The Seven Kings of Jinn

“You won’t hurt me.” She shook her head uncertainly.

That smile, that horrifying non-smile, returned to his face. “You leave me and I will find a way.”

“You said you can’t keep me here of my own free will. So send me back.”

“You will regret it.”

“Then let me regret it from the comfort of my home.”

An explosion of noise blasted in her ears and Ari threw her hands up to cover them, watching as the whole room went up in flames, including the White King. Fire danced around her, tasting her skin and yet leaving no burn. She heard the odd, disquieting sound of that strange humming noise he had made earlier, just before darkness descended across her eyes.

Chapter 8

One of many bullets

Ari loved rollercoasters. She loved the feel of the wind rushing through her hair, slapping against her skin, making her eyes tear. A rollercoaster made her feel alive. She loved the feeling of falling and rising and dipping and whirling through space, her stomach fluttering, her heart racing, her whole body free.

Rollercoasters were fun because she knew it was pretty safe, strapped into her seat.

This was just like that.

But without the safety part.

Wind rushed into her eyes, battering so hard against her body it knocked the breath out of her and nearly blinded her. All she could make out was a rush of colors blurring together before she was spat out of the wind tunnel onto a hard floor. She groaned, lifting her head off the ground. Her cheek throbbed. Feeling bruised and sore and emotionally destroyed, Ari pushed herself up onto her knees and took in her surroundings.

She was back home. In her bedroom.

Relief rushed over her and she sighed, slumping on her butt. “You here, Ms. Maggie?”

Nothing happened. No light switch turned on, no computer chair moved. Ari bit her lip, shaking her head. Great. Just when she needed the poltergeist the most, the damn spirit had taken off.

“Perfect.” She coughed up phlegm, feeling drained. Biting back burning tears, refusing to cry, Ari spoke out to the room as if Ms. Maggie was still there. “You would not believe where I’ve been.”

The events of the past few hours flashed through her mind and Ari glanced down at her arm as she remembered the terrifying nisnas. Still wearing the jacket Rabir had given her, Ari shuddered and shrugged out of it. She threw it across the room and promised to burn it.

“I found out who my real parents are,” she whispered sullenly. “You wouldn’t believe it. Then again, you’re a poltergeist, so you might.” She laughed, not able to stop. “Oh,” she tried to draw breath, her laughter slowly dying to choked tears. “I’d rather be crazy. I’d rather be crazy than this be real. My father sucks. Big time. And my mother… God… I wish you were here. In fact, if I were wishing for things, I would wish that Charlie was here, but I—” Ari froze. Stumbling to her feet, she turned to stare at the empty bed. “Charlie?” Where was Charlie? He should be here. Oh crap, he must have awoken to find her gone.

Wait.

Ari strode over to the window, looking out over the day-lit sky. How could it be day when she had only been gone two hours tops? Heart pounding now, Ari spun around and dashed for her phone on her nightstand. It was dead.

Oh hell.

Rummaging through her jewelry box, she pulled out the digital watch she hardly ever wore.The date and time blinked up at her, taunting and teasing, so much so Ari could have sworn they were lying. The watch fell from her hands and she gasped for breath, shaking now from head to toe. It was too much. It was all too much. “I’ve been gone two days? Two whole days.” Ari’s fake calm flew out of the window. If she wasn’t convinced everything was real before, the two days lost on Mount Qaf certainly cemented the truth.

“Holy crap. I’m jinn,” she exhaled, staring at her apparently magical hands.

A loud thud sounded from downstairs, and Ari tensed, her fingers curling into fists. She tried to slow her heart by reminding herself that it could be Charlie. When another thud sounded, however, she was also reminded of her father’s threat that she would regret leaving him.

Not your father! She winced, mentally slapping herself. The White King.

Fed up of being scared out of her wits, Ari quietly delved through her closet until she found the baseball bat from her days in Little League with Charlie. Clutching it firmly between both hands, Ari stealthily made her way out into the hall, ignoring the pounding behind her ribcage and the rushing whoosh of blood in her ears. She strained to hear as she tip-toed downstairs. She couldn’t call out for Charlie in case it wasn’t Charlie. It took her less than five minutes to scope out the ground floor, and Ari couldn’t find anyone or anything that could have caused the thud. Deciding it must have been Ms. Maggie, Ari dropped the bat on her living room couch and stood facing the window, trying to find calm in the neat, peaceful neighborhood that didn’t know genie legends were true. That living next door to them was one of the jinn. A jinn who was the child of two monsters. Was that what she was? Was that what she had been looking for all this time? She bit down on her lip so hard—trying to hold in the tears of despair—she drew blood.