The Karma Beat

by Juli Alexander

  I had to take another bite so I carefully mixed a small amount of chili in with a hunk of bread.

  Sean finished his bowl and got up for seconds. Ian grabbed another piece of bread and hopped up too. He hadn’t finished his first bowl, but he never let Sean beat him at anything. Even being an idiot apparently.

  Over the years I’d found that chewing as little as possible and swallowing quickly helped.

  Last year I’d tried to bribe my mom into telling Dad I had an ulcer and couldn’t eat the chili.

  As she shifted in her seat and chugged some more soda, I felt some hope that she’d finally give in. Or maybe she’d claim her own ulcer.

  If we genies hadn’t sworn not to use magic in the Treaty of the Bermuda Triangle, I could just make my chili and my mom’s bland. Or at least edible. Or I could make one of the boys throw up and this whole chili ordeal would end once and for all.

  Mom jumped up to refill her glass. She topped off everyone’s and sat back down. We exchanged a look of misery, and she dove back into her bowl.

  Mom really didn’t want to hurt Dad’s feelings. She basically ran the house, and they both had high powered jobs. Since she was the mom, me and my brothers tended to go to her more. She told me that Dad thought of cooking as his special talent. I had drums. Ian had guitar. And Dad had chili.

  “Delicious,” Mom said, wadding up her napkin and placing it strategically to hide most of the leftover chili.

  While Dad beamed at Mom, I used my second giant square of cornbread to shield my bowl. Then I hopped up and in the spirit of helping, rinsed out my bowl. I’d had a lot of practice getting large amounts of chili into the garbage disposal where no one could see it without turning it on.

  Mom jumped up right after me and guided her chili safely out of sight in the disposal.

  “You boys ready for more?” she asked, picking up the pot and ladle.

  Sean nodded.

  Ian said, “I think I’m full.”

  “Just a little,” Sean said when Mom scooped some into his bowl. “I’m almost full.”

  Dad grinned. “What’s my rating?”

  Sean always went first. “Seven.”

  “Six point five,” Ian said.

  “Ten,” Mom said. She always said ten.

  “Uh, nine,” I said, picking up the bread basket and some glasses. Even dad wouldn’t buy into a ten.

  “New recipe next week,” he said, getting up from the table with a grunt.

  “Uh, uh,” Sean said. “Next week is our turn.”

  Dad’s face dropped. He really liked his chili Sundays, but once a month, they let the boys try to outdo him.

  I didn’t mind so much because I didn’t have to eat more than a bite on those days. I didn’t mind hurting their feelings, and the chili was usually barely edible. Last month, they’d added pickles. Mom said it actually helped cut the Tabasco sauce a little.

  “Jen’s turn to help with the dishes,” Mom said.

  When Dad and the boys had left the room, Mom said, “If it gets much worse, we’re going to have to challenge them too. That way, we can eat something decent once a month.”

  I didn’t want to cook chili, but Mom was right. It might come down to life or death.

  She picked up the chili pan and waited for my signal.

  I glanced around for any sign of dad, then said, “You’re clear.”

  She poured three fourths of the leftovers down the sink. Then she scooped the rest into a small plastic container.

  “B-bye,” she said and turned on the garbage disposal.

  “He is a good dad,” I said when she finished. “I guess he’s worth it.”

  “He is,” Mom said, tweaking me on the nose. “Now get the rest of those bowls.”

  She grabbed the antacids from the top of the fridge. “Better start dosing myself.”

  We were just finishing up when the phone rang. I took another swipe at the counters as Mom answered.

  “Oh, yes, hi,” Mom said.

  She motioned that she’d be a while so I waved and headed out.

  I was curious about Leo. He’d gone back out last night after band practice. Maybe I should call him.

  When I got to my room, I fished the cheap phone out of my purse and thought about what I was doing. I didn’t have to worry that he’d think I had a crush on him. He’d know I was calling for a real reason.

  I don’t know why I didn’t want him to know I liked him. I just didn’t. I’d never let any guy know I liked him. Not on purpose. In fourth grade, Sheila Easterly had told Steven McGregor about my crush. After that, he’d avoided me.

  I shook my head. Just dial the number, Jen. Leo couldn’t avoid me. He needed me.

  Seconds later, Leo said, “Hello?”

  “Hi, um, how’s it going?” I stood in my room, unable to sit and relax.

  “Not good. Hold on.” I heard him talking to someone in the background, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.

  “I’m back,” he said. It sounded like he’d gone outside. “They won’t let me in to see my father.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “Something about a seventy-two hour rule. They’re saying his hearing is on Wednesday.”

  “I thought it was next week.”

  “Yeah, it was.” He lowered his voice. “I don’t know what’s going on, Jen. But it isn’t good.”

  I didn’t know what to say. He only had until Wednesday to figure out what was going on? A team of investigators couldn’t work that fast.

  I opened my mouth to say it would be okay, but he spoke first.

  “I’m in the car now, Jen. I could really use your help. I heard back from the investigator and the leads are dead ends. I’ve got over half of the names to cover. Any chance you could sneak away?”

  Even with my help, I didn’t think he could get through the list, but I had to try. “I can get away for a couple of hours. Then I have to get back to practice drums and to finish my homework.” Dad’s chili would give me the perfect excuse to slip out.

  “Great! Should I pick you up?”

  “Meet me at the Wendy’s close to my house. I have to grab something for lunch.”

  “Sounds good. I didn’t eat either.”

  “See you then.”

  After I hung up, I went down to check in with Mom. I was in luck. She was still on the phone. She wouldn’t want to come with me and she’d be distracted.

  I stood in the doorway and mouthed, “Wendy’s.” Then I made eating motions.

  She nodded.

  “I’ll probably stop by Target too,” I said.

  She just nodded again.

  Excellent. Mom knew I could spend hours in Target.

  I snuck past the den where Dad and the boys were watching television. Poor Dad and his nasty chili.

  I stepped onto the driveway and headed for the car. Just about ten traffic lights between me and Wendy’s. I wanted to see Leo almost as much as I wanted a decent chicken sandwich.

  The image of my favorite fast food place in my mind, I thought how cool it would be to just zap myself over there. My stomach growled. I could be walking into Wendy’s right now. I reached out to stick my keys in the lock.

  And smashed my hand into the large glass door. Not the car door. The door at Wendy’s.

  Somehow, I’d just beamed myself to the restaurant.

  I blinked at the door in front of me. I realized I was staring through the glass at a heavyset woman in a red jogging suit.

  I blinked again, trying to breathe.

  Finally the woman reached out and gently nudged the door open.

  Still I didn’t move.

  How had this happened?

  “Excuse me, honey,” the woman said, and I realized I was blocking her from leaving the restaurant.

  Uh. “Sorry.”

  I stepped back and let her pass. Then I slumped against the brick wall.

  Had I really just teleported? I did it all the time to grant wishes, but I wasn’t using my own
magic. Was I?

  I reached behind me and placed my hand on the cool brick. The sandy surface scraped into my skin as I pressed. I know my world was not exactly normal, but I thought I knew how it all worked.

  Finding out I didn’t really shook me up.

  “Jen?” Leo said, putting his arm on my shoulder.

  I hadn’t even seen him approach.

  “Are you okay?”

  I shook my head trying to focus on his face.

  He took the car keys from my hand. “What’s wrong? Where’s your car?”

  Finally focusing on his handsome face, I said, “At home.”

  He wrinkled his brow. “At…Oh.” He glanced around the parking lot. “You portaled here accidentally?”

  “Yeah.”

  “And you’ve never done that before.”

  I shook my head.

  “You can do it anytime you want, you know. Well, as long as you aren’t worried about getting caught.”

  “I didn’t know,” I said, my shock turning to irritation. “Nobody told me. I could have been doing this all along instead of sitting at the movies last month waiting for Ian to remember to pick me up.”

  Leo winced. Then he pulled out his wallet and handed me a twenty. “Go inside and get your lunch. I’ll be back in a minute with your car.”

  The car! My mind hadn’t gotten that far yet. Mom would freak if I was gone and the car was still in the driveway. How was he going to…

  “You can beam the car here, too?”

  “No,” he said with a smile, but I can portal there and drive it back.”

  Right. I nodded, and he walked across the parking lot to the Prius, climbed in, shut the door, and disappeared. Poof. Just the Prius remained.

  Okay. I could handle jumping through space at will. I was a genie for crying out loud. I dealt with all kinds of weirdness on a regular basis.

  Chapter Nine

  By the time Leo got back with my car, I had finished off my drink and managed to eat my sandwich.

  Now that I had my mind around how I’d gotten here, I was worried about being caught.

  “Thanks, Leo,” I said as he handed me the keys.

  “Are you back to normal?”

  I nodded, dropping the keys in my purse. “Pretty much.”

  “Let me grab some lunch and we’ll talk.”

  When he got back with his tray, I didn’t even wait for him to sit before asking, “Am I going to get caught?”

  Leo set his tray down and sat in the chair across from me. “No.” He shook his head. “You don’t need to worry. It’s all about the Techno Echo we talked about. The chance that they’ll have picked up on you is slim to none.”

  Leaning forward with my elbows on the table, I said, “Okay. I think it’s time I learned more about the Techno Echo.”

  Leo opened his straw and stuck it into his drink. “Basically things are going to blow up before long. The U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E. and genies are polarizing into two camps. One wants genies to provide an alternative to magic monitoring, and one insists genies keep the new freedoms.”

  At the Treaty of the Bermuda Triangle, we had agreed to be monitored and to work for the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E. in exchange for some freedom. However, it was now the 21st century. Why should we be monitored when most Americans were not? Why should we be treated like criminals? They could wait until we caused trouble before monitoring us.

  “But it’s only a matter of time before we reach the breaking point. Either there will be violence, or the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E. will come up with a new system and we won’t know it until we’re caught. So, today I’m pretty sure we’re safe, but next week, maybe not.”

  Yeah, so not worth the risk. I wouldn’t be using my newfound power. “Now I see why your dad thinks his arrest has to do with the movement. It’s a big deal, huh?”

  “Yes. But I don’t want to ignore any possibilities.”

  “So you just came from the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E.?”

  He nodded, already chewing a bite of his burger.

  “And you had no warning about the no visitor thing?’

  “No.” He clenched his jaw. “It’s almost like they make this stuff up as they go along.”

  “Should we split up and each take half the list?”

  “Katie’s run out of leads on my dad’s past and the last few weeks. She’s going to take some of the list. If you’ll ride with me, we’ll do what we can. Then I’ll skip school tomorrow to do the rest.”

  “I’m surprised you’ve bothered to go at all.”

  He smiled. “I promised my dad, remember? Besides, I needed to meet you, and I don’t want to give the U.N.I.V.E.R.S.E. any excuses to mess with me. I missed two days when he was arrested. I can miss tomorrow. Skipping out for two straight weeks probably wouldn’t have worked.” He glanced down at my tray. “Keep eating. We have to hurry.”

  I ate a couple more fries.

  “Dad doesn’t like it when I eat in his car,” he said, looking sheepish.

  “I eat fast,” I said trying to make him feel comfortable.

  He finished his burger and ate two or three fries. “Done,” he said.

  I stood. “Are drinks allowed?”

  “Yeah.” He smiled at me. “Dad’s okay with that.”

  Thank goodness. I grabbed my soft drink and dumped the rest of my tray at the trash.

  “You’ve got my notebook ready?” I asked as we walked to the car.

  “MapQuest's and everything,” he said, unlocking the passenger door for me.

  Just like old times, I thought to myself. I buckled up and then grabbed the folder.

  “Here we go again,” he said, backing out of the space.

  We hit seven of the names on the list in two and a half hours. No Lexus.

  “I should get back,” I admitted.

  “Thanks for helping,” Leo said.

  He pulled into the space next to my car at Wendy’s.

  “So I won’t see you at school tomorrow?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “No, probably not.”

  “Do you want me to help after school?”

  “That would be great.” He looked at me, and I got lost in his blue eyes. “You’re the best, Jen.”

  My heart thumped. If I just sat there, would he kiss me? I tried, but I just couldn’t risk looking like an idiot.

  Heat rushed to my cheeks at the thought of him kissing me. I pretended to gaze out the window, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

  When I turned back to dare a glance at him, he winked.

  Oh, yeah. He noticed all right.

  “See you tomorrow,” I said, opening the car door.

  Mom stopped me in the foyer. “Hi, hon. You didn’t buy anything?”

  “Huh?”

  “At Target?” she said, with a pointed look at my hands which held no bags.

  Uh. Oh. I’d never left Target without buying something. I searched my brain for something in my purse. “Just a Carmex,” I said, digging frantically in my purse to produce the evidence.

  “Wow,” Mom said. “I don’t think you’ve ever spent that little.”

  “Nothing really jumped out at me,” I said. Because I wasn’t anywhere near there, but whatever.

  I must have been improving at this lying stuff. Unfortunately, I was too wired to stop searching my purse. I kept digging and knocked out the cell phone from Leo. It hit the floor with a loud smack.

  Crap!

  “Is that a phone?” Mom asked. “What happened to your new one?”

  “It’s fine.” I squatted down to grab the phone. “This was Alex’s old one, and since she had my old one, she doesn’t need it anymore.” Please, please buy it.

  She narrowed her eyes. “But you don’t need it either.”

  “Of course not,” I said, trying to force a laugh and failing. “I just thought it was cool. I’d never seen a disposable phone. So I borrowed it to mess with it.”

  Mom frowned and bit her lip.

  “It’s just sort of interesting.”

&nb
sp; She nodded. “Have you finished your homework? Dad was hoping we could have movie night.”

  I checked my watch. It was after six. “I need to hit the drums and finish my trig. Give me an hour.”

  “See you at seven,” Mom said.

  I dashed up to my room faster than ever before.

  I hadn’t even broken a sweat on the drums when Mom showed up and told me to get my cell phone.

  “Sorry, hon. I need you to take this genie visit.”

  “Awww. I just started.”

  “I know.” She handed me the phone. “It’s been a rough weekend.”

  I put down my drumsticks, stood up, and pushed the button on the phone.

  Next thing I knew, I was breathing strong antiseptic fumes in a hospital room. A middle aged Asian man lay on the bed, being monitored by several beeping machines. He had a large bandage covering his arm.

  We were in the burn unit. I’d been here before.

  Mr. Kim must have done something heroic to push him over the karma point threshold.

  I walked over to his bedside. I wouldn’t need to mess with fog this time. The poor man would be groggy from all the pain medications.

  “Mr. Kim,” I whispered.

  He rolled his head from one side to the other.

  “Sir,” I said. I carefully searched his shoulder to make sure he had no injuries there. Then I squeezed it and said his name again.

  He finally opened his eyes.

  “Mr. Kim,” I said softly. “If you could have three wishes, what would they be?”

  With a dazed smile, he turned to look at me.

  “Three wishes,” he mumbled.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “My wife and I want a child,” he said with a slight rasp.

  “You will have that child,” I told him. “What else?”

  “I want…a long life with my family… and a successful career… so that I may provide for them.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Kim,” I said with a smile. “Go back to sleep.”

  “How’d it go?” Mom asked when I stepped out of the pantry.