Jon turned around and marched towards Zoe's bedroom door, then he began to pound on it.
His mother got out of bed and walked to her open doorway. "Please, Jon. Just leave her alone."
"Her music is so loud, the walls are shaking. I'm not sure the house can handle this." He continued to pound on Zoe's door. "Zoe! Open up!"
And a few seconds later, she did. "What the fuck is your problem?" she asked.
"My problem? What's your problem?" he asked, with a louder than normal voice, to be heard over the blasting music. "That music is so loud that I think the house is going to collapse."
"And why is that my problem?" she asked.
Jon was stunned. Was this what his sister was like without anyone to stop her? Then he looked at her sternly. He may not have been their mom (who wasn't much of a help right now, anyway), but he was still older. "Turn that music down!"
"Jon, please," his mom pleaded. "Zoe's business is her own."
"Mom, shut up," Jon said.
"What did you say to me?" his mom asked, with clear anger in her voice. Why was she getting angry at Jon for that, but not Zoe with her loud music? She grabbed Jon and pulled him around. "No one should speak to their mother like that." Then she pushed him into his bedroom. "I'm grounding you for a week to let you think about that."
"But ..."
"No buts, Jon." She shook her head. "I'm so disappointed in you." Then she looked in Zoe's direction. "I'm sorry that Jon was making such a fuss, Zoe. It won't happen again."
"Make sure that it doesn't," Zoe said. "Jon is becoming just as much of a fucking pain in the ass as you."
"I really don't want to burden you, Zoe."
"I know," Zoe replied. She paused for a moment, then said. "Well, good night, bitch."
"Good night, Zoe," her mom said, smiling. Then she returned to her room, but stopped momentarily to glare at Jon through his open bedroom doorway.
What was wrong with her? Zoe called her a bitch right to her face, and she didn't get upset at all. But when Jon told her to shut up, she grounded him for a week. More and more, Jon had a feeling that all of this was wish-related. But was it the wishing stone or the wishing well? And if Zoe did make a wish, how come Jon noticed that things were different? Since he didn't remember her wishing, didn't that mean that his memories would change? But they didn't. What was going on?
