All Chapters of A Hundred Wishes: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

I had no idea how much time had passed when I finally heard the sound of an engine in the distance.The rescue boat was coming back.A lump formed in my throat. Somehow, my numb arms found their strength again."Mom! I'm over here!"The figures at the front of the boat grew clearer as it approached. Mom was holding a clean blanket.The sight of it made me smile. They hadn't forgotten me after all.I'd already decided I wouldn't ask why they'd rescued my sister, Alana Fisher, first. As long as Mom wrapped that blanket around me and held me for a moment, I'd pretend none of it had ever happened.But halfway toward me, the rescue boat suddenly changed course.Not far away, Biscuit's faint whimpers carried from a section of a floating dock that had broken loose in the waves. His leash was tangled around a piece of broken railing, and the whole platform looked like it could flip at any moment.Alana immediately jumped to her feet and grabbed the rescuer's arm, sobbing, "Get my dog

Chapter 2

Alana clutched Biscuit in her arms, sobbing so hard that her whole body shook.Mom and Dad stood on either side of her, trying to calm her down."Don't be scared. Biscuit's okay.""I got both of you back safely."At last, Alana smiled through her tears.No one looked in my direction again. The rescuer had intended to come back for me, but a high-wind and rough-seas warning suddenly came through.With the rescue boat at risk of capsizing, he had no choice but to take the passengers and the dog back to the dock first.The sound of the engine faded into the distance.My hands were covered in cuts, and I no longer had the strength to hold on to anything. When the water rose to my chin, I stopped calling out.They say that when you're dying, your life flashes before your eyes, showing you the happiest moments you've ever known.Sure enough, memories began flickering through my mind.Back then, Alana hadn't been born yet.No matter how busy Dad was at work, he always showed up at

Chapter 3

Before the accident, Alana had climbed past the safety barrier at the ocean overlook to take pictures.I went after her to pull her back, but when a huge wave crashed over the rocks, she grabbed me and held on tight, dragging me into the ocean with her.However, Mom and Dad rescued her first. Then they rescued Biscuit, her dog.So much for no one getting left behind. Apparently, that had never included me.When the last of my memories faded, my spirit drifted weightlessly after them.The marine rescue team asked one of my family members to stay behind and assist with the search.Dad responded impatiently, "Corinne can swim. There's no way anything happened to her."Mom was just as convinced that I'd gone into hiding because they'd rescued Alana first and I was throwing a tantrum. "Don't go looking for her. The more attention we give her, the more she'll think throwing a fit gets her what she wants."I pressed a hand to my hollow chest and opened my mouth, at a loss for words.

Chapter 4

The moment Samuel finished speaking, Dad's expression darkened."What body? Our daughter is perfectly fine. Don't start saying things like that first thing in the morning."Mom instinctively pulled Alana behind her. "Corinne was rescued by the innkeeper last night. We're on our way to pick her up right now."Samuel glanced at the ID photo on his phone, then at the sleeve visible beneath the white sheet. "The victim is wearing the same clothes the missing woman had on when she went into the water. Please, at least come over and confirm whether it's her."Dad waved him off impatiently. "Plenty of people own the same clothes. Corinne loves scaring people with stunts like this. If we actually go over there and look, she'll think she won."Alana's eyes reddened as she carefully tugged at Mom's arm. "Corinne must have seen the inn's video and decided to hide because she knew we were coming."She's just upset because you rescued Biscuit and me first. When we find her, I'll apologize to

Chapter 5

Mom stared at the paper, her lips moving soundlessly for a long time.Then she suddenly stumbled back."People lose things. Corinne could've dropped her phone in the ocean and been rescued by someone else. That's possible."She spoke faster and faster, as though if she didn't stop, the worst possible answer could never catch up with her."That's right. She can't be dead. She promised she'd grant us a hundred wishes. We already used the last coupon. She wouldn't risk her life just to punish us."Samuel watched her, a flicker of sympathy in his eyes.When we returned to the temporary morgue, Mom kept a tight grip on Alana's hand. She refused to go near the stretcher covered by the white sheet.Standing several feet away, she repeated over and over, "That's not Corinne. My daughter can swim. She can't be dead."Samuel didn't rush her. He simply lifted one corner of the white sheet.My face was swollen from the seawater, and there was still a wound on my forehead where I'd struck

Chapter 6

While they were completing the paperwork for my body, a staff member handed Mom a form. "Please indicate your relationship to the deceased."Mom held the pen and instinctively wrote, "Mother."When she finished, she stared at the word and suddenly burst into tears. "She hasn't called me Mom in years."The staff member looked confused.Dad dropped his head.Twelve years ago, Alana had wanted to be an only child. Mom and Dad had used one of the wish coupons to make me start calling them Mr. and Mrs. Fisher instead.Even after the time limit on that coupon had long since expired, they never told me I could call them Mom and Dad again.Now Mom was finally willing to acknowledge that she was my mother.On the paperwork for my death.When they returned to the hotel, they found my luggage in the living room.I hadn't brought much: two changes of clothes, a bottle of the cheapest sunscreen I could find, Dad's blood pressure medication, Mom's motion sickness patches, and Alana's favor

Chapter 7

News of my death spread quickly. Someone posted a video from the rescue boat.In it, the rescuer asked whether I was their daughter.Alana said I was the housekeeper, and Dad told him to save the dog first. Mom said herself, "She's been with our family for years. She helps out around the house."Within minutes, the video had been shared hundreds of thousands of times.People found Alana's social media account. I wasn't in a single family photo she'd ever posted, but I'd paid for all the new necklaces, phones, dance programs, and vacations she'd shown off.Alana begged Mom and Dad to clear things up for her.Out of habit, Mom picked up her phone, ready to tell everyone there had been a misunderstanding.She was halfway through writing the statement when she saw the final line Alana had drafted.[Corinne Fisher was jealous of her younger sister, Alana, and voluntarily gave up her place on the rescue boat. Her death was a tragic accident and had nothing to do with her family.]Mo

Chapter 8

On the day of my cremation, the funeral home needed a recent photo of me.Mom and Dad searched through all their phones. Once again, the only one they could find was my ID photo from three years ago.In the end, one of my colleagues, Joni Taylor, brought over a picture from a company outing. I was standing at the very edge of the group, with the faintest smile on my face.Joni looked at Mom and Dad, hesitating before asking, "Corinne never mentioned having parents. Are you really her family?"Mom opened her mouth. For a long time, she couldn't answer.When the cremation chamber door closed, Mom suddenly lunged forward. She clutched the water-damaged wish coupon tightly against her chest."The last wish doesn't count. Corinne, I take it back. You don't have to give your sister anything. Just come back, okay?"The staff held her back. The flames had already started.I stood beside her, watching as her tears slowly blurred what remained of the writing on the coupon.When I was se

Chapter 9

Alana was held legally responsible for entering a restricted area, causing me to fall into the ocean, concealing our relationship during the rescue, and interfering with the rescue effort.Throughout the investigation, she insisted she'd never meant to kill me.Maybe that was true. She'd simply grown up believing that my bedroom, my money, my future, and even my parents were rightfully hers.So when it came down to life or death, her first instinct was still that I should be the one to give way.On the day she was sentenced, Alana cried for Mom from behind the barrier. "Please help me. I don't want to go to prison."Mom instinctively took a step forward. Then she heard my voice in her head again."Mom, please... look back at me."She stopped where she was and covered her face, sobbing.Dad didn't look at Alana. He just stood there, gripping the sentencing papers in his fist.Alana finally broke down and screamed at them, "How can you just abandon me? You're the ones who told m

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