Teenage Genie, Mom with Issues

“Jessica, are you in love with your Master?”

The teenager froze up and looked at her Mother halfway through her strange ritual test. The blonde looked down in embarrassment at how bluntly and seriously the woman asked it…

…At least at first.

The question was all she could think about. Since becoming a genie, she never openly discussed her feelings for the awkward teenager.

After all, it was a week ago since she finally remembered him.

It all came flooding back at the thought of the question as it had before. Jessica remembered her younger self as she smiled at seeing him on the other side of the door. Ran to him. Hugged him every morning and night, squeezing him as tightly as she could with her petite frame. Dragging and clinging to him as a child as they went on various adventures playing together.

Yet, she had never said it to him upon becoming a genie.

Why didn’t she say it to him?

Was it because of her hesitancy to preserve her life before her birthday? Was she scared of saying it? Why was she so overprotective, so easy to let him back in, cling to him? How far she went to trust him and confess to him was because,

“I love you, Simon!”

The next moment her eyes blinked. It was as if something had finally clicked back in her head.

She had said it before. Numerous times before. It was only recently when trying to figure out herself and their relationship as a newly made Master and genie, that she began to wonder what it would mean. It was so much easier when she was younger; she never considered it an issue. Was it the side effect of her Mother’s powers?

All her mind could do when faced with the question was focus on the moment he said it back,

“Master….”

Him on his bed next to her that night as he said it, the way he stared at the ceiling, the moment he allowed himself to finally open up,

“I love you.”

Jessica remembered the way her heart broke open. The memory made it flutter even now.

“And I can’t stop myself. There could never be anyone else. Not like you.”

She had kissed him the moment he uttered that. He loved her. He couldn’t stop himself. No one else for him would be like her. At first, she had thought it was the liquor in her system, the orgasms of her wishes, and she slowed herself down. She cared for Simon deeply but….

He could never replace her, and she realized there would never be someone to replace him. Who had replaced him? The feelings of her core self screamed back at her to stop being scared.

Simon never asked her, ordered her to say it, not once. She had never said it since they were reunited.

But Simon never needed her to say it before. He knew already. The younger Jessica had repeatedly told him that he clung to it when they were apart. She remembered how happy she was whenever she told him back then. The Queen of Eastlake could have easily dismissed it as just the usual puppy love of children. She had reminded herself in her denial phase, that was all it was.

When he confessed it, her mind was still swirling, as she remembered when she had just reacted. They were the three little words that made it all click back into place at that moment. The Jessica of Eastlake, Jessica the Child, and Jessica the Genie merged in unison.

She was whole again. Try as she did to brush it aside and let herself enjoy the ride; there was no point in denying it anymore. To deny Simon was to deny her own existence. To deny him was to deny her past, present, and future.

Jessica’s voice became soft as she ducked from her Mother’s gaze. A grin grew as she felt joy at the admission to someone. Finally, someone knew and made her confront it,

“Yes.”

The blonde’s heart swelled as she felt her body warm as if touched by the sun, “I’m in love with my Master. I love Master!”

It was the thing that powered her very being and every truth in her existence. That made the Queen of Eastlake swear herself to the unassuming awkward dork to everyone around her. To submit to him, completely, utterly, totally as his **** without having to resist. None of this would’ve been possible if she hadn’t loved Simon. If Simon hadn’t loved her, she wouldn’t have her own Mother in front of her again, teaching her the heritage and purpose of her existence.

This was fate to her. It was meant to be. Now her Mother could understand why she was so protective of a seeming mortal. That she had done what the genie in front of her had done. Maridallura had fallen for a mortal, her father, to give her life.

If she had never lost her childhood companion, Kevin would have never tried to have stolen her ring, and she might’ve even given it to Simon willingly. Jessica let out another happy laugh after she repeated it. Her body bounced with joy on the bed as if she was further energized by opening herself up to her Mother.

She was in love with her dork of a Master.

“I love Master!”

Jessica held her arms close to her chest and giggled again as the happiest grin grew wider across her face.

So why was her Mother not reacting to this? Why was the genie Maridallura left speechless?

As the cheerleader looked up at her Mother again, she instead found that the genie’s face was white from shock.

Appalled.

Fearful.

Her body slumped forward, weak, and on the verge of screaming as she whispered with her head slowly turning from side to side,

“Jessica…no….”

Jessica was confused. What was going on? Did something happen? Did she suddenly see something? Was she in danger? Why was her Mother suddenly more scared than all the other panicked moments throughout the night? The teenage genie slowly and cautious reached out to the elder Djinn,

“Mom?”

Her Mother immediately leaped away and stood up from her place on the bed. The genie covered her face with the arms of Simon’s robe. Maridallura was utterly petrified by something her daughter did not understand.

Only with her Mother’s fearful gaze did Jessica finally realize what her Mother was terrified of. Again it was Simon, and again Jessica felt annoyed by the genie’s seeming disdain for her Master,

“Is this still because Simon’s a mortal? Look….”

The genie watched her Mother suddenly flinch and pull herself away from her daughter’s reach in fright. It wasn’t because of Simon.

It was because of how she felt ABOUT Simon.

Jessica now felt her eyes fill with worry as her Mother looked at her daughter as if she were about to grow horns and transform into a demon,

“Mom?”

“You’re in love with your Master….”

Maridallura’s weak and mumbled words repeated about her feelings for Simon again made the teenager scoff in disbelief. Was this really about,

“Mom…didn’t you love Daddy? Why are you making this….”

The blonde genie shot from the wall and looked at her daughter hysterically,

“Your father wasn’t my Master, Jessica! This isn’t the same!” her Mother suddenly shrieked in a panic.

Her arms and body trembled again as Maridallura began to pace around the room in a complete, unbridled panic attack. As if the mere admission of being in love with the boy with her ring was akin to the end of the world.

The elder genie was frantic, and her words showed the strain on her already damaged psyche. She tried to control her breathing and keep herself from collapsing to pieces as the words brokenly exited her mouth with each heaving breath,

“You have to understand, Jessica. All genie…all of us…every sister…is warned of the dangers of such a bond…such power….”

Jessica laughed in disbelief, “Mom, what do you mean? Am I going to explode for being in love with my boyfriend?”

Maridallura and her messy golden locks frantically sat and knelt before her daughter as she grabbed her hands together,

“Jessica…I told you downstairs with him that our emotions are stronger. Our emotions are similar to mortals, but they are not the same! They are the same as our essence, being, and purpose!”

The genie seethed as tears broke from her eyes, and she continued to speak to her daughter, “Our pain. Our pleasure, joy, happiness, sadness, anger, rage, empathy, apathy…our emotions are not driven by our thoughts. Our thoughts are driven by our emotions! Passion, pleasure, and the things I told you before are sacred to us!”

The cheerleader shook her head, confused. Wasn’t that the same as humans? All her friends had thoughts that were driven by their emotions. Wasn’t that just a silly thing to say? Like a chicken or an egg?

“Mom, don’t humans…mortals…isn’t that the same? I know people who are driven by their emotions all the time. I….”

“You are NOT mortal, Jessica!” her Mother reminded, causing her daughter to flinch.

“Whatever you speak of, it is not the same! Our love is powerful, and it isn’t something to be given to those with power over us! Our love has brought about eternal consequences and chaos! It makes us lose control of ourselves! The sisters teach us this to protect us from what could happen! What WILL happen!”

Jessica nervously felt the sweat on her brow as she gulped and gripped her Mother’s hands tightly. Maridallura was not one for deception with her beloved child. The more her Mother realized how things were, the more Jessica saw her act as if she were in the nightmare the genie declared Simon had placed her in.

“Mom….”

The genie gripped her hands clenched tightly and refused to even look at her as she began to speak brokenly, **** to explain it to her daughter,

“Every genie that has fallen in love with their Master has changed into something dangerous, Jessica. Among the Djinn, they’re called the Guhl, fallen ones, zealots, fanatics, the daughters of chaos…because they are so devoted to the Masters they have lost their minds to them.”

The cheerleader froze as her genie mother slowly attempted to walk around her and explain,

“They are spoken of as a warning…they’re broken in, and they no longer recognize themselves as individuals. They do not care for anything else, Jessica. Most other Masters don’t even claim them in battles from their own kind because they’re considered tainted! The Masters themselves do not know what else to do besides lock them away. They do whatever they can to return to their Master or Mistress, and if they can’t…they…they tell stories of what happens to warn us, Jessica!”

Maridallura gasped for air as she continued to shake and looked up at her daughter for the first time, with her face driven to painful sobs,

“Without their Masters, they stumble endlessly through eternity in search of their lost owners! They have submitted themselves fully to their emotions and their power. They cause such destruction across the realms that even mortals know of them! The Masters themselves tell us these stories as if it’s a gift to remind us what it will be like to not be in control of ourselves without them! The sisters warn us against them! It is forbidden among almost all Djinn! No genie must ever love their own Master! That’s why I never wanted your father to possess my binding!”

Jessica sat in silence as her Mother streamed tears down her face, entirely in agony as she knelt before her. Maridallura pressed her face in her daughter’s lap as she shook her head,

“Because of him. That mortal, that BOY, you’re going to become like them! All because of him! He’s tricked you! This is his doing! He’s done this to you…you must not give in further, Jessica! You don’t know what that mortal will be capable of if you allow him to use you!”

Jessica felt her heart stop.

Was it true?

Had Simon tricked her into loving him? Was the love for her Master responsible for what she had done? What would happen to her, Simon, and everyone else because the genie loved him? Would she really become a monster because of his love for her and her love for him?

Had her ring genuinely fallen into the worst hands of all?

__Had she ruined Simon because of this? Would they both go mad?

No.

No. Every urge and voice inside her head roared back against the doubt that crept against it. That’s wrong. That’s all wrong, Jessica thought as her fists closed in defiance,

“Then they’re lying.”

Her Mother’s eyes widened in shock as Jessica frowned and glared as she took a step back,

“Jessica….”

The teenager stood up from the bed and clenched her fists ever tighter. Her anger grew as she clenched her teeth. She was wrong. Her Mother was wrong about this. The people who taught her that were all wrong! If genie weren’t supposed to love, how would they ever be happy? Her urges screamed in anger at the insult toward Simon. How could the genie dare question that above everything else?

Her Mother didn’t know how deep their connection was, and she hadn’t been there to know how it happened. If Maridallura understood anything, if her Mother truly meant that she would do anything for her daughter, she would realize her feelings. That she wasn’t raised among sisters of Djinn or in their customs,

“You’re wrong, Mom. That’s not true.”

“Jessica…”

The teenager stood up and yelled back, ever more determined to fight back against her,

“You can’t ask me to do that! I won’t do it! Not again! Not to him! Asking me to stop, would be as if I asked you to stop loving me at all!”

Her Mother began to cry again in disbelief, “Jessica….”

Jessica watched as the genie suddenly looked conflicted, as if she didn’t understand that this was more than her emotions. That these were her choices. The cheerleader gripped her fists tightly and pushed further,

“I know that’s not possible, Mom! And I wasn’t **** into everything. I made a choice! I told Master that I wanted him to be my Master! He even asked me if I wanted to stop, Mom! Master didn’t want me to do anything I didn’t want for himself! When I pushed for it, he warned me that I couldn’t go back if I chose this. He offered me the chance to stop. I refused his offer twice! I wanted it! I don’t want to go back to the way things were before Mom! I refuse to live a lie or be told what Master and I can or can’t do!”

“What?”

“The Masters are lying to you. They have every reason to lie to you! Why wouldn’t they lie to you? They do nothing but enslave and ****! My Master isn’t one of them. He doesn’t lie to me!”

“Jessica…please…you can’t….”

The teenage genie shook her head and refused, “No, Mom.”

She rubbed her hands over her face again and held back her tears as she saw how much pain she was putting her Mother through. The cheerleader summoned everything within her as she lowered herself and joined her Mother on her knees. She grabbed Maridallura’s hands again and made her Mother look her in the eyes.

“I’m so damn tired of everyone telling me what I should want and think. I’m tired of going through life and not understanding who I am. Master always asks me what I want when I want him to control me! To use me! To be at my side and make me strong again! To protect those I care about, Mom? I’ll do anything, but to be with him, I’ll do EVERYTHING.”

“Jessica, stop, please….”

The Queen of Eastlake High School would not take no for an answer. Like hell, anyone else would tell her what she could or couldn’t want. She wanted to be her Master’s genie. She believed in him because she wanted to believe in him.

As her anger became apparent, as did the sight of the terrified genie beside her, nearly begging to make her stop, Jessica felt her shoulders slump. Her mouth turned to a sad frown, her emerald eyes not understanding how her Mother could believe such a thing but knowing it wasn’t her fault. She just didn’t understand why Maridallura couldn’t do the same after showing it was possible to speak to each other,

“Why can’t you believe in me, Mom? Why can’t you believe in me like I believe in Master?”

Maridallura sniffled as she clenched herself, tears flowing as she lowered her head in shame,

“I…I….”

Jessica continued to speak openly, another sad sigh escaping her lips as the honesty emerged,

“All my life, Mom. Without you, I’d always hear a voice asking if you would be proud of me. If I ever meant anything to you? Do you know how much it meant to me when Master helped me learn that you did? Helping me discover how far you went to protect me instead of hating you? To know that you loved me after all those years and stop thinking I was cursed to be this way by a woman I never met who I thought abandoned me? Once as a baby, and again when she told me I was a genie?”

Jessica sighed as the genie remained unresponsive to her words. Not even looking up at her. It was hopeless to expect the blonde woman to change her tune. She wasn’t human. She didn’t even know how to respond to being back home. Maybe it was time for her to go back after all,

“I’m sorry I brought you back, Mom. I just...I only wanted to be with you again. I missed you...but I don’t know if I can….”

“…Anything….”

The genie on her knees looked up, her face a familiar mess of snot and tears as she desperately clutched her daughter’s hand. Maridallura refused to let go as she finally looked into her daughter’s eyes,

“I…I do love you, Jessica.”

The teenage genie froze as her Mother struggled and then finally broke open again like a dam,

“It wasn’t like my sisters told me. I loved you more than anything in the world the moment I saw and held you. I wanted you to have everything I had in this realm. Leaving you has been ****; I can’t stand it! Every moment I stay…every moment I stay, I don’t want to leave! I want to stay with you so much!”

The older blonde genie sniffled and held out her hands and speak,

“I had so little time when giving you your binding! But now I finally got to hold you, I finally got to tell you my name, to talk to you, and to see you serving a mortal! As a ****! To know everything I’ve done…that it’s all my fault! That you thought I ruined your life! I deserve to be punished! My Master will use this to **** me, to come here, to **** me to fight you and enjoy it. And I can’t do anything to stop him! He’ll defeat your mortal Master, and you’ll be…!”

A hand rested atop her head,

“Mom. Don’t cry.”

Jessica hugged her Mother tightly into her chest, “You’ve suffered long enough for me. I’m going to stop it. I know what I have to do now. I’m going to save you, Mom.”

Maridallura shook her head,

“Jessica, don’t say that. You…you’ve never battled before, you don’t know what it’s like…you’ll…I can’t let…..”

Again the defiance grew in her daughter’s emerald eyes, and Jessica made her Mother look into them to show resolve,

“I don’t care. Nothing is going to stop me from getting what I want. Because that’s who I am, Mom. Because I know that as long as I’m with Master, I can do anything. Because he can do anything, like convince a genie to believe in herself, reunite her with her Mother, and defeat her enemies at their own game. I’m Jessica Edwards, the genie of Simon Harris, and I’m your daughter. I’ll prove it to you, Mom. I’ll prove that your Masters are wrong, and then you’ll live with us. You’ll never have to be away from me again…I promise.”

Her Mother’s eyes reddened with tears, and she shook her head as she looked up,

“Jessica, please…I know…I know he seems special…but your Master…he’s…he’s going to get himself killed…you’re going to….”

“Don’t you want that, Mom?”

Maridallura felt the crush against her chest as her daughter looked at her in pain and upset,

“Do you want him to die?”

“I only want you to be safe…and happy…and I….”

“Then, if it’s what I want if it makes me happy, why don’t you want me to be with Master?”

Jessica turned and walked to Simon’s bookshelf and pulled the photo album from the shelf. She opened it to the photo of her 5th birthday again and held it to her Mother.

“He makes me happy, Mom…he always will….”

Maridallura froze as she stared at the photo, her face scrunched at her daughter smiling and kissing the young mortal boy she wanted to keep as far from her daughter as possible.

The elder genie went silent for the next few minutes, looking through the picture book and up at her daughter in shock. Eventually, her hands began to shake and tremble, and her head shook slowly in denial,

“True Master…no….”

“Mom?”

The woman shut the photo album and clutched its edges in her fingers, her head bowed once more as her voice lowered and refused to face her daughter,

“There’s a tale that my Mistress told me when I was young. Every time it was told to me, my sisters told me it was a lie. It is a tale the Masters tell their own and to their Djinn. We sisters do not believe in it. It is a way for the Masters to exert more control over us. To get us to believe it and fall to their cruelty and intentions. I know because all sisters who believed in it were lost to the madness I fear will consume you now, Jessica.”

Jessica slowly lowered herself back onto her knees as her Mother whispered to herself,

“He’s only a mortal…it’s not possible…mortals are unworthy…but…what if…no….”

The teenage genie could only look on as her Mother’s whispers grew more rapidly as the argument with herself growing. Eventually, Maridallura shook her head and then clutched at her face,

“Jessica needs this one…Jessica needs me…this one has said too much…this one is wrong…no…for Jessica…remember the vow….”

“Mom?”

The genie flinched as she heard her daughter’s worry, and Maridallura babbled quietly, “Anything for Jessica…for Jessica…Jessica!”

The blonde cheerleader flinched as her Mother finally shot up to face her and worked through her anxiety again,

“My Mistress once told me the story herself. If a genie serves, obeys, and dedicates herself to their owner over all else, one day, she will be rewarded in service of a True Master. You must understand, of all their beliefs, it is this one they hold to most. The Masters believe it to be their highest recognition to attain the mantle of Mastery over all others. However, this is difficult for them because they do not stand the sight of one another. They will always see others as inferior, so earning their respect is considered a high honor. It is said the only way to accomplish this is to achieve Mastery over us. They do this through battles to sate their egos but require a genie to be completely in sync with them. It cannot be wished for over us because we know when our magic has been used. Therefore, we cannot be made to be in unison with them, so we must be taught.”

Jessica watched as her Mother rose to her feet and continued to clutch the photo album in both hands,

“We create consequences for our magic being manifested. However, in battle, we cannot do so without facing consequences of our own. Sisters will attempt to create consequences to aid in combat or to harm. Victory or defeat depends on our ability to fight for our owners. A genie may grant a wish as intended, but unless the Master knows how to wield it, they create unforeseen consequences. Some even intended them.”

Maridallura sighed, “However, even when we create our consequences, the Masters do not seem to care. If we fail to execute properly, then we are at fault. The Masters have no need to blame themselves if they fail to win. We are punished, humiliated, and exchanged. They find amusement in the consequences that mortals leave with their wishes. They view it as giving a toy to an animal. What you’re asking me to do, Jessica is ignore everything I’ve ever known or been taught, to allow you to let your magic be wielded by a mortal with no idea of….”

Jessica interrupted her Mother’s explanation with a snort and suppressed the urge to let out the laugh caught in her throat.

Consequences? Really?

Her Mother did not find the humor in her daughter’s sudden outburst. The scowl on her face grew as she glared at the teenager,

“Jessica! I do not see what is so humorous about trusting your magic to someone as unworthy as….”

“Mom. I’m sorry, it’s just….”

The teenage genie wrapped her arms around her stomach and turned to the door, “Master is so obsessed about the consequences! It’s funny to hear someone else talk about it! He didn’t even know that we’re responsible for creating consequences of wishes in the first place until you told him!”

Maridallura’s eyes widened once more at her daughter, struck by the teenager’s reveal about the mortal boy that had enslaved her.

“I do not find the humor in that, Jessica!”

Her arms once again thrust toward the door, her face broken as the genie remained a wreck,

“You’re asking me to trust the one that enslaved you! The one that you’re committing heresy for! You wish me to expose myself to this mortal, to reveal everything I have tried to keep you from! He’s only….”

The genie struggled as she looked at Jessica, who remained stubborn and unmoved. The blonde teenager had heard her Mother say it over and over the entire night. The idea of a Master that her Mother described to her, the cheerleader knew, was what she and Simon would have to become.

“Perfectly in sync. That’s what Master said we have to be when we agreed to become Master and Genie. I must do as Master desires, and Master must use me as desired. I see him as my Master; he sees himself as the Master of Jessica Edwards, My Master, Mine. Our purpose is only for each other.”

Maridallura fell silent as Jessica smiled at her Mother after her latest response. The cheerleader smiled,

“Master has been locked inside himself. He would struggle with how to say things, his emotions, and his thoughts. I was the key; whenever I was around, I could unlock them for him. But do you know what the most infuriating thing is? It’s that somehow, because of some stupid wish, by someone around me, I forgot him. Because I….”

Her Mother interjected,

“You cannot be made to forget without knowing, Jessica.”

The teenage genie went quiet as her Mother sighed and looked at her sadly, almost understanding the confusion,

“You must understand that is one of our few protections, Jessica. No genie can be made to change themselves without knowledge of it. So you will always be aware of what has always been and what has been changed with your magic. Even if something in the past has been changed, you will know what truly happened, even if you find yourself with new memories. Only the mortals in this realm unaware of your truth will have the luxury of ignorance.”

Maridallura looked at her daughter as she drew closer to her,

“A genie only forgets if she has something to hide, Jessica. If you were made to forget, you will know that you were made to forget and by who. You can also be made to remember but will know what is real and false. This is your realm.”

The younger genie suddenly felt the doubt and anxiety creep back in as her Mother drew closer,

“But, I don’t know why I forgot, Mom….”

Maridallura continued to smile sadly as she cupped her daughter’s face,

“If your Master wishes you to remember why, you will remember, Jessica. And you will know what is real and what is false. However, we bury things deeply that we may not want to remember. We do this to protect ourselves from the pain that it brings us. I speak from experience. The Masters love to amuse themselves with a genie’s memory…especially if we react strongly to them. No matter how far we try to hide it from ourselves.”

Jessica felt her face soften as she noticed the sadness in her Mother’s eyes and voice. A great pain that had made the genie once again silent and with her head bowed. It made the cheerleader angry. Her Mother’s Master had been torturing her with her own memories.

How many taunts had Maridallura had to go through for her daughter’s safety?

However, Jessica remained quiet from the other thought that now remained stuck inside her head. How could she have forgotten? What would’ve made her forget someone as important to her as Simon?

“Jessica.”

The genie’s emerald eyes looked to gaze of her Mother,

“I…I am unsure what to do. Knowing what I do, I am fighting my nature and my urges. I want to stay, but I also want to run. After this, what must I do?”

“Mom?”

Maridallura sat on the bed as she clutched the fabric of the dark blue robe through her fingers and shook her head,

“I…I do not know…what must I do….”

“Mom,” the teenager knelt before her Mother once more and looked up at her, and smiled,

“Don’t give up on me. I need you.”

The genie looked at her daughter’s face for what felt like an eternity, and Jessica felt her Mother’s fingers graze over her face softly, if only to remember that she was real and the feeling of what her skin felt like. She smiled and then frowned,

“You have a strong heart, but your father’s strong will, nothing I can do will convince you to cease your attachment to your Master. You have already fallen. You will be punished as your Mother has been if it’s discovered what you are doing, Jessica. I’m already viewed as a heretic for desiring to be your Mother.”

Jessica suppressed the same stubborn groan and roll of her eyes as Maridallura sighed and folded her hands,

“That boy, he will need to show me greater resolve than you have for him. Although he’s a child and doesn’t act normal as other mortals, he’s more willing to risk your safety and that of the veil to answer questions he shouldn’t ask. However, he does seem to be perceptive. Your safety is now on his head, but he has helped you learn your true heritage. Until I am discovered by my Master or sisters, I will ensure you are truly prepared. Your binding should have been sufficient, but I see I was mistaken. You will need more guidance.”

The cheerleader smiled as her Mother vowed to teach her everything she needed to know about being a genie. Her admittance of at least one good quality in Simon made it at least feel like she could put her intolerance aside for the good of her daughter.

What was that about her binding?

“Wait, my what?”

Maridallura sighed, “The ring I made for you. With your emerald, Jessica. The item forged with a genie’s birthstone would be as much your sanctuary as your shackle. A reflection of the world. As with my lamp, it is the only true sanctuary a genie has from those around us; guard and guardian. A place where you are sent to recover from battle and escape once your service is no longer required.”

“Oh….”

Her Mother noticed the way Jessica suddenly stared off into space, a paused reaction that revealed that the young genie had already experienced her binding.

“Did the boy send you there already?”

Jessica shook her head, “N-No…I…I did it once by accident. People almost exposed me; I got so scared…all I wanted to do was hide. But, I touched the ring and got sucked in….”

“Oh, Jessica….”

Her Mother reached out to rub and comfort her shoulders as the teenager sighed, “I mean, it wasn’t much of a sanctuary. Just this weird voice that probed around my head and asked me what I wanted and about Master. Then Master wished me back out….”

“I see. That’s quite normal for your first time….”

Jessica looked up again,

“Mom. That voice. The one in the ring, what is it? Like a ghost or something?”

Maridallura smiled, “You have nothing to fear from it. It’s only a reflection.”

“A reflection of what?”

“Of you, Jessica. It exists because you exist. I have tried to offer more, but that is the same as with our sisters.”

Now perplexed by how her Mother was once again vague, the teenager shook her head and tried to make sense of it. So it was her, but not her?

“That just makes it sound so damn confusing….”

Maridallura smirked and let out a giggle, “Does it? Hm. Being raised mortal has made things less sensible for you, right?”

The cheerleader puffed her face and pouted in resentment, “I’m still learning….”

“Well, you will need to be taught, then,” the elder genie reminded.

The blonde genie held up a finger in front of her daughter’s face as she became resolved but continued to frown,

“Be warned, Jessica. I have very little time to teach you if I can. Your…Master…should not have summoned me, but I will admit that he was more unorthodox in his methods than most. You say that he has some understanding of our kind and the Masters that I do not know of. That already is more than any mortal I’ve encountered. So I will humor you and speak with him again, though. You know my feelings. I could trick him into freeing you instantly, but you are not set on that, and that perception might cause him to use your magic against me. I assume he is more than content with me teaching you?”

Jessica nodded her head eagerly. Of course, Simon was okay with it!

“Good. However, understand I will instruct you as I was instructed by my sisters and my Mistress. If you wish to be a powerful genie, Jessica, you must be treated as one, trained as I was by my sisters.”

“Fine with me….”

The smile faded as her Mother smiled and leaned forward with a glare, “You say that now, sweetie, but you were raised in the mortal ways. If your urges and feelings are as powerful as you’ve told me, we will see how you handle yourself.”

Jessica smiled nervously as she laughed, “O-Okay? Jeez, Mom….”

“Mother.”

Maridallura smiled as she relaxed while she sat up, “I will allow you one courtesy, Jessica. As we Djinn do not have mothers or daughters, only sisters. When we train, you will only address me with the proper vernacular. Not in the Mistress’ custom, but also none of this human or mortal speech or slang. Understood?”

“U-Um…k?”

Her Mother suddenly clenched her hand tightly, and Jessica realized the strength the genie could wield. She clutched over as her eyes widened at the supernatural grip.

“Again. What was that, sweetheart?”

“Y-Yes, Mother!”

Maridallura relaxed her grip and helped her daughter to her feet, “And will you forget that during training?”

The teenage genie quickly shook her head as she moved her wrist around,

“No, Mother….”

“Good.”