That afternoon, just as Rina was closing up the shop, Liam returned—his green hoodie sagging from the rain. This time, though, something was off. His face was pale, and he clutched the watch like it was the only thing keeping him afloat.
"You okay, Liam?" Rina asked, concern creeping into her voice.
Liam shook his head. "Something's wrong with it."
He placed the watch on the counter. The glowing hands, which Rina had fixed earlier, were now spinning wildly backward. A faint hum came from the gears, as though the little machine had a heartbeat of its own.
Rina leaned closer, frowning. "That's... not normal."
Before she could say more, the door burst open, and Tigo and Shine rushed inside, drenched from the rain. Tigo's expression was a mix of frustration and relief.
"Liam! What the heck were you thinking?"
Liam looked down, guilty but defiant. "I needed to know if the watch still worked."
"What's the big deal about this watch, anyway?" Rina asked, sensing there was more to the story than just sentimental value.
Tigo exchanged a glance with Shine, who nodded as if giving him silent permission. "It used to belong to our dad," Tigo began, "but it's not just a regular watch. He said it could… predict things."
Rina raised an eyebrow. "Predict things? Like what?"
"Events," Shine answered quietly. "Our dad believed it could tell when something bad was about to happen—storms, accidents, people getting hurt. At first, we thought it was just nonsense… until some of his predictions started coming true."
Rina stared at the spinning hands, feeling a chill crawl down her spine. "And now it's going backward. What does that mean?"
Liam whispered, almost too afraid to say it aloud. "I think... it's counting down."
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the soft ticking of the watch. Then Tigo cursed under his breath and turned to Shine.
"We need to go. If it's counting down, we don't have much time."
"Go where?" Rina demanded, grabbing her jacket from the hook by the door. "If something's about to happen, you're not going without me."
Tigo hesitated, but Shine gave him a reassuring smile. "We could use the help."
And just like that, Rina locked the shop behind her, and the four of them stepped into the rain-soaked streets.
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