THREADS OF TIME

Chapter 3: The Secret Slip

Max paced back and forth across his room, heart still racing from the time jump. The events of the past hour were surreal—he had actually traveled through time. He couldn’t stop glancing at the strange, cobbled-together machine sitting proudly on his desk. Its glowing circuits buzzed faintly, almost as if it were alive.

He wanted to scream it to the world, but he knew better. People wouldn't believe him, and if they did, they'd either lock him up or steal his discovery.

That’s when his phone buzzed with a message from Leo:

Dude, math homework? Need help. Or food. Whichever comes first.

Max smiled despite the chaos in his brain. Leo was always like this—carefree, reckless, and constantly hungry. As much as Max wanted to keep the machine a secret, he knew that keeping something this big to himself would drive him insane.

Within minutes, Leo was banging on the door, his skateboard tucked under one arm. His blond hair was messy, and his usual grin was plastered across his face.

"You better have snacks, genius," Leo said as he stepped into the room without waiting for an invite. "And by the way, you owe me a burger for bailing on lunch."

Max closed the door behind him, nervously biting his lip. "Leo, I need to show you something."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Oh boy. Last time you said that, I ended up with a burned eyebrow."

"This is different," Max insisted, his voice low and serious. He walked over to the machine, motioning for Leo to follow. "I built something. And it works."

Leo leaned over the desk, squinting at the bizarre contraption. "Is this... a toaster with wires?"

Max rolled his eyes. "No, it's a time machine."

Leo blinked. "A what?"

"I’m serious. I traveled back five minutes earlier today."

For a moment, Leo stared at him like he’d grown a second head. Then he burst out laughing. "Bro, you’ve officially lost it. Time travel? Come on."

Max didn’t argue. Instead, he reset the machine and turned a dial. "Watch," he said, pressing the button.

A flash of light filled the room, and the air rippled like water. Leo stumbled backward, shielding his eyes. When the light faded, everything was still. Max stood in the same spot, grinning triumphantly.

"What the—" Leo stammered, wide-eyed. "Dude. What just happened?"

Max pointed to the clock on the wall. "Check the time."

Leo’s jaw dropped. "No way. We just… Wait, did we seriously just time jump?"

Max nodded. "Told you."

For a few seconds, Leo was speechless—a rare occurrence. Then a wild grin spread across his face. "This is insane! Do you know what this means? We could redo everything. Imagine never bombing a test again. Or fixing that time I tripped in front of the whole school. Or—"

Max cut him off. "It’s not that simple. Messing with time is dangerous. I only tested short jumps, and I don’t know the long-term effects yet."

Leo waved dismissively. "Come on, man. What’s the worst that could happen?"

Max opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, Leo lunged for the machine.

"Leo, wait!"

Too late. Leo slammed his hand on the button without setting the dial. The machine roared to life, sparks flying as it struggled to stabilize. The room spun wildly, colors blending together in a dizzying vortex. Max’s stomach lurched as reality twisted around them.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started, everything stopped.

Panting, Max looked around. His room was still intact, but something felt off. The air was heavy, charged with static. Leo stood frozen, his face pale.

"That was… intense," Leo muttered, shaking his head. "But hey, we’re still here, right?"

Max frowned, scanning the room. "Yeah, but..." His voice trailed off as he noticed something chilling—a photo on his desk that hadn’t been there before.

It was a picture of him and Leo, laughing at some school event. Except they were wearing clothes neither of them owned, and the background was a place Max didn’t recognize.

"What the heck?" Leo said, picking up the photo. "Where did this come from?"

Max’s mind raced. "It shouldn’t be here. We must’ve changed something."

Leo’s grin faded. "Wait... Are you saying we just created a new timeline?"

Max nodded slowly, dread creeping into his chest. "Exactly. And we have no idea what else might’ve changed."

They stared at each other, realization dawning on them both.

Time travel wasn’t just a game—it was dangerous. And they had just taken their first reckless step into chaos.