Djinn

by Laura Catherine

  The whole show went on for about an hour. Seth would move things with his mind, Millie would fly around and Nate would set things on fire. It was a practiced routine, but clearly they were in control of their abilities, and a twinge of jealousy prickled my skin. I wanted so much to be with them now, practicing alongside them, knowing I had nothing to fear because my ability was a part of me.

  Nate offered to help me again, but I was too frustrated to keep going.

  "I'll be late to training tomorrow," Nate finally said, extinguishing the flaming tennis balls with a sweep of his hand. "I have some princely duties to attend to.

  "No problem," Millie replied with a smile.

  "I'll just keep trying," I said, but it was hard to sound convincing.

  Seth just nodded and left the room. Millie started rambling to Nate, asking him about his princely duties, so I didn't bother to say goodbye. I grabbed my drink bottle, took a swig and headed out the door after Seth. I'd been meaning to talk to him about my abilities. Maybe he could give me more insight in to what they might be.

  "Hey, Kyra," Millie called from across the room.

  I stopped in my tracks as Millie ran up and looped her arm in mine. She squeezed it affectionately, and gave a quick wave to Nate before leading me out the door.

  "I was wondering if you wanted to come over to mine and have a girl's day," she said with hopeful eyes.

  "Ah, Millie, that sounds nice but—" I saw the hope fade from her eyes. "—it's just, that I've never had a girl's day before or, well, a girlfriend."

  Millie laughed. "Kyra, have you seen the people I hang out with? They're all boys," she said.

  "Really?" I asked. "I just figured you saw other friends outside of training."

  She shook her head. "The four of us are the only Djinn of our age who have abilities. Everyone else is too young, has already mastered them, or is Guardjinn."

  I stared at her for a moment, gobsmacked. "You're serious? We're the only Djinn training?"

  "Millie's right," Nate said, jogging over and matching our stride. "More and more Djinn are becoming Guardjinn every year."

  "How come?"

  "We're not sure. We used to wait a year after our abilities manifested before doing the Guardjinn test, but now they do it as early as possible. Most Djinn have a dog as a pet, so when the kids were old enough, parents would make their kids touch the dog to be sure."

  "And then they get shunned," I mumbled, thinking about my parents giving my Keisuke.

  "Unfortunately yes," Nate continued, "but that's something the queen and I are working on. We want Guardjinn to have equal rights."

  "But no one agrees with you," I said, Ivan's face flashing in my mind.

  "Don't worry about it," Nate said, patting my shoulder. "You can worry about politics later. Just focus on your ability."

  Nate walked up the grand staircase, leaving Millie and I in the foyer. It was hard not to get involved in Djinn politics when I disagreed with almost everything I'd learned about them. Their culture was harsh and old, like most of the council, really. They needed a new perspective, and I hoped Nate would be the one to show it to them. I shook my head, and Millie gave me a worried look.

  "Are you alright?" she asked, squeezing my arm again. I really did need to stop worrying about politics and abilities … and well everything.

  "Millie," I said, "I'd love to come over."

  Her eyes lit up. She held her clenched fists close to her mouth, and couldn't stop smiling. A high-pitched squeak escaped her lips, but she stopped it from becoming a full-blown squeal just in time. Millie was beyond excited, and I was happy for the distraction.

  * * *

  Millie's house was on the other side of the compound. I mostly kept quiet as we walked, which was fine, because Millie rambled like a word machine to fill the silence.

  "It's so wonderful to have a girl to talk to," she said, as we arrived at the front of her house. It looked pretty identical to mine, though all the houses in the middle ring looked the same to me: same thick wooden doors, same grey-slated roof, same arched windows.

  "Come on in," she invited, opening the door.

  Millie's house, though structurally looking the same as mine, was very different. It was less full of artefacts and expensive antiques, and more decorated with personal items. There were photos of Millie and her parents as Millie was growing, baby through till now, that lined the walls. Everywhere I looked, it was like their family's entire life was on display.

  "I know what you're thinking," she said, closing the door behind us. "My house is a museum."

  "I think it's nice. It's a lot more friendly than my house."

  "My parents are really proud of me, you know. They like showing me off."

  Millie made it sound like a pain, but I could tell she really loved them. She lightly fingered the frame of a picture with her and her mother in it that looked maybe a year old.

  "You're lucky to be so close with your parents," I said.

  "Sorry," Millie said. "It must be hard, getting close to your parents after all this time."

  I shrugged not really wanting to talk about it. "I get on with Isabelle just fine. It's Ivan I don't like. He's so … I don't know."

  "You don't have to talk about it, if you don't want," Millie said, squeezing my hand.

  "Millie you're home." Millie's mother entered the room wearing an apron over her clothes. Her hands and face were covered in flour, but she had an amazing smile. Millie was the spitting image of her mother: the same face, the same hair, the same smile.

  She was the same woman I'd seen in the council room, but here she seemed different. In the meeting she looked like she was unhappy and didn't want to speak, but here in her own home, she seemed full of life, just like Millie.

  "Mum, this is Kyra," Millie introduced us. "Kyra this is Hannah, my mother."

  Hannah Baxter rubbed her flour-covered hands on her apron and pushed back some loose strands of hair.

  "Kyra. I've heard so much about you. What nice hair you have. You're such a beautiful girl. Please, make yourself at home. Oh, you must worn out from training. Millie is always a little tired afterwards. Can I get you a drink?"

  I could see where Millie got her rambling from, but it was nice. Hannah was friendly and welcoming.

  "No thank you," I replied. "I'm okay for now."

  Hannah smiled, cupping a hand to my face. "Not a problem, dear. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything."

  She disappeared once more as Millie grabbed my arm. "Mothers," she said, shaking her head, like Hannah had embarrassed her.

  Millie led me to her room and I was amazed to see her bedroom looked exactly how I pictured a princess' would. Her bed was surrounded by curtains of silk, with bows and ribbons tied on every post. Her wardrobe was twice the size of mine, if that was even possible, and was overflowing with clothes, so that the doors couldn't shut. It didn't contain anything I would ever wear. All her clothes were the kind of thing I'd only wear on special occasion, and even then only if forced.

  "Wow," I said.

  "I know it's a little intense, but my parents said I could have whatever I wanted."

  She pulled me over to the bed. It was like a little cubby house that made me feel safe from the world.

  "Millie," I said slowly, not entirely sure how to ask this. "What exactly do you do on a girl's day?"

  Millie laughed and not in a mocking way. "We talk about things. Make up, gossip, boys … You can talk about Will if you like." She gave me a sly look, and I felt my cheeks explode with red.

  "How do you know about that? I mean, nothing is going on."

  "Sure, sure," she said giggling. She pulled a pillow and hugged it between her legs. "Spill."

  "I told you nothing is going on between us." I deflected.

  "But …" she pressed.

  "Let's talk about something else," I said, cutting her off. "Do you like someone?"

  Millie gave me a pout at my lack of info, but smiled at the thought of talki
ng about someone she liked.

  "There's a lot of good-looking boys around. Though most of them are Guardjinn now." Millie cupped her hand over her mouth. "Oh! Not that there's anything wrong with seeing a Guardjinn. I never really believed in the old rules. They're silly. I would totally date a Guardjinn …" She leaned in closer to me, locking wide eyes. "Guardjinn are wonderful, but it's just, I don't like one, you know? If I didn't like someone else, then I'd have no problem with a Guardjinn …"

  "Millie, stop. It's okay," I said, almost laughing. "You don't have to defend it. I know how most people feel about it."

  "I really don't agree with the rules, though," she admitted, squeezing the pillow closer to her chest. "Love is love, you know? It shouldn't matter."

  Millie's words touched me. She was right. It shouldn't matter, as long as I knew how I felt.

  "I want something to happen between me and Will," I said, knowing I could trust Millie. "But you can't tell anyone."

  Millie put out her pinky finger and linked it with mine. "Pinky promise."

  "How do you even know about him and me?" I lay down next to Millie on the bed. Her pillows were so squishy. "Am I completely obvious?"

  "Only to girls," she said. "Boys wouldn't know a girl was interested in them if you said it right to their face." A hint of anger licked her last few words, but Millie smiled like it was nothing. "Tell me about Will."

  I shifted in the bed awkwardly, but the chance to talk to someone about everything that had been bothering me was too good to pass up. "I've had feelings for Will since the day we met; and I thought he had feelings for me too, but when I tried to kiss him last night he ran away like I was death," I gushed, breathing hard.

  "You tried to kiss him," Millie squealed.

  "Yeah, but he rejected me, if you recall," I grumbled.

  She waved it off. "Oh please, he wants you."

  "Is that some twisted girl logic? I'm pretty sure running away is a negative sign."

  She shook her head, as if I was silly for not understanding. "Trust me. He wants you."

  "It doesn't matter, anyway," I said. "He's Guardjinn and I'm not. It's not like we could ever be together."

  "Not with an attitude like that."

  I looked to Millie with a sideways glance. "What?"

  "Haven't you been listening to anything I've been saying? Love is love, Kyra. If you love Will, then tell him. Be with him."

  "It's not that simple."

  Millie whipped her pillow around, hitting me in the face.

  "What was that for?" I said.

  "How is anything going to change if you don't follow your heart?" she said. It was the most serious and passionate I'd ever seen Millie. Her eyes held a gaze of fire in them.

  "Seriously, Kyra, go for Will if you like him. He's always been a nice guy," she said.

  "How do you know Will?" I asked.

  "You know, there was a time when we all used to hang out; before our abilities."

  I realised Millie was right. They all must have known each other before they were separated. I wondered how many Djinn had grown up as friends to never be close again, because one became a Gaurdjinn.

  "You really think I should go for it?" I said, sitting up.

  "Kyra, do you like him?"

  "More than like him. He's been there for me the whole time. He makes everything make sense. He gets me."

  I knew what I had to do and rose from her bed. "Millie, I'm sorry but I have to go."

  She stared up at me, head leaning on the pillow. "Go," she said with a happy sigh. "Go and tell him everything."

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I ran home from Millie's with a whirlwind of feelings I couldn't quite put into words. What was I going to say? How would I explain it? I wasn't the best at sharing my feelings.

  I burst through the front door to find Isabelle checking the mail.

  "I need Will to come over," I told her.

  "Will, how come?" she asked, flicking through the letters.

  "Oh, I … I wanted to fit in a quick lesson before dinner, because I didn't have one yesterday," I replied, hoping I sounded truthful.

  "Okay, dear," Isabelle said, placing the letters into piles. "I'll call him in a minute."

  "Thanks, Mum," I called running up the stairs to my room.

  Every inch of me shook with fear as I had a quick shower. My heart was aflutter; my stomach was twisted in knots. Rummaging through my wardrobe, I tried to figure out what to wear, but I dismissed every fancy dress I owned and ended up in jeans and a gold silk top. I wanted him to see me for me. I paced back and forward, Keisuke at my heels thinking it was some sort of a game.

  "What the hell am I doing?" I asked him. "This is crazy. This is Millie's fault, she talked me into it." But I knew that wasn't true. I'd talked myself into this situation. I wanted this. I wanted him.

  I chewed my bottom lip until it bled, and then the doorbell rang downstairs. My mind went into overdrive and I watched my bedroom door, still as a statue, until he knocked.

  "Come … come in," I said, and Will stepped in, closing the door behind him.

  He was stunning. He wore a dark grey trench instead of his usual leather jacket, his cheeks were pink from the cold and his hair was tousled. I couldn't stop staring, a million thoughts running through my mind.

  "You asked for a lesson," he said, bringing me back to reality.

  "Um, yeah. Come in."

  He stepped closer, making sure to stay clear of the bed. "I was surprised you asked for a lesson. You really should focus on your ability training now," he said, petting Keisuke.

  That was a change from yesterday. Maybe this was a bad idea.

  "I'm not sure what else I can teach you," he continued.

  "There's always something to learn," I replied, eyes tracing him from head to toe, lingering on his lips, his chest, his … I snapped back to his face.

  "It might be easier to teach you to read Arabic, and then you can tutor yourself. I know how much you like reading. It seems unfair that you can't read any of the books here."

  My breath caught in my throat. This had to be a good idea. Will had to feel something for me. The way he talked about me. He knew me.

  "Will …" I said, and he gazed up at me with golden eyes and an angelic face. It was now or never. Love was love.

  "Will. I need to-—"

  "Listen, Kyra, about the other night," he said, cutting me off. Maybe he wanted to tell me something, too. My heat leapt in my chest.

  "I wanted to talk about it too," I said, wringing my hands together just to keep busy.

  "It was a mistake," Will said, which took me aback. "I shouldn't have led you on, but whatever you feel for me, I don't feel the same way. I think it's best if I stop being your tutor. Someone else can teach you to read the books. I don't specialise in language, anyway."

  I stood, mouth open, shell shocked. "You don't feel …"

  "No, I don't," he said bluntly.

  He turned to leave. My eyes stung with tears. After all that, after all the work up, he didn't even feel anything for me. Something snapped, and in a moment of desperation or anger, or maybe both, I grabbed his wrist.

  "No," I said, holding his gaze. "You don't get to say you don't feel anything for me, and you don't get to blame it on being a Guardjinn. You can't lie to me; you promised you never would."

  I clung to the sleeve of his soft coat, tears trailing down my face. A burning heat raged inside my stomach. I'd lost so much and had little to make up for it. I may not have known my father was a blood-drinking monster, or that I was a Djinn, but in this moment I knew this.

  "I know you, Will. I've seen the way you look at me. It's not just in my head. I know you feel something for me, and I won't let you hide behind Ivan, or the Guardjinn, any of it!"

  I stamped my foot on the ground and held his gaze intently.

  "Kyra …"

  "No!" I grabbed his face and kissed him, hard.

  I crushed my lips against his in a salty, wet kiss
. Will tried to push away, but I held on until finally he gave in and wrapped his hands around my waist, pulling me closer. The kiss became less forceful as our bodies moved together in heated passion. His lips were warm and his breath sweet. He kissed me more feverishly, hands holding me so close he might crush me, but I wanted it and I wanted him.

  Will picked me up and carried me to the bed, laying me across the silk sheets. His golden eyes gazed at me with a hunger I'd never seen before and he climbed on top of me, kissing my face and neck like he couldn't get enough.

  He ripped off his coat and my fingers traced down his chest to the bottom of his shirt. I lifted it over his head, revealing his muscular body. I wanted to touch every inch of him, my hands running over his smooth skin. Will pressed himself against me.

  We rolled about, all hands and lips. I never wanted to come up for air again. I wanted to stay there in his arms, having him touch me forever. Will's hands slid up my top, his touch sending electricity through my whole body. He reached all the way up to my breasts, and I didn't stop him; I didn't want to. His lips searched for mine and my hands tangled in his golden hair. He slid my top up and slid down my body kissing my stomach, making me squirm with pleasure.

  "KYRA!"

  We froze in position like statues, all hint of pleasure extinguished. Ivan stood in the doorway with eyes wider and angrier than I'd ever seen. Will jumped off me instantly and I lowered my top back down.

  "What the hell do you think you're doing with my daughter, dog?" he yelled, striding across the room. He grabbed Will by the throat and pinned him to the wall. The lights flickered like crazy, and I knew things were about to get bad.

  "Ivan, stop!" I shouted, and Keisuke barked like mad.

  Ivan's grip tightened around Will's neck. Why wasn't he fighting back?

  "STOP!" I leaped off the bed and grabbed Ivan's hand.

  "Stay out of this!" he said, slapping me across the face. I fell to the floor, more out of shock than anything else. No one had ever slapped me before. My cheek stung, prickling with a burning heat.

  "Don't touch her." Will swung a fist into Ivan's face and pushed him away, like he was a ragdoll. I had forgotten Will didn't feel pain like others. Ivan might not have been hurting him at all. Will ran to my side and helped me up.