When Hope is Gone

Chapter 4

I stand, paralyzed with shock. She didn't get into that much trouble, did she? Then again, it's likely that her parents are a lot older that I am, and they probably have different views then me. Sure, I thought it was ridiculous, but they might have seen it as a real threat, seeing the need to punish their daughter. I pray she doesn't live in an abusive family. I don't recall Brooke ever making a wish before, but that doesn't mean anything. It's surprising how many people wish for death.

Death.

I will have to kill my own daughter.

Tears well up in my eyes as I begin to sob. I can't breathe. I feel like I'm falling, and falling, and falling, and that any second now I might hit the pavement, but I can't. I can only fall to my knees, grief overwhelming my entire body. My chest feels as if it might implode and explode at the same time, putting me out of my misery. But I know I'm not that fortunate.

Ash. No. Not Ash. Anyone but Ash. I can't breathe. What's life without Ash? She's all I have left. I rack my brain for some sort of loophole, some way around this hellish fate of ours, but I can think of nothing.

Nothing.

I am bound by magic to do whatever someone wished, even if they would regret it for the rest of their life. And I can do nothing about it.

Nothing.

Even so, there had to be some sort of loophole. Something to keep Ash from dying. But even in all of all my years of working here, I've never found one.

My sobbing turns to sniffles as I realize that there might be a way. I try my best to stop the panicked feeling in my chest, but the only thing I can do is stop the flow of my tears. Barely. It'll have to be enough, I think.

Trying to ignore the terror inside of me, I pull myself to my feet and call for the emergency elevator. I need to talk to Kristy.

***

The receptionist made a sour face as soon as she saw me. "What do you want?" She asks in her usual condescending tone.

I pause for a moment, trying to catch my breath. I ran as fast as I could. It still might not be fast enough. "I... I need to talk to you," I gasped, "I know that we haven't been too friendly towards each other in the past-"

At this, she raised her eyebrows as if to say that what I had just said was obvious. It was, of course, but I still couldn't think straight, and the growing pain in my chest is making it difficult to breathe.

"-but I need to... I need to ask you a huge favor," I say, trying to compose myself. "I need to know if there is any possible way to get around a wish."

Somehow her eyebrows manage to go up even further. "Even if there was," she says, "why would I tell you?"

Ouch. Not that you don't deserve it, I think. "Please," I plead, "I need to know."

She sighs. "If there were any way to refuse to grant a person's wish, that information would not be given out freely. Just think about what would happen if information like that would fall into the wrong hands! No one in the entire Universe would ever be happy again if someone kept denying-"

"Kristy!" I almost screech. I take a few shaky breaths to calm down. "Kristy, if this Wish is granted, my life will be over. If she dies, I have nothing to live for. I can barely function as it is." I look down at the desk, trying to hold back the tears.

Her eyes widen in surprise. "If she dies?" She asks in a frightened tone, "If who dies? What was the wish?"

I look into her eyes, failing to hold back my sorrow as I say, "Someone has wished for the death of my daughter."

A broken-hearted, understanding look overtakes her face. She nods and says, "Come with me."