Chapter 1: New Kids on the Block

The Diffy family was awoken to a loud crashing noise at 3:00 in the morning.

"Don't tell me that Curtis has come in crashing and raided the fridge again," Barb said when the family had gathered in the kitchen.

"I don't think so, the leftover pizza is still here," Pim replied. "But not for long," she finished, grabbing a slice.

"Must just be him making noises out in the garage," said Phil.

"I'll go settle him down," said Lloyd. "Ya'll can feast on the leftover pizza." Lloyd went out to the barn, and saw Curtis fast asleep, but he saw something that looked like a large moving van down the street.

"It's not Curtis, just some big van down the street," Lloyd said when he came back in.

"I don't know how a van could make that much noise," said Barb. "But let's go back to bed so we won't lose any more sleep." They all made their way back upstairs and into bed.

Later that morning, Phil was at school on his way to the media room for the morning announcements. The usual mix of people were in the hall; students at their lockers, teachers on their way to the copy room, the principal dragging some troublemakers to the office, and Mr. Hackett acting weird as usual. Phil stopped suddenly when he saw two people standing outside the doorway to the band room. Their looks reminded him a lot of his friends Heather and Jason from the future. He walked closer to them, and one of them called his name.

"Phil"! Heather said. "Over here"!

"Heather, Jason, it really is you"! Phil said to them, sounding surprised, but excited. "What are you guys doing here"?

"We've been looking all over for you," Heather said. "Mrs. Riverson said that you'd be here. We looked you up on our Wizrds."

"Wait, are you part of that time travel exchange thing"? Phil asked them. Phil had read on his Wizrd that a time exchange program was coming to 2005, but he never thought that it would end up in a place like Pickford.

"Yup, we are," Jason said. "But we're disguised as foreign exchange students from Canada."

"So would you have anything to do with the 3 AM wake-up-call we received this morning," Phil joked.

"Yup, we're guilty," Jason said with a laugh. "Sorry about that, I'm sure you and your neighbors were mad."

"That's ok, it's just so great to see you guys again," Phil said. "But I'd better go, because I'm going to be late. Come on, I'll show you how we run the morning announcements."

"Morning announcements"? Heather asked. "You mean like the news"?

"Our school news," said Phil. "Come on, I'll show you." He led them to the media room.

"Is this as hi-tech as this century gets"? Heather asked disappointed, walking in to the media room.

Phil laughed and said, "No, but it's as hi-tech as this school gets." Keely was working on the computer when she saw Phil and his friends that she didn't know walk in. She walked over to them.

"Hey Phil, who're your new friends"? she asked

"These are my friends Heather and Jason," Phil said. "They're part of a time travel exchange program from the future."

"Phil"! Heather shouted at him.

"Oh, it's ok, you can trust her," Phil said. "She already knows I'm from the future."

"Oh, okay," Heather said. "I just hope that she's the only one who knows."

"This is my friend, Keely," Phil said to his friends. "And yes, she's the only one who knows."

"It's nice to meet you guys," Keely said.

"You, too," Heather and Jason said.

"Phil, can you help me with this DVD"? Keely asked. "It's not making sense."

"Sure, I'll be right over," Phil said and Keely went back to the computer.

"Anyway, why don't you guys come over after school so we can catch up"? Phil asked Heather and Jason.

"Sure, if we can bring the 10 other people from our group," Jason said.

"All 10 of them"? Phil asked. "Why"?

"Because we have nowhere else to go after school until we get some hotel rooms later," Heather said.

"Sure, that's fine," Phil said. "I'm sure that my parents know everybody and will be glad to see ya'll."

After school, Phil walked home with the future kids and Mrs. Riverson, their chaperone. He was going to tell Pim about the people at school, but she was nowhere to be found. He figured that she was skipping classes again. Barb, Lloyd, and Pim were in the kitchen, when they heard the sound of the loud mob coming through the door. Mrs. Riverson instructed the future kids to stay in the living room, when her and Phil went into the kitchen to talk to Phil's parents.

"Cindy, is that you"! Barb asked excitedly, seeing Phil and Mrs. Riverson come in. Mrs. Riverson had been one of Barb's best friends from work in the future.

"It's me, all right," Mrs. Riverson said with a smile. "I'm here with the group of kids in the living room. They're part of a time travel exchange program."

"Ooh, they're those 'foreign exchange students from Canada'"? Pim asked.

"Yup, that's them," Mrs. Riverson said. "We're staying in Pickford for a month, then we're going back. And my husband will be happy to fix your time machine. He's coming with the parts in a few weeks."

"Where are you all staying"? Lloyd asked.

"We're getting hotel rooms," Mrs. Riverson said. "I think that you all know most of the kids, so come say hi to them." They went into the living room where the kids were.

"I think that you guys remember the Diffys," Mrs. Riverson said to the kids. "But if you don't, they're the family that's from our town who got stuck here."

"It's nice to see you guys again," Jason said.

"Well, it's nice to see some of our own people again," Barb said with a chuckle. "Although we're all growing to really like it here. What do you all think so far"?

"Well, it's not as hi-tech as home, but I love the environment here," said Heather.

"Let's get something to eat, I'm hungry," came a few cries from the group.

"Well, we'd love to stay, but I've got to feed my restless group," Mrs. Riverson said, hearing the cries of the people.

"Wait a minute, you all are exchange students, right"? Barb asked.

"Yeah," the kids all said.

"Then I insist that you stay here for dinner and enjoy a 21st century style home cooked meal," Barb replied.

"Sure, sounds great," they all agreed. Barb had made lasagna, and everyone crammed into the dining room to eat. After dinner, Lloyd went out to show Mrs. Riverson the time machine, and then Mrs. Riverson called the hotel and got reservations. The future kids, Phil, and Pim spread out in the living room on the couch, chairs, and the floor. Phil found the TV show, American Idol and turned it on.

"What's this"? someone asked.

"This is the 21st century version of a television, and the show is American Idol," Phil said.

"Oh, yeah, I remember I've read about that show before," someone else said. "And it reminds me so much of that TV show back home, Stars of Tomorrow."

"My words exactly," said Phil. "I miss seeing that show, and American Idol is the one thing that reminds me of it." They watched the rest of American Idol, then started watching CSI, which reminded everyone of another future TV show, Million Dollar Criminal. When CSI was over, the kids had to leave to get to the hotel. Mrs. Riverson talked to Phil before they left.

"The kids are really anxious to see the town," she said. "Would you mind showing them around tomorrow after school"?

"Sure, they've got themselves a tour guide," Phil said.

"Thanks," Mrs. Riverson replied. "And don't worry, you guys will be home soon." Phil walked back in to the rest of his family in the kitchen.

"I think this is great," said Barb. "Our own people are here, and in less than a month, we'll be home."

"We would've been home sooner if I picked up more mechanical and technical skills," said Lloyd.

"You don't know how to fix nothin' to save your life," said Pim.

"I fixed the TV once," Lloyd replied

"It broke again the next day," Phil said.

"Fine, I'm no mechanic," said Lloyd. "But we've got one on the way."

"It will be nice to get home again," said Barb.

"Yeah, I bet Grandma and Grandpa think we're dead," Phil said.

"Speaking of Grandma and Grandpa, they still owe me fifty dollars from my twelfth birthday, said Pim. "And my thirteenth."

"They're probably in Hawaii for their twentieth honeymoon," said Barb. "It seems like they go on one about every other year."

"I know, they travel more than the Pope and the President combined," said Lloyd. The phone rang just then, and Phil went to get it.

"Hello," Phil answered.

"Hey Phil," Keely said on the other end of the line. "I called your house earlier, but you never called back."
"Oh, Pim must have answered," Phil said. "You ought to know by now that she never gives me my phone messages."

"Guess I should've known that," Keely replied with a chuckle. "Anyway, Tia got us tickets to that new movie tomorrow night. You're in, right"?

"Any other night I would be," said Phil. "But I promised the exchange kids I'd take them around town tomorrow."

"Oh, right, the exchange kids," Keely said.

"Why don't you come along tomorrow, then we can go to that movie on Friday"? Phil asked

"Ok, sure, sounds great. See ya tomorrow," Keely said, and hung up. Then, something about the situation hit her. 'Wait a minute', she thought to herself. 'Those kids came in working time machines, meaning that they could easily fix Phil's. But he couldn't be leaving, could he?'

(A/N: Time travel exchange is just where kids from the future go to different centuries to explore the school and customs of the time. Sort of like foreign exchange. Anyway, I hope you all like the start to this. Please leave a review :-) Updates might be slow due to upcoming finals and end-of-the-year activities. I can't wait til school's over!)

Next Chapter: I haven't titled it yet, but it will be about the future kids getting to know the town and the 21st century. The 3rd chapter is where it gets a twist.