~DESTINY~
My gaze darted between the two plates, wondering which one I wanted to devour first.
Soup or macaroni and cheese? Soup is hot and creamy, but so is the macaroni and cheese. Hmm… decisions.
Luke began to chuckle at my indecisiveness and Owen sighed. "Just give her both plates and end her misery."
"She'll starve before she decides." Jeremiah laughed.
Luke placed both plates on the table set up on my bed and I squealed in excitement. "Thank you!" Without waiting for any of them to reply, I began eating. My stomach rejoiced at the warm food that entered it and I hummed happily between servings.
Cole entered my room and stared at me with a blank expression. "She's so happy."
"Because food is LIFE! I keep telling you that, but no. You think I'm lying," Jeremiah complained and moved to sit on my bed.
"It's because Cole's a picky eater." Luke chuckled.
"Oh right, I forgot about that," Owen replied. "Don't you hate, like, everything?"
"Fuck off," Cole grumbled, and Owen grinned in satisfaction before sitting next to Jeremiah.
"He doesn't like food?" I asked.
"He doesn't like macaroni and cheese," Luke whispered, but it was loud enough for Cole to hear.
"It's too cheesy."
"It's Mac and CHEESE," Jeremiah stressed.
"Don't like it," Cole mumbled. "Last time you poured in two packets of that cheese shit. It was horrible."
"You're just judging the ONE time I fucked up cooking!" Jeremiah argued.
"Good. I'll save my stomach the agony," Cole muttered, walking over to the side of the bed where Luke was.
"You wanna try Luke's version? It's good," I suggested.
"No."
"Please?"
"No..."
"Pretty please?" I batted my lashes and pouted my lips at him, my hand holding a spoonful of the creamy white cheddar mac and cheese.
He glanced at the spoon and then back at me. "Will you actually stay up long enough to listen to our explanations today?"
"Yes," I replied with a smile. He sighed and leaned in so that I could feed him the spoonful of cheesy delight.
"Oh, shit! She got him to eat it!" Owen gawked in shock.
"Get the camera! I have to save the proof for future arguments!" Jeremiah exclaimed.
"See, you didn't die." Luke grinned and walked over to sit with the others on the bed.
Cole rolled his eyes but kept chewing on the food. "It's alright."
"Meaning it's good." I translated his meaning with a smile. He looked away and I giggled, knowing I was totally right. "And to add, it's not my fault I fell asleep yesterday… or the day before that… or maybe it's been three days? I'm not sure."
Cole swallowed before he spoke. "Every time we try to explain to you what you have to do now for the initiation process, you fall asleep."
"Give her some slack, Cole. You're lucky she woke up in two days and not two weeks. She needed the rest," Jeremiah pointed out.
I picked up my bowl of soup and began to slurp it down, not caring that all four of them were staring at me like I was mad. Usually, I cared about my appearance and dinner etiquette, but I'd never been this hungry in my life, and I would devour everything before I cared about slurping my soup like a fool.
"I'm gonna go get her another plate. You want some Cole?" Luke asked.
"Cole's gonna be a stubborn ass and say no," Jeremiah replied.
"Just bring him a bowl too, and if he doesn't want it, we can have it!" Owen suggested.
"Can I talk for once?" Cole glared at them, and Jeremiah and Cole laughed.
"SEE! He wants it! I can see it in his eyes," Jeremiah teased.
"Let's go get Destiny her bowl and finish the rest," Owen encouraged.
"I swear I'm going to burn the shi-" Cole began, but the two guys were off the bed and out the door.
I blinked a few times and turned to Luke who shrugged. "I'll make sure they save you two a bowl."
"Thank you, Luke!" I replied and turned my attention to Cole, who had a sour expression on his face.
"Thanks, Luke."
"You're welcome. Be right back." He walked over and took my empty plate of soup and headed to the door.
After it closed, I returned to my macaroni and cheese but noticed Cole staring at it. With a smile, I shuffled over and patted the bed. "Wanna sit?"
"No."
"You know the others aren't coming back for a while?"
He looked back at my bowl of food and the spot I'd patted on the bed. With a grumble, he climbed onto the bed and sat down.
I smiled and offered him another spoonful of mac and cheese and he didn't hesitate in letting me spoon feed him. "Now that I'm a little satisfied, you can explain the whole Jinn requirements thing," I encouraged.
I'd been knocked out for two days after my initiation with Fantasia. When I woke up, I couldn't stay up longer than fifteen minutes before I began to doze off. Cole and the others kept trying to tell me more about what my two tasks were going to be and what epic Jinn powers I'd have with my new role, but the moment Cole started the story on Jinn history, I'd fall asleep.
Poor guys couldn't wake me up each time it happened, so the plan this time around was to go straight to the point and leave the history lesson for after I'd finished my initiation process. Score!
I was still in a king-sized bed and in the comfiest silk pajamas. Today was the first time I was eating a full meal and not little nibbles and bites. It could be the reason the others were eager to get me another bowl of food to eat.
At this point, I knew I'd dropped a few pounds from my bad eating habits the last couple of days, but Jeremiah and Owen said they loved to work out on the side of their Jinn duties and would help me get back to the fitted shape I was in before.
"Finish eating first," Cole mumbled.
"Wanna share?" My grin widened when he looked back at the food. "I won't tell."
"Fine."
I reached for the spare spoon on the table and we dug into the remaining bowl of food. When we finished, Cole picked the table off the bed to give us more space, and I scooted over to sit in the middle. I maneuvered myself to sit on the left half of the bed so I could face Cole, who climbed back onto the bed to sit and face me.
I crossed my legs in lotus position and stared at Cole who arched an eyebrow at me.
"Why are you in lotus position?"
"I'm a Jinn now. That means I have to be like… uh, I don't know, genie-like?"
"Again, the reason why Aladdin’s a bad influence," Cole grumbled. "You can sit normally."
"You're sitting in yoga pose." I pointed to his crossed leg position on the bed.
"Because it's easier when sitting on the bed."
"I feel like that's an excuse," I mumbled more to myself.
"Do you wanna know more about Jinns or not?"
"Don't be all snappy. I'm listening," I argued.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Do you remember your interaction with Fantasia?"
I closed my eyes and smiled, remembering every single moment with her. Mother.
"Yup." I opened my eyes and couldn't help but continue to smile as I stared at my hands. "I don't think words can give her justice. I felt more love from her in one interaction than I'd felt from my ex-parents through all the years they raised me."
"It's because there's no judgment. The love she has for all of us is absolute. No flaw we harbor can bring us down in her eyes, and regardless of the mistakes we can still commit as Jinns she'd always forgive, even if it hurts her."
"It's comforting to know that," I admitted.
"It is," he agreed. "Do you feel any different?"
I lifted my hands and stared at them for a bit before I tried to feel if there was anything "different" about how I felt. "Not really?" I admitted. "Am I supposed to?"
"Hmm. I'll wait for the others to come back before we tackle that one, but we're going to have to do two things once you can stay up for a few hours."
"What are the two things I have to do? This is like the second half of the initiation, right?"
"Kinda."
I frowned and stared at him, waiting for him to get to the point. He ruffled his hair and groaned. "This mentor shit is stupid."
"Wait, YOU'RE mentoring me?!" I exclaimed. The whole mentor thing had slipped my mind but now that he mentioned it, I realized I hadn't gotten to choose one.
"Sadly."
"Hey." I pouted my lips and his cheeks began to show hints of red.
"I'm not good at teaching, alright? Just bear with me."
"You didn't answer my question."
"Yes, I'm mentoring you. I got annoyed and decided."
"Why did you get annoyed?" I asked.
"Ask the others."
"So defensive." I sighed. "Fine, oh great Jinn mentor, Cole the Vengeance, which just to comment should be Vengeful. The and Vengeance don't flow nicely."
"Are you done?"
"Yes," I replied. I was secretly trying to avoid getting to the serious stuff, but it was about time I figured out what I would need to do in order to stay a Jinn.
"Now that some of your powers have been unlocked and you have a mentor, you need to see the good side and bad side of being a Jinn."
"Isn't it like the good being you get to grant people wishes like healing a disease or something? And the bad… maybe someone wishing to kill someone?"
"There’s a lot more to it than that, Destiny." I noticed the seriousness in his eyes as he continued. "Wishes have consequences. Most people just wish and think about the now. They don't think about what can happen six months from then or even five years. One wish could change someone's entire future, and we are part of that equation. We determine whether their wish is worth the sacrifice."
"So… for you, does that mean your wishes are based on vengeance? Or maybe for Luke, it would be a humbling wish that can help someone?"
Cole nodded. "That’s right. Jeremiah being Magnificent means the wishes that come his way normally deal with body image. Whether it's wanting to have the perfect image society has to offer, or maybe they don't want to be perfect. Jeremiah has to make the decision if it's worth granting those wishes."
"What would Owen's wishes be like for Adventurous?" I asked.
"It could be a little boy wanting to go out of his comfort zone and participate in a sport he's always wanted to play. Or an elderly person wanting to go on a helicopter ride across the Grand Canyon before he dies. Wishes like that sometimes cross over with Courageous and even Magnificent. Just like other wishes."
"So they can cross over and call to more than one Jinn," I clarified.
"Yes. If you want to get a guy’s number, but you're afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone, hate the way you look, and don't think you'd be a sexy fit, that could require three wishes if they so desperately wished for it."
"Would all three Jinns show up?" I furrowed my brows. "Like… ewww… Marc showing up, for example." Just the thought made me cringe. He'd already left a bad impression on me, and I'd met him only once. That seemed to please Cole, his 1cm smile making an appearance.
"It's their choice to show up. Unless a wish is strong enough in power, we rarely show up. Also, keep in mind that if a wish generally falls in the same wish category, another Jinn can take it."
"So...if someone wished for love, seduction can take it?"
"Yup. If they wanted to." Cole shrugged. "There are billions of people who make wishes all the time. There aren’t as many Jinns to make them come true."
I nodded and lowered my head to think about everything. "Do you grant wishes for people to disappear?"
Cole was silent, and I looked up to see his guarded expression. Shit… I hit a nerve.
"You don't need to answer, I was just curious."
"Yes, but the requirements are more and the individual who wishes for such a reality is given the privilege of seeing what the next 90 days are like after they make their wish."
"Wait. They get to 'live it.' Meaning, if I wished for you to be my boyfriend, I’d get a 90-day trial, and if I realized you're a jackass, I could get a refund."
He frowned and raised an eyebrow at me. "Really?"
"It's an example. Don't take it to heart." I brushed it off and sat patiently waiting for him to answer.
"To answer your silly example, yes. If you wished for a handsome, one of a kind male of my nature and class to date you for 90 days, you'd get to enjoy three months of me and decide whether you enjoyed the ride or wanted to go back to your life before your request."
I arched an eyebrow at him this time and his 1cm smile made it to 2cm. OH FANTASIA! Is that a dimple! Please tell me that's a dimple.
"You need to smile more." I blurted out my statement without thinking, and he frowned which made me pout. "I said smile, not frown like a jerk."
"Are you listening?"
"Yes, yes. I was listening, oh handsome, one of a kind, Vengeful Jinn."
"Vengeance."
"Sure."
"Anyways. Fantasia will decide the two examples you'll get to experience. We'll go when you've rested and can stay awake for a longer period of time. We don't sleep a lot unless the person is experiencing their wish and we don't need to keep an eye on them."
"I have another question… but it's a bit personal," I admitted.
"What?"
"I'm Merciful, so my wishes would be something along the lines of giving people chances? Like second chances, right?"
"Along those lines, yes. Your title and role essentially can work coincidently with any Jinn. People always have regrets and wish. The difference is that normally opposite Jinns work best."
"Opposite?"
"Gratefulness versus Remorsefulness. The Jinn can help someone feel grateful for the actions of another, but doesn't mean they may not feel guilty for asking for help, to begin with. That’s when the Jinn of Remorsefulness comes in,"
"I guess that makes sense. Is it kind of like good and bad?"
"Hmm. It's really more of having two things on opposite spectrums. They can complement each other, but they don't always do so in every situation."
"With me being Merciful, what would be my opposite then?" I inquired. Cole went radio silent on me, and I sighed. "Alright, rearrange that. What would be the opposite of you?" He was still silent, and I scrunched my face in annoyance. "Should I try a game of jeopardy? Is it a sensitive answer for $200?”
"Not really..." He trailed off and glanced away. The longer I stared at him, the weirder I felt. It was in between a longing emotion that made me want to be closer to him while the other half wished to help him open up more.
I could tell he must have had some type of past that made him put up a wall whenever something required him to be more open about himself.
Without thinking, I uncrossed my arms and crawled up to him, until my face was inches from his. His galaxy eyes stared into my hazelnut ones, and for a moment, everything felt right.
Our closeness, the compatibility that coursed between us. For a split second, it felt like I knew him for much more than his exterior. That I could see past it and reveal the real individual beneath the barriers he put up front.
"Then can I ask you one thing?"
He took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving mine as he exhaled. "What, Destiny?"
Maybe it was because we were up close, but his voice held a gentleness to it that made my heart skip a beat and my ears wish to listen to him on repeat.
"Vengeance… means you normally work alone."
"Yes," he replied.
"Aren't you lonely?" My sympathetic voice must have thrown him off; confusion and a hint of surprise crept into his handsome features before he eventually replied.
"You get used to it."
Something told me it was the opposite. I could never get used to the loneliness I'd felt in the hotel room. The sadness and pain that ran through me each time I realized that no one knew of my existence.
Even if our roles were to be Jinns and grant wishes, to only get negative wishes like extracting revenge on someone would be stressful and a lonely task to carry. You would have no balance, and the more I thought about it, the more it made sense why he was so closed off.
I brushed my hand against his left cheek and saw him visibly stiffen from my touch, but I didn't care. Whatever was between us told me I needed to comfort him. To prove that being lonely isn’t something to be okay with.
"You can't get used to being lonely, Cole. You can block it, ignore it, bury it...but there will always be a time where you'll crave company, and that will just remind you that it's nice to be around those who care and share similarities with you. It's nice to acknowledge that you're more than just a duty."
He stared at me for what felt like a minute, and I closed my eyes and leaned up to press my lips against his forehead. Now, I really didn't know what I was doing, but it was as if I had no control at this moment. I did what needed to be done, and for some strange reason, I didn't regret it.
I leaned back to stare at him and for a second, and those galaxy eyes gave me a glimpse behind the guard he put up.
Vulnerability.
Did he think showing emotion meant he was vulnerable?
"Meow."
We both flinched at the sound and turned to see a small white kitten that sat at the entrance.
"Dammit, Jeremiah! Get the kitty before she sees!" Owen hissed.
"Uh. I think I failed," Jeremiah admitted.
"You two really suck at surprises," Luke noted.
I could hear their approaching footsteps, and I moved very slowly to the end of the bed, my eyes now concentrated on the kitty that stared at me cautiously. Its eyes were multiple colors, one section being red and the next being blue. It took a few steps forward, pausing when I remained still on the bed.
Its eyes turned pink and then purple before it took a few more steps towards the bed. I sat there on my knees, completely immersed in the new kitten that eyed me carefully. After a few more seconds of staring, it jumped off the floor and onto the bed, walking straight into my lap.
"Meow?"
"Hello, kitty. How are you? You're so cute. Where'd you come from?" I cooed and very cautiously picked it up.
"Meow."
It began to purr, and I moved it closer to my face where it rubbed its head against my cheek.
"Mission failed," Owen announced as he walked into the room with Luke who carried all of the food; two bowls of macaroni and cheese and a bowl of soup on the gold tray.
"Total fail. We can blame Jeremiah though," Luke suggested.
"Hey. It wasn't my fault. She's too fast! One minute I was getting her the ball of yarn to distract her and then poof. Gone!" Jeremiah argued.
"You're a she?" I practically squealed and hugged her little body against my face. "I need to think of a name for you."
"I feel like she's forgotten about all of us," Jeremiah whispered.
"Completely," Owen replied.
I heard Cole sigh. "You guys-"
"Ya, we suck. Stop complaining," Jeremiah huffed. "It was YOUR duty to watch the kitty."
That caught my attention and I glanced at Cole. "Your duty? Is she your kitty?" I could already feel my disappointment, totally forgetting the kitty wasn't even mine. "Sorry...I uh..." I trailed off and got off the bed to return the kitty to Cole who appeared completely confused.
"Oh no, Destiny, don't cry." Jeremiah waved his hands and I turned to look at him and the other two who wore worried expressions.
"Destiny, Cole put in a request with Father to get you a cat," Luke revealed.
"Huh?" I replied.
Owen quickly nodded his head. "After you passed out, we were being the amazing sneaky Jinns in Fantasia and caught Cole asking Father to get you a therapeutic cat."
Cole cursed and glared at the three. "Sneaky my ass! Don't go snooping and listening to people's conversations."
He got up and Jeremiah shrugged. "We can't help but appease our curiosity. ANYWAYS, Father was able to get you a kitty!"
"I thought there weren't any cats in Fantasia? Well, aside from Nula," I pointed out.
"There aren't. Father created her with our help," Luke announced.
"Ya! We had to go in this circle and use a bit of each of our magic and Father said some magical words and requested Fantasia's blessings in making you a cat," Jeremiah explained, using his hands to make waving gestures that signified Father casting magic.
"She ended up as a kitten, but she'll grow. She's basically like a Jinn cat. She can come with you to places," Owen said excitedly.
I stared at them and turned toward Cole, whose face was red. He glanced away and mumbled. "We won't be around all the time and as your mentor, I can't afford for you not to sleep."
"Meaning, his ass was worried you'd be sleep deprived," Jeremiah translated.
"Why do I have a feeling the whole mentor thing has noth-OW!" Owen began to comment, but Luke nudged him with his elbow and smiled.
"Don't be a dick and ruin the moment."
"Meowwwww."
I focused my gaze on my new kitty and stared into her eyes that continued to switch colors. "Rainbow."
"Huh?" the guys questioned.
"I'm going to call her Rainbow." I smiled. A droplet of water hit Rainbow's nose and she lifted her head up to my cheek and began licking it.
"Destiny?" Luke's soft voice made me smile, and I looked at each of the guys while tears formed in my eyes.
"You guys have already done so much. You...didn't have to go out of your way and make me a kitty. My own kitty. Something just for me," I whispered.
Jeremiah walked up to me and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a hug. "Destiny. You're under our care now, which essentially means we have to make sure you’re happy. To be happy means comfort, eating, and most importantly, sleeping. You've had a rough time and don't deserve any more hardship that's unnecessary."
I nodded and pulled back to meet his golden eyes. He made his way back to where he stood before, and Luke strode over and wiped my tears with his hands.
"And it's still our duty to grant your wish. Even if you're a Jinn," Luke reminded.
Owen joined me as well and patted me on the back. "Which means we have to make sure you’re safe and that you transition well into the life of a Jinn. Even with Cole as a mentor, we'll make sure he stays in his lane and doesn't trouble you."
Cole mumbled something along the lines of 'fuck you all' but came over to me as Owen and Luke moved out of the way.
"We should leave them alone and hope they make out," Jeremiah suggested.
Cole growled. "You should get out before I burn that new Givenchy suit that came in with the rest of you guys' orders."
"NOOO!" Jeremiah cried and ran out of the room. "If you burn them, I'll kill you!"
"Oh, wait! Don't burn shit yet! My new game console came in!" Owen shouted, and he, too, was out the door without a second thought.
Luke shrugged before a smile formed on his lips. "Guess I'll make sure the palace doesn't catch on fire."
We watched him leave and I looked at Cole who crossed his arms. Rainbow reached out to tap her paw on Cole’s arms and stared at him with interest.
He closed his eyes and took a calming breath, something I realized he did when he needed a moment to think. When he opened his eyes, I was left in awe at the level of passion reflecting in those galaxy orbs that twinkled with magic.
Taking another step forward, I had to lift my head up to look at him, but my eyes grew wide when his lips pressed against my forehead.
My face grew hot and, as shocked as I was, I didn't dare move. My body didn't just like the tender touch. It loved it with such intensity, my heart skipped a few beats while my stomach flipped.
I closed my eyes and absorbed the seconds his lips lingered on my skin, wishing those lips were pressed against mine.
He pulled away and I opened my eyes once more to meet his. "The world was cruel to you. People who were supposed to love and cherish you didn’t. The ones you worked relentlessly to help and please turned a blind eye when you needed them, and they hurt you. Humans in your situation would have wished for them to experience the same hurt you harbored for those 7 days. And yet, you wished to find your path."
He uncrossed his arms and his hand brushed along my cheek, sending tingles down my face and the rest of my body. "If you had wished for me, I would have come and exacted the vengeance you deserved, but you did exactly what you were destined to be. You were merciful. The least we could do was show that out of all the cruel in this world, there is good, and death is never the answer."
Those last words held so much weight to them, and I slowly nodded in acknowledgment.
"Thank you, Cole."
He nodded and moved his hand away, and I thought he'd move away as well, but he stood there. "Merciful."
I gave him a confused look, unsure of what he meant by saying my title. He turned around and put his hands in his pockets.
"Having Mercy on someone is the opposite of invoking vengeance on them. We're opposites, and you are the most compatible to me."
He walked to the door before I could register his words. He stopped at the doorway and looked over his shoulder as he spoke. "I'm going to get your quests from Fantasia. We ordered some cat stuff for Rainbow. This will be your room until the initiation is over. I'll see you in a bit and you can eat my bowl of macaroni and cheese."
With those words, he turned around and went out the door, leaving me and Rainbow in my new designated room.
"Meow?"
I looked down at Rainbow and smiled. "Ya… I think we found our new home."
For the sake of staying here, I'll have to survive the good and bad sides of being a Jinn.