For retro mania

CHAPTER 1
No One Notices Time Until It's Gone

Alex Russo studied her friend, Harper Finkle with a critical eye, from her lounging position on the three-seater couch. "Nah, I don't think it's obvious at all." said Alex after a moment's thought, and resumed watching TV. The two were hanging out in the loft above the station.

Harper pouted a little and lifted the mirror in her hand to see her reflection, "I was hoping it would be," said Harper, "I call it my 'Back to the Fifties' spectacular!"

Alex snorted derisively, "Sh-yeah, that's original. Who wants to go backwards in time?"

Harper looked at Alex thoughtfully, "We kinda did, and that's where I got this whole new fashion idea from anyhow." She gestured at herself with a flourish, showing her stylishly curled red locks, and an actually attractive number that was reminiscent of the styles in the fifties.

Alex sighed, turned off her TV and rolled to lie on her back, cushioning the back of her head with her arms, "The sooner we can all forget that, the better. I can't believe you actually enjoyed that trip. Ugh!"

Harper tilted her lips in a lopsided way, eyes wide, and she said, "Well you're the ones that kept forgetting me. I had to wait."

Alex considered that and shrugged nonchalantly, "Eh yeah, fair point. But it's okay, we forgive you." said Alex and closed her eyes.

Before Harper could offer a protest, Justin, Max and Zeke all entered, laughing at a joke one of them had been sharing, until Max said, "I don't get it..."

"Hey Alex," said Zeke, and then he looked at Harper with affection in his eyes, "Harper."

Harper and Zeke made eyes at each other whilst Justin took a seat on the couch beside Alex's, and Max headed into the kitchen to raid the larder. "Mum and dad won't be back until dinner tonight," said Justin, looking pointedly at Alex, who lazily raised one eye open to look at her brother, "so I'm in charge until then."

At the sight of Alex's smug grin, he quickly added, "All I ask is pleeease don't make my life miserable, or wreak havoc on all of us."

The brunette wizard rolled her eyes and closed them, smiling, "Lucky for you I'm determined to break my old summer record of staying on this couch for the longest time." said Alex, then she pointed at Harper and Zeke, "Unless those two give me reason to zap them into the basement."

Pausing in their exchange of googly eyes, Harper and Zeke turned to look at Alex simultaneously and said "Hey!"

Walking over with a sandwich in his mouth, and two mega loaves under each arm, Max glanced at everyone, shrugged and settled down just in front of Alex's couch, turned the TV back on and started munching the sandwich in his mouth. Alex, in a rare moment of activity, reached out and snatched one of the sandwiches before Max could even register his loss.

"Thanks Max," said Alex, and started chewing her chosen meal, prompting Justin to cross his arms and chuckle.

"She wants to stay on the couch all summer," said Justin, "I'm just waiting to see how long that conviction holds when she needs a toilet." He and Max share a laugh, with Alex glaring at them both, when there was a sound like thunder. Bolts of lightning flew out and struck the floor and ceiling just by the kitchen area. Everyone, even Alex flew to their feet and watched as the center magically filled with dark clouds and electricity arcing everywhere. After a moment, an elderly man could be see in the center of the orbiting clouds and lightning bolts, holding a long gnarly staff with a strange clock hanging from the top of the staff, and all over him were clocks and watches. This made him easily identifiable to Justin.

"Father Time," said Justin, "Uh...how can we help you?"

The mythical being looked over at the teenagers, bemused, "Someone here has been altering the passage of time."

Justin gave him a quizzical look, then at Alex and the rest, then back, "Uh...if you're talking about when we went back to tell our grandfather not to sell the building ownership..."

Father Time shook his head and waved his hand, "I'm not talking about something that small; I can overlook that...once. No," he said, "I'm talking about going all the way back to earlier, and altering history. My clocks all pointed here, to this household, as the root cause of the changes."

"What changes?" asked Alex, and she gestured to their surroundings, "Looks to me like nothing's changed."

In that instant, the whole place suddenly looked dusty, and abandoned, with broken furniture, the lights went out, and outside, the place looked grim. Justin gave his sister an exasperated look, "You had to ask."

Father Time shook his staff and yelled in fury, "You see?! It is here! You remain unharmed only because of my presence. I can keep the changes of time from erasing you and a chosen few from existence, provided that they are nearby, but you must find the culprit quickly."

He vanished in a flash of lightning and the sound of thunder and the loft remained in its deplorable condition, with everyone looking at Alex, who made an irritated noise and threw her arms up in the air, "Don't look at me!" said Alex, "I was right here with all of you the whole time."