Chapter Three: The First Wish

The next day, Jean and I carpooled to school together. When we walked the halls, we got many looks from many faces. Some were shaking their heads and frowning at us, others grinned and nodded in approval, and most would whisper. What happened as people knew it was a school-wide rumor now, that I stole Jean's affections from Jason and made her mine. Of course only the involved parties knew the real complicated truth, but replace affections with necklace and that's basically what happened.

"Hey guys," said Ryan, walking up to us chipper with Kaylee Martinez in his arm. "Nick, you know Kaylee right?"

"Heya," she smiled and held out her hand.

"I know of her, but I hadn't met her personally until now." I extended my hand out in return and I shook it.

Ryan gestured toward Jean. "And this is Nick's girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," I said.

"Well they're getting there, then."

Jean and Kaylee shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

"I heard what happened between you said Jason," Kaylee said. "Oh my God he was such a dick. Like, it's damn time you left his ass, girl. I seen the way he treated you and I woulda left him a long ass time ago. Why'd you stay with him so long?"

"Well . . ." Jean looked up and around, rubbing her neck like she was looking for an answer. "I guess it just felt like I had no choice."

"Then Nick came along," Kaylee smirked and gestured her eyes at me. "How you guys start dating?"

"Oh, we aren't really dating."

"Right. I'm going to the bathroom. Come with me. We'll talk there."

Jean nodded, and the girls were off to the bathroom.

Ryan couldn't stop grinning. "Damn, Isn't she great?"

"She's fine, but something is pestering me. You actually went through with the plan of hacking her phone, going through her conversations, and wooing her based on that?"

"Yup!"

"Well how did you woo her then?"

"Easy. Saw her venting about her ex, saying he was a dick, then I walked up to her and piled on the same points she made in the conversations to her friends. That was just my door in though. After that I invited her to her favorite coffee shop, and agreed with every single thing she said, and used the chats to guide what my 'interests' were too. By the end she was so happy to find a guy that 'just got her' and bam. Got a girlfriend."

"Wow."

"Impressed?"

"Slightly, but I have a few questions."

"Shoot."

"Are you okay with being with her under false pretenses?"

Ryan dulled his face in confusion. "Uh, what?"

"I mean, are you fine lying to her just for the sake of being in a relationship?"

"Yup."

"Then she doesn't really like you then. She's only fond of who you claim to be."

"I'll tell her eventually . . . Once we're deep in. Everyone lies about who they are in the beginning, man. The only difference is I have the technology to do it better than most guys."

"Well if you say so, but I don't see this ending well."

"It'll be fine. I just needed a way in."

Not to disrespect Ryan, but this situation slightly reminded me of Jason, and how he actually fooled himself into believing that Jean loved him. How he was desperate to believe she loved him. It made me think: at what point did Jason start having romantic feelings for Jean, and why?

"Ryan, what exactly do you see in Kaylee?"

"Well, she's a pretty girl that I actually have a shot with."

There's my answer.

"Asshole 12 o' clock," Ryan said (although his o' clocks were way off).

Jason walked by with a few of the 'edgy' kids that liked to dress in black, talk hard, and 'do as they pleased.' When I was in his viewpoint, he mugged me with his eyes and kept walking.

"Since when does he hang out with the emo kids?" Ryan asked.

"Who cares?"

"Watch your back, man. Some dark shit goes on with them. I hear they have access to the black market. "

��Well I have access to a power that can manipulate the greater forces of the universe, so I think I win."

Ryan winced at me. "Okay, Mr. Confident."

I smirked because it was completely true in the literal sense, but Ryan had no idea what I was talking about.

The girls came back from their bathroom break.

"Okay," Kaylee said, beaming herself at Jean. "I see you, girl."

The bell rang.

"Time for class," said Ryan.

"See ya at lunch," Kaylee smacked her lips on Ryan's cheek.

"Can't hang out with you later," Ryan winked at me. "Gonna be in the couple's hallway."

"Okay then."

"Unless you wanna bring Jean."

"I'm good actually."

The four of us finally dispersed our separate ways.

Lunch came, and I sat down at the table Ryan and I usually sat at, but besides me it was empty. I ate my salami sandwich, sipped my peach tea, and stared at my math homework. It took me twenty seconds before I stuffed it back into my pocket and decided it was a problem for later, which I knew actually meant never.

Jean came out and sat across from me, reading a book. She was quiet and generally only spoke when spoken to and I didn't mind her being around or anything, but did she really have to be around me all the time?

"Jean," I said. "Don't feel obligated to be around me often just because I'm your master. You can do whatever you want."

"Thank you, master, but right now I want to be around you."

I nearly choked. "What?"

"Well, not you, but the necklace. I feel drained when I'm away from it for too long. I hope you don't mind, but if you want me to go, I'll go."

"You know what? It's fine. Be around me as much as you want."

She leered at me like she wanted to say something, but continued on reading her book. Maybe I was rude just now. If I was, I wanted her to say something. She was too damn polite all the time. I think that to an extent, politeness is just a waste of time. It's a necessity to get along with other people, but at the end of the day it's just an excuse that prevents us from being truthful. I wanted her to be raw and ruthless with me. It made sense she acted that way since I was her master, but her submissiveness just irked me at times.

"By the way," Jean said. "In P.E. we aren't allowed to wear jewelry anymore. What will you do with the necklace?"

"Well, why don't you hold onto it when I have P.E.?" I took the necklace off and handed it to her. "I have it next period. You can give it back to me in history class."

"Alright." She went back to reading her book, and I in turn went back to eating my sandwich.

Though it was none of my business, another thing was starting to bug me. We sat there in silence for a while, but then I pulled out some canned fruit and rolled it towards her. The can smacked itself on her book, and then she put it down to assess the situation, and the plain expression on my face.

"I noticed you don't eat during lunch," I said. "Before you would just chill with Jason in the couple hallway, but what's your excuse now?"

She shrugged. "I guess I'm just used to it. I'm not eligible for school lunch anyway, and I'm always waking up late in the morning and am in too much of a rush to put anything together."

"Did you have breakfast?"

She looked up at her personal thought bubble for a moment, then got back to me. "I didn't."

"Well, when do you eat?"

"I have dinner with my parents, usually. And I have snacks sometimes. It doesn't matter if I eat or not, actually. I'm a genie again, and as long as I'm still a genie, I can't die of starvation. I'm immortal."

"Seriously?"

"Well, I actually do have a weakness . . ." She took out the necklace.

I examined it. "So you're saying if something happens to it, then you'd die?"

"If it broke, then yes, I'd be dead. I also grow weak if I'm too far away from it for too long. If I were away from it for too long, that could kill me as well."

Involuntary thoughts of me accidentally breaking the necklace in several ways infiltrated my imagination, and my stomach turned into knots repeating it over and over, thinking what would come of the girl in front of me it anything happened to it. I inhaled and exhaled, trying to calm the heart speed my overthinking lead me to. I tried to rationalize, but it didn't work too well. Why was I tense over something I didn't even do? Just because I had the power to do it? Fascinating.

"Why don't you just hold onto the necklace from now on then?" I asked.

"The necklace will get angry. Besides that, now that it's activated it needs a host. If it's hostless for too long, it will weaken, and then so will I. Those years when the object is waiting for a host are years that I stay in a coma-like sleep."

I pressed my lips together and nodded. "I see."

"Are you alright, master?" Her hand was slowly inching itself toward my arm.

I abruptly moved my arm out of range. "Yeah, I'm fine."

It was then and there I had to ease my conscience, and decided that as soon as I made my first two wishes, I would set Jean free again immediately with my third.

Once school ended, Jean asked if she could stay at my house for a bit, and I agreed. Sure, my dad annoying me about 'finally getting a girlfriend' would be a thing, but it's not like I actually minded being around Jean. She was reserved unlike Ryan, and she could be fascinating being to learn from at times, in addition to just having someone's presence there without it being too overpowering. Actually, I change my answer. Rather than her just 'not being a hindrance', her presence was beneficial to me.

We got up to my room and I closed the door, took my shoes off, and sank onto my bed. My handed glided across the sheets to locate the remote, and I turned on the tv. A musical about singing teenagers was on, and I wasn't ashamed to admit that I didn't dislike the show. I actually preferred it more than anything else my cable currently had to offer. Jean sat at my desk, plugged in her earphones, and did her homework while I watched tv. We stayed like this for ten minutes.

Once commercials came on, I focused my attention to Jean, and watched her to detail as she worked on her assignment.

She eyed me and took out an earphone. "Yes, master?"

"Sorry, I was just deep in thought."

"About what?"

"I guess I was just trying to characterize you a bit more."

"Why?"

"You puzzle me."

"Any genie would."

"Huh . . . you're right."

She scrunched her lips together and returned back to her work.

"Did I offend you?" I asked.

"It's okay."

What a passive aggressive answer. If I said something you disliked then just say so, Jean. It wasn't even worth pursuing further as of the moment. I wasn't in the mood. But I swore: one day I was going to get her to tell me what she really thought.

The show was back, and then it immediately started a scene with the female lead singing about catching the culprit that kidnapped her. I was intrigued.

Next thing I knew, Jean was sitting on the carpet next to my bed, raising a brow at the television.

"Yes?" I asked her.

"Nothing."

"What? Tell me."

"You never came across to me as the kind of person that would like this genre."

"I'm not an ultra fan or anything, but I watch the show from time to time."

"Do you watch any other shows?"

I was racking my mind for answers, but I couldn't think of any. "Now that you mention it, this is the only show that I bother to watch."

"How often do you watch it?"

"Basically any time I'm free and it's on tv."

"I've only heard of it, but I don't really watch tv. I don't really understand the appeal of this show either. What do you like about it?"

"Well, I think I like it because it diverts from the genre. People see it as a teenage musical, but there's so much more depth than that. There's something in it for eveyrone: crime, mystery, romance, music, history, and three-dimensional characters that aren't black or white. It teaches me about people a bit. It isn't over the top with drama, but isn't boring either. It's believable, and depending on who you are you can watch it passively, or tap into the aspects of the show that really make you think. The soundtrack is actually pretty good, and the whole cast is incredibly talented." I glanced at the television and saw the lead sing the last note of the song, a high note. She held it for a good seven seconds. "Especially her: Gloriana Florea."

Jean blinked at me.

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

"Seriously?" I asked, aggravated.

"It's just that, for a person that isn't all that into the show, you really seem to rush to its defense and know a lot about the characters."

"I suppose I do. Everyone needs something to pass the time somehow, right?"

"Of course."

We watched the rest of the episode together for thirty minutes. I had to explain mini plot-points to Jean since it would be hard to get into the episode as a person that has never seen an episode and has no idea about the world-building or context of situations. The episode ended with a powerful musical number scene where the main character was on a roof with her former captor. The song had both high highs and low lows and shifted back and forth seconds at a time. The dance number was eloquent, and at the same time had top notch body language and facial expressions.

"Wow, Gloriana Florea is such a talented actress and musician," Jean said.

"Truly," I added. I noticed I had goosebumps from the episode I've just witnessed. "This was the best episode I've seen since two seasons ago. I actually felt something there. What a stunning performance. And what you saw on the show isn't even the tip of the iceberg of Gloriana's talents. She's also a red belt in taekwondo, is decent in guitar and drums, and can play flight of the bumblebee perfectly on piano without even looking. And she's only eighteen years old."

"You know quite a lot about her."

"I've been watching her shows ever since I was twelve. I had quite the crush on her back in middle school. Now that I'm older a crush on a stranger is just silly to me, but she still has my utmost respect. Not because of her talent, but because of her dedication and ambition. I only wish to be as talented as her perseverance has molded her to be."

"You wish."

For a moment I thought Jean was mocking me by how the tone of her voice said wish, but then I realized she was only putting emphasis on my words. I had just made a wish.

"Wait, I renounce what I'd just wished," I said.

"I'm sorry master, but it doesn't work that way." Jean stood up, and closed her eyes. "I have to grant this wish."

"Very well," I surrendered.

There was silence for a moment. The only thing in earshot was the gentle breeze swaying through the trees. Then Jean opened her eyes. "It's done."

"That's it?" I asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Well, if I'm being truthful, I was expecting something magical and grand. I was thinking that perhaps a rainbow of light would dance around me, and I would somehow feel transformed and brand new or fulfilled, or perhaps my body would fly off the floor as I felt pain or delight of talent being poured within me. But this was just anticlimactic. It's done, but somehow it all still feels dull. I feel exactly the same."

"Oh I didn't think you'd want that. If you'd like I can make a flashy show next time you wish, master."

"Actually, that's alright. Maybe it's better this way. How stupid of me though. I wasn't thinking and made a wish like that. I got way too caught up in discussing Gloriana and the show."

"Don't feel bad master, many masters make that mistake. I've had masters that accidentally made much stupider wishes than that like, 'I wish I had a sandwich right now'. At least this wish was useful, right?"

"True. Though I hope that sandwich was the best that master had ever had if he wasted an almighty wish on it."

Jean rubbed the back of her neck. "It was mediocre to be honest."

"Good to know. I'll be right back."

I went to my dad's room to get his old, dusty guitar and came back. I blew it off, and started tuning it by ear (something I couldn't do prior to the wish). I took a deep breath, and starting playing an acoustic version of the ending musical number on the show we watched. Jean closed her eyes and listened, nodding her head to the beat.

I started to sing the song, and I was taken aback by my own singing voice. If I were to be completely truthful in my own self-assessment, before the wish was even made, I was actually a half-decent singer, but was never interested enough in music to improve my skill. Now that the wish was made though, I had a whole wide range of my voice, and so much control over what I sang. Being male, I couldn't hit as high as Gloriana could, but I was still incredible. I finished the song.

"Good job, master. You sound nice," Jean said, in a rather dull tone.

"You sound unimpressed."

She said nothing.

I played more, and ended up playing for hours. My hand ended up bleeding a bit since some of the songs I played were hard and I had no callus prior, but that was alright. I actually did find a bit of enjoyment in playing and singing, but something inside me just felt stiff somehow no matter how much I tried to loosen up. It wasn't the type of stiff I usually felt, but when I played it was like I wasn't in my own skin, if that makes sense. The more I played, the more distant I felt from myself.

The next day, I brought my dad's guitar to school with me to play some more. It'd be a waste if I didn't, right? Once Jean and I arrived and waited for class together, we sat together in the hallway and I started playing a few slow melodic songs, with a warmth of sorts to them. People slowly gathered around to listen to me. Next thing I knew, I had an audience of hundreds. People would shout song requests, but I paid them no attention. I played whatever my hands felt like playing. Eventually, the bell rang, and as soon as it did, the audience cheered and dispersed into the herds of students making their way to class.

Ryan and Kaylee walked up to me. "Since when do you play guitar?"

"Since yesterday," I said.

"Hella girls were checking you out just now," Kaylee winked. "Damn Jean, going after the musical boys," she teased.

Jean pressed her lips together.

"Anyway, I'm not gonna be free for lunch. We're gonna be in the couple hallway again today," Ryan giggled, pulling Kaylee's face into his for a soft kiss.

"Good to know," I rolled my eyes.

"Bye guys." The couple drifted away from us, hands in each other's back pocket.

"I suppose I'll be seeing you again for lunch, right?" I asked Jean.

"If that's alright with you, master."

"It is."

She nodded. "See you then."

I headed to English class. I sat there minding my own business waiting for the bell to ring, when a classmate of mine sat next to me and started speaking.

"Hey," she said, twinkling at me.

I looked behind and next to me, thinking there was no way this girl was paying me any attention.

"Yes you, Nick. I'm talking to you."

Her name was Megan. She was honestly one of the most popular and best looking girls at my school. It isn't as though I was shy speaking with her, but confused to say the least.

"Well, what is it?" I asked.

"I was watching you play guitar in the morning. You were super good. We should hang out sometime. And to be honest I think you're kinda cute."

I wasn't in the mood for this shit. "I'm not really interested, Megan."

She completely changed her tone. "What?" she asked.

I didn't have the energy to bother with her telling me off, which I had the feeling she was about to do. I decided to hit her with an ole reliable excuse. "Surely you've heard by now that I'm dating Jean, right?"

"Yeah you like fought Jason or something, but are you guys like, you know, serious?"

I decided to choose my words carefully as to not to disclose the whole truth, but not tell a lie either. "Right now I'm just focusing on Jean. I really don't want to be with anyone else."

"Well that's nice I guess. Better than those jackasses that flip flop who they wanna be with whenever they can trade up for something better, ya know?" She leaned in and whispered in my ear. "But if you ever change your mind, I want you to play a song just for me, in private." She got up and sat in the back with the other girls, gossiping over what just happened.

What she said puzzled me. "Trade up for something better." Did that imply she thought she was better than Jean? Prettier? Sure, I'll take that. But better? Those words played in my mind repeatedly all period, and the more I thought of them the more bothered feelings festered up inside of me, and I was trying to pinpoint why all class long. It was more than just her arrogance . . . It was the fact that she was trying to steal Jean's boyfriend for as far as she knew, and suggested she was somehow superior to her when that just was not true at all. I was still a stranger to Jean's true self since she was always closed off in my presence, but I knew her well enough to respect her for minding her own business and not hurting anyone unlike Megan. Bitch.

Once it was lunch time, I headed over to my usual lunch table, but sadly Jason burdened my eyes on the way over. Then he started to talk to me, which burdened my ears and poisoned my overall state of mind.

"Nick," Jason said, patting me on the shoulder.

I swiped his hand away with only mid force, careful not to cause another fight to happen. "Yes?"

"I wanted to congratulate you on your first wish. You're fucking amazing on the guitar, you know that?"

"Well thank you." I attempted to walk away, but he jumped in my path once again.

"What exactly did you wish for? I'm dying to know."

"If you must know, it was an accidental wish. I wished to be as talented as Gloriana Florea."

"Well, enjoy yourself. You earned it. Except you didn't."

"Yeah yeah, cry me a river. I stole your genie, blah blah blah."

"While that's true, that's not exactly what I meant. What I meant was, you may be as talented as Gloriana Florea, but did you work as hard as she did to get that talent? Ever since she was two she's played piano, and went to vocal lessons every fucking day. She's been audition to audition until when she was twelve she finally got a spot on Broadway. It's unfair, really. She can be proud of her talent because she worked for it. But you? You wished for it and got it. So congratulations."

I glared at him in silence because he actually had a point. I was already wrapped in plastic in my mind, but now I just felt like I was even further away from the world, like I was in a glass shield. The sheer truth was, I didn't deserve the talent, or any of the glory or praise I got. Maybe that's why I felt so stiff when I played.

"What? You aren't going to say anything?"

I shrugged at him. I didn't know what else to do or say. He was right.

"One more question, did you kiss Jean yet?"

"WHAT?!" I shouted so loud that everyone around looked at us.

"It was just a question. I mean if you wanted to, you could just tell her to. You're her master after all. She can't say no." He finally left.

I was just standing there, trying to process what I just heard. I had no idea what his angle was, but I shuddered thinking about it. What type of sick mind games was he playing? And what was he suggesting? Why was he suggesting it? What did Jean go through when she was with him?

Jean appeared and disrupted my thoughts. "Master?"

"Jean . . ."

"What did Jason say to you?"

"He just . . . He told me that I didn't deserve my talent because I didn't work for it." I wasn't about to tell her the second part.

"Don't listen to him, that's what he does. When he can't get what he wants, he'll try to psychologically ruin you. Don't let him get to you."

"Either way, I don't think I can play anymore. I don't think I can bare to."

"Master . . ."

Jason's words flew through my head. You're her master after all. I actually started to feel a strong sense of guilt hearing "master" even though I didn't do anything wrong, but to be called master after what he said made me ashamed.

"Please don't call me that," I urged. "For the love of God, just call me Nick."

She eyed the floor. "Okay, Nick."