6

It was the calm after the storm. Even Theresa had confessed to having purchased the already cooked lemon-roasted chicken that everyone had liked the night before. She purchased it again to make Justin and Max happy and to keep the piece. The fighting from the day had instigated the quiet evening meal. Justin and Alex recalled a lot of what they had said even if they did not full understand the last few days.

"Alex…" Justin looked to his sister. "I want to apologize for saying I hated you. It's just that… when I forgot you were my sister, I also forgot a lot of the fun we had together. The only memories I had of you were bad ones."

"Apology accepted." She relented and forced a small smile. She stirred her vegetables and mashed potatoes together.

"So, let me get this straight…" Max waved his chicken leg. "Harper really wasn't my sister."

"Nope." Theresa gave Max more asparagus. She looked to Jerry glad to have their family back together.

"So…" Max continued thinking it over. "Alex is the one whose been helping me with my math?"

"Nope…" Alex was back to herself. "That was Harper."

"So, who's been helping me with my homework?!" Max wanted an answer.

"About the only difference were their personalities." Jerry finished up his meal and began helping to clear the table.

"Dad…" Alex sat eating her stirred vegetables a second more before rising to turn in her empty dinner plate. "Is there anyway both Harper and I could really be sisters? I mean, I didn't like not being me, but I liked having Harper to share the secret."

"Oh, princess…" Jerry looked to her, back to his wife and then shared the sweet sentiment with Alex by stroking her sad face. "That's a really nice dream, but… Harper has to be Harper just as much as you have to be Alex. We can't change things to be the way we want them."

"But what's the point in being wizards if we can't change the world to be the way we want it." Max stated the obvious before racing to the TV to watch Ghost Whisperer. He took his plate of French fries with him to snack on before the television.

"I'll get to that lesson in another year." Jerry spoke up. "Chapter 23: The Limits and Restrictions of Wizardry…"

"I was just thinking…" Max stopped eating his French fries to look up. "If Harper made a wish to be closer to Justin, then gave it up, shouldn't she still have a birthday wish floating around somewhere?"

"It doesn't work like that." Jerry strided over and tried sweeping the fries off the floor his son was dropping. Behind him, the door to their loft sounded from outside in the apartment building behind them. Alex raced over recalling her plans to head out after dinner with Harper. Coming by again to meet up with Alex, Harper turned round to face the room, the front of her sweater revealed itself before she did. She looked as if she was smuggling the nose cones for a set of Navy missiles in her sweater!

"Alex," Harper looked at their shocked faces. "You ready to hit the mall?"

"Oh my god!!" Alex's eyes expanded to the size of dinner plates. Theresa stood with her mouth hanging in shock. Justin stood like a deer trapped in headlights. Jerry accidentally broke his broom handle in half.

"I'm hitting that chapter on wishes again!!" He raced back to the lair.

"I'll help you!!" Theresa raced after her husband. Even Justin felt a bit odd and raced from the room. Harper looked to her sweater extending a foot in front of her and looked to Alex stunned into silence and looked back to Max.

"I forgot I had these things in here." Harper tried to casually cover her padded bosom with her arms. "Maybe two boxes of Kleenex was too much." She awkwardly zipped up her jacket. "What do you think, Max?"

"What's the big deal?" He shook his head not realizing the situation while eating his French fries. He looked around the semi-empty room. "You just look like you were stung by a bee!"

End