Wish by Moonstone

by Vanessa Haberkorn

  She wished she, Evan, Joby, and Oliver were all outside right now. Outside under the beautiful spring night, not a care in the world, and free to sit out on a grassy hill and talk. Little things like that people often didn't think about enough. Instead of appreciating how amazing life was, people were more concerned with the latest trends: technology, socializing, fashion, celebrities...

  But the humbling effect of staring up into the night sky, and feeling as if you were only a speck in the universe? Suddenly realizing how trivial most of your problems actually were? Wondering how many other people were also staring at the sky at this very moment.

  Samantha wasn't sure why, but she was aware of a heavy feeling in her chest. It almost made her tear up.

  She wondered if she and Joby would ever get the chance to sit under the stars together, while the weather was still pleasant. She could imagine them lying around together, talking, maybe cuddling and eventually falling asleep like that. It embarrassed her to think such things, but some days she really wanted this.

  However, her relationship with Joby wasn't that simple. After turning him down once a few years back, it would feel hypocritical to suddenly raise the issue herself. It would be as if she were toying with his heart, which was the last thing she wanted.

  At the time, they really hadn't known each other long. She had liked him, but it seemed too sudden. She couldn't even talk to her mother about it. But now...

  Now she wasn't so sure. Without the hormonal rush that went along with being a teenager, now she only saw Joby as being a great friend. She wasn't sure if she truly wanted their relationship to get romantic. She wasn't interested in sex or parenthood.

  She wasn't sure what she wanted, exactly. Someone to cuddle with under the stars? But she didn't have time to figure it out now. She needed to escape.

  Tearing her eyes away from the sky, she grabbed onto the bars of the window. She could barely reach them, much less get a good pull going. As her legs kept slipping into the wall, she suddenly had an idea.

  Leaning back, she put her feet up on the wall, almost like a mountain climber. Now she could use her feet to help provide leverage.

  Just as she was trying the fourth bar, she heard the door swing open.

  Immediately she let go, but not before snatching a flower off the bush.

  The guard approached her. "What the hell are you doing? I know I heard noises!" His red eyes flitted to the window.

  "I was just, uh, picking a flower," she held it up, "for my friend."

  The guard stared at her. "Picking...flowers?"

  She nodded. "Yes, sir."

  "What do you think this is? A playground? You are our living weapons! Stop acting like preschool girls!"

  Did he think the friend was a girl? Samantha actually had Joby in mind when she said the lie. The thought was amusing, but she couldn't allow herself to smile.

  "But my friend got me a flower." She motioned at the flower behind her ear.

  "Who cares! Sheesh!" The guard seized her arm. "Of all the stupid...! You're going back now. Lord Visero could fire me for this ― or worse."

  Once they were back to the cell, the guard shoved Samantha inside, closing the door after her and mumbling something about "dumb women."

  But who's the stupid one? she thought to herself. You really believe I was dangling from the window, picking flowers? Durr?

  As the guard marched out of sight, Samantha sighed. Their means of escaping were quickly dwindling down to not much. What now?

  Joby sat up. He didn't even look drowsy. Nights of roaming the street, leaving graffiti behind, had made him something of a night owl. "Where ya been?"

  "Oh, just picking flowers. For you." Beaming, she stuck it in his face.

  "Where'd ya get it from? It looks like... Hey, ya got it from the bathroom, right?" Smiling, he took the flower.

  "Yeah." She knelt down next to him. "The bars seem sturdy, though. I don't think we can get out through there."

  "We can be bud buddies!" He put the flower behind his ear and started laughing.

  "Shh." She motioned at Oliver's sleeping form before giggling.

  "Oh." Joby took off a petal and tossed it on Oliver's face. "She loves me... She loves me not..." He continued plucking it.

  Samantha joined in, letting one land in their friend's ear. "You know...we're having too much fun here. For being in a prison and everything."

  "Yeah, maybe." He blew one at her. "Everything's better with friends."

  "Too bad Evan couldn't be here." Catching herself, she laughed. "Like this is a pleasure cruise or something." She paused. "Hope he's okay though. Wherever he is."

  "Yeah. I'm sure he is." Joby put an arm around her shoulder. "He's probably off eating a hamburger somewhere right now."

  "Yeah." She leaned against him for a minute. Something about the warm weight of his arm made her feel vulnerable, emotional even.

  It was easy to be strong when nobody noticed how broken you truly felt.

  Suddenly her eyes burned and her throat tightened. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, somehow finding his shoulder in her blurry vision. She didn't know what came over her, but the tears refused to stop.

  "Aw, Samantha..." Holding her the best he could in their sitting embrace, he stroked her back. "Don't worry so much... We'll be fine. We all will."

  Early the next morning, the missions began.

  First a handful of the cells were emptied.

  Around lunchtime, a guard came for theirs. "You three, c'mon." He pulled the door open. "And don't even think of making a fast one. All it takes...is a push." He gestured at a button on his belt.

  Samantha, Joby, and Oliver filed out.

  So, this is it, Samantha thought to herself. We're about to be their weapons. Lovely.

  The guard addressed them. "You remember the stones that responded to you on your first day here, correct?"

  "Eh, the colors," Joby said.

  "That's good enough. You'll be given your respective stones soon. The braces will remain on you. As a...reminder to obey Lord Visero and his commands."

  "What are we gonna have to do?" Oliver had his arms crossed.

  "Lord Visero will explain. Come."

  They were led to an empty room, where the guard left them. Nothing on the white walls with their peeling paint. Nothing on the gray tiled floors. Nothing.

  Except for the electronic lock on the door, complete with a small keypad.

  "Think we're gonna have to assassinate someone?" Joby asked.

  Oliver made a face. "That's a big word for you, Joby. Congrats!"

  "You guys," Samantha hissed. "We need to figure out the code, before that Visero guy gets here. Joke around later."

  Oliver held his hands up. "Yes, ma'am. Go right on ahead."

  Stepping over to it, Samantha stared down at the keypad. Three rows with three numbers a row... It couldn't be that bad, right? Glancing back up at the small display, she noticed it had space for four digits.

  There had to be some trick to it. Every guard knew the code. Assuming it wasn't something relevant and easily memorable to them, there had to be a pattern.

  At least, she was hoping so.

  First she tried digits in a line: 7896, then 8963, then 9632 after that. She continued the clockwise pattern, then when this wasn't working, she tried counter clockwise.

  Joby stepped up to watch over her shoulder. "Ya know what you're doing?"

  "Uh... Sorta, kinda?" She finished the last set. "Damn it! Not taking."

  "Lemme try." Reaching over, Joby entered 1234. Nothing.

  She tried reversing this. Still nothing.

  "You know your chances of guessing it?" Oliver asked.

  "Better than just sitting here, picking our noses." She now began going across, going up one for the last digit.

  "The chances of guessing it are... Are like one in a... Nine times nine times nine times nine."

  "Oliver! You aren't helping!"

  "That's less than a o
ne percent chance."

  She glared over her shoulder at him.

  "Okay, okay! Sheesh! ...You got Evan's angry face. It's creepy."

  Joby laughed. "Just without his thick eyebrows! Oh, hey. Think they just repeated the same number?"

  "Didn't seem like it the way they moved their hands, but maybe it could be two pairs repeating." She began trying random sets.

  "Try six and nine!" Joby chuckled.

  "You really think the Tranludes would use sixty-nine as ―" Samantha stopped as the doorknob turned.

  Standing there was a tall Tranlude. While the slenderness made the other Tranludes look majestic and elegant, this guy only looked harsh and angular. From his triangular eyes to his defined cheekbones, he had the air of a general.

  Samantha backed away from the door, but she knew it was too late.

  With a swing of his arm, he had her by the hand. "Think you're so clever. You honestly believe I'm a fool?" He drove his fingernails into her flesh. "I could hear the buttons clicking. I could...hear all the goofing around." His red eyes twitched in the direction of Joby and Oliver.

  This Tranlude had a look in his eyes. Like a bomb about to go off.

  She tried to say something, but it ended in a stutter that trailed off.

  "Don't sound so smart now, do you?" His claw like fingers slipped down to her index finger, grasping it by the joint. "You can be my first example. Let's see how well you can type now." He wrenched her finger backwards.

  She screamed.

  "Stop it!" Joby slapped away his hand. "Don't touch her!" He stood between them, glaring at the Tranlude for a second before glancing back at Samantha.

  Whimpering, she could only clutch her finger. The terrible searing pain made her sick to her stomach. Was it broken? The throbbing felt like kicks.

  "I'm Lord Visero!" the Tranlude boomed. "I can do anything I want!"

  "I don't care who you are! You can't just go around hurting people!"

  For that, the Tranlude slapped Joby across the face. The blow knocked him back into Samantha, who grabbed onto him.

  She'd always heard how Tranludes were much stronger than humans. Getting into a fight with one wouldn't help things.

  When Joby started to step forward, she pulled at him. "No, Joby!"

  "But he ―"

  "Let it go." Her hold on his arm turned into a rub. "Please."

  "But he..." He sighed. "Fine then." He stepped back so he was next to her, but continued to shoot defiant looks at Lord Visero. Oliver slowly joined their lineup.

  Lord Visero scanned the three friends, making eye contact with each in turn. Samantha was again struck by the ferocity that the two small triangles could contain. "Now then... I want to make this perfectly clear." He took a few steps, stopped and turned back to them. "I've been hearing how your cell is the happiest one. How you have the audacity to laugh, and smile, and pick flowers for one another..." His eyes landed on the one still behind Samantha's ear. "This is a prison, you empty-headed fools. I could order your deaths any second. I could order you to kill each other, just by the press of a button." He jabbed something hidden in his pocket.

  Samantha felt a jolt from her brace. Judging from the grimaces of the boys, they did too.

  "You eat only by my grace! You drink only by my grace!" Lord Visero shoved Oliver. "You have bathroom breaks only by my grace!" He turned to meet Joby's unwavering glare. "And you will live only by my grace. You will follow my every instruction, or you will die. Is that clear?"

  A heavy silence.

  "Is...that...clear!"

  "Yes," Samantha forced herself to say.

  Lord Visero eyed the boys.

  "Yes," Oliver spat.

  "Pff. Yeah, whatever," Joby said. He was nudged by Samantha.

  Lord Visero continued to stare at him awhile longer before heading back to the door. "You are forbidden from smiling and laughing. If I hear anything of it, you will receive punishment." He spun around, motioning at Samantha. "Like she did. You won't need your fingers to perform the tasks I require of you. Now then..." He left the room, closing the door with a self-important slam.

  Samantha rushed to the door, pressing her ear up against it.

  "How's your finger?" Oliver asked her.

  "Shh." Straining her ears, she could hear Lord Visero's footsteps heading down the hall. Dimmer, dimmer...then the slam of another door.

  There was no time to lose. Using her middle finger, she went back to entering in sets of numbers.

  "What're you doing?" Oliver came over. "Do you want to lose a hand?"

  "We need to get out of here."

  "Samantha," Joby said, almost sadly.

  She continued typing away, trying to ignore her swelling index finger and its endless throbbing. It felt as if it were about to explode in any second.

  Chapter 16

  "This is your last chance, boy."

  Evan watched helplessly as the Tranlude researcher extended yet another moonstone. "This had better be it for you."

  With a shaky breath, Evan laid his hand on top of the stone. It sat there, as cold and unresponsive as every other. All he could do was stare at the Tranlude.

  "Well, then..." The stone was pocketed. "Nothing personal, but we've wasted enough time on this." The Tranlude was covered in an oversized hood, not even allowing a glimpse of his face. "We have no choice: we must kill you."

  Evan's heart gave a throb in protest. "Wh... But I can't help it!"

  "You know too much at this point. It's obvious you'll ruin our plans."

  "No! I mean... I won't say a word!"

  "Yeah. Sure." The Tranlude turned to leave.

  "Come on!" Evan started after him. "You were the ones who dragged me here! This isn't my fault!"

  "Sorry."

  "Just sorry? That's it?"

  The door was shut in his face.

  "Damn it... Damn it!" Evan pounded on the door. "You can't do this! Let me out! Let me outta here!"

  Was this really it? Was going to class that day really going to cost him his life?

  Absurd.

  Screaming every curse word that came to his mind, Evan tried everything. He punched the door, kicked at it, attacked it.

  But it held firm.

  He was going to die because a stupid stone wasn't doing what it was supposed to.

  Or was it him? Figures Evan, who wanted nothing more in life than to just blend in, was always the odd exception to things.

  Two and a half years ago, he was the one who had to be cursed by a kitsuné, subsequently leading him to show signs of "contamination" and "evil" enough that his classmates wanted to kill him. Outside of his usual faithful friends ― Samantha, Oliver, and Joby ― the rest thought he was a monster.

  Evan.

  A monster.

  He was just a normal lazy guy who'd rather play video games than study for his exams! And now, of course he'd be the only one who didn't possess whatever spiritual energy that the moonstones reacted to.

  Actually, Evan suddenly wondered, maybe the kitsuné and its curse has something to do with it. Even though it's been lifted, maybe it's causing the stones not to respond to me.

  Maybe, if I told the Tranludes this... But then he sighed. They probably wouldn't care at this point. All they wanted was for him to be able use a stone. The reasons why he couldn't would be trivial in their eyes.

  He was about to die.

  "C'mon!" He hit the door with both fists. "This isn't my fault, you bastards! Damn it, damn it!"

  Suddenly there was a voice outside: "Will you chill out? Sheesh!"

  He paused. "Isis?"

  "Yeah, yeah. Call me a bitch too."

  "Isis! They're going to kill me!"

  "Or so I've heard. Keep it down!"

  "But you have to get me out of here!"

  "I will, but I can't if you keep bringing attention to yourself! Just shut up for a minute!"

  This wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear, but Evan managed to bite his tongue.

 
After several seconds had passed, he heard a low laugh. "For being so quiet, you've got a big mouth when you're ruffled."

  "Ruffled? But they're gonna ―"

  "Hush! ...Anyway, I wasn't planning to do this today, but if what you're saying is true, I have no choice. I need to talk to someone for a second, to make arrangements. I'll be back."

  "No! Isis!"

  A heavy sigh. "What now?"

  "What...What if they kill me before you get back?"

  "I'll only be a minute! Wowzers! You're not the only one in this hall, you know. They'd go down the line if anything."

  Evan thought about this. "So, where am I on the order?"

  "You're second."

  "What?"

  "Oh, don't start this again! Just...shut up till I get back. And before the first person dies because of your big mouth."

  Evan grimaced. "Just hurry."

  "I feel for your mother." Footsteps disappearing into the distance.

  With a sigh, Evan sat down with his back against the door. He wanted to think he was in good hands. Isis Abraham was a cop, after all. He was sure she had a whole team of policemen already in place inside the warehouse, just waiting for the word.

  But where were the others? Were his friends here somewhere?

  "You want us to what?" Oliver fumbled with his orange moonstone. "Destroy Fayville!"

  The guard nodded. "Yes. That is Lord Visero's orders for you."

  Samantha sought out Joby's eyes. Although his were brown to her blue, they both contained the same feelings: shock and dread.

  Fayville was their home. Every piece of their pasts lied there, each with a memory tied lovingly ― or sometimes painfully ― to it.

  This was worse than anything Samantha had expected.

  "We grew up in Fayville!" Oliver stared down the hill, at the sleepy town below. "Our parents are down there! All our teachers and some classmates too!"

  "Lord Visero said ―"

  "Lord Visero can kiss my ass!"

  For this, Oliver was awarded with an electric shock that made him scream.