“Bro is that you?” A voice said in surprise. Startled the group turned to see Claudia’s brother Derrick staring at the group. Derrick smiled as he now clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Oh man it is wow Man so great to see you I.....” Derrick paused as he now looked at Julia. The tiny six year old dressed in a knee length shirt, an army fatigue wrapped around her waist, and overly large socks blushed and waved meekly at her brother.
“Ummmm what the hell,” Derrick stammered. Cole, trying not to draw attention quickly grabbed his younger brother, throwing him behind the shed. Cole now covered his mouth as the smaller man tried to yell. “Quiet Derrick and Listen,” he whispered. “Look I know it’s weird okay. I’m still trying to get used to it myself. Chipmunk turned Jules into a kid and were trying not to freak everyone out Okay.”
Derricks eyes bulged as he now frantically looked at each one of his siblings. “Look,” Cole muttered. “I’ll let go if you promise to stay quiet. Otherwise you know damn well I can shut you up.” Derrick furrowed his brow but nodded. As Cole let go Derrick now glowered at his big brother.
“Christ man what the hell,” he hissed. “Geez I haven’t seen you in forever and your first reaction is to take me hostage. The hell man your back in the world.”
“Sorry, Sorry,” he groaned. “Look this is really messing with me okay. I’ve seen some crazy stuff but this!!!! Well leave it Chipmunk to come up with something crazy.”
“Can you please stop calling me chipmunk,” Claudia groaned.
“What,” Cole smirked. “I’ve always called you chipmunk. Your small, you get in trouble and you had puffy cheeks as a baby. Face it your always chipmunk to me.”
Claudia groaned as Derrick snickered at his little sister. “Okay, Okay,” he sighed, “So Claudia can you PLEASE tell me why Julia looks like she’s ready for kindergarten.”
“Actually it’s first grade Derrick,” Julia said frowning. “But Yeah please tell us how your able to do this.”
Claudia sighed as she now shared the story of the ring with her siblings. The Harris children all stood transfixed as she told them how Katie had found the ring one day. It was only recently that she decided to share the ring with Claudia and the rest of their friends. Claudia even told them how they had used the ring on several occasions, which drew a mixture of astonishment and disapproval. As Claudia finished her tale Derrick now ran his hand through his thick brown hair. “Okay Claudia that’s a hell of a story,” he said. “But why haven’t you changed Julia back. I’m pretty sure dad will flip out if he sees her like this.”
“I was getting to that,” Claudia growled. “We were just.....talking you, know.”
“So she’s easier to talk to when she’s six and our parents are 50 feet away,” Derrick said glibly.Claudia now frowned as she looked at her brother. “Quit being a dick ok,” she groaned. “I’m going to do it now alright.”
“Um Claud,” Samantha stammered. “We Uh might want to move, Look.”
The group now turned and gawked. Tom Harris had finally heated up the grill and was now making his way towards the shed to grab something. The group now looked around in panic trying to decide what to do. “Change me back,” Julia hissed. “No,” Katie squeaked. “It will take too long. Besides she needs to get dressed. We need to hide her so we can get her back to normal without anyone noticing.”
“Okay follow me,” Cole whispered. The group nodded as he picked up Julia and Claudia and dashed behind some bushes for cover. Both girls attempted to squeal but Cole had thrown his hands over their mouths, effectively quieting them. Scanning the area quickly Cole noticed a clear path to the front yard that would keep them hidden. Stealthily he quickly dodged among a group of trees before sprinting to the front. The group desperately tried to keep up with the trained veteran but found the task arduous. Cole was so quick and quiet that the group had a difficult time keeping up. Sacrificing speed for stealth the group quietly made their way to the front without being spotted. Cole now scanned the area before motioning to the others. “Listen follow my lead,” he whispered. “We’re heading to Claudia’s room.” The group nodded as Cole led the way. The group was in awe of Cole’s skill as he quietly made it upstairs in record time. The group following his lead raced behind him. Once in Claudia’s bedroom he closed the door and lowered the blinds. “Good no one saw us,” he whispered.
“Jesus Cole,” Claudia and Julia hissed. “Did you really have to go through all that to get up here.”
Cole grinned as he looked at his sisters. “Hey it comes naturally at this point. Now Claudia can you please change Julia back so we can enjoy the rest of the party?”
Claudia nodded. As she raised her hand though she let out an audible gasp. “Oh shit the ring is gone!”
“What,” Katie hissed. “How did you lose it. Where did it go?”
“It...it must of fallen off when you all tackled me.”
The group moaned as they now peaked outside. Everyone was milling around and from what they could see no one was over by the shed. Katie now stepped forward to take the lead.
“Okay Listen,” she stated. “We can’t turn Julia back to normal without it. Cole I need you to stay with Julia and make sure she’s safe. Everyone else we have to find the ring IMMEDIATELY. It’s dangerous and in the wrong hands it could lead to big problems. We have to move fast Okay.”
As the group now left the room to search Claudia approached Katie. “Katie I’m...I’m...so sorry,” she said meekly. “I really messed up please I’m sorry.”
Katie frowned as she looked at her friend. “Claudia we’ll talk about this later,” she said tensely. “Look I know your sorry but right now we got to find that thing. Can you imagine what could happen if someone else got their hands on it.”
Claudia shuttered as she now feared the worse. Turning to exit she saw Mika frowning at her. “Mika,” she said sheepishly. Mika narrowed her eyes as she stared at her girlfriend. “When this is over you and I are having a LONG TALLK,” Claudia nodded sadly. “And your taking me to dinner,” she added.
The girls now raced outside to try and find the ring. Katie only hoped they could find it before someone else at the party stumbled upon it.