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The rhythm of the dance still lingered in the air, a frozen spectacle of joy and friendship, as they navigated the silent corridors. Time itself had paused, the usual hustle and bustle of college life suspended in an eerie stillness. They were not just running; they were moving through a world held captive by an unseen hand, their laughter from moments before now just a memory.
“Quickly!” Aurelia urged, her voice slicing through the quiet, a stark contrast to the panic etched on the face of the mysterious student, the one who was not quite a friend but a familiar mystery. “He was frantic, said this is important!”
They reached the old block, its shadow hanging over the courtyard. The moon hung motionless in the sky, casting a soft cool white glow over the scene below. As they peeked in through a window, their breaths visible in the air that no longer moved, they peered down, searching for the secret that had set their hearts racing against the backdrop of a world paused as if it was a video.
“In here,” the boy called them, gesturing to them to enter a room. Once they went into the classroom, they saw a girl seated inside, trying to scribble something on the board. She, like Aurelia and Selena, was dressed in a long coral evening gown. She sat in silence, lost in her world. Unfortunately for her, she was interrupted by a light tap on the shoulder.
“Hey,” he said. “These four weren’t frozen. Maybe they could help us.”
A simultaneous intake of breath from Gallus and Aurelia pierced the stillness. “Thalia?” they exclaimed together, their voices a blend of shock and recognition.
They faced one another, eyes wide with surprise. “You know her too?” Gallus asked, his tone a mixture of curiosity and disbelief.
“Yeah, she was my best friend. I thought you went to a different college or something, girl. I never see you around!” Aurelia chirped.
“Nope. She’s my partner in Hardware Engineering class.” Gallus said to Aurelia, before turning to Thalia. “What happened? Why is time frozen? How are all of us not frozen in time as well?”
“That would be my fault…” the mysterious boy admitted. “But I have a reason for it… I need all of you to not freak out, though…”
“This sort of thing isn’t anything new… just tell us, dude.” Nickolas deadpanned.
The boy, who remained nameless for now, had a grave look on his face. “There’s an anomaly,” he began, his voice barely above a whisper. “Something is causing a disturbance in the elemental balance of the world. It’s like a storm, but not one you can see or feel in the usual way. It’s an elemental storm.”
He paused, letting the words sink in. “This storm, it’s tearing at the fabric of our reality. If we don’t stop it, the consequences could be catastrophic. The college… it’s at the epicenter of this storm. That’s why I had to freeze time, to prevent the storm from causing immediate destruction.”
He looked at each of them, his gaze intense. “I don’t know why you four are unaffected by the time freeze. But right now, we need to use this to our advantage. We need to find the source of this elemental storm and neutralize it. That’s the only way to restore the balance and unfreeze time.”
The room fell silent as the four friends processed his words. The threat was real, and it was unlike anything they had ever faced before.
“Okay…” Gallus muttered to himself, trying to keep his cool, and turned to Thalia. “How are you unfrozen though?”
“I made sure not to freeze her. Thalia and I went to the ball together.” the boy answered.
“Bro-” Aurelia exclaimed, a hint of annoyance in her words. “At least introduce yourself first!”
The boy sighed, and began to talk. “My name’s Lead Carbon. My carbon grants me the ability to freeze time, kind of like how carbon-14 decay is used to measure the age of things. I’m in your Math class, Aurelia.”
“Oh, I had no idea…” she replied, a sheepish look on her face. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right. We have a lot of classmates, huh?” he asked.
“Yeah. I remember you now. A couple of weeks back you messed up a sum and I solved it correctly.” Gallus added.
“That’s… oddly specific.” he replied. “But I’ll leave it be. What are all of your powers? Maybe they had something to do with why you’re not frozen. Also, what are your names?”
Selena was the first to respond. “I’m Selena. My elements are selenium, barium and platinum. I can see in X-ray, change colors of things around me, and manipulate metal objects, but I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”
Nickolas chimed in next. “Nickolas,” he started, glancing at Aurelia slightly. “Not Nicky, Nicki Minaj or any other ridiculous nickname you guys can come up with. My elements are nickel, aluminum and phosphorus. I can control magnetic fields, manipulate metals and set things on fire. But this… this is beyond me.”
“Gallus,” he shrugged. “I’m gallium and silicon. I’m pretty much a jack-of-all-trades with electronics, and can liquefy myself. But I don’t see how that could have anything to do with time.”
Aurelia, glaring at Gallus slightly for not mentioning his third element, continued. “The name’s Aurelia Oxide. I’m Oxygen, gold and helium. I can levitate objects, heal people and emit light. But I’ve never been able to affect time.”
Thalia was the last to speak. “Titanium and cobalt,” she said, feeling almost as nervous as Gallus. “I’m really strong, and have a good sense of direction, like a magnetic compass. Cobalt is magnetic, but I doubt it has anything to do with time.”
Lead Carbon nodded, deep in thought. “Thalia, Gallus, you guys have only two elements?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Gallus replied, fidgeting slightly.
“You sure? Because… you seem nervous. Come on, we need the truth. This is really important, you know?” he prompted.
Gallus turned to Nickolas, who nodded at him. “Fine… but please don’t get me expelled for this…” he said, a grim tone in his voice. “My third element is cesium. Most reactive metal.”
Nickolas’ initial nod, full of encouragement, swiftly turned into a glare, sharp and foreboding.
“Sorry… I was referring to francium,” Gallus confessed, his voice tinged with the weight of the realization that he had been busted.
Thalia and Lead let out a sharp gasp. “But that’s…” Lead began, his words trailing off.
“Radioactive,” Gallus finished, a hint of assurance in his tone. “I can mimic your abilities because of francium. Rest assured, it’s relatively stable—for now,” he clarified. “Provided I take my pills regularly, my radioactivity remains under control.”
Thalia, for one, was relieved to hear his confession. “My power isn’t really titanium. It’s thallium. I also have a third element, arsenic. It’s a dangerous combo, but thallium actually lets me foreshadow bad things. I was the one who hinted to Lead to freeze time, to prevent it from happening. Arsenic lets me sense when something poses a danger.”
Gallus’s eyes widened in amazement. “Seriously? That’s incredible! I get why you kept it a secret, though. Thallium and arsenic aren’t the most safe elements out there.”
Aurelia’s smile was encouraging. “There, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?”
A puzzled expression crossed Thalia’s face. “You could’ve shared this with them earlier, right? After all, you’ve known since we were kids.”
“True, but it’s something you must reveal on your own terms.” Aurelia answered.
“Yeah… you’re right.”
“How do you and Aurelia know each other?” Selena asked, hoping her best friend wouldn’t be stolen by someone else.
“She’s Dean Vanadium’s daughter, who lives in the campus as well.” Aurelia explained.
“But I wasn’t home-schooled like this one. I actually went to school.” Thalia added. “We were neighbors.”
The group sat in silence, each processing the revelations. The room was filled with a sense of adventure, ready to take on the world.
“Alright,” Aurelia finally broke the silence, her voice steady and determined. “We have our powers, we have our mission. We need to find the source of this elemental storm and neutralize it. We’re in this together.”
Lead nodded, appreciating Aurelia’s leadership. “Yes, we need to act fast. The longer time remains frozen, the more unstable the situation becomes.”
Nickolas, still processing the revelations about Gallus and Thalia, added, “We should start by investigating the old block. It’s the oldest part of the college, and it might hold some clues.”
Selena agreed, “Yes, and we should also try to understand why we were not affected by the time freeze. It might give us some insight into the nature of this elemental storm.”
Gallus, feeling a newfound sense of purpose, said, “I agree. And we should also keep an eye on our powers. If there are any changes or anomalies, it could be related to the storm… or me.”
Thalia, still a bit nervous but determined, added, “And we should stick together.”
With no set plan in place, the group set out to face the challenge head-on. As they navigated the frozen world, they were no longer just students at Elemental University who shared the same minor in Mathematics. They were a team, ready to face the mystery ahead. The adventure was just beginning.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
