Chapter 18 has arrived. Sorry it took so long.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

When Michelle awakened, it was February 5th, 2005.

She was five years old.

She was running out of time; she needed to find a solution and fast.

Michelle slipped out from under her covers, her hand wrapping around a thin bobby pin, and her feet whispered against the floorboards. She avoided the steps that creaked and groaned underfoot, and she slid her feet across the carpet of the living room before coming to the front door.

Even as a teenager, Michelle had never snuck out of the house. She'd stayed out past curfew, but staying out past ten pm on a school night and sneaking out at three in the morning were two totally different things. It filled her with anxiety, making her palms sweat, and a certain rush of excitement as she flew so close to the sun. She glanced at the stairs in search of her parents' disappointed gazes, wondering if she'd flown too close to the sun and melted her wings, but they were no where in sight.

So far so good…

"Meow."

The small sound made Michelle leap about a foot in the air, and she used her finger tips to keep her from falling into the door and making a racket that would surely wake up her parents.

Michelle turned to see the cat gazing up at her with curious eyes.

"Shh," she murmured. "Don't wake Mom and Dad."

The cat stared at her for another moment before he seemed to lose interest and slinked back over to curl up on a pillow that served as a bed for the cat.

Michelle sighed in relief and unlocked the door, slowly, flinching at the sharp click. She pulled the door open and stepped out into the chilly night, the sneakers she'd rushed to slip on murmuring against the pavement.

Michelle glanced at the clock through the kitchen window. Three AM. She had three hours until her parents woke up and noticed she was gone. More than enough time to turn the bird's head back around and fix everything.

Time to start the long walk to the antique store.

Michelle shivered as she strolled down the sidewalk, wishing she'd grabbed a jacket before leaving. But who could really think about being cold at a time like this? She could deage herself out of existence. If she went to sleep, she'd wake up as a four, three, two, or one year old (there was really no telling). Worst case scenario, she'd go to sleep, deage five years while sleeping, and never wake up.

Few cars passed her at such an early hour, but Michelle pressed herself against a brick wall just to be safe. The shadows offered plenty of cover, and she could see the antique store in the distance.

So close…

Michelle pulled the bobby pin out of her pocket (she'd had a feeling she'd need it. Anthony was never one to leave the store unlocked. Luckily, this was before he got an advanced alarm system. The alarm he had now was broken, so Michelle didn't need to worry about that) and jammed it in the lock. She jimmied it around until an audible click sounded. She pushed the door open…

Michelle tip toed through the store in search of the clock, but it was no where to be found!

Where was that clock?

Michelle clenched her fists in irritation and panic as she flipped through a binder on the main desk that held the cash register; the binder kept track of every antique (it wasn't rare for people to steal the merchandise, so Anthony started keeping a binder to keep track of them when Michelle was around three. Her dad explained that to her when she was eight and asked why Anthony was looking in the binder while they were shopping in the store).

"Clock, clock, clock," she muttered. "Here it is!"

Antique Grandfather Clock (believed to be "magical" but remains unproven): currently being repaired.

Repaired. First he was on vacation, now the clock was out for repairs.

Michelle suddenly felt nauseous and sweaty, like when you run the mile in eighty-five degree heat without so much as a sip of water. Her heart pounded in her chest, like a butterfly was flapping its wings against her rib cage. Anxiety and other emotions Michelle didn't even know the name of overwhelmed her.

She may never get Tommy back. She may deage herself out of existence. It was like the universe wanted this to happen! Vacation, repairs… what's next? Out of the shop for cleaning?

Would there even be a next time? Or would five years trickle back into the top of the hourglass as the clock spun backwards? Would her time be up before she awakened again?

Michelle didn't get the chance to worry anymore because the floor swayed under her feet, and she fell to the ground.

Fainted. At least she'd be getting it over with. Maybe she'd get lucky and wake up as a two or three year old. Or maybe she'd never wake up. It's not like she would know anyway; she never would have existed.

The world faded, and Michelle fell into a blissful darkness that wasn't haunted by her worries, her fears, and her nightmares. For the first time in what felt like ages, Michelle Webster felt a sense of peace...

And a cliffhanger! Well, kind of, I guess.

See you guys next time!