“So now you’re mortal,” Eden said. “That means you’re going to die?”
“Hopefully not for a while.”
“But why would you choose that? Wouldn’t you rather stay and light up Earth forever?”
“Life on Earth was designed to begin and to end. It’s hard for a genie to see that from the lamp.”
Eden stared at Faye’s frail frame and sagging skin. Even though she looked older than the immortals, she was centuries younger than most of them. But while they had wasted centuries spent in bitterness or decadence, Faye had fought to make the world a better place.
Was that because she was mortal, or was it the other way around? What made a woman wise? What gave meaning to a life?
For some reason, tears blurred Eden’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s been a long couple of days.”
“Don’t be sorry. You’re being very brave.” Undeterred by the puddle forming under her, Faye moved to the seat beside Eden and wrapped an arm around her.
“What should I do?” Eden asked. “I’m not going to give the lamp to the Electric, but I don’t know how to get them off my trail. And the Loyals are doing everything they can to try to convince me to go back.”
Faye pursed her lips. “Are you ready to go back?”
“No,” Eden said emphatically. “My heart is here. I’m not meant for the lamp.”
“But even if you manage to evade the alumni, your time on Earth will inevitably end when the boy makes his other two wishes.”
Eden squinted. “You know everything, huh?”
Faye smiled in answer.
“How?”
“I used to be a genie. And I’m president of the United States. I may be mortal, but I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.”
Eden shook her head. “Anyway, Tyler’s not going to use those wishes. He wants to keep me here on Earth.” Warmth flowed from her head to her toes as she said it aloud.
Faye paused before replying.
“But while you’re here, the world’s wishes can’t be granted.”
It took a moment to register the pang of another betrayal.
“But you’re not one of the Loyals,” Eden insisted. “You just rescued me from them!”
“I took you away from them because I don’t think you should be intimidated into going back to the lamp,” Faye said. Then, more gently: “You should do it because it’s right.”
Eden’s heart seared with pain. She’d never felt more alone.
“I know you believe you weren’t meant for the lamp. But you’re a genie. It’s who you are. Before you can live here on Earth, you need to carry out your duties as a genie.”
Everything in her wanted to argue, but this time Eden couldn’t find the words.
Faye checked her cell phone. “The students have returned to classes. We’ll drop you off at the end of the building closest to your locker. The door will be unlocked.”
Eden wiped away another tear. “It isn’t fair,” she said—but even as she said it, she knew what the answer would be.
Faye smiled sadly as she spoke Xavier’s words:
“Life isn’t fair, my darling.”
The car had come to a stop. One of the Secret Service men opened the door and let the shocking sunlight in.
Just before Eden slid out of the seat, Faye placed her warm, wrinkled hands on her arm.
“You know,” she said, “you’re not like anyone else on Earth. Mortal or immortal. Don’t forget that.” She squeezed her arm softly. “Only you can make this decision. Now go, and make the right one.”
The door was open, just like Faye had said. Eden stole down the silent hall, spun her locker’s combination, grabbed the denim backpack, and ducked into the restroom.
Luckily, no one was inside. Eden stared at herself in the mirror. She was a mess—all damp and bedraggled. Her eyes were ringed with red. She unraveled her wet braid and tried to comb her fingers through it, but the pool’s chlorine had made it stiff and sticky.
Images from her trip into Sylvana’s grantings were pinging through her mind like pinballs. The Loyals were right: she had underestimated Sylvana. Knowing what she knew now, it was absurd to think she’d imagined they were just alike! Her own silly tricks on wishers were nothing compared to the horrors she’d witnessed.
And yet, her short exchange with Faye had hit her hardest. This time she respected the person who’d told her what she didn’t want to hear. Maybe—maybe—that meant it was time to listen.
She unzipped the backpack and pulled out the lamp. Holding it in her hands, she considered.
What if she went back now? Maybe it was the right thing to do. Electra would lose any chance of getting the lamp, the Loyals would be satisfied, and everything would return to normal.
But wouldn’t Tyler and Sasha be sad if she disappeared?
Wouldn’t they wonder why she hadn’t said goodbye?
One thing was certain: if she made the request for reentry, Tyler wouldn’t get to make his other wishes. Those wishes could change the Rockwells’ lives. After the trouble she’d caused, didn’t she owe that much to them?
She slipped the lamp back into the backpack. Besides her notebook, there was one more thing inside—a stiff paper rectangle.
She couldn’t help smiling when she saw what it was: the photo from the roller coaster. In it, she and Tyler were screaming with their hands in the air. They looked happier than mortals who’d just won the lottery’s biggest prize. Even though it was the first photo she’d ever seen of herself, she knew that what it had captured didn’t exist inside the lamp.
The girl in the photograph was Eden on Earth. The girl she was always meant to be.
“Here you are!”
Hurriedly Eden tucked the photo into her back pocket. Ms. Mattris was standing at the door. “We’ve been looking for you.”
Eden cleared her throat. “I was just going back to class—”
“No, come with me,” Ms. Mattris said. “Your mother’s here.”
“Well, she can turn around and leave. I’m not going with her.”
“Actually, you have to.” Eden’s stomach dropped as Sylvana stepped into the bathroom. “You’re no longer a student at this school.”
Apparently, minors under eighteen years of age had zero rights in America. Sylvana had told Principal Willis that Eden would be returning to Sweden with her. Without any need for Eden’s consent, she’d withdrawn her from Mission Beach Middle School.
They wouldn’t even let her go into second period to talk to Sasha. “You’d disturb the class,” Sylvana said, and Ms. Mattris agreed.
“What happened yesterday?” Sylvana demanded once they were outside. “I thought we were in this together.”
She slipped her sunglasses on. Today’s pair was a cat’s-eye shape, to accentuate her cheekbones. Eden fought the urge to rip them off her face.
“What happened was, I discovered why you wanted me to come to Paris with you so badly.”
“Once we get there, you’ll realize it’s where you belong,” Sylvana said, trying to pull her toward the parking lot. Her red convertible was parked sideways across two handicapped spots. “More importantly, you belong with me.”
Eden yanked her arm away. “Why would I go with you now? I’m not an idiot.”
Sylvana set the sunglasses on top of her head. “What do you mean?”
“I know all about you, and Violet, and Electra. I understand what your whole plan was.”
Sylvana’s unearthly turquoise eyes seemed to glow even brighter. “Please, tell me.”
“You want me to come with you so you can try to persuade me to take off the bracelet—which will allow you to take control of the lamp. That’s your plan to ‘end the reign of tyranny.’”
Sylvana stared at her for so long, Eden thought her eyes might burn holes straight through her. Suddenly, she let out a robust laugh. “You are a clever little genie!”
Eden watched her in utter repulsion. “How is that funny? Obviously I�
��m not going to go along with it. You’ve already lost.”
“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong!” Sylvana said. “I can guarantee that within the hour, you’re going to do exactly what I want.”
“You’re legitimately crazy.” Eden crossed her arms. “There’s no chance I’m even getting in that car with you.”
Sylvana sighed. “You’re only making things harder for yourself. You’ll have no one else to blame when your little friends ask why you didn’t help them.”
Eden’s body went ice-cold. “What are you talking about? Have you done something to Tyler or Sasha?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t interrupt them. They’re busy getting a splendid education, courtesy of the State of California. However, their father joined your aunt Violet for a little outing today. And things haven’t gone the way he planned.”
“He did what?”
Sylvana hopped in the convertible and started the ignition. “Why don’t you come along and find out?”
“Tell me what you’ve done to Mr. Rockwell!”
“I’ll tell you this,” Sylvana snarled. “I can make one phone call and he’s dead.” She revved the engine. “Now get in.”
Eden’s nerves twisted up like pretzels as the convertible sped down a road that was becoming familiar. They drove along the coast until the tall structures of the amusement park came into view, and then, with a screech of tires, Sylvana swerved into the parking lot.
“Here we are,” she said brightly. “Now, tell me this isn’t more fun than school.”
Eden glared at her.
“No? Personally, I love a good roller-coaster ride.”
Two women were guarding the entrance. They didn’t wear genie bracelets, but Eden recognized them from the course guide. One was Zoe, the second genie to ever reside in the lamp. The other was Julianna, the feisty-looking green-eyed genie who’d granted for mortals like Abigail Adams. They nodded to Sylvana as they passed.
Inside, the park was empty. The silence was a stark, eerie contrast to the laughter and screams of joy a day earlier. Even though it was 10 A.M. on a Tuesday, Eden had a feeling the vacancy was due to Zoe and Julianna, and not the time of day.
Sylvana glided through the park like she owned it. Eden followed, clutching the backpack in her arms.
They passed the bumper cars and the carousel, and still Eden saw no one. Finally they reached the Vertical Plunge, the ride that dropped mortals from high above. At its foot stood several more Electra employees: a stunning woman with caramel skin, a gaunt alum with deep purple hair, a golden-haired fairy-princess type, and Violet.
“Eden, meet Athena, Monroe, and Kingsley. And you know Violet.”
Eden’s skin prickled at the cruel curiosity in the women’s faces. She swallowed. “Where’s Mr. Rockwell?”
In answer, they all looked skyward. The Vertical Plunge’s seat was at its highest height, a hundred feet above.
Squinting, Eden could see that there was one person in the seat. One person, and no safety harness protecting him.
“Is that him?” Eden screamed. “What did you do?”
“Sounds to me like you can see for yourself,” Athena said.
“But he’s not strapped in! He could fall!”
“That’s the point,” said Monroe. She smoothed her long purple locks with a bony white hand.
“Help!” Mr. Rockwell’s voice drifted from above.
“Violet and I loved meeting him last night.” Sylvana peered up at him. “We thought it would be fun to take him for a ride this morning.”
“Mr. Rockwell, put the harness on!” Eden called, cupping her hands around her mouth.
“He can’t. It’s locked open.”
Eden thought frantically. She remembered the cell phones they all carried. “He’ll call for help! Police will be here any moment!”
But Violet grinned and held up a phone. “I don’t think so. He let me ‘borrow’ this right before he climbed on.”
“Let him down!” Eden demanded.
“Absolutely,” Sylvana said. “What goes up, must always come down. The question is how. In the seat, or out of it?” She leaned close and spoke low in Eden’s ear. “Alive, or dead?”
Eden remembered her conversation with Tyler about the rides. He’d said mortals enjoyed the thrill of them because they were strapped in. That without the straps and brakes, they’d probably die.
Sylvana wasn’t bluffing. If he fell from that height, he probably wouldn’t survive.
“Take off the bracelet and hand over the lamp,” said Monroe. “If you do, he’ll walk away safe. Otherwise, your friends become orphans.”
A sick, spinning sense of remorse washed over Eden. She should have known something like this would happen. She knew how desperate Sylvana was to get ahold of the lamp. Xavier and Goldie had warned her, and so had the Loyals. She’d even seen Sylvana’s ruthlessness in action for herself. Why hadn’t she listened?
Deep down, she knew why: because she’d wanted so badly to stay on Earth. And now, as a result, her only friends might lose their second parent.
“It’s easy to save him,” said Kingsley, the one who looked like a fairy princess. “Just take off the bracelet and give us the lamp.”
If she did, she’d save Mr. Rockwell but sacrifice Xavier and Goldie. It was either her masters, or Sasha and Tyler’s dad. There was no way to win.
“Might as well go ahead and hand it over,” said Violet, folding her arms. “One way or another, we’re going to get it.”
Eden glared at her. All this had started with Violet on the beach. She wished with all her being that their paths had never crossed.
“I’ll never let you hurt Xavier and Goldie,” Eden said.
“Ew,” Sylvana said, disgusted. “You sound like one of them.”
“One of us?” Eden recognized the voice, but she had to see its owner to believe it was really her. Sure enough, when she whipped around she saw Bola, magenta lipstick freshly applied, skin gleaming in the sun. Flanking her were two pairs of Loyals, each holding one of the Electric guards from the gate. The other genies who’d surrounded the pool formed a fuming mass behind her.
Eden took the opportunity to scoot aside so Sylvana could face her adversary.
“Bola,” Sylvana said. “It’s been a long time.”
“Centuries,” Bola said coldly.
“You haven’t changed a bit.”
“Why would I?”
And with that, the pleasantries were over.
“Release my employees,” Sylvana commanded.
Bola held her gaze for a moment before nodding to her underlings. Zoe and Julianna joined their Electric compatriots. The two alumni armies faced one another.
“How did you know we were here?” Sylvana demanded.
“I saw you driving away with Eden through the window in my classroom,” Bola said. She eyed Eden. “I didn’t think Faye would be so quick to release you.”
“You were with Faye?” Violet asked in wonder.
“Her Secret Service interrupted our trip down memory lane,” Bola said dryly. “Anyway, naturally I had to follow you.”
“And when she left, I left,” came a new voice. It was Sasha, coming toward them with Tyler beside her. Ms. Mattris was behind them, looking terrified. “I knew something was up when she left in the middle of the lesson. I pulled Tyler out of Pre-Algebra and convinced Ms. Mattris to drive us. We followed Bola’s car—and the others that joined along the way.”
Ms. Mattris shook her head. “I’m so confused. Are you all from Sweden?”
Bola looked at her with pity. “Ms. Mattris, why don’t you go back to your car?”
Wide-eyed, Ms. Mattris nodded. Wobbling on her heels, she staggered in the direction of the park’s entrance. Eden hoped she had an emergency stash of chocolate to soothe her nerves.
Seeing Sasha and Tyler filled Eden’s heart to the brim, but her pulse was pounding. They had no idea what they’d walked into.
“Why are we here, anyway?”
Tyler asked.
“And why did you get in the car with the president?” Sasha added. “And why are you wet?”
“Tyler!” Mr. Rockwell called. His voice was faint and faraway. “Sasha!”
“Where did that come from?” Sasha asked, looking around frantically. “It sounded like Dad.”
“Look up, sweetheart,” Sylvana said slyly.
There was a pause as everyone did exactly that.
“Dad!” Sasha screamed.
“Wow.” Bola shook her head. “Sylvana, you’ve outdone yourself. You have one cold immortal heart.”
“Anything for justice,” Sylvana snarled. She turned and spoke to the Rockwells sweetly. “All your friend Eden has to do is take off her bracelet and give us the lamp, and then we’ll lower him to safety. Kids, don’t you want her to do that?”
“Eden,” Bola thundered, “do not listen.”
Eden squeezed the backpack more tightly, feeling the lamp’s shape. “I’m not going to.”
“In that case, you better hold on up there!” Sylvana called.
“You wouldn’t,” said Bola.
“Oh, really? Athena, show them we’re serious.” At the base of the ride, Athena pulled a lever. Feeling like she was in the middle of a nightmare, Eden watched the seat drop.
But the fall was a short one. Sasha screamed, and Mr. Rockwell cried out in terror—but he stayed in the seat. Squinting, Eden could see he was clinging to the unlatched safety harness.
“Does that make things clearer?” Sylvana asked.
Ivy stepped out from behind Bola. “Eden, you can still make the request for reentry,” she implored. “You’ll go back to the lamp, no harm done. Everyone will be safe.”
“Are you kidding?” Sylvana scoffed. “If you do that, we’ll definitely kill him. Probably them too,” she said, indicating Tyler and Sasha.
“Better them than our masters,” Bola hissed.
“Your masters are liars and oppressors!”
The Loyals gasped. “How dare you!” said Genevieve.
As the bickering escalated, heat crept up Eden’s neck. How had it come to this? The women stood in pairs or small groups, screaming at each other. Some of them had even started clawing and hitting one another. They were brutal soldiers on an amusement park battlefield, beautiful on the outside, but heartless on the inside.
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