know the saying goes “you could hear a pin drop,” but in this case I don’t think the pin would hit the ground. Everyone and everything was completely still. I looked around me, half freaking out and half expecting a camera to come through any second to tell me I was on one of those elaborate prank shows. But no one came. There were the regulars I recognized at the tables and in the line, and some people I didn’t recognize. A tall guy with a baseball cap, a girl with long black hair and purple rimmed glasses, an elderly woman in a flowery dress. But nobody, not one, was moving. Only me. I began to panic as I wasn’t sure how it happened, and I definitely didn’t know how to undo it. And then it just…stopped. As suddenly as it went quiet the din returned. The elderly woman in the flowery dress seemed to give me a double take. Possibly due to my being a foot or two out of where she saw me less than a moment ago. I apologized and ran out of the cafe. No tea for me today.

Later that same day, I was at work, doing the same monotonous work on my computer, listening to the white noise of the keys clacking on a hundred other computers all around me. Then it happened again. Quiet, total cessation of movement from those around me. “This is insane,” I thought to myself. “What the hell is happening?” I ran to the window to see if there was some kind of, I don’t know, weather phenomenon or something that could make this happen. But I didn’t see anything. A blue, cloudless sky, a street full of people a few floors below, and a bird stopped mid-flight just in front of me. Suspended in the air. At the cafe, this unnerving event lasted, maybe, 30 seconds. But this time it seemed to go on for minutes. I made it all the way to the lobby floor through the stairs and was about to step outside when the world began to move again. On my way back up I got a text from my work buddy, Dylan. “Where are you?” “Just went to the restroom, heading back now” “When? I was literally on my way to your desk and then you were just…gone” I didn’t know how to explain what happened, nor did I feel like trying at the moment. So I finished work and went home with no other issues to speak of. A good night’s sleep and everything would be normal tomorrow. At least, that’s what I told myself.

That was not the case. In fact, it seemed worse the next day. I had a later start at work, so I ate some breakfast at home and watched the local news. Halfway through a fluff piece about a mom and pop donating some money to the elementary school, the broadcast froze. At first I thought, or I hoped, it was an issue with the tv. But I couldn’t change the channel. I felt sick. A thousand questions flooded me: Am I dreaming? How was this happening? Was I the cause? How come I could move but nothing and no one else could? How do I stop this? I asked myself that last question over and over. I was so intent on that question I didn’t even notice the broadcast continue on the tv. Once everything was moving again, I called out of work and stayed in bed all day. But even though I wasn’t watching or listening to anything, I could feel the stops. Four more stops of varying length happened throughout the day.

The next day was Saturday, and my friends Lilly and Maeve were having a get-together at their place. Surprisingly, there were no time stops the whole day. I was starting to wonder if the last two days had been some kind of fever dream. But I got dressed up, went to the party and was really enjoying myself. I was mid-conversation with Lilly, talking about her and Maeve’s recent trip to see family and how much fun they had, when Lilly froze. I looked around, everyone was frozen. Dammit, not again. Just then, from the corner of my eye, I saw movement. Across the room, someone was walking toward me. As I saw them weaving through the crowd, I realized I recognized her. Dark hair, purple glasses…the girl from the cafe. What on earth was happening. Finally when she got to me all she said was, “hey”. “Hey,” I responded, “do you know what’s going on here?” “I do.” she smiled up at me. It was a beautiful smile, but it had something else behind it, a shadow of mischief. “For some time I’ve been able to freeze time. I don’t know why, or how it happened, but I’ve learned to get some control over it.” I realize as she’s been talking that she’s looking at me, almost through me. Like she’s assessing me. “For a while it’s been fun. I enjoy wandering around and people watching in real, unfiltered moments. Genuine laughs in the middle of telling a story, and tears in the middle of a funeral. These moments of life that would pass by so fleetingly if I wasn’t there to stop and appreciate them,” again that look on her face. “That’s beautiful, uh…” I start, realizing I don’t know a thing about her. “Jess,” she fills in the blank for me. “Jess,” I feel the word in my mouth, and I’m surprised at how it feels. “But if you’ve been doing this for a while, why am I suddenly able to walk around when everyone else is frozen?” Jess smiles and brushes some hair from her face. “Well,” she says, “I think I may have wished for you, somehow.” I sputter and choke on a laugh, “What do you mean?” She keeps smiling at me, “I enjoy freezing time, but lately I’ve wanted someone else to enjoy it with. And that day I saw you at the coffee shop, I thought you were cute.” Here, Jess becomes a little more reserved, “sooo, I froze time to get a better look at you and you just didn’t freeze. I stopped time a few more times to see if it was a fluke, but here you are.” She gestures around to all of the others frozen in place. “I see,” I say even though I don’t, really. “So what should we do now?” I can feel my face warming. “I mean, I already said I think you’re cute,” Jess says with a shy smile. “What do you think?” Again, I’m stumbling over myself, “Uh, I mean, I think… you are very beautiful and, uh, I think what you can do is incredible. Um…” and she puts up a finger. “Then there’s one more thing I want to try,” she says as she closes the space between us. “So why don’t you just…freeze.” As she leans in and gives me a kiss.

I’m looking straight in her eyes. She’s the only other person in the room who is not frozen. I smile, as I usually do, and the corners of her mouth slowly raise as well. “Do you know what’s going on here?”, I ask her. “We’ve stopped time together”, she replies like it’s the most normal thing in the world. “I didn’t know that was possible! And how are we the only ones not frozen with time?”, her smiles gets bigger as she explains it to me. “We are soulmates and have always been connected, but this is the first time we meet.”

I took a sip from my red solo cup just as everything around me froze. My friends were paused mid-laughter and a ping pong ball flying across the room had halted, a little too close to my raised hand.

It was happening again, but how? Did I do it? This was the third time in the past week that time had stood still, leaving me unscathed.

Panic rushed into me as I darted my eyes around, searching for something that could explain what was going on. Somewhere within me, mixed with the dread and frenzy was a curiosity.

I replayed the last fifteen minutes in my head trying to look for some sort of pattern that could connect the three instances. I had walked up the stairs and entered my best friend’s apartment only to be immediately cornered by the guy who lived down the hall. He had been relentless in trying to capture my interest but I swiftly managed to slip past him and make my escape towards the kitchen for a drink. Nothing amiss there. I then grabbed a cup and started to pour - there was a sudden movement, dragging me out of my recollection.

A shadow flickered on the other side of the room. Emerging from behind one of the party guests, was a tall, young man. He had jet black, side-swept hair and was dressed in equally dark clothing. He wore a stern expression but I noted a glint in his eyes that mimicked my own curiosity.

He watched me keenly and I found myself walking towards him like I was being pulled by an invisible force. My legs moved involuntarily as if there was nothing else in the world for me to do but reach this unknown man. My shock and confusion grew. How was he the only other person in this room, aside from me, not still frozen in time?

As I neared him, I noticed his hand was now outstretched and slowly reached for me. I took his hand delicately, but without hesitation. He led me out the sliding balcony door, the brisk night air gently grazing my flushed cheeks. He carefully helped me up onto the balcony ledge, hand still gripping my own. He then seamlessly climbed up himself to join my side. He turned to stare at me, such intensity and amusement in his gaze. With a quiet, casual breath we both stepped off.

You know that feeling when you wake up and you’re just out of it? Like, you have that feeling that today is going to be wonky, so why get up?

That was today.

I woke up, I just knew it would suck. Unfortunately, the high school bus waits for nobody.

I won’t lie, I’m not the best student. I’m smart enough, but studying bores me and I end up partying instead.

I’m also a little bit concerned I have epilepsy or hallucinations or something along those lines, because I keep having moments where everything and everybody just stops except for me, and then continues like nothing has happened and the whole world is great.

Anyway, I rolled over to check the time and fell out of bed. I sat on the ground and tried to fall asleep under the plush blanket. The blanket was one of those super soft ones that make you want to do nothing but sleep for the rest of your life. But of course, the alarm was still blaring on my phone, so I had to crawl back up and hit snooze. I stared at the screen for a second, eyes blurry, trying to figure out how many more minutes I could get away with before I absolutely had to be human.

Seven minutes.

I closed my eyes, but I couldn’t get comfortable again. My mind kept going back to that weird thing. You know, the freezing thing. The world stops moving, people freeze mid-laugh, mid-blink, mid-breath. Like someone paused the universe, but I can still move. It happens randomly, and it’s starting to freak me out. The worst part? No one else notices. No one says, “Hey, wasn’t time frozen just now?” It’s just me.

I dragged myself out of bed for real this time and shuffled to the bathroom. I splashed cold water on my face, hoping it’d wake me up or at least shock some motivation into me.

Nope.

By the time I got dressed and grabbed my backpack, I had exactly three minutes to catch the bus. Perfect. I ran out the door, skipping breakfast because who has time for that when you’re trying to survive high school?

The bus ride was normal—people zoning out with their earbuds in, the occasional loud conversation from the back seats. I plugged in my own headphones and stared out the window, trying to push the weird time thing out of my head.

The day went by in a blur. Classes, lunch, more classes. Nothing special. But when the bell finally rang, I was already planning on ditching homework and hitting up a party I’d heard about. Maybe I could just forget all this weirdness and be a normal, carefree teenager for a few hours.

That night, the party was packed. The kind of crowd where you can barely move, but no one cares because the music is loud, and the drinks are flowing. I was laughing with some friends when it happened again.

Everything. Just. Stopped.

The music cut out, mid-beat. People were frozen, stuck like mannequins. Cups in the air, mouths open. My heart raced, but I was kind of getting used to it at this point.

But then I saw him.

At the far end of the room, leaning against the wall. He wasn’t frozen. He wasn’t stuck like everyone else.

He was looking right at me.

Time stopped this morning, while i was enjoying my morning coffee. Time stopped this afternoon, while i bought groceries at the local market. Time stopped for no one: no one, except me. While they froze, i continued on my way. And then, time stopped again.

It was at the party late that evening when it happened next. The classical music danced with its listeners, and the chatter swirled throughout the vast ballroom. Savoury and alcoholic scents swarmed the room, filling my nose. And then it just stopped. The music, the dancing, the talking. I was over by the buffet, enjoying these delicious but rather small sandwiches.

But something wasnt quite right.

Inhale. Exhale. Footsteps.

I turned my head, but there was no movement. Everyone looked the same; they were all frozen mid breath, mid sentence, mid dance and mid song.

And then i saw him.

His hair was somewhere between a dirty blonde and a light brown, with piercing blue eyes and a smile tugging at his lips. He nodded to me, and then turned away, as if he was going to leave.

"Excuse me!" I called, because how could i just let him leave. I needed answers. I needed them now.

Was he responsible for this? I always thought it was me, but how could i possibly be capable of stopping time itself? Something that always seems to pass by, no matter how much you wished it would stay. But how could he be capable of it either? He certainly seemed normal enough. Or atleast, there were no horns on his head, but how would i know if he was truly human? Anything was possible at this point. Are there others like him? I couldn't bring myself to say us, because me and this man had nothing in common. Why isn't he frozen? Or better yet, why aren't i?

He simply smiled at me again, a slow, half smile, before turning away again and walking out the door.

Time resumed, and it was as though nothing ever happened. As though that man had never even existed. The music resumed its build up to the grand crescendo, the people twirled and laughed, and all resumed as it had just moments ago.

I fought through the dancing crowd, trying to reach the door, but by the time i'd exited the building, he was gone.

“Don’t you see now I control everything.” Mary looked down the hall at a dark silhouette walking towards her. “It’s been me the entire time, I’m the one who hacked your phone and sold your stories to the Russians.” The silhouette was now in clear sight. “Troy?” “Oh hunny, call me King.” “You don’t, your voice..” “I’m a master of disguise Mary, I wear many hats you could say. I’ve been watching you for a while now.” “What- I don’t..stand back.” “Don’t be so frightened Mar’, I’m your old friend.” An evil grin now sat on his face. “What are you talking about? I don’t even know..” “It was me Mary, I’m the one who reported every google search, every iMessage sent, every thesaurus input, you were definitely..” Troy looked down at his hand and adjusted the position of his Apple Watch to see the time better “My favorite little puppet. We always were ahead of your next move Mary, it’s all part of the big game.” “So you’re a fraud! How could you, you cheating bastard!” “Oh I wouldn’t say that Mary, it’s just the perks of being so technically inclined.” “I’m calling the FBI.” Mary fumbled with her phone as it shook in her palm. Troy gently put his hand over it and slid it away. “I wouldn’t do that sweet pea, you know…calling my supervisor and all would be just another waste of time.” Mary took in everything for a moment with tears running down her cheeks, and realized she was defeated, there was no way out of this hell that she had wanted, and prayed so desperately to be free of.

My heart stops. I’m barely breathing as she starts to make her way across the room.

“Honestly Mary… I was starting to think you’d never figure it out.”

“Who- How do you know my name?” I stutter breathlessly, bumping into a frozen couple mid-make out behind me.

“You don’t remember me?” She croons, the corners of her mouth pick up in a feline smile, as she plucks a martini right out of the outstretched hand of a frozen bar tender.

She grimaces after the first sip and tosses the glass over her shoulder. It bounces off a guy staring unseeing at his phone, then shatters on the ground.

“I’ve… I’ve never met you in my life. Who are you?” My voice betrays my fear, and I grapple with a bar table to put some distance between me and the stranger slowly sauntering towards me.

Her green stare pierces mine, and I’m momentarily struck by the familiarity of her features; something at the back of my mind claws for attention, but her voice pierces my concentration.

“Why, Mary… I’m your mother.”