Arden Hayes couldn't sleep. The dorm room clock, because Chrono Academy loved its clocks, glowed 11:47 PM, its soft ticks mocking him as he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His mind churned with Lila's words: Fractures are a neon sign. Draws the wrong kind of attention. Attention like those cloaked figures in the woods, hunting Weavers. Hunting him. The spilled soda from earlier sat sticky in his memory, proof he was still screwing up. Ten seconds on the metronome, sure, but with a ripple every time. Not good enough.
"Screw it," he muttered, swinging his legs off the bed. If he couldn't sleep, he'd practice. Get that ten-second pause clean, no fractures, no mess. Prove he wasn't some walking disaster waiting to happen.
He threw on his uniform jacket still wrinkled from being tossed over a chair and grabbed the metronome from his desk. Its needle swung lazily, a rhythm he was starting to hate. Sneaking out wasn't exactly allowed, but Lila had said control mattered more than rules, right? Okay, she hadn't said that exactly, but close enough.
The dorm hall was silent as he crept out, sneakers soft on the polished floor. The clocks lining the walls ticked in sync, their glow casting long shadows that made him jump at every corner. He half-expected Jaxon to pop out with a "Gotcha, Dodgeball!" but the place was dead quiet. Too quiet, maybe.
Outside, the courtyard air hit him like a slap crisp, electric, with that weird Chrono Academy shimmer in the sky. The stone pillars from training stood dark and still, no hum tonight. Arden set the metronome on a low bench, its tick-tick-tick loud in the emptiness. He cracked his knuckles, adjusting his glasses.
"Ten seconds," he whispered. "Clean. No ripples. You've got this."
He focused, staring at the needle's swing. No panic this time just will, like Marrow kept droning about in class. Picture the stillness. Own it. He reached for his spark, and time froze. The needle stopped, the courtyard silent, stars locked in place above. One, two, three… he counted, steady, pushing past five. Six, seven, eight no ripple yet, just clean quiet nine, ten.
Time snapped back. The metronome ticked on, unbothered. Arden's breath caught, a grin splitting his face. "Yes! Nailed it!"
He pumped a fist, then froze. A faint rustle came from the courtyard's edge, where the pillars met the shadows. His grin vanished. "Hello?" he called, voice wobbling. Nothing answered just the wind, maybe. Or not.
"Lila?" He squinted, heart picking up speed. "Jaxon, if that's you, I swear..."
Another rustle, sharper. Arden grabbed the metronome, clutching it like a shield. The shadows shifted, and for a split second, he saw it a cloaked figure, tall and silent, standing just beyond the pillars. Its face was hidden, but its gaze burned, heavy and wrong. Like it knew him.
"Who's there?" Arden's voice cracked, louder now. He stepped back, tripping over the bench and catching himself on a pillar. The figure didn't move just watched, still as the frozen time he'd just woven.
Panic clawed at him, the same spark that stopped dodgeballs and metronomes. He almost reached for it, ready to freeze and run, when footsteps crunched behind him fast, real, not shadowy.
"Hayes!" Lila Voss's voice sliced through the dark. She jogged into the courtyard, ponytail swinging, green eyes blazing. "What the hell are you doing out here?"
Arden spun, pointing toward the pillars. "There's someone over there, a cloak, like in the woods!"
Lila's gaze snapped to the shadows, hand twitching like she was ready to fight. But the figure was gone no rustle, no trace, just empty darkness. She frowned, scanning the courtyard. "You sure?"
"I saw it!" Arden's pulse hammered, the metronome digging into his palm. "It was watching me."
Lila's frown deepened, but she didn't laugh it off. "If it was one of them, you're lucky I showed up. I had a glimpse, saw you out here, acting stupid." She crossed her arms. "Sneaking out to practice? Really?"
"I had to," Arden shot back, defensive. "You said my fractures draw attention. I got ten seconds clean no ripple. Then that… thing showed up."
"No ripple?" Lila raised an eyebrow, almost impressed. "Alright, not bad. But midnight's not the time for heroics. Those cloaks aren't a joke they're hunters, and you're fresh meat."
"Hunters?" Arden's voice dropped. "You keep saying that, but what do they want? My power?"
"Not just yours." Lila glanced at the pillars, like she expected them to move. "Any Weaver's fair game if they're off the Academy's leash. Come on, back inside before you make my glimpse worse."
Arden hesitated, eyes locked on the shadows. The figure was gone, but its weight lingered, like a bad dream you can't shake. He followed Lila, metronome still in hand, questions piling up faster than he could ask.
"Ten seconds is good," Lila said as they reached the dorm hall, her voice softer now. "But don't get cocky. You're not ready for what's out there."
"Then tell me what's out there," Arden said, stopping in the doorway. "No cryptic crap, Lila. I deserve to know."
She sighed, leaning against the wall. "You do. But I'm not your teacher. Marrow's got answers bug him tomorrow. For now, sleep. And stay out of the courtyard at night, got it?"
"Yeah," Arden muttered, unconvinced. "Got it."
Lila gave him a small nod and slipped down the hall, leaving him alone with the ticking clocks. He shut his door, setting the metronome back on the desk. Ten seconds, no ripple a win, maybe. But that cloaked figure wasn't a win. It was a warning, and Arden had a sinking feeling it wouldn't be the last.