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Chapter 88 - Last chapter

[Otto's POV]

"Ha~! This is perfection," Alex sighed contently. He was laying on his back in the grass next to her. It was a beautiful summer day. Perfect T-shirt weather and not a cloud to be seen in the bluer than blue sky, but not so hot that you started sweating with the smallest of movement.

"Just the way you want it?" Otto asked as she looked down at his content, fully relaxed face and felt herself grin at the sight. After everything that had happened, Alex had gotten a lot busier. The peace and calm was a welcome change.

"Of course it is! Do you think I would let the one free day I can spend with my girlfriend be rainy?" Alex scoffed. Otto rolled her eyes at him. He almost sounded offended, but she knew he was bragging about how powerful he really was.

"No way!" Jasper piped into the conversation. He too had been laying on his back in the grass. "I love to believe that you have wings and some strange electric power which allows you to create new types of electric devices. But the weather?! As in influencing or even changing the weather? Nope! Now you're just saying things!"

"I am not," Alex said lazily when it became clear Jasper was done ranting.

"Not what? Capable of changing the weather? I'm grateful for your honesty," Jasper said.

"I'm not saying things," Alex challenged as he lifted his head to look at Jasper.

"Psh!" Jasper scoffed in disbelief. "As if changing the weather is such an easy thing. Do you know how many factors need to be taken into consideration to get a certain type of weather? You'd almost need to be a god for that kind of magic!"

"Aw, Jasper! I'm so glad you appreciate my powers," Alex joked annoying Jasper even more.

"Ha! Well, I'd like you to know that I don't believe you. Would you like to offer some proof, mister god?" Jasper said in a defying way while crossing his arms haughtily.

"And what kind of proof would the unbelieving Jasper like?"

"Turn the weather into what it was supposed to be before you meddled with it," Jasper said smugly.

"I'm not ruining this beautiful day just to satisfy your curiosity!"

"Ha! See that?" Jasper asked Otto. "No proof, he's bluffing."

Alex shared a glance with her, quietly asking her "Can you believe this guy?" It made Otto chuckle.

"Fine!" he said in a defeated kind of way. "To proof that my magic is on god-level, you all get one wish!"

Now Jessy and Lindsey, who were also lazing about nearby, also looked up with interest.

"What do you mean? A wish?" Jessy asked. "Do you mean like a brand new car?"

"What a superficial example, but yes. Anything you want," Alex clarified. "If you want to fly the sky freely, I'll give you wings. If you want talent, I'll make you a one-in-a-million genius. If you want money, I'll make sure you win the lottery tomorrow. If you want true love, I can help you find your soulmate."

"Oh my god!" Otto, Lindsey and Jessy all gasped in unison.

"I wish for you to make it rain!" Jasper yelled stubbornly. Otto wanted to smack him.

"Jasper?" Alex asked through clenched teeth. "Are you really going to waste your wish on that? You only get one."

"My wish is for you to make it rain! Why are you trying to talk me out of it? Is it because you can't?"

And just like that, accompanied by a very angry glare from Alex, an angry little thunder cloud appeared above Jasper's head, which instantly soaked Jasper's clothes.

"What?" he asked surprised and tried to outrun the cloud, but it simply followed him wherever he went.

"This is impossible!" he shrieked and tried to hide behind Alex, but the cloud simply rained on Alex too.

Jasper gave a surprised yelp and tried to go hide under a tree, but the little cloud simply followed him under the branches and zapped him with a tiny lightning bolt to booth, making Jasper yelp once more.

Otto watched him for a few heartbeats in silence and then shrugged her shoulders. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to let Jasper cool off for a moment before she did anything to fix the situation.

"Now me!" Jessy suddenly announced after she'd came to the same conclusion Otto had. "I want to become a princes!"

Alex frowned in confusion.

"Do you want to marry a prince, do you want to be born as a princes or would you like your dad to conquer a country?" he asked.

"To marry a prince of course!" she replied excitedly. This time Alex raised an eyebrow at her.

"Listen, Jessy. I could follow up with the question: Do you have a prince in mind? But I can tell you now already, that you won't be as free as you are now and that the chances of us hanging around like today will become very low. I doubt that you would be happy with a life like that."

Jessy looked completely taken aback, surprised by his insight.

"You're not going to leave me, right?" Otto asked as she gently touched Jessy on the shoulder. This seemed to ground Jessy.

"Damn it," she cursed. "That means I'll have to think of something else."

Otto chuckled. She was glad that Jessy was wise enough to listen to Alex's advise. Unlike a certain idiot who looked like he was thoroughly drenched and was visibly starting to shiver. She just hoped Jasper wouldn't catch a cold. Then she caught Alex looking at her tenderly.

"You've decided on a wish, haven't you?" he asked as he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. Otto blushed, suddenly feeling as if he'd caught her while stealing a cookie.

"Yes," she said with a nod. "I wish that all those dear to me will live a long and healthy life until the end of their days."

"Of course," Alex said. "Your wish is my command."

"Alex?" a very sulky and droopy Jasper asked. "I'm sorry that I doubted you. I will never doubt you ever again. Would you please undo the thunder cloud now?"

"One wish, Jasper. You had one wish. Undoing it was not part of the deal," Alex said, clearly still angry. "But you don't have to worry. Thanks to Otto, you won't die of a common cold. Now step back. Your personal cloud is splashing on my shoes. Which is impossible to begin with, I guess, because influencing the weather is much to difficult for someone with powers like mine."

Jasper would have pouted unhappily, but his teeth were clattering so hard at this point, that any other facial expression was nearly impossible.

Then Otto saw his eyes light up with an idea and the next thing she knew, Jasper was smothering Alex in a hug.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!" Jasper begged dramatically.

"Get off me! You jerk! Your cloud is drenching me!" Alex tried to push Jasper away, but he held on stubbornly. Otto hid a laugh behind her hand. She knew Jasper had won this argument even before Alex sighed and the little cloud disappeared.

"Now I'm drenched too," Alex complained as Jasper finally let go of him, but the next second, he was completely dry again, where Jasper stayed completely drenched.

"Look who's complaining!" Jasper said exasperatedly as he chook his hair above Alex in retaliation.

"Stop it!" Alex growled annoyed, but obviously unharmed.

"You guys, stop fighting. I know what I want to wish!" Jessy interjected. They all stared at her expectantly. "I want to win the lottery!"

Otto, Jasper, Alex and Lindsey all laughed in unison.

"What?" she asked incredulously.

"Nothing," Alex said, still smiling, and pulled a ticket from the back-pocket of his jeans. "Here. It's tomorrow's winning lottery numbers. Don't lose it!"

Jessy's face turned pale.

"What do you mean, don't lose it? What happens if I lose it?!"

"Then you wasted your wish, like this idiot," Alex laughed as he pointed his thumb at Jasper and then turned his attention towards Lindsey. "Lindsey? Have you decided?"

"I think I have, but uhm, ... can I ask you something first?" she asked as a fierce blush coloured her face. Alex nodded and Lindsey crawled over to where he was sitting to whisper something in his ear. Otto was starting to get really curious to what Lindsey's wish could be for her to blush so fiercely.

"I can. But what does that have to do with your wish?" he said and Lindsey whispered something else into his ear.

"Are you ready? Do you have your camera? Ok. Then, take my hand. And we're off."

The two of them vanished into thin air and reappeared a second later. Tears were streaming down Lindsey's face and she was clutching her camera as if it was her last chance at life.

"Lindsey! What happened?! Are you alright?" Jessy yelled surprised as she and Otto rushed to her side to comfort her. They both stared in confusion when Lindsey lifted up her camera in reply and showed them the last photo she'd taken. It was a picture of a young woman and man, kissing at the altar on their wedding day.

"Thank you-" Lindsey choked out, looking at Alex, but didn't get farther than that as a new wave of emotions overwhelmed her. He smiled gently and nodded his head at her once.

Otto looked at him in confusion.

"She asked me if it was possible to travel back in time, because the pictures of her late grandmother's wedding had been destroyed when a pipe burst in her grandfather's home," Alex explained. Otto's lips formed a silent "O!".

Lindsey's grandmother had died about a year ago, and it had devastated her. Lindsey's grandmother was the one who'd encouraged her to follow her dreams and had even gifted her her first camera, even though Lindsey's parents had been opposed to it. It didn't surprise Otto that she'd wished to see her again.

"Playing house, are we?" an adult male voice cut into the conversation, and instantly Otto saw a deep frown appear on Alex's face and he glared coldly at the newcomer.

"I'm going to enjoy it as long as it lasts," Alex said, still glaring, and subtly pushed her behind him. As he did so, Otto caught a glance of the man who'd cut into the conversation. He was wearing a pricey costume and looked old enough to be her father. The man sported a beer-belly and a clean shaved head, yet he looked familiar. When their eyes met, his lips slowly pulled into a self-confident smirk.

What the hell was this? The man was a little creepy for approaching a group of teenagers, but looked harmless enough. She'd never seen Alex react that cold to anyone before. Not even to Thomas before they'd cleared up the misunderstandings.

She worriedly took hold of Alex's hand and gave it a little squeeze. He looked up at her in confusion but huffed a laugh when he saw her worried face. Maybe the situation wasn't as dire as she'd been thinking.

"Well, aren't you going to introduce me to the girl?" the man asked. Alex drew in a long breath and then released it again in a sigh.

"Otto, I'd like to introduce you to my- ... friend," Alex said. A shiver ran down Otto's back. Why did this whole situation feel so familiar?

"Friend, huh?" the "friend" laughed and then frowned. "Deja vu."

"Oh? You'd been doing it unconsciously? I thought we were doing some sort of rite of recognition," Alex taunted.

"You're Larry Anderson! The Secretary of State," Otto interrupted their conversation as she finally remembered where she knew the man from. But what was such an import man doing here?!

"No, that's just the name he goes by these days. His name is Haruw," Alex said.

"Haruw! Now that's a name I haven't heard in a LONG time," Haruw marvelled.

"I can see that. You've aged, my old friend!" Alex laughed. "Modern times have made you soft!"

"Yes well, as a manifestation of the need for guidance of the common crowd, I don't have much choice in the matter. This is what people need me to be these days," Haruw said. "How I miss the old days."

"I bet you do," Alex mused, but left it at that. Otto looked between them as Alex seemed to be reluctant to continue the conversation, but Haruw showed no intention of leaving.

"Please retake your role as leader of the people," Haruw finally broke the awkward silence. Alex scoffed.

"What role? I do NOT have an obligation to lead anyone. Not this time. I'm not born into the position of king like last time," Alex said as he thought something over and then asked: "Why would anyone follow me?"

"Don't you play dumb with me!" Haruw said strictly. "You know as well as I do that you are destined to lead these people into a new era of prosperity."

Alex looked like he didn't know how to react for a second. She watched as a frown ghosted over Alex's face.

"It's still too early," Alex finally said. "They aren't ready yet."

Alex's answer shocked Otto. What had he said? Was he going to become some kind of King? To lead people?! He couldn't seriously be considering a job like that! He already was "Alex, the young genius behind the recent success of Bright inc." He'd already changed the world for the better.

"Ok. That's enough for now. I'll leave you to your perfect day then," Haruw said seriously and left just as sudden as he'd come. But the said perfect day suddenly felt a whole less perfect as a cold wind had started to blow.

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