WISHES

by

Duckling

Chapter 7

The Chapters

INTRO

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

Frank clenched his fists in frustration. Suddenly, he crossed over to Callie and snatched the lamp from her hands before she realized what he was doing. Holding the lamp firmly in one hand, he gently rubbed it with the other.  

He channeled all his anger at Callie, his terror at having lost Joe and his irritation at the fruitlessness of Callie’s attempts into rubbing the lamp.  

Finally, as if in a trance, he stated simply: “I wish that Callie Shaw’s wishes had never been granted.”  

Suddenly a green light flashed, blinding the three teens as a rush of wind swept about the cellar. Frank felt himself knocked to the ground as the green light settled into a thick, suffocating cloud. Squinting into the acrid fog, he noticed that the two girls seemed to have been knocked to the ground as well. As quickly as it had come, the fog lifted, revealing the prone form of Joe Hardy a few feet away.  

Frank was at his brother’s side in an instant. The blond boy lay on his back, eyes shut, arms placed at his sides. Frank crouched down by his brother’s head.  

“Joe,” he called out softly, relief evident in his voice.  

Vanessa and Callie joined Frank beside the pale figure. “He looks . . . he looks dead,” Vanessa stammered fearfully.  

The older boy called his brother’s name again, this time giving him a slight shake. Still the blond boy remained motionless.  

Frank cautiously reached out and touched his brother’s face: it was frightfully cold. He sought a pulse, and finding a faint one sighed with relief.  

“He’s alive,” he stated solemnly to the two girls, “but his pulse is awful weak.”  

“Does he need an ambulance?” Vanessa asked shakily. Her relief at having Joe back was immeasurable, but his unresponsiveness worried her. She had expected him to be returned in the same state he had left in: physically fine.  

“I don’t know,” replied Frank, as he answered his brother’s girlfriend. He quickly and expertly looked his brother over for signs of injury. The Hardy brothers had been injured enough during the course of their detecting activities that this was a standard procedure in the Hardy family.  

Rolling back on his heels, Frank looked up at the girls. “He doesn’t seem to have suffered any injuries. Nothing that I can find anyway.”  

Just then, they heard a soft moan. The trio crowded closer to Joe, relief on all their faces.  

“Joe!” Frank cried out eagerly. “Come on baby brother, open your eyes.”  

Vanessa knelt down beside Frank and caressed her boyfriend’s cheek. “Come on Joe,” she pleaded, “come on babe, open your eyes. You’re scaring me.”  

Callie stood mutely as Frank and Vanessa cajoled Joe into waking. She was delirious with relief that Joe had been returned, and desperately wanted to join the others in encouraging him to consciousness, but guilt and fear prevented her from doing so.

She wondered bleakly if Frank could ever forgive her; if any of them could ever forgive her.

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