well. I would like to hire you as a tutor for Kyra."
"As you wish, Mrs Greenwood." Will bowed.
"Really, Isabelle," Ivan began to argue.
"Darling, she really does need a tutor. And you were just saying Kyra might need protection for a little while, and Will is the best we have."
Ivan frowned. "Very well," he said. "But you will do as I say from now on. Down to the letter."
"Of course, Mr Greenwood." Will bowed again.
"Will is doing what now?" I interrupted. "I don't need a tutor." Escaping would be a lot harder if Will was constantly around.
"Will is Guardjinn, but he'll teach you all that later. He'll be looking out for you and making sure you learn everything you need to be a part of society," Isabelle said.
"Wonderful," I sighed.
"It is wonderful, isn't it?" Isabelle clearly didn't understand sarcasm.
I rubbed my temples and closed my eyes. All this pretending to be nice and understanding was giving me a headache. Djinn, pfft, like that was believable. And yet my mind couldn't help but remember Pyke throwing ice, Mia screeching and Dad blowing people away.
I shook my head. Tricks and lies, I told myself. I wasn't a magical creature.
"Look, I'm feeling kind of tired," I said.
"Oh, of course." Isabelle jumped to my side to stroke my hair. "You should get some rest. We'll talk in the morning. Will, would you show Kyra back to her room?"
"Of course, Mrs Greenwood."
Isabelle handed me off to Will and he led me out the door. We walked slowly up the stairs and down the hallway, though I barely noticed as I was passing it. My mind was occupied with even more questions than before. It felt like nothing had been answered, just skipped over and hidden deeper in more lies.
"How are you doing?" he asked.
"Fine," I lied. "I just want to go to sleep."
"No one expects you to understand everything at once. They'll give you time to process."
We'd reached my bedroom door and I spun around to face Will. I didn't want time to process. I wanted to get out of there, as soon as I could.
All my life I thought Dad was running from something normal, like a gambling debt or tax evasion, but this? Magical genies, superpowers and kidnapping? I think they could have come up with a better lie. I mean, anything else would have sounded believable—which was what worried me most. Why make up something so insane if it wasn't true?
"Kyra, I am sorry for everything that has happened to you," he said.
"Like stabbing me in the back." I knew it was a low blow as he had apologised, but I realised that he didn't just mean what had happened yesterday. He was sorry for everything that had ever happened to me. I looked in Will's eyes and saw nothing but concern, which angered me more.
"I just need sleep," I told him and slipped through the doorway, locking myself inside.
I waited until Will's footsteps faded down the hallway before I truly let myself relax. It was the first time I'd been alone since the whole mess started. I double-checked the door was locked before going into the bathroom.
I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror, inspecting every inch of my face. They had my eyes, and Isabelle looked so like me. The thought made me want to throw up again. They couldn't be my parents. Dad would never have stolen me. I was his daughter. Every inch of me believed that.
But why, then, did I continue to stare into the mirror?
I tore my eyes away from my reflection. "They are not my parents," I told myself. "They're doing this to you on purpose and you're falling for it."
I was angry with myself and Will and the rest of these Djinn people. But mostly, I felt confused. I didn't want to think about it anymore; it was making my head ache, and draining my energy emotionally.
I opened the bathroom cabinet. It was full of cosmetics, bobby pins, a hairbrush, and other girlie products. I rummaged through the endless make-up until I came across a box of aspirin. I thanked the heavens; it was just what I needed. I turned the basin tap on and scooped up
"As you wish, Mrs Greenwood." Will bowed.
"Really, Isabelle," Ivan began to argue.
"Darling, she really does need a tutor. And you were just saying Kyra might need protection for a little while, and Will is the best we have."
Ivan frowned. "Very well," he said. "But you will do as I say from now on. Down to the letter."
"Of course, Mr Greenwood." Will bowed again.
"Will is doing what now?" I interrupted. "I don't need a tutor." Escaping would be a lot harder if Will was constantly around.
"Will is Guardjinn, but he'll teach you all that later. He'll be looking out for you and making sure you learn everything you need to be a part of society," Isabelle said.
"Wonderful," I sighed.
"It is wonderful, isn't it?" Isabelle clearly didn't understand sarcasm.
I rubbed my temples and closed my eyes. All this pretending to be nice and understanding was giving me a headache. Djinn, pfft, like that was believable. And yet my mind couldn't help but remember Pyke throwing ice, Mia screeching and Dad blowing people away.
I shook my head. Tricks and lies, I told myself. I wasn't a magical creature.
"Look, I'm feeling kind of tired," I said.
"Oh, of course." Isabelle jumped to my side to stroke my hair. "You should get some rest. We'll talk in the morning. Will, would you show Kyra back to her room?"
"Of course, Mrs Greenwood."
Isabelle handed me off to Will and he led me out the door. We walked slowly up the stairs and down the hallway, though I barely noticed as I was passing it. My mind was occupied with even more questions than before. It felt like nothing had been answered, just skipped over and hidden deeper in more lies.
"How are you doing?" he asked.
"Fine," I lied. "I just want to go to sleep."
"No one expects you to understand everything at once. They'll give you time to process."
We'd reached my bedroom door and I spun around to face Will. I didn't want time to process. I wanted to get out of there, as soon as I could.
All my life I thought Dad was running from something normal, like a gambling debt or tax evasion, but this? Magical genies, superpowers and kidnapping? I think they could have come up with a better lie. I mean, anything else would have sounded believable—which was what worried me most. Why make up something so insane if it wasn't true?
"Kyra, I am sorry for everything that has happened to you," he said.
"Like stabbing me in the back." I knew it was a low blow as he had apologised, but I realised that he didn't just mean what had happened yesterday. He was sorry for everything that had ever happened to me. I looked in Will's eyes and saw nothing but concern, which angered me more.
"I just need sleep," I told him and slipped through the doorway, locking myself inside.
I waited until Will's footsteps faded down the hallway before I truly let myself relax. It was the first time I'd been alone since the whole mess started. I double-checked the door was locked before going into the bathroom.
I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror, inspecting every inch of my face. They had my eyes, and Isabelle looked so like me. The thought made me want to throw up again. They couldn't be my parents. Dad would never have stolen me. I was his daughter. Every inch of me believed that.
But why, then, did I continue to stare into the mirror?
I tore my eyes away from my reflection. "They are not my parents," I told myself. "They're doing this to you on purpose and you're falling for it."
I was angry with myself and Will and the rest of these Djinn people. But mostly, I felt confused. I didn't want to think about it anymore; it was making my head ache, and draining my energy emotionally.
I opened the bathroom cabinet. It was full of cosmetics, bobby pins, a hairbrush, and other girlie products. I rummaged through the endless make-up until I came across a box of aspirin. I thanked the heavens; it was just what I needed. I turned the basin tap on and scooped up
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