Beth scowled. She wasn’t angry at the quizzers. She was angry athim.
The trickster. The sequinned pest. The self-proclaimed sultan of spin.
Ed was reading again. ‘OK. Final question, which again I don’t remember reading before.’ He scratched his head, then carried on. ‘Which 1975 film, starring Elton John in oversized boots, featured the song“Pinball Wizard”?’
The room erupted in delighted murmurs and a lot of frantic scribbling.
Beth, meanwhile, went cold.Of course.
Because why wouldn’t he meddle? Why wouldn’t he turn her night into a cosmic joke?
Slipping away unnoticed, she hurried down to the basement, her pulse a drumbeat of fury and disbelief.
‘What are you playing at?’ she snapped, slamming her palms on the pinball machine. The sound echoed around the empty room.
Nothing. No shimmer, no wisecrack.
And then a flicker of golden light.
The butterfly.
It drifted down from nowhere, luminous wings shimmering violet and silver. Beth watched it land delicately on her hand, its tiny feet tickling her skin. Her breath caught.
Life can still be good.
The butterfly rose, circled once and vanished into the air with a faint metallic clink. Beth looked down.
Another coin.
Beth stooped to pick it up, turning it over in her fingers. Her reflection rippled on its surface – tired, confused, defiant.
She sighed. ‘Fine. Let’s do this.’
The coin dropped into the slot.
Instantly, The Wish Master sprang to life – lights flashing, bells ringing, Gigi materialising mid-spin, his outfit a chaotic clash of glitter and velvet.
‘Well, well,’ he drawled, reclining mid-air. ‘If it isn’t my pinball wizard. Or should that be witch? No, wait – enchantress!’
‘I prefer Beth,’ she said flatly. ‘And I want to know what game you’re playing. Because this is well beyond three wishes, Gigi. You’re interfering.’
‘Moi?’ He pressed a hand to his chest in mock offence. ‘As if I would meddle. I’m subtle, discreet?—’
‘Turning my water into Lilt and throwing in quiz questions about a genie andPinball Wizardis your idea of subtle?’ she said. ‘You’re about as discreet as a glitter bomb.’
Gigi gave a sheepish grin. ‘Ah. You wound me. But perhaps I got carried away. Just a little fun, that’s all. It’s beenagessinceI had such a promising protégée. Play, darling, and all shall be revealed.’
Beth glared, but the machine was already alive again, its lights pulsing, the ball released. Against all common sense, she set her hands on the flipper buttons.
She played hard. Harder than she ever had before. The ball danced, rebounded, spun. Every metallic ding echoed in her chest. Her fingers burned, her wrists ached. Somewhere between the flashing lights and the noise, she thought she heard Luke’s voice – soft, amused, distant.You’re overdoing it again, Beth.
‘Beth,’ came Gigi’s voice, quiet now. ‘You can stop.’
She blinked through tears she hadn’t noticed forming. 400,000 points.
‘Your wrist is impressive,’ said Gigi solemnly, then spoiled it by waggling his eyebrows. ‘One of the best I’ve ever seen. But your heart … well, that’s heavier than any jackpot.’
‘You don’t know anything about me.’ Her voice cracked and she dashed away tears. ‘You’re just a stupid genie trapped in a box, tormenting people for fun. I wish you’d disappear and let me live my boring life.’
