The Echoes of Tomorrow

The Clock is Ticking

Chapter 1

The alarm blared through Finn’s room, filling the small space with a sound that was far too loud for the early morning. Finn groaned, burying their face in the pillow, the warmth of the blankets calling them to stay just a bit longer. But there was no escaping it. The first day of school after the holidays had arrived, and no amount of wishful thinking was going to change that.

Sighing, Finn swung their legs out of bed, eyes still half-closed. The room was its usual mess—scattered notebooks filled with half-drawn schematics, pieces of tech gadgets lying haphazardly on the floor, and, in the center of the chaos, a glowing screen on the desk. But it wasn’t the typical screen. Sitting beside it was the device they had found over the break, a strange, ancient object that hummed with energy.

Finn ran a hand through their hair, staring at the thing. No one else in the city would believe what they had uncovered. Heck, Finn wasn’t sure they believed it.

But school was calling, and the mysteries of the device would have to wait.

---

Outside, the sun was just beginning to rise, casting a golden light over the school courtyard. Students flooded back through the gates, their voices filling the air with the excited chatter of holiday stories and last-minute complaints about the new term. Finn weaved through the crowd, adjusting their hoodie and slinging their heavy backpack over one shoulder.

Waiting near the entrance were Jade and Owen, standing side by side. Jade, with her ever-present grin, was already joking around with a few other students, while Owen clutched a book close to his chest, always more interested in his thoughts than in conversation.

“Hey, you’re late,” Jade teased as Finn walked up. “What? Spend all night tinkering with your gadgets again?”

Finn shrugged. “Maybe. But there’s something bigger this time.”

Jade rolled her eyes, but Owen’s curiosity was piqued. “You mean the device?”

Finn nodded, lowering their voice as a group of students passed by. “I’ve been working on it nonstop. I think I’m close to figuring out how it works.”

Jade raised an eyebrow. “You’re obsessed. We don’t even know what it is.”

“Exactly!” Finn shot back. “That’s why I’m obsessed. This isn’t just some broken tech. It’s... old, but advanced. There’s a message in there, I just know it.”

Owen’s eyes lit up, the possibility sparking his imagination. “What if it’s from an ancient civilization? Or a time traveler? It could be anything!”

Jade smirked. “Or it’s just an old piece of junk.”

---

By the time they reached their lockers, the conversation had shifted to the mundane tasks of the first day back—catching up on assignments, comparing timetables, and trying to ignore the looming weight of exams. But Finn couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was about to happen. Their mind kept drifting back to the device, to the strange hum it made late at night, to the cryptic symbols that appeared on the screen every time they tried to decode its system.

And then, in the middle of science class, it happened.

Finn’s phone buzzed in their pocket. Glancing down, they nearly froze. The notification on the screen wasn’t from any app they recognized. Instead, it was a simple message, written in bold text:

"The first message has been decoded. Are you ready?"

Their heart raced. This was it. The device had finally begun to speak.

Finn glanced over at Jade and Owen, who were busy taking notes. Slowly, they leaned in and whispered, “Guys... it’s happening. The device just sent a message.”

Jade blinked in confusion. “What? Here? Now?”

Owen leaned forward eagerly. “What did it say?”

Finn showed them the phone screen, their hands shaking slightly. Jade’s eyes widened, and Owen’s face lit up with excitement.

“We need to get out of here,” Owen whispered urgently.

---

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day, but the trio had no intention of heading home. Instead, they slipped out of the school grounds, making their way to the old warehouse on the edge of town—a place they had claimed as their own private hideout over the years. It was the perfect place for experiments, and, more importantly, for secrets.

Inside the dusty, abandoned building, Finn carefully unpacked the device from their bag. They had spent weeks studying it during the break, but now, finally, it seemed ready to reveal its secrets.

Setting it down on the worn table, Finn connected their laptop, fingers trembling with excitement. The screen flickered to life, and the device began to hum, its lights glowing brighter than ever.

“Alright, let’s see what it has to say,” Finn murmured, tapping a few keys on the laptop.

The lights in the warehouse flickered as a low hum filled the air, the device coming to life in a way none of them had seen before. Jade and Owen watched in awe as the symbols on the screen shifted, slowly forming words.

"You are not the first. The clock is ticking. Find me before it’s too late."

Jade stepped back, her eyes wide. “What does that even mean?”

Owen leaned in closer, his voice barely a whisper. “Who... are we supposed to find?”

Finn stared at the screen, feeling a chill run down their spine. The message was clear. Someone—or something—was out there, waiting for them. And whatever it was, they didn’t have much time.

“This year,” Finn said quietly, “just got a lot more interesting.”

---

End of Chapter 1