Jons musings were interrupted by Zoe barging into his room grinning from ear to ear “Hey! Do you still have your third wish left?”
“Errrr……No? Why?” Jon asked cautiously, adding a belated ” And learn to knock.” That Zoe glossed over as usual.
“Your wish worked! Sarah sicced Sophia on her new rival. “ her grin widened ”And Sophia got her ass handed to her. I didn’t see how it started but I got to see the end. It was just like in the movies. Abigail just dodging every attack before BAMM Sophia was kissing the floor. Of course ” Zoe continued with an annoyed huff “ Sarah and her cronies were around ‘consoling’ “ the last word was accompanied by exaggerated airquotes ” poor bullied Sophia when the teachers showed up. So you get three guesses who got detention right now. ”
“Dang. That…” Jon began, before Zoe cut him off with a satisfied “..exactly what we wanted. I doubt Abigail will want to pal around with Sarah after this. Actually if you are right and she is connected to Steve it’ll do the guy some good to see just how vicious the hot popular girls he likes so much, really are. I mean I still have no fucking idea how that’s is supposed to work, but unless the wish somehow messed up then….. oh sorry.”
The last bit had been because she must have seen Jon grimace. Thinking of Abigail as Steve still hurt, but it wasn’t as bad as the first few times by a long shot. In fact it hurt a little less each time, because Jons brain had started to adapt as brains are wont to do – especially when spurred on by pain. After a morning of enduring the dull throbbing behind his forehead, Jon was quickly becoming a master at a new kind of doublethink where the fact “Steve was transformed into Abigail” did not lead to “They are the same person ”. It was in a lot of ways similar to the defence mechanisms that allowed him to acknowledge “Nobody is immortal” and still act like Death was something that happened to other people.
“It’s ok.” Jon waved it off once the stab of dull pain receded after a moment.
“Look” Zoe offered “I know it must suck, because you and her…”
“No. No.” Jon interrupted his sister before she could return his train of thoughts onto a painful track again “ It’s not that. …Ok that sucks too I admit. But the real problem is that it hurts my head thinking about it. Literally hurts my head. ”
“Oh!” was all Zoe had to say.
Jon nodded “ Yeah. Feels like brainfreeze every time I ” he winced slightly as his thoughts involuntarily shifted to what exactly he wasn’t supposed to think, and hurriedly carried on “dwell. I thought about it during math a lot and I think it is two wishes duking it out in my head. Athena wanted me to figure out Abigails secret and the other one probably wants me to think of her as Abigail. ”
“Then should I ask her to unwish it?” Zoe had already whipped out her phone, fingers poised to fire of a text-message “We were just trying to help.”
“No.” Jon shook his head “I thought about it but as long as I don’t think too hard about it it isn’t really a problem. And given the choice, well . not knowing would be driving me crazy. So yeah, you did help. It just ” he shrugged and gave his sister what he hoped was an encouraging grin “ didn’t work out perfectly. But it definitely did help. “
“Does mom know?” Jon asked as the thought struck him.
Zoe shook her head “Don’t think so? “
“I was thinking of maybe being there when she gets out?” Jon shrugged “I’ve been putting of dealing with her the entire day. And I am pretty sure she has too. Took one look at me when she came into history and went straight back out the door.”
“Ok. Soooo why the conjugal visit. It sucks rancid yak-balls but she’s not the real Abigail. The real one was amazing. This one made it clear she wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire. So why not let her rot?”
Jon sighed, he knew his sister was going for ‘tough love’ but … sometimes he really wished she’d try being nice first “Because I’ll have to sit at the dining table with her in ” he glanced at the clock on his desk “ about two hours. And generally share a house and classes with her. The teacher looked pretty pissed when she realized she skipped history today. ”
“Yeah, that’s another reason she got detention.” Zoe nodded.
“So I’d rather see if I can have a talk with Abigail. Figure out what is going on and how to deal with this. I’ve been thinking of calling her but doing something that important over the phone or text messages just seems weird. Walking her home is probably the most neutral place possible to have a chat. And … you being there probably wouldn’t help, sorry. “ he shot down Zoes obvious next question ” I promise to keep you updated but she is skittish enough already. ”
“Well that’s the other thing. Athena kinda flew of the handle when we arrived. ” Zoes voice was full of admiration for her mentor figure.
Zoe had come to Jons classroom for some reason a few years ago and the goth had caught his sister staring at her. When Zoe didn’t shrink back Athena had given Jon a small nod and said “Your sister got spunk. I like her.”. And when Zoe had entered highschool Athena had been there waiting to take Jons sister under her wing. Which wasn’t a bad thing, Zoe had become a lot more confident as a goth, but sometime he really missed the days when Zoes nice side wasn’t under a crust of cynicism and foul language. And .. something seemed off about this memory but Jon couldn’t really put his finger on what it was. In the end he just dismissed it and moved one.
“I see. Well it’ll probably be easier to get mom to lend me the car if you need a lift too.” He sighed “Just promise you’ll try to give us a bit of space?”
Meanwhile Steve was sitting in an empty classroom with Ms Fincher, listening to some boring educational tape drone on while he pretended to do his homework and tried to figure out how he landed in detention.
Ok the first part was pretty easy: After the ..thing on the bleachers he’d splashed a lot of cold water into his face before heading for his history class. But the sight of Jon sitting there had brought Steves train of thought right back to Abigail shooting selfies as she dreamt of getting some. So Steve had gone right back to splashing another handful or two of water into his face before stealing away to a hidden nook ( one he normally used for quick make out sessions) to plot without distractions.
It wasn’t just Jon or this new body or having to at least pretend to follow the lecture that had kept him from getting much done during the first half of the day. There was also that faint ringing sound that he had been hearing ever since this morning. By now he had gotten pretty good at tuning it out when he was alone.
But when he was around other people the ringing ebbed and waned, constantly shifting directions and pitch. The constant changes made it hard to tune it out. And it got even worse when people were moving around a lot while leaving the classroom. If sitting in class was like sharing the room while there was always a cellphone buzzing somewhere, moving trough the hall after class had been like everybody was walking around with their cellphones ringing.
But even reading the letter again he’d come to the same conclusion as back on the bleachers. There was nothing in the to explain why whoever had his name was trying to drive Steve slowly insane when he was among people.
Did he somehow offend them somehow after the letter was already delivered and this was some kind of warning shot? But what good was a warning shot if Steve had no idea what it was about? And the guy didn’t strike Steve as someone who’d miss the opportunity to gloat – probably in another letter.
Because the guy wasn’t as smart as he thought he was. He probably thought he was being all mysterious and scary – and during the first two or three read-throughs Steve would have agreed – but after actually looking at the letter Steve had realized something: There couldn’t be that many people in this school who would write a letter that sounded like the villain from the cartoons Steve watched as a kid.
For Christ’s sake, that letter that might as well start of on “Dear Batman. They all laughed at me! Called me mad! But you and the city will have no choice but acknowledge my genius after you witness my most diabolical scheme yet! ”
Ok, the letter wasn’t that bombastic, but Steve would bet good money that whoever had his name was one of the nerds or geeks of this school. Someone who wasn’t used to power and now that he had it, couldn’t help but gloat. He probably felt intimidated by or jealous of Steves luck with the ladies so he made sure Steve was no threat. And he probably told himself that he was being totally rational and logical, and not guided by these feelings at all. That this wasn’t just some pathetic attempt to feel like he was in control for once. That he was the one with The Plan.
But pathetic didn’t mean harmless. If Steve did something to threaten the guys ego he’d probably lash out in a heartbeat. So Steve would have to be careful.
Luckily subtle didn’t seem to be his opponents strong suit, no matter what the guy thought. The rambling letter contained a trail a mile wide. Steve knew the guy was a nerd and after someone in Jons class. Probably a girl, he’d thought. And whoever had Steves name probably wasn’t half as subtle in using wishes to get his target to date him as they thought. So all Steve had to do was watch and wait for his opponent to make a mistake.
Armed with new confidence Steve had tried to approach Sarah in the hall between changing classes. It had already been a long shot, but the cheerleader had shut him down before he’d barely even said hello. Steve had dressed specifically to avoid fighting guys off with a stick, but somehow Sarah and her handmaidens still managed to make him feel bad for looking scruffy and unfashionable. In the end Steve had just counted his losses and walked away. There was no way he’d be getting any help on that front.
But apparently Sarah hadn’t be done with him, because when the halls filled with students once again there had been a particularly grating ringing from right behind him and Steve quickly stepped aside. A moment later a cup worth of cola had splashed on the floor, and he’d been face to face with Sophia who’d quickly recovered from her attempt to ‘accidentally’ soak his torso with soda. Always the aggressive one the star of the track-team had accused Steve of spilling her drink, moving to grab him by the shoulder and once again he’d moved aside by sheer reflex leaving Sophia standing there looking like a fool with her outstretched had groping the air.
Too late he’d realized that making Sophia look like a fool not once but twice, had turned this from a favor on Sarahs behalf into something personal. And trying to get some distance between him and Sophia while he looked for a way to escape had just made things worse, because each time she tried to grab Steve he’d slipped away and made her look clumsy all over again. And with students pressing in from all sides to watch the fight he was trapped in a ring with the other girl.
So he’d had no choice. After the fourth or fifth time Sophia had grabbed for him, Steve had grabbed her arm. And nobody but him knew what had really happened there. Because he hadn’t just grabbed the other girl and put her into an arm-lock like the police used. His body had shifted in preparation of a throw that would send Sophia face first into a metal locker, smoothly shifted again in reaction to his dawning horror that this might seriously injure or even kill a person, to another throw that would slam Sophia into the ground just hard enough to avoid maiming but leave her dazed or unconscious before his body settled for a submission hold that left Sophia on her stomach helpless but mostly unharmed – and very very angry. And it had all taken less than a second!
Which begged the question why the heck whoever had his name, thought Steve should be able to kill a man with his bare hands in under a second. Steve had assumed it was about a girl, but as he knelt there a snarling Sophia writhing in his grip, he realized maybe this was about revenge. Would he find himself in a bathroom tomorrow, having lost the last few hours and washing blood of his knuckles?
Suddenly the letter talking about a ‘designated target’, ‘attacking from oblique angles’ and ‘cover identities’ didn’t sound like some geek playing at being a mastermind any more. They sounded like something right out of that movie -what was it called? – “the Mandarin candidate ”?. something like that.
Steve had been to distracted fighting down the panic attack the idea of some murderous sociopath pulling his strings, that he barely reacted when the teachers pulled him and Sophia away from each other. He didn’t even really protest when Sarah and her friends told everyone that it had been him who attacked Sophia. Because detention suddenly seemed like such a minor inconsequential thing, compared to Steves other worries.
And that’s how he came to sit here, two seats away from Athena who’d gotten into a shouting match with the teachers trying to defend him. He hadn’t really been listening but Steve remembered the goth offering some very rude theories why the teachers believed Sarahs words over Athenas about who started the fight.
Steves initial panic at discovering his hands were deadly weapons had faded by now, but he was still spooked. The best harmless explanation he had managed to come up with was that Abigail was really into self-defence classes. It would make sense for a girl that looked as good as she did. And he already knew he had at least some of her skills. When he’d reluctantly admitted to himself that with tits that big, going without a bra wasn’t an option he’d slipped it on without any difficultly. Sooo maybe whoever had his name wasn’t planning on making any wished involving the phrase ‘get rid of the bodies’. Hopefully.
###A bit earlier
Sarah sat in her room, smirking. Abigail had actually dared to just walk up to her, HER Sarah the queen, as if they were equals. But in doing so she had actually done Sarah a favor as it turned out. Not only had Sarah been able to cut the little upstart down to size in front of everyone; which added in Abigail slinking away in defeat; when she had sent Sophia after the girl to hammer home that Sarah had not in fact forgotten the exchanged student mouthing off in the mall, things had turned out in such a way that Sarah had been able to put both girls in their place.
Sophia had been getting a bit too high and mighty lately and this had been a much needed reminder why she was the hatchet woman and Sarah was the queen. The girl was a brute. But as long as Sophia was a useful brute Sarah and her clique would always speak in favor of the their ‘ trusted friend’ when the teachers asked “Who started it?”. Sophia had picked up at least a bit of subtlety over the years however. So today had been the first case in a long time where Sarah had been able to remind her that a brute who made a mess was a ‘charity case’ Sarah in her infinite compassion was looking out for and helping to better herself. Yes teacher Sophia said a few things she shouldn’t have when that girl spilled her drink - you know how she can get- but I swear it was Abigail who threw the first punch.
And Abigail had been visibly shaken when the teachers had hauled her away as a delinquent when none of the other students dared contradict Sarahs story. Well Athena had, but the little goth didn’t count. Or not so little goth now, because Sarahs first wish had been for reality to shift so Athena was a classmate of Jon (two years age difference might be ok in university, but in high school it would make setting Jon up with the goth really really icky ). After thinking about it some more Sarah decided it still felt weird. Nobody else might bat an eye if Jon and the now eighteen year old Athena shared a kiss, but Sarah would still remember how things used to be. And besides, there had been a much better way. One where Sarah wouldn’t have to worry about Abigail getting revenge.
Because before she had send Sophia on her little errand Sarah had wished “I wish Athena would pickpocket the paper Abigail drew from the girl when Sophia makes her move and give it to me afterwards before forgetting all about this wish.”.
Seeing the new Athena for the first time, when the girl got right up into Sarahs face in the aftermath of the fight calling her a manipulative bitch (and slipping the folded paper into Sarahs hand), the cheerleader had been surprised how much difference the two years made.
The girl wore waaay to much eyeliner and dressed like a gypsy in mourning, but now she wore that ridiculous get-up with the same confidence as Sarah wore her cheerleading uniform. Still coming in at barely above five feet the girl had presence now, as she cussed out Sarah and the teachers with confident accusations and fiery glares instead of surly grumbles and furtive glowers. (That much of that new confidence came from Athenas knowledge that Jon had Sarahs name, Sarah didn’t know). Athena hadn’t acted like a rebellious underling but as if she and Sarah were equals. And apparently she still came as a package deal with Jons sister and the other one but the dynamic had felt different, more like a big sister-figure with her wards than two friends. Maybe Athena fancied herself a witch-queen now?
Because for a moment there Sarah had had a vivid mental image of Athena in some medieval hall, standing regal and proud as she declared that on their eighteenth birthday the princess will poke her finger on a spindle and die.
Which had given Sarah a wicked idea as she saw Athena march behind Abigail to detention. Why not give Athena the evil eye, cursing people with misfortune? Well not people so much as Abigail. Maybe make it so that Abigail was more likely to suffer some embarrassing mishap whenever Athena was around? Make these strokes of bad luck more frequent and improbable the more Athena was annoyed with the blonde, perhaps? Even better: make sure these accidents were skewed in favor of Athenas goals when she and Abigail were at odds about something. That way, if Sarah decided to have Athena steal Jon from Abigail after all, the more of a moment Abigail had with Jon while Athena was around the higher the chance the jealous goth would cause the perfect thing to completely ruin the mood.
That wish was getting kinda complicated. So she should probably write that one down first to avoid any unintended side-effects, Sarah decided.
“But first” Sarah murmured as she drew the slip of paper with her own name from her pocket “I need to decide what to wish for myself.”
But when she unfolded the paper it read
“
Nice try, but cheaters never prosper
Your ever watchful
Oversight
P.s. This was strike one for interfering with another players paper.”
