GOING BACK

Zack's Point Of View

'Cody! What took you so long?' I asked as he came back to the laboratory.

'Nothing.'

'Okay, since he's back, I guess, it time to get into the... the time machine,' Alvin said.

He almost sounded scared when he said that. Like he was worried the time machine would just blow to bits and collapse.

'Come on, get in!' I said, pulling him in.

We closed the door.

'This is it...' I told him. 'We're going back.'

'Yeah.' Was all he said.

'What's the date again?' I asked.

'April 18, Zack.'

'Oh, right.' I searched for the button. 'Here it is!'

I was just about the press the button. We were just about the go back. We were just about to wake up from this horrible nightmare.

That was when he lost. He finally lost it. He stopped me from pushing that button and rushed out.

Out of the laboratory. Out of the museum.

'Hey! Come back!' I called out, rushing out of the museum.

Not again.

He's going back. He's going back to Bailey.

Why does he even care? Even if he goes knocking on their door, it won't change anything.

Bailey is married. To Moose.

Why can't Cody see that?

He's going to ruin his life. Not to mention mine.

We have to get back to Seven Seas High. To our real life.

We can't be living in the future forever.

Bailey, Woody, Maya, London will all be waiting for us. Wondering where we were.

They'll be waiting.

And yet, Cody is here chasing after Bailey. In the future.

All he has to do is to go back to Seven Seas High - now - to fix things with Bailey.

Why does he even bother about the future? Thirty years later?

Cody's Point Of View

I know I shouldn't be here, outside Bailey's house.

But I just couldn't stand it. She's with Moose. Moose.

What could have happened in those years?

Why did Cailey break up?

Why?

This is the future. It's like a sneak preview of my future. Except, this was nothing like I had pictured it. No, this was all wrong.

My future was supposed to be picture perfect. It wasn't supposed to be me without Bailey.

We had planned about the future -we were going to Yale or Harvard together, and after finishing off college, we were going to move to Kettlecorn and stay there.

Forever and ever. Like fairytales.

But this was nothing like a fairytale.

It wasn't even close.

It wasn't Kettlecorn.

It wasn't Cody and Bailey...

It wasn't Cailey. It was... it was Mailey, which sounds totally weird.

No, this is totally wrong. I've got to fix this.

But how was I going to do that?

Maybe asking Bailey would help. Wait, no, scratch that. Bailey from the future.

I rang the doorbell. it sounded like a chicken clucking.

Typical.

'What can I do for ya, mate?' Moose.

Oh no.

I took for my heels.

The door slammed shut and I heaved a sigh of relief. I was hiding behind a brick wall.

Okay, this wouldn't work. Moose would recognize me. Even if looked exactly the same thirty-seven years ago.

No, I was going to need a disguise.

I threw on a suit with a bow tie and knocked again.

I looked ridiculous as the temperature was a boiling fifty degrees. Global warming kills.

But I didn't care. I would throw on a clown suit and ride a unicycle to talk things out with Bailey.

'Who's there, mate?' I heard Moose call out from the living room.

I kept quiet.

'Coming!' I could hear the annoyance in his voice. I snickered.

'Would you like to buy a new apartment?' I asked in a German accent holding up a poster which I had found in the trash earlier.

'Ya know, kid, you look like someone I knew,' he said, looking me up and down.

'Would you like a new apartment?' I asked, hoping to change the subject, while trying to peek into the house for Bailey.

'What's your name, kid?' he asked.

'Um, Lea,' I told him.

He burst into laughter.

'Lea? That's a girl's name!' he exclaimed, clutching his stomach.

'Yes,' I told him. Lea was the only name I could think of at that moment and what a big mistake.

He fell onto the floor. I rolled my eyes.

'Maybe we could go in to talk about this?' I asked, suddenly spotting Bailey in the kitchen.

'About your name?' he asked, cracking himself up again.

Then, Bailey come to the doorway.

'Who's at the door, Moosey?' Bailey asked, not looking up from the paper that was in her hands, but she was just two meters away.

'Bailey!' I called, a little too enthusiastically.

Moose stood up and put his hands around her.

'Um, I mean, would you like a new apartment?' I asked him for the third time, but my eyes were on her this time...