Arden Hayes wasn't built for running. His sneakers pounded the dirt unevenly, his backpack thumped against his spine, and his lungs burned like he'd inhaled a campfire. Lila Voss, on the other hand, moved like she'd been dodging trouble her whole life quick, sure, barely breaking a sweat. She darted through the scraggly woods behind Willow Creek High, weaving between trees while Arden stumbled after her, twigs snapping underfoot.
"Slow down!" he wheezed, glasses bouncing on his nose. "Who's even chasing us?"
"No time!" Lila shot back, not even glancing over her shoulder. "Keep up or get caught!"
"Caught by what?" Arden's voice cracked, but she didn't answer. Typical. He'd known this girl for all of three minutes, and she was already the most infuriating person he'd ever met. Still, he pushed forward, driven by a mix of fear and that nagging memory of the dodgeball hovering in midair. Five seconds. Five impossible seconds.
Lila skidded to a stop near a cluster of pines, so sudden Arden nearly crashed into her. She held up a hand, sharp green eyes scanning the shadows. The woods were quiet too quiet. No birds, no rustling leaves, just the faint hum of the highway beyond the trees.
"Okay, talk," Arden panted, doubling over to catch his breath. "What's going on? Why do you know my name? And what was that back there?"
Lila smirked, leaning against a tree like this was all some big game. "You're full of questions, huh? Fine. Short version: you're one of us now."
"One of what?" He straightened, shoving his glasses up. "You're not making sense."
"Time Weavers." She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, her tone dry as dust. "People who mess with time. You stopped it back in gym, five seconds, right? I saw it happen."
Arden's stomach flipped. "Saw it? You weren't even there!"
"Not there there." Lila tapped her temple. "Up here. I get glimpses little flashes of what's coming. Future stuff. Saw you freeze that dodgeball before it even happened."
He stared at her, mouth open, brain scrambling to keep up. Time Weavers? Future glimpses? This sounded like something out of Skybound Legends, not real life. "You're messing with me. This is a prank. Tim put you up to this, didn't he?"
Lila snorted. "Tim Carver couldn't plan a prank this good if his life depended on it. Look, I get it sounds crazy. But you felt it, didn't you? That moment when everything stopped?"
Arden hesitated. He wanted to deny it, to laugh it off and walk away. But those five seconds clung to him like a shadow. The silence. The stillness. The way the world had bent to his panic. "Yeah," he admitted, voice barely above a whisper. "I felt it."
"Good. Step one: acceptance." Lila pushed off the tree, brushing dirt off her jacket. "Step two: surviving long enough to figure out what it means."
"Surviving?" Arden's eyes widened. "What's that supposed to..."
"Shh!" Lila's hand shot up again, her smirk gone. She tilted her head, listening. Arden froze, straining to hear whatever she did. At first, nothing just the wind. Then, faintly, footsteps. Crunching leaves. Coming closer.
"Damn it," Lila muttered. "They're faster than I thought."
"Who's they?" Arden hissed, panic creeping back in.
"No time!" She grabbed his wrist, yanking him toward a narrow path he hadn't noticed before. "Run now, freak out later!"
He didn't argue this time. They bolted down the path, branches clawing at his hoodie. The footsteps grew louder behind them deliberate, heavy, not even trying to be quiet. Arden risked a glance back and caught a glimpse of shadows moving through the trees. Tall figures, cloaked in dark coats, too far to make out faces but close enough to send his heart into overdrive.
"Lila, what the hell are those things?" he gasped, stumbling over a root.
"Not thingspeople," she snapped, pulling him along. "Bad people. They hunt Weavers like us."
"Hunt?" The word hit him like a punch. "Why?"
"Because we're dangerous!" She shot him a wild grin, half-excitement, half-edge. "And they don't like dangerous."
Arden's mind spun. Dangerous? Him? He couldn't even dodge a ball without tripping over his own feet. But before he could protest, Lila veered sharp left, dragging him toward a gnarled oak. She pressed her palm against the trunk, muttering something under her breath. A faint shimmer rippled across the bark, like heat waves on pavement, and then a hole. A swirling, glowing circle, just big enough to step through.
"What is that?" Arden yelped, skidding to a stop.
"Your way out," Lila said, shoving him toward it. "Go!"
"No way! I'm not jumping into some creepy portal..."
The footsteps stopped. A voice, low, cold, cut through the air. "Found you."
Arden whipped around. Three figures stood at the edge of the path, faces hidden under hoods. One raised a hand, and the air crackled, like static before a storm.
"Move!" Lila shoved him hard. Arden stumbled, lost his balance, and fell headfirst into the portal. Light swallowed him bright, blinding, disorienting. He hit the ground on the other side with a grunt, rolling onto grass that smelled sharp and fresh. Lila landed beside him, graceful as a cat, as the portal snapped shut behind them.
"Welcome to the deep end, Arden Hayes," she said, brushing off her knees. "Try not to drown."
He pushed himself up, glasses askew, and stared at her. "Where are we?"
She grinned, pointing past him. "Take a look."
Arden turned. Before him sprawled a campus towers of stone and glass, sprawling lawns, students milling about in uniforms that looked way too cool for any school he'd ever seen. The sky shimmered faintly, like it was painted with extra colors he couldn't name.
"Chrono Academy," Lila said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Your new home. Hope you're ready to learn fast."