Charlie finished putting out the beer and food for the little get together they were having at the apartment that night. He shared the apartment with two other guys, Nick and Robert. All three of them were finishing their third semester in college, looking forward to the upcoming holiday break, and has decided to take a break from studying for finals with a dinner with three female friends of there's: Jennifer, Monica and Sara.
"You ready to go?" Charlie looked up from the coffee table to see Nick walk into the room. Nick was certainly the ladies man of the three friends, with a body similar to that of a skater and about as muscular. Charlie himself wasn't too bad looking, at least he told himself that, at nearly 6'2" and having shed most of the "freshman forty" that a lot of new college students get.
"Yeah, just want to get this game out." Charlie replied, causing Nick to shake his head as Robert entered the room. He was just as well cut as his friends, probably more so since he played on the soccer team in the fall. Robert was also a bit of a nerd, being an academic all-american.
"I can't believe you actually bought that thing," Robert said, adjusting his glasses. "I mean...who plays board games anymore."
Charlie merely shrugged his shoulders. He had bought the game from a strange shop in the mall. The old man had referred to it as simply "The Game of Change" and left it at that. It had only cost him about five bucks, so he figured it might be good for a laugh. His musings were interrupted by the doorbell ringing, signifying the arrival of their guests.
The girls all arrived together, each of them living in the same apartment off campus. Monica was a gosspy girl, someone who had been the stereotypical cheerleader in high school and had never really lost that much of her personality. Sara was the opposite, slightly masculine personality that led many to suspect that she was a lesbian (Charlie had never asked). Jennifer was Charlie's best friend, and had been since grade school. The two had dated a few times, but decided it best not to jeopradize their friendship. After a few rounds of drinking and dinner, the fun and games got around to the game of change that Charlie had bought.
"So what's the goal here," Sara asked, her competitive nature coming to the forefront. "How do I win?"
"You roll the dice and move. Then you're supposed to draw a card which does...something. When you reach the end, you're supposed to get a wish."
"Really," Robert said again, rolling his eyes, "I don't believe in magic. But whatever, I guess this is good for a laugh."
Charlie pulled out the board and put the cards in their proper spot. He glanced down at the tokens in the box. "Holy shit look," he exclaimed, holding up a token. "They actually kind of look like us." Each person in turn held a token in their hand, before to their shock the tokens flew out of their hands and onto the starting square of the board, which was essentially a long spiral path leading to the center. They looked at each other, uncertain of whether or not to continue, until the dice was picked up by...