Ten Years Later

You sit there, twiddling your thumbs as you stare at the wall in front of you that's covered in photos, notes, and red string. If anyone walked in, they'd think you were trying to solve a murder. But then again, no one could walk in because time has been frozen for ten years and you can't do much about it.

You run your fingers through your hair, stress quickly invading your head. You didn't know who was in trouble this time. Last time it was the old lady who almost got hit by a car because she was walking too slow. This time, it feels like it's impossible.

Getting up to get yourself a glass of milk, you pass by a mirror. You stop and examine your face for a while. It always amazed you how you never aged when time stopped. Your skin was yet to be covered in wrinkles and your teeth were still in place. Everything was young about you except your eyes. Your eyes were now dim with tiredness and your eye bags were evidence of the countless times you refused to rest, determined to figure out who was in trouble this time.

After looking at yourself again for a good few seconds, you walk into your kitchen. You hand hovers over the fridge handle, but you stop as you realize there's a note on the fridge. You quickly grab the note, your hands shaking as your slowly read: The person in trouble isn't obvious, but you've known them for your whole life.

>>><<<

Running towards the café across the street, you also frantically look around for any signs of movement from anyone. Who put that note on the fridge?

Soon, you're there and you open the door, the sound of wind chimes greeting you. Right in front of you is your group of friends that you've known ever since you were in kindergarten. There was Derek, the funny and athletic kid, who froze in the midst of telling another cheesy joke. Then there was Matt, the super smart friend that knew almost everything, who froze while he was rolling his eyes. Finally, there was Madison, the peppy friend that always knew how to cheer everyone up, who froze in the middle of a laugh. Your parents had died, so these three people were the only people you'd say you've known your whole life. But, none of your friends could be in trouble, right? They were just sitting there, enjoying each other's company.

Maybe it was Matt. His cup of coffee did look like it could spill in him any moment. You slowly move the cup out of his hand, and while doing so, you notice that there's another note taped to the cup. You hold the note up to your face, shocked when it says: It's not Matt. You look at Madison and Derek, your eyes on one of them, and then the other. It didn't look like they were in trouble right now. They were the two most optimistic people you've ever known, so it's not like they were in trouble on the inside. Though, Derek did look like he was going to fall backwards in his chair, so you push the chair upright. Time is still frozen.

You sigh, sitting down in the only empty seat amongst your friends, and you realize that there's another note taped to the tissue box in the middle of the coffee table. You pick up the tissues box and read: It's Madison. Shock washes over you as you look up at the girl sitting in front of you. Madison? Really?

Suddenly, chills run down your spine as you hear the sound of wind chimes come from behind you. You quickly turn around, only to face a tall man in a navy blue coat.

"Don't worry," he says. "I'm not here to do any harm. In fact, I'm the one who has been placing the notes everywhere.

You raise your eyebrows and ask, "What? How?"

The man sighs and walks over to you. "So, like you, I can stop time, but I have the ability to control when time stops and when it doesn't. I've been watching you, and it's been taking you years to figure out what's going on," the man replies.

"How do you know about my powers?"

"All Time Stoppers have a T shaped mark on the back of their neck," the man says, turning his head to show you his neck. There was definitely a T shaped mark there.

Your eyes widen. "OK, now that the confusion is out of the way, how is it Madison? Is she going to get hurt by someone soon, or...?"

The mans eyes wander over to your happy friend. "Well, she's soon going to most definitely get hurt, but not by someone else," the man replies. He seems to choke on his words.

"What do you mean?" you ask, the feeling of fear and panic now eating you up.

The man looks down and clears his throat. After taking a deep breath, he says, "Depression doesn't have a face."