3.

'Give me your keys ...' Gavin tells Mike.

'You what?'

'Don't question it bro, just trust me ...'

Mike is perplexed. This is certainly not what he was expecting. He rolls up the driver's seat car window, gets out of his car then remotely locks and alarms the vehicle. He had already driven into the driveway to the house where his best friend lives, so there's no need to adjust a parking position. The school bus pulls up as he does this.

'C'mon ... we're getting on the bus ...' Gavin says.

'You what now?'

'Trust me brother, trust me ...'

'... If you think I am heading into school, you're crazier than I ever pegged you to be.'

'We're not going to school, not inside anyhow.'

Mike takes a second or two before following Gavin over towards the bus. He can't simply just change his mind and get back into his car as he has already handed his keys over to Mike. Gavin waits by the bus door for Mike to catch up with him.

'Gavin ... how odd?' speaks Joe, the school bus driver. '... I don't mean you are odd of course ...'

'Hey Joe ... what do ya know?' Gavin says sarcastically, knowing what he knows about Joe when, if all things are normal, he could not possibly know at all. '... and it's alright ... I know your not used to seeing me all too often and certainly not before my sister.'

Mike has caught up at this point and moves onto the bus before Gavin does. Mike moves towards the back of the bus. Seeing this, Gavin grabs Mike's shoulder. Mike turns.

'Not down there, man, ... in here.'

Gavin nods towards two empty seats next to one another and Mike moves in to take the window seat. Ashley is right behind them and right away she sees a problem. That older boy Jake, he is not sitting where he had been the first time this day played out and he is not asleep down the back either like he had been last time round. To add to the woes, there isn't anyone sitting in the back row at all.

Asley takes the seat behind her brother and quietly lets him in on her observations.

'Right,' says Mike overhearing this ... problem. 'You guys need to tell me what the hell is going on ...'

'Not so loud,' Gavin says. 'In time, bro ... for now just relax.'

'Should we let mum know?' Ashley asks her brother.

'Not yet ... just go along with this for now and see what happens.'

'She'll be ringing the police soon unless we tell her otherwise.'

'The police ...?'

Both Gavin and Ashley shush Mike and further reason to worry arises. Joe the bus driver is looking down the bus to see what the commotion is. Mum had seemed worried when Gavin had been talking with her, Gavin considers if that worry was less over a five day jump rather than a one or two day jump back and more a worry for something else. Can't dwell on that right now. Is there something else on her mind? The bus moves on and as it does, no one is taking up a position at the back, this really is going to mess things up.

'I better let mum know, otherwise police are going to show up for no good reason' Ashley says.

'Wait ...' says Mike. 'Tell me what's going on here ... something is obviously up. Tell me and maybe I can help ...'

Gavin and Ashley look at one another for a moment, the Ashley takes a notebook and pen out from her bag and writes down what is happening so no one can listen in on what she could possibly say. She keeps it short and to the point for time is against them. Odd how something they have an unknown control of, is working against them.

'Let me do it ...' Mike says, having read what Ashley has written.

'Huh? No ... you're the reason we are here yet again ... we are not gonna willingly let you go missing when it is you, we have come back for.'

'I can do this ... please let me help.'

'You believe us?' Ashley asks.

'Of course, I do' Mike responds, already up out of his seat and having gone past Mike. He has crouched down a little to speak with Ashley. 'Don't call any police either ...'

'What? Are you crazy?' Gavin asks.

'Not at all. Look, you guys have to keep coming back, right?' The twins both nod. 'We can end it here, trust me ...'

And on goes Mike to the back of the bus. Fairly soon, he is unconscious. It's obviously the individualized air-conditioning that is knocking back row students out. Mum has been notified and she doesn't know what to make of what is happening, still she allows it. The bus arrives at the school. Everyone gets off, everyone including Gavin and Ashley and expect Joe and Mike. The bus moves on and the worry begins. Ashley couldn't help but stare at that bus as it did move on.

'What now?' Gavin asks.

Ashley wants to ask the same thing. 'Go to class, I guess.'

'What? We can do that, especially knowing what we know.'

'There is nothing we can do right now so we'll go to class. We should meet at the mid-morning break and take it from there.'

This is exactly what they do. A little after half past ten, the twins are together just outside the main school entrance. Gavin has been ringing and texting Mike since getting out of class. Mike's phone rings out, it goes unanswered, and he is not responding to texts.

'This is not good ...' Ashley says, having been told about Mike not responding.

'Perhaps he is still out cold ... I can't go back to class, not now. I know I was originally gonna skip school today, but really ... I'm going home.'

'I'm coming with you.'

Mum is contacted and she comes and gets the twins. Once things have been briefly discussed, there is silence more or less, between the three for the rest of the day. Next morning comes and there is still no contact from Mike. His car is still outside in the driveway and Gavin is still in possession of the keys.

Gavin is the first to speak. 'We need to start over.'

'I don't think we can' speaks mum.

'Why not?' asks Ashley.

'Is this what you were worried about the last time we talked about a do over?'

'This thing we have, a gift or curse or whatever it is. We just can't keep on going back to the same day. It's not an exact science, I can't claim to know how it all works, but we can't go back.'

'Why the hell not?'

'Gavin, watch your tone, I'm still your mother ...'

'Sorry mum, I apologize but why can't we go back.'

'No one has ever repeated a day five times, and not with a five-day gap between the third and fourth times ...'

'We have to try ...'

'We can try all you like, but trust me, it won't work ...'

The school bus pulls up, right on time. Ashley grabs her things and gives her mum a kiss on the cheek then heads towards the front door.

'Hey, where are you going?'

'To school, I guess. I'm not gonna hang around all day and mope ...'

'Alright then, I'm coming too.'

Even with knowing Joe's involvement in all that is going on, Ashley is ready to greet him as usual until she is hit with another surprise. Making her way onto the bus, she sees that Joe is not the driver. Joe has been the school bus driver for the entirety of the lives of the twins, and never has Joe missed a day ... until now. He had not been arrested like he had on a previous incarnation of the day before so where is he? Ashley throws a look towards her brother. He is as surprised as she is.

When Mike came to ... following his bus journey nap, he is unkindly greeted by his father ...

'Son ... what do you think you are doing?'

'Dad ... they are onto you ... they are onto us ...'

'Who are?'

Mike hands over the piece of paper that Ashley had given him, the piece of paper briefly explaining what she and her brother had experienced. When the bus arrives to the school the day after the day that was, there is one student at the back who so happens to be out cold. It's the boy that Ashley kinda had an unspoken thing with.

Gavin and Ashley stand side by side as the bus moves away with that boy still on it. Ashley looks at her brother. He is upset at the thoughts that there may be no further return to the day that matters.

'Jake is still on that bus ...'

'I know this is odd and probably impossible too but was dad also on that bus?'

Ashley doesn't answer but she does an odd look with her brother, a look that could suggest a whole load of things. It takes a moment or two until Gavin begins to smile a certain smile of satisfaction. It may not be possible to repeat the day before this day for yet another time, but this one, this day ... surely that is a different prospect ... perhaps all is not lost.