Ellie couldn't sleep. The weight of uncertainty pressed on her chest as she lay in bed, staring at the motionless Celestial Watch on her nightstand. If time had reset, why did everything feel... wrong?
She sat up, flipping the watch over in her hands, running her fingers along its edges. No glow, no hum of energy. It was nothing more than an antique trinket now—or at least, that's what it wanted her to believe.
But the world around her disagreed.
The next morning, she paid closer attention.
As she stepped into the kitchen, her mother turned from the stove with an easy smile. "Morning, sweetheart. You're up early."
Ellie tensed.
No. That wasn't right. Her mother had said that yesterday. Exactly like that.
Then, her father's newspaper rustled, and he chuckled—at the same article. Again.
A cold chill ran down Ellie's spine.
School was even worse. She knew the precise moment when Liam Carson would trip over his own shoelace in the hallway, when Ms. Harper's coffee would spill in second period, when a gust of wind would knock over a stack of papers in the library.
It wasn't just déjà vu. It was a perfect repetition.
Rachel and Noah noticed her unease at lunch.
"You've been quiet all day," Rachel said, nudging Ellie's tray toward her. "And barely eating. Spill it."
Ellie hesitated, glancing around the cafeteria. Everything was playing out exactly as she remembered. If she didn't speak, Rachel would make the same joke about Noah's terrible lunch choices—
"Seriously, Noah, why do you always get the mystery meat? Do you hate yourself?" Rachel smirked.
Ellie's heart pounded. She squeezed the Celestial Watch in her palm beneath the table, hoping—praying—it would react.
Nothing.
Noah frowned. "Okay, seriously, what's up with you?"
Ellie swallowed hard. Could she tell them? Would they even believe her?
Before she could answer, a sharp, ear-piercing crack echoed through the cafeteria.
Ellie's blood turned to ice.
It wasn't a sound from the physical world—it was something deeper, something she felt inside her very bones. A fissure, an unseen break in reality.
She turned, scanning the room. Nothing looked different, but she knew—something had just shifted.
A moment later, the lunch bell rang, and everything resumed as if nothing had happened.
Except Ellie knew the truth.
Time wasn't just repeating.
It was breaking.