I decided to observe the man who had stopped Chad's punch. He was slender but fit, his muscles evident under his shirt, roughly 5'9", with dark skin and a very thin layer of dark brown hair. His face was completely shaven. His outfit consisted of a dark red t-shirt adorned with dragons and other mythical creatures painted in pure black, a white jacket with red cuffs, and black jeans paired with black sneakers. The man was looking fresh. However, I didn't recognize his face. After a while, you at least get to recognize everyone's face around here.
I decided it was in my best interest to approach him and see what I could figure out. As TJ and I made our way towards him, the man suddenly gave Chad the quickest right hook I've ever seen. Chad cried out in agony and fell unconscious. I stopped dead in my tracks, but it was far too late. The man gave off a menacing aura; he might be a problem. TJ and I had already made it halfway across the hall. He turned his gaze towards us, his eyes locking with mine, sending a shiver down my mind. However, he must've determined that we were no threat, then turned his attention back to Emma. I continued in his direction, but TJ grabbed my shoulder, pulling me back.
"Jeffrey, we need to leave this guy alone. Even you were afraid to approach him after seeing that. Hell, I don't even know if I could save you. This man is a demon, and we need to stay VERY far away," TJ's eyes widened, and his hands trembled as he grabbed my shoulder. I had never seen TJ this scared, which honestly scared me as well. Despite my fears, I decided information was necessary.
"Look, TJ, I appreciate the concern, but this guy is a new face, and it's my job to make sure I know everyone in this school, so it's best we introduce ourselves here." I tried my best to look reassuring, but I'm sure TJ saw through that act, as I was genuinely scared of what this man could do.
TJ sighed. "Alright, fine… I'll make sure you don't get yourself hurt."
"Appreciate it, man."
He nodded and said nothing. We continued toward the man, who had stood up and helped Emma to her feet. Just then, there was a loud cheer in the crowd, and the new guy seemed to snap out of a daze. He looked towards and took her hand in his, gave it a squeeze. They exchanged a few words. I decided now was a good time to approach them.
"Hey, my name is Jeffrey Thompson. Are you new here?" I decided to try to get on his good side.
The man slowly turned around and stared at TJ and me with large brown eyes. After a horrifying few moments, His mouth morphed into a smile, but his eyes remained cold and calculating.
"Hey! My name is Fredrick Stevenson, and yes, I am new here. Who's your friend there?" He stuck out his hand for us to shake.
"Oh… sorry… My name is T.J. Juckson. You can call me TJ," TJ nervously replied as he slowly raised his trembling hand. TJ was likely thinking the same as me, we had to act normal, even under this extreme pressure.
"Nice to meet both of you! It's truly a pleasure. I do hope we can get along nicely," Fredrick replied in an almost cold tone. His mannerisms were strange, he seemed perfect, too perfect even.
"Well, impressive work here. Stopping Chad is no easy feat. What happened?" I asked.
"Ah, well, I was on my way to the bathroom when I overheard the commotion, so I decided to come here. I saw that poor Emma was in distress, so I had to help her, just in the nick of time, too. What did I tell you, huh?" He turned back to Emma. "I will always be there to help you, no matter what." He gave her a genuine smile, and she turned as red as a tomato. This new guy was very impressive—already getting on Emma's good side on his first day. Not bad at all, still, there was something more going that I couldn't see.
He smiled and turned back to us. "So… would either of you happen to know where this school keeps its trophies and medals?"
TJ and I exchanged puzzled glances. Fredrick's sudden interest in the school's trophies and medals seemed odd. Why would a new student be so eager to know about them?
"Um, I'm not exactly sure," I replied cautiously. "But I think they might be in the trophy case near the gymnasium. Why do you ask?"
Fredrick's smile widened, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Oh, just curious, you know? I've always had an interest in achievements and recognition."
I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to Fredrick's question than simple curiosity. His demeanor was too calculated, too rehearsed. But before I could press him further, the school bell rang, signaling the end of the commotion and the return to classes.
"We better get going," TJ said, nudging me gently. "We don't want to be late for our next class."
I nodded, casting one last wary glance at Fredrick before following TJ down the hallway. As we walked, I couldn't shake the feeling that we hadn't seen the last of him and that his presence in our school was going to bring more trouble than we bargained for. I decided it was high time I start taking him seriously.
"Hey, TJ, let's pay the trophy case a visit before Fredrick does. I have something I'd like to test."
I never thought someone would make me start using my brain, but here we are. This man, Fredrick Stevenson, was something else. I knew I had to figure more out about him. I decided to set up a trap. If Fredrick was as smart as I made him out to be, this should work perfectly. TJ and I should arrive first. Even if he is some superhuman that can memorize the layout of the entire floor, the real trophy case is on the second floor. The first floor had a replica of the real one, just a fake. The school received an anonymous tip that this would be a good idea. I knew this because it was me who suggested the change. I always knew something was interesting about this school, so I convinced them this was a good idea. Now, it appears my intuition guided me in a good direction.
TJ and I made our way to the real trophy case on the second floor. I had TJ grab me a piece of paper and a pencil and write down, "Hah! You are too late! I have already found what you are after. Try again next time." The reason why I had TJ write this is so Fredrick would associate that handwriting with TJ, not me. I deduced that Fredrick's reaction and behavior were of someone looking for something. To back up my reasoning, he said, "I've always had an interest in achievements and recognition" in a school with an average GPA of 2.3 and no physical competitions. What did he want to look at?
Nonetheless, I approached the case and slipped the note where only I would ever care to look, directly against the glass at the bottom of the case. I smirked and told TJ to go to class. I had some waiting to do. My excuse was that I ate something that didn't agree with my stomach in the morning—a pretty believable excuse. It was time to wait and see what would happen.
After a few minutes, the bell rang, and the hallways were empty. There was so little sound you could hear a pin drop, I could hear my thoughts ringing in my ears. I started to get bored and realized maybe I had overrated Fredrick, just because of his aura. I waited a few more minutes, and after nothing happened, I decided to return to class. Then I heard something, so I hid again. Upon peeking out from behind a large bush, I saw Fredrick admiring the case. He glanced down and noticed my note. After looking around to ensure no one was watching, Fredrick opened the display, picked up the note, and pocketed it. I smiled with evil glee; my trap had worked perfectly. Fredrick closed the door and walked away. After I thought he'd gone away, I started to leave my hiding spot.
"Hey." Fredrick's voice echoed across the hallway. "I know you're there."
My mind began racing. How could he have seen me? Were my tactics obvious? Is this a bluff? All these thoughts flew through my brain at once.
"I'm talking to you." Fredrick turned and stared directly at me. His gaze was petrifying.
"Hey… fancy meeting you here." I tried to damage control this as much I could, but being caught hiding from a potentially dangerous man, on top of him receiving the note? I doubt getting out of here would be something easy. Fredrick took a few steps toward, like he was approaching a rabid dog.
"What are you doing here, Jeffrey?" His eyes narrowed as he drew closer.
I had to think of something to get out of this situation, I doubted he would believe a lie, especially with how unprepared I was for this. I mentally reprimanded myself, so I knew to be more cautious going forward.
"Oh… I uhh… was just trying to pull a prank, you see?" I said, making a gesture at his pocket. He frowned, and narrowed his eyes even more.
"A likely story, listen man, there are things here that I cannot let you know about for your own safety. Can you just trust me on that?" He was lying through his teeth, however, this meant that he didn't see me as a threat.
"Okay, I'm sorry, very sorry. I just thought that playing a prank would be a funny idea." I had no idea what his perception of me was at this point, but I had to make sure he thought of me as not very smart.
"No worries, let's return to class now." His voice was icy, almost hypnotic.
"Alright, see ya."
"See you later." He replied. I turned, and ran back to class.
…
The final school bell rang. TJ and I rushed outside, there was much to discuss. I recounted my encounter with Fredrick to TJ. He was surprised, we had clearly underestimated this guy. I still had no idea what his plan was, or his ultimate goal was. I decided to take a trip to the library to do some research. Fredrick's body language while surveying the trophy case, and also him picking up the note, left only one answer: he was looking for something. While, yes, I did get caught, my trap overall had gotten me sufficient results. The library has information on anything in this part of town, I had to find what it is that Fredrick was looking for. I decided to bring TJ along to the library, just in case things went south again.
Once we were at the library, I immediately began researching school history. Turns out, there were a lot of things that had been swept under the rug. Tax evasion, money laundering, human trafficking, and potentially other things. I realized at that point, I only knew a little about the school itself. I spent hours searching for hidden articles that I needed security keys to unlock, sketchy websites that offered me the best sex of my life, and lots of websites that would just not have any useful information at all. After a couple of hours trying to block all the porn notifications, I think I hit the jackpot.
"Yo, TJ, check this out." I motioned for him to come over here, and pointed at the article.
"A magic fucking watch? You've lost your shit, man." He said once he saw what I was pointing at.
"I am being dead ass, right now. Look, there's even a supposed location of it, if this is real, then it must be what Fredrick is looking for. Think about it, magic watches don't exist, so it has to be a reference to something, the only thing is, what?"
TJ looked at me like I started speaking Egyptian, or like I had just grown a third head.
"Okay, man…"
"Humor me, let's go to this location, and see what's there. If we find something, you know I'm right. But, if we don't, then we'll continue searching for something else."
"Alright man, if we find nothing, you owe me 20 bucks."
"Deal." We gathered our laptops and belongings, and made our way out of the library to the spot.
…
The spot was a graveyard, an intriguing place to hide a supposed mythical item. We opened the gate, and an eerie feeling overcame me, sending a cold shiver creeping up my spine. The graveyard showed its age; many tombstones were cracked, broken, or missing. The graveyard was vast, filled with tombstones as far as the eye could see. I learned about this spot on a map, it was old and wrinkled and had an 'X' on it, like the X marks the spot thing you'd see pirates have on treasure maps. I only trusted this map because it was on a page that said it dedicated itself to finding the biggest mysteries in the town. The site had lots of other information on it that I could personally verify was the truth, since my friends and I would often test these ourselves.
TJ and I slowly made our way across the ground. Our footsteps were the only sound amidst the creepy silence. The 'X' was on a grave marked "John Robinson," who was supposedly some old crazy dude that called himself a wizard. I began scanning the graves for names.
"Found it." I saw the grave stick out like a sore thumb. It was in perfect condition, with lovely flowers growing around it, and it was a polished pristine white. I walked up to it, and TJ begrudgingly made his way with me.
"This better be worth it," TJ grumbled.
"Don't worry," I reassured him. "It will, trust me."
As we approached the grave, I realized there was a man sitting in front of it. The man looked several eons old, had no hair, was crouched over in the shape of a fishhook, had tattered rags as clothing, and his skin was wrinkled and looked black like mold. He was disgusting, to put it lightly. The man sprang up, shocking me and TJ. We both jumped in place.
"Hello, young ones. Are you each here out of the purity of your heart?" His voice was raspy, like sandpaper against wood.
I exchanged a nervous glance with TJ, who looked equally unsure of how to respond. The old man's eyes were piercing, and they seemed to see right through us.
"Uh, yes. We heard about this place and were curious to see it for ourselves," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
The old man chuckled, a dry, unsettling sound. "Curiosity can be dangerous, you know. Especially in places like this."
"What do you mean?" TJ asked, his voice trembling slightly.
The old man leaned closer, his breath smelling of decay. "This grave holds more than just a body. It holds secrets, power, and a curse. If you seek the watch, you must be prepared for the consequences."
My heart raced. "The watch? What do you know about it?"
He gave a toothless grin. "I know that it can grant great power, but it comes at a price. Many have sought it, but none have returned unscathed."
"What kind of price?" TJ asked, his curiosity piqued despite his fear.
"Your soul," the old man replied ominously. "The watch binds itself to you, and you to it. It will give you what you desire, but it will take more than you are willing to give."
A cold wind blew through the graveyard, rustling the leaves and making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I felt a strong urge to leave, but my curiosity was stronger.
"We need to see it," I said firmly. "Where is it?"
The old man's eyes gleamed with a strange light. "Very well. Follow me, if you dare."
He turned and began to walk deeper into the graveyard. TJ and I exchanged another nervous glance before following him. The path grew narrower, and the tombstones more decrepit, as we ventured further in. The air grew colder, and the silence was broken only by the sound of our footsteps and the occasional rustle of leaves.
Finally, we reached an old, crumbling mausoleum. The old man stopped and turned to face us. "Inside lies the watch. Enter if you are brave enough."
He pushed open the heavy stone door with surprising strength. Inside, the air was musty and filled with the scent of age and decay. A dim light flickered from within, casting eerie shadows on the walls.
I took a deep breath and stepped inside, TJ close behind me. The old man followed, closing the door behind us with a heavy thud.
The mausoleum was small and cramped, with stone walls covered in ancient carvings. In the center of the room was a stone pedestal, and on it lay an old, ornate pocket watch. It looked out of place among the decaying surroundings, its surface gleaming as if it had been polished recently.
"There it is," the old man said, his voice echoing in the small space. "The Watch of Eternity."
I stepped closer, feeling a strange pull towards the watch. I reached out to touch it, but the old man grabbed my arm, his grip surprisingly strong.
"Be careful," he warned. "Once you touch it, there is no turning back."
I hesitated, looking at TJ. He nodded, giving me a reassuring look. I turned back to the watch and took a deep breath. This was it. This was what Fredrick was after, and now it was within my reach.
I reached out again and touched the watch. As soon as my fingers made contact, a jolt of electricity shot through me. The room seemed to spin, and I felt a strange sensation, as if the watch was merging with my very being.
The old man released his grip and stepped back, a satisfied smile on his face. "It has begun," he said cryptically.
"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice shaking.
"You will see," he replied. "The watch has chosen you. Now, you must uncover its secrets and face its challenges. Only then will you understand its true power."
I looked down at the watch in my hand, feeling a mixture of fear and excitement. This was only the beginning.