A/N: I have survived the frog attacks to update! I'm sorry for not updating sooner, but I was in Seattle over the weekend and had absolutely no access to a computer. So I did this chapter in two days! And so, I don't own anything, and here is the chapter…
Lela slid the door open and fell on the chair. They had walked home in silence, but both had questions by the bundle bouncing everywhere inn their minds.
Where was Wilbur?
Why was he gone?
Why couldn't anyone remember him?
Lewis rummaged through his desk drawers and pulled out a dark blue velveteen box. He sat opposite Lela and she looked up at him with somber-now periwinkle-eyes.
"I think you'll remember this," he said quietly, with mystery in his voice.
He gently opened the box and lay inside was the small crystal she had given him from the chandelier. Her eyes lit up.
"Oh, Lewis, you still have that? It seems like such a long time ago I gave it to you!" Lela's face immediately transformed.
"Not for me. It was only a few months ago you were here," Lewis took the crystal out of the box and held it in his palm.
"It's my good luck charm. Ever since I've had it, I've been adopted, come up with a bunch of new inventions that worked, and made friends," Lewis smiled appreciatively.
"And you'll get a great chandelier that has the most amazing swing. But when I fell off again--"
"You jumped off again!?" Lewis gasped. After all he had gone through to stop the stunts!
"Hey, I couldn't resist. Anyways, when I fell off again, you and Mom chained it to the ceiling so that it couldn't swing and grounded me for a week. Can you not do that next time?" Lela whined, getting very off topic.
"Maybe," Lewis muttered, thinking something other than his answer.
"So, do you want to see the crystal or not?" Lewis hung the glass in front of her face. Lela nodded vigorously and snatched the blue-silver crystal from Lewis. But within second, Lela gasped and nearly dropped the crystal.
"What was that for?" Lewis asked suspiciously.
"He's. There." Her eyes were wide with extreme fear.
"Who? Wilbur?" Lewis asked sarcastically, but to his surprise, Lela nodded slowly.
"W-what?" Lewis sat next to Lela, and carefully pried the glass from her shaking hands. With a flash, Lewis saw that held in the right light, was Wilbur's picture.
"Does-does that mean he's trapped in there, Lewis?" Lela whispered in a shaky, nervous voice. Lewis shook his head no.
"It's a picture of him, possibly captured when you brought that crystal back for me. But I have never seen anything like this before…" Lewis trailed off.
Was it a trick for the light? Did they both miss Wilbur enough to hallucinate his picture onto a piece of glass? Or was it Wilbur's sign to them, signaling help?
Lewis held the crystal up again, and there it was, his picture, smiling back at them without a care in the world. Lewis didn't know what to do next. He and Lela sat there in a petrified silence, just thinking, and thinking, and thinking.
Suddenly Lewis jumped up and started throwing papers out of his desk drawers, trying to find a specific one.
"Lewis, what are you doing?" Lela asked in a miserable, restricted voice, knees drawn up to her chest.
Without answering the question, Lewis said, "Where's the time machine?"
Lela sat up. "Outside in the alleyway, with the invisi-shield around it. Why?" She stood, feeling he was onto something.
Again not answering her question, Lewis continued, "Did you check to see if the other time machine was gone when you left?"
"No…" Lela began to pick up on his thoughts, "…but we can find out!" Lela ran out the door, and slid down the banister, with Lewis sprinting behind.
"Okay, we push this, and turn that… Two… zero… four… two!" Lela grabbed the wheel of the blue time machine and off they soared, high into the sky. In a whirlwind of colors, Lewis gazed around at the future. It was amazing how far a world could go in thirty years… with his help, of course.
"Here we are!" Lela lifted the glass top and they both hopped out. They snuck into the garage, where Lela found a hat for Lewis. But an angrily waiting Carl was also ready for them as well…
"Where have you been, Lela? Your mother freaked when she saw that both of the time machines were gone!!"
Lewis and Lela exchanged worried glances.
"When your father hears about this, Little Missy, he--"
Lela cut Carl off and said, "He'll be okay with it. I know he will." Lela ran off into the house. Lewis followed quickly behind her.
When they reached Lela's room, Lela beckoned Lewis in and quickly shut and locked the door.
"Wilbur erased himself!!" Lela yelled. She toppled spread-eagled onto her white fluffy bed. Lewis had been thinking the exact same thing.
"Did he feel like torturing me or something?" Lela wailed from her spot. This Lewis seriously doubted.
"No, I think it was an accident. Knowing Wilbur…" Lewis trailed off, feeling that Wilbur could have easily have made the mistake of erasing himself from existence. Even being five years older, Lewis somehow knew Wilbur was still his same old self.
"Oh really?" Lela snapped under her breath. She covered her head with one of her pillows and began muttering to herself.
Lewis took this time to search Lela's room. Many more things had been moved in and remodeled, like a huge desk and closet. The room was still the girlish purple Lewis had remembered. Her height sized mirror seemed to have grown along with her, looking simply stretched from the last time he had been in Lela's room. Lewis jumped as a scream emitted from under the pillow.
Lela emerged, pale as ever. Her newly brown hair now had streaks of black in it.
"No, no, no, no, no!" she squealed angrily.
"Okay, Lewis," she stared him directly in the eyes with a fierce enthusiasm. "What ever it takes, however long and brutal, we're going to find Wilbur." She leapt off her bed and out the door. Not able to wait and see what Lela's plan was, Lewis ran out the door behind her.
"Mom!" Lela called as she entered her mother's orchestra room.
"'Lo, sweetie!" Franny called, but suddenly realized who she was talking to. She dropped her baton and swiveled around, wagging her finger in Lela's face.
"Where have you been, young lady?! Your father is out looking for you and I've been worried sick!!"
Lela glared back. "You don't seem too worried. Anyways, I went out to find a friend and Wilbur," she stated defiantly.
Franny looked shocked as her daughter back-talked to her. Her face took on a kinder, somewhat strained smile. "Well, I'm very relieved you're back, sweetie. Is your friend over there Wilbur?"
Lela gazed incredulously at her mother, but beckoned Lewis forward. "No, Mom, this is Lewis. Wilbur is my brother."
"Honey, you're an only child," Franny said bracingly to Lela, and then turned to Lewis, "Nice to meet you, Lewis. You look very… familiar." Franny smiled.
Lela rolled her eyes angrily and muttered, "Fine," and walked out of the room.
"See! I told you! No one remembers him!" Lela yelped when out of earshot of her mother. Lewis's mind was somewhere else.
"Why didn't your mother remember me from last time? Surely with all the commotion we caused, there was no possible way anyone could forget that."
Lela turned to Lewis and said, "It's because Wilbur brought you here last time. Also, it was his fault we almost got erased from existence. No memory of Wilbur, no memory of you." She stated it as though it were obvious.
"Like father, like daughter," Lewis laughed.
Lela gave a half giggle and tugged at her brown-black hair lightly. "Not so much anymore!"
"There's no Tiny either then!" Lewis gasped.
Lela shook her head. "I miss him a lot." Lela opened the garage door.
"And…" Lela did not finish her sentence. For standing there in the doorway, glaring down at her, fuming, was her father, Cornelius Robinson.
In a deadly, low, trembling-with-fury voice, Cornelius said, "Lela Macie Robinson, where have you been?"
Lela positively shrunk under his gaze. "Uh… uh… Daddy…" She was frozen with fear.
"Both of the time machines were gone and I thought you had disappeared along with your brother…" Cornelius rubbed his eyes wearily. "How dare you leave this house without telling me, Lela."
Lela's eyes were downcast, but she suddenly grasped what her father had just said. So had Lewis.
"You remember?" they both gasped together.
A/N: I promise, soon as possible, the next chapter will be up. I will try my absolute best, but I have a life too. Thanks for reviewing. Especially doodlegirll, even though the frogs hurt.