Dara, Page, and the Secrets of the Multiverse

▷ 9.4

Dara lounged behind a pamphlet from a nearby planetarium, watching Page and Jake stroll by. The plan had been simple. First, Dara arranged for Jake and his friend to hang out in the gaming center. It took a simple strike in the head, and said friend crumpled like a sack of rocks. Dara fired off a quick text from the phone, telling Jake he couldn't make it, and stuffed the bloke in a random ditch. He'd be confused by the time he woke up, but it was a small price to pay for what was at stake.

She positioned Page on the way to the gaming center where Jake was sure to pass by. "Act natural," Dara hissed before leaving Page on her own just as lover boy rounded the corner. Page took to examining the potted plants on the shop's display, which Dara had also planned. She knew Jake loved flowers because of his parents' florist jobs after a few more days of stalking.

It was only a matter of receding into the background, grabbing the first nondescript reading material she could hide behind. She was halfway from passively reading about a live meteor shower exhibit happening tonight when she heard a wish whizz by.

I wish the sky was a bit brighter. Jake hates rainy days. Page said, and Dara was poised to follow. While she couldn't bend over to part the clouds with her power, she could do something to steer Jake away from the outdoors and make him forget ever seeing gray skies at all.

This wasn't in the plan, but Dara was willing to oblige. She slapped the pamphlet on the grass, outdoor table of the nearby cafe and snapped her fingers. Her outfit changed into that of the oceanarium's employees. She intercepted Page and Jake, putting on a big smile on her face. "My, what a lovely couple!" She clapped her hands to enhance her point. Before Jake could say anything in defense, she waved a couple of flyers in his face. "Why not take your missus for a nice stroll in our new exhibit, yeah? Just between us, but I'll give you a discount!"

Dara winked to add to the charade. "That's a nice way to spend the afternoon, don't you think?"

Jake glanced at Page who gave him an encouraging smile. Dara had also told the girl to do that to everything Jake said. Nothing could make a man fall for someone more than listening to their problems and supporting their choices. "Yeah, sure," Jake said, snatching a flyer in Dara's hands. "We'll be in your care."

In a flash, Dara became an impromptu travel guide. As she wandered around the dark halls and the lush underwater landscape, Jake leaned over to Page and said, "Do you think we'll see a pupfish today?" He craned his neck to the arched aquarium overhead in thought. "I hear most of them are endangered."

A glint passed across Page's eye, and Dara suppressed her internal groan when another wish zipped through her senses. I wish Jake sees a pupfish today.

Dara made a show of patting her pockets and checking the conjured earpiece hooked around her ear. "So sorry, but something came up," she said. "I...need to pop in the change room. Real quick. Stay here. I'll be right back."

She scrambled to the nearest bend where they wouldn't see her teleport out of the aquarium and into a cavern where the pupfish were found. It took several tries, but she snatched the unsuspecting creature, carried it with her when she zipped back to the aquarium, and dumped it in the exhibit Jake and Page were last seen in.

They weren't there.

A curse ripped off Dara's lips. Jake had to see a pupfish today, and Dara was legally bound to fulfill that wish. But...where the hell were they? The poor fish couldn't breathe air on land. Her body morphed into an agile fish, carrying the pupfish in her jaws. She zipped across the length of the exhibit, spotting Page and Jake strolling towards the sting rays. Oh, not the sting rays.

She left the pupfish bobbing in the water and changed back to her employee persona, stepping into Page and Jake's way as if she appeared out of nowhere. "I'm back. So sorry to leave you hanging," she said. "If you look this way, you'll see one of the rarest fish in the world—the pupfish."

Jake turned, and as Page stepped forward to follow, Dara gripped her arm and yanked her back. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed in a low tone for the boy to not overhead accidentally. Let him enjoy looking at bobbing fishes while he could. "You're supposed to not make wishes unless you need it."

Page stared up at her, huge, doe eyes blinking in confusion. "But I do need that wish," she said. "Look, he's happy."

"And you also put a pupfish's life in danger by forcing me to do that," Dara replied. "Just...take lover boy outta there while I return the fish. And don't wish for anything improbable while I'm out."

She didn't wait for Page to acknowledge it, doing everything she said she would and returned the fish to its rightful habitat. She hasn't even appeared in the flesh fully when another wish echoed in her mind. I wish it wasn't this cold. I didn't bring my sweater.

And if she just brought the cardigan as Dara suggested, they wouldn't be in this mess. Dara returned to her employee guise and started tinkering with the aquarium's air conditioning. She was just coming back to resume the tour when Page's voice tore through her head once more. I take that back. Jake can't take the heat. I wish it were colder.

Dara went back to turn up the temperature. She found them sitting in the small pop-up store. I wish someone would mess up Jake's order so we have to share food. Dara's contract steered her to the stall processing their order, disguising as a server. She was almost to the table when she tripped herself, tipping an ice cream cup all over the floor.

"What the fuck, man?" Jake exclaimed, rising halfway from his seat. "That's my order!"

Dara looked up at the kid glaring daggers at her. Oh, so that was how it was going to play out. This guy was a piece of shi—

"I'll clean it up, no worries," Dara said aloud, serving Page her cup with a smile. As long as Page was happy, she'd be fine with a crap excuse for a dude throwing darts at her back. She turned to Jake. "I'll get you a new order."

"No thanks," Jake said, stalking to the opposite seat. Page's bite was interrupted when Jake grabbed her wrist. "We're getting out of here."

Before Page could sputter her response, Jake started dragging her out. Dara left the stall and morphed back to the aquarium employee. "I'm sorry, sir," Dara said, stepping in their way. "But I'm taking her from here."

Jake's mouth hung open as Dara yanked Page from his grip. With a swift kick, he toppled to the ground, unconscious. Served him right for being an asshole.