Will Power: A Djinn Short

by Laura Catherine

  I reached into the drawer slots and touched something. I pulled it free and buried my face into the material, taking in the scent.

  Cinnamon and apples.

  Kyra.

  It had to be her.

  Chapter Eight

  “This town looks like a dump,” Mia said as we drove through the central shopping strip.

  I had to admit it was pretty bare with minimal shops and the houses placed few and far between. It seemed like the perfect spot to hide out. Once I found one of Kyra’s tees, I had her scent. We’d been tracking it for the last few days. Sometimes it was strong and other times it faded. This was the first town we had come across and it was a good start.

  It was still very early in the morning and nothing was open. The sun was only just rising over the trees.

  I drove a little farther past a park and into a residential area. A motel was perched on the corner of a small street made of brown brick and wooden beams.

  “We’ll check in there.” I pointed to the motel. I parked the car while Mia booked us a room. Pyke pulled our bags from the hatchback and we met outside the motel room door.

  Mia swung the keys around her finger. “Lucky this place has a twenty-four-hour reception.” she said, opening the door.

  The room was tiny. The bathroom and bedroom were combined, and the toilet only metres from the bed. It was queen-sized, but took up most of the space. Three people would not sleep well in here.

  Mia turned up her nose. “Like I said, a dump.”

  Pyke threw the bags on the floor and peed in the toilet as if we weren’t just standing in front of him.

  “Seriously?” Mia said.

  “What? I need to pee. It’s a toilet.”

  “I’d rather you pee outside,” she said.

  “I’m sure the locals would love that.”

  Mia rolled her eyes. “Obviously in dog form.”

  “Here’s the plan,” I said, keeping us on track. “I’m going to scout out the town and see if I can pick up Kyra’s scent. You two go to the high school and see what you can find out.”

  “Boring,” Pyke said, flushing the toilet. “Let’s just break into all the houses until we find them.”

  “Well, that’s stupid,” Mia replied.

  “We need to go unnoticed in case they are here. We don’t want the Blooder to be aware of our presence. That’s why I’ll be going in dog form.”

  “What about us?” Pyke asked.

  “Pretend you’re new students. You just moved here. You’re a brother and sister. Shouldn’t be hard to pull off; you already act like it anyway.”

  “Will the school even be open? It’s so early.”

  “Teachers must get there early before the students. Give it a try.” I handed Pyke and Mia some false paperwork that said they were students. Ivan had faxed the info over at our last motel stop.

  I threw my jacket on the bed and pulled my tee over my head.

  “Stop getting Mia all excited,” Pyke said, and she slapped him in the back of the head.

  “Come on, idiot,” she said. “I’m driving.”

  Pyke gave me a fake horrified look and I laughed. I unbuckled my jeans and shifted while pulling them down. Seeing other Guardjinn naked was a normal thing, but I didn’t like to do it if I didn’t have to, unlike Pyke who always preferred to be naked.

  It was good to be in my dog form over the past few days. I had missed the extra senses; the scents in the air, the heightened sounds … though seeing in black and white wasn’t ideal.

  I darted out the door and Mia closed it behind me. She crouched down to my eye level. “We’ll meet you back here in an hour.”

  I barked in reply and ran off, the call of freedom leading me. I hadn’t been able to stretch my legs in so long. I had taken the park at home for granted. Being able to turn into a dog whenever you wanted was a real luxury.

  I headed back toward the shopping strip. The black hatchback passed moments later as I arrived in the park.

  The scents in the air were thrilling; decaying leaves, freshly cooked bacon, and dew on grass. I had to resist the urge to roll around on a pile of swept leaves. Sometimes being a dog was overwhelming.

  I focused my nose on the one scent I was looking for. It was difficult at first to filter each one out, but the closer I got to the shops the stronger the human scents became.

  I focused around the supermarket, as she would have definitely been there. Sweaty old man smell. Newborn smell. Smokey alcohol smell. Cinnamon and apples.

  Kyra.

  Her scent was strong, and I knew she’d been here recently. I followed the scent which went in both directions from the supermarket. I knew one way led to the high school so the other must be her house.

  I darted down the street and through the gas station, following the sweet scent. It was getting stronger. Much stronger.

  She was close.

  Her skinny, muscular frame jogged into view from behind some trees. She wore trackies and a tank top, her hair tied up in a ponytail. Sweat dripped from the crown of her head. Now her scent was salty and sweet.

  She jogged out of view of the station and toward the park. I knew this was an opportunity, but I couldn’t take her. Pyke and Mia had the car.

  No. I had to wait and watch. I needed to find out where she lived and gather more information.

  Kyra bent over to take a drink at the fountains. I trotted over. I knew her instinctual love of dogs would wave any suspicion about me.

  She sensed my presence and spun, water still in her mouth. Her fists were raised as she searched for danger, but she hadn’t spotted me and continued to drink.

  Kyra was cautious and smart about her movements, but she didn’t take any notice of me. I bit the side of her trackies and pulled.

  She stared down at me with a scowl. “Stop that,” she said and pulled her leg away. I let go as if only playing and barked.

  Her lips turned up into a smile that lit up her eyes. “Good boy,” she said.

  I let her pat me. It felt so good. It wasn’t something that was normal back home. My dog instincts took over and I was on my back, letting her rub my belly.

  What are you doing? I’d never felt like this. I could actually feel her touch, warm on my fur. Was something wrong with my ability or maybe it didn’t work when I was in dog form? Pyke couldn’t use his ice ability when he was a Doberman. In fact I’d never seen any Guardjinn use their ability while being a dog.

  How had I never noticed this before? I suppose I’d never been hurt as a dog and no one had ever pat me before.

  Is this what Sylvia meant? I felt, and yet I didn’t?

  Kyra pulled her phone from her pocket and checked the screen.

  “Sorry boy,” she said, standing. “I’ve got to go.”

  She rubbed my head and ears before setting off in a jog back the way she came.

  The sensation of her touch was exhilarating, but I had a mission. I needed to follow her home. I bounded off after Kyra, running alongside her.

  I barked to let her know I was there. I suppose I didn’t have to, I could have stayed hidden in the bushes, but I wanted her to see me.

  “You want to race?” she asked, and I barked in reply.

  Kyra’s pace quickened and I gave it all I had. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d run like that. I moved faster with every beat of my heart.

  Kyra’s scent was strong now and I overtook her to find the end of the trail. I turned into the driveway, an old two-storey house with a blue truck parked outside.

  The front door was opening and I darted into the nearest bush. I didn’t want Malcolm to see me. Kyra wasn’t suspicious of me, but he would know right away.

  He waited on the porch until Kyra came into view. His arms were folded over his chest and I knew she was in trouble.

  Chapter Nine

  I ran back to the motel room and shifted into myself again. It was like everything around me dulled in an instant. I used to think that was just the feeling of losing my
extra dog senses, but now I was wondering if it was the feeling of not feeling returning.

  Did that even make sense?

  I thought I knew everything about my ability, but now it seemed like nothing was clear to me.

  When Kyra had touched me, it had felt different. It felt good.

  I pulled on my pants and dialled Pyke’s phone.

  “What up?” he answered. “You know human schools suck? There are so many pointless classes. When would you ever need skills in ceramics?”

  “I found her,” I said. “And I know where she lives.”

  “Great. I’ll get Mia, we’ll pick you up and grab her and kill the Blooder.”

  “We can’t do that,” I said, tugging my tee over my shoulders.

  “Why the hell not?”

  “We don’t know what we’re up against. We have the element of surprise for now, but we can’t make a move until we know all the facts. What if he has backup? What if he’s already draining her blood and she has some kind of killing ability?”

  “That’s unlikely …”

  “But possible. We keep an eye on them for now. Are you and Mia at the school?”

  “Unfortunately. Mia’s talking to the principal, trying to enrol us and ask about any other new students.”

  “Good. I want you both to enrol and look for Kyra. Try and befriend her and get more information.”

  “Come on,” Pyke groaned, “I don’t want to be a student. This face was not meant to study.”

  “Neither was your brain,” Mia said in the background. “We’re enrolled. Let’s get this over with.”

  “Have fun,” I said and hung up the phone.

  I had the rest of the day to kill before Mia and Pyke came home from school. They had their eyes on Kyra so I had to have my eyes on Malcolm.

  I shifted and returned to their house. It was empty and the pick-up was gone. I sniffed the tyre treads and followed the scent for a few kilometres to the outskirts of the town.

  It led to a building site with the wooden skeleton of a house surrounded by trucks, bricks and workers. I spotted Malcolm right away; he looked exactly like his picture but a few years older.

  He had a hard hat on and was going over some plans with co-workers. He looked like a normal human. I guess he’d had years of practice pretending.

  His phone buzzed and Malcolm smiled as he texted.

  “That Sally? How’s she doing at school?” a co-worker asked.

  “She’s enjoying it as much as any teenager would,” Malcolm replied, putting the phone back in his pocket.

  A rumble of anger surged through me. He’d killed Pyke’s father and stolen Kyra away to drink her, but she hadn’t seemed upset or scared when I’d seen her this morning. In fact, she’d seemed really happy. Even when she’d gone home and spotted her father it wasn’t fear I’d sensed but guilt.

  How much had he warped her mind?

  I left the construction site and headed back to the motel room. There was no point watching him at work. It wouldn’t tell me anything useful. That was where he pretended to be someone else.

  At the motel, I showered. It was a small cubical near the toilet with only a curtain between it and the rest of the room.

  I let the water run over my skin. It was lukewarm, but that meant the temperature was actually quite hot. I had learned to adjust to the way I felt things otherwise I’d end up with burns every time I showered. I was careless though and that’s why Jack was concerned. I didn’t always know when enough was enough.

  I couldn’t help but think about Kyra and wonder what kind of life she had been living these past sixteen years. Was it as normal as Malcolm’s day job? Did she have friends? A boyfriend? Did she have silly human problems, like math homework or dances?

  I didn’t know much about the human world, only what I’d been taught when I was younger, and from a few Internet searches while on the road.

  Her smile was so bright and her hands so soft and warm. I wanted to feel those things again. Feel what everyone else felt when they touched someone.

  I closed my eyes and focused all my energy on feeling the heat from the water.

  Sylvia had made it clear that pain wasn’t the only thing I wasn’t feeling and now I knew it to be true. I still didn’t want to feel pain, but I wanted the sensation I’d had when Kyra touched me, but on my skin, not my fur.

  I stood under the water until my skin was red and fingers pruned, but nothing changed. The water was still barely warm to me.

  Would I ever feel normal?

  ***

  Mia and Pyke returned in the afternoon, their faces worn and a little baggy.

  “Did you find her?”

  “I did,” Pyke said, falling back on the bed. “You didn’t tell me she was so hot. Those eyes and lips, and that sass.”

  “Oh please,” Mia said, arms folded. “She was average.”

  “Did you find out anything useful?” I pressed.

  “They’ve been here a few months, she goes by the fake name of Sally and she likes the library. You should have seen how smooth I was with the backstory. I didn’t miss a beat. By the way, Mia, we moved here a few days ago from the city and our dad works in town.”

  “Doing what?” Mia asked, brushing her hair in the mirror and examining her face.

  Pyke shrugged. “I don’t know. Do I have to make up all the backstory? Pull your weight.”

  Mia threw her hairbrush at Pyke, hitting him in the chest.

  “Did you get any information that was actually useful?” I asked.

  Pyke sat up with a distant stare. “She called him Dad. She actually believes that he’s her father.”

  “Well, we’re going to change that,” I said. “We found her and we’re getting her out of here.”

  “Yeah. I guess. She said it was just the two of them. No one else.”

  “That’s good, but I still want more info.”

  “She was walking home from school last we saw her,” Mia said.

  “I’m going to follow her home and check out the house. Ways in and out.”

  “What are we supposed to do?” Pyke asked.

  “Homework?” I suggested.

  Chapter Ten

  I ran in dog form, from our motel to Kyra’s house. I picked up her scent back at the shopping strip so I knew she wasn’t far ahead of me. I couldn’t smell Malcolm, which was a good sign.

  I stopped outside the driveway and spotted Kyra walking to her front door, shopping bags in her arms. I barked to let her know I was there and trotted towards her.

  “Hey, there,” she said, bending down to give me a pat.

  Her fingers were cool on my skin, chilled from the autumn wind. I nuzzled closer to her hand, not wanting her to stop.

  I followed behind her and noticed the truck wasn’t in the driveway. Malcolm must have still been at work, which meant I could scout out the house a little.

  “Dammit,” Kyra said.

  Her grocery bag had ripped and food scattered the leafy ground. Her body was tense and she growled, annoyed at herself.

  She continued into the house with the remaining bags and placed them on the floor. I needed to get into the house and this was my chance. I picked up a can in my mouth and bounded inside, placing it with the other groceries.

  Kyra looked at me with surprise, and I hoped she didn’t suspect what I really was. I was sure Malcolm hadn’t mentioned anything to her. She seemed to believe her life was pretty normal.

  I cocked my head at her. Her face was pale and flawless, her eyes bright, even with my black and white vision.

  “Sure,” she said, and I wondered what she was thinking.

  She headed outside to pick up more food and I followed to help. I dropped the last can on the floor and curled up next to the table, making it clear I wasn’t going to leave.

  “Umm … thanks,” she said.

  Wind blew through the doorway and Kyra closed it, locking the door. It looked like I wasn’t going anywhere now. She circled the room, che
cking the windows and back door too.

  Malcolm had made her paranoid.

  Kyra let out a sigh and shook her head like she thought she was being silly. She put away the shopping while I scanned the room.

  The kitchen and lounge were one room with not a lot of furniture, but it looked comfortable. A staircase went up into a dark hallway. Their bedrooms and bathroom must have been up there.

  Kyra pulled pots and pans from the cupboards and chopped some veggies. I stayed close to her. She threw me a piece of raw meat, but I avoided it. I might have looked like a dog, but eating raw meat would not go down well with my Guardjinn body.

  She cooked the meat instead and I snapped it up. So juicy. It had been a while since I’d had proper food; I was really sick of the gas station stuff.

  “I’m going to ask Dad if I can keep you,” she told me and I barked in objection, not that she would be able to tell.

  There was no way Malcolm was going to let her keep me. In fact, if he knew about me then we might lose them. Maybe it was a mistake to come here?

  “It will take a lot of convincing, but I can be very persistent.”

  I smiled at that. Kyra was confident in herself. I could tell by the way she talked and the way she acted. She had definitely known she’d get in trouble for going on that run this morning, but she’d done it anyway.

  Kyra pushed the rules. Ivan wouldn’t like that. That thought made me smile even more. Her sweet scent was strong in the house. She obviously spent a lot of time at the kitchen table and on the couch.

  I breathed her in and longed for her touch.

  What are you doing? Why was I acting this way?

  I knew it had to have something to do with being in dog form. A dog’s natural need of affection perhaps?

  I wanted to blame it all on the animal inside me, but I couldn’t. It was more than that. It was me; I think I was attracted to her.

  You’re not. You can’t be.

  I had to stop thinking about that and focus on why I was here. While Kyra stirred her cooking, I took the opportunity to go upstairs, but one paw on the step and it creaked loudly.