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Jessie glanced to where the golden lamp sat on their nightstand, pondering the dilemma of what to use their final wish on. The first wish had provided Jessie with a magic debit card that would always have the right amount of money for whatever they wanted to buy. The second had been used to ensure that the people they loved would always remain healthy, whether they’re family or friends. Jessie rolled over in bed, twisting to look toward the window instead of the lamp. They could use it to cure cancer or HIV, to prevent worldwide pandemics from happening again, or to make sure there was always the food they wanted in the fridge whenever they checked.
They flipped back the sheets, suddenly disgusted with themself. They had already made a selfish wish, there was no need for a second one. They pulled themself from bed, stumbling to the closet to get dressed and get breakfast before heading to school. Jessie pulled on a pair of black jeans with a white t-shirt that they tucked into the top of their pants before putting on their black leather belt. They grinned at themself in the mirror as they tugged on their heavy, black boots. A cold breeze drifted through their window and they snagged their favorite jacket, a thick suit jacket with red lining.
“JESSIE!” their mom roared from down below. “IF YOU DON'T GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT YOUNG LADY I SWEAR YOU WILL NOT EAT!”
They cringed at their mother’s words. They had asked a million times to not be called by any feminine or masculine words since they came out as nonbinary, but their mother, father, and siblings had simply ignored their requests. They had been screamed at when they came out, been told that they were a girl and would always be a girl, despite the protests. That had been sophomore year, and nothing had changed in the two years since.
Jessie’s friends had adapted to the new pronouns quickly, all of them were accepting and happy to have their friend happy and finally feeling like they found themself. Their pronouns didn’t matter with their friends, but somehow they mattered with their family. Jessie’s sister, Rosie, had instantly taken to calling Jessie ‘it’, and their brother, Will, had followed suit. Their parents hadn’t stopped using feminine pronouns on them and it chafed. As soon as possible they were going to move out so they could finally be happy at home.
Happy. That’s what they would use their last wish on, making their family happy. They dove for the lamp, running a hand along the side until the runes glowed a vibrant orange.
“I wish for my family to be happy.” A simple enough wish, open to interpretation, but perfect nonetheless. In the minutes that followed, nothing seemed to change. Maybe their family was happy already and they had wasted their final wish. They stalked from their room and headed for the stairs, the lamp now discarded on their bed.
The first thing they noticed as they reached the bottom of the stairs was the missing photos. The wall beside the kitchen table had been covered in photos of Jessie and their siblings, but now it only consisted of images of Rosie and Will. Jessie looked towards their mother, finding a smile resting on her thin lips, something they hadn’t seen in a long time. It made her look youthful, despite the crow feet and smile lines on her pale, freckled skin. At the large oak table, Rosie, Will, and their father sat eating breakfast as a family. They had never eaten together before, and when Jessie looked, they found that there was no chair for them, the only free chair was the one their mother was heading to.
“Guys, where’s my chair?” Jessie’s voice was small and pained. Their family didn’t even look up, they just continued eating, fully engaged in pleasant conversation. Will shoveled their mother’s homemade pancakes into his mouth, as every thirteen year old boy would. Rosie poked at her yogurt bowl, at the fruit mixed in and took a sip of her orange juice. Jessie stared at their family, simultaneously hurt and incredulous. They knew that their family hated them, but they didn’t know it would come to this.
“Does anyone want more pancakes?” her mother chirped, sidestepping around the island in the kitchen and heading towards the table.
“Yes please,” Will said through a mouthful of his still unfinished pancakes. Their mother never gave them more food until their plate was empty. As their mother approached, Jessie expected her to stop and scowl at them, to tell them to move out of the way so she could get to her perfect family.
She didn’t stop, she didn’t say a word, she continued on her march to the table, pancakes in hand. Jessie gasped as their mother walked right through them. A hand flew to their chest, twisting the white t-shirt above their heart, a heart that was now broken. Their family was happy now, but it was without them.