Out of the Lamp

Chapter 9: Haunted

Alia

Currently, I'm lounged across my sofa waiting for dad to get home. He's working late tonight at his company office, massive shipment came in that he has to take care of. It's nine already, and I miss our daily dinner catch-ups.

I value my dad so much, and not spending time with him even for a day leaves a gaping hole in my heart. I've never had a mother. My own mother has been missing since I was born. She went and dumped me on my dad's front door like a parcel from eBay. Nice.

Imagine his shock when he discovered he had a daughter - half mortal, half genie at that.

There's not much I can say about this mystery mother of mine. I don't know enough myself to divulge in that. Dad never mentions her, ever. It's a taboo topic in this house. Though he did once let slip that I looked exactly like her. It was when he was high off strong as fudge painkillers from a construction accident during our house renovations. Crikes, I hate thinking about that.

All I can say for sure though, is due to her rebellious nature as a genie of many centuries, she racked up quite a reputation - and debt, with the Immortals Bureau. The deigned authority that monitors all supernatural activity, interspecies interactions in the mortal realm and occasionally dabble in the underworld politics. Thanks to her, I've been assigned as the heir to her title. You might think that's a good thing, hell freaking no. Her debt, is my debt now. Why else do you think a half mortal like me would be playing genie? Normally half-bloods are excused from such hereditary natures and obligations, unless they so choose to do themselves. It's free will. I had that choice taken away.

Chomping down on my spoonful of pomegranate seeds, I savour the bittersweet sourness of the fruit while pondering these thoughts. I grab my daily fix from the grocery store near my house. They do little pre-peeled tubs that saves me a lot of effort so I can just enjoy it without the added effort.

It's during my moment of tranquility that the whole house seems to shut down and die.

What the-

I stop mid-bite as the lights all tinker, then switch off. The house groans like a well oiled machine being put to rest.

Great, a power outage.

It's happened before but normally there's always a warning from the electrical company if their doing maintenance work. The unplanned suddenness of it has me on edge.

Then I hear it.

Crrrrrrreeeeeeeeeaaaak!

My heart rate spikes instantly. That's the sound of the attic door upstairs, being opened. The attic door is a latch opening on the ceiling.

There's no one else at home apart from me.

Fudge on sticks.

Hide. Hide. Hide. Hide. Hide.

My brain sends a burst of fear fuelled adrenaline through me. Igniting my blood on fire with urgency. And yet, my limbs stay stock still, frozen by a gnawing sense of fear.

Something is very, very wrong. The deathly cold breeze that drifts through the room doesn't abate my fears.

Being half-mortal has introduced me to all types of beings. The good, the bad, the ugly as worse - the evil. The thing about this part of my life though, is once you tune into the supernatural and the paranormal, once you open up your senses to them, once you begin to hear and see and take noice of them.