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The moon hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the school grounds. Adam stood by the old library door, his heart racing. He had learned so much tonight, but the fear gnawing at him had only grown.
Sarah's warning echoed in his mind. *"They're always watching. They've been watching you since you used the power."*
But Adam wasn't ready to be a pawn in their game. He couldn't go back to his normal life after knowing all of this. The black sheet, the power, The Watchers—there was no way he could walk away from it now.
Yet, as he walked back through the dark halls, a chill ran down his spine. It wasn't just the eerie quiet of the night or the weight of Sarah's words. It was something else. Something… *closer*. He could feel eyes on him.
He stopped at the sound of a twig snapping behind him.
He spun around, his pulse pounding in his ears. The hallway was empty.
_"Get a grip, Adam."_ He shook his head, trying to ignore the feeling.
---"Who are you?" Adam demanded, trying to steady his voice. But inside, panic was bubbling up. This wasn't just a random person. He knew it.
The figure didn't answer immediately. Instead, they took a step forward, the sound of their boots cutting through the night.
"Come with me," the figure said coldly. "The Watchers have sent me. You're coming with us."
Adam took a step back, heart hammering. "No. I'm not going anywhere with you."
The figure smiled, a cold, empty smile that didn't reach their eyes. "You don't have a choice, Adam. You've already used the power. The Watchers are very interested in you. And you'll be more useful to us than you think."
Before Adam could react, the figure reached out and grabbed his arm with a grip like iron. He tried to jerk away, but the figure's hold was unbreakable. Panic surged in his chest.
_"I need to freeze time."_
But the moment he thought it, his head throbbed painfully. The power he had relied on so easily before was *weakening*. The familiar sensation of time freezing was nowhere to be found.
His vision blurred as a sharp pain shot through his skull.
"Not so easy anymore, is it?" the figure said with a sneer. "The more you use the power, the harder it becomes to control."Later that night, Adam tossed and turned in his bed, his thoughts racing. His phone buzzed. Another message from Sarah.
*"They're here."*
Adam's heart skipped. He leapt out of bed, his hands shaking as he read the message over and over.
*"Who's here?"* he typed back, his fingers hovering over the screen.
*"The Watchers. They know you've used the power. They're coming for you. Don't trust anyone."*
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he stared at the message. His mind raced, but there was only one thing he knew for sure—he had to leave. Fast.
Adam grabbed his jacket, quickly slipping out of his window and into the night. The school grounds were silent, but the air was thick with an ominous feeling, as if the darkness was alive and watching him.
As he slipped past the gates, he couldn't shake the sense that he wasn't alone. Every rustle of leaves, every footstep echoed like a warning.
And then, the unmistakable sound of a voice in the dark.
"Adam."
He froze, his blood running cold.
From the shadows stepped a figure he didn't recognize—tall, dressed in black, with a hood that hid most of their face. The figure's movements were smooth, deliberate. Like they knew exactly where Adam was going.Adam gasped, trying to break free, but the figure's grip tightened.
"Come with me. You have no choice. You're already a part of something much bigger than you realize."
Adam's chest tightened. This was it. *The Watchers* had found him.
And they weren't letting him go.
---
A sudden, loud crash broke the tension. The figure turned just in time to see another person—*Sarah*—emerge from the shadows, her eyes blazing with anger.
"Let him go!" she shouted, her voice steady but fierce.
Adam's heart skipped at the sight of her. *She had come for him.*
But before Sarah could move closer, the figure pulled out a strange device from their belt—something that hummed with energy—and pressed it to Adam's chest. The sensation was immediate. Adam's entire body froze, his muscles locking in place. He could feel the power inside him fading, his ability to stop time vanishing.
Sarah cursed under her breath, stepping forward. "You don't want to do this."
The figure chuckled. "You don't understand, do you? The Watchers have already chosen him. He's ours now."
Adam struggled against the device's hold, but it was like his entire body was paralyzed. His vision began to swim again, and the world around him felt like it was fading."Sarah… help me…" he whispered weakly, his voice barely audible.
But before Sarah could react, the figure raised the device higher, pressing it deeper into Adam's chest.
And in that moment, everything went *dark*.
---