Unlike Jon and Zoe, Mikey was considered too young to walk to school alone. His school was also farther away than the high school they both attended. So, at the moment of the wish, he was boarding a bus for home.
The new reality, which had started at his house, a few miles away, was expanding in spurts. The schoolbus started up, and headed down the street toward home, passing through a commercial block on the way.
Mikey blinked as a wave of light passed through the bus. As it did, everything ahead of him seemed to be washed out, like reality had been through the wash and the color had faded.
The bus stopped a few blocks later, and Mikey got up to get off, even though it wasn't his stop. So did Molly Stevens, a girl who sat next to him in class, who tended to be a bit of a teacher's pet. They both felt odd, unsure of why or where they were getting off the bus, but feeling compelled to.
