A Bottle Full of Djinn

by Paula Lester

  “You really don’t like Hope, do you?” Steve chuckled.

  Zoey sighed. “I don’t know. I guess we’re competitive.”

  “Seems like that’s something you could give up now that you’re both adults.” His tone held only a hint of playful reproach. She stuck her tongue out at him, and he gave her a look of mock shock. “Hey, all I’m saying is you two have different strong points when it comes to magic. And even though she’s snarky and acts like she doesn’t have time to help us, I’ve noticed that she still does it. I mean, why would she waste any time at all on you if she didn’t care on some level?”

  They climbed into Zoey’s car, and she started it and inched onto the road, thinking about what he’d said. Finally, she blew the bangs out of her eyes and said, “I guess you’re right. I didn’t think of it that way.” She lifted her chin. “But she could also just be helping because she doesn’t want a djinni loose in Sunnyside.” She knew it sounded uncharitable. Admitting to herself she was miffed that Hope knew more about djinni than she did was proving to be harder than it really should be.

  “I suppose. But for some reason, I don’t really think so.” He paused long enough to let his words sink in before abruptly changing the subject. “How’d it go with Shawna? Where’d you take her, anyway?”

  “To a spot on the beach that I used to go when I was younger. And it went okay, I guess. She told me some stuff about her relationship with her kids.” She glanced at Steve, admiring his profile before catching herself and pulling her eyes back to the road. She cleared her throat. “She’s a tortured soul, really. Regrets a lot of things from when she was younger. I think she just wants to make up for some of it now.”

  “Like do good deeds and stuff?”

  Zoey laughed and shook her head. “No, nothing like that. It seems like she wants to have some fun in her last years. Like, create some good memories to offset the bad stuff from her life.”

  “Woah. That’s heavy.” Steve adjusted his glasses. “Poor lady.”

  “Yeah. It seems like she could have used some help when she was younger and trying to raise two kids by herself.” She glanced at Steve and lifted her chin. “I wasn’t there to help her then, but I can’t help but feel like wanting to help her now.”

  His head bobbed as Zoey pulled the car into a spot right outside the tiny Sunnyside grocery store. Instead of jumping out, he turned in his seat to face her better. “You’ll help her, boss. You help all of them.”

  She smiled warmly at her friend, grateful for his constant aid in her own life. “Thanks. Couldn’t do it without you and all that jazz. Do you have any idea where to go next on this djinni thing?”

  “I wish I could say yes, but I really don’t. If it was Shawna who cast the spell that made Georgio forget everything, she sure isn’t rushing to tell us. Even after your heart-to-heart with her.”

  She chewed the inside of her bottom lip. “She doesn’t really seem to know too much about the djinni. It’s almost as though someone else summoned him and gave him to her.”

  “But who?” A crease appeared between Steve’s eyebrows. “I just can’t figure out who.”

  Zoey sighed heavily. “Me either. The only one who seems remotely able to have done it is Jerry. But even he seems like he’s just along for the ride. Joining in on the trouble just because there’s trouble to join in on. And he’s obviously upset about Howie.”

  “That doesn’t mean he didn’t call the djinni, though, and then it got away from him. Maybe someone else tried to stop Georgio and accidentally befuddled him.”

  “And now they don’t want to fess up?” She chuckled. “Or they don’t remember doing it. You never know with our bunch.”

  Steve’s straight white teeth showed when he gave her a wide smile. “That’s true. Or . . .” A thoughtful look crossed his features.

  “Or what?” she asked, leaning forward.

  “Or someone gave Georgio amnesia so he wouldn’t give them away.”

  Zoey leaned back, tipping her face to study the car’s ceiling. “That actually sounds plausible. But we’re still back to the same question.”

  Together, they intoned, “Who?”

  She opened her car door. “Let’s go get the cod. Maybe Ashley can make Shawna a nice meal that will help her feel more cooperative.”

  When they got into the grocery store, it was fairly deserted. They only saw a couple other people in the aisles. Steve pulled out the list Ashley had given him, and they pushed a cart through each aisle. “Here are the breadcrumbs. Does she want a certain kind?” Zoey thought it was amazing there were more than a few choices for that particular item. Who would have thought there were so many ways to prepare breadcrumbs?

  “Panko.” Steve answered.

  “Cornbread or regular?”

  He frowned slightly, checking the slip of paper again. “I don’t see a specification. I’d go with regular.”

  Once they had everything but the cod, they headed to the back of the store to look at the seafood. Doug stood there, leaning over the case and peering at the fish selection. “Fancy running into you here!” Zoey gave him a tight hug, and it felt good to be held for a minute. Steve busied himself examining the contents of a nearby endcap until they parted.

  “What are you two doing here?” Doug asked.

  “Oh, just taking a breather and buying the ingredients for fish and chips for the new chef to throw together. One of our residents, Shawna, is feeling kind of down and I guess she likes it.”

  “Aw, that’s sweet of all you guys. How are things going over there?”

  “Not much better,” Zoey admitted.

  “We did discover the djinni’s container, though!” Steve said enthusiastically. “So, go team!”

  “Hey, that’s progress. The Devil’s Shoestring and dried squid ink mixture did the trick?”

  Zoey exchanged a glance with Steve and then said grudgingly, “We used that up testing other containers. And when I went to buy the supplies initially, Hope Vega said the dried squid ink was the wrong ingredient. She recommended Dragon’s blood and came over with some. She helped me get the mixture right. As soon as we sprinkled some on the bottle—oh, it was an actual gin bottle if you can believe that—it glowed like crazy.” It irked her to share with her boyfriend the fact that Hope had known more about djinnis and spells than she did.

  She poked around at the packages of cod, wondering how much she should buy for Ashley. Maybe some residents other than Shawna would want some. When she looked up again, she saw that Doug had crossed his arms and cocked his head at her. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was onto her. She hadn’t shared the whole story on everything Hope had done to help out. She knew it was uncharitable and bordered on lying to her boyfriend, but she couldn’t help it.

  “Are you any closer to figuring out who’s behind all of it and how to get the djinni contained again?” he asked.

  “Oh, we’re definitely getting closer,” Zoey said brightly, purposely not making eye contact with Steve. “We’re narrowing it down. Zeroing in. You know, like the investigators in the movies.” She smiled, hoping to distract him from his line of questioning. “What are you up to tonight?”

  Chuckling, he held his arms out from his sides and turned a little, indicating the store. “You’re looking at it. I needed groceries, and it’s also laundry day. At least, it is if I want to wear clean clothes tomorrow. So, I have a date with the washing machine and dryer, and I’m going to watch a Rocky marathon while I get it done.”

  “Wow,” Steve interjected. “You must have a lot of laundry.”

  “I buy a lot of clothes, so I don’t have to wash them very often.” Doug smirked. “Hey,” he said, drawing close to Zoey to kiss her forehead. “You be careful with that djinni, okay? Like I said before, they can be nasty.”

  A picture of Georgio floated into her mind. He had appeared to be scary at times, and perhaps volatile, but she wouldn’t have used the word nasty to describe him. He seemed lost and sad more tha
n anything else. But she nodded and said thank you before he pushed his cart away, heading for the checkout.

  “Okay, well, how much cod do you think we should get?” Zoey shoved away the uneasiness Doug’s words had triggered. They finished up their shopping and headed back to the retirement center.

  Ashley had the fries well underway, and she made quick work of breading and deep frying the cod. Zoey knocked softly on Shawna’s door, and when the retiree opened it, told her about the fish and chips. Though she couldn’t be sure, it looked like the other woman’s eyes were slightly red-rimmed, as though she’d been crying. But her face brightened at the mention of the chef’s special meal, and she closed her bedroom door and followed Zoey down the hallway.

  When they passed the room the djinni was staying in, Shawna slowed. “Should we see if Georgio wants to come eat with us?”

  Zoey nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

  The huge man nodded silently when they asked if he’d like some fish and chips, and he followed them like a puppy into the dining room. A seven-foot tall, tattooed puppy with glowing amber eyes.

  Steve was already seated, digging into his dinner with zeal. “This is the best fish and chips I’ve ever had,” he said around a bite full. “You’ve gotta have some.”

  A few other retirees wandered in, and Zoey was glad they’d decided to err on the side of buying too much cod rather than risk not having enough for everyone who might want some. Georgio ate a pound or so of fish by himself. And, as they sat and ate, she noticed the djinni seemed more relaxed than any other time since she’d first seen him. He didn’t accidentally do any crazy magic, and he cracked smiles several times, especially when Snores launched into a story about an investigation he’d done while he was on the force that involved a sprite, some vodka, and four stolen mixed berry pies.

  Zoey smiled too. She was feeling better now that they were doing something normal. Glancing at Shawna, she saw the woman was only picking at her food and maintaining her silence.

  But she was there. She’d gone to dinner and sat at the table with other residents. Maybe there was still a chance she could be happy at the retirement home.

  Chapter 20

  The next morning, Zoey got up with renewed energy. She realized she’d been dragging—feeling depressed that she wasn’t equipped to handle the situation with the djinni all by herself. She took extra time getting dressed and put on a little bit of makeup, thinking about how a good leader was able to use the strengths of those around her. She’d been jealous of Hope for much of her life, and there was something going on from the shop owner’s direction too. Even though Zoey had tried before to put hard feelings about Hope behind her so they could work together, the situation with Georgio had caused them to crop up again. When she took time to examine why that was, she realized it was because it had to do with the retirement home. Zoey was proud of her work. She’d fought for years to break free from the social status her dark sorceress mom had cursed her with by being nice, helpful, and hard-working. To build her own reputation separate from her mother’s.

  So, when Hope came in and was almost effortlessly better at an aspect of Zoey’s job, it had triggered all those latent emotions of jealousy.

  As she ran the brush through her hair, Zoey decided it was time for her to get rid of those feelings again. Be a good leader. Use the strengths of those around her and open herself up to learning from them instead of wallowing in irritation that they knew something before she did.

  She grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand, scrolled until she found Hope’s number, and called her. There was no answer, so she left a message asking the other woman to come by the retirement home for a chat.

  When she got downstairs, Zoey found Courtney Close in the big common room, appearing to be trying to get a craft activity started. She’d set up a long table, placed chairs around it, and set places with tissue paper. Origami books sat open along the table’s length. She was talking to Ester, gesturing toward the table with a bright smile, but the elderly lady shook her head and sat at a different table, pulling out her knitting.

  Georgio appeared in the common room, and his expression was much brighter than it had been the day before. A small smile even played on his lips, which raised a red flag in Zoey’s mind. If the djinni was feeling spry, it could mean he was looking to engage in some magical mischief. Before she could decide how or whether to intervene, her cell phone rang. Glancing at the screen, she saw that Hope was calling, and she swiped to answer.

  “Sounds like you need my help again.” The occult shop owner’s voice sounded smug.

  Zoey bit back a terse reply, begging herself to remember what she’d decided earlier. Make peace. Move forward. “I was hoping you could come over for a chat. I have some things I want to talk to you about.”

  Hope sighed loud enough to be audible over the phone line, not answering right away. Finally, she groaned and said, “Fine. I’ll be over in ten minutes.”

  “Thank you!” Zoey forced brightness into her tone.

  Courtney was working on Jerry, gesturing toward the origami table. Her cheerful expression was slipping, though, and she looked a tiny bit panicked. Zoey felt bad for her. She was a sweet woman, but the residents just couldn’t get into the activities she planned for them.

  She headed toward the kitchen for some coffee and breakfast. Ashley had music playing, and she was doing a little dance while washing dishes. When she saw Zoey, her cheeks colored. “Sorry,” she said, turning the radio down.

  Zoey waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t turn it down on my account. It’s nice to have someone enjoying themselves in our kitchen for a change. You keep dancing. I’ll make myself some cereal.”

  By the time she’d finished eating and gone back to the lobby with her coffee, Hope had arrived. She looked like she was heading to a photo shoot instead of a day of work. Her heels clicked on the floor as she followed Zoey to her office.

  When the door closed behind them, Zoey crossed to her desk to set the mug down and then turned to lean against the edge, crossing her arms lightly. “I wanted to apologize for how I’ve been acting toward you.” She said it fast to make sure none of the words got caught in her throat. “I do appreciate your help.” She swallowed hard and forced herself to say the next words. “You know way more about djinnis than I do. I’ve been letting my feelings of jealousy from when we were kids get in the way of treating you right. Sorry.” Hugging herself for comfort, she realized she felt better already. It was a big weight off her to let that go.

  Hope stared hard at her for a second and then her shoulders and jaw relaxed. She looked at the floor. “Actually, I owe you an apology too. I shouldn’t be such a know-it-all. Truth is, I don’t know everything about djinnis. It’s just that you were always so much more powerful than me. It comes easily to you, and I’ve always had to work hard at it every day to improve my powers. I guess I’m jealous too.”

  “We should totally team up and use our powers for good,” Zoey grinned. “We could be a superhero team. Zoey and Hope—The Sunnyside Duo. Or something cooler than that.”

  “How about Hope and Zoey—Beauty and the Smart-Alec?”

  Zoey rolled her eyes. “We can work on the name. Right now, I have to focus. Finding Howie is at the top of my list of things to do today followed quickly by figuring out how to put Georgio back in his bottle.”

  A loud screech drew their attention, and Zoey raced out of the room, Hope on her heels.

  In the common room, the giant blue djinni was giggling. That seemed like an absurd term for someone so large, but Zoey couldn’t think of one that better described what he was doing. He wore a gleeful expression and waved his fingers toward the ceiling. Zoey followed his gesture and clapped a hand over her mouth. Ester and her knitting were up there, sitting inside a giant tulip. Glancing down, she saw that the chair Ester had been seated in was gone—it must have been transformed into the flower she now rode through the air. The elderly woman laughed, squealed, and raised
her hands like a kid on a roller-coaster.

  “Georgio!” Zoey cried. “Put her down this instant. She could get hurt!”

  Glancing at her, the djinni blew a raspberry, but he complied, letting the tulip and Ester float to the ground where the flower became a chair again. The elderly woman appeared to be quite disappointed that she was back on a stable surface, sitting on an everyday item.

  “What are we going to do about him?” she asked Hope, who shrugged.

  “Maybe we can bind him? Do you know any of that kind of magic?”

  Zoey knew she could ask the earth to wrap its energy around the djinni and hold him like she had done when bringing him and the others in from outside, but it wouldn’t hold for long. She’d get weak and tired pretty fast, and she couldn’t afford that if she was going to find Howie.

  They didn’t have more time to discuss it because Georgio had waved his hand again, laughing, and now all the chairs in the room were flowers. With teeth. They stomped around, snapping at everyone, and very quickly, the common room became a blur of movement and noise. An azalea chased Courtney Close up onto a sofa, nipping at her knees while she shrieked and tried to bash it over the petals with an origami book. Jerry held his ground against a yellow rose with flashing thorns in addition to sharp teeth, holding his hands in front of himself and conjuring a blue-green fireball. Zoey shouted at him not to throw it. The last thing she needed was a fire to break out in the common room.

  Again.

  Jerry glanced over his shoulder at her, and it gave the rose time to attack. Its stem snaked forward, and it nipped Jerry gently on the elbow before dancing away. The dark sorcerer howled in fury and launched the fireball. Beside Zoey, Hope waved a hand and shouted some words, and the fireball winked out. Giving Hope an admiring look, Zoey bolted toward the djinni. “Georgio!” she cried. “You get rid of those flowers right now. Who wished for flowers?”