Adam C. Prince

Transcript:

Girl in Control. Episode 6. Girl in time.

I shoved open the hatch to the roof and pulled myself up. And there she was.

Jussy. Safe. In one piece.

Thank God. But she wasn't alone. A crowd of teens surrounded her.

Way more than I expected. Kids laughing. Smoking.

Passing around cigarettes and bottles. A chaotic mess of noise and terrible life choices. I spotted one kid shoving a cigarette at her.

Jussy shook her head, pushing it away. Good girl. She was holding her ground.

But now she was the odd one out. And the crowd, they didn't like that. They started jostling her.

Pushing. Laughing harder. My heart hammered in my chest.

I pushed through the bodies, trying to get to her. She saw me. Reached out.

And I reached back. We were inches apart. So close.

Then someone shoved her hard. Jussy stumbled sideways. Toward the edge of the roof.

My breath caught. She teetered. Arms flailing.

About to fall. And I knew. I wouldn't reach her in time.

This was it. This was the moment from my vision. The police knocking on our door.

Mum collapsing in Dad's arms. Not happening. Not on my watch.

Instinct kicked in. I yanked the remote from my pocket and slammed the pause button. The world froze.

Literally. Every kid on that rooftop stuck mid-laugh. Mid-shove.

Mid-stumble. Total silence. Total stillness.

Except for me. Jussy was caught in mid-air. Halfway over the ledge.

Frozen in the moment before disaster. I ran to her. My heart pounding so loud I thought it would shake the world awake.

I grabbed her wrist. Pulling her back onto solid ground. I didn't even think.

Just acted. Once she was safe, I pressed play. The world shuddered back to life.

Jussy gasped. Blinking in shock. Her hands clutched at me.

Terrified but alive. I pulled her into the tightest hug I'd ever given. She hugged me right back.

Trembling. How did you? She whispered. Lucky timing.

I lied. No one else seemed to notice what had happened. They were too busy laughing.

Fighting. Scrolling on their phones. Except for one kid.

A boy in a red hoodie. Staring at me. Not laughing.

Just watching like he'd seen everything. Like he knew exactly what I'd done. A chill crawled down my spine.

But I tightened my arm around Jussy. And we got out of there. We made it home just as mum and dad were pulling into the driveway.

Perfect timing. For once. Dad scooped Jussy into a hug so fierce she squealed.

Then he looked at me. Really looked at me. I wanted a hug too.

I'm proud of you, he whispered. You brought her home. For the first time in a long time, I felt seen.

Not as the responsible one. Not as the back-up parent. Not as the kid who had to set an example.

Just as his daughter. Who'd done something that mattered. And I knew, deep down, my powers weren't just about making my life easier.

They were about protecting the people I loved. No matter what. But later that night, I couldn't sleep.

I kept thinking about what I'd seen on the roof. That boy in the red hoodie. The way he'd watched me.

Like he knew. Like he'd seen me pause time and save my sister. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was just my imagination.

The girl in control had just saved her sister. But something told me this was only the beginning.