THREADS OF TIME

Chapter 4: A New Face

The cafeteria buzzed with the usual chaos—laughter, clanging trays, and the occasional shout from the basketball team bragging about last night's win. Max sat at his usual spot near the back with Leo, who was enthusiastically devouring a double cheeseburger.

"Dude, you're not even chewing," Max said, shaking his head.

Leo grinned through a mouthful of food. "Time waits for no man," he mumbled between bites.

Max rolled his eyes, but his thoughts were elsewhere—fixated on the strange photo they’d found after their accidental jump. No matter how much he tried to rationalize it, there was no logical explanation for its sudden appearance. The risk was clear: even a tiny mistake with the machine could rewrite their entire lives.

"So," Leo said, wiping ketchup from his face, "are we gonna mess with time again, or are you too chicken?"

Max narrowed his eyes. "It’s not about being scared. We need to figure out the rules first. One wrong move, and we could—"

His voice trailed off as someone walked past their table.

A girl with dark, wavy hair and sharp green eyes. She wore a black leather jacket over a graphic tee, exuding a confident, mysterious energy that immediately set her apart from the rest of the cafeteria crowd.

"Whoa," Leo whispered, following her with his eyes. "Who’s that?"

"No idea," Max muttered, unable to look away.

She moved with purpose, her gaze sweeping the room as if she were cataloging every face. When her eyes landed on Max, she paused ever so slightly—just enough to send a shiver down his spine. Then she smirked and kept walking, disappearing into the crowd.

"New girl alert," Leo said, grinning. "Think she likes you, bro?"

Max scoffed. "Yeah, right."

But there was something unsettling about the way she'd looked at him. Like she knew something he didn't.

Later that afternoon, Max found himself in the school library, hiding among the dusty shelves while Leo went to "investigate" the new girl. He needed space to think. The time machine sat in pieces back home, waiting for repairs, but Max couldn't shake the feeling that time itself was watching him now.

"Nice choice," a voice said behind him.

Max nearly dropped the book he was holding. He spun around to see the girl from the cafeteria leaning casually against the bookshelf.

"Uh... thanks?" he said awkwardly.

She nodded toward the physics book in his hand. "Time travel theories. Ambitious reading."

Max's heart skipped a beat. How did she know?

"I'm Eva," she said, extending a hand.

"Max," he replied, shaking it cautiously.

"So, Max," Eva said, her lips curling into a sly smile, "what's it like breaking the laws of physics?"

Max froze. "W-what are you talking about?"

Eva tilted her head, her green eyes glinting with amusement. "Come on. I saw the energy ripple around you and your friend this morning. That wasn't normal."

Max's mind raced. Had she seen them jump through time? How was that even possible?

"I think you’ve got the wrong person," he said, trying to play it cool.

Eva leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Relax. I’m not here to rat you out. I just want to help."

"Help with what?"

"Time travel," she said simply. "You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into, do you?"

Max swallowed hard. "And you do?"

Eva's smile faded. "More than you can imagine."

Before Max could respond, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

Eva straightened up. "Think about it," she said. "You’re going to need me."

With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Max standing there with a thousand questions buzzing in his head.

Who was Eva? How did she know about the machine? And most importantly—could he trust her?

One thing was clear: his quiet life was over.