One more chapter to go after this one!
Disclaimer: I own nothing
All things considered, Michelle got lucky.
Michelle pried open her eyes, relieved that the awful sickness she'd experienced at age five had vanished, and she gulped before glancing at the calendar on the wall.
2004. She'd only deaged one year this time.
Michelle rolled out of bed and dashed down the stairs, her tiny feet thudding against the steps.
"Come on, honey. I won't even buy anything. I just want to browse!" Her father was saying as Michelle skidded to a halt outside the kitchen.
"Honey, it's just… the antique store? On Michelle's birthday?" her mother pointed out.
"It's just a pit stop, and then we'll take her to ice cream and the toy store before her party."
"But-"
"Can we?" Michelle begged as she entered the kitchen. "Please, Mommy?"
Her mother laughed. "It's not nice to ease drop, but are you sure you want to go to an antique shop on your birthday?"
Michelle nodded, eagerly. "Uh-huh. Mr. Anthony always gives me a lollipop and let's me play with the old rag dolls while you look around. He's so nice. Please, Mommy?"
Her mother sighed. "All right. If that's what you want…"
"Yay!" Michelle cheered, hugging her mother. "Thank you, Mommy."
"A four year old excited about antiques," her mother muttered before turning to her husband. "She is your daughter…"
"Hello, Henry, Sarah. Oh, and hello, dearest Michelle," Anthony said in that almost posh accent of his that Michelle loved to hear.
"Hi, Mr. Anthony!" she chirped.
"It's always nice to see you in my store," Anthony stated. "Michelle, why don't you stay here and play with the doll's while your parents have a look around?"
Michelle nodded. "Okay!" she said before pretending to be interested in a box of old rag dolls (they weren't exactly antiques, but Anthony still sold them and kept them around for when parents brought their kids in… you know, to keep the destructive children and their clumsy fingers away from the merchandise).
Anthony and her parents ventured to the back of the store to look at some old tables, and as soon as they were out of ear shot, Michelle shot to her feet and bolted for the clock, which towered over the rest of the items in the store, making it easy to spot.
Michelle scrambled onto the box in front of the clock, using various tables, cedar chests, and boxes as steps to reach the top of the clock.
Five seconds… five seconds until she could fix everything…
"Michelle, no!" her father yelled just as a loud cuckoo sounded, and a bird shot out of the clock, nearly bumping Michelle in the nose.
Michelle hurried to twist the bird's head back around, and as she lowered her arm, her finger knocked off one of the years. 2011 clattered to the floor. Whoops. It probably wasn't important.
The world spiraled around her, and Michelle yelped as she was tossed into… an arm chair?
Michelle glanced at her reflection in the mirror above the fireplace and grinned.
She was fifteen again!
"Michelle, I thought I told you to stay from the clock," her father told her as he stepped into the room.
"Sorry, Dad. Do you know where Tommy is?" Michelle asked.
She'd fixed the situation with the clock. Now it was time to fix things with her little brother.
Her dad frowned. "Who's Tommy?"
Michelle frowned. "What do you mean who's Tom-" Michelle stopped speaking.
Her eyes wandered from her dad's face to the picture on the wall behind him.
Last time Michelle checked, the picture was of her parents standing with her and Tommy. Her mom had a hand on Michelle's shoulder, and her dad would be holding Tommy, who'd only been three at the time, against his side.
The picture was still there, but Tommy wasn't in it.
Michelle hurried to twist the bird's head back around, and as she lowered her arm, her finger knocked off one of the years. 2011 clattered to the floor.
2011. The year Tommy was born.
Oh, no.
"Uh, never mind," Michelle squeaked. "I have to go. A lot of homework to do, you know! Bye!"
Michelle raced out of the room, and her dad turned to the only other living thing in the room, their cat.
"Did that seem weird to you?" Mr. Webster asked the cat, who meowed, as if to agree with him.
Michelle slammed the door to her room and stared in horror at nothing.
She'd knocked off 2011, preventing Tommy's birth.
As much as Michelle didn't want to risk deaging herself out of existence, she wouldn't be able to live with herself knowing she hadn't saved Tommy.
She was going back for him. Tonight.
See you next time for the final chapter! Thanks for reading! Bye!