Running for Life

Chapter 5

"Excuse me?" I just stared at him. I didn't know whether to scream at him, or just let him explain. I chose to let him explain.
"When we got you from the scientists, the ones that took you from us, they told us the tests went well and we didn't have to worry about anything anymore. We didn't understand the "anymore" part, because we didn't worry before. So, like any other good parent would do, I asked where the bathroom was and on my way, I took a peek at what was going on. On the monitor where I saw tubes and needles poking out of it, there were a bunch of little numbers, too hard for me to read. So I looked around, and I didn't see anyone, so I got closer..." he looked up at me like he was pained to tell me what happened next, "And there were only four words, 'It's a budushcheye krasavitsa.' I had no idea what it meant, but I knew it wasn't English, so I worried. I hurried back to Brian and told him we had to go to a doctors appointment. We rushed out and got in the car. He asked me what was wrong and put you in the back car seat. I looked him dead in the eyes, and said budushcheye krasavitsa and he looked at me like I was crazy. I told him all that happened and he said it must be code. We figured it was a different language. So I went home, typed it into Google Translate, and it said Russian detected. So I translated it and it translated to 'future seer' and I almost laughed. I thought there was a mistake, maybe it was wrong. So I went to a library the next day, and I got a Russian to English dictionary. And I found it. I knew at that moment, that's what was special about you. I left and in the car called Brian. He said he found the same thing, so we decided to keep it a secret, and raise you as normal as possible. We bought out Apple and Microsoft to make sure we had the money to get the most high tech security system we could get. We watched you twenty-four seven to make sure those people didn't come back. I figured that whatever that test was, they were trying to find a way to take it from you and use it. You had a normal life, there were a few bumps like, birthday gifts or Christmas gifts that were ruined, but other than that it was normal. Then that happened last night and I don't even know how they got passed the security system. They were hunting you down. I just know it. Your powers must be at full capacity. Now, it's just a matter of time before you see more vivid visions. That's all I know, bud." I didn't know what to say. I didn't even know what to think.
"Do you think I will ever live a normal life now after this?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Why did this have to happen to me?" We sat in silence the rest of the ride to school. When we got to school, I hopped out of the car and flung my backpack over my shoulder. I turned around, said goodbye, and walked up to the enormous building looming in front of me. All the kids in the commons area, they know what happened. They have to. I get up to the door and push it open, bracing myself for the mob of people that will bombard me with questions. I step in, walk a few steps, and enter the commons area, which is right outside the cafeteria. A flood of people washes over me. Questions flying at me from all directions, people shouting my name from all over. Its buzzing in my ears, making me go insane. I search the crowd for a good two seconds and tone everyone out. He has to be here I say to myself. Thats when I see him over in the corner leaned up against the trophy case. Brendon, the coolest wing man a person could ever have. I fight through the crowd of people and get over to him. People are still shouting questions like rapid fire. Finally, I cover my ears and shout, "Get away from me!" They leave finally and I have some alone time to talk to B. "I wasn't sure if I would make it."
"I bet it was scary." He replies. That's B. He has no idea how to lighten a mood.
"I thought I was gonna die. Of course it was scary. And then this weird thing happened..."
"Yeah? And..."
"I knew it was coming. I had a dream, It was of the fire, just before it happened, I dreamed about it."
"I don't get it. You dreamed about a fire before you knew what was going on. Maybe it was your subconscious?"
"If I told you something crazy, would you believe me?"
"Possibly, if it made sense. Why?"
"I think... now that I'm sixteen..."
"Oh yeah! Happy late birthday man!"
"Dude, let me finish. I think that I can see the future. In visions. But I only get them at certain times. It's a little weird but that's what I'm thinking." He just stared at me. He stared at me like he'd seen a ghost. Finally, I just walked away. But as i walked, he ran to catch up with me.
"Hey, I think that is a little outrageous,"
"See! I knew you were going to think I was crazy!"
"But, I think I can try to believe you. I think you might have gotten too much of that smoke in your system, but, I'll trust you for now."
"Thanks. I guess." We got to the great hall and split up. I went down the science hall, and he went to his AP English class. He's pretty smart, I guess. He is two math classes above the average course for his year, which is supposed to be Geometry. Instead, he is in Pre-Calc with me. I'm only one year above my grade, but that's normal for most of my class. As I walk into Physics, Tay is sitting at the table. She motions for me to come over and I hold up a finger to let her know I need a minute to talk to Mr. Dasher. We are coming around on his favorite time of the year, Christmas, so he likes to hang up posters of reindeer. I think it's funny that he even likes to play on his last name. I walk over to him and explain everything that has happened, minus the vision and my life story, and that I couldn't save my homework. He chuckles a little and asks me if I think he lives under a rock. So I laugh with him and he tells me it's fine and to sit down. So i go over to Taylor and sit down next to her. I kiss her on the cheek and grab a hold of her hand. She looks up into my eyes, eyes watering like she is going to cry. At first I think she is going to break up with me, but instead she kisses me and whsipers into my ear, "I thought I lost you. I can't have that happen."
"You're the only reason I made it out, Tay." I whisper into her ear. I hear a sniffle and pull her into a big hug. The bell rings and we come out of our embrace as people continue to flood into the classroom. Once it's been a minute or two, a voice comes over the speakerphone. "Attention all students, before we say the pledge, will Ty Jones please come to the front office after the pledge? Now the pledge, I pledge alligeince to the..." Her voice got muffled and all I could think about was why was I called to the office. Did I do something? Did someone hear what I said to B? Maybe they want to put an article about me in the newspaper. I snapped back to reality at the end of the pledge, "... with liberty and justice for all." People sat down, Mr. Dasher walked over to the whiteboard, and I left the room. As I walked through the halls, my heart started beating faster. I opened the office door and saw Brian standing there. There was fear in his eyes, I could see it. He started speaking like he was going to break down at any moment, "Ty, it's your father. He got in a horrible accident and they don't know if he is going to make it." I started tearing up infront of everyone. "The docotors said we can come visit him before the surgery to say goodbye, just in case he doesn't make it. " I started crying as we walked out of the building. When we got in the car he looks at me and says, "That was the best you've done yet." We have this thing, when dads want to take me out of school, Brian comes in and says that Adam has some life threatening thing happening to him. It usually works. But this time was different, there was real fear in his eyes.
"Only because this time I really thought something happened. There was real fear in your eyes, what was it?"
"Well, earlier, you know how Adam told you the truth. About you and the begining of all this mess?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Well, he asked me to look up the teachers and staff of your school. He wanted to make sure you were safe there. So, I went home and looked up all of your teachers. They all seemed fine and I was just about to give up when I decied to check one last teacher."
"And what happened?"
"When I finally found them, something there was something fishy, they didn't have a history. And the best part was that it said they just moved here from Russia."
"But that's crazy, why would the headmaster hire them if they didn't have any history on them?"
"That's exactly what I said. So, I checked up on your headmaster. Same thing. He had no history, except that he just moved from Russia."
"Oh my god..."
"So I immediately came to get you. We can't have you in that school anymore. It's not safe, they will come after us, you, again. That's how they got through the security, they had familiar faces. Ty, the people who burned down our house were," Just as he was finishing his sentence, a car swerved in front of us and sent our car flipping. I held onto my seat belt so hard, my fingers went numb. Then just as we landed in the grassy part between the two roads, I closed my eyes and braced myself for the impact. For the lethal blow. I thought about Taylor in that last second or two I had. Just as the car was about to hit the ground, we stopped moving. We stopped moving entirely. I opened my eyes, and looked around. Noting was moving. For a second I thought we died and I was just a spirit wandering, traveling between this life, and the afterlife. But then I noticed Brian wasn't moving either. If I had died, wouldn't he have too? I looked out the window at the world that was upside down for me. Still nothing was moving. I bashed the window into tiny shards of glass, moved them out of the way, and climbed out. Cars were stopped, people were stopped, animals birds in mid air, all at a halt. I walked over to the women in the car behind us. Her mouth was wide open, like she was screaming. Her eyes were wide open, the kids in the car curled up in the smallest ball they could make while still being in their seat belts. Nothing moved. The women didn't even blink. I walked back over to our car and I noticed, the front of our bright red mustang, wasn't even on the ground. The whole car was just inches from hitting the ground and smashing the windshield in. It was completely silent too. Not a living thing was even breathing. I walked around a little bit more, I watched the grass very closely. Nothing. I walked over and into the school. There were kids in class, teachers in the middle of a lesson mid sentence. This is weird. How come nothing is happening. It's like I died and there is a ton of lag between getting me to the afterlife and being here. Or maybe there is no afterlife. Maybe we are just stuck in this moment before you die, forever. I walk around the school some more and find a kid in the middle of getting a drink from the water fountain, and the water is just sitting there in the middle of the air, doing and going absolutely nowhere. It is so quiet, it's like a creepily dead on wax museum and that's not something you want to think about when everything around you is completely frozen. Just then it hit me, time is frozen. I run out to the car and Brian is still there in the exact same position. I don't know how long I have with time being frozen, but I have to get Brian out of that car. I run over to the driver side window and see that it is too close to the ground to get him out that way. I go to the seat I just got out of and climb back through the window. I unbuckle him and drag him across the console and to the window. I notice his shirt caught on something. At the same time, i notice little things, like wind and heat coming back to his hands. I scramble faster unhooking his shirt and trying to drag his returning weight out of the car. I notice him breathing now starting to come back and the car is slowly tipping more and more. I give him one last pull and he comes out. I run while dragging him to find cover while time is still frozen. We make it behind a bush and out of sight just as the cars and life all around comes completely back to normal. Brian stops screaming as he feels the ground around him. He looks up and sees the car smash into the median as if we were still in it. He looks up at me, "How did we..." his voice trails off. I don't know how to respond to this, I don't even know how it happened. So I said, "All I know is that in the last few seconds we had, I, Tyler Andrew Jones, stopped time."