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The bell rang, snapping Adam back to reality. His eyes flickered to the clock—time was moving again. He was back in the exam hall, but everything felt… wrong.
His heart raced. The tension in the air was thick, like the calm before a storm. He looked down at his hands, still trembling from what he'd just experienced. The paper was back in front of him, but the black sheet had vanished. Had it even been real? Or was it some kind of hallucination?
His gaze shifted across the room. Students were still writing their answers, but he was different now. He knew something they didn't. *He had power.*
But at what cost?
He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to shake off the weird feeling that had settled in his chest. His fingers grazed over the back of his neck, where the faintest memory of something—*someone*—had whispered in his mind. That voice. A warning. But it was too late now. The damage was done.After the bell rang and the students scattered to their next classes, Adam found himself walking aimlessly through the school halls. His thoughts were a jumbled mess. What was happening? Was it possible that Sarah knew about the black sheet? Did she know about his power?
He couldn't stop thinking about the voice, the warning. *Don't use it again.*
But what if he could control it? What if the power wasn't as bad as it seemed?
Adam felt a sharp pang of guilt hit his chest. Was it worth it? Was he willing to risk losing more of his memories just for an advantage in the exam?
When the final bell rang, he headed straight to the school courtyard. The air was warm, but the unease inside him made everything feel colder. He looked around, expecting to see Sarah. But she wasn't there.
Then he felt it—a slight tap on his shoulder.
He spun around to see Sarah, standing just behind him, eyes cold and serious.
"You used it, didn't you?" she asked, her voice sharp, not leaving room for answers.
Adam gulped, trying to hide the nervous tremor in his hands. "I didn't know what it was. I thought it was just part of the exam…"
"You don't understand, Adam," Sarah said, her gaze unwavering. "You've unlocked something you're not ready for. *This power isn't just a gift—it's a curse.*""Adam," a soft voice said, snapping him from his thoughts.
He looked up and met Sarah's eyes. She was sitting two rows ahead of him, scribbling her answers as usual. But there was something in her gaze—something… knowing. Like she was waiting for him to speak.
His heart skipped. Could she have noticed? Could she have felt it too? The time freeze?
*No way.*
He glanced around the room, pretending to concentrate on his paper. Sarah had always been the model student, the one everyone else turned to when they needed help. She'd always been perfect, flawless, too perfect. Adam had never really paid much attention to her—until now.
It wasn't until the exam ended that he noticed her moving toward him. She walked slowly, her footsteps quiet but deliberate. She stopped just by his desk, eyes scanning the room before landing back on him.
"Meet me after school," she said, her voice low, almost inaudible. "You need to know what you've just done."
Before he could respond, she turned and left the exam hall, her dark hair swishing behind her.
Adam's breath hitched. His mind raced. *What did she mean? What had he done?*
---Adam blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
Sarah glanced over her shoulder, making sure no one else was around. "The black sheet—it's part of a ritual, a hidden power buried deep in the school's history. The people who've used it before have all lost something important to them. Their memories, their friends, their identities…"
Adam's stomach churned. "But I—I just froze time. I didn't… I didn't lose anything."
Sarah's eyes softened, but only for a moment. "You haven't yet. But you will. The more you use it, the more you'll forget. The more you'll lose."
Adam could feel his pulse quicken. "What do I do then? How do I stop?"
"*You can't stop.*" Sarah's voice dropped to a whisper. "Once you've activated the power, you're bound to it. It's not something you can control. The organization has been waiting for someone like you."
"Organization?" Adam frowned, not following.
"They've been monitoring students who could tap into the power of the black sheet. They're looking for people like us. And if they find out what you can do…" She paused, shaking her head. "You'll be used. They'll make you do things you don't want to do."Adam felt the weight of her words settle on his shoulders. He didn't understand everything yet, but he knew one thing for sure—he was in deeper than he ever imagined.
"I—I didn't ask for this," Adam muttered.
Sarah stepped closer, her voice urgent. "Neither did I. But now we're in it together. I'll help you. But you need to trust me."
Adam stared at her, the weight of his decision pressing down on him. He had just unlocked something he didn't understand, and now, everything was about to change.
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