After the fiasco that left Karyn's forever changed, Jon and Karyn felt it was their job to keep the stone out of the wrong hands. Jon asked Karyn to help him avoid the temptation to use it again, and Karyn was constantly reminded of the risks every time she looked in the mirror or tried to lie on her stomach. Months passed without any more wishes being granted. After a few months, neither of them even thought about the nearly unlimited power available to them. It was just something to guard, not something to use. This meant that Jon tended to keep the stone on hand, especially at home, because he rarely let the stone leave the house.
The following winter, Jon had something on his mind. He and Karyn had been regulars at Battlezone since it had opened 2 years prior, and Jon had a job interview on February 2. This was a big deal for Jon, as Battlezone wasn't a Gamestop clone. Battlezone was everything everyone could ever want in a gaming store. You could, of course, buy the latest video games, board games, and tabletop games, but it also hosted tournaments. There were also the newest Steam, Playstation, and Xbox consoles on hand to use by the hour for major events. Working at Battlezone meant being a sysadmin, coach, trainer, and innovator at once, and the impact on local businesses was significant. Working at Battlezone would be difficult, but the connections and the experience would be enough to allow Jon to skip college and go straight into a reputable IT job.
Jon's interview was right after school, and he was excited and nervous. His mother, noticing how fidgety Jon had gotten while not really understanding the impact this job could have on Jon's life, tried to calm him down. Jon was fiddling with the stone while his mother yammered on and on. "Don't worry, Jon!" She insisted. "You're a smart boy, and you have nothing to worry about. Tomorrow will go perfectly!"
Without thinking, Jon murmered, "Yeah. I wish it was that easy." The stone flashed, but Jon didn't notice because he was preoccupied and because his hand blocked his mother's view of the flash.
