Time Will Tell

Chapter 1

It was just another boring day of chemistry class for Sam. He stared blankly at the whiteboard as Mr. Smith droned on about molecular structures and chemical equations. Sam wished he could just freeze time and escape this mind-numbing lesson.

As Mr. Smith turned to write on the board, Sam noticed everything suddenly went still. The hands on the classroom clock stopped ticking. Mr. Smith froze mid-sentence with chalk pressed to the board. The students around him were motionless statues, locked in whatever position they had been in. Time had stopped.

Sam looked around in shock and confusion. Had he caused this? He tentatively waved a hand in front of his frozen classmate’s face. No reaction. He pinched himself wondering if he had fallen asleep. But the pinch hurt. This was real.

Filled with exhilaration, Sam dashed out of the classroom and down the halls. Everything was frozen. He whooped and hollered, his voice echoing in the silence. He could go anywhere and do anything!

Sam spent the next few hours gleefully exploring the frozen world. He raided the cafeteria for snacks, played hilarious pranks on the immobilized students and teachers, and rifled through confidential school records in the main office.

But when Sam returned to the classroom, time abruptly started again. Mr. Smith resumed writing and the students jumped back to life, completely unaware time had stopped.

Over the next week, Sam started deliberately practicing his new power. With focus and concentration he found he could now freeze time at will. He thrilled in this new secret world where only he could move.

But Sam soon noticed something strange occurring. The more he used his ability, the more his body began rapidly aging. His hair grew grayer, his face became lined with wrinkles and age spots appeared on his hands. Sam realized his time stopping ability came with a heavy cost. He had to find a way to reverse the aging process before it was too late.