Chapter 14:

The First Wish

A couple days passed with minor interruptions. There was nothing major. There was nothing hectic. Everything seemed strangely normal...except for the fact that Krystal was finally starting to warm up to Henry.

Inside of Henry's still messy room, there were two panting figures. A blue paw and a human hand were firmly grasped together.

"I can't believe you. Out of all the things that you could've asked me to do, you would ask me to do this?"

"Well...ya. It's what guys do these days."

"I see. So, has Master given up yet?" Krystal purred.

Sweat began to dribble from Henry's forehead but he ignored it; straining and pushing even harder, trying to force Krystal to succumb.

"I won't give up that easily. You're definitely going down!" He turned his body and began pushing from a different angle, hoping that his new strategy would somehow break Krystal's resolve.

It didn't.

"Oh, this is interesting. I would consider this cheating if you were using both hands...but I'll let it slide. I'm still not feeling it though. Barely felt a thing. You sure you're good at this?"

Her teasing remarks only fueled Henry's goal even more.

"I know what I'm doing! I've done this for while now! You're going to feel it in a second."

Henry closed his eyes and pushed with as much strength as his ripped muscles would allow him to.

But to his dismay, Krystal didn't even break a sweat. While on the other hand, Henry was sweating like an Olympian.

Henry could feel it now: the burning sensation. But he couldn't give in now.

Krystal sensed it too, magically. "I think you're losing your grip Master. I'm still not feeling it but you obviously are. It's okay...you tried your best. Just give up and save yourself the energy."

"I can't! I've got to last longer than you! Dammit!"

Henry let out a defiant roar before giving in. He finally dropped to the floor, out of energy.

As he took in large gasps of air, Krystal stood over him victorious and grinning. "You did okay Master but you're far from beating anyone."

"Shut up...you're a...you're a genie. That's not fair."

"Life never is fair. Rematch?"

After a few more minutes of panting out loud, Henry stood up and shook his head.

"I'm so tired right now that a rematch is out of the question. Remind me never to arm-wrestle you again."

"I'll make sure not to forget that Master." She smirked behind him.

"Don't get all arrogant just yet...Genie! I was just testing your strength." Henry gave a smirk of his own before sauntering off.

When there was no response behind him, Henry took a quick peek behind him.

Krystal was no longer smiling.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked meekly.

"Yes, matter of fact, there is. You called me Genie. Apparently the first time I punished you, you didn't learn the lesson about toying with me."

"Krystal...now come on. You know that you call me Master all the time and that I don't like th-

Krystal's head cocked slightly to the right and a smile cracked across her muzzle. "Let me show you just what this Genie can do."

"Oh shit. Krystal! We're friends-"

The front door opened and Aunt Mimi, followed by Uncle Pho, walked into the house. Upon entering the premises she noticed some curtain drapes tangled up against the wall.

Aunt Mimi called out for Henry but all she got was a muffled voice from the tangled drapes.

"Henry? You in those drapes? You playing around like last time with your bed sheets?"

She undid the drapes and Henry fell onto the floor in a heap. "Oh snap...I've been stuck like that for the past hour Mimi."

She put her large arms on both hips and stared Henry down mercilessly. "And just how did you get all worked up with the drapes anyhow?"

"I...I was playing around?"

"These are my lovely drapes Henry! How could you do this to my drapes? Have you no sense boy?"

"I'm sorry."

"If you want to have fun then go outside and play with your friends or something! I never see you leave your room these days. Like you always be hanging out with some ghost. What is up with you boy?" Aunt Mimi shook her head as she took the drapes to the laundry room.

Henry sulked down the stairs and into his basement; his other place of refuge.

Krystal was already waiting for him down there, sitting in his usual place behind the weights.

"You just had to get me in trouble didn't you? My whole family must think that I'm some closet freak now."

"Correction. You must mean antisocial personality disorder patient."

"Antisocial personality disorder? What?"

"It's a mental disorder. If you have it then you're more likely to be called a sociopath."

Henry grabbed some weights and began lifting them. "I'm sure as hell not some crazy, fucked up mental person."

"You don't have to be crazy to be mental. But you have to be pretty crazy to want to befriend me."

"Ya...I'm starting to think that."

Krystal glared at him.

"I'm just kidding. You know? Kidding?"

"Ya...I'm sure."

Krystal picked up two fifty pound bells and began lifting them as if they were paper-weights.

"Come on. You're so weak. Can't you keep up with me?"

"You're a fucking genie. You can do whatever you want, however you want."

"Correction. I can do whatever my master wants, whenever he wants. There are restrictions as to how the wish can be made and the results won't always be what you'd expect."

Henry tried to match Krystal's pace.

"Oh really? Well, what if I were to make a wish right now? We're both friends, aren't we?"

"Well you see...just because I can grant you wishes, it doesn't mean that I can control them anymore than you can."

Henry almost dropped his weights. "Wait, wait, wait. So you're telling me that genies have the power to grant wishes but not control them?"

"Not exactly...Only me. I do have a curse, don't forget that. While I have the ultimate power to grant wishes, I do not have the ultimate power to control every single wish that I churn out. But you only need to know that those wishes don't usually turn out in favor of the master."

"So, you aren't exactly bad?"

"Oh, I'm very bad. It's just that some wishes I have control over while others get out of hand. I've gotten used to it and besides, many masters actually deserved what they got in the end: death."

"Many but not all. That old lady by the antique store is still alive."

"She was a different type of person. She still got punished."

"And what about me? If I make a wish, will I also get punished?"

Krystal put down the weights and studied him.

He continued lifting weights and pretended not to notice.

"I certainly hope not." She finally said.

"Okay then, let's make a wish together then. I think that it's been pretty boring, don't you think?"

Krystal could only nod her head.

"Well, why don't we wish for this summer to be exciting. You know, something different?"

"That's up to you. Are you going to make the wish or not?"

"Alright." Henry paused for a moment. ""I wish that this summer was exciting and different."

Krystal smiled and then snapped her fingers. "Your wish has been granted. It will take effect immediately starting this summer."

"That's good. I can't wait."

"Well...be careful what you wish for. You might just get it."

"Ah shit."

Henry was late for class yet again. But this wasn't first period; this was fourth.

Even though Mr. Smith seemed to have changed, Henry didn't want to take any chances. Maybe it was a one-time deal with Smith? You save his ass once and he'll let you off the hook...once.

So, in order to avoid Smith's usual scouting runs, Henry took a shortcut through the old gym's locker room.

The backdoor to the locker-room was locked but anyone could unlock it with a few jams and jingles, with it being old and all.

Henry got past the backdoor with remarkable ease and had to wait for his eyes to adjust to the dimmed setting. His nose immediately picked up the strange but slightly sweet scent of a certain substance.

"Weed." He muttered under his breath.

It was no surprise that Henry smelled cannabis. This nearly abandoned locker-room harbored some of the school's worst students.

Before Henry could do anything, the lights blared to life and dazed him for a second. What he saw before him made him want to see Smith.

A group of four kids were gathered around a hastily set-up, make-shift table. There was a fifth kid standing by the light switch. There were three Mexicans and two Afircans.

Judging from the similarity in colors that they were all wearing, Henry only assume that they were a small local gang of some sort.

A tall, lanky African student drawled through his teeth. "Well naw, whad we got her?"

"Som mucho-hoto. Maybe he wan troubul?"

"Hey, I'm just trying to make a pass here." Henry tried to look menacing.

"Make a pass?" A slightly shorter but no less stockier African said; his drawl was almost nonexistent.

"Make a pass at us? Boy? Do you even know what a making a pass at someone is?"

"No."

Everyone laughed upon hearing this. Henry began to feel more and more uncomfortable by the second.

"Where are you supposed to be anyways?"

"Class."

"He says class!"

More laughter.

"Listen kiddo. You ain't in Kansas no more, get it? You in our territory now. Here's a lesson. You give us cash and we let you through."

"I don't got any cash on me."

"Oh really? Then we'll just have to take something else."

His eyes fell upon Henry's partially hidden necklace. "Say, what's that? Some silver bling?"

As he made an attempt to grab it, Henry moved away.

"Looks like you're a little quick."

This time he lunged for it. Henry threw his arms up and stopped his body. At the same time he tossed the gang member back like a rag doll.

The African stumbled before regaining his footing. He wasn't smiling anymore.

"Yo I'm not playing around no moh. You better hand me that bling before I kick your sorry ass right here an a right now."

The remaining members of the gang stood up and began to either stretch or crack their knuckles.

"Fuck no, you ain't touching my amulet."

The gang members began to advance on Henry.

"Alright, your choice then! You're bout to get your faced fucked up, motha fuc-

"You will do no such thing!"

Henry let out a brief sigh as he saw a shade of blue near the entrance of the locker-room.

"What da fuck!"

"Who da fuck?"

Krystal stepped out from the shadows and smiled.

"I am a fucking genie and I'm going to make you eat your fucking words."

The nearest gang member whipped out a knife and lashed out in fear. The knife shattered against her fur. The gang member looked with dismay at his broken knife.

Krystal laughed and flicked her wrist.

The Mexican went flying into two others; all three were unconscious at this point.

The two remaining Africans looked at each other and nodded. They both reached into their pants and pulled out a small hand-held device. Upon closer inspection Henry realized that they had pulled out guns. They had a revolver and a semi-automatic from the looks of it, respectively.

Before Henry could do anything, they fired.

Krystal's smile widened.

The metal rounds harmlessly bounced off of her fur. A couple of them actually shattered upon impact.

Then as soon as it had started, it was over. They had emptied their clip and were now powerless.

They dropped their guns and attempted to flee through the back door. For some odd reason, the busted lock decided to work all of the sudden. They were trapped inside.

Krystal raised her paw and then made a cutting motion with it. Almost immediately both gang members dropped to the floor, crying in pain.

"What'd you do?" Henry asked.

"Nothing serious. I merely severed their Achilles tendon in their right leg; they won't be going anywhere, anything soon."

"You really fucked them up, didn't you?"

"Yes...yes I d-

Krystal's right ear twitched.

"There's someone at the entrance."

At that exact moment, the screech of a metal door echoed to the locker-room and an all too familiar voice followed it.

"Mr. Kim! What are you doing here?"

"I was...merely exploring."

"Well, you know what they say: Curiosity killed the cat."

"I believe differently. I believe that ignorance killed the cat and that curiosity was framed."

"Well now, that's an interesting outlook."

"I'll have to clarify that some other time though. I'm already late."

"For class?"

"For lunch."

"I'll make sure that you get there without making any unintentional detours."

"Fine with me."

The screeching noise resounded once again, but this time it was followed by the slamming of a door.

"You know...there's one thing I don't understand. If Chris was standing there and heard the gun shots, why didn't he tell Smith?"

Henry looked to Krystal for an answer but she could only give him a shrug.

"Ignorance killed the cat. Curiosity was framed." - Mandy K.