The Wishing Well

Chapter 16

Hey guys!

It's with a grateful, heavy heart that I present to you the last chapter of The Wishing Well. Soon I'll be editing it and hopefully one day I can get it published.

If you're wondering what took me so long, it's this: I've spent the last two weeks organizing a book cover reveal for a novel I'm publishing this month called Dissonance. And I'm sharing the first chapter of Dissonance with you. Just finish Chapter 16 of The Wishing Well and read on—I can't wait for you to meet Allie!

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The next day they had breakfast in silence, perhaps too shocked after what happened the night before. Words simply wouldn't come. Though she still wasn't angry with anyone after what happened, it couldn't stop her from feeling a bit of shock. She was afraid to say anything to anyone because it would put them in danger. As soon as they were finished with their pathetic meal of stale cereal, Olivia went for a walk alone. Fear or not, she had to get a move on.

Now she was returning to the wishing well for another look. It didn't make much sense, and it wasn't really much safer coming here in the daylight than at night. At least she could see better, and if something happened, it wouldn't be difficult to see the sidewalk as she fled. If anything, there were less chances of her tripping on the way back to the house. Without a doubt, now was the best time to come here when she really had to.

Olivia stopped in front of the schoolhouse, shuddering a little in the breeze. She turned and watched for a few seconds as the unicorn crossed the street. It was a pearly gray, and so graceful; the creature was so beautiful, but too bad there was evil inside it. Was it a tame unicorn, then? If she decided to go pat it on the head, would it attack her? The garden statues weren't that violent, at least, not like they could be. A few gargoyles liked to break windows, but that was it.

She gave up and turned to the well once more. Her fingers traced over the carvings on its surface. They found Winterland again, something that was a part of her yet eerily frightening. Thinking of it was like contemplating moving to some faraway land where they spoke a different language and had customs so distinct from hers that it was frightening. Olivia thought all of this based off no evidence whatsoever, since she'd never been there and didn't want to go. The only way for her to find answers would be to ask Shanna.

But she didn't want to be in the same room as Shanna, much less seek her out for answers. Olivia thought of going to ridiculous extremes to avoid it. The wishing well could get her the answers, too, one way or another. If she dared do what was on her mind now, Olivia would land on the tragic answer. Yet it would still get answered, and she would have time to share her knowledge with someone else before something happened. Perhaps she could use her bond with Ian to tell him everything during her last moments.

Even as she considered the idea, Olivia knew it was ridiculous. It wasn't worth killing herself for this...was it? She didn't even know anymore.

Ian's words broke into her reverie. You are being ridiculous. It was one of the few moments she wished her thoughts were her own; yet, Olivia knew he said this because he cared for her, and appreciated that.

Any way that works, she told him in reply, slowly turning away from the well. I have to get the answer somehow.

Yes but that's mad, he retorted. You can't use the wishing well. There are other, safer ways to learn what there is to know.