*"Karyn, happened to Karyn. She didn't make it to school that day because her parents found her in the bathtub. She'd slit her wrists and they found that old song End of the World or whatever, playing." She stopped but it was only to suck on the filter one more time before she continued. I could see her body shaking just a little every so often. "Her parents found her like almost right away, and she hadn't done a very good job of it. To make a long story short, it was touch and go for a while, but they managed to get her to a doctor, and he was able to save her, but "
"But what?"
"They had her committed after that Natalie. Apparently this was just the last in a line of dangerous emotional outbursts "
"No " I moaned softly as I tossed my finished butt on the ground and rubbed it out with my foot. "This wasn't how it was supposed to go Jon and I, we never meant "
Rachel nodded knowingly and place a hand on my shoulder as she finished her commandeered cigarette. "I know," she said softly. "Road to hell, Nat. They say it's paved with good intentions "*
Rewoven
Now my defiance reemerged. It wasn't going to end like this. I'd made a promise to Jon. Raising the stone up in the air in my hand I began, "I wish that Karyn had managed to find a friend, somebody who could have kept her from killing my friends and taking her own life and, more importantly, somebody who wasn't me." I held tightly to the stone as I felt the warmth on my palm, and closed my eyes against the bright flash of light that followed. I held my breath a moment, and glanced down at Rachel. My friend looked even more frightened than she had before I'd made the wish.
"Nat," she whispered, fear oozing from her pores like sweat. "Nat, what did you just do?"
How the hell should I know? I thought angrily. I know what I wanted the wish to do, but that doesn't mean it's what happened. I closed my fist around the rock and dropped it back in my pocket. "Guess we'll find out," I said rather sheepishly. It occurred to me that I was more embarrassed over my lack of control, than I was worried about the wish. I shook my head. "I know I shouldn't have. I know I should have taken more time, thought it through a little more thoroughly, but I couldn't help myself. I had to make a wish. Had to make that wish."
"We've gotta be careful with that thing, I mean..."
"You think I don't know that?" I said rather suddenly. "Rachel, since I got this damned thing, I've carved out a path of destruction that would make a hurricane stand up and take notice, but it can't just be bad. I mean the rock, there has to be something good that can come of it."
She shook her head at me.
"So somebody care to tell me just what happened back there?" We both jumped when we heard Sarah McMillan's voice an instant before the cheerleading queen, and one of our best friends, came around the corner of the small building. On her face was a look of confusion. "I just had the strangest conversation with Michelle after you two bailed, thank you very much by the way, and she claims that you're not real Natalie, that you don't exist."
Rachel and I just looked at her for a moment, but it was clear that wasn't going to cut it with Sarah. Damn that wish! I thought bitterly. Because I'd made that stupid wish while Michelle and I were alone in the bathroom... alone... Michelle and I had been alone when I'd made the wish! But...
"You shouldn't be aware of it," I said as thoughts and words began to form in my mind. "Neither of you should have noticed," I said as my eyes darted back and forth between them. "When I made the wish, neither of you were in earshot so..."
"So, we shouldn't have realized anything was wrong," Rachel finished, and I could see the light of understanding dawning in her eyes. "You're right Nat. Sarah and I shouldn't have been aware of the change."
"Huh?" Sarah asked by way of trying to get involved in the conversation. "What the hell are you guys talking about, and don't try and tell me it's nothing. Between the situation with Michelle," her eyes drifted suspiciously toward Rachel, "You're little grope-fest this morning and," she looked at me, "Steve told me that Derrick told him that you totally wigged on some geek this morning. So don't try and tell me nothing's going on."
"I have a rock that grants wishes," I said hurriedly. I really didn't like the idea of telling Sarah about the rock, but I had other things on my mind right now, and wasn't in the mood to try and concoct lies and alibis. Besides, Rachel's a terrible liar.
"I'll explain later," I told her. I added, If I have to, but that part stayed in my head.
"That's the stupidest..."
I wasn't listening to Sarah anymore. "So, what if it wasn't the rock," I thought out loud. "Or at least not directly..." I dug deep into my mind. I knew there was a connection somewhere, and I knew I was extremely close to making it, if I could only think clearly. "Malcolm told me that there were realities where magic, powerful magic really exists, I mean outside of the rock," I added. "He brought it up, after I'd turned Violet into a dog..."
"By dog," Sarah said a little distantly, "I assume you mean..."
"Four legs, tail, likes to bark and chase things," I snapped quickly. "Yeah. I can't think of anything real, any medical conditions or abnormalities that would prevent Michelle from perceiving just me..."
"But nobody noticed Violet's transformation Nat," Rachel added meekly. "Even if this was just magical, wouldn't we still be blinded to it?"
That is the sticking point, I thought, shaking my head. "You're probably right."
"Hello?"
I looked back and saw Sarah still standing there. "Sorry," I said. As the three of us walked back toward the building, I decided to fill Sarah in on what had been happening. I'd avoided it thus far because, while she was my friend, I wasn't sure I completely trusted her with something like this. Now, I didn't even trust myself though, so basically I'd figured: What the hell? She didn't believe us at first, and who could really blame her, so we did the same demonstration for her, that I'd done for Rachel. Her eyes went wide when she watched the twig change color.
"Shit," she whispered. Then she looked at me a little too eagerly, "You have to let me see that thing Nat. Please."
I shook my head. "Not just yet," I told her. "There are a few things I have to take care of before anybody else touches this thing." She gave me a rather annoyed look as we walked back into the school. Lunch was about over and we were gonna have to go to class now. "Look," I told her. "Meet Rachel and me after school, but do not, and I'm gonna go ahead and repeat this one, DO NOT tell Steve or anybody else about this."
She nodded, a broad grin crossing her face. "You sure that was a good idea Natalie?" I turned to see Rachel looking at me.
"If I'd had a good idea recently to compare this one to, I'd let you know," I told her. "There wasn't much we could do about Sarah without resorting to the rock and..."
Rachel nodded. "Besides," she said, "we can make this okay. Just make a small wish before you let her see it, something like: Sarah won't wish for anything major, life altering, or something like that, and make sure to wish that she'd give it back to you afterward. Maybe we can at least limit the damage she can do."
I smiled as we went our separate ways. "You're so much better at this planning and responsibility thing than I am," I told her. She nodded with a smile of her own, and headed off toward her own class.
Turning into my own classroom, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. At first I'd thought I was seeing things, but when I looked again, I was sure. She looked different though.
Her long blond hair was dyed black, with the roots beginning to show the truth, and she was dressed all in black. It was definitely Karyn, but she looked exactly like she had in the dream. I remembered it clearly. Karyn and Zoe, Natalie's goth sister, had shown up and taken Violet, and this was how Karyn had been dressed.
Goth-Karyn looked up and apparently noticed me watching her. She sneered, flipped me the bird, and headed off toward whatever class she had now. It worked! She's alive and... well, she obviously doesn't like me very much... but, she's alive and she's not killing people and... My mind started doing somersaults.
Maybe I'd finally managed to do something right...
