Danny O'Brien collapsed on his bed, rubbing the bruise on his chest. He was doing it with his left hand, because his right wrist had a bruise too where he'd been grabbed.

Where Kyle Andermann had grabbed him.

Benny waiting downstairs was almost entirely forgotten, because Danny's mind was a roiling storm. Danny boiled. Danny seethed. The first time, when he'd gotten hit in the hallway? He'd been able to write it off as a lucky punch. The losers got in a lucky punch sometimes, it was something you had to live with. Like rain. Besides, he couldn't have flown as far back as he thought he remembered, right? It was ridiculous. So he'd shrugged and forgotten about it, along with his plans for revenge.

Until school came back in session and he saw Kyle again. And he'd thought oh yeah, I owe him a punch in the face. With interest. But when he'd gone to collect he'd discovered that he hadn't remembered wrong. He had flown back that far. Something was different about Kyle, and the usual tactics hadn't worked. More than that, they'd actually backfired. And there was a moment there, a horrible awful moment, when he'd felt...small.

When he'd actually been afraid of Kyle Andermann.

That was unacceptable. Intolerable. As the memories bubbled back to the surface of his mind he snarled at the bedroom ceiling That snarl turned into a furious roar and he began to thrash on the bed, punching and kicking the mattress. Unsatisfied he sprung off the bed and lunged at his own bedside table, throwing his lamp off it and sending it tumbling over the carpet. The impact was too soft, too weak, so he lifted a booted foot and slammed it down, over and over again, pretending he was stomping the life out of Kyle Andermann until the bedside table was nothing more than a pile of broken splinters.

Dammit. He was going to have to come up with an excuse for why it was gone by the time his parents got back.

Frustrating, isn't it? The voice from the closet said.

“Shut up,” Danny snapped at it. “You're not real.”

The voice and the glowing orange light in the closet had become an increasing problem over the past few days. It kept making suggestions, or asking annoying questions, or making fun of him.

Then who are you talking to, Danny? The voice asked.

“Myself,” Danny growled.

You can't beat him Danny, the voice whispered. Not like you are now. He's different, but you're still the same. I could make you different too It would be good for both of us.

“And who the hell are you?” Danny snapped.

Yourself. Remember? That's who you said you were talking to.

“Go to hell.”

I'm someone else who hates Kyle Andermann.

“Why?”

He killed me.

“You sound pretty alive to me.”

I'm not though, I'm dying. He blew me to pieces and blasted what was left high into the air. I had to crawl out of a smoking crater with one working arm.

“And now you're in my closet?”

I was looking for someone I could use. A brain that would work for what I need. And I found you. You're perfect, Danny O'Brien. You're not just the right candidate, you've got a grudge against the guy I need to kill.

Danny chewed that over for a few miutes.

“You're really dying?” He asked.

Yes.

“Good.”

You're pouting like a little girl. You got beat up by the guy who was never supposed to be able to beat you. So what are you going to do about it, you big crybaby?

“You know what?” Danny turned to the closet door. “This. I'm gonna do this about it.”

He'd almost forgotten he came up here to do something. Danny yanked open the closet door. And then he stumbled back, because the air that wafted from inside was hot, too hot, hot and sweltering and miserable like the worst and sweatiest of summer days. But it wasn't the heat or the sulfur stink of it that made Danny recoil, it was the thing lying on the floor of his closet.

It had once been bulky and muscular and orange, but something had torn it in half. There was only one arm, a useless stump waving from it's left shoulder. It had a chest, but it was ripped open at the stomach. In fact it's entire lower half was gone, pulsing organs and twitching tubes of its guts spilled out around a charred nub of spine. It looked up at him with broken eyes.

Not pretty am I? The efreet laughed in his mind.

“Hell,” Danny gasped, choking in the charred-hair fumes wafting from the dying thing. “I thought you weren't real.”

Oh I'm real Danny. Not for much longer, but I am. That's why I need you.

“Yeah well fuck you,” Danny said, grabbing a box off the top shelf. “I don't give a damn if you die, whatever the hell you are. But I'm gonna take care of Kyle Anderman. For real this time.

Oh that thing? Yeah, yeah, good idea. Good luck with that. Tell me how it goes.

“Try to be dead by the time I get back,” Danny snorted.

The session was kind of what Kyle had expected. They sat and meditated, trying to get the magical energy from their nodes to do what they wanted. Tanya seemed satisfied with everyone's progress. At least he thought she was, it could be hard to tell with her. After they'd been at it for about an hour, she told them it was time to pack it in for the day.

“Try the exercieses on your own,” Tanya said. “And no more playing around with your powers. The next time we meet we'll talk about really manifesting your powers more intentionally.”

“Oh thank god,” Evan groaned, collapsing back. “I couldn't have handled sitting like that another second.”

“It's pretty similar to how we sit for martial arts practice,” Trevor said. “So I was fine.”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“You're always fine,” Evan complained. “But hey listen, I've got some extra money.”

“From scamming the chess club?” Trevor asked with a disapproving frown.

“Never mind how I got it,” Evan said. “Who wants to come have dinner? My treat. Anyplace you guys wanna go except places I don't like.”

“Are you guys sure...” Kyle was hesitant. “Are you guys sure you want me along?”

“What?” Evan blinked in surprise. “Yeah of course man. Why not?”

“Because I got you all into this mess,” Kyle said. “I don't know how exactly, but all of this has to come back somehow to me and my wish.”

“Well really...Jenny started to say, but then stopped. Everyone was staring at Kyle.

“I was never particularly bothered,” Betty adjusted her glasses. “If had been the one to find the genie, I would have made a wish as well.”

“Yeah man,” Trevor said. “I could feel resentful or jealous or whatever, but if I was in your position...I would have done exactly the same thing.”

“So none of you are bitter or upset with me?” Kyle asked. “Even you, Evan?”

That was the one he was having the hardest time with. Evan could be the poutiest living thing in the universe, when he decided to. And if someone had asked Kyle to describe a situation that would make Evan pout, he'd have come up with pretty much this.

“What?” Evan said. “Expecting me to be jealous just because you've got incredible magic power and a sexy magical girl living in the house with you who calls you master? Or angry because getting all of that caused you to mess up my life?”

“Well yes,” Kyle said honestly.

“Nah,” Evan shook his head. “I'll admit it sounds like me. And I'd probably hate you if I didn't have incredible magic power too. But I do. So I can see why you'd think I might get upset, but all I see are all the possibilities this has opened up for me. So don't worry about it.”

Kyle felt relieved. He'd been so sure everyone would hate him now, especially Evan. He was about to say so when a purple blur streaked past him and Suddenly Jenny was there, hugging Betty and Tanya so tightly their faces were turning red. Tears streamed down her pinkish purple face.

“I'm so happy!” Jenny said. “I just got to live in the world and then I messed everything up and I was sure you were all gonna hate me!”

“I am in fact quite fond of you from our brief association,” Betty said. “But I do in fact require my lungs to breathe, so I would appreciate it if you could relax your grip...”

“Stop it!” Tanya snapped. “You're getting snot on my white shirt.”

“Aaaaaand yep,” Evan said, one eye closed and fingers help up to make a square as he watched the three girls flailing together. “Kaclick. Saved, recorded, and stashed in the file. The benefits of a perfect memory. You gotta try this, Kyle, it is SO much fun.”

“I suppose we should be grateful you can't see through walls,” Tanya said primly.”

“I've still got two nodes to work with,” Evan said. “Don't tempt me.”

“I would never teach you how to do that,” Tanya told him.

“I could figure it out!” Evan countered. “Now come on! Who's coming for dinner? I'm offering free dinner.”

“I am amenable provided I still possess a working system of organs by the time Jenny is done with me,” Betty said as she finally escaped Jenny's hug.

“Someplace where we can get chicken nuggets?” Jenny asked.

“You had chicken nuggets this morning,” Kyle pointed out.

“More!” Jenny said excitedly.

“It might have to be tenders but sure,” Evan said.

“I'm in,” Trevor said.

“Good luck,” Tanya said, turning away.

“Oh but Tanya!” Jenny said. “You're coming too! Right?”

“Yeah,” Kyle said. “It would be pretty crappy to have you teach us all this stuff and then not invite you.”

“I don't like what you're implying,” Evan grumbled. “But yes, of course I was including you Tanya.”

“Oh,” Tanya said, hesitating for a moment. “I did not expect your invitation to include me,” she said. “Thank you. But I am busy here. And there are a great many people cluttering up my house.”

“Yeah yeah we get it,” Evan sighed.

“Awww you should come!” Jenny said. “We just spent all day hanging out!”

“That was magical training,” Tanya said flatly. “Not hanging out.”

“We were all here together so what's the difference?” Jenny asked. “Come on!”

“It would be good for team building,” Trevor pointed out. “Coach eats with us all the time.”

“I...” Tanya's eyes narrowed at Evan. “Do you understand that accepting this invitation does not mean I accept any physical contact with you, whatsoever, at any point in time?”

“It's just dinner,” Evan told her.

“And you will sit as far away from me as possible and promise not to leave the table should I visit the restroom at any point during the evening?”

“You know this is a pretty long list of demands for the guy who's offering to buy everyone dinner...”

“Well?”

“Okay okay!” Evan said. “I promise.”

“Then...alright,” Tanya said stiffly. “Give me just a moment, and I'll come along.”

“Yay!” Jenny said, and before anyone could stop her the genie's flying tackle had sent both her and Tanya sprawling on the ground as Tanya attempted to wriggle out of Jenny's crushing hug.

Ricky's was the restaurant in town it was easiest for students to eat at.

Oh there were bigger restaurants, and fancier restaurants, and chain restaurants, but they were all a little too inaccessible and priced a little too high for the average high school student to go to regularly. Ricky's, on the other hand, catered specifically to them. Kyle didn't know much about the owner, just that he was a local. They found themselves sitting around a circular table with a checkerboard pattern.

“You really got all this money cheating the chess club?” Kyle asked.

“Well some of it is from selling my body,” Evan waggled his eyebrows up and down.

“If you tried to sell your body you'd end up in debt,” Trevor said flatly.

“I'm still the one paying for the food,” Evan pointed out.

“How does Jenny's magic work?” Betty asked. The entire table went quiet, but Tanya just sighed

“Everyone relax, Betty has the right idea. If you don't act like it's a secret everyone who overhears you will think you're talking about a video game or something.” Everyone visibly relaxed.

“I would still like to know the answer to my question,” Betty pressed. “Humans have magic through the system of nodes we spent the day learning about. What about genies? Or efreet?”

“We talked about this a little bit the first day,” Kyle said. “She's still got nodes, right? But they're more specific than human nodes?”

“Right,” Tanya said. “Magical creatures have a lot less control over their nodes. That's why Jenny can only cast minor spells, her natural nodes are all going towards her wish ability. And for her they have been since birth.”

“Fascinating,” Betty adjusted her glasses. “So would it...”

Time wore on, and outside the restaurant Danny O'Brien waited with Benny.

“We're gonna handle this for good,” Danny grumbled.

“Danny,” Benny said. “Don't you think maybe you oughta just...let it go?”

“No.”

“I'm just saying...”

“I thought we'd been over this, Benny.”

“Ah come on Danny,” Benny said. “Look I don't mind putting a little jerk in their place, or having a little fun pushing somebody around, but you've been getting weird lately. Weirder and weirder. The other day when Kyle distracted us from that new kid...”

It had been the wrong thing to say. At the mention of Kyle's name Danny's face turned bright red and he let out a snarl.

“See right there man,” Benny said. “Right there. That's the kind of stuff I'm talking about. You're getting crazy man!”

“You just make sure none of them get away once it starts.”

“And what if we get our asses kicked again?” Benny shook his head. “Face it man Kyle's been working out or something, we can't take him anymore. Just like we can't take that Trevor kid. Let it go.”

“We can take him and we will take him!” Danny insisted.

“Why man?” Benny asked desperately. “Why? What's so important about Kyle Anderman?”

“Kyle Anderman is a weak loser,” Danny said. “It's like the law of gravity. It's just true. It's the way of the world, the basic laws of reality. He's got no god damn right to go around fucking up the world. He needs to stay at the bottom where he belongs. And I'm gonna remind him of that.”

“Yeah I'm not so sure that's how it works, Danny,” Benny said, but Danny's eyes weren't on him anymore. They were across the street, where Kyle and a bunch of people from school were walking out of the restaurant. Benny didn't even know Kyle had that many friends, were they in a club or something? Whatever the group was it was taking the shortcut behind the restaurant, because everyone did when they left Ricky's. It was so much faster than crossing the street, and besides Rolling Hills was a safe town, usually.

“Know what works?” Danny said, reaching under his shirt. “This.”

Benny's eyes went wide.

There was no more excuse for Benny Gold than there was for Danny O'Brien. No tragic backstory. An average life, in an average home, with an inclination towards picking on people. An inclination strengthened by his association with Danny O'Brien, because it's always easier to do things you're not supposed to do in a group than it is alone. But there was one powerful, all important difference between the two: Unlike Danny, deep down, Benny was a decent person.

Which was why he whirled away from Danny and started sprinting towards Kyle and the others, shouting at the top of his lungs.

“Anderman look out! Run for it! Danny's got a gun!”