In Pieces

10 | On My Own |

Gio lunged into my arms as he rocketed out of the black mirror. He fell on top of me and knocked the wind out of my lungs.

"Sorry," he breathed out as he rose on his elbows and brushed some hair away from my face.

His wig slipped and fell onto the floor. His pointy ears left ruffles in the air while his minty breath tickled my nose. When he started buzzing, I gasped and pushed him away.

Gio sat on his knees and sniffed the air. Then quickly, he jumped up and grabbed my hand. Before I could ask what was going on, a wild snarl cut through the darkness. The thud of paws hitting the floor grew nearer as Gio hurried and pulled me up to stand.

He pulled me again toward his chest, but instead of bumping against him, I found myself crushing into dark waters.

Clenching onto Gio's hand, I tried to hold the last bits of my breath as he flapped his feet and pushed me to the surface.

The wind brushed my face. I coughed out some water and opened my mouth to suck in the fresh forest air—but nothing entered my aching lungs.

Something was crushing my chest.

Where was Gio?

Tiny spots started dancing in the gray sky. I wheezed while my eyes desperately searched for my savior.

Gio finally surfaced in front of me and met my bloodshot gaze. Then he ran to me, splashing water with each long step. Suddenly, I was choking in his arms. He swiftly turned me around and ripped the back of my red-gold dress. With another sharp tear, he ripped my corset open and stepped away.

Crisp air filled me in and made me shut my eyes with relief. I gasped for another deep breath and started coughing. My lungs sizzled as my ribs expanded gloriously, savoring every bit of air that brought my senses back to life.

"Thank you!" I grumbled. This was the second time he saved my life today.

Holding onto the pieces of my torn dress, I climbed out of the river. Gio followed and jumped ashore next to me.

I wiggled out of the soaking, heavy fabric and threw away the corset before I lay on the warm, tall grass in my wet petticoat.

"You are welcome." Gio blushed and looked away. With a tilt of his head, I was dry again.

He sat at the edge of the river and sighed, staring at the water. His wet shirt was stuck onto his skin. The outlines of his back were clearly visible under the thin, red material. He wasn't muscular like the superheroes in the movies, but I knew he was just as strong. No human could tear that heavy velvet dress and death trap of a corset with one move.

Gio shuffled his hair. Water drops danced around him before they fell onto the grass. "You scared me," he said softly.

I sat up and hugged my knees. "You scared me too." My words made him turn in panic. "When the mirror started turning dark, I thought you'd perish with those echoes forever."

The melody of his chuckle reminded me of the music we danced to moments ago. I blushed and played with my skirt.

"Good thing you called my name on time." He winked.

"Yeah, I'm glad I didn't forget what it was. I've been struggling to remember it all these years."

"It's not your fault. A djinn's name is hard to come by and harder to recall. You must be eighteen and possess a magic mirror by lineage to remember it." His warm tone beamed through his smile.

"It is the shortest, silliest, yet the most peculiar name I've ever heard of."

Gio's ears perked up and quivered again. We giggled when our gazes met. Something changed in those silver eyes and the air around him started buzzing—making me twirl my skirt around my finger like my life depended on it.

The grass swooshed with Gio's movements. He crawled and sat on his knees in front of me, then cleared his throat. I raised a brow in question. Waving a hand gingerly in the air, he pulled something sparkling out of nowhere and held it up to my face. I blinked and backed a little for my eyes to focus...on a large diamond ring.

"Will you marry me?"

"No!" I smacked his hand. The ring disappeared with a pouf as I kept frowning at Gio.

"Come on, I know you fancy me! You can't hide it!"

"What? No! Are you crazy?" I screamed and jumped up. My face was on fire again.

He giggled and hurried after me toward the forest. "I fancy you too! You are fun, beautiful... You can be kind if you want to...."

I was about to run, but he held my hand. I bumped into his chest when I turned around and then rubbed my aching forehead, looking everywhere else but into his eyes.

"Can you blame me for trying?" he asked softly, raising my chin.

There they were again... The stars, the moons, the planets, and the thrilling wonders of a silver universe orbiting around dark, wide pupils. I lost my breath again for a brief second. The buzzing intensified. Could this be a magic trick to make me fall in love with him? I closed my eyes. I was gravitating toward him, swaying subtly in his electric field. From left to right, left, then right, and left again... His minty breath heated the tip of my nose and lingered on my lips.

"Are you sure you don't want to sign the contract right now?"

The contract! I opened my eyes and started patting my petticoat. I had left the scroll in my sundress.

Gio stepped back and frowned as his lips pressed into a tight line. "You lost it, haven't you?"

"I— Yes, but I can explain!"

He sighed and shuffled his hair. The silver eyes that glowed with excitement a second ago were now blurred with thunder clouds.

"I asked for one thing, Alaia! I promised to help you without expecting anything in return. All you had to do was to hold onto that contract!"

"I forgot it in that reflection kingdom when I changed into that stupid dress," I tried to explain, but he waved me off and turned his back to stare at the river.

Was he serious right now? I held my waist and stomped my feet on the ground. "Come on! It's not like I was going to accept your proposal!"

Gio shook his head and clenched his fists. His shoulders tensed under his shirt.

"I don't see the big deal!" I cried out loud. "You can summon another one if you want, Gio! My answer is still no, and it's not going to change!"

"You don't care, do you?" he thundered and turned around. The disappointment on his face made me take a step back. "You only care about yourself. What are you going to do when you go back to your world? Eat some cake? Hide in your room? Avoid your mom?"

"I—"

"Do you even know what a contract means to a djinn? It is the core of my existence, and I trusted you to hold onto it. It doesn't matter if we sign it or not. I trusted you with my entire being, and you didn't keep your promise, Alaia."

My jaw fell open as if he had just landed a blow to my gut. My eyes stung. It was harder to keep the tears imprisoned this time.

"I'm not sure if I want to marry you anymore." His head hung low on his shoulders. "I can't marry someone I don't trust."

"What? Gio..."

"You are on your own." He sucked in a deep breath and jumped into the river.

I ran to the edge with wide-open eyes. He couldn't have just left, could he? How could a stupid piece of paper be the core of his existence? A scroll that he was going to tear to pieces when I rejected his offer in the end!

The ripples slowly disappeared in the water. "Gio!" I screamed. My face was on fire. "Gio! Gio! Gio!" I cried over and over again, but the surface kept still.