The Untold

Chapter 2: Broken Promises

After her mother left, Amira sat on the edge of her bed, her heart racing as the silence of her room enveloped her.

The echoes of her mother's warnings still lingered in the air, but they faded as she concentrated on the presence beside her.

"Are you still there?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm always here," the jinn replied, its tone warm and soothing, like a gentle breeze. "You just have to listen."

Amira turned to look into the shadowy corner of her room, where the jinn seemed to manifest, a soft glow flickering around it. "You can't leave me, can you? Not yet?"

"I have to go soon, but not until sunrise," it said. "For now, I'm yours."

The words hung in the air, and Amira felt a flutter of excitement mixed with fear.

"What's it like where you go?" she asked, curiosity breaking through her initial apprehension.

"It's different," the jinn replied, its voice taking on a dreamy quality. "It's filled with light and shadows. But I can't stay there forever either. I chose to be with you."

Amira smiled. Not knowing the dangers every expression, she gave to that entity, had.

The glimmer of the full moon beamed through the transparent curtains and combined with the light of her lamp to illuminate a rough silhouette of the room.

Dark corners still gave a sort of shudder to Amira, but not anything she couldn't stand.

The dimly lit room still exposed the beauty of the little girl: her bronze locks, olive skin and glossy emerald eyes.

Her large bedroom contained everything a girl could dream of. Well, so did the rest of her life, from popularity at school to a loving family at home.

Isolation however would be a key component to her life growing up; she spent many hours of her day scribbling away in her sketchbooks.

Amira would tour around her own palace appreciating its architecture and interior design. Doodling her own perceptions of it away on paper.

A hobby you wouldn't expect from a young girl like her, quite humble.

From a young age Amelia was accustomed to receiving everything she wanted. You could say she was quite spoiled by her parents and circumstances.

It came as no shock that she needed a companion after witnessing the harsh reality of her household. Thus was even willing to rely on what her mother had clearly warned her against.

Soon soft blue light crept through Amira's curtains, signaling the arrival of dawn. The world outside her window was still, the quiet just before the morning prayers filled the air.

She sat on the edge of her bed, her thoughts muddled as the familiar presence of the jinn lingered beside her. Its voice was airy now, more distant but still deep.

"I have to leave soon," it whispered, a gentle hum in her ear.
Amira glanced at the clock. It was nearly 5 a.m. She knew what that meant.

She felt comforted in the jinn's presence and didn't want it to leave.
"You're going to be gone for a while again, aren't you?" Amira asked, a knot forming in her chest.

"Yes. I won't be able to return until the next full moon. The connection between us isn't strong enough yet." The jinn's voice softened, almost pleading. "But there's a way to change that."

Amira's heart raced. "How?"

"There's a way we can strengthen our bond," it continued. "Meet me in the garden. Every Friday, just before sunrise. We'll use that time, under the moon and the stars, to make the connection stronger."

"And... how long do I have to do this for?" Amira inquired feeling impatient already.

"Until the next 13th full moon. Until then I'll have to conserve my energy." The now almost indecipherable sound chanted.

"But that's way too long-"

"Goodbye Amira~" the resonance trailed off leaving the young girl with her unsatisfied curiosity.

She was left alone completely now on her king-sized bed, morning birds beginning to chirp outside her window.

When the jinn left that first time, Amira was left in the quiet of her room, the early light of dawn creeping in through the windows.

It felt strange to be without its voice, a presence she hadn't realized she would miss so much.

Even in the silence, she felt the lingering pull, like an invisible thread tethering her to the jinn, a promise she could no longer ignore.

Its words lingered in her mind.

"Meet me in the garden, every Friday, just before the morning prayer."