by Amanda Ashby
“No.” Malik didn’t look remotely amused. “That’s rule number fifty-three. Rule number one is never to give away your djinn ring. To anyone. Ever. I think you’d better write it down.”
Sophie chewed her lip. Now that he mentioned it, it did sound vaguely familiar, but when he had first told her, it hadn’t really mattered because when she did try to take the ring off, she was hit with waves of unrelenting pain. And then when she had finally finished cleansing the ring, she hadn’t bothered to take it off much because it looked so good with everything. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she was a positive person.
“Okay,” she said in bright, optimistic voice. “So all I need to do is get my ring back and everything will be fine, yes?”
“If by fine you mean that you are now under another person’s control until you can convince her to relinquish the hold she has over you, then yes, everything will be just dandy.”
“What?” Sophie immediately forgot about her positive attitude as she looked at him in alarm. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Is this like what happened when I took the ring from you? Am I going to die?”
Malik shook his head. “No, I gave you the ring of my own free will and did a very complicated ritual that you won’t even come close to mastering for at least another thousand years. What you’ve done is much, much worse.”
“Worse than dying?” Sophie blinked in confusion. And had she mentioned that Malik was making no sense whatsoever. “How is that possible?”
Malik let out a frustrated sigh. “Sophie, you’ve been bound. That’s why you no longer have any powers. From now until the binding ends, the only time your power will work is when the sahir who has control over you commands you to do something. And according to you, that person just happens to be Melissa Tait.”
“But that’s ridiculous. Melissa Tait can’t tell me what to do,” Sophie protested before wrinkling her nose. “Besides, I thought sahirs were evil magicians who spent their lifetime trying to out trick djinns to get control of them.”
“They only do that because normally no djinn is dumb enough to just give her power away. That’s why they’ve had to learn to trick us.”
“S-so how do I get out of it?” Sophie used her hand to fan herself. Suddenly it felt very hot in her bedroom. “Can’t I just steal it back from her or something?”
“Um, no you can’t just ‘steal it back from her or something.’ There are only three ways to break a bind,” Malik said in an official-sounding voice as he held up his fingers. “First way is to prenegotiate a deal with the sahir in question. A standard contract is one by which you would grant her three wishes (which would normally exclude any maiming, excessive wealth making, or setting her up with your own crushes). After the wishes are completed you are free to go. Obviously, that’s not an option for you, since you’ve already given her the ring,” he added with a pointed glare.
“Okay, so that’s one down. What’s the second way?” she asked, and Malik held up his index finger.
“The second way,” he said, once again reverting to his official-sounding voice, “is to use Solomon Elixir to break the bind. And no, before you ask, we can’t do that because no one’s ever managed to concoct the elixir successfully. In fact, between you and me, I think that some djinn just made it up to scare Solomon and make him treat his djinns a bit better. Not that it worked, since that dude was one lousy boss.”
“I see,” Sophie gulped as she studied Malik’s face. “So the elixir’s out, too. Tell me, is there any chance that the third way of breaking a bind is actually something I might stand a chance of being able to do?”
“Let’s hope so.” Malik’s voice suddenly sounded softer and full of concern. “Because the third way of breaking a bind is to convince the sahir in question to return your djinn ring of her own free will.”
“That’s it?” Sophie blinked at him since she had been expecting something more along the lines of goat fur and a full moon with maybe a sprinkle of eye of newt thrown in for good measure. In fact, if she still had her powers, she would probably wish away all of Malik’s High School Musical paraphernalia just to teach him not to scare her like that. “That’s all I have to do to get out of this thing? Because I can fix that right now. I’ll just call Jonathan and explain what’s happened—apart from all the crazy djinn business, of course—then he can use whatever dirt he has on his sister to make her give me the djinn ring back. Simple.”
“Yeah, so let me give you a crash course in how free will works.” Malik shook his head. “It can’t be done with coercion. The sahir has to want to give it back to you. In fact, the free-will option never normally works on sahirs because they are such evil and cunning creatures with a single-minded determination to make our lives miserable.”
“But you’re forgetting that while Melissa is definitely evil and cunning, she has no idea what my ring means,” Sophie reminded him in a positive voice. “Honestly, Malik, I can’t understand why you’re being so negative. I’ll get my ring back tomorrow, and everything will be fine. I mean, I managed to live the last eleven years without magic, so I think I can last a day or so. And when I do get it back, I’ll even conjure you up some extra Cheetos to celebrate. Okay?”
However, before Malik could answer there was a flapping noise and a pink pigeon suddenly appeared in the room, with a letter in its beak. The minute it saw Malik, the bird rustled its feathers in annoyance, causing all of Sophie’s homework to go flying around the room. Then it dropped the letter onto the ground and disappeared, not even bothering to wait for a tip. But Sophie hardly noticed as she recognized the Djinn Council logo on the top of the letter. She snatched it up and tried to ignore the way her hands shook as she opened it.
Dear Initiate,
After careful consideration we have decided to agree to your request to change your appointment time. You are now required to meet with us on the fifth hand of the Rosewood eclipse, where you will undergo a standard Phoenician test before you can proceed with your aforementioned interview. Please do not respond directly to this letter as it will not be read. Also, you shall note that the Djinn Council does not take kindly to tardiness, so arrive on time or not at all.
Yours,
Leshanka the Odious
Djinn Council General Undersecretary and Translator
Sophie turned to Malik and waved the letter. “You did it. You got them to change the interview time. This is perfect. All I need to do now is get my ring back and start practicing,” she exclaimed before noticing that Malik was still very subdued. “What’s wrong? Are you going to tell me that the Rosewood eclipse is even further away than my original appointment?”
“No, unfortunately, it’s not further away,” Malik said, his tone unusually somber. “In fact, it’s this week.”
“W-what?” Sophie felt her good mood plummet. “Are you sure?”
Malik nodded. “According to this, your appointment to see the Djinn Council is now this Saturday at ten o’clock.”
“What? But tomorrow’s Thursday, which means that I have only two days to prepare?” Sophie’s good mood immediately disappeared as she realized that trying to do a transcendental conjuring trick without her djinn ring might be a bit complicated. She took a deep breath and turned to Malik. “W-what are their thoughts on talking to djinns who have been bound?”
“I hate to be the one to tell you, but if you’re bound, they won’t even let you through the door. And they weren’t joking about not liking tardiness. I remember this one time that Rene—”
But Sophie hardly heard. Instead, she concentrated on chanting a positive affirmation over and over again. I am a strong and positive person, and I will get my djinn ring back by ten o’clock Saturday. Because the alternative isn’t worth thinking about….
12
ANY LUCK?” HARVEY DEMANDED THE MINUTE Sophie arrived at her locker the following morning.
“No.” Sophie shook her head. She had been searching for Melissa for the last twent
y minutes with no success whatsoever. Which was ironic, really, since lately it seemed like wherever Sophie turned around, Melissa was standing there, looking down her nose. Of course, if she’d had her magic, she would’ve asked Malik to teach her how to do a locator wish, but unfortunately, she couldn’t do that until after she got her ring back.
And not that she would admit it to Malik, but she was surprised at how much she already missed having her djinn powers. Not least when her mom had handed her a plate of scrambled eggs for breakfast and they had been a gray color instead of yellow and white. Normally, Sophie would’ve wished for them to taste like chocolate croissants, but instead she had been forced to eat them as they were, unlike her sister, who had scampered over to Jessica Dalton’s for pancakes and maple syrup.
Unfortunately, the bad breakfast hadn’t taken her mind off the fact that she had managed to get herself bound two days before she was due to perform in front of the Djinn Council in order to ask them to help her find her father. Talk about bad timing.
“Are you sure you can’t just change your appointment?” Kara asked, somehow knowing that Sophie had been thinking about it. She reluctantly shook her head, since she had asked Malik that very same question (more than once).
“Apparently, even changing it once is a really big request, and there’s no way they will consider doing it again. But that’s okay,” Sophie quickly assured her friends in a bright voice, “because as long as I get my ring back from Melissa today, then I’ll still have tonight and tomorrow to practice. I’m sure it will be plenty of time.”
“Of course it will,” Kara immediately agreed in a supportive voice. “So have you figured out what you’re going to say to her when you do find her?”
“Yes, I’m going to appeal to her better nature.”
“I hate to be negative, but I don’t think she has one of those,” the normally kindhearted Kara said.
“I know it’s a long shot, but as a positive person I have to give her the benefit of the doubt. However, if she still refuses, then I will simply go and see Miss Carson. I mean, she was at the tryouts yesterday and saw what happened. And she knows that the ring is mine: remember she was trying to make me take it off when we played basketball the other day?”
“Those are both nice practical solutions.” Harvey coughed as he walked along next to them, his long legs easily matching Sophie’s jog. “But I think you will find that I have a completely foolproof plan. All you need to do is tell her that the ring is a family heirloom, and that if anyone who isn’t in your direct bloodline wears it, then that person will be cursed for all eternity. And by cursed I mean covered with boils.” He grinned as he nodded his head in excitement. “Nice, right?”
Sophie blinked. “You want me to tell her the ring is cursed?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Harvey protested. “You see that kind of stuff in horror movies all the time. Oh, you should mention that the curse includes pus as well. No one wants to get cursed with pus-filled boils.”
“It sounds stupid to me,” Malik suddenly announced in a grim voice from up by the ceiling.
“What’s his problem?” Kara wrinkled her nose.
“Just ignore him,” Sophie advised. “He’s been in a bad mood ever since he found out I gave my ring to Melissa. I think he feels guilty, which is stupid, because I’m going to get it back today and everything will be fine.” Then she looked up to where Malik was still hovering. “Are you sure you don’t want to go and wait in the janitor’s closet for me?”
“What? So you can screw up even more? I don’t think so.”
“Malik, I’m not going to make another mistake,” Sophie informed him, but before he could answer, Melissa and her Tait-bots suddenly appeared at the other end of the hallway. Speak of the devil. Sophie gulped as she realized this was her chance, and so she hurried over.
“Oh, it’s you. I hope you’re not bothering to see if you made the squad,” Melissa said in a frosty voice.
“No,” Sophie assured her. “All I want is to get my stuff that you were holding yesterday afternoon back.”
“Well, that’s too bad because I threw it out.”
“You what?” Sophie yelped as she felt a sliver of panic go racing through her. “How could you throw it out?”
“Because that stupid guitar pick didn’t work. I mean, ever since you got it, Ben’s been all over you like a wet rag. But when I tried it, he said it felt funny, and then he failed his Spanish quiz, which means that he’s going to be benched for today’s game. A whole game. And get this. He thinks it’s my fault.”
“It is your fault. You stole my stuff. And I can’t believe you threw out the guitar pick that Eddie Henry gave me.” Sophie quivered in annoyance, not quite able to comprehend what Melissa had just told her. Not only had the pick come from the greatest bass player in the entire world, she had also gotten it on the same night that she and Jonathan had shared their moment. In other words, it was so much more than just a guitar pick.
Then she suddenly realized that there was one thing worse than Melissa’s throwing the pick away. An uneasy prickle went up the back of her neck.
“W-what about my other stuff? There was a ring. It was apple-shaped with rhinestones on it. Please tell me that you didn’t throw that out, too?”
“What?” Melissa blinked before she gave a casual wave of her hand. “Oh, right. That thing. No, though seriously, I would be doing you a favor if I did. Ugly much?”
“Excuse me, but my ring is not ugly,” Sophie said in a tight voice as she tried to stay calm. All she needed to do was appeal to Melissa’s better nature and get her ring back, then she could dislike her as much as she wanted. “And the point is that I really, really need to get it back.”
“Yes, well, I need to get my boyfriend back, but thanks to that stupid guitar pick of yours, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.”
“Melissa, I’m serious. That ring’s really important.” Sophie earnestly nodded her head, because Harvey had once told her that it was a classic body-language trick to get someone to agree with you. Or was that the Jedi mind trick? Anyway, all Sophie knew was that she would try anything that might help her right now.
“And my boyfriend isn’t?”
So much for better nature. Sophie felt the blood start to pound around her temples as she realized just how serious this situation was. If she didn’t get her ring back, then she would be stuck taking orders from Melissa Tait forever. And it was bad enough talking to her for five minutes.
Sophie licked her lips. “Okay, so I’m willing to overlook the guitar pick and the watch, but I really need my ring back, and if you won’t give it to me, I’ll have to go see Miss Carson about it.”
“No, you won’t.”
“Yes, I will,” Sophie insisted. “In fact, I’m going to go to her office right now and—”
“Excuse me, but you’re not going anywhere,” Melissa corrected in much the same “alpha-queen-of-the-world” voice she used when she was talking to her Tait-bots. “And furthermore, you’re not going to say one word about this to any teacher. Do you understand?”
Yeah, right, Sophie started to say as she turned to head in the direction of Miss Carson’s office, but instead of moving, her feet stayed exactly where they were. She tried again to lift her foot, this time in the direction of Principal Gerrard’s office, but once again, she was stuck to the spot like a statue. She felt the sweat bead on her upper lip as an air of desperation started to surround her.
“O-okay.” She tried to hide her mounting panic as she realized that desperate times called for desperate measures. “So what if I tell you that the ring is a family heirloom, and if anyone outside the family wears it, that person will be cursed? Forever. W-with pus and boils.”
“Lucky I keep a beautician on retainer then. Anyway, what’s the point of worrying about that when Ben thinks that I’m a jinx?” Melissa demanded, her face puckering in annoyance. “I can’t believe how selfish you are.”
Sophi
e took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. “Look, I’m sorry if you think I’m being selfish, but if you could just give me the ring back, then—”
“Ring, ring, ring.” Melissa rolled her eyes. “You know what? You’re like a broken CD the way you go on. Why don’t you start singing a new song, because this one is getting boring,” she said, before spinning around on her ridiculously high heels and marching away in the other direction.
“Yes, well, that’s just—” Sophie started to say before she suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to…sing a song?
Oh, no. She widened her eyes as she tried to resist, but the minute she did so, she got a stabbing sensation in her stomach that started to spread out around her body. Sophie doubled over in pain, while at the same time shoving her hand over her mouth to stop words from coming out. Okay, so she had no idea what was going on, but she was fairly sure that it wasn’t good news. Especially since it made her earlier inability to walk now seem like child’s play.
“It’s a command, you idiot. The more you try to resist it, the more it’s going to hurt,” a low voice said in her ear, and she managed to glance up to see Malik hovering beside her, looking pale.
“That’s not fair,” Kara protested.
“Hello.” Malik waved his arms and looked perplexed. “What do you think I’ve been trying to tell you all? Being bound by a sahir isn’t like a visit to a bunny farm, where you just hand in your powers for a couple of days and go off and cuddle some little rabbits. You are completely under her control, and if she tells you to go and jump off a roof, then you will be asking which one,” Malik concluded as Kara and Harvey’s faces simultaneously drained of color.
“So if Melissa says that Sophie has to sing, then she has to sing?” Harvey demanded, as he looked around at all the people who were milling around their lockers.
“Just do what she asked you to do, and then you will feel better,” Malik said, and Sophie let out a small groan before she finally opened her mouth and started to sing her favorite Neanderthal Joe song at the top of her very off-key voice.
