"I'm...looking for Jon." Karyn said, cautiously.
Mallory's smile vanished in surprise and some fear. She slammed the door in Karyn's face before even she knew what she was doing. Then a few seconds later, she reopened it. "You'd better come in," she said, suddenly serious.
She led Karyn up the stairs to her room. Karyn stopped at the top of the stairs to look at a family picture of Mallory and her family before following her into what she remembered as Jon's room.
It was very different. It had this distinct look to it, what Ellen had called funky. She didn't have a video game system like Jon had, but she did have a small TV and a DVD player, as well as a large collection of classic movies. In one corner was a small musical keyboard, one of the ones designed to look like a real piano. in fact, everything in the room had been decorated to look retro.
It was sort of cool, in its own way, and some might say an improvement over the pile of dirty laundry and general mess of Jon's room, which had occupied the same space.
Mallory closed the door and locked it, not wanting her sister to barge in. "What do you know?"
"I came back from my vacation and my best friend has been replaced by you," Karyn said, eyes darting toward the locked door.
"Well, yeah..sort of," Mallory said, a bit uncomfortable. "You see...Jon made a wish. And well, now he was never born."
"So...you're Jon?"
"No," Mallory said, still feeling awkward. "Jon wished that Zoe was someone else's sister. I know because I wished to know what happened. The result was...well, me being born instead. I'm not some other version of him," she said. "Think of it like...there's a bunch of souls waiting to be born. If Jon wasn't born, some other soul...me, got his slot."
"So...you could wish him back?"
"No..no..." Mallory said. "If I wish him back, it would be wishing that his wish didn't result in me. I'd be wishing I was never born."
"But you weren't!" Karyn said.
"But I'm here," Mallory said, insistently, unable to hide the guilt she felt over the whole thing. "Who gets to decide if I or Jon gets to live? My only decision is not to kill myself. I tried to find a loophole. But if I wish he and I both existed, then I might lose Zoe or worse. I'm not making any more wishes," she said.
She got up. "I like films...I thought maybe I'd want to make them someday. And music...I play the keyboard. What did Jon do? What dreams did he have?" She didn't let Karyn answer. "I love my sister. Jon tried to wish her away. Do you know how bad she might be if she didn't have me to look out for her? She was so angry after Dad died..." Mallory paused. "Yesterday, she decided to try smoking and set a tree in the backyard on fire. She needs me. Not some brother who'd rather she was someone else's problem."
Karyn didn't know what to say. She wanted her friend back...her life back. But to see Mallory pleading with her to understand...
