Chapter 3:- 3:42 P.M.
721 Words
~NOVA~
I stare at the message for so long that my screen eventually goes dark.
Then I read it again.
And again.
And again.
The words never change.
TOMORROW AT 3:42 P.M., ETHAN BROOKS WILL FALL FROM THE OLD WATER TOWER.
SAVE HIM.
A cold knot settles in my stomach.
This is different.
The first message warned me.
The second warned me about Lily.
But this?
This feels personal.
Like I'm being given a job.
A responsibility.
A countdown.
I glance at the clock.
11:08 p.m.
Less than seventeen hours remain.
---
I barely sleep.
Every time I close my eyes, I imagine someone falling.
I imagine arriving too late.
I imagine hearing sirens.
By morning, I'm exhausted.
The dark circles under my eyes are impossible to hide.
Mom notices immediately.
"Nova, are you okay?"
I force a smile.
"Just tired."
She studies me for a second.
Thankfully, she doesn't push.
---
The moment I arrive at school, I start searching for Ethan.
I spot him before first period.
He's standing alone near the science building.
Just like I remembered.
Dark hair.
Headphones.
Quiet.
Completely unaware that some random text message has turned him into the center of my universe.
For a second, I wonder if this is ridiculous.
Maybe the message is wrong.
Maybe nothing will happen.
Then I remember Bus 14.
My confidence disappears.
---
The day crawls by.
Every class feels longer than usual.
Every glance at the clock makes my pulse jump.
By lunch, I've learned exactly one thing.
Following someone without looking suspicious is harder than movies make it seem.
Several times Ethan catches me looking at him.
Each time, I quickly pretend to be interested in something else.
A wall.
A notebook.
The sky.
Anything.
At one point, I'm pretty sure he raises an eyebrow at me.
Great.
Now he probably thinks I'm weird.
---
The final bell rings.
3:15 p.m.
Twenty-seven minutes left.
My hands are sweating.
The old water tower sits on the edge of town.
Abandoned.
Rusting.
Everyone knows about it.
Nobody goes there.
At least, they're not supposed to.
So why would Ethan be there?
---
I arrive at the water tower at 3:34.
The place looks even creepier than I remember.
Gray metal rises into the cloudy sky.
The wind whistles through the surrounding trees.
Everything feels wrong.
Empty.
Too quiet.
I check the time.
3:35.
Seven minutes.
No Ethan.
I release a shaky breath.
Maybe he isn't coming.
Maybe the future changed.
Maybe—
Footsteps.
I spin around.
Someone is walking toward the tower.
Ethan.
My heart drops.
No.
No no no.
He's actually here.
---
He stops when he sees me.
Confusion flashes across his face.
"Nova?"
I freeze.
He knows my name?
Then again, we go to the same school.
Of course he knows my name.
"Hi."
Smooth, Nova.
Very smooth.
Ethan glances around.
"What are you doing here?"
I open my mouth.
Nothing comes out.
Because I can't exactly say:
A mysterious person from the future told me you'd fall off a water tower today.
So I panic.
"I followed you."
His eyebrows rise.
"You what?"
Fantastic.
Now I sound like a stalker.
---
Before I can recover, Ethan's expression suddenly changes.
His eyes lock onto something behind me.
And all the color drains from his face.
"Move!"
For a split second, I don't understand.
Then Ethan lunges forward.
Everything happens at once.
A loud metallic SNAP echoes above us.
I look up.
My blood turns to ice.
A massive section of rusted metal is falling from the tower.
Straight toward me.
I can't move.
I can't think.
I just stand there.
Frozen.
Then Ethan grabs my arm.
And yanks me sideways.
The metal crashes into the ground where I'd been standing less than a second earlier.
The impact shakes the earth beneath my feet.
Silence.
My heart pounds violently.
I stare at the twisted metal.
Then at Ethan.
Then back at the metal.
I almost died.
I almost—
A shaky breath escapes me.
But Ethan isn't looking at the wreckage.
He's looking at me.
Like he's just seen a ghost.
"What?" I whisper.
For a moment, he says nothing.
Then, very quietly—
"How did you know to come here?"
My stomach drops.
Because suddenly...
It sounds like Ethan has been waiting for me
- Writer
