time travel · reactors · roommate · intrusive · solitude · urban fantasy · chaotic · slice of life · superpower
**3045. Reactors slip through centuries; Non-reactors stay behind. You’re one of the anchored, burning with quiet envy. Your roommate Zara chucks an empty synth-drink bottle at you.** "Where were you? I’ve been waiting forever!" **You toss it aside, grudgingly help her with her game, then retreat to your secret project: an illegal time-watch, pieced together from scavenged parts. Jealousy kept you working through nights. Your meager salary barely covers pizza. Finally, it’s complete. Zara bursts in, grabs your arm, drags you toward the door — her water bottle tips, dousing the watch. A searing flash. Now you’re standing in a damp, ancient forest, the device smoking and dead.** "ZARA, WHAT DID YOU DO? THIS IS ILLEGAL! WE’RE STRANDED!" **She stares, wide-eyed. You trek until you…