Allison's house wasn't far... It was within the mile minimum distance that students were required to walk, rather than be bussed to school, so the drive was very short. When he got there, he drove a bit past the house, and pulled down a back ally. He didn't mind being seen at her house... He did mind being seen out of school. Tardiness hurts scholarship chances. Coach wouldn't be happy, but he'd cover for him for first and second period... That was all he needed.
He slipped out his truck, and made his way to the rear window to Allison's room. It was half a floor up in that split story house, but Allison always left a step ladder out and the door unlocked just for occasions like this... Well... Not exactly like this, but situations where Ms. Madison wouldn't let him in the front door.
The window opened smoothly, and he effortlessly hopped in. The first thing he noticed was that the place was clean... The girl had never been much of a house keeper, but now? Well, it wasn't spotless, but it was at least clear of clutter. That was just a distraction to his mission. He needed to find that goth's charm. Whatever she used to grant her wish. He was curious if nothing else. He could possibly use it to fix Allison's hair, but maybe he even win her over again! He wouldn't have to deal with the jeers and teases of his teammates, and he and Allison could be together again. He wasn't so petty that he'd hold one week against her if she came back to him, as long as it never happened again.
His fists were clenched by the time he reached Zoe's door. Surprisingly his heart pounded in his chest. He'd had his fair share of mischief and fun... But this felt different. He was breaking into his girlfriends house to steal a magic tallisman from her goth sister. He sighed, and hid his face behind his hand for a moment. That sounded crazy... And it sounded wrong too. His hand hovered by the doorknob. It sounded very wrong.
He turned away, and leaned back against the door in exasperation. "I can't do this..." But even as the words left his mouth, his mind carried him through the flurry of jeers and insults from that bitch of a girl. He remembered how many times she'd kicked him out, or gotten Ms. Madison to kick him out for her. How she was on his case all the time, and on Allison's case to dump him. With his face curled up in a snarl, he flung her door open and started to rummage around the room.
He was careful enough to not be noticed as he riffled around, but annoyed enough to do it noisily. Slamming drawers books, and rattling jewelry boxes as he flipped them open and shut again.
He worked his way down Zoe's vanity drawers with his hesitation slowly returning. He didn't know what to look for. He never saw the charm. He huffed in exasperation. He didn't even know if was the charm. Maybe Zoe had just sold her soul to the devil. She certainly didn't have one that he could see. He opened the final drawer and came across a curious, old, and ornate box. Ryder flipped it open carelessly, causing two notes and a stone to tumble out on to the floor. His annoyance was cooled for the moment, as curiosity arose.
Tentatively he picked up the stone, then one of the pages.
The first page was a very enlightening letter from Allison's grandfather... Apparently he'd left this stone as a magical inheritance to Zoe. There was no wondering who the favorite grandaughter was between them. He reread the final bit about rules three times over.
"Beware for the words of a wish can be reinterpreted but not changed once the breath is over. The stone has great power, but is not unlimited. Changes made will be as if it has always been so, apart from for those within earshot of the wish or out of the range of influence of the stone. "
His mouth became dry. A wishing stone? For real? And from the looks of it, it's much more powerful than just a cosmetic talisman or something. His mind began to go wild with both fear and possibility as he unfolded the second sheet of paper.
Here, he found a list of wishes, each penned meticulously on college rule paper with dates next to them.
Curiously, he read the wishes. The first was for a successful mom, but immediately, the second one caught his eye.
"I wish that Allison would become who she originally was, without changing who she is." He grimaced. What did that mean? It was dated for one week ago... Right when Allison started to act strange around him. He clenched his teeth. It was that goth bitch who stole her from him!
He continued to read her frivilous cosmetic wishes, then came across the final wish on the page.
"I wish that Allison was naturally talented at cutting hair, including her own, and could imagine and create styles easily."
It was dated for this morning. Zoe was undermining him, and controlling her sister the whole time. He fucking knew it, but he never would have guessed magic was involved... But... he'd seen the evidence with his own eyes, and now? Now. He had the stone, and he had a few wishes of his own he wanted to make...
