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Back The Wishing Game
Chapters (66)
  1. PREFACE
  2. Full Page Image
  3. ONE
  4. TWO
  5. One week ago
  6. THREE
  7. Present day
  8. FOUR
  9. FIVE
  10. SIX
  11. SEVEN
  12. EIGHT
  13. NINE
  14. TEN
  15. ELEVEN
  16. TWELVE
  17. THIRTEEN
  18. FOURTEEN
  19. FIFTEEN
  20. SIXTEEN
  21. SEVENTEEN
  22. EIGHTEEN
  23. NINETEEN
  24. TWENTY
  25. TWENTY-ONE
  26. TWENTY-TWO
  27. TWENTY-THREE
  28. TWENTY-FOUR
  29. TWENTY-FIVE
  30. TWENTY-SIX
  31. TWENTY-SEVEN
  32. TWENTY-EIGHT
  33. TWENTY-NINE
  34. THIRTY
  35. THIRTY-ONE
  36. THIRTY-TWO
  37. THIRTY-THREE
  38. THIRTY-FOUR
  39. THIRTY-FIVE
  40. THIRTY-SIX
  41. THIRTY-SEVEN
  42. THIRTY-EIGHT
  43. THIRTY-NINE
  44. FORTY
  45. FORTY-ONE
  46. FORTY-TWO
  47. FORTY-THREE
  48. FORTY-FOUR
  49. FORTY-FIVE
  50. FORTY-SIX
  51. FORTY-SEVEN
  52. FORTY-EIGHT
  53. FORTY-NINE
  54. FIFTY
  55. FIFTY-ONE
  56. FIFTY-TWO
  57. FIFTY-THREE
  58. FIFTY-FOUR
  59. FIFTY-FIVE
  60. FIFTY-SIX
  61. FIFTY-SEVEN
  62. FIFTY-EIGHT
  63. FIFTY-NINE
  64. SIXTY
  65. SIXTY-ONE
  66. SIXTY-TWO

"What? Of course not. The Wishing Well collects all the wishes. Think of it as locking in your wish before the game starts."

"Oh." I nod slowly. "So once you make your wish, you can't change it?"

"No. The wish you start the game with is the wish you end the game with."

We take our places in line. Thea is in front of me and her brother stealthily joins us, giving death stares to everyone around.

I crane my neck to see what's happening at the end of the line. The first person walks up to the stage, stopping right by the hole in the ground.

He exchanges a few words with Inu and Inara before he takes a step forward, plunging into the hole.

"What?" I gasp.

He resurfaces a second later. His clothes are wet—a sign that there is an actual well and not just a metaphor. He has a wide smile on his face as he walks to the side of the stage, getting down and taking a seat at a table. He seems fine, but that doesn't make me any less wary about this.

Think of Nikki, I urge myself. I'm already down the road of no return—I have no family, no home, and a warrant on my name. There's nothing waiting for me outside of this. No matter how crazy it gets, at least there's a chance that at the end of it all I'll have my husband back. For that sliver of hope, I'm willing to put aside all my disbelief and surrender to this madness.

Surprisingly, the line moves fast. Even with at least a couple hundred people in here, it takes only a few seconds for each person to jump in and be right back out. As we reach closer to the stage, I see that Inu and Inara greet every person in turn, exchanging platitudes.

"That's nice of them," I mention to Thea.

"Isn't it?" She sighs dreamily. "I can't believe I'll get to talk to him."

While Thea gushes about Inu and his celebrity status, I continue to look around, studying the other participants and wondering what their wish could possibly be. Now that I know most are not human, I see them with different eyes, and I can't help but wonder how their different advantages will play out during the game. Inu had mentioned that this will not only be us against the trials, but also against the other participants. Does that mean that suddenly everyone here is an enemy?

Despite the fact that my injuries have healed, I am aware that I'm neither the strongest nor the fastest person for a human. Compared to mythical creatures? I likely don't stand a chance. Regardless of that, though, I have something they don't—my love for Nikki. Conviction slowly fills me as I envision having him by my side once more. For that, I'm able to withstand anything—even the deepest circles of hell.