The Clock Tower

When thirteen‑year‑old Mara arrives in the forgotten town of Briar Hollow, she expects a quiet weekend with her aunt. Instead, she finds a place frozen in time-literally. The ancient clock tower in the center of town hasn't moved from 12:59 in decades, yet every day it rings thirteen times, shaking the streets and the people who refuse to look up at it.

The moment Mara steps off the bus, she feels the tower watching her.
And then she sees him.

A silent boy.
Barefoot.
Pale.
Staring at her from the base of the tower.

No one else can see him.
No one else reacts.
No one else dares to speak about the thirteenth chime.

But the next morning, Mara meets someone who can.

A girl who looks exactly like her.
A girl with the same face, the same voice-
and the same dark handprint on her wrist.

Her twin.

A twin she never knew existed.

Together, the girls uncover the truth: the clock tower marks one person every cycle, choosing them with a shadow‑black handprint only they can see. And once you're marked, the silent boy follows you. Watches you. Waits for the moment the tower strikes thirteen again.

Because the tower doesn't just keep time.
It takes it.

And this time, it has chosen them both.

As the storm above Briar Hollow grows darker and the boy steps closer with every chime, Mara and her twin must unravel the town's oldest secret before the clock strikes thirteen again-
and the tower claims its next life.