Rikki and Emily turned toward the person who called to them. They saw Paul waving from his car. He had pulled up to the sidewalk in front of the building.
"What's Dad doing here?" Rikki thought out loud. "Don't we usually take the bus?"
"I thought he wasn't your dad," Emily retorted. Rikki just rolled her eyes.
When they reached the car, Paul gestured to the backseat. "Hop in, girls."
Emily opened the door and got in. "Thanks for picking us up."
Rikki followed suit, deftly hooking her long hair with an arm and placing it neatly in her lap. She checked to make sure no strands were near the door before she closed it. She frowned at how quickly she had adapted to this habit every time she sat down. As they cruised away from the school, she brushed some hair behind her ear to turn and look out the window. The reflection of a girl in the glass caught her off-guard.
She turned to look at Paul through the rear-view mirror. "Uhm... hey, Dad? Did you bring that camera with you?"
He didn't take his eyes off the road. "That antique is safe and sound back home."
Rikki fell back in her seat and sighed. Emily looked over at her with concern and reached out to place her hand on Rikki's. "We'll be there soon. Whatever happened, we can figure out how to undo it."
Rikki furrowed her brow as she turned to her sister. "I just feel like every chance we get to change things back, something always makes it worse. Every minute we don't, the less everything feels so...unfamiliar."
Paul chimed in from the front. "Rikki, are you feeling okay?"
Rikki smiled instinctively. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just been...a long day. Lots of...tests...and things to keep track of." Paul looked at her a little suspiciously through the mirror, but quickly turned his attention back to the cars in front of them.
"Hey, why did you pick us up, anyway?" Emily asked Paul.
Paul cleared his throat. "Well..."