A Timekeeper’s Awakening

Cron woke up suddenly. He was in a room full of white coloring. He also noticed that he wore a white gown. Once Cron got his barrings, he realized he was in the academy's infirmary.

"Wow, I don't think Rom has ever put me in a bed like this before," Cron chuckled. 

He thought about the beating he got from Rom and his friends. They really wanted to hurt Cron for being Timeless. But that made Cron think more about that. Did he use an Orgone? But more importantly, did he use all three time abilities?!

"That's impossible!" Cron thought. "Nobody has more than one! Everyone is born with one time ability! There's no way I have all three… unless."

Cron looked around, trying to see what he could use to practice if he did have an Orgone. But Cron heard something coming to his bedside. It was a nurse. The nurse was an elder, but she had a smile that could brighten anyone's day. Her black hair was in a ponytail, and she wore an entirely white robe.

"Ah, great to you're up, uh," she said as she looked at a wooden counter near the bed with a label of Cron's name. "Oh, yes, Cron Orus, how are you feeling?

Cron checked himself. He had no headaches or blood anywhere on his body, which made him equally confused and grateful.

"I'm great, but how?" Cron asked.

The elderly nurse smiled. "That's because of me, silly. I have the time ability of Speed. Well, most hospitals do, but unless they need precise precision, that's when you need Slow. Or if someone is bleeding and you must stop before- oh my, look at me. I'm jabbering off your ears. I'm sorry, sweetie."

Cron enjoyed her talk. He thought it was neat that she knew where the time abilities could be helpful. "Oh no, you're good, but thank you."

"Now, before I let you go, I must ask you, what happened to you?"

Cron thought about that for a moment. He wasn't sure if he should tell the complete truth. He wasn't sure if the trio of bullies would get their revenge. After all, they did beat that first-year student for snitching.

"I guess I stepped into the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Upper-year students," the nurse mumbles. "I tell ya, they keep making up fake rules of their territories. Another student said something similar. But, he was hesitant about each word he said. He did mention someone else was there. I'm guessing that was you."

Cron nodded. "Oh yes, there was another student. What was his name?"

The nurse shrugged. "I'm sorry. I forget very easily. If you ever see him again, tell him. He can always talk to the staff if there are any more problems with bullies."

"Thank you. If I see him again, I'll let him know."

The nurse nodded. "Okay, you're free to go. Oh, and take this." She handed Cron a rectangle-shaped paper. It had the date, and it said day pass. "This is only for today. You get a free day. I know first-year students get the first day off, but since you two were beaten so badly, I felt the need to give you two this."

Cron admires the paper much more. "Wow, thank you!"

"Of course, sweetie, your clothes and bag are on your left. After that, have a great day. Remember, the next day, show your pass to your professors. So, they can excuse you for the day."

Cron nods. "I will."

Soon, Cron got himself ready. There was a large window looking outside. When Cron looked, he was amazed at the landscape. He had never been this high before. To Cron, he could see New Onyx Province's nature and landscapes.

Cron took a deep breath and walked away from the picturesque sight. He then dug into his pack to find the academy's map. When he read the map, he was happy that the infirmary was in the middle of the campus. He gladly walked to the boy's first-year dorms.

As he walked, he thought about using the Speed Orgone. But Cron wasn't sure if he should. After all, everyone knew he was Timeless. Or at least that is what they all thought. Cron wasn't sure if he wanted the rest of the academy to know that Cron had and Orgone now. Or even that he possessed all three time abilities.

Cron decided he would rather talk to someone else about it to get a second opinion. The first thought was Lia.

"Oh yeah, Lia," Cron said. "Lia would probably give me the best answer. She's smart about social stuff like that. But I wondered if Lia would believe me if I told her."

Again, Cron thought it might have been a one-time event because he didn't know how to use all his time abilities. He just knew those were counters to the bully's abilities.

Cron wanted to test it out. If he could pull off all three abilities, then who knows what could happen to him? Maybe fame and fortune would follow him.

"The boy was timeless and now timeful," Cron said, but then he stopped. "Okay, that sounded dumb. I won't say that again."

Cron walked again. He was rechecking his map to ensure he was going in the right direction. Cron had his key, too, to make sure it matched the door letter and number.

Cron found the first-year dorms. From the outside, it looked like any other building, but once inside, they had a completely different design from the academy. The carpets were neatly clean and had beautiful designs on them. The walls were tan, and the hallway looked long. A staircase was at the other end of the hallway.

When Cron looked at the doors, they had the letter A. He was trying to find the letter E, so he assumed he had to go up a few floors. Cron walked up the stairs, thinking about the alphabet and which floor E would be on. As soon as he got to it, he looked for his number.

"E22, where are you?" Cron asked as he was walking down the hallway. As he did, he was getting closer to the number 22. When he spotted it, he was excited.

"I wonder who my roommate will be," Cron said. "I hope he is super cool, and maybe he knows secrets to an Orgone. To make an Orgone better just overall more effective."

When Cron opened the door, he expected an empty room since everyone was in their classes. The room had two beds and two desks mirrored across it. But to Cron's surprise, someone else was in the room. Wearing the same expression and clothes as Cron, they locked eyes. Cron recognized the person in his dorm. It was the first-year student from last night.