Chapter 12

The girls left a few minutes later. Some of them couldn't wait to get away from me, and only Whisper and Kristine stayed to say goodbye to Karen. I stepped aside with Kristine and asked her not to go home for about an hour, to give me time to deal with her parents. She had forgotten all about her problems, and was shocked back into reality when I brought up her family. But she quickly agreed to loiter around until sometime after midnight. I had the forethought to ask her for her exact address, and wrote it on a torn piece of paper scavenged from a desk drawer.

My stepsister had settled down by now, and was coming to terms with her position. She thanked her friends and they gave each other comforting words and exchanged hugs. When all of the other girls had left, my sister gave me an odd look. I knew she had questions for me, and I decided that I didn't mind answering.

"What's on your mind?" I asked her.

She looked up at me, but cast her eyes down again when she caught my stare. "I just don't get you." She said. "I just don't understand why you let everyone go, when you could have so easily forced them to stay."

"That isn't who I am." I told her. "I'm not the kind of person that can hurt other people without feeling some of that pain myself. Just because I can do something, doesn't mean I should, or that I would be willing to."

"You're so weird." She told me, and then paused in fear when she realized what she said. "I mean that in a good way." She hurried to add. "I'm glad you have these powers instead of someone else. I can imagine what some of the kids in our school would do if they could control other people, and none of what I imagine would be pleasant to experience. Even when compared to what you put me through."

I shrugged. "I am who I am." I responded. "I've done some things that I'm not really proud of, and I know I'll do plenty more. I think you would feel differently about me having these powers if you were my intended victim, instead of collateral damage. There are some people that I fully intend to rape. And make no mistake; it is rape, even if I use my powers to coerce them into willingly participating. Take it further than that: with my powers there will be nothing to stop me; there is no law or government agent that can get in my way, and no chance that my victim can escape. I will never have to face any consequences for my actions. Nothing holds me back; I'm totally free."

Karen shook her head, but didn't look up from the floor. "I still think it's better that you have these powers and not someone else." She said. "But I also wish you never had them in the first place." She sighed. "How the hell are you doing this anyhow?" She asked.

"A stranger walked up to me and gave me a genie to grant my wishes. I wished for powers ranging from precognition and mind control to teleportation and healing. I can manipulate energy and shape matter with my will alone. If I should chance to die, I will be reborn, with all of my abilities and memories intact. But more than that I am also now a Power of the realm, which is something like an ascended being. It means that I am a participant in the conflict that will determine the next god."

It was a lot of information to digest at once, and my stepsister looked up at me in shock, forgetting her attempt at acting submissive. She opened her mouth several times to speak, but snapped it shut each time when she found she had nothing to say. "Jesus Christ!" She finally managed, her expression lost in thought.

"I have a date to get ready for, and while I'm out enjoying the evening you have some work to do." I informed her.

She looked up at me, waiting.

"There is a girl in my class named Sandy O'Haris. Do you know her?"

"Is she part of the junior squad?" Karen questioned.

That stumped me. I really didn't know if Sandy was a cheerleader. I only had her for two classes and we had never even been friendly before. I tried to stretch my thoughts back to the homecoming game, and found the memory quite clearly. She was always in the back of the squad, but she was definitely there. "That's her." I finally replied.

"What do you want with her?" Karen asked, suddenly suspicious.

"What do you think I want?" I replied sarcastically. "I want her."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"I misplaced her number, so I want you to get her address and phone number for me, tonight if at all possible, but tomorrow afternoon at the latest." I said, figuring it would take her a while to call every O'Haris in the phone book until she chanced upon the right family.

"I can do better than that. I can give it to you right now." She told me.

I raised my eyebrows. "Really?"

"Her sister's on the varsity squad, I have her street and number in my phone." She pulled out her cell and navigated the menu to her address book, and then held it up for me to see.

"I'll be damned." I said, quite impressed. "I guess you're free to do whatever you want for the evening, just remember that I'll be back in charge tomorrow." I quickly added the number to my paper, slipping it into my pocket.

She nodded and hurried from the room. I was honestly glad to see her leave. Despite the fun and the interesting sex, the whole scenario had me stressed out. The entire purpose behind the games had been to make my life easier, but instead it simply made everything more complicated.

I had a serious problem to fix with Kristine's parents, and my plans for the evening were quickly unraveling. I put on my better jacket and straightened my hair, then walked downstairs and called Amber on the house phone. "I really need a cell." I lamented to myself. It was one of those things my parents had insisted that I pay for myself, and I simply never had enough money to afford one. I was going to correct that issue soon. The phone started to ring.

"Yes?" She answered immediately.

"I was just checking to see if we're still on." I replied.

"I'm about fifteen minutes away, but I can get there in five if you're ready now."

"Fifteen is fine, I'll see you then." I told her.

"I'll be waiting for you." She replied, and I put the phone back on the receiver.

I walked back upstairs to have a final glance around my room to determine if I had forgotten anything, but stopped when I saw my sister standing in her doorway.