"Um, Jon, could I talk to you out in the hall for a minute?"
"Sure, Mom." Jon put down the book he was reading and walked out into the hall. "Okay, what did you want?"
"I just wanted to make sure that you really are you."
"What are you talking about?" He looked down at what she was holding: the stone. "Mom, did you make a wish?"
"Well, yeah."
"Did your wish effect me?"
"No, it didn't. I was just checking." This was a lie of course, since all the wishes she made were about Jon.
"Good." Except Jon looked a little disappointed.
"Jon, what's the matter?" his mom asked.
"Well, I was hoping to use the stone to change my life."
"Change your life? Why?"
"I have a twin sister, Mom. Have you ever grown up with a twin before? I don't think you have. Besides the fact that I'm a boy, I look identical, or nearly so, to Jen."
"You're twins."
"Yeah, I realize that. It's just that ... people make fun of me because I look like her. She's the popular one and I'm the loser."
"Jon, don't say that."
"But it's true."
"Then what do you want?"
"I want to be more like her. I want to be popular. I want to have a friend like Karyn." Jon sighed. "I just want things to be better."
Jon's mom only stared.
"So, could I have the stone?"
"No, Jon. But I'll make the wish for you if you want."
"I guess that would be okay."
"Good. Go back in your room. When you come back out again, I'm sure you'll be like you want."
"Thanks, Mom." He opened up the door and walked to his bed.
"What did Mom want?" asked Jen.
"She just wanted to ask me something." And he continued to read his book.
