Sweet Contradiction (25 page)

By Peggy Martinez

COMING LATE 2013!

THE DAY HAD
been pure, unadulterated, torture. I’d slodged through my classes on the fifth day of school like a zombie, not even daring to breathe too deeply. I’d avoided crowds as much as possible, didn’t make eye contact with anyone, and prayed to the gods that no one would notice anything
different
about me. When the final bell rang, a bright ray of hope pierced my chest. I grabbed my backpack, already stuffed with the entire contents of my locker, and made a beeline towards the side exit of Crestview High.

I took in a deep breath of fresh air and my shoulders relaxed just a fraction for the first time all day. It was hot as hades outside, but that was nothing new for south Florida. I tucked a wayward strand of my long, ebony hair behind my ear and a small smile dared to appear at the corner of my mouth. I had done it! I had made it through the first week of school on the eve of my seventeenth birthday without anything happening. I could do this. I could be a regular teenage girl, date regular teenage guys, and just
be
. I couldn’t wait until I told mom how wrong she’d been.

I turned to look at my reflection in the glass door and frowned. Okay- so my hair had grown four inches overnight, and my boobs and hips had freakishly enlarged. I’d almost had a heart attack when I’d woken up that morning…I mean, mom had told me what to expect, but between the body enhancements, my eyes changing from a murky hazel to brilliant jade green, and my skin looking like it had been kissed by a thousand sun goddesses … well, it wasn’t that easy of an adjustment. The girl who looked back at me had the same small heart shaped nose ring, the same black as ink hair, and the same too-old-for-her-years intelligence sparkling in her eyes. But now she was
more
, and it was the
more
that terrified me.

I shifted my backpack up on my shoulder and adjusted my newly too-tight t-shirt before making my way across the side lawn of the school property. I rounded the side of the building and headed across the school property towards the sidewalk. I walked this way every day. Mostly to avoid people, but also so I could walk to the further city bus stop. My hand grazed the enormous trunk of an ancient oak tree as I made my way around it. Sometimes I’d sit under it to eat my lunch or during my free class period and read. I gazed up into the branches which stretched toward the sky in supplication and felt the same connectedness I always felt.

I’d just made it all the way around the old tree when in my peripheral vision I saw someone trip and fall on the sidewalk. My first mistake was to take a step towards the guy on the ground. My second mistake was not realizing that there were several people standing nearby him. And the cherry on top of my stupidity sundae was meeting the guy’s eyes when he turned his head in my direction.

I immediately realized my error and tried to turn my face, tried to close my eyes and shut out what was happening, but nothing could’ve stopped what had been set into motion. I was dimly aware of a few guys surrounding the teen on the ground, of their taunting laughter and their hate-filled name calling echoing somewhere in the distance. I tried to turn to see who it was, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the gaze of the young man that had enthralled me. Even when a kick landed on his stomach, the boy’s eyes remained locked on mine. A breeze began blowing gently and a green tinted fog of aura pulsed all around my body and on the ground at my feet. No one noticed the unusual phenomenon though, not even the kid staring at me. The taunts and laughter abruptly faded from my senses and the only people who existed just then were the kid on the ground and I.

I couldn’t hear the boy’s thoughts … but then again, I didn’t need to, not when his deepest desire was pounding on the inside of my skull like a jack hammer. I wanted to scream and plead for him not to do anything stupid. Not to wish for something he’d regret. For something
I’d
regret. But, the boy had been pushed way too far, way too many times. I just happened to be close by when he had finally had enough—and when he’d decided that the one thing he wished for more than anything in the world was for his tormentor to get what he deserved. I felt it the moment his desire became manifest, the moment his heart felt wish had come true. I felt it, because I’d granted it. Sometimes it sucked being djinni!

By the time I snapped out of my trance, the boy and his tormentors were long gone and I’d missed my bus. I absentmindedly rubbed a sore spot on my wrist and fished my cell phone out of the pocket of my jeans. My mom was going to freak out that I’d granted my first wish out in public and I had no idea what the consequences of that wish would be. Wishes and desires are funny things. Most people who make them only do so halfheartedly and never really believe they will come true. Those weren’t the type of wishes I had to worry about though.

The wishes that people put absolute faith and absolute passion into…those were the ones that could cause me a ton of trouble. The boy probably thought he knew what he wanted, and in that moment he probably even meant what he’d asked for…but I knew, just like all djinni knew, that a wish or desire rarely came to fruition without someone paying a heavy price for that wish.

My cell phone chimed.

Mom:
Farin… r u ok?

Me:
I guess so. I missed the bus.

Mom:
I’m already on my way.

Me:
Can we talk when you get here?

Mom:
Sure. I’ll see you in a few.

Me:
K

I sat down and leaned my head back on the trunk of the tree. I could almost reach out and touch the leftover wisps of power floating around the area. I tried not to think too hard about the boy and his wish- for his tormentor to
get what he deserved
. That could mean so many different things and could come in any form, at any time … and I knew I would obsess over the situation until it came to pass. And believe me, it
always
came to pass. Once a djinni grants a wish, it’s just a matter of time. The results of that wish weren’t going to be pleasant, and I was pretty sick to my stomach thinking about all the things that could happen because of me granting it. I sat forward and hugged my knees to my chest. What had I just done?

My mom pulled up to the curb in front of me and I got off of the ground slowly, feeling more ancient than I’d ever felt before, and unable to shake the feeling of dread that had settled into my heart. I threw my backpack in the back seat and climbed up front and bowed my head. I just couldn’t bear to look into my mom’s eyes and let her see all my fears and disappointments. She reached over and tilted my chin up so she could search my face. Her brown eyes were filled with concern and compassion.

“Oh, Farin.” She breathed softly. My tears began to flow freely and there was nothing I could do to stop them. Moms seem to have an unfortunate ability to push their children over the edge of acceptable public displays of emotion. She pulled me close to her chest and I inhaled the scent of her; clary sage, lemongrass, and patchouli. She smoothed my hair back and softly sung a hauntingly beautiful tune in Aramaic as she let me cry my soul out in her arms. When I had nothing left in me, I sat back in my seat and my mother pulled the car into traffic.

“I’m proud of you, Farin.” My head swung around and my mouth dropped open in shock. My mom chuckled softly. “No, really, I am. You are strong, beautiful, and I foresee you will be a very strong djinni one day. Just like your father.” She made a right turn and then glanced back over at me in the passenger seat. “You granted your very first wish today and your father’s entire clan felt its powerful vibration. Yes, I am very proud of you … but, I am also a little scared for you. Not many djinni come of age and grant a wish of that magnitude, a
desire
of that magnitude on their first try. Especially not someone who is only half djinni.” Her brow furrowed in thought.

“I didn’t mean to grant a wish at all.” I sniffled. I rubbed my wrist in thought. “I don’t really have a choice though, do I? That’s what djinni do- grant people’s wishes and deepest, darkest desires, no matter how horrible they might be.” I felt a sudden anger boil from within at the unfairness of being born djinni. My mother’s gentle hand on my knee calmed me.

“It is who you are. It is what you are. You will figure out soon that being djinni is not only about granting wishes. You have powers you are not yet ready to learn about, but after your birthday tomorrow, you will begin your training as an adult djinni.” She smiled at me, but my emotions were all over the place and I couldn’t summon a smile in reply. Her hand smoothed over my hair once again and she asked me the question she had asked me since I was old enough to talk. Answering them was a calming ritual and I immediately relaxed back into my seat.

“What are the three things a djinni never does, Farin?”

I closed my eyes and recited, “A djinni never tells anyone their true name, it is dangerous even to whisper into the night. A djinni never reveals to anyone what their token of power is, for if one should learn it, they would have power over them. A djinni must never, under any circumstances, pray to the Prince of the Underworld.” I kept my eyes closed during the remainder of our car ride and my mother hummed softly under her breath until we made it home.