"What's so special about this fountain, then?" I ask the moment we arrive at our intended location.
It was no hassle - just a quiet lurk down the corridors of my dorm building, a dash from said building ending in an almost fall and an eventual fall into stone ground. You know, standard procedure.
"It has magic in it," he says, as if it's the most obvious thing on the planet. I give an incredulous look, rolling my eyes.
"Oh, what an astute statement," I say, mocking his voice. Unlike his impression of me earlier, I think mine is pretty damn accurate. Which is impressive, considering I've only known him for less than two hours by now.
Cal lets out a sigh, as if I'm the one who's tiring and impossible to deal with. "Look a the coins," he says, looking into the water. I follow his gaze, seeing a bunch of silver and bronze coins tossed into it.
"Yeah, so?" I ask, watching the water slowly ripple from side to side. The fountain is usually switched off at night, meaning that nothing is disturbing the poor coins at the bottom, shining ever so slightly under the moonlight. If anything, it looks like the fountains own personal collection of stars stolen from the sky.
"So?" Cal asks, almost horrified. "Don't you know why people throw coins in fountains? They make wishes, Kiama."
He doesn't give a moment to answer his rhetorical question, but at least he isn't calling me Mimi. Genies don't get to call me stupid nicknames.
"What, so the reason you could feel a pull to it was because people sometimes cast wishes here?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. As far as I know, the only reason students even bother throwing coins into this fountain is to celebrate either passing a very hard exam, or getting a really hot date. I mean, there are probably a few other people who have celebrated totally different things, but the first two are the more popular reasons.
"Yes," he says, shrugging. "And also because it's a statue of Selene." With that, he looks up. His blue eyes stay fixed on the lady in the middle of the fountain, and out of intrigue, I follow his gaze.
The last in the middle, the one whom I'm assuming is Selene, stands among the coins and water in a graceful position. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that it looks like she's sculpted from celestial stardust. The moonlight does wonders to accentuate her features, her expressions, her essence.
For a small while, I allow myself to be mesmerized by it. This isn't the first time I've seen this fountain, but this is the first time I've paid true attention to it. The Selene statue's dress is like a flowing gown wrapping around her, ethereal and luminescent, despite being made of fine stone. Or at least, that's what I think she's made of. Her arms are stretching up, as if she's asking the sky for a hug.
No, her arms are outstretched to the moon. Her fingertips look like it's touching the stars, if you bend your head in the right angle.
"Selene is the goddess of the moon," Cal says suddenly, bringing back from my marvelous wonder. She's the sister of sun god Helios and dawn goddess Eos."
I frown slightly, not really knowing who he's talking about. The last time I paid attention to anything Greek mythology related was in high school - and that was forever ago at this point. Or was this Roman mythology?
My eyes travel back to the statue, still somewhat captivated by the sight. Whoever made this must have been very skilled to make her look so majestic. The folds and ripples of her being are so finely rendered that they seem to shimmer. Maybe it's just the reflection of the water onto the statue that's adding to the effect.
"What does the goddess of the moon have to do with granting wishes?" I ask, crossing my arms. It's starting to get a little chilly, especially considering the fact that most of my adrenaline that warmed me up previously has started to dissipate.
"Legend has it that Selene was once able to grant wishes," Cal says, still looking at the shadows. "Eons ago, when people of Greece had to work tirelessly in order to survive, their only wish would be to rest for a few hours."
"So they wished for sleep?" I ask, still confused.
"They wished for the conditions under which they could sleep," Jimin answers, glancing at me. "Back then, the days would go on for hours and hours, no end in sight. But upon hearing the please of the people on Earth, Selene arose to power alongside her brother Helios and begun riding the moon chariot."
"What's the moon chariot?" I ask, not really in the state of mind to process all this information so late at night.
"The moon, duh," he says, looking at me like a mom disappointed in her child's mess in the kitchen. "She would ride the moon chariot across the sky for a couple of hours everyday, creating a world with no sun. When that happened, the people knew that they were allowed to rest. To sleep peacefully."
"So asking for sleeping is considered granting a wish?" I ask, looking up at the sky. It's litered with tiny little specks, all twinkling next to the main character of the night sky: the full, bright moon.
It's a miracle there aren't any werewolves out or something. If they even exist - let's hope not.
"That's what the legend says," Cal says after a small bout of silence, tracing the rim of the fountain with his finger. "But I believe that there is more to Selene than meets the eye."
I look back at the fountain, the statue in the middle. It almost looks like we've escaped to a completely new realm, and that this masterpiece right here is trapped in a constant state of serenity. For a dumb moment, I almost beleive that this fountain is capable of great magic. That this fountain hold way more than just coins and water.
That it holds magic...
I shake my head, trying to snap out of whatever thought process that was. The main objective is to find a way for Cal to grant my wish, so that all can go back to normal.
"So, am I supposed to throw a coin in here and have my wish granted like that?" I ask, looking at Cal with a pointed eyebrow risen. "It's not like I have any loose change on me right now, you know."
Cal chuckles when I say this, though I doubt that it was completely out of humour. "You seriously need to learn more about magic."
"How can I?" I bite back, feeling frustrated all over again. "Every time I do ask a question 'magic' related, you blow me off like a child who asked where babies come from."
"I'd gladly tell you where babies come from," he says in response, looking at me with bright blue eyes and a playful smirk.
"Cal!" I yell, not even stopping myself and throwing a pebble in his direction. "Now is not the time!"
"When would be the time, Mimi?" he asks, winking at me.
"Never," I say back, pulling a face of disgust. "Never in a million years. And don't call me that!"
"Whatever you say, Mimi," is his reply, to which I frustratingly grunt in frustration.
"Ugh, just tell me what the stupid plan is now," I say, crossing my arms and making it my mission not to look at him. "If we're not making a wish to the stupid fountain, what are we even doing here right now?" I might look like a toddler throwing a tantrum in a grocery store, but I don't really care.
Cal Monroe is proving over and over again that he is nothing but annoying and infuriating.
There's a few beats of silence, but still my attention is rather on the trees in the distance, casting shy shadows over the grass beneath it. Some of the campus night lights illuminate the green leaves resting in the dark, making it almost seem like nature itself is asleep.
In which case me and the genie are massive intruders and disturbance of. Poor trees...
"Well, I can now confirm that my pull to this fountain was definitely because of the wishing well element it has," Cal says softly, probably more to himself than to me. "But this isn't the same magic as genie magic."
"There's different types of magic?" I ask, depsite not wanting to converse with him into he first place.
"Various," he replies, dipping his fingers into the water now. It ripples and dances around his touch, mesmerized by the feel. I can't tell if my eyes are playing a trick on me or not, but his palm seems to make the water around it glow even more so.
"So...what magic is the fountain made of?" I ask, still looking at his hand playing with the surface of the water.
"Lunar magic," he replies, looking up at the sky. "Within this fountain lies the magic that once carried Selene over the sky in her moon chariot."
"Once carried?" I ask, perplexed. "Doesn't that mean that she's not doing it anymore? Did someone take her place?"
"Looks like someone is finally interested enough to learn more," Jimin says with a slight grin, but still looking at the stars. "But yes, she was replaced. By Luna."
"Why?" I ask, taking a step closer unconsciously. "Did something happen to Selene?"
"Yes," Cal says, now looking down and making eye contact with me. His eyes, although still blue, are also sparkling with something totally different. They look darker - they look almost sinister.
But as soon as it has appeared, it's gone. And I'm left looking at Cal's usual expression with a feeling of confusion pulsing through my veins.
"But I think that's a story for another day," he concludes, retracting his hand from the water. "We'll continue this tomorrow."
"Continue what tomorrow?" I ask, a clear look of horror on my face.
"Out quest to find out what's going on," he says nonchalantly, as if the this is just a random statement. "But for now, I believe you need to return to your room. Humans do need sleep, after all."
"No, no," I say, immediately putting my hands in protest. "I mean, yes, we need sleep, but no. There will be no continuing of anything tomorrow. This ends here, and now."
"And how do you propose we do that, Mimi?" he asks, cocky grin back on his face. Caramel locks cover his forehead as he blinks back at me, making him look like a innocent dude of sorts. But I know better than to fall for that trick.
"I...you..." I say, replaying the events of the last hour and a half over and over again in my mind. He can't disappear without me making a wish. He can't grant my wish because he can't touch me and this stupid fountain is of no use to us whatsoever. "I don't know, okay? But I know that I can't have an 1,7 metre annoying piece of magic follow me around the whole time tomorrow!"
"It's 1,74 metres, actually," Cal corrects me, an unimpressed look on his face at my comment.
"That isn't the point, Cal," I say, basically whining at this point. "The fact is that I'm a college student and I have classes to attend tomorrow. I don't have time to deal with your magical crap."
"You act as if having a magical being by your side is a curse," he says, studying his nails a bit. On top of all this, he's in the mood to be freaking sassy also. "Even though I can't grant your wish right now, there's plenty of other things I could accomplish for you. You're still my holder, after all."
I frown, crossing my arms to avoice making gesture out of exasperation. "That's not the point, Cal," I say, feeling a sudden wave of exhaustion overcome me. "You were supposed to be nothing more than a fancy birthday gift from my best friend. And now we have to go a damn quest? What are we even going to do on this supposed quest?"
"Well, I was hoping you would ask your lover boy where exactly he puchased said necklace," Cal says, looking all the more amused. "I'm sure you'll find a non-awkard way to bring that up in conversation. Unless, of course you become too lost in his gorgeous orbs to note anthring else."
And that's when I let it all out - a scream mixed a yelp and a cry of absolute embarrassment. I mean, how dare he think I have feelings for Jaeun - and then tease me on top of it? Not to mention the impossible task of getting rid of him as easy as he appeared.
Damnit!
I scream my lungs out, feeling furious and tired at the same time. My vocal chords trmeble, and a part of me worries that my throat might be in terrible shape when I wake up.
But something about this scream feels even more bizzare than that. Because despite my lungs and throat working overtime to produce sounds of frustration, not a single decibel can be heard. It's like I'm saying nothing at all, yet my mouth is wide open.
"Tut, tut, tut," Cal says, taking a few steps towards my side of the fountain. Although, with his long legs, he ends up being in front of me with just three steps. "You can't go screaming like that in public grounds, Mimi. You'll alert the people nearby."
My hands fly to my throat, and I suddenly realize that my voice has somehow been muted.
What the heck!?
"I'll return your voice," Cal says, realizing my panic. "As soon as you promise not to act like a spoiled toddler again. Capiche?"
My eyes are wide with shock, and I find myself nodding before I can even fully comprehend what he's saying. I close my mouth, stopping my action of screaming completely.
"There you go," he says, smiling cheekily. "All better. No need for screams."
I continue rubbing my throat, feeling that my throat is indeed sore, despite not making a single peep audibly.
"What did you just do?" I ask, my voice a little hoarse.
"See, I told you that I have other magical capabilities," he replies, cocky as ever. I could punch him right now - you know, if I knew how to without breaking my knuckles or something.
"It still doesn't change my mind of wanting to get rid of you," I say, glaring at him.
"Just think about it, Mimi. I could be your genie," he whispers smugly, smirk all too evident.
"How about Aladdin?" I counter instantly, reflecting his expression for a brief second just to mock him. "At least he gave princess Jasmine a carpet ride and way less problems regarding magic!"
And with that, I stomp past him still rubbing my throat. Between the sore throat, the bruised elbow and the spaghetti legs from running, I'm definitely going to feel like crap in the morning.
*
"Hey," I hear someone say, tapping at my shoulder. "Wake up."
I startle a little, woken up from a slumber that felt so good and so lovely. My eyes flutter open a bit, but resort back to closing itself when the bright light of day touches my irises.
"Jaeun," I say, stretching a bit. "You won't believe the crazy dream I just had."
I open my eyes again, determined to keep them open this time. But when my eyes meet the face of one particularly annoying genie instead of my best friend, I pull a very unpleasant face.
Oh, so it wasn't a dream...
"What do you want?" I ask Cal groggily, still stretching from my current position.
"It's morning," he replies bluntly, looking bored. "Get up."
"Bugger off," I mutter, burying my head back in my pillow. "My class doesn't start until 10:30."
"It's 10pm, Kiama," he says. And all of a sudden, I'm upright in my bed and panicking for what my life is worth.
"What!" I exclaim, practically flying off my covers. Bad idea, considering I am indeed as sore as I thought I would be. "Didn't my alarm for off earlier?"
"It did, but you didn't wake up, so I switched it off," he says, still very blunt in his speech.
"Cal!" I yell back, even though my throat is begging me not to even make a peep. "What the heck?"
But before I can even make another distressed move, the door behind us flies open. I turn around hastily, my eyes even wider than it was two seconds ago.
Jungkook walks in, a bagel in his left hand and a paper bag resting on his forearm. He looks like he's on the phone, closing the door with a kick from his boot.
"Shit," I mutter, feeling time freeze just a little bit.
And when my best friend looks up, his eyes land on me standing in the middle of our shared room. Perplexed, of course, but I'm sure I can explain this away.
Except in another spilt second that feels like eternity, his eyes f
ly over to the genie, looking even more confused by the sight before him.
Can he...see Jimin?
"Kiki," Jaeun says, pulling his phone away from his ear. "Who's that?"
Double shit.
***