Her Number One Fan

Holly had switched off her computer but couldn't quite bring herself to exit the office. As was often the case, she was the last to leave, and there was a peace and quiet there that she wouldn't get at home, where Maisie's presence would be a constant reminder of the potentially perilous situation her younger sister had put her in. This was a better place for her to sit and ponder her options.

Holly knew she had pick somebody to tell about her curse, or it was only a matter of time before someone stumbled across it by accident, now that Maisie's friend knew. But there was nobody she could think of she trusted enough to share it with. She had studied the history of the curse in depth ever since she had first found out about it as a fourteen year old. As far as she could make out, ninety nine per cent of Masters abused their powers, anywhere from moderately to in the ****. Who did she know who could be in that elusive one per cent who didn't become corrupted by such complete power over a defenceless young woman like her?

"Oh, Hey Holly, last one out again??"

She looked up at Jared, her colleague who she hadn't realised was still lingering around. He had his jacket on, ready to leave. She had a strange relationship with him. Holly was a couple of years older than Jared and senior to him in the office, though not his manager, more like a mentor. She had taken him under her wing when he had first joined and done a lot to help him establish himself there. And in return he was incredibly loyal to her and liked her. A lot. But it never felt like he was crushing on her. She wasn't even sure what his sexuality was. He was almost like her fan.

"Hey Jared, I'll be leaving soon. It's just been another long day"

"If you don't mind me saying, Holly" Jared began as he walked over to her "I feel like something is up with you at the moment. You seem distracted, not quite yourself"

"I've got some stuff going on outside work, it's nothing for you to worry about though"

"But I do worry Holly. You're my friend, and you have done so much for me that you didn't have to since I started here. Maybe I can help, even if all I can be is someone to talk to about it"

Holly thought about this offer for a moment. She hadn't really considered him before, but could Jared be her least bad option? He thought the world of her, and didn't give off any kind of lecherous vibe. Even with what the curse usually did to men, it was hard to see this guy turning into a monster. Something inside her told her to go with this before she started overthinking it and changed her mind.

"I'm under a curse"

---

Jared was still sitting next to Holly in stunned silence. He had made her change her hair colour and length three times before turning it back to normal, such was his disbelief in what was going on here.

"I swear Holly Petersen, every time I think you can't get any more amazing you go and prove me wrong"

"I'm not amazing, I'm cursed" Holly reminded him.

"Can I ask something about this thing, how it works?"

"Sure" Holly shrugged, feeling vaguely optimistic about her decision from the fact she wasn't naked yet.

"You call it a curse. So does that mean I can only use it to do bad things to you? Not that I ever would, obviously. But am I not allowed to do good things instead?"

"You can, but nobody ever does. Trust me, I have researched this thing in depth" Holly told him.

"Then shit Holly, this is amazing! I can give you anything you want! After everything you have done for me, and now you putting all of your trust in me with this, which means more than you will ever know, I finally get the chance to repay you"

"I don't know" Holly instinctively wanted rid of the curse, to just bury it forever "I think it's better not to play around with something like this. My Dad always said using the curse on my Mom would be a slippery slope, no matter how good his intentions"

"Well, we'll be careful" Jared assured her "You choose the wishes, You choose the wording. Just write it down for me. I will check it and let you know if I think there is any way it can be misinterpreted. Then, once we are both happy, I will read it out. If for any reason you decide you don't like the results, I'll reverse it instantly"

Holly thought about it for a moment. Maisie would be all over an offer like this. But the older sibling had always been so much more cautious generally, and especially when the curse was involved. Though there were obviously things she would like that the curse could do for her. Holly had taken a risk by telling her secret to Jared, and it looked like it had paid off. She certainly wasn't going to go crazy with it, but maybe this was worth a try.

"We have to be super careful with this Jared. I don't want you to call me Holly again, unless you are reading it from a wish I give you. I want you to call me Laney"

"Laney?"

"My middle name is Elaine. It avoids accidents that can happen if you use my actual name?"

"Sure, makes sense to me, Laney"

"Great, now can you pass me those Post Its, I'm going to write something down"

An excited looking Jared grabbed the pad of little yellow note sheets and passed it to Holly who picked up her pen then paused and thought for a moment. What was she going to wish for first?