Chapter 40

Not a single thought entered my mind. My focus was entirely fixed on Fran. She had a sad smile, her eyes were unblinking. I remembered what it looked like when she laughed, when she smiled with me.

My mind was gone; there was only one thing to do.

A force field surrounded me, and I ran to her. The army of shadow men tried to stop me, but when they hit my force field, they disintegrated back into nothingness. Not a sound could be heard. The entire room was silent except for the moaning of the shadows.

I reached Fran’s body and knelt down, cradling her head in my arms. I looked for any sign that she could possibly be alive. Her eyes still wouldn't move. "Fran, wake up... Wake up," I whispered to her. I healed her broken bones back together, but she still wouldn't move. Talon took a step forward.

"DON'T YOU DARE MOVE, YOU SCUM!" I shouted at him with every fiber of my being. He stopped. "Steven, you are the healer... But she is already dead. The only way to stop this is to bring her back to life."

I didn't want to accept it, but she still wasn't moving. I could feel her hands getting cold.

"Steven, none of your current powers can bring back the dead, right?"

Something he said back at the warehouse popped into my head. Desires made our powers come to life. I wanted nothing more than to save her right now. I hugged her tightly. "It's okay, Fran. I'll protect you now." I wished to bring her back.

I remembered everything we had gone through. Our first time meeting each other. The time she saved me on the lonely night. When I asked her out. Our first date. Our first kiss. The way she made me feel.

Tears filled my eyes. "Come back... please." My heart grew tighter and tighter until it felt like I was choking. "Come back..." I felt a warm power shining out from within me. It was so bright that if you were to look at it, you could go blind. The light surrounded me as I held Fran, then it poured into her eyes, nose, and mouth.

gasp Suddenly, she shot up, awake and breathing.

"Fran!" I shouted and hugged her tighter.

She hugged me back, then tried to push me off. "Wait, Steven, I can't breathe!" I started to cry.

"What happened? Why are you crying, Steven?" I couldn't talk. I was too happy to see her alive again.

But then he spoke. "Hahaha! You did it! You actually did it, Steven!!! Amazing!!!! Everything is coming together!!! You can bring back the dead!"

The mood shifted instantly. "What are you grumbling about over there!" I growled as I scowled at Talon.

He smiled with crazy eyes. "Everything I've been working for. Everything I've done has been for this moment! To get you here! You were the only one who could do it!"

We were all stunned into silence. What was this maniac going on about?

"The first wish I ever received. Finally, I can finish it!"

Rebecca came up to us. The shadow men had all disappeared by now. Her eyes were wide. "What do you mean? The first..." She gasped, then covered her mouth.

"It can't be..." she whispered. Talon answered, "That's right, Rebecca. This was all for you."

He put his hand on the amber resin, and it started to crack.

shatter

The amber resin broke, and inside was a man with red hair, glasses, about 30 years old.

"Dad?" She looked confused. "But how? He disappeared! What did you do?"

Talon smiled and laughed uncontrollably. "I saved him, Rebecca! Haha. I saved your dad. I brought him back just like you wished!" Talon cradled Rebecca's dad in his arms and gently placed him on the floor. "He died that day, and they never found his body. When you made your wish, I went and found him from the car crash, then I put him in this amber resin deposit to preserve him! I did it, Rebecca. And now with Steven's new powers, he can bring him back to life!"

We were all shocked. He was talking like an asylum patient.

Rebecca got angry. "I mourned my father all these years, and you had him here the entire time! What's wrong with you!?"

Talon looked shocked. "But Rebecca, I thought you would be happy. I did this, all of this for you!"

This was the first time I'd seen Talon wear a different face: a panicked face. A sincere face.

"This isn't right, Talon!"

Talon got angry this time. "You're the one who wished it! What do you mean this isn't right!? You were the one who asked for her father to come back to you! He's almost here, Rebecca! Now all we have to do is get Steven to bring him back!"

Silence. Talon glared at me. "Do it, boy!" He commanded. I looked at Rebecca. Her face looked like she was torn. "Rebecca, do you want me to try?" I asked her, knowing that I would try either way now that the possibility was on the table. She scowled. "I don't care." She turned away and started walking. Fran grabbed her arm.

"Wait." She stopped walking but didn't look. "Rebecca, I know this doesn't feel right, but let Steven try."

Then Rebecca turned around. "And what if it doesn't work?! Am I supposed to just get my hopes up again!? I won't be able to live with losing him again! I can't do it! I can't! I just can't!"

Tears welled up and fell from her cheeks. "Don't make me lose him again... I can't do it..." she cried.

Leo came up next to her. "But Rebecca, what if it does work? You have to try. Even if all you get is a couple of seconds to say goodbye. It would be worth it." Once again, Leo said the words that none of us could say. Only his words seemed to reach her heart. She calmed down a little. sniff "Okay... Steven, do your best... I'll accept any results you give."

Suddenly, I felt a little relaxed as well. I don't fully understand my powers, but I knew that I had to try. I went to Rebecca's dad, and I noticed he was already healed. "How is his body healed, Talon?"

Talon glared at me with a suspicious look. "When you touched the tree and it absorbed some of your power, it healed his body. I couldn't do it myself. Fran's powers were needed so we could even open the amber resin again." I nodded, trying to understand, but honestly, it was a bit confusing.

I started to summon the power I felt when I brought Fran back. The light shone around me once again, and I poured it into Mr. Rose. It entered his eyes, mouth, and nose as well. He started to breathe, but it was shallow. His eyes flickered open, and he turned slightly toward me.

"Steven?" He was awake, but there was something wrong.

"It's not sticking. I have to keep pouring my power into him for him to stay! Rebecca, come and talk to him now while you can!" She hesitated, her face as pale as a ghost, then she dropped down onto her knees. "Dad!" He smiled.

"Rebecca? Is that you? Look how you've grown! A beautiful young lady!" He smiled with a warm smile.

Tears kept falling from Rebecca's face, and her dad wiped them away. "Why are you crying, my sweet rose? It's alright. I'm here. Tell me what's wrong."

She started crying uncontrollably. "Dad, I missed you so much! I wished I could have told you I loved you before you left. I'm so sorry I was mad at you that day! I'm so sorry!" Mr. Rose just smiled warmly.

"Oh, Rebecca, I love you dearly. You didn't hurt me. I'm sorry I've been gone all this time. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you when you needed me all this time, but I've been watching you. You've been doing well without me. I'm always with you." He pulled her head to his, and their foreheads touched. "I'll always watch over you."

Mr. Rose could feel it—my powers were becoming weak. "Rebecca, you won't be able to see me again. But know that I will always love you." He started to close his eyes. Rebecca's tears kept flowing. "Dad, I love you too..." My powers faded. I couldn't make my powers appear anymore. They were completely lost. This power was unique. I don't think I would be able to use it ever again. "I'm sorry, Rebecca. My powers are gone entirely."

blurgh cough

Talon was hunched over, coughing into his mouth. Blood was dripping from his mouth. We tried to help him, but he stopped us. His eyes looked relaxed and satisfied. He lay down and coughed again. More blood. "I'm sorry, I can't heal him, Rebecca. My powers are really gone for good." We watched in horror as we saw him slowly lose more and more blood.

He spoke with a raspy voice. "I know this isn't enough, but I'm sorry. None of you deserved to go through all that pain." He looked like a normal person. There was no crazy look in his eyes. He was dying. Rebecca tried to help him. "Talon, why is this happening?" He held her hand.

"It's okay. This was the deal I made when I promised to grant your wish. I had to put my life on the line to preserve him. This tree root has been draining me this entire time." Rebecca's tears were beginning to dry now, but she still held Talon closely. "Why did you do this?" She asked him gently.

Talon smiled. "You were the only one who showed me kindness... I had to do at least this much for you. You had forgotten that you even made this wish, hadn't you?" She nodded silently. He kept talking. "That's alright. You ended up making another wish too, but I never forgot your first one... This was the only way I could make it happen... Steven, Fran, I'm so sorry." A single tear left his eye. "I needed to be a monster to give Rebecca the chance to see her dad. I needed you to hate me. I'm okay if you hate me forever. Even you, Rebecca, you can hate me too... I'm sorry I played with your lives like it was some kind of game... I really am a monster." His human form started to fade away, and he returned to his original form: a crow. Rebecca held him gently in her arms. "Thank you, Rebecca. For still showing me kindness even when I've hurt you all so much. I'm awfully tired... I think I'll just close my eyes for a moment... Thank you..."

He never woke up after that. Rebecca held him and rocked him. We all waited there with her. And after some time had passed, Rebecca used her powers to dig a hole large enough for her dad and one for Talon. We buried them that day, under the warehouse. The staircase was sealed as if a magical barrier hid it away. It must have been Talon's powers that kept the staircase there at all.

We all went out, and as we exited the building, the sun rose over the mountain. It shined brightly, and we had to cover our eyes with our hands when we left the building. We walked home together but didn't say a word.

It was warm and bright that day. And we all left each other with a warm embrace and a smile.