Chapter 52: Static Seconds

The air inside the tiled washroom felt suffocatingly dense. Leo backed up another step until his spine pressed firmly against the edge of the cold sink. He kept his dark eyes locked dead onto the mature, voluptuous figure of Professor Julia, his heart hammering violently against his ribs.

"Professor... you need to leave right now," Leo said, his voice dropping into a tense, hurried whisper as he gestured toward the locked entrance. "This is completely insane. What if another student or a faculty member walks in and sees you here with me? Your entire academic reputation will get in trouble!"

Julia let out a velvety, low chuckle, the dark smirk on her mature lips widening as she tilted her head to the side. Her piercing smoky-grey eyes carried an absolute, chilling calm that completely ignored his warning. "You don't need to worry about the surroundings, Leo. I assure you, no one is going to interrupt our little introduction."

CREAK.

The heavy wooden door of the washroom violently swung open.

Both Soren and Gideon froze dead in their tracks right at the threshold, their jaws dropping in absolute, jaw-dropping shock. They stared blankly at the sight of the university’s new professor standing mere inches away from Leo's chest inside the men's washroom.

"P-Professor Julia?!" Gideon stammered out flusteredly, his face instantly painting itself in a deep pink blush. "What... what is happening in here? Why are you inside this washroom?"

Julia didn't even turn her head around to look at them. Her elegant posture remained perfectly still as she slowly raised her right hand. With a calm, effortless motion, her fingers gave a sharp, crisp SNAP.

BZZZZT!

An absolute, crushing wave of quietness instantly detonated through the entire building. In a fraction of a microsecond, the running water from the faucet completely froze in mid-air, turning into a solid, unmoving crystal stream. Soren and Gideon’s expressions instantly locked into place, their eyes wide and their bodies transforming into completely rigid, lifeless statues right by the doorway. The ticking sound of the central ventilation system died completely.

Only Leo and Julia could still move.

.....

Meanwhile, inside the crowded campus cafeteria, the loud hum of hundreds of wholesome student conversations vanished into absolute nothingness.

Stella was sitting at the corner table, her fingers holding a sandwich as she prepared to take a bite. But the exact second the snap echoed through the dimensions, her eyes stretched wide with pure terror. She looked around the cafeteria. Chloe was frozen in mid-air while trying to throw a piece of salad at Nicole, and Nicole’s blushing face was completely locked into a static pout. Senior Cynthia’s elegant hand was frozen right over her teacup.

Stella aggressively dropped her food, her eyes shifting down toward her left wrist. The small ticking hand of her digital wristwatch was completely stuck.

"Oh no..." Stella whispered breathlessly, her voice cracking as a wave of absolute panic took over her entire body. "Leo!"

Without wasting a single second, she scrambled off the chair, sprinting past the frozen bodies of the students at absolute flash-speed. She ran wildly through the quiet cafeteria doors, her footsteps echoing loudly through the corridors as her mind raced. Where would he be? Where did he go?! She violently turned a corner, her emerald eyes catching the sign for the central restroom. The washroom! He said he was going to wash up!

.....

Back inside the frozen washroom block, Leo stared at his rigid friends in absolute shock. "What the hell did you just do to them?!"

"I simply freezed time," Julia murmured smoothly. She took another slow, deliberate step forward, her mature hourglass silhouette closing the remaining inches until her breath caught directly against Leo's jawline. She raised her hand, her fingers reaching up to trace his sharp chin. "Now... as I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted... it is time for us to discuss your powers—"

BOOM!

The heavy wooden washroom door was violently blown right off its hinges.

A high-voltage beam of pure, burning neon-blue laser energy detonated through the smoke, streaking straight toward Julia’s head. Julia didn't even blink. Moving with effortless speed, she flicked her left hand sideways, initializing a shimmering, translucent shield block in mid-air. The laser beam slammed into the barrier with a loud crack, dissolving into harmless blue sparks.

Julia turned her head slowly, her smoky-grey eyes tracking the doorway.

Stella stood right in the center of the shattered threshold, her chest heaving as she panted for breath. Her silver-white hair was wild around her shoulders, and her small hands were shaking violently as she pointed a small, sleek metallic device forward. Her face was completely pale, and when she spoke, her voice carried a heavy, stuttering crack that fully revealed her deep, terrifying fear of the mature woman.

"L-Leave him alone, Julia!" Stella screamed out desperately, her knees trembling slightly against the floorboards. "Step... step away from him right now!"

Julia let out a long, disappointed sigh, looking at Stella with absolute, cold disdain. "You are so incredibly careless, little one. You truly believe you can stop me?"

Julia turned her face back toward Leo, ignoring Stella entirely. She leaned her beautiful face directly against his ear, her velvety voice dropping into a dark, intimate whisper that sent a wave of heat straight through his system. "I will come back for you when the time comes, Leo. Be safe till then."

Before Leo could say something, Julia leaned forward and planted a soft, lingering, and possessive kiss straight onto his right cheek, catching his defenses completely off guard.

SNAP.

The sudden sound of her fingers echoing through the room detonated a flash of brilliant white light.

BZZZZT!

In a fraction of a microsecond, the running water from the faucet aggressively splashed back down into the sink. The ventilation system initialized with a loud hum.

Leo violently blinked his eyes open, his body gasping for oxygen as he looked around. Professor Julia was completely gone. Stella was entirely missing. The broken door was perfectly intact, resting cleanly on its metal hinges as if it had never been touched.

Soren and Gideon suddenly blinked, their bodies snapping right back into motion as they took a step forward into the room, their brains completely cleared of any memory involving the professor's presence.

"Whoa, Leo!" Soren blurted out comically, jumping back in surprise as he looked at Leo’s pale face. "What the hell is wrong with you, man? You are sweating completely through your shirt! Is your stomach upset?"

Gideon nodded in serious concern, stepping close to pat his shoulder. "Yeah, you look like you just saw an actual ghost. Are you okay?"

Leo stood frozen against the sink, his fingers trembling as he slowly raised his hand to touch the warm skin of his cheek where Julia’s lips had just rested. His mind was in a complete, chaotic storm. The time froze... Stella fired a literal laser weapon... and they both just vanished into thin air.

He forcefully cleared his throat, trying to force his voice into a normal, casual rumble as he turned off the running tap. "I'm... I'm fine, guys. Seriously. Just a sudden dizzy wave. Let's head back to the cafeteria." But inside his mind, a sharp, dangerous resolve locked into his thoughts. No more games. That annoying transfer student needs to explain every single thing right now, no matter what.

.....

Meanwhile, back at the cafeteria corner table, the time unfreezed. Chloe was laughing as her salad slice finally landed on Nicole's plate, and Nicole was huffing flusteredly, completely unaware that a single second had been altered.

Stella sat flat on her chair, her silver-white hair slightly messy as she stared blankly down at her lap. Her hands were still trembling under the table, her face completely pale as she forced her chest to slow down its frantic breathing. I'm back on my seat, she thought, her emerald eyes looking at the wholesome, smiling faces of the other girls. Leo is safe for now... but she will keep stalking him.

Ten minutes later, the lunch hour officially ended. The loud warning bell echoed through the avenues, signaling the start of the afternoon lecture. The students filed out of the cafeteria hall in heavy rows, laughing and talking as they headed toward the central buildings.

Stella slung her dark bag over her shoulder, walking slowly down the quiet, shadow-lined faculty corridor toward her economics classroom. Her mind was completely lost in a dark, anxious loop.

GRAB!

Without warning, a large, powerful hand suddenly shot out from the darkness of a narrow doorway. Before Stella could even let out a small squeak of surprise, the powerful grip aggressively yanked her narrow waist straight forward, pulling her slight frame right out of the hallway traffic and dragging her deep inside a dark, cramped janitor storeroom.

The door slammed shut behind them with a loud, definitive BANG, locking them into absolute privacy.

Stella stumbled against a row of metal shelves, her heart hammering wildly as she frantically looked up through the dim shadows.

Standing right in front of the exit door, blocking the only pathway with his tall, broad-shouldered frame, was Leo. His eyes were narrowed into a fierce, intense stare, his sharp jawline locked tight as an absolute, unyielding fury radiated across his entire body. He had never looked this angry before.

"L-Leo..." Stella whispered in a small, stuttering voice, her back pressing hard against the shelves as her playful defenses completely shattered.

"Don't even start, Stella," Leo growled out, his deep voice snapping with absolute, terrifying authority as he stepped deeper into her personal space.