THE EIGHTH DAY...
"That's my cue to leave," Fiona said, her voice filled with venom as she snatched up her phone and shot Kimberly a withering scowl. "Fiona, wait!" I called out, but she was already storming off, her pink hair bouncing behind her like a furious halo.
I was left standing there, wondering what had just ignited the latest firestorm between these two. Kimberly Hart, usually a force to be reckoned with, slumped down in her seat, looking uncharacteristically defeated. "Can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, her eyes fixed on the table as if she was afraid to meet my gaze.
"Yes, yes, what's wrong?" I asked, sounding way too desperate, my mind racing with worst-case scenarios. Was this about my parents' messy divorce? Had something happened to her family?
"Not here," Kimberly said, her voice laced with a hint of fear, as she stood up and began to walk away with a trance-like determination. I followed her without a word, my mind reeling from shock. We walked out of the cafeteria, down the empty hallway, and onto the soccer field, where we sat down on a wooden bench. Thankfully, only a few kids were scattered around the field, oblivious to our drama.
Kimberly pulled her knee up to her chest and let her head fall with a soft thud, her rich brown hair spilling around her like a dark, silky veil. She looked more beautiful than I had ever seen her, but her eyes were dull, her skin pale, and her usual spark was nowhere to be found. She looked drained, lifeless, and it scared me.
"Chester, please don't take this estate away from us!" Kimberly begged, her voice barely above a whisper, her words sounding like a desperate plea. I was taken aback, my eyes widening in shock as I stared at her, my mind racing with confusion. What the hell was she talking about? My thoughts immediately went to Sukani, that fucking well must have done something again. Why Sukani? I felt like I needed a guidebook or a trailer to my life to keep up with all the twists and turns. It was like being tossed into a washing machine and expected to just roll with it.
"I don't understand what you're saying?" I asked, my voice filled with frustration and confusion. Kimberly Hart just stared into space, her eyes glazing over like a frozen lake, before turning to me, her eyes brimming with tears. "I overheard my dad's phone call with your mom last night," she said, her voice cracking like a broken mirror. "She's going to buy everything! The whole estate! The school, everything!" She spat out the words, her face contorted in anguish, before shutting her eyes, trying to dam the tears that threatened to gush out like a flood. The sight made my heart sink, things were going south very quickly, and it was worse than I thought.
It was just a wish, a whisper to the universe, why did it have to affect everyone around me? And Kimberly Hart, of all people? Not only her but everyone in the estate, their lives tangled in the chaos of my desire. I felt numb, unsure of what emotions to unravel - sadness, anger, or frustration? This wasn't about Kimberly Hart anymore; it was about me, my fate, and the uncertainty that loomed. What would happen to me after my mom buys the estate? We would definitely move to Santorini, Luxembourg, or even worse, Spain - a thought that made my stomach twist into knots. I remembered the words "boarding school" scribbled boldly in my Chronicle, it made my heart race with anxiety. I shook my head, trying to clear the fog, and turned to Kimberly Hart, who was clearly struggling to keep her emotions from spilling over like a overflowing dam. Without thinking, I placed my trembly hand on her shoulder. "I'll fix this, I promise," I said, trying to sound confident, but my voice betrayed me. She forced a weak smile, her eyes still brimming with tears. I looked at her beautiful face, her porcelain skin, and her piercing brown eyes, and smiled too, a fragile, reassuring smile.
For a while, we just sat there, both lost in our thoughts, the silence between us was thick and heavy like a fog that refused to lift. The only sound was the distant hum of the school's activities, a muted backdrop to our inner turmoil. After what felt like an eternity, Kimberly Hart stood up, her movements mechanical, and left without a word. Capital WIERD! But perhaps she was too hurt to speak. I decided not to go back to class. I had to see Sukani. The way to the well was still etched in my mind like a map, guiding me through the winding paths and overgrown bushes. I didn't care if my driver would come to pick me up; I had to go, driven by a desperate need for answers. Not like my parents were going to care or notice anyway, too caught up in their own worlds to worry about mine. I retraced my steps, just like I did the second time, my feet carrying me on autopilot to the one place that seemed to hold the truth. And there Sukani was, the well living its best life, its ancient stones bathed in the warm sunlight, serene and untroubled.
"Sukani, you scoundrel!" I yelled, my voice echoing through the air as I approached the well, my feet kicking up small clouds of dust. My reflection stared back at me from the water's surface. As I reached the well's edge, my reflection began to twitch and contort, its face stretching into a sly grin. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" I demanded, my words tumbling out in a furious rush. Sukani - or rather, my reflection - gave me the dead eyes, its gaze cold and unyielding. "Someone died or something?" it asked casually. I was dumbstruck. Sukani was worse than I thought - it was a heartless, manipulative...thing. I just stared at Sukani...my reflection...speechless, my mouth hanging open like a trapdoor. "What?!" Sukani asked, its voice dripping with false innocence. "No one's dead, and no one's in prison yet! As far as I know, your life's going great!" it said, its words sarcastic. "Yet?!" I yelled, my voice cracking with rage. "You motherfucker!" I spat, my fists clenched at my sides.
"I'm pretty sure you're talking about your father," Sukani said lazily, its voice filled with a nonchalant malice that made my skin crawl. "Eww!" I exclaimed, my face screwing up in disgust. "What? Did I say something wrong? That's basically what he does, isn't it? He fu..." Sukani's words trailed off, but I knew exactly where it was going, and I didn't want to hear it. "Shut up!" I yelled, my voice echoing off the surrounding trees. "Yeah, kiddo, yell at me one more time, and I promise you, you're gonna get reincarnated as a mosquito," Sukani sneered. "And I'm not joking!" it added, its eye - my reflection's eye - flashing red like a warning light. I swallowed hard, my heart racing, and took two steps backwards, maintaining a safe distance from the well, as if Sukani might reach out and snatch me in. "I deeply apologize for my misconducts," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, my eyes fixed on Sukani's glowing red eye. "Good!" Sukani replied, the red glow fading back to normal.
"Sukani, my life has turned upside down," I said, letting out a shaky breath that seemed to tremble with every word. I felt like I was standing on a cliff. "Kid, you go to school in an SUV, you have an art house in your home! Your mother owns the most expensive estate! What were you saying again?!" Sukani's response was like a slap in the face, its nonchalance adding to my turmoil. "What?!" I yelled, my voice cracking with frustration, my hands clenched into fists at my sides. "My parents are getting divorced! My dad has a mistress! I'm going to boarding school! I don't even know what's happening in my own life!" I concluded, panting hard, my words spilling out. Sukani kept mute for a while, its silence like a heavy blanket that suffocated me. And then, just as expected, it said, "so?" The word hung in the air, a dismissal of my pain. I felt like the earth should just swallow me whole, consume me with its indifference. "Look kiddo! I'm pretty sure we talked about the aftermath of the whole wish thing, so spare me the drama. You have two wishes left, let's go!" Sukani's voice was like ice, cool and calm. My jaw dropped, how could anyone be this callous? "Sukani, don't you get it? My life is crumbling. I have too many problems and not enough wishes to solve them." I yelled, my heart throbbing against my chest.
"I told you!" Sukani shot back. "You humans are pathetic, you can't wish your problems away. Make a wish and another problem erupts...that's just the duality of existence." Its voice reminded me of my own powerlessness. I stood there silently, knowing that I may have ruined my life. MAY HAVE! The uncertainty was suffocating. "Can I reverse it?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, my words trembling with fear. Sukani's response was casual. "Of course! You have two wishes left, you can unwish it." I let out a shaky breath, knowing Sukani too well, and asked, "Is there anything more I need to know?" Sukani's pause was like a warning bell, a signal that something was off. "Nothing important," it said, its voice flat. "Just that you have nine days and nine nights to reverse a wish. Anything above that, the wish becomes permanent! Irreversible!" The words dropped like a bombshell, exploding in my mind with devastating force. "Good thing is that two wishes made within nine days can be unwished with one wish."
I gasped in horror, my heart lodging in my throat like a stone. "But this is the eighth day..." I trailed off, the implications sinking in.