Genie-Us

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jene arrived the second I finished breakfast. It was as if he knew exactly when I'd be ready to leave. My nerves about the Realm hadn't diminished overnight. Questions added to more questions, and I wondered which one I'd blurt out first.

Looking at Jene managed to distract me for a long moment. The handsome lines of his face were something I could stare at for hours. His blue eyes entranced me in the same way as yesterday. He really was too good looking for me to deal with.

"You seem bothered, Little One. What has left you so ill at ease?" Jene got in with the first question.

"Where would you like me to start?" I asked with a humourless laugh.

"Whatever troubles you the most." He encouraged with a soft smile that made me want to sigh in delight.

I didn't want to bring up the whole 'woman from the Realm who wants to see me' thing, because it had only annoyed him last night. Instead, I gave a great deal of thought before answering.

"You refused to tell me the thing that troubles me the most last night, so I'll go with something else. How do I need to dress? How should I act? What am I not allowed to do in this Realm of yours? How do I avoid attracting the attention of anyone? How far do we need to travel?" the questions started and I had to force myself to stop.

"Wear this and none shall bother you." Jene must have decided to answer each question in turn, so I awaited his answer impatiently.

Jene clicked his fingers. Fabric danced around me, only to join together into an outfit on my body. It completely covered my jeans and shirt. I looked down at myself and then up at Jene with a dubious expression. A green shiny, flowing fabric covered me in draped folds. I hated this ugly colour, so I grimaced.

"Can we go with any other colour?" I pointed to myself.

"We must wear those colours that reflect us the best," Jene only confused me more. I went to speak, but he did his usual raise a finger, so I stayed quiet. "Actions where we must go speak volumes. Do not speak to anyone lest I allow you to speak. Keep you eyes only upon me. Never remove your eyes from me. Do you understand my instructions?"

"Why do I have to look at you? What could that possibly tell anyone who sees us together?" I couldn't stop myself from asking even when I saw how serious he was.

"We must make them believe that you are my faithful pet."

"Pet!" I shrieked.

As usual with him, I wasn't sure if it was a compliment or an insult. I crossed my arms, narrowed my eyes, and made my face into its most determined. He sighed, and I hoped that meant he would explain.

"It does not mean pet as in an animal. It means pet as in companion. Genies can have pets, which are beings with an emotional attachment to the genie. Not as strong as the Genie-Us. I am not known to have pets, so many will watch you with great care. That is why you must not look away. Any weakness shown can give them a chance to snatch you. A genies pet is a rare and valuable item to many." Jene's words had me wanting to put a huge distance between us.

What he said sounded horrible to me. To me it reeked of a form of enslavement. I took a few more steps back and he sighed.

"I don't want to be a genies pet." I shook my head and glared at him.

"You are not truly a genies pet. All of this is only pretend to allow you access to the She-Gen, so we may have the wish removed. This will allow you to see my lamp. After that we can work on how best to retrieve the lamp."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense." With his enlightenment I calmed down a bit.

"You will not enjoy the next part, but it is a necessary part of the disguise." Jene held out a glittery collar and chain with a resigned expression.