by Amanda Ashby
“Malik, you’re finally back. This waiting has been driving me crazy,” she said, deciding that it was easiest just to ignore his earlier comments. Instead, she took a deep breath and braced herself. “So? Did you find anything out?”
“As a matter of fact, I did,” Malik announced with a flourish of his arms. “I discovered that—burning sand dunes, what is that noise? Is someone being tortured? I thought that kind of thing was frowned upon in middle school.”
“Don’t be rude. It’s the dress rehearsal for The Wizard of Oz. She doesn’t sound that bad,” Kara protested as they looked over at the stage, where Claudia Rodgers, who was playing Dorothy, was starting to sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
“I beg to differ.” Malik shuddered as Claudia made a wobbly key change. “I knew I should’ve gone to the last audition, because they obviously needed the help of an expert to do their casting.”
“Since when are you an expert?” Harvey raised an eyebrow.
“Hello, I’ve watched High School Musical over three hundred times, not to mention the fact that I’m the spitting image of Zac Efron, which I think you’ll agree makes me very qualified. And that, my friends, is not music. I’m pretty sure that noise like that is illegal in several states and—”
“Malik,” Sophie cut him off again as she clutched her hands together and tried to ignore the way her heart was pounding. “What did you find out?”
“Huh?” He blinked for a minute before realizing what he had been talking about. “Oh yes, sorry. I got distracted by that girl’s dreadful wailing. But as I was saying, I, Malik the Great, djinn guide extraordinaire and all-around fantastic ghost, have discovered where Sheterum is holding Sophie’s father.”
ARE YOU SERIOUS? HAVE YOU REALLY FOUND HIM?” Harvey asked, but Sophie hardly heard. She couldn’t even hear the horrible singing in the background. All she was conscious of was the fact that her heart was beating at a million miles an hour as Malik’s words rang out over and over again in her mind. He had found her dad.
Her dad.
Excitement and joy raced through her in equal measures. This was something that she had dreamed and hoped for ever since her dad had walked out on them almost four years ago. Of course, at the time she thought the reason he hadn’t come home was because he had amnesia or had been abducted by aliens, not because he was a djinn who was bound to an evil sahir. But that was beside the point. The point was, all her positive thinking had paid off.
And soon he would be at home and they would once again be a regular family.
“Of course I’ve really found him.” Malik looked at Harvey in confusion. “Why would I say that I have if I haven’t? You know, I just don’t understand you kids sometimes.”
“Um, because that’s the sort of thing you usually do,” Harvey replied.
“Name one time.”
“Only one?” Harvey asked as he held up his fingers. “Well, let’s see. There was that time you told Sophie that—”
“Hey, can we stop with the bickering?” Kara admonished them both and turned to Sophie, a concerned expression on her face. “Are you okay? You haven’t said anything yet.”
“I-I’m fine.” Sophie slowly nodded; she felt her heartbeat return to normal as she turned to Malik. “It was just a lot to take in, but I’m okay. So Malik, tell us everything. What happened? Where is he? More importantly, how soon can we go and rescue him? Oh, and can I get a message to him?”
“No message, definitely not.” Malik shook his head. “Because, trust me, the less Sheterum knows about you, the better. Now, if you will stop interrupting, I will tell you what happened and we can get out of here before that girl starts to murder any more songs,” he said, glaring at the stage.
“Sorry.” Sophie nodded for him to continue. Malik adjusted his shirt and rolled his shoulders before waving his hand with a flourish.
“Okay, so for the last few days I kept hearing about this djinn called Manny the Moody, who was allegedly bound to Sheterum before getting freed last year. So I decided to track him down. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy to hunt out low-life double-dealing djinns as it once was.” Then he paused and let out a nostalgic sigh. “You know, I remember a time when every djinn worth his weight in smokeless fire would be at the camel races, throwing back date juice like there was no tomorrow and gambling with stolen money. But seriously, when I went there today, it was almost deserted. I blame the Internet, because—”
“Malik.” Harvey coughed to get him back on track.
“All right. Keep your overgrown hair on,” Malik muttered. “So anyway, while I didn’t find Manny, I did find Karl the Kleptomaniac. I haven’t seen him in ages, and while he’s probably the worst thief I’ve ever seen, he does love to gossip, and for three hamburgers and some curly fries he sang like a canary. He told me that Manny managed to break his bind by doing some morally questionable things involving art theft. Apparently, Sheterum fancies himself as the next big collector, and the djinns who help him the most are the ones who earn back their freedom the fastest.”
“He makes them steal artwork?” Kara, who had been intently staring at the corner of the stage where Patrick was adjusting a microphone lead, suddenly burst out. “That’s unbelievable.”
“My dad would never do that.” Sophie quickly shook her head. “Ever.”
“Yes, from everything I’ve heard about Tariq, I’m afraid you’re right,” Malik agreed, as if her father’s refusal to steal was a bad thing. “Which is why it’s lucky for him that we really did manage to brew Solomon’s Elixir, or else he would probably be stuck there forever.”
“Malik, I don’t think you’re helping,” Kara scolded him while Sophie felt sick at the prospect.
“Hey, I’m not judging. To each his own, that’s what I say,” Malik assured her in a serene voice.
“So what now?” Sophie asked, as a ripple of impatience went racing through her. “When can we go and free my dad? Can we do it after school?”
“Sure. As long as you have floor plans highlighting Sheterum’s state-of-the-art security system so you can avoid all of his booby traps—which, for the record, normally involve flying discs that sever your spinal cord,” Malik said mildy. “Since, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, sahirs aren’t just evil, they are paranoid as well, and Sheterum is the most paranoid of them all. Not to mention a total hermit who hardly ever leaves his mansion.”
“What?” Kara yelped in alarm. “So what are you saying? That Sophie won’t be able to rescue her dad?”
“No, Miss Glass Is Half Empty, I’m not saying that at all, I’m just saying that we need to wait until Sheterum does leave his mansion. Thankfully, Sophie’s positive thinking has paid off because look at this.” As he spoke he pulled a gilt-trimmed brochure out of his ugly man bag and passed it over.
“What is it?” Sophie asked as she studied it, desperately trying to remind herself that she was a positive person who had no time for negative thoughts.
“It’s an invitation to an auction of postmodern art,” Kara said as she leaned over Sophie’s shoulder to read it. Then she looked back up at Malik in surprise. “Since when do you like postmodern art?”
“I don’t.” Malik shuddered. “I’m a simple djinn with simple tastes. I mean, what’s so wrong with an apple looking like an apple? Or a singer who can sing,” he added as he again glared at the stage, where Claudia was now attempting “We’re Off to See the Wizard.”
“But what’s it got to do with Sophie’s dad?” Kara’s brows knitted together.
Before Malik could answer, Harvey widened his eyes. “Hey, I see where you’re going with this! If Sheterum is at the art auction, then he won’t be in his house, and that will be the best time to go rescue Sophie’s dad.”
“Exactly.” Malik clapped his hands in approval, but Sophie felt her throat tighten as she studied the date.
“A week from Friday? I can’t possibly wait that long. There must be something we can do to rescue my dad sooner,” she pleaded. But Malik shook his head.
“No. Haven’t I just explained why we need to wait? Besides, I still need to track down Manny and convince him—in a kind and completely noninvasive, highly ethical way—to tell me all the details about Sheterum’s security system.”
“And what if you can’t find him in time?” Harvey softly asked the question that everyone was thinking.
“Harvey’s right. Is there some kind of backup plan?” Kara asked, concern written all over her face. “Perhaps you could ask Rufus?”
“Ask Rufus?” Malik stared at them all like they had just asked him to rap dance. Then he turned to Sophie and folded his arms. “Can you please explain to your friends what the first rule of being a djinn is?”
“Never play poker with another djinn,” Sophie dutifully repeated, not really sure what he was getting at.
“Exactly,” Malik agreed with a nod of his head. “And the reason we have that rule is because other djinns are liars, cheats, and scoundrels. And despite the fact I’ve known Rufus for many centuries, let me assure you that I wouldn’t trust that orange, overweight, smooth-talking dirtbag any farther than I could throw him. In fact, out of all the lying, cheating scoundrels, Rufus is the worst.”
“But why can’t he help?” Now it was Kara’s turn to look confused.
“Because apart from being completely untrustworthy, he is deceptively clever and shrewd, and if he knows for a second that Sophie is looking for her father, he will quickly realize that she must’ve figured out how to make Solomon’s Elixir, since that’s the only way Tariq can possibly be freed. And trust me, if Rufus suspects that Sophie has the elixir, the rest won’t bear thinking about it. Which is why discretion is so important here. Are we clear?”
“Yes,” they all murmured at once.
“And besides,” Malik added as he reached into his man bag and pulled out a second brochure. “You’re going to have plenty of things to keep you busy.”
“Like what?” Sophie asked in a cautious voice as she took the brochure from him and blinked. It appeared to be about a carpet sale.
“Well, you see, there is one other teeny, tiny thing that I forgot to mention earlier. Turns out that Sheterum doesn’t live in San Francisco. He lives in Los Angeles, and if Sophie wants to rescue her dad, she’s going to have to learn how to fly.”
I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE THAT YOU’RE GOING TO learn to fly on a carpet,” Harvey said for the hundredth time as the final bell rang and they made their way across the parking lot to the school-bus stop. “I mean, you’re going to fly. Properly fly in the sky. Do you have any idea how amazing that is?”
“It is pretty cool.” Sophie suppressed a smile as she watched Harvey pretend to surf along the gravel path. Then she took another peek at the catalogue Malik had given her. She had ended up selecting a purple-and-red-patterned carpet. Malik had looked faintly disgusted by her choice, but all the same he had gone off to order it for her. He was also going to start making discreet inquiries about Manny (not that the words Malik and discreet normally went together).
“So, do you think that once you’ve mastered it, you’ll be able to take me up for a spin?” Harvey demanded as he put out his arms and almost knocked a passing ninth grader in the nose. He quickly dropped his hands back down by his sides and looked contrite.
“I don’t know, I’ll have to ask Malik, but if he doesn’t mind, then I don’t,” Sophie said, still in a daze over everything that had happened.
“Nice.” Harvey nodded his head in approval before turning to Kara, who was walking beside them. “Don’t you agree, K?”
“Um, sure.” Kara slowly nodded her head, but it was obvious that she wasn’t very happy. Sophie immediately came to a halt and stared at her friend in concern.
“Are you okay? Are you worried about Patrick or the stagehand dropping Colin on his head? Remember, we checked him, and he was fine.”
“No, it’s not that.” Kara shook her long hair and let out a reluctant sigh. “Look, I know how excited you are about finding your dad, but the thing is, you’re talking about flying on a carpet to Los Angeles. I mean, that’s pretty intense, considering that we’re not even allowed to go to the mall on our own.”
“Yes, but that’s because lunatics hang out at the mall,” Harvey pointed out, obviously alarmed that Kara’s concern might stop Sophie from wanting to try it. “Whereas I’m pretty sure that Sophie’s carpet will be lunatic-free.”
“I know.” Kara gave a solemn nod. “But I’m just not sure about this. I wonder if you should tell your mom.”
For a moment Sophie was quiet. “Trust me, it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot. But what if she doesn’t believe me? Or worse, what if she grounds me? Then I might miss this chance, and my dad will be there for even longer. Plus, while you were making sure that Colin really hadn’t been damaged, Malik told me that once I master my normal carpet-flying abilities, I should be able to just use it like a teleporter, so I won’t actually be flying for hours in the sky, I’ll be jumping from one location to another. So in a way it will just be like going next door.”
“Okay, now you’re going to teleport?” Harvey’s jaw dropped, but the two girls ignored him as a look of relief washed over Kara’s face.
“I didn’t know that. S-so does Malik really think you will be able to learn everything in time?”
“Well, he did say that it only took him a week to learn. But then he added that he was a djinn of exceptional talent,” Sophie told her. “But I just know that I’ll be able to. I have to be able to, because the idea of my dad being bound by such a hideous creature is unbearable. But I promise I’ll be careful. Plus, Malik will be with me the whole time. I’ve been waiting to find my dad for so long, I’m just really scared of doing anything that will stop me from finding him. Does that even make sense?”
“Yes.” Kara finally spoke as they started to walk again. “It does. And I didn’t mean to sound unsupportive, I was just worried. Especially since, as well as its being so far away, it’s a lot to juggle.”
“Lucky I’ve become an expert juggler since Malik came into my life,” Sophie reminded her, and Kara nodded.
“Good point. You’ve got to do whatever it takes to get your dad home, and if you can face the smell of the cafeteria to look for Malik, then you can face this. I shouldn’t have even said anything.”
“Of course you should’ve,” Sophie assured her as she gave Kara’s hand a squeeze and Harvey made a groaning noise.
“Is this going to be one of those times when you both get all girly, because I’m telling you now that I’m not doing a group hug.” Harvey folded his arms tightly around his skinny chest.
“It’s okay, Harvey. No group hug,” Kara assured him with a watery smile. Then she gave Sophie a nudge. “Hey, look who is waiting for you.”
“Who?” Sophie started to say before she glanced over to where Jonathan Tait was looking all kinds of gorgeous as he leaned against one of the large ornamental boulders that sat outside the school.
Today he was wearing a Neanderthal Joe concert T-shirt and his favorite baggy Levi’s, which had a little rip in the back pocket. Even better, the minute he saw her, he started to grin. Sophie’s stomach flipped, and she paused for a second and wished for her superstraight hair to have a bit more bounce in it.
Jonathan was someone else whom she longed to tell about her new powers, but she had promised Malik that for now she would keep them a secret. So instead, she gave her newly bouncy hair a quick pat and arranged to meet her friends at the bus stop before she made her way toward him. First all the good news about her dad and now seeing Jonathan. This day was getting better by the minute.
“Soph,” Jonathan said as he stopped reading his text message
s and quickly thrust his cell phone back into the pocket of his jeans. “I was hoping I would catch you before you left. I was looking for you at lunchtime, but I couldn’t find you anywhere.”
“You were?” Sophie asked in a dreamy voice, not quite able to hide her goofy grin. “If I’d known that, I wouldn’t have spent so much time with Colin,” she said, before suddenly worrying that he might think she meant Colin Templeton, who was a seventh-grade chess genius and a part-time nose picker. “I mean Colin the flying monkey—well, his name isn’t really Colin—that’s just what Kara calls him. She helped make him. He’s in the school musical.”
Jonathan immediately shook his head and grinned. “Well, I’m glad you weren’t hanging out with Colin Templeton, because when I sat next to him in bio this morning, it smelled like he hadn’t had a shower in a week,” Jonathan said, and Sophie’s smile grew wider. “I should’ve looked in the auditorium,” he continued. “I walked past there, too, but the noise scared me. Not quite the same as a Neanderthal Joe concert.”
“Not even close.” She gave an adamant shake of her head. She and her friends had gone to the recent Neanderthal Joe concert with Jonathan and his older brother, and if that wasn’t blissful enough, they had even managed to go backstage, where Eddie Henry (Best Bass Player in the World) had given Sophie his guitar pick. It was also where she and Jonathan had accidently touched hands and totally had a moment.
“So anyway, the thing is, I kind of wanted to ask you something, and since I’ve got a basketball tournament all day tomorrow, I really need to do it today.” Jonathan gave an awkward cough, which abruptly caused Sophie to stop her reminiscing.
“Really?” Sophie’s heart pounded in excitement, but before he could say anything else, his cell phone started to beep. Instead of answering it, he let out a long groan.
“Sorry about that. It’s my sister. She’s having a major meltdown because there are no books left in the library for her to do her assignment on the fall of the Roman Empire, and now she wants me to help her. Like it’s my fault she went shoe shopping and had a three-day Twilight movie marathon. Anyway, now she’s annoyed because I wanted to come and find you instead of staying with her.”
