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Back The Wishing Game Save as PDF
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

The line moves swiftly, and before I know it, it's Thea's turn.

She's giddy as she jumps on the stage. Stopping in front of Inu, she looks at him with stars in her eyes.

"Do I know you? You seem familiar." He frowns as he peruses her.

Her eyes widen.

"You remember me?" she asks in a small voice.

Inu smiles, taking a step closer to her.

"That little..." Cer mutters. I turn to him, but he's already gone. What...

He appears out of thin air onto the stage, grabbing Thea's hand and pulling her into the well with him.

"You're not supposed to go two at once," Inara cries out as she rushes toward them. But by the time both Inu and Inara get to the mouth of the well, they're already gone.

"You need to be more careful." Inara's eyes flash at her brother. "We can't afford any mistakes."

His brows furrow in confusion as he stares at the well.

"I could have sworn I've seen her before." He scratches the back of his head.

"You and your girlfriends." She rolls her eyes. "She could be any one of your flings and you wouldn't remember anyway."

"I'm not sure..."

The seconds pass, and Cer jumps out of the well, holding a wet and shivering Thea in his arms. Inu opens his mouth to address them, but one look from Cer and he takes a step back. Even Inara, who seemed on the verge of a fight, backs down, averting her gaze.

That is...odd.

Cer storms off the stage and deposits Thea on one of the seats—or rather, he drops her with a resounding thud. Fuming, she opens her mouth to rebuke him, but he's already turned his back to her, thereby ignoring her.

Yes, these siblings are very odd, indeed.

It's my turn to go onto the stage.

"Hello there," Inu greets me. "When you go in, think about your most ardent wish."

I nod, already picturing Nikki's face. Taking a deep breath, I jump.

Wha—

The fall is much steeper than I would have expected—at least a few hundred feet as I keep plunging down. Water breaks my fall and I sink to the bottom of the well. Still, I try not to be overwhelmed by fear as I focus on my wish.

Nikki. I want my Nikki to come back to me.

A pulsing light flashes from the ground up, charging at me and swallowing me whole. I open my mouth to cry out and water rushes in, yet my breathing isn't impacted. Somehow, I'm not drowning.

"Luce?" I hear an echo, accompanied by a soft caress.

My heart stops in my chest.

"Nikki?" I whisper, my eyes wide open as I search for him in the depths of the water.

"Luce," the voice is closer. Then closer.

NINE