Chapter 35

Rebecca's wish didn’t come as a complete shock. Fran was pouting again, but she didn’t seem furious this time.

"Why is Talon so set on making wishes come true? Can't he see how much trouble he’s causing for everyone?" I said it without thinking. Rebecca's face got a little sadder. I realized what it sounded like I was saying: that I didn’t want to be close to Rebecca, and that she was more of a hassle than even a friend.

Even though she looked a little upset, she spoke. "It’s fine, like I said, I don’t think it will come true anymore, so I’m not worried about it."

Leo got upset on her behalf. "Steven! Apologize to the lady!" His high energy and ultimate loyalty to Rebecca helped to lighten the mood. I apologized. "You're right, Leo, I’m sorry, Rebecca. That isn’t what I meant. I really only meant that if getting you closer to me was the goal, then this was the wrong way to do it." After all, I still enjoyed Rebecca's company; she was still a friend to me.

Rebecca closed her eyes in regret. "Yes, I can see that you were always kind enough to talk to me. The way Talon handles things is severe, but it almost always brings results. Just look at his shadow army; those are all wishes he has granted. He is quite capable of making anything happen. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him not fulfill a wish... Sometimes his power changes in a way he can do the supernatural, and other times he makes it happen through pure hard work... It’s a little scary thinking about it. He is incredibly smart, and he plans for the future. He accounts for several possibilities before they even happen."

Hearing about Talon’s abilities made things seem a little more daunting. I had fought him firsthand; I know how terrifying his abilities are.

Flashbacks of when he hit me like a punching bag back at the warehouse came flooding in. I shivered.

Rebecca continued. "I left his side because I couldn’t support his actions any further. I should’ve left a long time ago..."

Her face became more determined. "So Leo, take us to the amber chamber, and we will put an end to his dark deeds for good!"

Leo bowed his head like a knight and held Rebecca’s hand again. She quickly retracted her hand out of surprise and shyness. She was getting a lot of attention today.

"Yes, my queen..." Leo stood up, turned on point, and stretched his arm forward, showing us the way. "Onward, men! We must protect the queen at all costs." He was silly, energetic, and delightful, honestly, just what we all needed in this moment. Usually, Fran would fill that role, but she was smiling in relief that she could take a break for the day.

We came to the warehouse in the middle of the night. Surprisingly, there were no shadow men, though. "What’s going on?" I whispered.

It seemed like it was abandoned almost. We went inside, and all of Talon’s things were still set up, but this time there was a staircase leading down to a basement area. It wasn’t there the first time I was here. "That’s new."

Rebecca chimed in. "It’s likely always been there, but Talon is a specialist in illusions." Just then, we heard the clang of a metal can falling from a shelf.

Clang Krerrrrrrrr

"Ah, crap!" A young man’s voice from behind us echoed in the warehouse building. There stood Logan, who was chasing a metal can that was rolling towards us. He picked it up and then looked at us. Then he smiled in shame and scratched his head like he'd been caught doing something bad.

"Ah, sorry, guys... Didn't mean to startle you all... I was looking for Fran and found out she was staying at your place tonight, and then I found you guys on the roof. I didn’t want to interrupt, so I just waited in the tree... But then I saw you guys leaving, so I decided to follow... Uh, sorry. It just kind of happened that way."

Fran was extremely confused. "Who’s this guy?" Logan looked like he was just shot in the heart, and his jaw dropped. Rebecca filled her in. "That’s Logan. The boy you’ve been seeing for the past week."

Fran’s eyes widened in realization. I saw her expression and remembered what happened back then. I looked away and tried to distract myself, but then Fran spoke again.

"Well, you should know. That’s my boyfriend!" She was pointing straight at me. Fran didn’t care what it might've looked like from Logan’s perspective; instead, she said it like it was.

Logan’s knees gave out, and he knelt down in despair.