A Wish Come True

The sun is shining brightly outside and the breeze begins to pick up. The air outside is fairly warm and pleasant. All is well in Seattle Washington, all is peaceful, all is quiet...except in the room of a boy...a boy named Joseph King. An alarm is buzzing in the room so loud the windows are vibrating. It is just another typical day for Joseph. He opens his eyes and sits up in bed. Yes, just another day, well, most would call it a special day...a birthday. Joseph shuts off his alarm and stands up, letting the blue covers of his bed slide off of him to the floor, leaving him in his black briefs.

Joseph is an average American teen. He is seventeen years old at the moment, five foot ten, and a bit ornery in the morning. His hair is a nice shade of maple wood brown and is long enough to cover his eyes completely and come down to the bridge of his nose. His hidden eyes were a nice copper-like color and shined in the light...whenever his hair parted and let the light through. Joseph is also a prime example of the typical 'not-too-white' kind of white skinned male, you know, the 'perfect' skin tone for a regular guy? Yeah, that white.

Joseph runs a hand through his hair and smooths it out, making it cover his eyes like normal. Whenever his mother would come to visit she would always nag him on having it trimmed. Nobody could understand how Joseph could see through his hair. That was his secret; he could see through his hair just like glass because his eyes were a perfect 20 – 20. Joseph starts mumbling and walks through his open doorway.

Right from his room he walks into the kitchen, where his sister is already eating a plate of bacon. His sister's name is Tanya King. She is twenty years old, her hair is long and red, her skin's the same shade as Joesph's, and right now she's dressed in a simple white nightshirt and long pink bottoms. Her shirt was baggy, but it didn't matter, for she didn't have very big bumps to look at, mostly it was her pretty face that got attention.

Tanya and Joseph were a few years apart, but still. They were the only ones in their apartment as well. They both moved out of their parent house for some unknown reason, but Tanya still watched after her brother as if he was her own kid.

She looks up at her brother. "Hey bro," she says through a mouth full of food. She swallows. "How's your morning."

"The..." he paused for a yawn, "...The same."

"Here," Tanya said bluntly, tossing him a blue robe. "Just because I'm your sister doesn't mean I like seeing you in your underwear."

Joseph grumbles as he puts on the clothing. He ties the waist strap and sits down. "I can't see how you can stomach that kind of food."

"I'm not a vegetarian, unlike some people," she teases.

"I can't stand meat, so what? It a healthy lifestyle." He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, let's not start the morning off like this."

"Yeah, I don't wanna get you upset, you know how your emotions can get the better of you."

She was right, after all. Joseph was born an odd baby, and his childhood was the same. Something in his head didn't get wired correctly and his emotions are acutely connected, and he's easy to anger. Anger turns to sadness, to fury, then back to nothing in a matter of moments.

After a moment of silence Tanya taps the table to get his attention. "Hey, I know it's not much, but..." She reaches under the table, probably in her lap, and grabs something. She returns and puts a small paper plate with a chocolate cupcake with a small candle on the table. She takes a lighter from somewhere in the kitchen and lights the candle. "Happy birthday Joseph."

Joseph smiles. "...Thanks sis."

"No problem Joe. Your seventeen now, right?"

"Yep."

She smiles. "Blow out your candle and make a wish."

Joseph puts a hand to his chin and think. All his life he's been a screw up. He doesn't have any friend besides his sister, at school he's the main target for bullying , and he's only good at technology. He remembers how he was able to make a computer from a broken keyboard, a television, and various car parts and chips. Then his thoughts go back to school. Nobody likes him. He's an outcast. He doesn't even fit in with the geeks, nerds, techies, or weaklings. Everyone picks on him...

Joseph sniffs and inhales. He blows out the candle. "...I wish...that I could start over. I wish that I could wipe my slate clean, to begin all anew. Yeah." Joseph stands and puts his fits on the upper part of his hips. "I wish that I could kill my power, reboot and start all over!"

"Joseph, calm down." Joseph looks at his sister and sits down. She reaches over the table and pokes him in the chest. "You don't have to start over, just try to...be nice." Tanya looks over at the clock. "Damn, it's already eight. I gotta get to work." She stands and walks off into her room.

Joseph looks back at his cupcake and picks it up. He picks out the candle and flicks it back on the plate. "...Happy birthday." He tosses the pastry in his mouth in one bite, paper wrapping and all. After a few chews, he reaches inside his mouth and pulls out the wrapping. It's crumpled and has traces of chocolate, and Joseph places it back on the paper plate with the candle.

Tanya comes back out of her room wearing a black dress with black high heels and her dark red purse. Her hair is straight and down flat. "...Now, I'm off to work."

"Since when do you work on a Saturday?" Joseph asks.

"I traded Brittany a shift. I have her Saturday, she has my Monday." Tanya goes over to the door, which was right next to the table. "What are you going to do while I'm gone? I need to know just in case."

"I'm gonna do what I always do on Saturday."

"Loiter around legal areas and walk the town?"

"Yep. Probably going to the park."

Tanya nods. "Okay, stay out of trouble and stay safe."

"Yeah, whatever."

Tanya closes the door behind her and Joseph stands from the table. With his appetite ruined by the delicious sweet his sister made him, he decided to skip breakfast and get dressed. Joseph returns to his room and goes to his closet. "...Let's see here," he says while opening the sliding wooden doors. Inside was a ton of clothing on hangers and knobs. Joseph reaches in and picks out a good attire. He pulls out a gray T-shirt, a red hoodie, and bluejeans. He grabs a pair of socks and his white tennis shoes and slips everything on.

After that, Joseph grabs his MP3 player and earphones, the walks out of his room and out the unlocked front door. He locks the door before he closes it and heads out on his weekly...stroll. He lives on the ground floor in apartment B4. There is another floor above him, the A's, but they're all empty. Joseph sticks his music player into the side pocket of his hoodie and walks onto the sidewalk, where he can see his sister turn the corner. He nods and turns the other way and starts walking.

The weather was a bit warm for a hoodie, but Joseph throws up his hood and tucks his hands in the front pockets of his zip-up sweatshirt anyway. He heads uphill and turns the corner as soon as he can.

He turned onto one of the busier streets, though the sign that held the name of the street was being replaced by a few workers nearby. A drunk driver had crashed into it late last night. Joseph kept going past the workers and further up the streets.

Left, left, right, straight, right again, and then another left. A few intersections later Joseph was near his destination; the park. One of the parks was near his home, and it was just a simple grassy clearing with a few trees, paths, and benches. He had one more street to cross, and it was flowing with traffic. "Great..." He leans on the streetlight and punches the walk button, then waits for the light to change. After about a minute, it does and Joseph starts to cross.

About midway into his crossing, Joseph hears a car honk it's horn. He ignores it and continues his crossing and steps up onto the sidewalk. Joseph walks on the grass of the park and goes over to his favorite bench. It was partially painted red and the rest was worn off. He swings himself over the back of it and sits down, looking at the view before him.

The trees were spread apart, but offered large amounts of shade from the morning sun. There were already elderly people in the park walking the paths that spiral through the property, and a couple looked like they were setting up a picnic on one of the wooden tables. "...Breakfast in beauty...a nice idea," Joseph said to himself.

"Hey man," someone says from behind. Joseph looks over his shoulder and sees his only friend, Jerome. Okay, he was exaggerating at his house, his only friends were his sister and Jerome. Jerome is another outcast, but he has a lot of friends, besides the point.

Jerome is a kid of African American descent, as his brown skin tells. His black hair is done in a natural Afro and his eyes are a light brown. Today Jerome is wearing a green T-shirt and black running pants with a white stripe going down the sides, along with black shoes.

Jerome hops the back of the bench as Joseph did and sits next to him. "What's up?"

"...Eh, nothing much," Joseph replies.

"Hey, today's your birthday, right?" Jerome asks.

"Yeah, celebrated this morning I guess, cupcake and good morning."

"...Did you get a candle?"

"Yep, I made a wish and really hope it comes true, but...pfft, magic just a bunch of bull crap."

"...Maybe, but I believe if you want it bad enough, and your will is strong, forces outside your control can help...like magic."

"Jerome, what the hell you talkin' 'bout?"

Jerome straightens and puts out his arms. "Last month was my birthday, remember?" Joseph nods. "And I wished that I would finally get something awesome and time-consuming so I'm not bored all the time. Well, the next day I woke up and found my X box 360 all set up to my TV in my room."

"Dude, your parents did that."

"Well, it wasn't in the house the day before."

Joseph laughs. "Dude, you're so full of shit. Your parents...are you listening? Your-par-ents-hid-your-gif-ta! They did it while you were sleeping!"

Jerome crosses his arms. "Believe what you will. I know a magical force had something to do with it."

"Yeah, whatever."

Jerome and Joseph sat together for a bit longer watching this young lady walk her dog. It was a french bulldog. Jerome made a noise. "...So dude, what did you wish for?"

"...I wished that I could kill my power, reboot, and start over. I'm tired of the shit I get at school, and I want...to, you know, start over."

"Kill your power?" Jerome straightens. "You need to watch what you wish for, sometimes...you just might get it."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, come on." Joseph stands and pulls Jerome up with him. "It's okay if I come over to your place, right?"

"Sure."

"Then let's go."

The start walking to the street, to the right side of them, and head towards Jerome's place. Jerome seems a bit antsy though. "...So dude, you really said you wished to 'kill your power and reboot'?"

"Yeah?"

"Then I think you should be careful for a while."

"Pfft, or what? I'll get killed and have to be...reses...res...resuscitated at the hospital? I'm okay man."

"Joseph! Watch out!"

Joseph turns and sees himself in the middle of traffic. Joseph gasps and jumps to the right to avoid being hit by a Prius. He starts running back Jerome, who's yelling at him. Joseph stops just in time to dodge a Chevrolet and then lurches forward to evade an incoming Camry.

He makes it back to Jerome's side and hits the walk button on the streetlight by accident. He's panting, and one hand's on his knee, but he's okay. "Huh...huh...see, I'm...I'm fine..."

"Dude! You could have been killed!"

"...Coulda, shoulda, woulda...But I'm still standing." The light turns and the path is clear to walk. Joseph starts down the crosswalk. "You see, no mumbo jumbo horse crap force is going to kill me just because I said 'kill' in my wish." He starts laughing and Jerome yells at him again. Joseph looks at his friend, then to his right, where his scream is cut short by the front of a red city bus.

But it was a simple bump, enough to throw him back onto the pavement. He rolls and slides a few feet before stopping in a siting position. Joseph is holding his head and turns around and stands. He starts yelling at the bus driver, who's vehicle has smashed into an overhead light post. "Hey man! What the hell! You could have killed me!"

The driver gets out of his vehicle and rushes over to Josephs side. Jerome is already standing by a few feet away, and traffic is piling up. Drivers are getting out of their cars to see what happened. The bus driver is in a panic. "Oh kid, are you okay!? I'm sorry, I didn't see the light change!"

"Keep your damn eye on the road then! Jesus Christ man!" Joseph looks himself over, testing his arms and his legs. "...You're lucky I'm not hurt, otherwise, I'd sue your fat ass!"

"Dude," Jerome says from his spot, "Maybe we should get somewhere safe before something else happens."

"Dude! There is no fucking force out there trying to get me! It's my birthday, I made a wish, I worded it poorly! So what!? This is all coincidence!"

"Joseph, come on."

"Dude! Listen to yourself!" Joseph yells. People are gathering around the area. "There is no magic! That shit's not real! I just dodged traffic, got hit by a bus, probably cheated death, and I'd probably call that nothing short than a fucking miracle, but it's not magic!"

A loud metallic groan fills the air, but Joseph doesn't hear it. "I'm fine! I'm okay! No broken bones! No pain! Now get my a fucking phone so I can let my sister know I'm okay!"

Jerome digs in his pocket and brings out his cellphone. He hands it to Joseph. "Here, but seriously man, we need-"

Joseph snatches the phone from his friends hand and flicks it open. "No, we don't have to do anything right now! For the last time, I'm going to be fine! There is no fucking force that's going to kill m-" His rant is cut short by the light post falling right on his skull, crushing it. The rest of his body crumples underneath the metal pole, and loose skin, blood, and brain matter cover the area. Jerome's phone flies through the air and lands on the pavement, shattering.

People scream, including Jerome. Multiple people start dialing 911, and Jerome staggers forward. "...Joseph!"