Chapter 1: Breaking the chains of fate. I choose my own destiny.

Life for Stacy Stickler was absolutely perfect!

It had been just a few weeks since Bradley had moved back, and even she could tell that she was her old self again. It wasn't just her either since practically everyone had in a sense missed Bradley just as much although not to the extreme that she had. Even Lance and Russell were happy to have him back, and showed their happiness by hanging him from the top of the high schools flag pole by his underwear. How they did it? No one knows, however, if she had to guess it was probably rocket boots. She had been the first to find him after school let out that afternoon as he loudly called to her to get him down. This of course made her break out into fits of hysterical laughter causing Bradley to blush and yell even more frantically, which eventually called the situation to the attention of the entire school who found it just as amusing as she had. Oh if only she had sold tickets. In the end it took the entire fire department to get him down.

It was while she waved goodbye to the ambulance carrying Bradley to the emergency room to get him de-wedgitized that she got the call. Taking out her cell she looked at the caller ID recognizing the number instantly as Polly's. She quickly hit the answer button while trying to suppress the remaining giggles in her system.

"Hey Polly." Stacy said letting a few chuckles escape as she wiped a tear from her eye.

"You seem in quite good spirits today Stacy." Polly's cheerful voice emitted from the other end.

"Yeah. Lance and Russell had their way with B-man. You should have seen him hanging from his undies on top of the flag pole." Stacy couldn't help breaking out with laughter again at the memory.

"While I would contest my brother and his stinky friend being able to break the laws of physics in order to hang Bradley from such a high place. That's not why I called." Polly said with a point blank tone.

"Okay, okay. So what's up Polly?" Stacy mustered up all the restraint she had in her in an attempt to get down to the matter at hand.

"I need you to meet me at the community college. I have something big to show you." Polly exclaimed excitedly before hanging up leaving Stacy confused, but nonetheless curious.

Unlike the rest of the kids from the apartments including herself who had by now turned sixteen and entered the 10th grade. It was Polly at a mere eleven years old who managed to graduate high school way before any of them would have. At the age of twelve she had become a freshman at the local community college, and even though she had once asked Polly why she didn't try for an Ivy League school the young girl's response ended up surprising her. Being in a new place with no one familiar around would be scary even if she did get the best education the country could provide. In a way this had comforted Stacy a little before Bradley's return. Since even though Polly had been going all therapist on her she had been the only one to stay by her side through those tragic seven years.

It hadn't taken her long to reach the campus, and it was not small by any means. Not that it mattered since no vast terrain was too big for Stacy Stickler trailblazer to traverse through. Even if in reality it took her an hour until she had finally found Polly in the science wing of the school. Knocking on the door of room 71-443 it didn't take long for the door to open as she was greeted by the beaming smile of a girl much shorter than herself. Sporting a pair of beaming turquoise eyes that stared into hers as well as long red hair that had been tied up into three pig tails that bounced and waved along the top and side of her head as she moved.

"You made it!" Polly exclaimed happily as she hugged Stacy and ushered her inside.

"Yeah... Umm sorry for being late. I kinda got lost." Stacy lightly ran a hand through her spiky black hair in embarrassment.

"Nonsense. I just finished getting everything ready." Polly beamed with pride

Stacy looked around the room. It was the size of a normal classroom, but there weren't any desks or anything that would make it seem like a place where people sat being bored out of their skulls. Near her was a large console with screens, buttons, and knobs adorning it. Along the walls there were machines that looked like huge super computers. The floor was covered in wires that were connected to both the console and the supercomputers that lead to the center of the room in which a pod made of metal and glass stood.

"What is all this stuff?" She asked her friend in amazement.

"Well you see one day when I was working on being the first to complete the longest math equation in history. A part of my calculations turned out to be related to the phenomenon of the time-space continuum. This machine is nothing less than a Temporal Transportation Device." Polly bounced up and down a little in glee.

"A whaaaaaa?" Stacy replied with a blank look on her face.

"A time machine." Polly sighed and glared back at her friend with narrow eyes.

"Ohhhhh..." She replied nodding slowly until it dawned on her. "Holy cow! Did you say a time machine?!" She yelled out as Polly once again smiled widely. "This... This is incredible Polly! How does it work?!"

"It's quite simple really. Using all the data I gathered in those super computers and the console. I am able to tear space and time apart allowing the person in the pod to go wherever they wish." Seeing Stacy's blank face again she narrowed her eyes once more. "I can set a time and place in the console allowing me to send anyone standing in the pod to any point in history they wish to go." This explanation caused a more satisfactory reaction as Stacy's jaw hung so low it was practically on the floor.

"This is incredible but how were you able to get all of this equipment?!" Stacy exclaimed while pointing at everything in the room.

"It helps to be the top student in every single major in the schools academic library." Polly smiled a little bit at that. She could understand why Stacy underestimated her.

Alright. Let's fire this puppy up!" Stacy pumped her fist up and down in excitement.

"Indeed I was just about to send Pepperoni back to England in the Middle Ages to authenticate the Arthurian myth." Polly pointed to the pod. Inside was a fuzzy yellow poodle dog with tire tracks running down the middle of its body, and wearing a little dog sized knight helmet. The visor on the front of the helmet falling down over the clearly dead dogs eyes with a clang. It had been seven years but Pepperoni still looked together as one would put it. If there was one thing anyone could say about Lance it was that he had pretty good taxidermy skills. Although Stacy herself felt that probably was not a good thing to be proud of. Still it had been one of the very rare few times he had actually been nice to his half-sibling so at least that garnered a tiny bit of respect. Not that a .01% respect rating meant a lot.

Looking over the machine again though an idea began to sprout in Stacy's mind. Sure it involved some trickery, but this was a chance she couldn't pass up.

"Hey Polly? Has this thing been tested yet." She asked

"No. This will be the trial run." Polly responded wondering why she had asked.

"Then don't you think it's a bit dangerous to test it on Pepperoni?" She smiled a bit. This would be too easy. "I mean if something went wrong who knows what could happen?"

"I highly doubt my calculations are wrong Stacy... But you might have a point." She was beginning to show signs of worry considering if there was one thing Polly did not want to lose more than anything it was her beloved dog. "Maybe it would be better to find another test subject."

"I agree. So how about we fire this up!" Stacy had already taken Pepperoni out of the pod and was now standing in it grinning from ear to ear.

"Now hold on Stacy. You just said it was too dangerous to test on Pepperoni. Why would you think I'd test it on you?" Polly placed her arms on her hips and glared at the spiky haired girl.

"Ummm because... Because..." She was sweating bullets now, but she was so close. However, one glance at the child in front of her made her sigh in defeat. She wasn't good at lying especially since her butt grew to humongous proportions whenever she did. "Look Polly... I'm sorry... It's just that I have something I have to do and this may be my one and only chance to do it."

"Something you have to do?" The smaller girl asked quizzically.

"Yeah... That's why I jumped at the chance." She bent down on one knee and placed her hands on Polly's shoulders as her eyes looked into her friends. "Can you forgive me?" As she looked at her friends face it looked deep in thought for about five seconds.

"Of course I can Stacy. You've always been very opportunistic when something good comes your way." Polly smiled and patted Stacy's head before walking over and picking Pepperoni off the floor so she could sit him in one of the chairs at the console. "I assume you already have a place and time in mind then?"

"Yes I do." Stacy smiled and nodded as she looked back at the machine. "Polly I want you to send me back to the apartments. Seven years ago."

TO BE CONTINUED