Keeping low

Day after day fro the past week. Joey had been being very low-key. When it came to eating lunch, he'd just leave the campus and then come back afterwards.

"I'm so sick of this. I start the job next week and I've probably got to quit it!" Joey said to himself.

Joey lay on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes for a moment. When they opened up he was looking straight into Ahana's eye.

Joey let out a little scream. His sister came rushing in to check on him. "Are you alright? And why do you scream like me?" She asked.

Joey turned red. Oh shut up, Lily. He said as she closed the door.

Joey tuned back around to see Ahana going through his belongings. "These are magazines? Why are there women na-that's not for you to look at!" Joey said.

Sounds like someone in a red mini van is approaching your house In the next 10 seconds. Ahana said.

Joey jumped out of bed and looked in disbelief. "Shit. I forgot Elizabeth was coming over today! I need to hurt and clean…my room?"

Joey looked around and noticed his room polished and clean right before his eyes.

"All it takes is the snap of a finger." Ahana said.

"Joey, you've got company!" His grandmother yelled. Joey quickly ran down stairs with Ahana walking slowly behind him.

(His heart rate is rising…seems someone has a crush.) Ahana thought to herself.

Joey opened the door and froze up when seeing Elizabeth. "H-hey there! Umm….you should come in, right?"

Elizabeth had a weird look on her face as she walked in the house. She turned around and waved goodbye to her parents.

Lily came running down the hall and greeted Elizabeth. "Sorry about him, you know he can be very weird sometimes!" She said.

Yeah…I can tell. Elizabeth said to Lily.

Joey, Lily, and Elizabeth all went up to his room and started studying for their test.

"So, Joey. Why haven't I seen you at school lately?" Elizabeth asked.

Just been chilling lately, Ya know. But don't worry. I'll be there tomorrow! I hate Monday's though. Joey said.

Elizabeth looked around the room. "You guys have a nice home. I think this is like my second time being here." She said.

Wait…you think we have a nice home? Lily asked.

Yeah, this place is beautiful. Why? You guys don't think it's a nice place? Elizabeth asked.

"It's not that, it's just…people always make fun of me and Lily because of this house. We know it's not much but we still call it home." Joey explained.

Elizabeth got up and looked out Joey's window. "It's not about the size of the home or conditions. It's about wether or not if it makes you happy. So as long as you both are happy then…it's home!"

(Marry me.) Joey thought.

"You know I can hear your thoughts right, Joey-boy?" Ahana whispered in his ear.

I forgot you were even here! Joey said to Ahana.

"You forgot who was here?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh-oh nothing!" Joey said.

It was night time now, and Joey was taking a shower. He remembered the day when his friend transformed into a monster and attacked him.

"Is Elizabeth a monster to?" He asked himself.

He grabbed his head and started thinking deep. "I still don't know why they want me dead. I'm just a poor teen trying to make it through depression." He said to himself.

"Hey, Ahana!" Joey called out.

Joey opened the shower and couldn't see her. "Where'd she go?" He asked.

He turned around to see her in the shower with him. Joey almost fell back but Ahana caught him before he could fall.

"G-get out!" He said in embarrassment.

"Why? You just called my name." Ahana said.

(Ain't no way she's staring her with me while I'm naked. What is she…a pedo?)

You know I can read your thoughts right? Ahana said.

Joey quickly stopped the shower and put on a towel. "Forget about what I said. But I have a question." Joey said.

Ahana stepped out of the shower. She wasn't wet at all. Not a single drop of water was on her.

"Have you seen any jinns lately?" Joey asked.

Ahana took a seat on the toilet and swung her sword around in a boring way. "Yea I've seen a couple in the area. It seems jinns love your school. If I where you I'd be careful around strangers." Ahana said.

"You think some students are possessed or something?"

"Not saying that but…Someone or something is attracting them. I'm guessing your not the only one." Ahana said.

What do you mean by "the only one?" Joey asked.

Ahana gave Joey a cold stare. Nothing you should worry about. I'll get to the bottom of it. She said.

But you just keep laying low. You've been doing a good job not being a meme or anything. She added.

Joey rolled his eyes and shut the door. Joey jumped in his bed and went fast to sleep.

The next day came and Joey was at school with his sister. The day was going smoothly until Joey ran into Jackson.

"Joey. I've got a question for you." He said.

"What is it, Jackson? If your asking me about my lunch money, well…that's something I don't have." Joey said.

"Why did you run out the class!? I must know the truth and the honest truth." Jackson said.

(That's suspicious as hell. He's asking as if he wants to find out something he already knows.)

"I got scared and ran." Joey said.

"Yea? You didn't see anything fishy or nothing?" Jackson asked again.

Why are you questioning me? You think I did something to the power don't you?

"I have my suspicions. Weird things have been happening at this school lately. But I'll find the weirdo." Jackson said as he bumped Joey out of the way.

(Man, what a weirdo.)

"Is he looking for something? Jackson you couldn't be…nah. I couldn't see that."

School let out and Joey went to the store and waited for Lily. Ahana appeared behind him.

"Could you stop doing that? Your like a damn ghost!" Joey said.

Ahana grabbed Joey by his head and pulled him closer. "This Friday…there's a football game at your school against a rival team, am I right?"

"Y-yea. So what?" Joey asked.

Ahana walked in the store with Joey. "I sense a strong force of the supernatural headed this way on Friday night. It's most likely a medium or high jinn. And you haven't even unlocked your jinn weapon yet. I know you have jinn energy though but…it's weak at the moment." She explained.

"How the hell can you sense a strong jinn coming this way?" Joey asked.

"As I said. I'm the strongest jinn slayer. My eye can see everything."

"Your eye?"

"Long story. But anyways, just know that on Friday…I'll be letting you take on the jinn when it comes that night."

"Why the hell do I need to fight it!?"

"Because I want to see your powers in action, once I teach you how to use them of course. And besides…starting tonight we both will go on a couple jinn hunts. And then after that I have to show you where human jinn hunters meet."

"But-no buts. If you want to keep everyone you know and love safe from these great then…you'll do it. Lily, your mom,grandma, Elizabeth, this whole town will be destroyed until the enemy finds you and kills you. You need to learn how to use your jinn energy and fight with it. I'll teach it to you tonight at the park again." She explained.

Joey looked at the ground and started to zone out. (She's right. Need to learn how to defend myself when a jinn comes around. Because unlike a normal human I…can see th jinns.)

"Alright. Tonight I'll train with you!" Joey said.

As he said that, Lily came In the store and looked at him with a confused look on her face.

Umm…who are you talking to? And train with who? She asked. "Oh-ohh, silly sister! I was saying I'm gonna go play with you." Joey said nervously.

Lily leaned in closer to Joey's face. Ahana was right beside him.

"What's that behind you?" Lily asked.

Joey turned around and stared at Ahana. "Oh-she's a friend…yea, yea,just a friend!"

Lily slapped Joey on the back of the neck. "Got it. It was a spider!" Lily claimed.

Relief went through Joey's body. (Thank goodness she can't see her!) he thought to himself.

"Ready to go home?" Joey asked. Yea. Let's go!

Joey walked with his sister out the store and noticed Ahana wasn't with them. He turned around and noticed her still standing there.

"You go on ahead. I hav to handle something!" She yelled over. Joey gave her a thumbs up and kept walking.

Ahana grabbed at her eye in pain. "You better not be in the middle of doing trials." She said to herself with a smile.

A couple hours went by and Joey was sitting by himself in the living room watching tv. There was a knock at his door.

(A knock at 10?) he thought to himself. He got up and looked out the peep hole. No one was there.

"Whatever then." He said.

He got back on the couch and turned the show to a sports game.

"Wow this is a close game." He said.

Again there was a knock at the door. Joey rolled his eyes and got up. This time he put his hands on the door knob and stopped quickly.

"I-don't see a thing. If it was a jinn then I'd be able to see it right? So what the hell is this knocking at the door? I've been laying low for a couple weeks now! What's going on?" Joey asked himself.

He opened the door and a little kid wearing a clown mask jumped out at him. Joey fell on the floor in fear and screamed like a little girl.

The kid laughed and ran away. Joey tried to throw eggs at the kid, but he was already to far away.

"Damn brat!" He yelled out. Joey slammed the door shut and sat back on the couch.

"Joey…please keep the noise down sweetie." His mother called out.

"Sorry ma." He replied.

Lily walked down the hall and poured her a glass of milk and sat beside Joey.

"Something bothering you?" She asked.

"No. Just very stressed at the moment." Joey said as he balled up his fist. Stressed? About what? Lily asked.

Joey got up from the coach and started scraping his head aggressively. "You wouldn't understand, Lily. A lot has happened and I just-I don't know!"

Have you been taking your meds? Lily asked.

"I don't need them, Nothing's wrong with me-the doctor wanted you to take them. Plus your not acting like yourself…your acting like father." Lily said.

Joey grabbed his jacket and walked out of the house. (She thinks I'm crazy! I'm nothin like my dad! Don't you ever say that again!) Joey wanted to yell at the top of his lungs but just couldn't.

"This sucks man!" He said. Joey noticed he was at the park where Ahana wanted to meet.

"Don't lose yourself. Your heart will become dark and you'll change." Ahana said as she stepped out of the shadows.

"This is so much stress…and along with everything that's going on. I can't just keep wearing a fake smile everyday!" Joey said.

Ahana took a seat on the ground next to Joey and put her hand on his head.

"I know what your going through…because I've been watching you for the longest now." She said.

"You know nothing."

"Oh but I do! I know that you hate eating broccoli because you believe it turned your eyes green, I know that your sick and tired of being bullied everyday at school, I know you've been lonely fro the longest and have been looking for a friend to talk to everyday,I know once you were so depressed that you even tried to hang yourself in your very own room. I know everything, Joey-boy."

Joey stared at her with shock in his eyes.

"When you wrapped the belt around your neck…you thought about how it would hurt your family and friend. You just couldn't leave Lily alone." She explained.

Joey got up and started to walk away from the park. When he tried he could feel all the muscles in his body tense up. Almost as though it was a giant cramp.

"You shouldn't run away from your past, Joey-boy. The past is what makes us who we are in the future. Accept the past and learn to create a good future." Ahana said.

(This must be one of her powers.)

Joey turned his head slowly to Ahana. "Why…why can't I just be normal?" Joey asked.

"You are normal. I see no difference in you than anybody. What's a life without a little pain to learn from?"

"Oh look! Your emotions got the best of you!" She said.

Joey looked down at his feet to see a black-purple color beneath his shoes.

"That's the first sign that you've tapped into your jinn energy. Very interesting, Joey-boy." She said.

"Doesn't that just mean I'm more upset!?" Joey asked.

"Yea. But you can be happy to. We all have our dark times…Joey-boy."

Ahana walked in front of Joey and waved him over.

"You ready to learn how to fight a jinn? You might even enjoy it! Blow some steam off a little."

Joey looked at his hands and smiled. "Let's do it!"