Djinn

by Laura Catherine

  I helped myself to some food, pancakes and strawberries. I ate two platefuls. Not eating for almost two days had left me famished.

  "I'm so glad you like the food," Isabelle said, smiling.

  "It's delicious," I replied, mouth full of pancake.

  Isabelle gave me a funny look and I knew she didn't like my table manners so I swallowed and tried to act respectably.

  "Thank you," I said.

  "Oh, I just knew you'd like pancakes," she said. "I told Kellan to make them, you know."

  I gave her a half-smile. She thought she'd done me a great favour by asking someone else to make me food.

  Dad used to make me pancakes on my birthday.

  I shook my head. Don't think about him.

  "Kyra?" Isabelle had a worried look on her face.

  "I'm fine, just adjusting." I wondered how long I could use that excuse for.

  "Of course." She went back to nibbling on her crêpe but the awkwardness was like a bubble, separating us.

  There was a long silence as we ate. I sipped my orange juice. Pulp filled my mouth and I realised it had been freshly squeezed while staring at the walls.

  My parents seemed to have a taste for the expensive, with many gold-framed artworks and strange antiques hanging up. It was much too cluttered and tacky for my liking, and I wondered if I had anything in common with them.

  "So, you two live here by yourself," I finally said. I didn't like awkward silences.

  "Oh yes," Isabelle replied. "Just me and your father."

  I glanced to Ivan, who was intently staring at his paper. I wasn't entirely sure he was reading it.

  "Do you have jobs? Do Djinn work?"

  Isabelle laughed, like I was a two-year-old who had said something adorably funny.

  "We don't work with the outside world, if that's what you mean. We keep to ourselves and work for our community."

  "So what do you do for the community?"

  "Ivan and I are on the council," she said, like I had any idea what council she was talking about. "We are a huge part of making decisions on behalf of the Djinn to ensure our community is safe."

  Ivan cleared his throat and Isabelle stopped talking. He put down his paper, folding it neatly, and stared at me.

  "You'll learn everything you need to know from your instructor," he said.

  "You mean Will?" I replied. It was silly. I knew it would strike a chord with him. Ivan seemed to really hate Will, but his cold distance annoyed me.

  "Yes," he replied, turning his nose up. "Him."

  "Oh, Kyra I forgot. I have wonderful news," Isabelle said, trying to steer the subject elsewhere.

  "What?" I asked. I didn't know what could be so exciting. I'd only arrived yesterday.

  "We have an audience with the queen at the end of the week."

  Isabelle searched my face eagerly, but I wasn't giving her the response she was hoping for.

  "We have a queen?" I blurted.

  "Of course, dear. All Djinn communities are run by a monarchy."

  My mind flashed back to what they'd told me yesterday. Like I was just supposed to remember that bit of information. I didn't think Isabelle was handling the fact I didn't know anything very well.

  Will had said I was the only Djinn to have been taken and brought back. I guess it was as new for them as it was for me.

  "That sounds lovely," I managed to say, to please Isabelle more than anything else. I had no clue what the significance was. I mean, meeting a queen sounded like a big deal, but why would she want to meet me? It sounded like I was going to be put on display, like a new toy.

  "You'll be meeting Prince Nathaniel, too," she added with a sly smile.

  "I'm looking forward to it." I shovelled some more food into my mouth so I didn't have to come up with any more awkward replies.

  The pancakes were delicious, and yet they didn't taste as good as Dad's. I wondered where he was. Was he alright? Should I really care, after finding out he stole me away?

  I placed my knife and fork on the edge of my plate and looked up at Isabelle.

  "Why was I taken?" I asked.

  Isabelle paused, fork hovering between her mouth and the table. Ivan's body tensed, like I'd just asked him how babies were made. I guess it wasn't the kind of question you ask your real parents the day after you arrive home.

  "Kyra …"Isabelle said slowly, picking her words carefully. "It's hard to explain …"

  "It doesn't matter," Ivan said cutting Isabelle off. "You're home now, and whatever happened before doesn't matter."

  Ivan picked up his paper again, apparently ending the conversation. Isabelle continued to eat her food and stare at the table, as if recording every mark in the wood to memory.

  My life before doesn't matter? So I just pretend that I was born yesterday, at seventeen, and that's how my life started? I don't think so.

  I could sense my parents were hiding something, maybe it was just too painful to talk about. Still, I needed to know to truth. I needed to know why, but I wasn't going to find out now. It was too soon, too early in our relationship, I guess.

  Isabelle gazed at the gold watch on her wrist. "Oh, look at the time. You better get ready, Kyra. Will is going to be here soon for your lesson."

  I looked down at my clothes. I'd chosen a simple jeans and t-shirt combo. I looked awkwardly at her. "I am ready," I replied.

  "Oh," Isabelle said, caught off guard. "Of course you are. Well, then I'll walk you to the door. I'm sure he'll be here any moment."

  She dabbed her mouth with a napkin and rose from her chair. She promptly kissed Ivan on the forehead, though he didn't seem to care, which bothered me. How could someone as cheerful as Isabelle end up with someone as cold as Ivan?

  "Come on, Kyra," Isabelle called from the doorway. "You don't want to keep Will waiting."

  I wanted nothing more than to see Will, and so I hurried after Isabelle.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Will was waiting in the foyer when Isabelle and I entered. He stood at attention, like he had done the day before in the presence of Isabelle and Ivan. It was strange seeing the boy who'd comforted me acting so rigid.

  "Mrs Greenwood. Miss Greenwood." He bowed respectfully.

  "Just on time," Isabelle said with her usual smile.

  "So, what's the plan?" I asked, eager to get out of the house and even more eager to learn about who I actually was. I was glad it was Will who'd be tutoring me, and not some stranger. I felt comfortable with Will, which bothered me a little when thoughts of Dad … Malcolm came to mind. I did my best to push them aside. What Will had done was for me was bring me to safety, and Malcolm wasn't my real father, anyway.

  "Oh, yes, what is the plan for today's lesson?" Isabelle said, bringing me back to the conversation. She eyed Will, waiting for his response. He wore jeans, a white t-shirt and a leather jacket. I was beginning to wonder if he actually owned any other clothes.

  "I planned to show Miss Greenwood around the compound and explain the history of our people," Will said in a very formal voice, so unlike the soft baritone he'd used the night before.

  "Very good," Isabelle replied. "I trust you'll teach her what she needs to know."

  She turned her head slightly to the side, which made me think there was much more to what she was saying.

  "I'll teach her everything she needs to know," he replied with another bow of his head.

  "Good. Well, have a good day." Isabelle kissed me on the cheek, and I stiffened like a board. "I'll see you for lunch and then I can give you a proper tour of the house."

  "Ah, sure," I said, already halfway out the door.

  I practically dragged Will out with me in my desperate need to get away from Isabelle's cheeriness. Outside was sunny with blue skies, an unusually warm autumn day. The good weather seemed even better after being trapped like a prisoner inside the house. The fresh air and sun on my skin almost made me forget my troubles.

  Almost.

  I took a deep breath, catching the sce
nt of decomposing leaves.

  "Couldn't wait to get out?" Will remarked.

  "There's only so much adjusting I can do in one day," I replied. "Ivan and Isabelle are both intense, but in completely opposite ways."

  "You'll get used to it eventually," he said, looking off down the endless street.

  I took in the Djinn compound, now that I could see it in proper light. It looked like any neighbourhood I'd seen before, but a lot fancier. All the houses were exquisite mansions of smooth, cream stone and gold inlays. I suddenly felt underdressed standing on the sidewalk in my jeans and plain t-shirt.

  I turned to Will. His casual clothing made me feel a little less conspicuous.

  "So, lay it on me," I said. "Tell me everything about being a Djinn."

  It must have been the weather putting me in a good mood, because I felt more in control and willing to hear about my strange new life than I had before. Will stared at me for a moment like he wanted to say something, but he blinked and the look was gone.

  "Let's take a walk," he said, leading me down the paved street. The orange and yellow leaves falling from the trees, painted the road in beautiful autumn tones.

  We passed house after house, which all seemed to look identical to Ivan and Isabelle's. I wondered how on earth these people knew where they lived? It was almost creepy how much the compound felt like a normal neighbourhood, like being a Djinn was normal. I suppose, for them, it was.

  "Where would you like me to start?" Will asked, as we kept a steady pace down the sidewalk.

  I thought about the question for a moment. There were so many things I wanted to know, but I decided to get my basics covered first. "Tell me about the Djinn."

  "Let's see," he began. "The Djinn were not created by anyone. We weren't made by a spell or toxic waste. Like humans, the Djinn evolved over time in remote places all over the world—two races living together."

  I heard a bark and saw children playing with several dogs in a front yard. Two Jack Russells and a Poodle darted around the young kids while they laughed and chased after them. They looked just like normal kids. I turned back to Will.

  "Of course, the humans far outnumber us," he continued, "but we are much stronger than them."

  "Because of those abilities you all seem to have?" I asked.

  "Yes. The Djinn were blessed with abilities, different abilities unique to individual Djinn."

  "Like how Pyke can create ice and Mia does that weird screeching thing."

  "Also correct. And I have tough skin that means, when I get hurt, I don't damage as easily as others. Like when you stabbed me."

  I felt my cheeks burn bright red at the thought. "I'm sorry," I said.

  "It's fine," he replied. "You'll develop your own ability soon enough."

  "I will?"

  I wondered what sort of ability I would develop. The idea filled me with a rising sense of excitement.

  "When?" I asked.

  "Your parents will send you to train with other Djinn who will help you figure out what your ability is."

  "So I won't know until it happens?"

  "Pretty much." Will shrugged, his muscles tensing under his shirt.

  "Can Djinn do anything else? I mean the myths of genies—"

  "Are highly exaggerated," he finished.

  "Oh," I replied. "So none of it's true?"

  "Bit and pieces. We don't live in lamps or bottles, if that's what you mean."

  "I know that. Djinn have free will, so they can do what they like." I felt a strange sense of déjà vu and wondered how I even knew that.

  "True," he said, his eyebrows furrowing.

  "What about the stories where Djinn are tricksters and untrustworthy?"

  Will didn't answer right away, which led me to believe he was picking his words carefully.

  "The stories are true," he said slowly. "Our ancestors used to make a living by granting wishes, in a sense. People would ask for help and, in return for money, a Djinn would use their ability to help that person."

  "But I'm guessing not all Djinn kept their word." I raised an eyebrow at him.

  "No. Some Djinn cheated the humans, thinking they were better than them. It was those few that brought about the rumours and myths of Djinn being tricksters."

  "But not anymore?" I asked.

  "We gave up sharing our abilities with humans a long time ago," he answered. There was something sad in his voice, like that wasn't all there was to the story.

  A Great Dane ran past and nearly knocked me over. Will caught me with one hand and helped me up.

  "Sorry about that," a woman called from across the street and proceeded to run after the dog.

  "What is with all the dogs?" I asked.

  In the short time we had been walking we must have passed at least twenty dogs of different breeds.

  "You noticed, did you?" Will replied. "It's a Djinn thing. We just really like dogs as pets. You must have noticed that you have always wanted one."

  I thought back to the arguments with Dad over getting a dog. That seemed like so long ago now. "I have. I've always wanted a dog."

  I looked up at him, realising I had Djinn traits without even knowing it.

  "I'm sure your parents will buy you a dog soon. Djinn just love having dogs around to do things for them." There was a harshness to his voice, one I hadn't heard before.

  "What's wrong?" I asked.

  "Nothing, why?"

  "You seem annoyed about the dogs, or the way Djinn treat them."

  "It's nothing," he assured me, and walked ahead so I couldn't ask any more questions.

  We arrived at a long metal fence with an archway in the middle separating one set of houses from another. The houses on the other side of the fence were not the same as these ones: they were much smaller in comparison, and not nearly as elegant, more like little shacks.

  "What's this?" I asked.

  "This is the Djinn compound," Will explained, arms folded. "There are many compounds all over the world, each one ruled by a king. The compounds are usually located in remote areas, as we don't like being around humans very much anymore."

  "Why are those houses not as nice as these ones? And what's with the fence?"

  "Our compound is made up of three rings. There is the main fence, it protects the compound from dangers on the outside." I was about to ask what dangers but Will continued without stopping. "After the main fence are the Guardjinn houses, which are the ones you can see on the other side of that fence." He pointed to the shabby-looking buildings.

  "You live there?" I asked.

  "Yes, all Guardjinn do. That is the lower ring. This fence separates the lower ring and the middle ring. The middle ring is where the Djinn live. Where you live."

  Will slipped his hands over my shoulders and turned me to face the way we came. I tried to ignore the rising heat in my cheeks and the fluttering in my stomach.

  "Do you see that large building up the road, on top of the hill?" He pointed off in the distance. I could just make out a white building with pillars, surrounded by trees. Whatever it was, it was big.

  "Yeah."

  "That's the Upper Ring where you'll find the royal palace. That's where the queen and prince reside. Another fence separates the Upper and Middle Rings."

  I stared at Will in disbelief. "You're serious?"

  Will raised an eyebrow at me, the corner of his lip curling up.

  "You separate people, giving some great houses and others crappy shacks?" I think I offended him by calling his house a shack. His mouth formed a straight line, but I was too angry to apologise.

  "That's the way things are," he explained. "The Guardjinn are the lower class."

  "Lower class?" I shouted.

  "Don't shout." Will gave a stern look to silence me. Obviously he didn't know me as well as I'd suspected.

  "Is that why you didn't want me saying anything to my parents about last night? Because you're lower class, and I'm not?"

  "It's not that simple," he whispered. "My
job is to watch over you, teach you, make sure you're safe."

  "You mean, make sure I don't escape," I replied. "So what's the problem?"

  Will's gaze locked with mine, and I wondered if he was replaying the night's events over in his mind, too.

  "It was the other stuff, wasn't it?" I said, ending my replay. "The hugging me and being alone together."

  Will's silence was enough of an answer.

  "I don't believe this. What makes other Djinn better than Guardjinn? Because you choose to be protectors? That's what you do, isn't it? You protect the other Djinn from whatever this danger is, and you get stiffed for doing your job?"

  "It's not as simple as that." He was close to me again but his eyes were watching everywhere else, like he didn't want to be caught with me.

  "Djinn have another ability which is contained in the myths. They are shape-shifters."

  "I remember reading that, but what does it have to do with anything?"

  "All Djinn have the ability to shape-shift into one kind of animal—just one —but they don't know what until they meet that animal."

  "I still don't see what this has to do with anything." I clenched my fists, but kept them at my sides. Will was being cryptic when I wished he would just say what he meant.

  "All Guardjinn have one thing in common. They can all shape-shift into dogs."

  I squint my eyes trying to connect the dots, but it didn't make sense.

  "To Djinn, dogs are nothing more than pets, servants. And so Djinn who can turn into dogs are seen the same way."

  "They see you as servants," I said.

  "Guardjinn have few choices in life. Most of us are shunned by our families. We either go in to service—" my thoughts fell to Kellan pushing the food cart around the house, "—or we protect the Djinn."

  "That's horrible!" I whispered. "They can't do that to you."

  "It's the way things are here. It's the way things have been for thousands of years. You'll get used to it."

  Will stepped away from me, halting the conversation. I wanted to talk more about it. I couldn't believe anything I'd just heard. The Djinn had slaves and they were their own people? And Will, he just accepted it like it was normal.