I had to think, fast. Principal Meyers was still knocked out, and I had no idea if TJ knew what was happening, I'm on my own for now. My pulse quickened, but on the outside I remained calm, composed, and cool. I knew I had to make it seem like I wasn't frightened, but the new man was eerie.
He took a step towards me as his lackeys dragged Mr. Thorne through the door. In the background, I could hear the faint sounds of what I assumed to be a helicopter, which is how they likely got here, and how they plan to take me to who knows where.
My eyes darted around the room for an escape option, but the windows were too high to jump out of, plus I don't like the idea of broken glass on my already rather fragile body. Man, I really gotta start going to the gym with TJ. Principal Meyers would likely not wake up in time, and I doubt I could wake him up after what Mr. Thorne did. The watch was still an option, but these guys are almost definitely immune to the time freeze like Mr. Thorne, since they seem to be his higher ups.
I decided my best course of action was stalling until I could come up with a strategy to help me out of here.
"What do you want from me?" This question was also rather sincere, since I shouldn't be standing out from the crowd.
The man grinned widely.
"Oh, don't worry, Jeffrey. We just want to run a few things by you, we only have your best intentions at heart."
Yeah, my ass, he was lying through his teeth and I could tell. This man thinks he has control of the situation, but I just came up with a new plan that could work if my acting skills were good enough.
"Oh, is that so?" I said, shoving my hands into my pockets and crossing one leg over the other. "Well, good luck then! If my people find out that you took me, you're in for a hell of a time."
The man paused, his face soured. Whatever organization he was in likely had a lot of influence if he's here so boldly. The idea of another organization unknown to them would of course be a huge problem. Now, my bluff wasn't hard to see through, but I still have a whole performance ready.
"You're bluffing. I'm taking you right now." He said, snarling, attempting to grab my wrist. Good, he's falling for my bait, I know exactly how to win from here.
I allowed myself a cocky smile and lifted my hand for him to grab.
"Go ahead, take me away. They'll be after you, though, and you can't stop them. Man, I really feel sorry for your mistake. When you learn I'm not bluffing, don't come running to me with your tail tucked in between your legs." I took this opportunity to quickly signal TJ using the walkie-talkie I still had in my pocket from earlier.
The man hesitated, his eyes narrowing as he studied my expression, trying to decipher my emotions. It almost felt like he was trying to read my mind. I held up my head high with confidence that I was mostly faking, knowing this bluff would be my lifeline. His grip on my wrist was firm, but not too tight—like he wanted to remain in control without appearing desperate. I knew I had him where I wanted.
"Who are you trying to contact, Jeffrey?" he asked, his voice dangerously low. His free hand moved toward his jacket, and I could only assume he had some sort of weapon there.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" I shot back, keeping my cool despite the rising tension. "Maybe it's better for you to leave now while you can still walk away."
His eyes flickered with uncertainty, and I could tell he was weighing his options. I pressed the button on the walkie-talkie just enough to alert TJ without making it obvious. I needed him to act fast, but if I made my move too soon, everything could collapse. I had no idea where he was, but I could only hope he'd get the signal and come through.
"Enough games," the man spat, tightening his grip on my wrist. "You're coming with us, and no one's going to stop us."
Before he could yank me toward the door, the faint sound of running footsteps echoed from down the hall. My heart skipped a beat—was it TJ, or more of his men?
"Hold it!" A voice called out, followed by the unmistakable clatter of a fire extinguisher hitting the floor. I turned my head just in time to see TJ charging in, a look of defiance on his face.
"Get your hands off of my friend!" TJ said, determined. He might not have a plan, but his sudden appearance was enough to throw the man off balance for a split second.
That was all the time I needed.
With my free hand, I flicked the side of my watch. Time froze, but just as I suspected, the man in front of me didn't stop moving. His lackeys and even TJ, however, were completely still. The man's smirk widened. "Nice try. I told you, Jeffrey, you can't stop me."
But I wasn't trying to stop him, I was setting up my next move.
"Are you sure this wasn't all a part of my master plan?" I said with a smile as I yanked my hand free from his grip, which had naturally weakened as everything happened.
The man snarled and tried to grab my hand, but I swiftly dodged and kept moving around him, slowly playing a dangerous game of pop-goes-the-Rosie around Principal Meyers's office. He kept swinging his fists, trying to knock me out, but clearly this man was rather old, and also wasn't physically proficient. Eventually, I ended closer to the door as the man tried to charge towards me, but had to stop to get some of his breath back.
"How… long do you… plan on playing… this game?" The man gasped out.
"Not much longer, you've fallen right into my trap!" I said as I unfroze time right at that moment. Just then, the man looked up as TJ slammed right into him. He looked confused for a moment, then saw the man lying on the ground, TJ threw the fire extinguisher at the man's head. There was a loud CLANG as it made contact with his head, the man made a groan and then passed out. Basically, I led him around the office. He was right in range of where TJ was. I froze time as TJ had jumped in the air, but the man saw that and would have reacted in time to stop the blow. So, I did two things. I tried to wear him out, which I didn't know if it would work or not, but luckily that helped. If it didn't though, my other plan was just to have right in range of TJ again, since he'd almost certainly forget after playing tag in Principal Meyers's office. Suddenly, the man's lackeys started towards us, but we didn't need to fear. Police sirens sounded in the distance. I looked around to find Principal Meyers standing up, with a phone in hand.
"Sorry, guys, but I cannot allow anything bad to happen to my students." Principal Meyers stood tall, and proud. He had a menacing aura.
That's why they call him the "goat".
The man's lackeys exchanged glances, unsure of whether to advance or retreat, especially with the sound of police sirens growing louder. TJ stood beside me, catching his breath, fire extinguisher still in hand. Principal Meyers, though a bit wobbly, gave us a reassuring nod. He seemed fully conscious now, and his calm demeanor was unsettling the intruders.
But as the men started to move, something changed.
The room seemed to grow darker, a subtle chill creeping in from the corners. The man TJ knocked out on the floor twitched once, then went completely still. It wasn't the police that had arrived—something far worse had. I knew it before I even turned around. A low, slow clap filled the air, and I felt my stomach drop.
"Impressive, Jeffrey. Truly," a cold, familiar voice said from the shadows near the door. Viktor Hale stepped forward, his dark coat swaying slightly with each step. His eyes gleamed with amusement, and his smirk, like always, was as sharp as a blade.
TJ tensed beside me, raising the fire extinguisher slightly, but I put a hand on his arm. "Don't," I whispered. Viktor wasn't someone we could just hit with a blunt object and hope for the best.
"Viktor," I said, forcing my voice to remain steady, "You're late."
He tilted his head, still smiling. "Had to make a dramatic entrance, you understand." His gaze shifted to the unconscious man on the floor, then to his lackeys, who instantly straightened up, fear creeping into their eyes. "Seems like you've been having fun in my absence."
"What do you want?" I demanded, trying to keep the growing unease from slipping into my tone. The police sirens were getting closer, but I had a sinking feeling Viktor wasn't too concerned about that.
"Oh, Jeffrey," Viktor said with a sigh, "always so direct. But this isn't about what I want, it's about what you owe me."
I clenched my fists, heart racing. I unfortunately knew exactly what he meant, the weight of his words felt heavy nonetheless. He stepped forward, and even though the lackeys stood between us, it was clear who was in control now.
"I'll take it from here," Viktor said smoothly to the lackeys. "You can report back." They nodded nervously, dragging the unconscious man as quickly as possible, clearly eager to be away from Viktor's presence. As they disappeared into the hallway, the room seemed to shrink, leaving me, TJ, and Principal Meyers facing the real threat.
"What are you going to do?" TJ asked, his voice low but firm.
Viktor chuckled, shaking his head as if amused by the question. "Relax. I'm not here to fight—not yet, at least. Consider this a… friendly reminder." He locked eyes with me, and I felt a chill run down my spine. "You and I, Jeffrey, have unfinished business. And I'll be collecting on that debt sooner than you think."
His gaze lingered on me for a moment, then he glanced toward the window. The flashing lights of the approaching police cars reflected in the glass. Viktor clicked his tongue, as if annoyed by the interruption.
"Looks like our time's up for now," he said, turning away. "But I'll see you soon, Jeffrey. Very soon."
With that, Viktor walked toward the door, his presence fading like a shadow. By the time the police burst into the office, he was gone—leaving behind nothing but a lingering sense of dread.
TJ let out a long breath, lowering the fire extinguisher. "Man… who the hell was that?"
I didn't answer immediately. My mind was still racing, trying to process what had just happened, but one thing was clear: Viktor wasn't done with me, and next time, there might not be anyone around to save me. How lovely.
Viktor was a superhuman, the smartest man I knew, arguably as smart as me, except he's also nearly as strong as TJ. If I were to face him head on by myself, I doubt I'd escape with my life. Although my cunning tactics are extremely potent, he always sees through them. He could also easily kill me, I seriously gotta start hitting the gym with Fredrick.
Principal Meyers placed a hand on my shoulder, his expression serious but calm. "Whatever's going on, Jeffrey, we'll figure it out."
For now, I nodded. But deep down, I knew this wasn't something anyone could help me with—not even TJ or Principal Meyers. Viktor was after me, and the next encounter would be far more dangerous than this.
As the police swarmed the scene and took statements, I glanced out the window. Somewhere in the darkness, Viktor was waiting, watching. And he wouldn't wait for long.
…
Laying in bed, I tried to analyze what had happened today, and the truth started to come to me. I remember the last time Viktor and I had talked, he told me about joining some strange organization as a bodyguard for the big man who ran it for some serious cash. The guy had 3 people with him, I can only assume that the guy we met was the boss, especially after Mr. Thorne's reaction. My best guess is Viktor was one of this guy's guards, and slipped away before the boss made his way here, obviously alerted by the time freeze. Viktor was a theatrical man, so he probably waited until the time was right to show up. I also have suspicions he's working on some giant plan he formed, that I have yet to see through with my limited knowledge on everything that's happening.
Right before I was about to crash for the night, I got a new notification on my phone. Curious, I picked up the phone to see what had happened. The notification came from the school. Joy surged up in me, praying that we had the rest of the week off as compensation for everything that happened today. Unfortunately, the reality was far worse. The message read, "Greetings students! Today, we are happy to announce Ms. Smith's return! Also, her first and third period class will have a new student!" I didn't need to read the rest, I already knew who it was. I read the message and my suspicions were confirmed.
Viktor Hale was in my English class.