“Never thought I’d say this,” Ocean said. “But I think I’ve had enough messing around for one day.”

“Ocean, I’m telling you this because I trust you,” Cory sat in his computer chair, the black watch sitting in the palm of his hand. “I know how crazy it sounds.”

“Yeah,” Ocean said. “Crazy is a good word to describe this. By the way, wristwatches are kind of out of style now, don’t you think?”

Cory glared at him. “This out-of-style watch stops time,” he jumped out the chair and slipped the watch on. “And I’ll prove it to you.”

“I’m going to go get Liliana so she can smack some sense into you,” Ocean said, turning to go out the door, but Cory stood blocking his way. Wait, that couldn’t be right. Shouldn’t Cory be behind him?

“See?” Cory said matter-of-factly.

“Wait a minute,” Ocean took a step back. “What the hell did you just do?”

“I pressed this button here,” Cory put his arm up, pointing to the side of the watch. “The button with a 1 on it. It stops everything in this room but me.”

“No way,” Ocean put his head in his hands, and couldn’t help but laugh to himself. “This has got to be some kind of trick, right?” He glanced behind him, as if Cory might still be there by his computer. He wasn’t.

“If I press the number 2, I can freeze everything in the house,” Cory said, adjusting the watch around his frail wrist. “I haven’t tried 3 or 4 yet, but I imagine they just make the effect larger. It drains the battery too.”

Ocean’s heart skipped a beat. “So someone used this downtown then?”

“Like I said,” Cory walked past him and plopped back into his computer chair. “Someone committed murder with one of these.”

“Alright, so hold on a second,” Ocean said. “Putting all the other questions I have aside, where did you get something like this?”

Cory’s eyes locked with Oceans for a moment. “Someone sent it to me in the mail,” he turned in his chair and pulled out a folded piece of paper from his desk drawer. “Whoever it was sent the watch and this note.”

Ocean took it from him and read through it. “I’ve seen a slice of your life?” he paused, looking over at Cory intently.

“Clock Link,” Cory said. “I think they’re talking about my profile.”

“Oh, virtual life,” Ocean grinned. “No offense, but you’re not exactly the most popular guy in real life.”

“The only time people ever say ‘no offense’ is when they’re going to saying something offensive,” Cory glared back at him.

“Anyway, why would someone send you something like this just because they liked your profile?” Ocean handed the paper back. “In fact, why would anyone send you anything just for liking your profile? You sure you’re not just getting stalked or something?”

“How should I know?” Cory said. “Whatever the reason, it looks like I’m not the only one that has one. Maybe hundreds of people have them. Who knows?”

“How long have you had yours?”

Cory leaned back in his chair, putting his hand on his chin. “About 7 or 8 days, I think.”

“That long and you’re just deciding to tell me now?” Ocean crossed his arms, feigning anger.

“Don’t start trying to do this with me. I get enough of this treatment from Liliana,” Cory frowned.

“Oh do you now?” Ocean said. It looked like he had rubbed off on Liliana after all.

“Anyway, after what happened today, I just couldn’t keep it to myself anymore.”

“Feels weird having a secret only the two of us know like this.”

“Well, I actually told one other person.”

“What the hell?” Ocean said. “I thought we were bros.”

“Stop it, it’s not like I planned on telling someone before you,” Cory said. “The chance just came up.”

“You going to explain or beat around the bush?” Ocean said.

“When I got the watch, I ended up trying it out on my mom when she came into my room with the laundry.”

“Your mom still does your laundry for you?”

“Will you just shut up and listen?” Cory said, picking up a video game controller off his desk and hurling it at Ocean. It hit him square in the stomach.

“Okay, I get it,” Ocean coughed. “Go on.”

“Well anyway, I freaked out pretty bad when it actually worked.” Cory said. “That’s when I remembered something I saw online a few days before that. There was a post on Clock Link where someone said that they got a new watch, and that they were surprised with all the features that were on it.”

“And so you told this guy?” Ocean said. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I didn’t just up and tell him,” Cory said. “I hadn’t thought much about the post when I first read it, but I thought there might be a chance he was trying to find someone else that received one too.”

“And so you told this guy?”

“Okay, yes, I told this guy. Get off me, already,” Cory said. “I messaged him, and was really cautious about it. I just asked him what brand of watch he got. If it was one of those… four handed watches.”

“Hmm…”

“He was the one who confessed first. After that, I just kind of blurted out that I had one too.”

“So who is it? Is it someone I know?” Ocean asked.

“I don’t think you know him,” Cory said. “Don’t ask anymore, okay? We promised each other that we’d keep each other’s identities a secret and I’ve already told you too much.”

Ocean sat down on Cory’s bed and let out a sigh.

“If you really care that much, his post about the watch should still be on his profile somewhere,” Cory said. “If you find that, you’ll know who he is.”

“I guess I don’t really have to know,” Ocean rested his cheek in the palm of his hand. “Did he know anything about the watch that you didn’t?”

“Not really,” Cory said. “He got it in the mail just like I did. No return address, of course. The note he got was exactly the same as mine, too.”

“Sounds like talking with him was a waste a time.”

“Maybe,” Cory said. “But after what happened today, we made a decision.”

“A decision?”

“We decided to hunt down the person that did this. The murderer, I mean,” Cory’s eyes got serious again. “That’s why I wanted to tell you. I want your help too.”

“Forget Liliana,” Ocean raised an eyebrow. “I’m feeling compelled to smack some sense into you myself.”

“Just hear me out,” Cory said. “The guy from Clock Link and I actually met a few days ago. The watch doesn’t work on people who have one.”

“So you can still move around?”

“Right. We can find the one who did this by exploiting that,” Cory smiled confidently. This kind of expression wasn’t one Ocean had seen outside of them playing games together. “If we try stopping time all around downtown, we might eventually find someone who keeps moving. That means they have a watch. Chances are, that will be the murderer. Then we can bring him to justice.”

“Did you ever think about just letting the police do this?” Ocean asked.

“Unless they know about the watches, then I think the chances of them finding the murderer are pretty slim,” Cory said. “And I’m not going to be the one to tell them about it. I don’t want to be interrogated about how I got one in the first place.”

“You read too many comic books,” Ocean said monotonously. He knew he was right, though. After what happened downtown, Cory would be a prime suspect. He hadn’t even been to school today. Being home alone all day meant that there was no chance his alibi would hold up. “Anyway, even if you do find the killer, what do you plan on doing exactly?”

“We’ll take knives to protect ourselves,” Cory said. “But all we really need to do is see what they look like. After that, we can put in an anonymous call to the police and have them take over from there.”

Ocean couldn’t deny that the idea was exciting. He had felt terrified when he heard about the murder, but what if this meant he could actually do something about it? After all, having this watch was almost like having a super power. “Well what am I supposed to do? I don’t have a watch, remember?”

“I know,” Cory turned in his chair so that he faced away from Ocean. “I just don’t think I could do this without you. That’s all.”

“Are you trying to embarrass me or something?” Ocean stammered. He hadn’t expected an answer like this.

“You’re my best friend, stupid,” Cory said. “No matter what it is, we take on everything as a team, remember?”

“You can say cool stuff every once and a while after all,” Ocean cracked a smile. “Our teaming up usually consists of fighting monsters in ruined castles, though. Real life isn’t quite as easy.”

“Yeah, well it’s all the same to me,” Cory said. “Real world or not, we’re a team.”

“Alright, enough of that,” Ocean said. “The dust in your room is getting into my eyes and the last thing I need is for you to think that I’m crying or something.”

Cory turned his chair back around and burst out laughing.

“Shut it,” Ocean picked the controller off the ground and moved like he was going to throw it back.

“Sorry,” Cory said between laughs. “I’m just really relieved. Feels like I have a weight off my back.”

“Alright already,” Ocean said, setting the controller back down. “So when do we do this?”

“Tomorrow,” Cory finally managed to stop laughing, and wiped a tear from his eye. “I have to contact the other guy and let him know.”

“I thought he wanted his identity kept a secret,” Ocean said.

“We won’t meet with him,” Cory said. “We’ll cover more ground if we split up.”

“Okay,” Ocean said, glancing out the window. The clouds outside guaranteed that it was going to rain any minute. “Do you think we actually have a chance finding them?”

“Well downtown is our best bet,” Cory said. “It’s got the largest concentration of people. Besides, they say that the criminal always returns to the scene of the crime.”

“I guess,” Ocean said. He looked over at the watch on Cory’s wrist. Nothing about it seemed particularly special. It wasn’t the kind of thing that would draw attention. In that respect, Ocean supposed it was the perfect thing to have a special power. “Let me try it.”

Cory looked from Ocean, down to the watch, and then back up again. “Alright, but don’t use it for too long. It doesn’t last forever.”

“How long can you use it?” Ocean asked.

Cory got up and took of the watch. “See this blue hand here?” he asked, holding it in front of Ocean and pointing. “When you stop time, it moves.”

Sure enough, there was a fourth hand on the watch. It was currently pointed at the 10, and wasn’t moving.

“It was on the 12 when I first got it,” Cory said. “My guess is that it won’t work anymore once it goes all the way around, so don’t waste it.”

Ocean grabbed the watch and put it on. It was unexpectedly light. Up close, he could see that it rather cheap looking. “So I just press one of these buttons on the side?”

“Yeah,” Cory said. “Go ahead and press the 2. Then you can go downstairs and see Liliana frozen.”

“Good thinking,” Ocean smirked.

“Hurry up though. You can press the button again when you want to deactivate it.”

“Here I go,” he gently pressed it, and was struck with a sudden silence that filled the room. In front of him, Cory stood completely motionless. He wasn’t blinking. He wasn’t even breathing. Ocean’s jaw practically hit the floor. The watch was actually working.

He left Cory’s room and made his way down the stairs. Opening the door to the living room, he found Liliana sitting at the table, faced toward the television. The show on was a cartoon about cats that secretly fought aliens that had come to destroy the earth. The picture had frozen on a shot of one of the cats strapping dynamite to a UFO.

This thing was terrifying, he thought. He brought the watch up to his face. The blue needle had moved away from the 10, about three fourths of the way from the 9. Cory would be mad with him if he took too long.

He moved so that he was standing in front of Liliana. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the number 2 button again.

“Oh my god!” Liliana screamed. “What the hell, Ocean!?”

“Hey,” Ocean pointed his finger at her. “You just called me by my name, didn’t you?”

“You surprised me, Sea Cucumber,” Liliana’s face flushed red. “You totally came out of nowhere. Are you a ninja or something?”

Ocean narrowed his eyes and smirked. “Yes.”

“Wait a minute,” Liliana said, craning her neck to see the TV. “What happened in the show? Did Mr. Pumpkin destroy the spaceship?”

This was crazy. Amazing, really. He put his arm behind his back. He knew there was no way she would suspect the watch, but he still felt like he had to hide it.

“Jeez,” Liliana let her body go limp as she let out a sigh. “I must have been seriously spacing out or something.”

Cory came into the living room. “Did Ocean get you?”

“I hate to admit it, but my heart’s racing,” Liliana said. “He jumped out so fast he nearly scared me to death.”

Cory laughed and walked over next to Ocean. Behind their backs, Ocean gave him the watch back.

“Anyway, I think I should probably get going,” Ocean said. A lot had happened today, and he was only now realizing how drained he felt.

“Yeah, get out of here, jerk,” Liliana said.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Cory,” he said. The two of them met eyes as he turned to leave.

As he put on his shoes in the doorway, he thought about how it had felt to use the watch. His ears had popped when he deactivated it, and could still feel a strange tingling in them. Hopefully, he hadn’t been right when he joked with Ruby about there being side effects. Suddenly, something smacked him on the top of the head. “Ouch.”

“I know you’re aquatic and all, but you should take this. The rain is starting to pick up,” Liliana stood holding out an umbrella.

“I’m sorry, miss,” although he was rubbing his head, he tried to keep a serious look on his face. “My Oregonian pride will not allow it.”

“Oh shut up,” she said. “You’ve only been living here for 3 years.”

He paused for a moment, and then took the umbrella. “Thanks. I’ll give it back tomorrow at school.”

“Sounds good, Sea Star.”

Outside, he opened up the umbrella. He was surprised to find it was covered in little starfish. Likely, this was an attempt by Liliana at making fun of him again. The idea that he had rubbed off on her was becoming more and more likely.

Smiling, he started down the street toward home.