Sophie wasn’t the only person to make for the halls. By the time she made it out of the cafeteria, chaos had spread to the hall. People were rushing everywhere, telling those who hadn’t been present what happened, trying to reconnect with friends they had forgotten, trying to convince those who had been changed that they were manipulated. A few teachers desperately tried to maintain order and get everyone moving to their next class, but they were ignored. Class was forgotten.

While looking around for Chloe, Sophie found herself sprawled onto the ground as Ms. Caliers bowled her over, phone on her ear as she sprinted towards the school exit.

“Hello, Sunnyside? Elizabeth, listen, this is Jamie Caliers. I need to talk to Maddilyn. Yes, right now! I don’t care that it’s naptime, this is urgent!” Sophie watched in horror as the woman fumbled for her keys upon reaching the school’s metal and glass doors. “Maddie? Jesus--I’m on my way over! I didn’t know, I swear you look—” Sophie didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, but judging by the speed at which Ms. Caliers was running towards her car, it likely wasn’t pleasant.

Pulling herself to her feet, she made her way around Mark who was talking with one of his friends. “You don’t get it. They may not have done anything to me specifically, but I was still affected by what they did. I mean, I was closing the store just so that they could shop in private. Does that really sound like something I would do?”

“Didn’t you used to work at the sporting goods store, though?” one of his friends countered.

“No way! I’d never—“ His face went sheet white. “D-did I? How would I even know?”

She caught sight of Stephanie, the girl who worked at Maw’s. Her normally cheerful demeanor was gone, replaced with a red-faced fury as she ranted at Margo, the target of at least two spite-filled wishes herself. “I tried so hard to stay positive, to be grateful for what I had. Even as the auditors came for dad’s company and I had to get a job to help support them and I was so stressed that I started failing classes — it basically ruined my GPA and destroyed any chance I had of getting into a university. And now I find out it was all their fault? Over some stupid fucking petty grudge she had against me?? This is my life! She ruined my life!”

Margo was just as pissed as Stephanie, if not more so. “If I ever see that bottle-blonde bitch again, I’m walking away with at least three of her teeth. See how she likes someone messing with her appearance.” 

In desperation, Sophie called out Chloe’s name. As if in response, several people had the same idea and began calling out other names. The background noise of conversation grew a little louder as people tried to speak over the shouting.

Sophie called out Chloe’s name and this time heard her own name in response. She wove through the crowd until she nearly ran into Chloe, who was jogging in her direction.

“What the hell is going on?” Chloe asked “Is there a fire or something?”

The explanation spilled out of Sophie faster than she meant it to. “Belladonna lied to us about the coin. She still has it. She made the Heathers confess everything they’d done. There was so much, Chloe. Way more than we knew about. Now she’s taking the Heathers to the Well to--to torture them o-or something — I don’t know what she’s going to do to them, but it’s not going to be good. We have to stop her.”

Chloe hesitated. “Do we? I mean, I agree that what she’s doing is wrong, but we just escaped from the Heathers’ wrath. Do you really want to risk getting on Belladonna’s bad side just to help them?”

For a moment, it was tempting to agree. She had been through so much that a strong part of her wanted to just ignore whatever happened to the Heathers and try to go back to her life. But her grandmother’s words came back to her.  She could feel something deeply, innately wrong nipping at her finger-tips, at the hairs on her neck, and at the corners of her vision. How many wishes had Belladonna made? What were they for? While she was still coming into her powers, she’d never felt this upside-down wrongness hanging over her before. Something must have changed. How many spirits were drained for it? How many were left? Were there any left? It was supposed to be her job to try to protect them, but she’d allowed an unhinged highschooler to lie to her face and placed them in further danger. If she hadn’t already failed in her duty, she surely wasn’t far from it, now.

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, but I’m going to,” she told Chloe finally. “Not for the Heathers, but for everyone and everything they’ve endangered. And if Belladonna is willing to use the power of the Well like them… then I have to stop her, too.”

Chloe nodded. “Nah, I’m with you all the way. I just wanted to make sure we were both going into this eyes open. How are we going to get there?”

Chloe looked around at the crowd. “Everyone is kind of occupied now, and after what they just learned, I don’t imagine anyone will want to give us a ride if it’s to go anywhere near the Heathers or Belladonna.”

Sophie felt a sinking feeling as an idea hit her. “Ugh. I... might know one person who’d be willing.”

She led Chloe back to the cafeteria. Inside, it was much quieter now, though a few people still milled about. Somewhere deep in conversation about what they had just experienced, others were sitting silently, contemplating or brooding.

Tyler was one of the latter. He was sitting at the table now, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and staring quietly at the floor.

“Tyler…”

The young quarterback’s chair clattered to the ground as Tyler surged to his feet and hoisted Sophie off the ground by the fabric of her parka.

“Tyler!” Chloe screamed. She was pulling at his arm, but his attention never left Sophie. Other kids in the distance appeared alarmed but remained unmoving. Sophie couldn’t really blame them since she was still an accomplice to everything, despite Belladonna’s pardon.

“What?!” Tyler bellowed at Sophie. “What now? What else could you possibly want from me? Is it true? You all wanted to take my dick, too? I—” his voice faltered and cracked. Sophie’s feet touched the ground again as he lowered her.

“Who even am I? I mean, I know I got big pretty suddenly, but that was just a growth spurt, wasn’t it? I… I’m just naturally strong. It couldn’t be magic. But if this me is just as fake as whatever she wanted to do to me next…” She’d never seen Tyler like this. So lost; so confused. He might’ve been an asshole, but he’d still had his entire world and identity ripped out from under him. That, Sophie felt, was relatable. “Did she do anything else to me? Was there anything she didn’t mention?”

Sophie tried to think back, but couldn’t recall a time when Tyler had been anything but a brute. But Heather had mentioned a wish that no one would notice Tyler’s sudden change. She had manipulated countless people’s perceptions and memory without a second thought.

“That’s not important now, is it?” she attempted diplomatically. “You are who you are now, right?”

He looked up at her. “Of course it’s important. I thought I was the best. Everything a man is supposed to want to be. If that’s a lie, if anyone can just be made like this, then what’s the point of anything?”

It was hard to feel sympathy for Tyler. Maybe a small existential crisis would get him to reexamine how he treated people. But right now she needed to find a way to motivate him.

“Look,” Chloe began, “I know you’re going through a lot right now, but the Heathers are in danger. We know where they’re going, but we need someone to drive us there.”

“Heather is the one who made me into this,” Tyler replied. “Why should I want to help her? I don’t even know who I am.”

“She’s your girlfriend,” Chloe continued. “You still have feelings for her, right?”

“She cheated on me,” Tyler said glumly. “I mean, I cheated on her, too, but she didn’t really care about me. We’re just status symbols to each other.”

Chloe pulled Sophie aside. “I think we need to find someone else. He’s too messed up from everything that happened.”

Finding someone else would waste precious minutes, giving Belladonna that much more time to do who knew what. “Let me try one more thing. This is going to be kind of gross, but bear with me.”

Sophie stepped in front of Tyler. She took a deep breath to prepare herself, then slapped him across the face as hard as she could. A loud crack rang out through the cafeteria and Tyler stared up at her in shock. “The hell was that—”

“What kind of a man are you? Your girlfriend is about to be tortured and you’re just going to sit here crying? A real man doesn’t get emotional about philosophical “who am I?” crap. A real man does what needs to be done.”

Tyler’s face began to redden with shame. “Well, yeah, obviously I’m going to help her. I was just talking hypothetically. C-come on, let’s go.”

He stood suddenly, heading for the door without checking to see if Sophie and Chloe were following. As they followed, Chloe leaned over to Sophie to mutter “What was that, Sophie?”

“I saw a character do that in an anime once,” Sophie muttered back. “I figured some macho nonsense like that might motivate him.”

The two girls followed Tyler into the emptying but still abuzz hallway. “My truck is only a front-seater, but if you two squeeze in we should be able to fit three people,” he explained.

Chloe couldn’t help but snicker. “Oh no, my girlfriend sitting on my lap, how tragic…” 

“Aheh,” Tyler laughed uncomfortably. “R-right.” They were almost at the door when Sophie felt a hand grab hold of her shoulder before she was torn 180 degrees to face none other than Josh Hansen.

“You fuckin’ bitch,” he spat. Literally spat — spittle landed on Sophie’s nose and cheeks. “How dare you? I was content with everything dropping since you locked me in a god-damned classroom for the entirety of the school dance, but now you have the gall to accuse me? No, you’re going to march that sweet ass back into that office and tell them that you’re lying. Now.”

Sophie could feel her face heating as his every word infuriated her more and more. “And why would I do that?” She asked in a calm, even voice.

A sly, confident smile crossed his lips. “Because if you don’t, I’m going to tell everyone that you gave me head during the dance.”

“What?” Sophie burst into a fit of laughter. Chloe and Tyler approached behind her, unsure of what was happening. “Who would ever believe the slimiest, scummiest guy in school? Certainly none of the girls — and if you didn’t notice,” Sophie grabbed Chloe’s hand. “That’s sort of my target demographic.”

Josh whipped his phone out and unlocked it before shoving it in Sophie’s face. It was playing an audio recording. She heard her own voice saying “Really, I’m fine,” followed by a series of soft moans. The recording continued with Josh gently saying “Here we go, this is more private” and concluded with her shriek of “Josh!”

“Plenty to work with here, don’t you think?” Josh asked. “It’s a good opportunity to practice my editing skills.”

“You — you asshole!” Sophie screamed as she went red from her toes to her ears. She reached for the phone, but Josh kept it just beyond her reach.

“What is going on out here?” Principal Everson bellowed down the hallway as he stormed towards the gathered students. “Josh, you said you were going to the bathroom.” He did a double take as his eyes drifted to Sophie. “And you’re supposed to be in the lunchroom — what is the meaning of this?”

Before either Sophie or Josh could respond, Chloe spoke up. “Josh just admitted that he has proof that everything Sophie said was true on his phone.”

Josh began to lower his hand, but Tyler quickly snatched the phone away from him and offered it to Principal Everson and Vice-Principal Miller. “He tried to blackmail her by threatening to edit it. I don’t really know what’s going on, but that recording doesn’t exactly make him look good.”The two adults  leaned together to listen to the recording, recoiling as one as they reached the shriek. They glared down at Josh.

“Is this true?” Vice-Principal Miller demanded. “Is this your phone?”

His teeth were chattering as he tried to explain himself. “Well, y-yeah, but I didn’t—”

“Sophie, did he really try to use this to blackmail you?” Principal Everson asked in a slow, somber tone.

Sophie felt unexpectedly ashamed and embarrassed as she nodded. “Yeah.”

Vice-Principal Miller wasted no time in grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him towards the office.

“I-I didn’t!” He squealed. “I swear, it’s not what it looks like!”

Principal Everson started after them but stopped for a moment to look back at Sophie. “I… I’m sorry for doubting you, Ms. Swan.” Not waiting for an answer, he continued after the others. Sophie let out a gigantic sigh as what felt like a weight she didn’t know she was carrying was lifted from her shoulders. After a beat, she turned to Tyler.

“Erm… thanks, Tyler,” she said.

He replied by looking away as a small frown formed at the edge of his lips. “It’s no problem. I uh… I just kind of know how stuff like that goes.”

They continued to the parking lot, stepping out into the fresh air and away from the chaotic, stifling crowd.

As she settled into Tyler’s front seat, Sophie’s phone buzzed. Her grandmother was calling again.

“I found a ride, grandma. I’ll be there soon,” Sophie said as soon as she answered.

“Good. I’m on my way, but I won’t make it in time. You’re the only one who has a chance to stop her.”

“Do you know what she’s going to do?” Sophie asked. “In the cafeteria it just sounded like she was going to torture the Heathers. That’s terrible and all, but it shouldn’t have created visions like those.”

“I don’t know,” her grandma admitted. “They came too fast for me to parse, but the number of wishes she’s making in such a short period is bad enough. Are you sure she doesn’t plan to wish for anything big?”

Sophie considered this. The sound of a sandbag striking the floor echoed in her mind. “I don’t think she’s planning anything but, grandma, she’s impulsive at the best of times. And she’s hurting badly and doesn’t know how to make herself feel better. She could do anything.”

There was a moment of silence on the line. When her grandmother spoke, her voice was quiet. “Listen, Sophie, there’s a lot we don’t know about spirit wells. They can handle big wishes—even global scale wishes. Of course, we don’t want a girl in her state making global-scale wishes, but this situation could be even worse. With the local spirits already being drained to grant all of the small wishes those girls have made, I can only make guesses as to what will happen if she makes a huge wish now.”

Sophie wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer, but she pushed through her dread. “What do you think will happen?”

“In a best-case scenario, I would guess that it would fail, but after a vision like that, I doubt we’ll be so lucky. It might start draining from people. Or it might damage reality so badly that the world begins to contradict itself. Honestly… I just don’t know, Soph. I’ve never encountered anything like this before. Either way, people are going to get hurt.”

In other words, the fear the pinpricks had created was entirely well-founded. “Grandma, I should go. I need to give Tyler directions.”

“I need to tell you one more thing, Sophie,” her grandmother replied.

“What is it?” Sophie asked, fearing some even worse piece of news.

“Whatever happens. When this is over, you will still be you. Remember that. I love you, Sophia.”

The ride seemed to take longer than it ever had before and Sophie found herself fidgeting in her seat any time they were forced to wait at a stoplight or got stuck behind a slow-moving vehicle. To make things worse, Tyler was terrible at listening to directions. He ignored when Sophie told him to make turns and argued with her about which route was best, even though he didn’t know where they were going. He even passed Belladonna’s car once and had to make a u-turn because he ignored both Sophie and Chloe shouting to pull over.

Her frustration nearly great enough to forget her anxiety, Sophie hopped out of the truck and gave Chloe a nervous look. What would they find when they got to the Well?

“I was always going to help her, you know,” Tyler repeated for what must have been the dozenth time. “I didn’t need you to tell me to do it.”

Sophie looked back to Tyler. His strength could be helpful, but did she really want someone who was simultaneously absolutely certain that he was the most competent person around and completely ignorant about the actual situation trying to help?

“Wait here, in case we need to leave in a hurry,” Sophie said quickly, then started jogging into the woods. She hoped if she left quickly he wouldn’t try to follow or take charge.

“See you, dude,” Chloe added, following Sophie.

When they reached the Well, they paused together, neither quite ready to climb down.

“Does it seem quiet to you?” Sophie asked. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting to hear. Not noises from the Well itself or the sounds of wildlife panicking as the world fell apart around them, but something. Something that would indicate that they were in the midst of a catastrophe, that this wasn’t just a normal day

“Yeah,” Chloe agreed.

“This could very easily go bad,” Sophie said. “One toss, and Belladonna could do, well…”

“...Anything,” Chloe finished. “Don’t worry. You’ve seen me run. I’ll get to her first.”

“Just in case, though…” Sophie said. She leaned over and kissed Chloe on the lips, who, with a small sigh, kissed her back. When they parted, the moment’s tension seemed to have lightened by a small amount.

“Just in case,” Chloe agreed.

They began their descent, slowly making their way into the darkness. As they neared the bottom of the ladder, Belladonna’s voice came reverberating through the cave.

“I wish that the Heathers would answer all of my questions truthfully.”

Sophie felt a sharp pain on the back of her neck. The Well must have been at its breaking point.

“Fetch!” Belladonna demanded. There was the sound of running. “I bet you’re wondering why I made that wish. After all, I already made you confess everything. Well, heh, I’ve finally figured out how to come up with a satisfying punishment.”

Sophie reached the bottom of the ladder. She paused a moment while Chloe finished climbing after her.

“Edgar Allan Poe said that proper revenge has two components,” Belladonna continued. “First, the person seeking revenge has to escape punishment herself. And, second, she has to make herself known to the person she’s seeking revenge from. However, I think there’s a third component. She must ensure that the act of revenge leaves a mark. Something permanent to remind their enemy of their terrible act and what it cost them. So tell me, Heather. What would make your life the most miserable?”

When Heather M.’s reply came it was strained and raspy. She spoke in a halting manner, as if she was trying to fight with herself. “B-being forced to admit that I’m l-lesser. That…” Her voice cut off with a strained noise, struggling to resist the Well's influence.

“Ah ah ah!” Belladonna teased. “I asked you a question! Now answer me.”

“That confidence and brute force are all I have!” Heather M. blurted out. “And that even they aren’t enough to ever be anything more than average. To be unable to ignore that I will go through my entire life achieving nothing, recognized by no one, mediocre.”

As Heather and Sophie made their way through the cave, Belladonna’s laugh took on a sudden clarity. “Of course! Why didn’t I see it before? Now, that’s something I can work with. How’s it sound to you? You made me beg before. Want to try it now?”

“Fuck you,” Heather M. growled.

“Alright, fine. What about you, Other Heather? What would make your life the most miserable?”

Heather S.’ voice was so quiet that Sophie barely heard it. “Never having met Heather.”

This time the laugh came from Heather M. “You see? Say what you want about me, but I have friends who will stand by me no matter what.”

“Only reason I don’t is because you made them all forget about me,” Belladonna replied dryly. “But I can’t make a wish like that. You wouldn’t know what I’d done, so it breaks Poe’s second rule. What else would make your life miserable?”

Heather S.’s voice cracked as a sob ran through her. “I…” She looked up at Heather M. with tear-filled eyes. “Having to stay Heather’s friend for the rest of my life.”

A beat passed while the two stared blankly at the smaller girl.

“What?” Heather M. asked flatly.

“It feels like I’m trapped either way,” Heather S. continued. “Either I’m the friendless weirdo even the other nerds won’t talk to because no one cares about old video games or geological history, or I’m the partner in crime to a soulless, manipulative monster whose only redeeming quality is that...she’s the only person who genuinely likes me.”

“Wow, that is messed up,” Belladonna said, suddenly sounding sympathetic. She stood from her place near the toppled obelisk. “You should really look into therapy for victims of abuse.” Her voice suddenly became cheerful. “Not that it’ll help much, since you’re going to be stuck with her for the rest of your life now. Maybe you could take her with you? I could even program a ‘Shut up, Heather’ protocol for her! Wouldn’t that be just so sweet? Hopefully your husbands or boyfriends or whatever are cool with you two being such close besties. Actually, that’s a good plot hole to fill. You two should be lovers, that’ll be far less collateral damage for anyone actually innocent. Hah, I’ve convinced myself, we’re totally doing this. Remember, if you have any questions, just ask Sophie and Chloe, I’m sure they can give you a few pointers. Everyone ready?”

At that moment, Sophie and Chloe emerged into the cavern. They could see Belladonna now, leaning against one of the artifacts and holding the coin while the Heathers stood nearby. There was no chance of hiding, since they were directly in Belladonna’s line of sight.

“Seriously?” Belladonna asked. She began to shake her head with dripping disappointment. “Can’t you two just leave well enough alone? I promise, I’m not going to do anything to either of you, and these two aren’t worth the trouble.”

Heather S.’ tear-stained face took on a look of hope as she saw the new arrivals. Heather M., however, was too busy staring at the other Heather, her face unreadable.

“It’s not just about them,” Sophie replied. “Other people are going to be hurt. You’re making too many wishes. It’s going to make the world fall apart around us.”

Belladonna scowled. “Oh sure, I’m making too many wishes, but the million wishes they made were just fine.”

“They weren’t fine, either, Belladonna,” Chloe said. Sophie winced internally at the sharpness in her tone. “We would have undone their wishes if you’d given us the chance. Instead, you lied about the coin and kept it for yourself.”

Belladonna considered this for a moment. “Okay, fine, I don’t want to cause the end of the world or whatever, so I’ll just make these last two wishes and be done with it.”

Sophie shook her head. “I’m sorry, but that’s two too many.”

Belladonna groaned with annoyance. “Shit, fine, then I’ll undo some of theirs first.”

“That’s just more wishes, Belladonna,” Sophie said.

Belladonna gave an exaggerated pout. “Well, I don’t know how you’re planning to undo their wishes without making more wishes.”

Sophie tried to think of a way to explain. “I think it’s sort of like disarming a bomb. We have to do it carefully, step by step, and not do anything to agitate it. We need to free the spirits trapped in the Well, but we also need to use some of their energy to repair the damage to reality. I’ll call my grandma and we’ll figure—”

“Of course,” Belladonna interrupted, her eyes narrowing. “Your grandma. Who you inherited your powers from. And after this is all done you get to keep your augury and your second sight and I have to go back to the mundane world and spend the rest of my life knowing all kinds of magical wonders are right there and that I can never touch them.”

Sophie felt panic rise in her as she realized she was losing control of the situation. She tried to think of a response, but what promise could she make that would satisfy Belladonna? If only she had the time to talk to her grandma and figure out if there was a way to help Belladonna see the spirits.

While she hesitated, Heather M. jumped in to respond. “And you think I’m afraid of being mediocre? I never imagined you could project your own insecurities through a wish, but you somehow managed to do it. Face it, Sophie’s the special chosen one who gets to go on adventures with her girlfriend, and you’re just a pathetic mall goth who's going to end up forty years old and trying to use curses from books she bought at Barnes and Noble on her ex-boyfriend because he cheated on her for the fifth time.”

Belladonna’s face became so red that it showed through her makeup. Her hands shaking, she turned to face Heather. “No way. That is not going to happen.”

Heather M. shrugged. “Doesn’t seem like there’s anything you can do about it.” She turned to Heather S. “You think you’d be better off with her as your friend, Heather? At least I understand who I am and what I want. Everyone wants to be special. I’m just the rare person with the drive to achieve it. You’re better off with me than any of them. I may be a soulless monster, but they’re no different at the end of the day. They want the same thing as me, and they’ll make the same choices to get it. If you consider that being trapped, then...well, half the people here are book nerds, right? Who was it who said ‘Hell is other people’?”

“You think I don’t have the drive to get what I want?” Belladonna took a step backward towards the pool, coin in hand. “Watch me,” she shouted, turning to the pool. “I wish—”

“No!” Chloe charged forward without hesitating. Belladonna yelped and raised her arms to protect herself, forgetting about her wish. In an instant, Chloe gripped her wrist, causing her to drop the coin. Seeing her opportunity, Sophie rushed forward to take it, but Heather M. was quicker, and dove on the coin, covering it with one hand. Sophie tried to grab her arm, but Heather pulled it away and struck Sophie with a punch from her free hand. Sophie found her head jerked back and her vision blurred for a moment before pain spread across her face.

“Oh, you did not just punch my girlfriend,” Chloe said. With a smooth motion, she flung Belladonna to the side, sending her stumbling several steps, as Chloe advanced on Heather and grabbed her by the front of her shirt.

“Could use some help, Heather,” Heather M. shouted.

Heather S. rushed to join the struggle, but to everyone’s surprise, she began striking Heather M. wildly with sideways fists, hitting her on the face and arm.

“No! No more wishes! I won’t go back!” the girl wailed. “This ends now, Heather!”

“Get the fuck off me!” Heather M. screamed. Heather S., however, proved far more squirrely than anyone would’ve guessed and kept Heather M. preoccupied. Sophie picked herself back up and tried prying Heather M.’s fingers open.

“Jesus!” Sophie groaned. “How are your fingers this strong?” As if to answer her, Heather M. rammed her skull against Sophie’s, sending her careening to the ground as the two Heather’s continued to fight.

Heather S. made good use of her nails and clawed at Heather M.’s fist, forcing her to drop the coin. 

“Ow!” She screeched. “I knew you didn’t deserve those acrylics!”

Before Sophie could react, Belladonna lunged forward and snatched it up, using the same motion to toss it.

“I wish—” Heather M.’s foot to Belladonna’s shin ended the sentence and the coin landed in the pool with a small plunk.

For a moment, everyone seemed to pause, as if wondering if the intention alone were enough to make the wish. Seizing the opportunity, Sophie sprinted into the pool, sending water flying everywhere. She found the coin in the hair trap and picked it up, hair trap and all.

Looking up, she saw the others at the edge of the pool. She could see on their faces, each was calculating whether she could return the hair trap and make a wish before they reached her. But what would she wish for? Everyone to stop moving? It would give her time to think. But the pinpricks on the back of her neck were insistent, as was the swirling energy pouring from every crack and crevice beneath her. An enormous presence beneath her pulsed with an energy she didn’t have a word for. Even a single wish could set off whatever disaster was brewing beneath her. But there was no getting out of this situation without making some sort of wish. One final wish.

With a sinking feeling, she realized that there was only one wish she could make that would fix everything. One silver bullet to kill the beast. And there was no room for exceptions.

Oh, how she wished she had time to think about it, time to convince herself that there was another way. Time enough to cherish the final seconds she was real. She wished she had one single minute to give her body one more look in the mirror, one more touch of her own soft skin, one more song with her voice. One more moment as Sophia Swan. But as the others launched themselves into the pool after her, it was clear there was only time enough to make one wish.

Just the one.

Tears already pouring down her reddened cheeks, she steeled her voice. “I wish every single wish made with this well were undone and the spirits within freed.”

In a moment she was engulfed in light. Something within it, something familiar seemed to speak to her.

“It will be okay.” 

The voice faded just before the most unbearable pain she ever had or ever would experience pierced her back, and spread throughout her body like the ridges of crumbling glass. 

 

* * *

 

Chloe stared open-mouthed at the spectacular sight playing out before her. Multicolored beams of solid light broke free from cracks in the ragged rock beneath the group. Nearly an instant later, Sophie vanished from sight as a pillar of that same light exploded from where she stood and billowed upwards with such violent force that the rocks above could do little to contain their storm and fury besides shatter and fall into the pool waiting below. 

Individual spheres of light escaped from the skyward-aiming cylinder and burst into animalistic forms in a display of light and grandeur, all majestic and ethereal and humbling. Each of these animals rushed at the remaining bystanders with hoofs and paws prancing on thin air, none save for Chloe spared a wrathful goring at their hands. Heather M., Heather S., and Belladonna disappeared from view as well as light surrounded them, too. Chloe, now stumbling back on her behind as she retreated from the water’s edge, remained cognisant throughout the release, through the violent shockwave that followed suit and rumbled throughout the cave and surrounding forest, and watched as the plume of energy slowed first to a trickle, then to a full stop, leaving her girlfriend visible once more as she lay motionless in the now dull and murky waters of the well.