Hi everyone,
This chapter is coming a little sooner than expected, but I really can't get this story out of my head (and I'm sure you folks don't mind) so let's get on with it.
Before we dive in, I would like to offer a little reminder of the previous event. So, if you allow me to go full TV show on this :
Previously on Any- and Everything :
While Riley Miller was somewhat bullied at his school, he did have more important things on his mind. one night he manages to stand up to his main bully (Bradley) and somehow earn Eleanor's respect (a former bully of his), though. Later, when Bradley decides to attack him with a knife things go awfully wrong. While he's about to die and see the incarnation of Death themselves, a necklace that seems to belong to Eleanor saves his life. What was this necklace? Who or what is Eleanor exactly? Was Death a mere hallucination or truly reel? There are two questions you're about to have answers for, in...
__________ __________
Chapter 2: A Genie!?
Dear Eleanor,
My sweet little girl! I'm sorry to leave you with just this letter, and I know by the time you can read this, you would have had to endure my disappearance. I asked your father to give you this along with what's inside this box on your eighteenth birthday, and I trust him to take good care of you while I'm gone. What you have to understand is that this world is much more dangerous than you think. You have to trust me when I say to you that magic exists, along with all the bestiary of creatures that usually accompany it. I am one of them, and so you are. We are both genies, which means that our soul is bound to a physical object which determines who our master is. As soon as you reach human adulthood, you're genie nature will awake and attract unwanted attention. The necklace inside this box is your vessel. You have to hide it where no one can find it because the one who wields it will become your master and will be able to ask anything from you. I can't tell you why I had to leave you, in case this letter falls into the wrong hands, but I sincerely hope you can forgive me for this.
Please, my sweet baby, please, be safe.
Upon reading this letter, Riley felt intensely emotional. First, from the amount of love and concern that were tied to this letter. Second, at the thought that Eleanor trusted him enough to let him read it. Again, he needed to understand why her feelings for him have made a so drastic U-turn. "Why do you trust me so suddenly?"
Eleanor seemed to think about it for a few moments then answered, "For two reasons, the first I can't quite comprehend. The second is my nature of genie itself."
She waited, then felt like she ought to continue with the explanations to fully answer the question. "As a genie, I must provide a complete and satisfying answer to my master."
Upon hearing this, Riley blushed slightly. "That means I'm your... your master?" he asked. He didn't know why this thought left him so flustered.
"Yes, you are, as long as you hold, or wear this necklace, or more generally that it stays in direct contact with your skin." She answered, due to the bond of her magic. She noticed that each time he asked a question, the answer magically appeared in her head. Aside from one exception earlier.
Riley was a little left agape by the news, and as always with him: each answer led to more questions. "What being your master means exactly?" he asked for the most obvious question.
Again the complete and detailed answer appeared in her head. "First, I am bound to fully and honestly answer every single one of your questions. Each time you ask one, the answer magically appears for me, and there's no room for lying or hiding information. No loophole allowed. There is one exception to that, though. It's one of the genies' rules." She started.
Riely stayed silent and tried and assimilate what she was explaining. For now, it made sense, in an unnatural and magical kind of logic, but it made sense.
"Second," she continued, "I have to follow every direct order that you give me, as long as it doesn't involve magical intervention. That would be a wish and I'll come to that in a few seconds. Again, it's the intention behind the words I have to follow, not the words themselves, no loopholes are left for genies."
The idea that he could ask anything from his genie gave Riley a weird sensation in his groin, and he couldn't help himself but have hot fantasies pop into his head. He quickly shook them off: He didn't want to be this kind of master. 'Never would I force myself upon her.' He swore.
"Third and last, I can grant you three wishes per day. There is an exception to the limitation, though. As the same as the orders you give, I can't use any play on words nor any loophole. I have to follow the intentions behind the words."
When she finished, Riley thought about everything she had said and did his best to memorize it all. Then again, the answer she provided brought him more questions. "You talked about Genies' Rules. What are they?"
Again, she answered truthfully, "They are three and very stereotypîcal. First, no wish for more wishes." This one seemed logical, not having it would open every way for cheating. "Though, again there is one exception to that." Again, this sentence brought a new question, but he kept it for later, eager to let her finish. "Second, our magic can't reach any sentient being's emotions".
This time, always the smart mouth, Riley couldn't help himself but interrupt. "Sounds a complicated way to say 'no making fall in love'" he commented.
She chuckled slightly. "That's because it's more complicated than that. Think about your first question and how I was only able to give you half an answer. That's because it was tied to my emotions, and my magic can't connect to this level and therefore can't make me know the answer.
She took a quick break to let that information sink in, then continued to, again give him a detailed answer. Her magic told her what he wanted, and compelled her to fulfill his will. "To a further extent, I am not even bound to answer this kind of question if by any other means I had the answer."
"For example, if you would ask me if Jessica, down in the living room, was in love with you, even if I knew the answer from her or anyone else directly, I wouldn't be bound to give it to you. I still couldn't be able to lie, but this time, loopholes are allowed since I'm not directly tied by my magic."
She made another pause to let Riley breathe, then summarized, "To make it short, yes, it's a form of 'No falling in love' but with many further extents.
After another quick pause, Eleanor concluded her explanations with the last rule. "Third, no resurrect the dead. That's a classic, but even necromancy can't bring a soul that crossed the threshold back into a physical body."
She stopped again and while thinking about all this, Riley realized it lacked one of the cliché rules. "What about the 'Can't kill anyone rule'?" He asked. "I didn't hear you mention it."
"That's because it doesn't exist," Eleanor explained. "We totally are able to kill, as long as the target has a body and a soul that can be separated from one another."
He thought about the implication. 'Genies can actually kill. That's freaky!' The thought of ending someone's life with just a wish gave him a shudder.
He stayed silent for a bit then thought back on her explanation about how killing worked. "What do you mean by, as long as we can separate their body and soul?"
"For example, our kind can't be killed by a wish. Since our soul
is
our body, they can't be separated from one another. This is also impossible if the soul is magically tied to the body, like a lich for example." she explained.
Riley was lost in his thoughts again. All of this was hard to assimilate. Yet, it felt almost natural for him, now that he had experienced it firsthand. After another while of thinking, Eleanor broke the silence. "Could you set me free... Please?"
Riley crossed her gaze and saw that she was genuinely pleading. "You don't like the idea of having a master." He said it as a statement, not a question. "Especially me, I suppose."
"It's not that." She interrupted. "I don't despise you anymore. It's just like you said, I don't like the idea of having a master."
Riley thought about it for a few seconds. "What should I do if I wanted to set you free?"
Eleanor felt the beat of her heart going up. 'Is he truly planning on giving me my freedom?' "You just need to willingly hand me back the necklace. Basically, nobody can take it away from you, as long as you keep it on you."
Riley stared at the necklace while pending his decision. He sincerely wanted to hand it back to her, but again, a stir in his guts told him otherwise. "I... I can't. I'm sorry." He declared. "Trust me when I say that I would gladly give it back to you, if not for that thing I've always craved for..."
Eleanor felt a chill run down her spine. What was he talking about? Was he about to take revenge for what he endured from her? Although she felt sincerely guilty for her behavior, she hoped he would have the strength to forgive her. She was relieved when he finished his sentence.
"Knowledge," he explained. "Did you ever wonder why I always happen to have a book in my hands? When you weren't occupied with taunting me for it, that is," he said with a wink.
She was sincerely impressed at how lightly he took the way she had treated him. The more she learned about him, the more curious he made her. 'Hell, was this craving-for-knowledge thing contagious.' she playfully thought. "It's because I have this need to understand."
She frowned at that sentence. "Understand what?" she asked.
"Any- and everything." He casually answered. Again, she frowned at this mystery man facade he was showing.
"And what does that even mean?" she said, eager to see, just a little, through this facade he was hiding behind.
"I don't know. I just like how it sounds." He answered truthfully. This sentence drew one of the more genuine laughs she had since her life started to go sideways. Apparently, that was his intention, because he let out a chuckle himself.
