Arabella's POV

I stared intensely at the beautiful cookie that laid in front of me.

"Hello, beautiful cookie." I smiled and swiftly sat down. "I hope you're ready to be eaten, because I'm ready for you."

I picked it up and was about to take a bite, when a laser knocked the cookie out of my hand and I yelped.

"Hey! My cookie!" I cried and looked up to see my dad and Schwoz.

"Don't eat that cookie!"

"Why not? It's chocolate chip, it deserves to be eaten!" I protest and stand up. They ran over to me and Schwoz picked up the cookie.

"Do you want to die?" Schwoz asked and this confused me.

"What?"

——

Henry also had one of those cookies in his possession and my dad quickly warned him not to eat it. Henry didn't eat it, but Piper did and now she may die from a rare disease.

"How could you give Henry a cookie contaminated with comodium acetate?" My dad asked Schwoz as we paced around the Man Cave with worry and panic.

"I'm sorry! It looks exactly like sugar! And I keep it in the kitchen! Right next to the sugar!"

"Well, where did you get that idea?" My dad asked. "Poorjudgment.gov!"

My phone buzzed and I checked. "Henry's on his way down."

"Okay, let's not freak Henry out any more than he already is, alright?" My dad informs us and we nodded. "When he gets down here, everybody just act normal, happy, natural, okay?"

"Mm-Hmm." I said.

"All right."

"Got it."

Henry walked out of the elevator with a worried look. "Hi! I'm here!"

"Hi."

"Hey."

"Yo. How are ya, Hen?" I asked and awkwardly shift my weight.

"Uh, what goes on?" My dad asked.

"Your sister won't die."

"What?!" Henry gasped.

"Schwoz!" I berate.

"You told us to act like everything is okay!" Schwoz protested.

"Then why talk about dying!" Charlotte yelled.

"I said she won't!" Schwoz argued.

"Well, we don't know that, do we?" My dad questioned with irritation and Henry gasped.

"Oh my god! Is my sister gonna-" Henry paused when his phone rang and he answered it.

"Who's that?" I asked.

"Its Jasper, he wants to video chat." Henry told us and headed for the elevator.

"Where are you going?" Schwoz asked.

"To the elevator, I can't let him see me in the Man Cave." Henry told us and walked into the elevator to talk to Jasper.

The four of us went over to the monitor and searched up the disease you get for eating comodium acetate. Henry exited the elevator moments later and walked up to us.

"Okay, Schwoz, what's gonna happen to my sister?" Henry asked.

"This." Schwoz showed us a photo a woman with red blisters and boils on her skin and we all screamed.

"Oh, whoa, what is wrong with that lady?" Henry asked.

"She has, uh..." Schwoz trailed off and showed us the name and definition.

"Ox Pox." I read.

"What is Ox Pox?" Henry asked.

"Ox Pox was, uh, kinda like a chicken pox, or the measles, only way worse. And it's caused by eating comodium acetate." Schwoz explained to us.

"But I thought no ones had Ox Pox for hundreds of years."

"Yeah! 'Til Scwhoz's diseased cookie gave it to my sister!" Henry yelled and Henry was worried.

"Hey." My dad said and patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"What?"

"Piper...she was a sweet little girl." My dad sighed.

"Okay first..." Henry shrugged his hand off him. "No, she wasn't. Can, uh, can we please stop talking about her in the past tense?" Henry went up to Schwoz and I walked over to Charlotte, who was searching up cures for Ox Pox. "What's the cure for Ox Pox?"

"Hey! It says." Charlotte began. "In the 16 and 1700s, doctors used to cure Ox Pox by making a special medicine from the feathers of a bird known as the chica-willow."

"But the chica-willow's been extinct for almost 300 years." My dad reasoned.

"Well, we need one or else... what happens to my sister?" Henry asked Schwoz.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Schwoz said, sympathetically.

"Okay, no ones allowed to say that again!" Henry snapped.

"Wait a second." My dad said. "I think I know how to get a chica-willow."

"There are no more chica-willows." I tell him.

"Not now, but we have something right here, in storage, that could help us get a chica-willow from the past." My dad said and I knew what it was.

"The Time Jerker's Time Machine." Henry said and I smiled.

"Yah yah yah! And we could use it to go back in time, to the early 1700s!" Schwoz beamed

"And get a chica-willow!" I added.

"But wait, isn't that dangerous?"

We all groaned and complained about Charlotte protesting our idea.

"Oh my god."

"Every time!"

"Just once, Charlotte, could you not be a Debbie Downer?" My dad asked.

"Really?" Henry and I asked.

"Oh, well, I'm so sorry I suggested that it might be a little bit dangerous to send someone 300 years back in time to get some stupid ancient bird, so we can cure your sister's Ox Pox, which was caused by this freak show's comodio sassafras-contaminated cookies!" Charlotte exclaimed with irritation and I cleared my throat. "Yeah, I'm the crazy one here!"

——

Despite Charlotte's protest, we got out the time machine and Schwoz got it ready to test it out. I hope this is worth it, because the only reason I want to do this is because I don't like seeing Henry so worried. Piper annoys me, so I don't care what happens. I know that sounds morbid, but she's just so irritating.

"Okay, I'm ready to test the time machine." Schwoz informed us.

"How are we gonna test it?" My dad asked

Schwoz picked up a flying disc. "So, I will take this fris-"

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" We interrupt him and he rolled his eyes.

"This flying disc." He corrects and we were satisfied. "And I will throw it five seconds into the future." He flipped the switches and the time portal was activated. "Here we go." He tossed the flying disc into the portal and we waited a few seconds. "Four, three, two, one."

The disc came flying out and it came flying toward me, but Henry moved me away and it hit Charlotte in the forehead. She yelled and fell to the ground.

"Yeah!" Schwoz cheered and Henry picked up the disc.

"Yes, the time machine works!" Henry cheered and hi-fives my dad with the disc.

Charlotte stood up a little dazed. "And I'm okay, in case anyone cares."

"Just tell me where to send Ray." Schwoz tells Charlotte.

"Yeah, where?" I asked her and she searched up the location.

"Well, it says here "In the year 1709, the greatest number of wild chica-willows lived in the northern region of Alaska, now known as Prudhoe Bay."

"Alright, Schwoz. Send me to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, 1709." My dad declared and popped a gum ball in his mouth. I handed him a walkie talkie so we can communicate with him.

"Aye! Aye!" Schwoz said and put in the coordinations and location. My dad blew a bubble and it popped transforming him into Captain Man.

"Hey, you better put on a coat, Alaska's pretty cold." I advised.

My dad smirked. "I won't need a coat. I'm just gonna pop back to the past, grab a chica-willow, and Schwoz is gonna' pull me right back here." My dad walked away and grabbed a bag. "And now, to Alaska!" My dad rushed to the machine and jumped through it, but didn't go anyway because the portal wasn't activated.

"I think the time portal needs to be on." Henry advised my dad as he walked back to his original running position.

"Right."

Schwoz activated the machine and we looked at my dad.

"Okay, ready?"

"And now, to Alaska! And the year 1709!" My dad jumped through the portal and he was gone.

Moments later, we heard my dad's voice.

"Captain Man to the Man Cave. Captain Man to the Man Cave!"

I smiled and respond. "Yeah, yeah! We hear ya, dad!"

"Man, Alaska be cold!" My dad exclaimed.

"Well, Airy, told you to take a coat." Henry remarked.

"Ooh, sorry mom!" My dad sarcastically said.

"Yeah, you wish I was your mom!" Henry retorted and we looked at him.

"What does that mean?" Charlotte asked him.

"I don't know."

"That was weird." I mentioned.

"Yeah..."

Henry's phone rang and he looked at it.

"Jasper again?" I asked.

"Yep. Be right back." Henry sighed and ran off to the elevator.

A minute late, Henry returned and we contacted my dad.

"How's it going, daddy?"

"Did you get a chica-willow?" Charlotte asked him.

"Almost!" He called. "Get in the sack! That's a good bird! Here we go! Got him!"

We cheered and Henry and I hugged tightly.

"Now, bring me back to the present." My dad tells us and Henry releases me.

"Stand by." Schwoz said and changed the coordinates and location, before activating the portal. It was really bright and we covered our eyes as my dad leaped through the portal. We looked at my dad, but it wasn't my father. It was an elderly man instead.

"Oh! Oh!" He groaned and sat. "I'm oh-" He wheezed. "Kay."

"Dad?" I muttered with confusion and helped him to his feet.

"Where-where am I?" He asked us.

"Schwoz!" Charlotte exclaims and Henry tosses away the toilet paper the man had.

"That's not Ray." Henry said.

"I am too!" The man remarked and my eyes grew.

"I think that's Ray, but from the future." Schwoz concluded and the man, who is my father looked at me.

"Arabella?" He gasped and cupped my face.

"Hi...dad."

"My little cookie." He smiles and let go of my face. "You look so young! You look just like you did at your wedding."

"Wedding?" I asked and glanced at Henry. "I get married? Ha! Good one!"

He saw Henry next to me and gasps. "Henry! Ha! Ha! You're a boy again! Haha!"

He turns to Charlotte and gasps. "And President Charlotte, ha-ha, you look just like you used too."

He sees Schwoz. "And Schwoz. You're a man again!"

"Guys? I'm ready to come home now! Uh, it's really cold in Alaska and I don't have a coat!" I heard my dad call and my eyes grew.

Crap, my dad is still in Alaska freezing his butt off.

"Ha, what kind of idiot goes to Alaska without a coat?" Older Ray laughs.

"You." Henry and I reply.

"Oh my god!" Older Ray gasped.

"What?!" We asked.

"Where'd my toilet paper roll go?!" He asked and I sighed.

This is bad.

We stared at the old Ray and he was confused.

"Why are you guys staring at me?" He asked and whipped his mouth. "Am I drooling?"

"You guys! It's like nine degrees here in Alaska! So, please bring me back!"

"Hang on, Ray!" Henry called.

"Hang on to what?" Older Ray asked.

"Not you." Henry told him.

"Dad, hold on!" I assure him.

"No, wait-" I put him on hold and turned to the older Ray.

"Dad?" He turned to me. "Are you really Ray Manchester?"

"Of course I am, Bella." He responded and patted my shoulder. "What's the matter with you, huh? And why does everything around here look like it did 50 years ago?"

"Wait, how old are you?" Charlotte asked.

"I'm 85. But I still look great." He said and posed, but his leg snapped. "Oooooh!

"Uh-oh!" Schwoz said. "I think I know what went wrong."

"What?" Charlotte asked him and we looked at his tablet.

"Well, the time machine got the right Ray, but instead of bringing him back from the year 1709, it brought him back from 50 years in the future!" Schwoz explained, looking back at the older Ray who was messing with the monitor.

"What?!" I exclaim.

"Whoa!

"Oh my god!"

I covered my mouth in shock.

"Oh! Haha! A blaster!" Older Ray picked you a blaster and we tried to protest. "I haven't seen one of these in a long time-Ooh!" He fired the blaster and instinctively Henry grabbed my arms. "Oh, you know what? I forgot you have to put the setting-Oh!" He fired again and Henry let go of me and approached him. "Haha! I don't know what to do-Aw!" He fired again, but Henry took the blaster away.

"You guys! Bring me back!" My dad called and I could hear him shivering.

"Schwoz! You've got to get my dad back here before he freezes!" I tell him with worry.

"We need that stupid bird's feathers to cure my sister!" Henry snapped, coming up to us.

"Will you relax? I'm sure your sister's fine." Schwoz assured him.

——

"Ray? You there?" Henry called to my dad over the intercom.

"Yeah, uh, I'm here!"

"Look, look, I know you're freezing, but don't worry, we're gonna try to bring you back right now." Henry assured him.

"Hurry!" My dad called and I sighed with panic as we ended the call.

"Ah!" Henry groaned when his phone rang.

"Did you forget about your hide-n-seek, buddy?" I grinned and he glared at me.

"Yes! I'll be out in a minute."

Henry rushes to the elevator and the doors close.

Moments later, Henry walks out of the elevator and Schwoz had reset the time machine.

"Okay, I've reset the time machine." Schwoz tells us. "Okay, let's bring Captain Man home!"

"Do it!" Henry declared.

"Hurry..." I beg and I felt Henry rub my back. Schwoz activated the portal and we were blinded by the lights. Instead of my dad jumping out, two men leap through. One was a old man and the other was a young boy.

"Great Scott!" The older man gasped.

"Uhhh, where are we?" The young boy asked.

"I don't know!" The older man responded. "Quick! Let's get out of here!"

They leap back through and we looked at Schwoz with confusion.

"Let me try that again."

——

"Dad!" I called with worry, but got no response. "Can you hear me?! Please answer!"

I felt like crying. I wanted to cry.

"Ray! Come on, answer me, man!" Henry called and grabbed my shoulders in reassurance.

"Arabella." I heard my dad respond and my ears perked up. "Forget about me."

"No, no, no!" I deny and cover my mouth.

"We're gonna save you man!" Henry promised.

"It's too late for me, kid." My dad replies. "Just remember how handsome I was."

"You guys, look!" Henry pointed and it was negative nine degrees in Alaska. "It's nine degrees below zero in Alaska in 1709!"

"My dad can't last ten more minutes out there!" I exclaimed and Henry wraps his arms around my neck from behind. "What are we gonna do?!"

"I don't know!"

I groaned, covering my face and Henry sighed.

"Hey! Schwoz can't make the machine bring Ray back here, right?" Charlotte asked and we looked at her.

"Right."

"D'ah, sure, I designed and built every thing in the whole Man Cave, but let's all focus on the one thing I can't do!" Schwoz exclaimed and I exhaled with worry, feeling tears slip from my eyes.

"Just listen!" Charlotte snapped. "What if you open up the time portal to Prudhoe Bay in 1709, then one of us reaches in, grabs Ray and just yanks him back through?"

That's a brilliant idea.

"Would it work?" I asked and Henry released me.

"Maybe, if Ray was close enough for someone to reach him." Schwoz remarked. "But it's dangerous."

"Hey! I gotta pee!" Older Ray mentions. "I'll be back in an hour."

"Why is it dangerous?" Charlotte asked Schwoz as older Ray wanders off.

"Because whoever goes through the portal must keep one part of their body on this side of the machine at all times." Schwoz explained.

"Why?" Henry asked and I wiped my eyes. Henry hugs me when he noticed my tears. "What happens if they go all the way through?"

I hugged Henry back and sighed softly with a sniffle.

"The portal will close and they could end up stuck in Alaska with Ray." Schwoz answered.

"In 1709." Charlotte added.

"And we might not be able to bring them back." Schwoz adds. "Ever."

"Well, if one of us is gonna try this, it's gonna be me." Henry declared and I pulled away from him.

"Well, duh." I scoffed.

"You think I'd try it?" Charlotte asked.

"Alright." Henry said and turned to the portal. "Let's get this over with."

Schwoz fixes the machine and Charlotte and I see Henry swipe his foot like a bull.

Okay, Henry the Bull.

"Okay." Schwoz said when he finished setting up the machine. "Ready, Henry? On two. One, two!" He activated the portal and Henry leaned in, keeping his leg on this side of the portal.

"Woah!" Henry called. "Ray! Ray! It's me!...Ray, give me your hand! C'mon! C'mon! Okay! Okay, now the other one! C'mon!"

Henry's leg almost slipped in and we immediately grabbed it.

"Henry!" I called and grabbed his ankle.

"Be careful!"

"Don't go all the way through!"

"Okay! Airy, Charlotte, Schwoz! Pull us back through!" Henry called and the three of us pulled with all our might until Henry and my dad landed inside the Man Cave.

Schwoz switched off the portal and I smiled.

"Dad!" I gasped and kneel next to my dad. "Oh my gosh!"

"Okay! You warm up, Ray." Henry said and I see Henry take the Chica-willow out of the bag. "I'm gonna start takin' the feathers off this bird so Schwoz can make the medicine for Piper!"

Schwoz places a blanket on my dad and I grabbed a small heater and placed it next to him.

"You're okay, dad." I smile and tears fall down my cheek.

"Thank you, Cookie.." My dad croaks out.

"Wait! You're not gonna hurt the bird, are you?" Charlotte asked Henry and I looked up at the sidekick.

"Uh, nah, nah." Henry denied and I raised an eyebrow. I glanced down and then back up to see Henry running off with the bird and the blaster.

I shake my head and focused on my dad. I'm just glad my dad's okay.

——

Up Next: Elevator Kiss💋