Posted in Posted by Ania Gresham

Chapter 1
The First Leap

Joyce Kings walked out of the time machine.

“I’m sorry, Watcher, but Mom wants me back home…I’ll call you if she changes her mind…” said she.

“I understand, Joyce. I hope you guys have a good family time, and watch out for Johnny.”

“OK…”

Watcher hugged Joyce and said, “You’ll always be like my daughter, Joyce!”

“And you, my father!”

The Watcher stepped away from the hug and walked into the time machine and after a few minutes of Watcher pressing buttons, spinning dials and pulling the lever to teleport as Joyce knew he was doing, the time machine disappeared to God knows where. Joyce picked up her bags and headed towards the house to greet her mother.

“So, where’s Watcher?” asked Mom.

“Gone,” said Joyce, gloomily.

“I’m sorry, Joyce, but you needed to be here for the wedding…”

“The wedding?”

“Yes, I’m getting married!”

“What?!” asked Joyce, surprised.

Joyce was shocked! Mom had told her that she was “in love” with a man named Peter last year. Joyce didn’t believe that she really was and she didn’t expect her to marry him! Joyce stood there, wide-eyed.

“I’m going to get married,” repeated Mom, with a smile.

Joyce, then hearing Mom repeating herself, ran with her stuff to her room. Mom didn’t try to stop her; instead she sat down and relaxed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Joyce paced the perimeter of her room, cell phone to her ear. The phone rang a couple times and the answering machine picked up.

“Hey, this is Watcher, sorry I missed your call, but please leave me a message and I’ll try to get back to you, thank you!”

“Hey, Watcher, this is Joyce. I have something really important to talk to you about, please call me ASAP! Thank you, Bye!” she hung up then her cell phone rang, she picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Joyce, this is Adam!”

“Hello, Adam!”

“Um…Will you come over, I have something to show you!”

“Sure, Adam, meet you there. Where do you live again?”

He gave her the directions to his house. Then they said their good-byes and she left for his house.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
She walked over there. When she arrived, Adam’s parents opened the door and allowed her to come in. They directed her to the basement and Joyce walked the many steps down there. Adam was making changes to a small machine. He turned to see Joyce coming downstairs and smiled. He pulled a lever and a blue spotlight turned on in the middle of the basement. He told her to step into the light.

“Why? Do you want me to sing?”

“Ha ha! Very funny! But seriously, step in the light!”

She stepped in and Adam started to press buttons, spin dials, and pull a lever to his right. She felt a vibration and a big shock.

She screamed, “What did you do?”

“Good Bye, Joyce, dear!”

Joyce tried to leave the light but was blasted back into it, and then disappeared.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a bedroom, decorated with Winnie the Pooh pictures, Dora the Explorer pictures and kid’s drawings. She was in a princess decorated bed and it was quite pink. She got out of the bed and walked to the bathroom. She brushed and flossed her teeth, and washed her face, then looking up at the mirror, she jumped. Instead of the reflection of a red-haired, green-eyed, freckled 17-year-old; she saw a blond-haired, blue-eyed, 5-year-old. She was even more shocked than she was when her Mom told her that she was going to marry someone! She gaped at the mirror for a solid five minute when someone knocked the door.

“Hey pipsqueak, hurry up! I need to get ready for school!”

Joyce then thought for a while, her name wasn’t Joyce at all, it was Penny.

She stepped out of the bathroom and went to her room and picked up a pile of clothes, it was a pink shirt and jeans. She got dressed and then went downstairs. When she got there, Penny’s mom grabbed a brush, and brushed her hair, then braided it into pigtails.

“Go get your book bag, I put all the stuff you need in there.”

Joyce walked to the coat closet and grabbed her book bag.

“And get a coat; it’ll be cold out there!”

“Yes, Mommy,” said Joyce, remembering that she, or rather Penny would call her Mom that.

“She grabbed a coat and put it on as a horn honked.

“Peter, the bus is here!”

The boy who had called her or rather Penny pipsqueak ran downstairs all dressed and ready to go, he ran outside and went to the bus. Penny’s mom got up to and told Joyce, or rather Penny, to go to the car. Joyce walked to the car and went into the car-seat in the very third row. Joyce buckled up and got ready to go. Penny’s mom came into the front seat and buckled up too. Then she went down the hill and towards the daycare.



*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Joyce was sitting in a small chair, watching as many little children drew and wrote. Joyce didn’t know what to do other than learn about children stuff. At the end of the day Joyce was back in Penny’s mom’s car. She felt sleepy and wanted to sleep the ride away, but her mom asked questions.

“How was daycare, dear?” she asked.

“It was OK…” said Joyce, yawning.

“Are you sleepy?”

“Yes, Mommy…”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When they returned home, Peter was already there. He was doing his homework and Joyce tried to stay as far away as she possibly could from him, because the memory of Peter actually beating on her came to mind. She went up to her bedroom and sat on the bed. She decided to get out when a man just appeared in front of her, she jumped.

“Is this thing working?” asked Adam.

“Adam Pierce!” shouted Joyce, “You did this to me! You took me away from my Mom, she was getting married!”

“I just wanted to test if I could bring you back from there, but I couldn’t, I’m sorry!” said Adam.

Joyce moved her arm to slap him and succeeded, or thought she did, but her hand went right through him.

“That’s no fair!” said Joyce, angrily.

“I’m a hologram!” said Adam.

She turned her back on Adam.

“And keep it down! Penny’s mom will think you are crazy! Because only you can see and hear me!”

“Now, you’re making me seem crazy?!”

Joyce glared at Adam.

Adam rubbed his neck and grimaced, “Joyce, I was testing!”

“You could’ve gone into it!”

“Yes, I could’ve, but I wouldn’t be able to work on it then…”

Joyce turned to him and said, “You need to actually ASK people if they want to be a five-year-old girl!” She marched off, angrily and said, “I’m not talking to you!”

Joyce went away as Adam followed, “Joyce, you need to do some good while you are here, or you’ll never leap away!”

“What do you mean leap away?” asked Joyce.

“I mean, you’ll be stuck here forever and you’ll never get home!”

Joyce sighed, “So, what do I do?”

“You need to keep Penny from dying…”

“What?” Joyce gaped at him, “Penny dies?”

“Yes, and Peter in turn ‘did it’ with his girlfriends.”

Joyce understood what he meant. She glared and said, “You are so paying me for this, Adam!”

“OK,” said Adam, freaking out, “Penny dies tonight at 7:30!”

Joyce grimaced and went down the stairs to the computer room to play a game.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

That night Joyce was feeling paranoid. If Penny dies tonight, then someone is after her! I don’t want her to die! Then I won’t be able to get back home! Joyce looked everywhere for anyone after her. Peter stormed out of Penny’s mom’s room and sat down roughly on a chair. Joyce could tell he was angry, so she went to him.

“Peter, what’s wrong?”

Peter answered, grumpily, “Leave me alone, pipsqueak.”

“STOP CALLING ME PIPSQUEAK, IDIOT!” screamed Joyce, not knowing what was going over her.

Peter stood up and punched her in the nose. Joyce ran off, crying, she ran outside and away from the yard. She went as far from the house as she could and cried all alone.

“What are you doing, Joyce?” said Adam.

“Peter punched me!” said Joyce.

“That’s it?” said Adam, “You ran all the way here because someone punched you?”

“I feel so childish…”

“You are in a five-year-old body, what do you expect?” asked Adam, “Five-year-olds normally are overly emotional!”

Joyce cried some more.

Adam grimaced, “Come on, it’s already 7:00…”

Joyce jumped up and said, “It’s almost 7:30!”

Joyce started to run and then saw a car driving towards her, it stopped. There was a man with a gun pointed at her head.

“Get into the car!” said the man.

Joyce then, remembering what Watcher had taught her, ran behind the car and continued to run. Even though it took her away from the safety of her house, she was going to run away. Is there anyone trustworthy? Anyone trustworthy that’s home? Does Penny have friends? Yes, she has Mr. Ditchfield. She ran to the house where Mr. Ditchfield lived and rang the bell continuously. The car pulled in and Joyce kept ringing and a man came out of the car.

“HELP, SOMEONE’S AFTER ME!” screamed Joyce and the man grabbed her.

“He’s not home…” the man who had followed her in the car had been Mr. Ditchfield.

“Let me go! Let me go! HELP!”

He threw Joyce or rather Penny, tied up and muffled into the car, and drove away.

“Be a good little girl, and my friend won’t kill you…” there sat another man, in the front passenger’s seat, pointing the gun at her as Mr. Ditchfield drove.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Joyce struggled with her bonds, crying. She looked at the man with the gun and saw he was still looking at her, and then she stopped struggling. She sat there. Adam appeared beside her and gasped.

“Joyce! Hang in there!” he said, wanting so much to comfort her.

Joyce nodded and struggled some more as the man with the gun turned in his seat and started to talk to Mr. Ditchfield.

“Who’s doing it?” he asked.

“Since you’re with the gun, you get to do the honors…” said Mr. Ditchfield, the man smiled and turned to see Joyce struggling, “Stop it, Penny, sweetie!” he cocked his gun and Joyce stopped. She whimpered. I failed! Penny’s going to die! Joyce continued to struggle then her bonds loosened enough for her to get free and the man with the gun wasn’t looking. She crouched behind the chair and snatched the gun from the man’s hand. She pointed it at his head and said, “Stop the car!”

Mr. Ditchfield placed his hand on hers, while he was driving and gently took the gun. Joyce let go, because she didn’t truly want to kill them, “With pleasure my dear…we’re almost to our destination!”

Joyce grew more frightened and sat down, crying. They parked in a forest and Mr. Ditchfield grabbed Joyce by the arm and held her, the other man took off his mask and she saw it was Mr. Ditchfield’s son. He pointed the gun at Penny’s head and she struggled.

“NO!” she screamed then she sped out of Mr. Ditchfield’s grip and ran at the man and pulled the gun out of his hand. She still hand the firm grip she inherited from her father. She pointed the gun to the ground and shot all the bullets out and threw it to the ground. Mr. Ditchfield and his son gaped at her and she kicked between Mr. Ditchfield’s son’s legs and pushed him away from her and ran away. Joyce returned to her house that night and went inside through the door, Mom was still up. She was so worried that she shouted at Penny and Joyce told Penny’s mom what happened and Penny’s mom cried and hugged her. That very moment Joyce closed her eyes and opened them, she wasn’t being hugged by Penny’s mom, but rather was in a big room. She was holding the Watcher's tracer. She was wearing boy's shorts and t-shirt saying "The Clever One" Joyce looked at the mirror and saw in the mirror a teenaged boy with scraggy brown hair, and green eyes, as green as the leaves of summer. She looked around the room she was in and saw to her astonishment that she was in the Watcher's time machine.She was in the Watcher's body!

"Oh dear!"