Pulling his (her?) pants up, Jon explained. "There's still the other option."
"Other option?"
"Right. The pad! Mikey's pad is just as good as the stone. This all started with him using it on me, but there's nothing to keep either one of us from using it on ourselves. It grants wishes, and I don't think it's limited to just swapping wishes. I bet he's already using it."
"On us?" wondered Karyn.
"I hope not," said Jon. "But you know, he's a kid. He thinks sex organs are funny because it's a body humor sort of thing, but it's not like being a teenager. He'd probably just wish himself up something that a kid wants."
"Well, I always wanted to stay up later when I was his age. But that doesn't help... your parents already let him stay up any time he wants. His computer's better than yours. And when your grandfather died, he willed him that big plasma TV and all those boxes of video games and action figures... Hey, maybe he's still playing with those and hasn't had any time to make any other wishes."
Jon and Karyn sneaked down the hallway. There was no sign of Jon's mother... and when they approached Mikey's room there was music and blasting sounds from the game he was playing. Pretty loudly too, which was perfect to cover sneaking up on him. If the door was unlocked... If he was looking the other way and didn't notice... If, if...
Jon gripped the doorknob and began to turn it, slowly, slowly. He creaked the door open and saw Mikey there, playing games. The pad was lying on a desk next to him. Mikey didn't seem to notice the door.
"I don't think it's the right time," said Jon. "He could catch me."
"Go on in," said Karyn. "He could catch you anyway, and you wanted to go in just a second ago! If you don't want your brother wishing up all sorts of things you'd better go while you still can..."
"Oh, fine," said Jon. He opened the door, started to run the few yards to Mikey... and promptly tripped. He landed on the carpet sprawled out on the floor, half of him still outside the room.
As Jon got to his feet, Mikey seemed to have finally noticed the unwanted intrusion. He pressed pause in just the way that people playing video games in TV shows never did. Then he said "Go away, Jon."
"You're abusing the wishes. You're not even supposed to have the pad! Because of you my dick isn't even mine any more!"
"Zoe was able to go to the bathroom, I'm sure you can figure out a way to."
"It's not going to the bathroom that makes having girls' parts a problem. I need that pad."
"Sure you don't need a tampon instead?"
"The notepad!"
"Oh, that," said Mikey innocently. "You don't need it. You can't reverse wishes with it."
"I still need you not to have it." Jon, fed up with arguing, ran at Mikey.
"Wait!" yelled Karyn. "That's the wrong direction!"
"Huh?" said Jon. "That's impossible. I'm not some anime character." But it was. Some trick of sound made Mikey's voice echo from the hall and Jon had gone the wrong way. Without even paying attention to what he was seeing.
Jon sheepishly walked back. "I forgot to tell you," said Mikey. "I wished you'd stay out of my room until I let you in. You know, this pad is as good as the stone."
"Push me into the room," whispered Jon. Karyn nodded and pushed Jon. However, a sudden breeze had made the door start to swing shut. Jon was pushed directly into the closing door, sending the door flying open again, and Jon... to the ground again.
As Jon picked himself up yet again, Mikey stood up and took the pad and a pencil. Jon could only watch as he wrote down who knows what wish. Mikey peeled off the note, put the pad down, looked away from the note, then stuck it onto his desk... except Jon was watching his every move. Which meant that Jon saw the note immediately.
The earlier wish that people who see the note read it and tear it, unable to be reversed by the later wish that Jon stay out of the room, took effect. Jon felt himself compelled to enter the room and take the note. Mikey turned to see Jon looming over him. Jon picked up the pad with one hand and tossed it to Karyn, but he was unable to stop himself from picking up the note with his other hand and bringing it to his eyes.
In the brief instant before he read it, he hoped that the note was meant as a good wish for Mikey to use on himself, not as a wish to screw someone else over. And that if it was for Mikey, it would still be safe if read by someone else....
