Jon had half expected to step into the intro of some series about a ‘Magical School’ or ‘Monster High’, with students casually flying around, spewing fire, walking through walls or doing similar strange and whimsical stuff.
Instead the hallway looked like it did almost every other day, just teenagers milling about and chatting. Jon thought he saw someone with green skin, but the girl had disappeared into the crowd before he could get a good look.
The most exciting wish-related thing that happened during his first class, was that Jon had to make up an excuse why Abigail was missing (upset stomach). But the wishes were , of course, subject of several whispered conversations going on around Jon while his English-teacher droned on. Apparently not one but two students had come to school via private limousine today. And a boy named James had gone from scrawny band-geek to bodybuilder overnight, and was now facing detention for beating up two older kids who used to pick on him.
These, and a few other stories Jon overheard until lunchbreak, had one thing in common: unlike the stone the hat-game wasn’t overwriting reality. It could, Abigail was proof of that - and this Maddison-girl probably hadn’t been a princess yesterday either, come to think of it- but these wishes didn’t touch the memories of other people by default. Perhaps to make things a bit more ‘interesting’ to Jon. If he didn’t even notice most of the wishes, his life stayed pretty much the same from Jons perspective.
Or he’d develop an acute case of paranoia, second guessing every little thing.
Speaking of paranoia; the other students were awfully calm about this. Sure. The wishes were topic number one among the student-body, but nobody was calling the press or authorities.
The closest Jon had heard anyone get was on his way to the cafeteria, passing Nadine Ferguson as she was berating a girl he didn’t know that a good Christian shouldn’t involve themselves in this witchcraft.
Which actually reminded Jon that things might not be as cut and dried, as science made it look for most of his life. After all wishing-stones violated what had to be a dozen physical laws that were commonly held as inviolable. So maybe there was a heaven and angels after all? But his grandfather had found the stone in some MayIncaTec temple. Which… yikes! The one thing Jon associated about that religion were pyramids covered in blood. Which was probably mostly a Hollywood-stereotype. Like Hinduism in “Indy and the Temple of Doom”. If any myths had to be true jon would rather go with someone like …. Santa Claus for example.
Jon was busy thinking about what would happen if some freshman used a wish to make santa Claus real. Having one of his friends turn into Santa Claus would probably be weird. Especially weird if it was a girl like Karyn or Zoe. Actually Zoe the Goth-Santa would be kinda hilarious to see.
