FORTUNE: A FREENBECKY STORY

Chapter 38 😭

When Becky woke up that morning she felt physically, mentally and emotionally drained. The reality of what she had done to Freen had not hit her yet because she was still focussed on her Da.

Ma and Richie had already gone to bed by the time she came back home last night. It had been the 2nd night in a row she had done that. She felt a little bad so when she called out to them that morning her voice carried a hint of remorse.

"Richie! Ma!" She shouted

They were both already downstairs. Becky tip toed down to the ground floor of their home to find Ma and Richie at the breakfast table.

"Oh, Becca." Ma turned around.
For the first time in a long time Becky's mum was smiling. Richie and Ma were joking and playing around and that felt unfamiliar to Becky. She had just sacrificed so much in order to bring her father back but they seemed to be moving on.

"How are you sweetheart? You came in late again yesterday." Becky's Ma said tapping her on the head
Becky shrugged her hand off.

"I have the last essence" Becky said
"What?" Ma said
"Yeah, while you too have been trying to forget Da, I've been trying to bring him back" Becky scoffed

"What?"
Becky's Ma softened her expression and cupped Becky's face in her hand.
"Sweetheart, Da is not coming back" she said
"I told you I have all of Marlin's essence" Becky repeated

Her mother paused, confused
"How did you manage to do that? That makes me so happy sweetheart. Because I get to keep you with me." She said hugging Becky

Tears began to drop from Becky's mums eyes and Richie also began to cry. After a few minutes in her mums embrace becky unravelled. She felt relief, finally. For the last few weeks becky had been walking around in a congested state. She had continued to shove her emotions and anger and grief into a deep part of her psyche but in that moment when her Ma hugged her it was like her true self had finally come back to her.

Becky began to cry.

When their tears had dried up Ma asked becky to sit down.
"Becky, I want you to understand something. I'm so happy that you were able to find the rest of Marlin. It's the best news I've ever heard in my life but sweetheart, your Da is not coming back" she said
"What do you mean?" Becky asked

"Becky, a genie has three rules as it pertains to their wishes. One, You can't kill. Two, You can't make someone fall in love. Three, You can't bring someone back from the dead."

Becky's countenance fell. Her skin went pale. Reality hit. Everything Becky had done for the last few weeks had come to nought. Including what she had done to Freen.

That night Becky whaled in bed for hours, finally mourning her father. When she would wake up the following day her eyes were sore and head was aching but she got up.

It felt like all the feelings she had kept building up inside her had finally been released and with that came a sense of both physical exhaustion and mental relief.

Becky had been in bed facing the ceiling all morning when suddenly she started to hear a rustling in her first drawer.

She opened it up to find that the bottles of Marlin's essence had cracked open and merged. There was a blue mist forming around her bed stand. It gathered on the outside of the drawer.

Becky jolted to her feet but the mist edged closer and closer to her, like it had a mind of its own. Until finally it settled in front of Becky's eye-line.

-POP-
Marlin Appeared.

"Rebecca!" He said.