"Sorry Montanna..." Sarah said under her breath as she made her way towards Aggie' "But after tonight, I'm going to be cheer captain again..."
It was a brisk walk in the cold air, and Sarah was actually pleased to find that it helped with her downstairs problem. While the incident in the locker was definitely embarrassing, she'd been struggling with how attractive the schoolgirls were the entire day. The cold was a blessing, and before long everything felt a little more normal.
She reached Aggie's quickly and knocked on the door. The door creaked open to reveal Zoe and her friend Athena. This was a little worse than expected. Sarah had hoped that if nothing else she could overpower the younger girl, but for now she had to play it easy.
They exchanged greetings and were all fairly silent as they all went up to Zoe's room. Sarah scoffed at how messy and ugly it was. Ugly boyband posters hung on the walls, and cheap tacky makeup covered her vanity. Her room was painted a dark purple, and the curtains, sheets, clothes, and just about everything else were different shades of black with occasional splashes of rich velvety colors.
Sarah whispered softly to Zoe. "Does she know? Listen, the fewer people who know the better."
Zoe scoffs. "She's not going anywhere."
"Look Zoe," Sarah continues to whisper. "We need to fix everything, and if Athena is here when we make wishes to fix it, then she'll still remember the fake reality."
Zoe hisses in return. "I'm not going to change back! I like my life!"
Sarah smirked internally. Apparently Zoe had bought her "cheerleader" story wholeheartedly. It was something she could leverage. "I'm not talking about you Zoe. What about me, and Jon, and Karen? Do you want her to remember all of that?"
Zoe fidgeted in her seat, and Sarah siezed the initiative from her hesitation.
"Look, Athena. Could you wait outside?"
She crosses her arms and shouts. "What?! Why?" She turns an accusing gaze to Zoe. "What's this all about Zoe?"
Sarah nudges Zoe then nods in encouragement.
"No..." Zoe begins. "Sarah's right Athena. Just... Just wait right outside. If I need your help I'll just call."
Sarah breathed a sigh of relief even as Athena gave an indignant sneer. "I thought you were cool when I was younger Sarah... You better not do anything to Zoe." She looks to Zoe. "I'll be right outside if you need me..."
Sarah smirks. "Don't worry Athena, I just need to fix some things and I'll be on my way..." As the door closes with a click Sarah turns to Zoe. "So let's get started. Are there any wishes that you want?" Sarah needs to get her hands on the stone. She tried to imagine a hundred different scenarios where she could trick Zoe into making a bad wish, but none of them really panned out. She needed the stone.
Zoe nods and produces the rock in her tightly balled up fist and nods. "I... I always wished that mom didn't have to work so hard, or that she made more money so she could spend time with us."
Sarah was taken aback. She didn't expect that level of sentimentality so suddenly. Every time she wanted to be cold and calculating, these dorks had to make her feel bad. First Karen with her family, and then Jon with his wish to help Karen. And now Zoe. They were making it very hard to be unattached.
She nodded. "Granted." Immediately a flash washed over them, but nothing really seemed to change.
"And... And I wish that Jon, or Marie, or whoever and I were still friends... Even when we fix this."
Sarah sighed. As far as she knew, Zoe and Jon had been friends before all the wishing started, so nothing lost here. It was a wish that Zoe had made in response to her lie... Sarah looked away from Zoe. "Granted..."
"I wish that Marie would do great at practice right now, at least until we figure out how to fix everyone for good."
Sarah nods. Another small wish that might do much to increase her trust. "Granted."
Zoe continues. "And I wish that you were actually born a girl!"
Sarah see's her opportunity and strikes. "Whoa, whoa... Easy. Denied. You can't just wish something like that. What if it makes me born a girl, but now I'm still a transsexual male?"
Zoe flusters. "Sorry... I didn't think about it."
Sarah nods. "Reasons like that are why I made wishes require my permission. Your brother and Karen were out of control too."
Zoe asks. "Well, what if I wish that you were born a girl and being transsexual was only a phase or something."
"Ugh! Really girl? For one, denied. You were still holding the stone dummy, and for two, what if that changed my personality and I was some butch tomboy?"
Zoe looked down. "Oh... sorry..."
"Maybe you should let me."
Zoe looks at her sideways.
"Athena is right out the door! if I do anything suspicious, then you can just call her in."
Zoe grasps the stone tightly. "I wish...I wish that for now, you could only make wishes to fix these other wishes, and nothing else." Sarah scrunches up her face but Zoe continues. "That's the only way you're touching it."
She nods. "Of course. Granted."
Slowly the girl set's the stone down, and just as slowly Sarah wraps her hand around it. She has it. She has the stone.
