Chapter Fifteen: Teal Eyes

The girl continued on scowling at me with her teal-painted eyes. People around us took notice and mumbled among themselves.

The teacher raised an eyebrow at the girl in confusion, then back at the class list. "Ah," Ms. Ariel said. "You must be the new student on this list." She squinted her eyes at the list and eventually pulled out her glasses. "Bridget Williams?"

"That's my name," the girl, apparently whose name was Bridget, said in an exasperated tone. She pointed at the empty chair next to me. "I'm sitting there."

"No," said Ms. Ariel. "Someone already sits there, but she's absent today."

"Excuse me? Are you going to police where I sit?"

The teacher's face flushed red. She turned to the students, who were watching in half-horror, half-amusement. "Yes," Ms. Ariel said, her voice quivering, along with the rest of her body. She was visibly shaken up, and her attempt to seem authoritative wasn't working, even though it wasn't like this with other students. "Please, sit where I need you to sit or else I'm going to have to--"

"You can send me to the principal's office today, but you will still have to deal with me tomorrow. I'm going to sit where I want to sit. Don't stop me."

With that, Bridget stomped her way over to the seat next to mine, and plopped down like she owned it. The room was silent for a moment, but the teacher forced herself to continue on with the lesson, and eventually we were back in class.

What was up with this girl? The entire time, she was staring at me.

"What's your problem?" I finally asked Bridget.

She shrugged. "I don't got one. What's yours?"

"You keep glaring at me."

"So?"

Once again, Bridget became the attraction of my classmates, except this time she was pulling me down with her.

"Cut it out!" I shouted.

I was expecting backlash, but to my surprise, she closed her eyes and put her head down on the desk. "Okay, master," she said.

More shocked glaces I didn't need. And more importantly, more confusion was stirred up within me. What on earth was going on? Who was this girl? I was in a situation much like this before, but there's no way my hunch was right. What would be the odds?

* * *

Class ended. Finally. I had to get away from this crazy chick. When the bell rang, no one fled that classroom faster than I. I ran down the hall and to the left over to my locker. I looked around. Phew. I'm safe.

"This your locker?"

I was thrown back when I heard that voice. Literally. I jumped. "What the fuck?" I asked. "How did you--" I heaved a sigh. "Look. Just tell me what it is you want with me, and don't beat around the bush."

The way she stared at me was intense. In fact, the color in her eyes was such an intense shade of teal that it almost looked unrealistic. I didn't even know such a color could exist in someone's eyes. I've never seen anything like it.

"Look," she said. "I couldn't tell you this in class because all those people were there, but here's the deal: I'm a genie, and you're my master."

"WHAT?! You're a genie?"

"I know it sounds ridiculous and stupid, but--"

"No, no. I believe you."

This time, Bridget was the one that furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Okay? You're either really smart and insightful, or really stupid and gullible."

"No, you don't understand. Listen, as weird as it sounds, this has happened to me before."

"Other genies have popped into your life before and granted all your life's desires?" She looked me up and down. "You don't exactly strike me as the kind of guy that has had three wishes before."

"Well, I'm a simple guy. I don't need much to get by. What I'm wondering is, how the hell did I acquire you? I don't remember picking up any magical objects lately, let alone activating anything. Unless my pencil is the ultimate object that your soul is attached to."

She pointed at her face. "My eyes," she said. "These are what my soul is attached to."

I looked deep into her irises. "I . . . I see it," I said. "I knew there was something special about your eyes."

I heard a loud gasp as I said that. I turned, but I saw no one there. I focused my attention back on Bridget.

"My eyes are activated when I look at someone. Whenever I see someone, they become my last master. Unfortunately, the first person I saw since my last master was you."

"Wait, I'm confused. You aren't bound inside an object?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not like that cliche genie story you hear about in books and in movies. My rules are . . . different than most genies."

"Well thanks, but no thanks. I've got enough on my plate right now. I don't need any wishes, and I don't need any genies."

"Your desires say otherwise."

I raised a brow. "Excuse me?"

When I'm done serving a master, I'm not transported to a random part of the world like other genies. I'm transported somewhere where someone is longing for me. "Someone wishing for something big."

"I don't need wishes to make my life have meaning. You know what? I'm setting you free. I wish--"

She put her hand over my mouth. "Like I was trying to say, I'm not like most genies. It's not like the tales where you get three wishes and then we go our separate ways and live happily ever after. Nope." The teal in her eyes intensified. "You and I are bound together until the day you die."