As Jake was summoned out of the middle of the stairwell and to wherever his new master was, he closed his eyes like he always did.
It made the sudden change a lot easier to handle. When he didn't, he had a tendency to feel lightheaded, and he needed to have his wits about him as much as possible when facing someone new. He needed to figure out who they were, what they wanted, and how to keep ahead of them – and do all of that as fast as possible. Besides, he couldn't stand to have these meetings while looking disoriented or weak.
As usual, Jake's head was down when he appeared; it gave him time to get his bearings and to steel himself before he faced whoever was standing in front of him.
The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was that he was back in his jinn clothing, but he tried to ignore that; it's what always happened when he got someone new in charge. Besides, he'd really rather ignore those horrible clothes anyway.
The second thing he saw was the beige carpet and a bedpost that looked familiar. And when he saw that faint stain on the floor, he knew where he was – Megan's room. Well, that was something at least. Now to find out who had broken in here and what they wanted.
Jake finally raised his head, trying not to look anything other than indifferent. He'd learned a long time ago that this was the best way to deal with these new meetings; anything else showed weakness. And that was always punished. He saw Megan's room, just the way she'd left it this morning. But of course, the person standing there holding that bottle wasn't Megan at all.
"Jake?"
She looked shocked, and Jake couldn't say he blamed her; he was pretty sure he was just as surprised to see her as she was to see him.
Jake didn't know what she'd been expecting, but it obviously wasn't him. He didn't say anything; there didn't seem to be much to say. He'd never had someone get to know him as a person before being in charge, and he wasn't quite sure how to react. His first thought was to act like he always did: somewhat distant, aloof – like the that jinn he was. But another part of him wondered if that was such a good idea. She already knew him; maybe he shouldn't do anything that would let her think of him as less than human. That would be a step backwards at this point.
When he didn't say anything right away, she spoke up.
"...So you're the one behind all this?" She sounded almost upset, like he'd somehow tricked her personally.
"All this?" he asked.
He was pretty sure he knew what she meant, but he didn't see the need to give anything away if she didn't already know it. Better to act like he was above such things. Or, if he could manage it, it was usually best to pretend to simply not understand. Like he was innocent.
"Everything that's been happening around here lately..." she trailed off, as if thinking. "Like how Megan's suddenly the most popular kid in school by far."
Jake didn't say anything; he never disclosed wishes like that. But she took his silence for the confirmation that it was.
"You know, I've been thinking about that for a while – I just couldn't put my finger on it. I mean, I like Megan and all – she's great, of course. But it was just super random. And since when was she so popular anyway? And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that something was weird. I mean, it used to be me. That's why I came over here – to see what was going on. I mean, do you even remember that time when we were all out together..."
As Jake listened to her, he couldn't help but be a little bit disgusted with himself. It had never occurred to him to arrange that wish so that the rest of the kids at Megan's school wouldn't ever be suspicious of it. But then again, he never thought it would end up affecting his own life.
"Actually, while we're on the subject of Megan, I don't think you and her should go out anymore." she told him, interrupting his thoughts.
"What?" he asked, momentarily confused. "You don't?"
"Well, no. I mean, it's just – it's nothing personal, but I'm really trying to keep this low-profile, you know? I did just sneak into her room. And since I'm not really interested in getting caught, I don't want you saying anything to her."
Jake just nodded. He resisted the urge to tell her that breaking up would probably make Megan happy anyway; she hadn't meant to wish for him to be her boyfriend in the first place.
Normally, it would have taken her to actually make a wish for him to make such a huge change as this – especially if it had been someone else's wish that this girl was trying to undo. But Jake knew that the boyfriend thing hadn't technically been Megan's wish – Megan had never actually said the words out loud.
So since it wasn't actually a wish, all this girl would have to do to get him and Megan to break up was to force Jake to act like it had already happened. He was pretty sure if he started acting like that, Megan would make it official pretty fast.
Jake thought quickly. If it was going to came down to that, maybe he would just use a little magic and be done with it. It'd probably be better to get it over with as quickly as possible anyway.
"Good. So now, let's get out of here before anyone comes home and sees us." the girl told him. Then, mostly to herself, she added, "Think we'll get caught if we leave through the front door?"
"No." Jake said, automatically. He regretted it even as the word was leaving his mouth.
"What?" she asked, turning quickly to face him.
Jake didn't answer. He hadn't actually meant to say anything in the first place; he'd simply done it because she'd asked. But he certainly didn't want to have to repeat it.
"You sure?" she asked him. She was obviously surprised that he would just volunteer that kind of information.
Again, Jake stayed silent. She just rolled her eyes.
"If you know something, tell me." she snapped.
"I'm sure." Jake told her.
Megan's parents worked late, and both her brothers were still in school. He was just glad to realize that she was nervous about this whole thing. Maybe he'd be able to convince her to get her wishes over with as soon as possible. He should be fine in a few hours – a day at most.
"And you're not just saying that?"
"I can't lie to you." Jake told her grudgingly. He'd always hated that fact, but suddenly it was bothering him even more.
She studied him for a second, but Jake was careful not to give anything else away. But she must have decided he was telling the truth because she slowly started nodding.
"Ok." she said finally. "Then let's go."
She slung her backpack off of her shoulder and moved it around to her front. She opened it and started to put that horrendous bottle inside. But before she did, she turned back to Jake apologetically.
"I'm sorry, but I need you to get in the bottle." she told him.
It looked like she was already starting to see him as just a jinn. Maybe it was because of what he was wearing. When she saw Jake hesitate, she started to get impatient. She rolled her eyes and said, "Look, I can't have anybody see you with me when I leave – if they do, they'll know. And we have to go. Now. Because I also don't want to get grounded for life."
She held the bottle out to him, and even though he didn't want to, Jake found himself disappearing into it, hoping it wouldn't be too long before she let him out again.
Jake guessed it was about an hour before that cork was pulled out of the bottle and he was finally able to leave. Once he was out, he looked around.
The window told him that it had grown dark outside. Maybe it had been longer than an hour after all. He turned his face to the room instead, trying to figure out where he was.
It was another girl's bedroom – obviously hers. And when Jake looked over at her, he saw her carefully placing his bottle in her closet, under a pile of sweatshirts.
"I wouldn't want anyone to find it." she told him.
Jake gave her a look that was probably somewhere between a smirk and a grimace.
"So, your first wish...?" he asked. He was still hoping to get all of this over with as soon as possible.
"Well, I don't want Megan to be poplar anymore." she said, like it should have been obvious. Then, she realized what she'd said and decided to rephrase it. "I mean, she can still be popular enough to sit with us – she is my friend after all. But this ridiculous super-popularity of hers really has to end."
"It really bothers you, doesn't it?" Jake asked; her bitterness surprised him. It had never really occurred to him that the way he set up wishes might punish other people too.
"Well, it just doesn't make sense. I mean, I really do like her, but it's just not fair. I mean, she's a junior."
"Just say the word." Jake told her.
She looked at him in surprise.
"I thought I just did." she said. Then rolling her eyes, "Fine – I wish Megan would be just popular enough to still be our friend, but not grossly adored by everyone or whatever – so that I'm the most popular girl in school. The way it should be."
Jake waved his hand disinterestedly, making her instantly more popular than Megan.
"And your second one?" he asked.
"Let's just see how you did with this one first." she told him.
"Why wouldn't I do what you asked?"
He was used to people not trusting him – it was practically built into being a jinn. But he'd kind of hoped that someone who had been more or less a friend might have a little more faith in him. Besides, he didn't want to wait. He wanted to get through her wishes and get back home.
"Well, we both know I stole that bottle." she admitted, looking almost guilty about the fact.
"While that is true..." Jake started. He knew this was risky, but he really did have to take that chance. "It seems to me that you're better off making all of your wishes as quickly as possible, and then simply putting that bottle back where you found it."
He put on his most sincere expression, trying to convince her that it was only for her benefit that he was saying anything at all.
"Yeah? Why do you think so?" She narrowed her eyes at him in a way that reminded him of Megan, especially when they'd first met.
"In my experience, the longer someone has that bottle, the more likely it is that someone else will realize it."
"Yeah? Who would even know? Give me one example."
She clearly didn't believe him. That did disappoint Jake, but he had to admit that he'd almost expected it; he'd met way too many humans like this before. It was just kind of a shame to realize she was like that too. He'd always hoped that people who'd thought of him as at least sort of a friend wouldn't change quite so quickly once they realized what he really was. Still, if she was going to treat him as nothing but a jinn, he could easily play that role.
"Megan." he shrugged.
Her eyes widened. She seemed shocked by what he'd just said, but Jake couldn't for the life of him figure out why. Wasn't it obvious? He was a little surprised that she hadn't made that connection herself; of course Megan would try to find him, right? She liked him enough for that, didn't she? Or would she be secretly glad to be rid of him? Jake really hoped that wasn't the case; he decided to ignore his doubts for now.
She seemed to consider what he'd said. That was progress, Jake supposed. And it meant she was willing to listen to him – for the moment, at least.
"But why would you help me?" she asked finally. "I mean, I did just...commandeer that bottle..."
Jake just shrugged. He'd been trying not to think of her as being simply a thief, but she did have a point.
Suddenly, there was a noise from down the hall. The girl's eyes went wide for a second before she recovered.
"My mom's home." she said. Then half to herself, she grumbled, "Thought she was at work all day today."
Jake heard a woman call out from somewhere beyond the bedroom door.
"Yeah – coming." the girl yelled back. Then she turned back to Jake. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be able to explain what you're doing here – especially if you look like that. Wait for me there – ok? I'll be back in a bit."
She pointed to the bottle, and Jake nodded, doing his best to look like it didn't bother him. Then, he was gone.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
