3. The Djinni and the Dropout

{Naya}

I don't remember how long I pounded against the glass, screaming Uriel's name along with an assortment of threats that I had no means of fulfilling. Exhausted and confused, I sank into a heap at the bottom of the bowl and let my fatigue take me.

When I regained consciousness, I opened my eyes to a completely new set of surroundings. At first glance, I thought that I was being held in the isolated tower of a desert palace. Pale light poured in from round, glassless windows. I could see oases and clouds beyond them. These surroundings looked nothing like the tiny glass cell that I remembered.

Am I in a different pipe?

I propped myself onto my elbows and fixed my gaze on my immediate surroundings. Once again, I was sporting a risque garment, overwrought with gems, tassels, and tiny bells. The pile of pillows where I nested flaunted the same Persian flair as the rest of the interior.

Cautiously, I rose to my feet and began to explore this strange chamber in the clouds. Amidst the rugs and tapestry, I found a secluded nook that overlooked a small balcony. A low table accompanied a lounge sofa. Stacked on and around the table were books.

As soon as I spotted the literature, I went straight for it, picking up the books and flipping them over in my hands to view their titles.

"Crap," I hissed. "They're all in Arabic." Or maybe they weren't. I honestly had no idea.

I returned the books with care and glided away from the outdoor patio. I drifted along, admiring the blends of turquoise in all of the furniture and art on the ceiling, when I stumbled upon something else that piqued my interest. Mounted on a stand was an acoustic guitar.

Before I knew it, I was crouching before the instrument, checking out its features. I recognized the brand and wondered why such a valuable guitar was here in this room. I felt the urge to pick it up and tune it, but as soon as I reached for it, a pang of sadness touched me.

I withdrew my hand.

I was almost done exploring the chamber room. When I circled back around to the heap of pillows where I began, I caught a strong whiff of something nutty. I followed the scent to a pedestal placed among other antique tables and small dressers.

Atop the pedestal was a wide, shallow bowl filled to the brim with de-shelled pistachios – my favorite snack in all existence. It was then I realized that I hadn't awakened in some palace from Persian antiquity. This room was made especially for me.

"Uriel!" I hollered while shoving a handful of the salty green seeds into my mouth. I started to cough – partially from the mouthful of pistachios and partially from trying to scream on a sore throat.

"Uriel, what the hell is this place?"

I stood in silence for a few moments and waited. A shiver crawled down my spine when I heard his accented voice echo around me.

"Good morning, Naya. Did you sleep well?"

"Get me out of here. You have a lot of explaining to do."

"But you haven't even had time to fully check out your new room," he teased.

"Uriel!" I growled.

"You have to admit that it's a lot better than where you were before."

I finally decided to ignore him and try to find my own way out. So I took another look at the ceiling to see if I could spot the dark opening. Chances were that I was inside the same pipe as before.

While searching for a way out, I willed myself to become smoke once again. I had no idea how to do it, but I was a djinni, which meant I could perform some magic on my own, right?

"I see what you're trying to do . . ." Uriel's voice taunted from above.

I glared at the ceiling until I felt warm air brush against the side of my ear.

"And it isn't going to work."

I shrieked and spun around to see Uriel standing directly behind me.

"What the hell!" I gasped, still wondering how he got behind me without me noticing.

"I apologize for scaring you, but I couldn't help myself. Do you like your new home? I thought the colors suited you a bit more," he said as he reached out for my hair. He pulled one of my coily corkscrews toward him. It was then that I saw something different.

There was color in my hair – a dark shade of turquoise. I yanked the curl away from Uriel's fingers.

"Did you do this?"

Still admiring my look, he answered, "Being a djinni does this. There's a chance your eyes might change too. Don't look so distraught, Naomi. I think you make a lovely djinni."

I could barely process the compliment. Narrowing my eyes at him, I hissed, "What did you just call me?"

Uriel quirked an eyebrow as he flicked a small plastic card into view – my driver's license.

"Your legal name is Naomi Burton, correct?"

I lunged for the card. "Give me that!"

Like a bully at recess, Uriel danced back and waved my ID out of my reach. He seemed to enjoy watching me claw at his chest and bounce up and down. He kept arching his arm, making it impossible to avoid drawing nearer to his face.

Once I realized that I couldn't win his game, I backed off and shouted, "Fine! Keep it. But don't call me that. It's embarrassing."

Uriel lowered his arm and deposited the card in the pocket of his denims.

"I don't understand why you don't like it. I think 'Naomi' is beautiful . . . and so is your hair."

Doing my best to ignore the fluttering in my stomach, I promptly changed the subject.

"How exactly am I supposed to teach you how to be mortal?"

Uriel's eyes got serious as he started to explain, "It's simple. You will serve as my guide, helping me to adapt to the modern world. Look here."

He gestured to the scenery outside. I followed his gaze and watched as the image faded out of sight. In its place was a view of the apartment that I remembered from yesterday. Burning in the corner of the room was the little red hookah pipe. It confirmed my suspicions that we were looking out from the inside of a different enchanted hookah.

"Do you see that small red pipe?" Uriel asked.

I nodded.

"Think of it as a gauge that measures your work ethic. Whenever you grant a wish for me, the coal will burn and recede, signaling that you are meeting the aspirations detailed in the contract. Any time you refuse a request or fail to complete it correctly, the coal expands, warning you of a contract violation. If you have not fulfilled enough of my requests by the end of the month, your essence will be permanently bound to your current form."

I took a moment to digest everything Uriel said. Meanwhile, he swiped his hand to make the hologram scenery return.

"So I really am at your beck and call . . . for an entire month."

Uriel reassured me, "I promise that the requests will only pertain to mundane tasks. I won't ask you to do anything inappropriate. And remember, technically you have free will."

I shook my head and snorted. "This contract has so much room for failure. Did you forget that if I don't fulfill the wishes within the time frame, you go back to being a djinni? Why risk so much to do this?"

Uriel chuckled as he set his sights on the fake patio.

"I've been a djinni for five thousand years. Time doesn't frighten me anymore."

"Then why are you so desperate to be free?" I fired back.

He grinned, but it didn't meet his eyes. "That's the thing about djinn that you should always remember. We almost never pass up on an ideal opportunity. High risk. High reward. It all just comes with the territory."

He stared at that one spot for a long time. While he watched the palm trees sway in the distance, I watched him. Even though his clothes were modern, he seemed to fit in with the surroundings better than I did. Like a clever djinni who happened to stumble directly out of One Thousand and One Nights.

"Uriel?" I whispered.

His curious, yet intense brown eyes locked onto mine.

I wrung my hands. "What will everyone think happened to me?"

He hesitated. "I would assume they'll think you've gone missing."

I gasped. "If Portia thinks I've been abducted, she'll call the cops. They'll be looking for me everywhere."

Uriel bit his lip. "I suppose they will. This could be a problem."

"You can't hide me here forever, especially if we haven't left the city. Someone will recognize me. Besides, what the heck am I going to tell everyone after my month with you is over? I can't say that I was working for a djinni!"

Uriel remained calm. "You need to come up with a good lie. Then I'll take you to see Portia."

With that the djinni turned around. It was clear that he was going to leave me alone again. I dropped to my knees and grabbed his ankle. I don't know how the tears came so fast, but I was tired of holding them in. This was all too much.

"Please," I sobbed, "can't we just cancel the contract? I have a life, Uriel! You can't just . . . please change me back."

My senses were blurred by my tears and hiccups, but I could feel Uriel turn around and help me to my feet. He held onto my shoulders, which I have to admit felt comforting despite the fact that he was the source of my pain.

With the back of his hand Uriel pushed away my tears and said, "You shouldn't cry, Naya. That won't do you any good."

"I don't want to be a djinni," I sniffed. Uriel's hands traveled from my shoulders to my face. He fed the tips of his fingers into my hair and pressed against my scalp. His thumbs brushed across my cheekbones. Then he looked at me with a mixture of pity, concern, and admiration.

"Neither do I," he said softly. "That's why you're here."

Uriel let me go and took a step back, clearing his throat.

"For now I suggest you relax. Read a book. Eat your pistachios. Tomorrow I'll summon you and then your fulfillment of the contract shall officially begin."

The tears were gone, but an uncomfortable sense of bewilderment took its place. As if in a daze, I turned my back to Uriel and approached the pedestal with the nuts. I took one last look at the room and bit my lip.

The colors, the decorations, the guitar, the bowl filled with my favorite snack – Uriel set all of this up for me. He knew the things that would appeal to me and filled this enchanted cage with them. He knew how I liked to spend my time. Though I could leave whenever I wanted to, it was clear that he was doing everything in his power to keep me on a short leash.

I seized the bowl of pistachios and threw it as hard as I could at Uriel. The dish hit nothing except air. Because the djinni was gone.