When I was younger, my mother - my biological mother - would always tell me stories.
Typical tales like princesses being rescued by handsome princes, little pigs and bears in the forest. She would do so without a hint of emotion in her voice - as if tucking me into the little mattress at night was an excruciating chore.
Nonetheless, I cherished every single story she told me. Especially when magic was involved. My little brain couldn't fathom at the time characters were even capable of doing such grand thing using only glitters or powerful forces.
It intrigued me. So much so that I decided to ask her about it one day. I alsed her whether or not it was real - if one day, maybe I too could do magical things like the characters in the stories.
And then she froze. In horror, as of my words were hot lava to her face. Yelled at me, told me not to be stupid - that such fanatical things were meant to stay in stories and a stupid tactic meant to fall asleep faster. I didn't know what 'tactic' meant at that time, but I remembered every word she said.
Every single angry expression she made. And how she muttered to herself in a language I didn't understand. Her firm curls stood in a neatly styled afro that day, and she gripped at it in frustration. Her usual dull eyes were suddenly awake with hazel flames, and the sight made me want to cry.
That was the day when I stopped believing in fairytales and magic. But now that Cal Monroe has emerged from my necklace...I can't explain what I'm feeling.
Maybe it's the fact that his palm is on my chest, and that he can supposedly see my open heart. Maybe it's the fact that a small part of me, despite the craziness of all this, is actually really happy that I get to experience something that I was so mesmerized by when I was a child.
Maybe that's why I'm thinking of her now for the first time in a long time...
"I wish...I wish I could see my biological mother again," I hear myself saying, shocked by my own words.
What's happening...?
Cal's hand on my chest grows even warmer as my words seem to echo around the room. His eyes narrow on the necklace still hanging over my neck. The world around me blurs a bit, making me feel a bit disoriented for a second. The soft, ambient light from the room seems to dim, casting shadows that danced on the walls.
Somewhere near my chest, a golden glow starts blinding me immensely. It pulses in rhythm with my heartbeat, creating an enchanting and almost hypnotic ambiance. The temperature in the room continues to rise as if it were filled with warmth from another dimension.
In fact, it becomes way too hot to be considered any sort of normal. But due to the blinding light from what I'm assuming is the necklace, I don't exactly have the strength to speak up about it in the moment.
The echoes of my wish linger in the air, creating a harmonic resonance that ripples through the room. It's as if the room itself was a vessel for wishes and desires, and my words have awoken its dormant magic.
The air is charged with energy, as if the very molecules are trembling with anticipation. The world outside my window disappears, and I feel as if I am suspended in time and space.
My chest tightens and tightens, and for a small moment, I'm concerned that my breath will be cut short by the magic performance of Cal's.
At least he'll go back into the necklace after this...
The room seems to hold its breath for a moment, and the air is thick with anticipation. But just as fast as Cal appeared before me, he retreats.
I blink in confusion, looking down at the genie's hand still resting on my chest. "Well?" I ask after a small , my voice quivering with uncertainty. My heartbeat begins to slow steadily, and my blurry vision goes away.
My gaze snaps back to the genie, just in time to see his expression. Cal's eyes widen. For the first time, he doesn't have that cocky look on his face. He takes a step back, his mouth agape in surprise. "That should've worked," he mutters, more to himself than to me.
All that chaotic seconds...for nothing?
My frustration mounts, and I'm getting tired of all the mysteries and the ever-elusive answers. "What should have worked?" I demand, taking a step closer to Cal. "Why didn't anything happen?"
Cal's expression shifts from shock to bewilderment, and his hands wave through the air as he tries to articulate his thoughts. "I don't understand. You made a heartfelt wish, and it's personal, but...it didn't work."
I cross my arms, growing more irritated by the second. This was supposed to be my way of getting rid of Cal Monroe. "So, what does this mean? Are you still going back to the necklace?" I swallow the small pit in my stomach that secretly hoped my wish would come true. It was stupid to even wish that in the first place.
Cal's eyes dart around the room as if looking for an answer in the walls. "This had never happened before," he says, a little louder this time. "I've granted countless wishes, and it always worked. I don't know why it didn't this time."
The more he speaks, the more ridiculous the situation becomes. I went from confusion to anger, and now, I'm teetering on the edge of disbelief. "You mean to tell me I have a genie in front of me, and he can't grant wishes anymore?" I retort, not holding back any sarcasm. "How ironic."
Cal's face contorts into a comical expression of frustration. His brows are creased, but his mouth forms a small pout. It's like he doesn't know how to have a normal mad face or something.
Under any other circumstance, it probably would have been amusing. But right now, it's just infuriating. Just the sight of him still in my room is annoying me now. I need this genie to vanish from my room - with or without the use of damn magic.
"We have to do it again," he says after a small while of me just seething in brooding silence. "Maybe I made a mistake, maybe I didn't do it properly."
My eyebrows basically touch the roof. "I'm sorry?" I ask, looking at him as if he has two heads. "Did you just say, again? You want me to experience that acid trip again?"
Cal rolls his eyes at my choice of words, bit his resolve doesn't waver. "Yes. That's how it's supposed to go - that's how it has always worked," he says, looking at a spot past my head. "The Holder makes a wish, I grant it, and I-"
He cuts himself off, however, gaze suddenly snapping back in my direction. I frown.
"And you what?" I ask after a small while, waiting for him to freaking finish his sentence.
"And then I go into the necklace," he says, suddenly calm. Too calm, as of he wasn't just panicked and perplexed two seconds ago.
This weird duality of his might just drive me beserk.
I sigh eventually, opting to collapse on my bed. There's this small part of my mind still convinced that none of this is even real. "We just tried it," I say, looking up at him standing next to Jaeun's bed. "What makes you think it'll work if we do that again?"
"There must have been a mistake. Let me fix it," he answers, starting to pace in front of the bed. "Just trust me."
I pull a face at him, ready with another sarcastic quip about not trusting genies I just meant, but when we lock eyes, the sass seems to sizzle away super fast. His blue gaze meets my brown one. And for a spilt second, there's this wave that comes over me.
It's telling me to trust him. And for some reason, I don't offer a resistance to that feeling. Even though I want to.
"Whatever," I mutter in response, but that is enough to elicit Cal's smirk. I, of course, roll my eyes. "It better freaking work this time. I would very much like to never see your face again."
"Likewise," Cal says, winking at me as he says that. And I'm mad at how good it looks when he does it. There's no reason for him to be a pain in the butt and good-looking at the same damn time.
With that, I hoist myself back up, holding out my necklace for the genie to take. If anyone would've told me this morning that my birthday would conclude with failed wish attempts with a genie, I'd have told them to stop taking drugs.
Yet here I am. And the little girl from eleven years ago is somehow smiling at the whole ordeal.
Go figure.
"Okay, I'll just start by placing my hand on your chest again," Cal says, now suddenly feeling the need to announce his actions. Like he didn't just zoom up to me the first time he did this.
"But me a drink first," I mutter, not thinking much about it.
"If this works, all you have to do is wish for one," Cal claps back, making pull a face again. Gosh, he's insufferable. "Or you could ask your friend Jaeun to stick you. And maybe a romantic dinner for two."
"Oh, for the love of croissants," I say, failing to resist my urge to shove him back. Which I do with much vigour. And which ends up with my fingertips feeling shocked.
I look down at my fingers, wondering what the heck just happened. "Ow," Cal says, looking just as taken-aback as me. "What the hell was that?"
"I should be asking you that, Mr Genie Man," I say, equal parts honest and sarcastic. "Did you just zap me with some magic nonsense?"
"Zap you with magic nonsense?" Cal replies, looking disgusted and annoyed. "What am I, a freaking alien?"
"You know what, I'd actually prefer a damn alien," I reply, feeling as if that little urge that told me to trust him just evaporated into thin air. "They'd just take my brains and be done with it, unlike you."
"Aliens don't want brains, you idiot," Cal remarks, brows furrowed. "That's what zombies want."
"Well, either way," I say, trying to move away from little mistake, "they still do a damn better job than you."
"Thirty minutes ago, you didn't even know how I grant wishes and now all of a sudden the undead and extraterrestrials are better than me?" he roars back, but I do anything but take him seriously.
"Can just keep quiet and crawl back into the damn necklace?" I say, done with this fruitless argument. "I unwish your presence, so you're excused."
"Oh, that's not how it works, sweetheart," he says, looking very vexed. Not that I cared. "You're stuck with me until I can grant your damn wish!"
"Then grant it!" I yell back, and take his hand in mine. I meant to place it back on the necklace, but that doesn't go to plan.
As Cal's hand makes contact with mine, a searing heat enveloped both our palms again. It's like our skin is aflame, and an intense burning sensation surged through my fingertips. I might be exaggerating, but I feel like putting my hand on a hot stove would hurt less than this.
I let out a sharp gasp of pain, pulling back immediately. So does Cal. And once more, the room is filled with anticipated silence.
Cal's eyes widened in shock again, mirroring my own astonishment. His lips part as if he wants to say something, but no words emerge. "Shit..."
"What do you mean, 'shit'?" I ask, narrowing my gaze at him, trying to nurse my burnt hand. Surprisingly, though, there isn't a burn mark in sight. "What is the meaning of this, Cal?"
Maybe I should've jumped from the balcony when I had the damn chance.
"This isn't possible," Cal says, now looking at his own hands. They're soft, and adorned with some silver rings that match the streaks in his hair. "Unless..."
"Unless?"
Cal's voice trails off as he contemplates the situation. He paces the room in his ridiculous black suit, his brows furrowed in deep thought. His fingers absentmindedly run through his hair as if seeking answers hidden within his own appearance.
"Unless there's a stronger force at play here," he mutters to himself. This obviously makes so much sense to me. "Something that goes beyond the conventional rules..."
I watch him with a mix of frustration and fascination. Hard to believe this guy was trapped in a necklace for years.
"What do you mean, a stronger force?" I press. "Are there other genies more powerful than you or something?"
Cal finally looks up. "You have no idea," he says, and I can't tell if he's joking or not. "Kiama, what's happening right now is that your wish - your very being - is clashing with my magic. And there's only one reason I can think of that this could happen."
I swallow hard, trying to wrap my head around what he's saying. "What?"
"That damned jerk put a spell on my abilities..." he says, looking pissed. Which in turn makes me want to groan from lack of progress - again.
"And I know exactly who you're talking about," I say, still nursing my hand. "Can you grant my wish today or not?"
"No, I can't," he says, sitting down on my bad. This is the first time his behind has touched any surface since this whole confrontation between the two of us begun. "Not if I can't touch you without burning my damn hand off."
"Maybe it's a sign for you to bugger off," I say, throwing myself back onto my bed next to him. I sigh, thinking about how my best friend is out having the time of his life while I'm stuck with freakin Cal Monroe.
Why didn't I join him this once?
"Too bad," he replies without looking at me. "I can't go back into the necklace without having granted a wish. So there literally isn't away around this."
"Then just go away," I say, removing the necklace from my neck. I place it in his palm, feeling tired all of a sudden. "Take your fancy necklace and go bother someone else."
Now I just want to take a nap and forget this, honestly.
"You really need a lesson on magic," he says, standing up all of a sudden. I frown at his retreating figure. Something scratches the base of my throat before I can ask him what he means.
And when my hand flies up to feel what it is, I feel the necklace back in its place; as if I never removed it in the first place.
What the...!?
"New deal," Cal says, standing at the door of my dorm room. My mouth is agape, still astounded by that reappearance of my necklace. "You help me figure out what's going on with my magic, and then I grant your wish."
There's a small pause after he's done, and I don't really know how to repsond to it. I let out a small sigh, standing up from my bed for the millionth time tonight. "It's not like I have much of a choice anyway, right?"
"That's right, bestie," Cal says, smile bright. But I can tell that it's super fake. Don't ask how - I just know.
***