Karyn was reluctant to admit how much time she spent picking out what she wanted to wear on their date - mainly because she'd last seen Jon in a remarkable dress, so who knew what his closet looked like at home anymore? Did Karyn want to match him and go far more femme than he was used to from her? Actually, who knew how femme Jon would appear when he showed up, if he had Mrs. Kline helping to direct his choices? She eventually settled in on a sweater and jeans, close to her usual fit, but maybe the sweater was a little more form-fitting than her normal style. She had to throw a little nod to whatever Jon was going to do for her, right? Right? Would these butterflies settle down in her stomach already? She feels like she's ready to levitate from them alone!
And then 7 PM came and went, and Jon didn't show up.
Karyn was waiting in the front room for twenty minutes, but then couldn't bear the looks her mom was giving her any longer, and stormed up to her room. She pulled out her phone and sent him a text.
KARYN: Hey what happened? Are you okay?
No answer. She sighed. Another ten minutes passed.
KARYN: Jon what the hell
KARYN: At least text me back or something
KARYN: Did a couch fall on you
KARYN: You better be trapped under a couch
Karyn ground her teeth a bit, muttering under her breath, flopping back on her bed. She punched the blankets a couple times, and then... slowly... turned... and looked over at her backpack, where the notebook had been stuffed since earlier that afternoon. She hadn't even thought about it. She'd been too focused on being actually excited about the date, and then talking with her mom when she came home, and eating something small just in case she and Jon didn't do dinner, and...
A foreboding sense settled in. That scene in a horror movie when you know something is in the box, where you know it's going to be a jump scare or a horrible reveal of the awful truth, and if you're on the outside, you're trying not to watch or you're yelling at the screen, but when you're in the moment yourself, it's just a cold deep wave that settles right into your bones. Karyn slowly walked over, unzipped her bag, and pulled out the notebook. She flipped it open, and the page was full. Line after line after line.
Karyn's eyes couldn't widen any further. She knew, as soon as she remembered the notebook, that this was the case. Jon wouldn't have ditched her. Something must have happened. But ALL this happening? She started reading up from the end. A nose from some girl named Addy? Longer eyelashes from Maureen? Lips from... who was Kimia? Who were all these people? Karyn kept reading backwards. Toned arms and legs, freckles, a hairless face, different eye color, different eye shape... Holy fuck, poor Jon. Karyn skimmed faster and faster, the unease transforming into fear and panic in her gut. Wait, Jon's name isn't even Jon anymore?... HE HAS A BOYFRIEND NOW?... How big could those breasts be? And then she finally came to a series of three different people making Jon do whatever Sarah says. Her gut fully twisted. Sarah.
Somehow, Sarah must have found out about Jon and his copying, and she took every advantage of it that she could.
Karyn was wild-eyed. She looked around for a pencil, a pen, anything that she could use to cross things out. It was such an easy fix! This is why they had created this fix earlier that day! Just find a pen, marker, whatever! She slapped around at a small desk in her room, accidentally knocking a mug to the ground that shattered, spraying paper clips and pieces of ceramic all over her floor. Papers went flying as she threw open drawers looking for something to write with. There, a permanent marker! Perfect! She grabbed at it, ripped off the cap, and went to cross out a line... and missed. The marker swept across the page, but a centimeter above the paper.
Karyn stared at it. What? No! Cross it off! She squeezed the marker and went to cross a line off, and missed again. She stabbed at the paper, and no matter what she did, just couldn't bring the marker to the paper, hitting a wall just above the paper.
What is going on? We had this solved! Karyn was hyperventilating. I've got to save Jon! I can't leave him like this! He must be terrified! I'm terrified! She grabbed at her head. Think, Karyn, think! Why doesn't this work? It worked before. WHY WON'T IT WORK?
She forced herself to breathe, but even then, she could feel the panic repeatedly breaking through the surface. What was the wish? How did I word it? She tried to think back. What had she said when they made the fix? I said... I said... I can review this list of things that Jon has copied, and be in my right mind when doing so, and... That was it, wasn't it? She wasn't in her right mind right now. She was panicking, and yes, it wasn't her intention to limit herself like that when she made the wish with the rock, but when did that rock ever interpret things cleanly and smoothly?
Karyn threw the notebook and the marker into a crossbody bag and threw it on, then added the wishing stone as well. Ok, I'm not going to be in a right mind until Jon is safe, am I? Well, maybe he needs me to save him first before I can get him to a safe location? I might not have a choice and might need to calm down first. She tried to breathe slowly, but it wasn't working. I need to go find him. I'm going to keep panicking until I at least see him. Even if I was able to cross things off right now, Sarah would probably find a way to add them back on, anyway. She stormed back downstairs.
Her mom called from the kitchen. "Karyn? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, totally, mom, don't worry!" Karyn could hear the panic trembling through her voice.
Thankfully, her mom just interpreted the panic she heard as Karyn being upset or angry. "I'm sory that Diamond didn't show up for your date, Karyn. Maybe she wasn't... I don't know. Just... be smart, okay? I'm here if you want to stay in with someone."
Karyn heard her mom call Jon 'Diamond' and heard the pronoun, and barked a quick laugh. "I'll be fine, Mom. Thanks. Back later." She opened the front door and practically ran out. Which way? Wherever Sarah was, probably, which was...
"The football game," Karyn muttered. And she took off at a full sprint back in the direction of the school.
