her head angrily. "Whoever is left has her tears, as many as he can make her shed. He can anticipate everything." She ran a hand through the uneven, short black hair. "Will I pass?"
"Pass?"
"Can I go into the boy's room like this?"
"Why do you want to go into the boy's room?"
"Haven't you ever heard that thing about criminals always returning to the scene of their crimes?"
"Crys, you haven't thought this out. Of course he's going to return to the scene of the crime — it's the fucking boy's room."
Crystal stared at him. "Whatever happened to laid-back old retro-hippie Sean?"
"Not enough drugs."
"Well then, maybe you'll be awake and aware enough to watch my back."
He stared across the street at the double doors. "How can I watch your back if you go into the school? It's pretty obvious I don't belong."
She looked both ways for cars and dashed across 18 th Street. "When did that ever stop you before?" she called over her shoulder.
He rubbed his thumb and fingers together. "I wish I can keep you from harm," he murmured to himself.
****
Crystal was afraid someone would recognize her, but either all her classmates were blind, or she looked different enough to be invisible in the anonymity of the big high school. She — her new self — was inclined to think the former.
She passed the rows of lockers, passed couples making out in their free period, passed the closed doors of classrooms, until she finally reached the boy's room where Brooke had first suffered for her magic. She wondered who the third guy was. For some reason she knew there were three, as she had known the gag in Brooke's mouth, known the blows she had suffered. The two who had died had been from the West Wing, not guys who would have known her and Brooke as people, guys who could use them as a means to an end, a way to make wishes come true.
She pushed open the door to the john, to the smell of cigarette smoke lingering in the air and the row of urinals against the wall. She hardly had time to look around before a hand shot out and clapped her across the mouth.
She'd found him.
"I finally got my wish," he muttered against her ear as he moved her back with him, one of those cones in hand that janitors used to block the doors when they were cleaning. He inched the door open and put it in front.
"Now," he said. "If you want to see your sister again, you're going to keep quiet and walk out of here with me like we're the greatest buddies in this school."
Crystal nodded and the guy took his hand off her mouth. The other hand was holding her arm painfully up behind her back. She twisted around to see who he was.
"Peter Glass," she said. He was blond and tall and captain of the football team, one of the most popular guys in the school. What did he need their tears for?
"That's right, babe. You came to me, just like I wanted." He graced her with his All-American grin. "After what happened to Damon and Steve, I figured I'd better hold off with my wishes until I had the other twin. So all I wished for was you."
The door of the john slammed open.
"But no good can come from it," Sean said. "Because that's what I wished." He slammed a bony fist into Peter's jaw. Peter dropped Crystal's arm and turned on Sean, who was shaking his aching hand and backing away.
Crystal leaped on Peter's back, screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Bitch!" Peter yelled, trying to shake her off, pounding on the thighs clinging around his waist. Crystal held on tight and bit him hard on the back of his neck. Peter screamed.
Then people were pouring into the bathroom, pulling her off Peter, holding back Sean. "Don't let him get away!" she yelled. "He has my sister!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Peter said. "I don't even know who you are!"
"You okay, Pete?" a big guy who was holding Sean asked. In the distance, Crystal could hear sirens. Well, at least that meant that Peter couldn't get her this time.
And she now knew who her enemy was.
"She bit me," Peter said,
"Pass?"
"Can I go into the boy's room like this?"
"Why do you want to go into the boy's room?"
"Haven't you ever heard that thing about criminals always returning to the scene of their crimes?"
"Crys, you haven't thought this out. Of course he's going to return to the scene of the crime — it's the fucking boy's room."
Crystal stared at him. "Whatever happened to laid-back old retro-hippie Sean?"
"Not enough drugs."
"Well then, maybe you'll be awake and aware enough to watch my back."
He stared across the street at the double doors. "How can I watch your back if you go into the school? It's pretty obvious I don't belong."
She looked both ways for cars and dashed across 18 th Street. "When did that ever stop you before?" she called over her shoulder.
He rubbed his thumb and fingers together. "I wish I can keep you from harm," he murmured to himself.
****
Crystal was afraid someone would recognize her, but either all her classmates were blind, or she looked different enough to be invisible in the anonymity of the big high school. She — her new self — was inclined to think the former.
She passed the rows of lockers, passed couples making out in their free period, passed the closed doors of classrooms, until she finally reached the boy's room where Brooke had first suffered for her magic. She wondered who the third guy was. For some reason she knew there were three, as she had known the gag in Brooke's mouth, known the blows she had suffered. The two who had died had been from the West Wing, not guys who would have known her and Brooke as people, guys who could use them as a means to an end, a way to make wishes come true.
She pushed open the door to the john, to the smell of cigarette smoke lingering in the air and the row of urinals against the wall. She hardly had time to look around before a hand shot out and clapped her across the mouth.
She'd found him.
"I finally got my wish," he muttered against her ear as he moved her back with him, one of those cones in hand that janitors used to block the doors when they were cleaning. He inched the door open and put it in front.
"Now," he said. "If you want to see your sister again, you're going to keep quiet and walk out of here with me like we're the greatest buddies in this school."
Crystal nodded and the guy took his hand off her mouth. The other hand was holding her arm painfully up behind her back. She twisted around to see who he was.
"Peter Glass," she said. He was blond and tall and captain of the football team, one of the most popular guys in the school. What did he need their tears for?
"That's right, babe. You came to me, just like I wanted." He graced her with his All-American grin. "After what happened to Damon and Steve, I figured I'd better hold off with my wishes until I had the other twin. So all I wished for was you."
The door of the john slammed open.
"But no good can come from it," Sean said. "Because that's what I wished." He slammed a bony fist into Peter's jaw. Peter dropped Crystal's arm and turned on Sean, who was shaking his aching hand and backing away.
Crystal leaped on Peter's back, screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Bitch!" Peter yelled, trying to shake her off, pounding on the thighs clinging around his waist. Crystal held on tight and bit him hard on the back of his neck. Peter screamed.
Then people were pouring into the bathroom, pulling her off Peter, holding back Sean. "Don't let him get away!" she yelled. "He has my sister!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Peter said. "I don't even know who you are!"
"You okay, Pete?" a big guy who was holding Sean asked. In the distance, Crystal could hear sirens. Well, at least that meant that Peter couldn't get her this time.
And she now knew who her enemy was.
"She bit me," Peter said,
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