Karyn watched as Jon fell out of sync with the other cheerleaders. He looked around, appearing slightly bewildered, then happened to glance up and see her in the stands. The smile that had been plastered on his face slowly adjusted to a warm, genuine, grateful look. He's back. He knows what is happening! He knows I'm here to help! Without wasting any further time, Karyn closed her eyes, took another centering breath, then focused on the list. Just keep working backwards at this point. Let's get him looking more like Jon.
She steadily and surely began crossing off the different copied features on the list. Eyes... nose... lips... cheekbones... She paused at freckles. Actually, I need to tease him about that one first, let's save that for now. Karyn crossed off the 10 items besides the freckles that were under Amber's already crossed-out thought patterns and Sarah's already crossed-out friend aspect. She glanced up to see Jon to look at his fixed face and... wait, where had Jon gone? Did he run off the field?
"Hey! Karyn!" And suddenly Sarah was stomping up the aisle, pointing right at her, looking furious. Oh fuck. I stopped paying attention to Sarah.
Sarah was in her face before Karyn could do anything. "Whatever you're trying to do, knock it off right the fuck now. I don't know how you're doing it, but you're going to stop, right now."
Anger flooded through Karyn, and she stood up, face-to-face with Sarah. "Are you kidding me? You brainwashed Jon! You entirely overwrote every bit of who he was!"
"Her name is Diamond, and she is perfectly happy. And I did it because you were going to use that stupid rock of yours and do something to me first!" Sarah seethed.
"We didn't do anything to you! But us potentially doing something someday justifies robbing Jon of any freedom or agency that he has?" Karyn shot back.
"He did this to himself with his own stupid wish!" Sarah shouted.
"Hey, um, maybe you two need to calm down a bit?" A middle-aged man had turned from the row in front of them and was trying to act as peacemaker. Actually, Karyn noticed now, everyone seated nearby was watching Sarah argue with her. When the head cheerleader comes marching off the fields and into the stands, people take notice, apparently.
"Back off!" Sarah snarled at the man, then turned her attention back to Karyn. "How are you removing the magic? I changed Diamond's mind so she wouldn't agree with you and you wouldn't be able to use the rock. How are you doing this?" She looked down at the notebook in Karyn's hand. "Is it something about that notebook?"
Karyn clutched the notebook to her chest. "Get away from me, Sarah!"
"It is the notebook, isn't it? Give it to me!" Sarah reached for it-
And suddenly she was being wrapped up in two beefy arms. "Leave her alone, Sarah!" Diamond was there, putting Sarah in a bear hug and lifting her off her feet, her Biff-copied arms returned to her.
"Let! Me! Go!" Sarah swung her head around, and tried kicking at Diamond, but Diamond held her tight. They were attracting even more attention now through all the stands, and the cheerleaders on the field had stopped their routines to watch the scene. Even some football players on the sidelines were pointing up at them.
"Jon!" Karyn's heart leapt in her chest. He's really back! Mostly! Kind of!
Sarah stopped thrashing, and focused laser-like eyes on Karyn. "Diamond, you need to let go of me right now. Here, copy off me." She gestured with her head back in Diamond's direction, and after a wisp floated up and back into Diamond, the muscular arms slowly released her. Diamond took a step back, clearly trying to move back in and help, but unable to hold Sarah back again.
"Now," Sarah tossed her hair. "Give me that notebook." She reached out and grabbed it, and tried to wrench it away from Karyn.
"No! Go away!" Karyn felt the notebook pull away from her chest, but her fingers held on as tight as she possibly could.
Sarah snarled, Karyn yelled, the notebook remained taut. Diamond watched, helpless, as the two girls pulled the notebook back and forth in a desperate tug-of-war.
Suddenly, Sarah faked a headbutt at Karyn. Karyn stumbled back but held on tight. Sarah tried to reach for the opposite end of the notebook but only caught the edge. The shift in tension caused Karyn to fall back into her seat.
RIP.
Karyn looked up. The notebook was still firmly in her hands, but the page that she had been crossing out items on - Sarah stood above her with half the page in her hand, ripped length-wise.
"No!" Karyn's eyes flashed down to the notebook. The one page, front-and-back, that had all the records of Jon's copying from the day, was half gone. All the other pages were still there, but the only one that had mattered...
Sarah looked down at the page in her hand, and smiled. "I'm guessing you needed this?" She kept her eyes locked on Karyn and began ripping the page into smaller and smaller pieces, letting the paper float away in the breeze. "Sucks to be you."
Karyn looked to Jon. Diamond stared back at her. Neither of them could figure out how to move.
Sarah finished shredding the page, and brushed her hands off on her skirt. "Now that that's out of the way, let's set some things back in order, like they should be." She started to turn to face Diamond. "Diamond, you need to-"
And that was the last word Sarah got out, as Karyn rose from her seat, set her feet, let loose a feral scream, and punched Sarah right in the teeth.
A collective gasp, and utter silence fell over the crowd and the field. One marching band trumpet halted mid-note. Several cheerleaders on the field were covering their mouths in shock. No one in the stands moved a muscle.
Sarah had fallen to her knees, her mouth agape, blood and bits of teeth all over her top and face. Karyn shook her hand in pain and grimaced, putting the rest of the notebook in her bag before stepping around Sarah to take Jon's hand. Sarah was crying and sputtering, trying to say things but in such pain that her words were coming out in awkward unintelligible screams.
"Let's go?" Karyn looked to her friend. Diamond slowly nodded back at her, and they quickly strode out of the stands before anyone thought to stop them.
