Time For School!

Somehow it was the skimpiest outfit that became the first to be photographed. Simon would never allow himself to complain about that, though. Instead, his eyes locked on his camera. Then, his finger spun the wheel to scroll through the ending shots of the night.

He knew Jess wanted to celebrate her first moment as a pastry chef. It was a moment she was proud of. So the auburn-haired young man got into it when she told him to take some. The blonde, however, was not prepared for what that would fully entail.

He smiled at the photo of the girl of dreams. She sat on the counter of the island in her kitchen. Jessica sat on her knees, her back toward the camera, her ass facing forward, her torso turned around and holding a cherry tartlet in her hands. She had a look of innocent intentions while her mouth bit down. Some of the sauce got on her cheek, while her emerald eyes looked straight at him with curiosity.

Simon hear footsteps approach the door to the guest room. Before she entered, he snapped his fingers again.

Jessica walked in with a yawn. Her outfit consisted of a white dress shirt from his closet at home and the black thong from their previous night, Thumper wrapped under her arm. She rubbed her eye with the oversized sleeve adorably as she motioned him aside without a word. She pouted while her body landed on the mattress next to him with a proverbial thump.

“Comfy shirt,” she sighed.

Simon smiled and motioned the camera over to her. Once settled in, Jessica’s hands escaped from his shirt’s sleeves and took it to see.

“You like that one,” she deduced.

He nodded, “You look cute.”

“I’d better,” she put tersely scrolling through over shots to text to her phone, “Too risqué to put online right now.”

He smiled at her and tried to brighten her mood, “You make a delicious tartlet, though.”

A tired smile appeared on her face as she looked over, “No one will believe I made them, though.”

“I will.”

She scoffed, “Of course you will. You taught me.”

She shut the camera off and handed it back to him. He turned to his left and placed it up on one of the bookshelves for the night.

“Master?”

He turned himself back around to face her as her voice turned soft, “Hm?”

She rolled onto her side and scooted herself over until she wrapped around him like a pillow, her eyes downcast with worry.

“Do you think the Masters are going to come looking for me?”

Simon’s eyes looked up at the ceiling of her house, the moonlight starting to shine inside as it had in his. Jessica’s theory that the Iblis described and the Masters being the same thing made the most sense at this point.

He sighed, his right arm wrapped around her as he spoke, “I mean if what your Mom told you is true. Then I doubt it. They’d only come looking for an unbound genie.”

His eyes turned to see hers already looking back, and then he turned to face the ceiling again in thought.

“If I had to guess, then they aren’t fond of Earth. Since humans are lesser beings to them, that’s probably why your Mom decided on coming here. We’re a good place to hide.”

Simon turned back again to his genie. Her face continued to frown as her head rested on his torso. She stared out into space with something else on her mind.

“Jess. Are you okay?” the familiar refrain asked again.

“If we were such lesser beings, how come we can be bound to each other?” she asked resentfully.

Her face scowled as her grip tightened on him, squeezing him as he found himself again trying to come to grips with how strong she had become. She recognized it almost immediately after and relaxed her muscles. Nevertheless, her grip on him remained.

“If she was unbound, why couldn’t she have found a way to bind herself to my Dad? If she could perform it on me, why couldn’t she perform it on herself?” she asked aloud.

Her voice was confused, resentful. Even someone like Simon could pick up on what she was asking.

“You mean your Mom.”

Her head nodded slowly. Her face brushed up against his t-shirt as she did so, green eyes still staring off. He sighed and let his neck back on the pillow.

“Did they find her here?” he asked, trying to remember what she had told him.

“She said they came for her when I was a baby. Took them years.”

Years. Simon looked up and thought to himself. What brought her here to hide? Why did she think she was safe here? If she was unbound, why did it take years for the Masters to find her? Did they usually take that long? Was Jess’ Mother that good at concealing herself, or were they just not in a rush? Is it because there were humans? More importantly-

“How did she get you that box and the ring without tipping them off, though?”

Jessica shuffled around him and crawled up to his eye level for a moment. Her face was now etched with the same perplexity that he felt.

“I’m not entirely sure about that. She acted like she went through a lot of effort to give me that short time to explain it all.”

She folded her arms onto his chest and looked at him apologetically, “I’m sorry I can’t remember or tell you more, Master. You know more about this stuff than I do. I can’t ask my Mother again to let you know more.”

Her eyes looked downcast as she twiddled with her fingers atop his ribcage.

Simon’s eyes blinked a few times in rapid succession. For some reason, that didn’t make sense.

“Why couldn’t you, though?”

Jessica became confused as she flattened her arms and rested her head against them as she did previously, “Why couldn’t I what?”

“Ask your Mom,” he shrugged his shoulders as the thought crossed his lips, “I mean. Why can’t we find a way to ask her?”

The concept was simple enough from the face of it. If Jess’ Mom could contact her daughter inside their reality, maybe there was a way to get a message back out to her. Perhaps even consider the possibility of summoning her back here. She was powerful enough to reach out to Jess. So why not have Jess reach back out to her?

His hazel eyes turned back to Jessica, who had the same realization. However, after the initial moment of them widening, her emerald orbs turned downcast and torn.

“I-I’m…I’m not sure I’m ready to go through with that yet,” she responded.

Her voice sounded sad, hesitant, and even self-conscious. Her face turned back up towards the young man momentarily and then back against his torso.

“She abandoned me. Then she came back and bound me to a ring. An all-powerful genie trying to protect me, who told me to keep myself from being bound to any Master, and she doesn’t even notice Kevin fucking hiding in my closet hearing every damn word of it.”

His shirt began to feel wet, “My Mother. The woman I knew nothing about all my life finally told me why she left me, I wanted her to stay, and she left me again, and after I promised to keep the ring safe. Then I get jumped, lose my freedom, and drag you into my nightmare with me.”

He felt his chest tighten at the sound of her whispering and broken voice coming back up to the surface. She was ashamed, angry, and conflicted.

His hand reached down under her shirt, stroking up and down her bare back, trying to help soothe her, “It’s okay, Jess. It’s okay.”

Of course, it wasn’t okay. Simon was trying to suppress his own emotions for her sake, focusing on her to make sure she knew she was safe. He saw how traumatic that night was turning into for her.

“I’m not going anywhere. Okay? You know I won’t.”

He felt her nodding and clinging to him again, rubbing her face against him to dry it off.

And no one was going to get to her without going through him. He didn’t care if they were his friends, his family, threats, genies, Masters, or whatever else was now lurking out there.

Simon Harris would not let anyone hurt Jessica ever again, even if he had to become an angel or a demon to do it. Now, he stared intensely upward at the ceiling, his arms and body moving around to hold her in a protective and possessive grip.

“S-Simon…”

He turned his head as she looked at him worriedly and confused. Her hands reached up after suddenly finding herself beneath him. His shirt buttons hung open and offered an inviting view. He started to blink again as he felt her hands stroking his face. He finally realized what he was doing and moved off to her side again, self-consciously aware.

“S-Sorry, I just….”

“Simon. Please look at me,” she asked.

He turned around again and found he had pulled most of the covers off of her in the process. And there she was; her knees bent and legs bare, the black strap of her thong on her waist as his shirt rode up, the sleeves covering both of her arms completely, and poor Thumper squeezed underneath her left arm.

He blushed at the sight of her again. Her green eyes were staring at him.

“Don’t ever think about being anyone other than you, okay?”

He paused at her words as she kept herself from crying again, “I need you. Don’t let yourself become someone else.”

He felt guilty. Was he letting himself become someone else? Did he do something that worried her?

“Am I?” he asked worriedly.

She shook her head and then reached out to bop him on the head with the stuffed rabbit in her arms, “Don’t think that. Just keep being you. When I’m ready to talk to my Mom again, we’ll do that. It’s smart. I’m just not ready to face her.”

He nodded and smiled, “Okay.”

Simon pulled out the covers so that she could get underneath again with him. Her mess of blonde hair resting against her pillow next to his.

“Let’s just get some sleep,” she sighed tiredly, “We have to act normal again tomorrow.”

Act normal. Right.

That was going to suck.

6:3O AM

The alarm clock above the bed came to life above the two teenagers as they groaned awake. Simon’s eyes were opening and trying to adjust to the light that came from the windows. He could hear Jessica’s voice yawning as a body pushed up from on top of him. His vision focused on seeing his genie straddling him while holding the sleeve to his shirt up to cover her face.

He groaned and attempted to sit up on his elbows as both of them felt something off.

“Um, Master?” Jess’ voice called out sleepily, “You’re giving me a wedgie.”

He blinked and felt his fingers gripping onto the familiar sensation of silk and elastic, “Oh.”

He pulled his hand out from behind her ass and looked down to find her hand had also gone somewhere it shouldn’t. His face was still too tired to feel warm about it. His eyes squinted from the sun, and he pointed toward the direction.

“Uh, Jess? Hand.”

Sleepily the blonde looked down to see where her hand had snaked down the front of his pants. She had her eyes open wide, fully first, it would seem.

“Oh. Oh god! I am so sorry!”

That would explain why he was having a substantial case of morning wood this morning. He blinked and turned his body towards the edge of the bed as she stood up and got off first.

Jessica shook her head and moved the bed head hair out of her face to start stretching. Simon simply sat there and watched the young woman perform yoga poses in front of him to start her day. Her eyes glanced up for a moment to see her new morning spectator. She smirked.

“You know I’m going to have to pretend like I hate you’re doing that. Right?”

She finished her current pose and walked straight at him, letting the dress shirt drape off her shoulder, “Even though we both know you can’t. You’ll probably have a harder time now.”

Simon watched his genie bend over, giving him an open view of her breasts peeking out of his shirt, feeling her hands on top of his head as a soft pair of lips touched his forehead.

“That’s for keeping the nightmares at bay,” she whispered to him softly.

He watched her bend back. The choker necklace still firmly attached to her, the blonde then leaped up on one foot, stopped, and then turned toward the door, “I’m going to take a shower now! Feel free to use the one in the hallway on the left!”

He nodded as she strolled out and let out a sigh.

Yup. Today would be rough.

They would need coffee.

Simon frowned as he got himself up and grabbed his bag. Somehow he knew that shower would have to be a cold and lonely one.

7:05 AM

Thirty-Five Minutes later, he was dressed in the same pair of jeans, a spare shirt from his bag with a gamer logo on the front, and an unbuttoned dark green shirt on top of it as he hopped off the stairwell. He placed back on his shoes from his hand after a successful retrieval from the Parents’ Bedroom.

Then he thought about what to do next while waiting for his genie to return.

Judging from yesterday, Jess would most likely want to have him cook breakfast. He wasn’t against it. It made her happy.

“Hey, Jess, do….”

The house suddenly rang to life, a loud tremor that ended on a high-pitched note. If there were any pets in the mansion, it would’ve probably driven them nuts. Instead, Simon had to rub his ears from the sensory impact.

Maybe he could wish for Jess to get a new doorbell.

Or at least for him, less sensitive ears.

Without hearing anything motion from upstairs, the auburn-haired eighteen-year-old walked towards the front hall and the door himself.

Did Jess often have guests this early? She was pretty popular at school.

When he reached out and opened the door, he found himself nearly tackled off his feet in a hug—a bright sounding voice greeting him along with the sunlight outside.

“Good Morning, Brother!”

His sister’s lips were releasing against his cheek emphatically the moment she let go of him. Then, Sam’s voice chirped, sounding almost as chipper as Jess’ did yesterday, “Sleep well?”

He had to rub his face a bit and take a moment to register what just happened. Sam, however, was already moving ahead, shutting the door behind her.

“Uh, yeah,” he asked, a bit dazed.

Simon soon found his thermos being held out in front of him, “Thought you’d be needing this after this weekend! Is Jessie still upstairs? I brought some for her too!”

“Sam, you’re a lifesaver,” he thought to himself briefly as his hands snagged the thermos and took a sip.

“It’s easy to remember what you like. You’re consistent,” his sister giggled.

The young man sipped his coffee as he turned to face his sister.

Sam had her more vibrant red hair done up in a high ponytail today. She wore a hoodie with the High School abbreviation plastered on the front in a mix of school colors, her spandex running shorts showing off her long legs down to her socks and red tennis shoes.

Right, so it was going to be that kind of Monday **** for him. The one with the obligatory, ‘Hey, your sister’s hot’ mentioned to his face.

Like she even thought anyone would be good enough for her. Simon had never seen a male classmate survive her expectations and live to tell the tale.

“I thought we would just meet up at school,” he mentioned.

In actuality, it was more, ‘Hey Sam, what’re you doing here?’ that he wanted to say, but sometimes the brain skips ahead.

Sam walked her way into the kitchen, setting a bag down along with a thermos holder, “Well, at first, I was worried about you staying the night here, but then I remembered why you did it. So for the way you pulled yourself out of this weekend, I thought my favorite brother should at least have something nice!”

As his sister beamed at him, he unwrapped a hot breakfast sandwich and took a bite. He tilted his head, confused again.

‘Favorite?’

“Sam, I’m your only brother,” he bluntly reminded her.

The red-haired young woman nodded, recognizing the fallacy, “True.”

She then turned up to face him and smiled again, “But you’re also my favorite!”

Her tongue stuck out at him as she giggled, his sister’s behavior and comment causing his shoulders to slump as he shook his head with a smile.

“Well then, you’re my favorite sister, Sam. Thanks.”

The comment made her grin, and she hopped on her toes, grabbing her coffee. She leaned herself next to her brother, speaking more seriously, “I don’t say enough, Simon, but I mean it. You are a good brother. I know we have our problems, but I’m very proud of you.”

Again she pecked him on the cheek and then spun around him to take a drink of her coffee, “Enough of that nonsense. Time to drag that no-good-of-mine friend down here.”

Simon watched as his sister disappeared from the kitchen and up into the stairwell.

“Uh, Jess. Heads up. Sam’s here, and she’s pretty energetic.”

The sound of two senior girls shrieking at one another began to echo down the stairs of even the vast mansion that Jess lived.

“How does she have this energy for a Monday!” the genie exclaimed in thought back to him.

He continued to eat his breakfast sandwich and drink his coffee while he waited for the coast to clear.

“Um. Simon,” Jess’s voice called out worriedly, “Problem.”

“Problem?”

He moved back up the stairs and found his sister standing at the entrance of the blonde’s room, shaking her head.

“Honestly, I don’t see what the big deal is. You talk some sense into her!” Sam said, somewhat annoyed by her friend.

She tapped him on the cheek and moved back to go downstairs for her coffee. The young man turned inside to see Jessica blushing furiously and biting her lip. Freshly showered.

Still clothed in the outfit she slept in.

“Jess, what’s wrong?”

Her green eyes looked up at him, “I can’t um….”

The rest of her voice trailed off as she shuffled her feet. Then, finally, she clenched her face and eyes closed, speaking out with the alternative to her mouth.

“I can’t change my clothes... My body... It won’t let me.”

Oh.

Oh no.

Simon felt his eyes widening as he stepped into her room, “How?”

Jessica’s speech stuttered as she remained flustered, her own feet pacing, “I-I-I don’t know I…I tried. I could take them off to shower, but then I tried to put on something else, and my body just-just went back and put this back on! And I tried again, and it won’t come off!”

She began to pout worriedly, crying out in her head, “Help.”

He began to pace back and forth around the room, “Okay. Okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay, think….”

His hands scratched his head as he realized what was going on around the same time she had.

“The wish did this. I can’t change because I gave control over to you!” the genie realized aloud.

Simon watched as she spun around and covered her mouth with the sleeves of his shirt, a thought occurring to him, “Did my sister say anything about the way you were dressed?”

Rapidly, his genie shook her head as fast as she could, “It didn’t even seem like she cared!”

“Then I wish you could clothe yourself again!” he attempted.

Jessica just stood there. No moans. No pleasured responses. No signs of the expected results of his wishes coming from her. She seemed to become even more despondent, her eyes growing wide. He immediately went into comfort mode, even as he panicked.

“Nononono, Jess, please don’t cry! I bet there’s something to this!”

She sniffled as he pet her shoulders gently. He looked down at his hand and thought to himself about how to help her get out of this.

Or else she would have to be clothed like a doll for the rest of her life. Or his.

Simon relaxed his face as his brain went to work. Keeping her from crying was always a good motivator. Okay, he wished that she would change into whatever he desired with the snap of his fingers. That meant whatever he snapped would have to happen.

What if he just focused on what Jess wanted?

“Hey, Jess. Did you know what you wanted to wear today?”

The blonde genie sniffled and nodded, “Mmhm.”

He took a deep breath, “Then focus on that, and I’ll try something, okay?”

She nodded again quietly and took a deep breath. She shut her eyes to picture it in her head and most likely prayed for it to work. Simon took a deep breath and focused.

I desire to see whatever Jessica wants.

Focus.

Snap.

He opened his eyes again and took a peek. Nothing.

Shit. Okay, new plan.

"I wish for anything I desire to dress my genie in, to include her requests to her Master."

"Mmph!" Jessica's tried to keep her mouth shut as her hands pressed against her dresser, trying to stay standing, and letting out a weakened moan.

She turned to face him, her voice whimpering, "Please, Master. May I get dressed in my clothes?"

Okay, he took a deep breath again, trying to ignore the bulge growing from her sweet voice asking him for permission to get dressed,

"Focus again," he requested.

She shut her eyes and returned to her previous stance.

Focusing again.

Snap.

He opened his eyes again.

His shoulders relaxed but nearly brought the rest of his body down with him; his arms grabbed the backboard of her bed for support—an audible groan in relief.

Oh thank god.

Jessica was no longer in his dress shirt but the fluffy and sparkling fuzz of her white-pink sweater with a lime green tank top underneath, a purple pleated mini-skirt, socks, and tennis shoes.

“Did it work?” she thought hesitantly, with her eyes remaining closed in case it hadn’t.

He let out another deep sigh of relief and patted her head, “Yeah. It worked.”

She opened her eyes and looked down at her clothes, a smile of relief on her face as she picked up her book-bag and turned around.

“This is going to take some getting used to,” she sighed with a pout, eyes downcast.

Simon’s eyes also looked down at her floor. His eyes widened at the sight of the clothes she just discarded, disappearing off the ground. He looked up and then wondered if-

“Jess is my shirt in your closet?”

The blonde turned around from the doorway. She ran over to the other side of her bed and checked the hangars. Her eyes widened, and she turned to face him with worry, “H-How did you know?”

His face felt warm again. So he tried to make sense of it, but he had a hypothesis. Any outfit he desired for Jess, he could snap into existence. It wasn’t gone from existence afterward. So it had to go somewhere.

“I-I think…I think every outfit I create for you gets added into your wardrobe.”

Holy shit. No wonder she had been so afraid of this happening to her. He had complete control over it to the point she needed permission to wear something else. They both slumped over on the bed at the same time next to each other. Their faces were turning back to the flushed and redden state they had been the night before going through with this decision.

Jessica herself tried to speak, still processing it as she talked, “So, um. You completely control my clothing, and any time you snap your fingers, you could….”

She didn’t get to finish as he snapped his fingers.

She cringed, waiting for the result. Nothing happened. She sighed and slumped her head over as he looked down at his fingers.

“I purposefully focused on snapping my fingers, and only snapping my fingers with my other hand, while thinking for you not to change clothes,” he explained.

So that explained that, but it meant that if he didn’t think that even the simplest snap of his fingers could change the blonde’s appearance without warning. Green eyes looked at his hands after he explained and then up at him.

“So make sure you don’t snap your fingers without thinking it through, or else I’ll be paying for it,” she told him firmly.

He nodded, “Yes, Ma’am.”

She pulled herself off her bed, and he followed suit. He was still curious, though. Of course, there was more to it than just that, but that could wait until later.

7:23 AM

Jessica calmly slurped from the provided thermos in the seat in front of him as Simon found himself looking at his sister suspiciously. His arms were leaning forward on both chairs as he leaned into the front part of the car.

Sam raised an eyebrow, “What?”

“C’mon Sam, I know there’s a part where you’ll drop me off before you park,” he reminded her.

It was always the tactic before when they carpooled. His sister would make him get out of the car, and he’d walk in by himself without causing her any grief.

“Oh,” Sam realized, “I completely forgot about that. It’s fine-I mean unless you want me to drop you off?”

He raised his eyebrow and relaxed, “No, no, it’s fine. Just checking.”

“Does she seem weird to you?”

He watched Jessica’s head perk up at his question being sent towards her. The blonde gazed out the window, masking their telepathic conversation as she sipped her drink again,

“She’s happier to see you. Which is good. That’s what I wanted. Sam needed to loosen up her grip on you.”

“Hey, I’m not complaining. I’m always happier when the people around me are happy.”

She spun her head back, looking at him and smiling with a giggle, “But mostly me, right?”

“Duh.”

The blonde turned back around with a smile and kicked her feet up on the car’s dashboard, her giggling increasing from his blunt answer. He managed to smirk.

“Man, I haven’t seen you two act like this together since you were what, 6?” the observing voice of Sam made them both stop and lock eyes on her.

Right. They were supposed to be trying to act like they were before this weekend.

“This is going to be harder than it looks,” he admitted to her, “Couldn’t I just get us out of all of this?”

“It’s been fun reconnecting, Sammy! I like having my friend back. Even if I have to cure him of being a massive dork!” Jessica responded happily.

She could mask it better than he could. It was rather impressive how she could say that to Sam with a complete smile and think back at him differently.

“People are going to start asking the same questions that Sam is, people that have no idea about our history like she does. After this morning’s little ‘discovery,’ I would rather not risk being exposed. We still don’t know how people will react in person, and I’ve avoided talking to people all weekend.”

She sipped from her coffee again and looked ahead as Sam drove to her assigned parking spot in front of the school.

“Master, protecting me, my secret, and learning everything you can about Masters, Genies, and anything you can about us as my Master. That’s your job right now. I’m forbidden to reveal myself. My job is just to be the Queen of Eastlake High School and pretending this didn't happen...”

She purposefully traced a finger on the emerald around her neck and looked in his direction, “This will be useful to keep talking to one another without arousing suspicion. It’s very clever. If we get through this week intact, that’ll be a success.”

Simon shut his eyes and let out a deep sigh as he leaned back,

“How much you want to bet we barely make it through today without something going wrong?”

“Is that a challenge?”

After this morning, he had only one thought in his head, “If I’m right. You have to shower with me. Together.”

Her face began to turn red as she suddenly fiddled with the coffee stirrer from the cup holder and pushing it up and down through the entrance of the thermos rapidly without realizing the innuendo.

“Wow. O-Okay then…um….”

“As long as I don’t intentionally make it happen, that is. I’ll behave, for you,” he explained, “But if something does happen; as a result, you have to shower with me and can’t refuse.”

She nodded, “All right. Deal. As long as you don’t cause trouble. No finger snaps. No wishes unless necessary and with my prior knowledge. Nothing, but Simon being Simon.”

The auburn-haired young man released some of the built-up stress on his back as he smiled. Once again, he had their ducks lined up in a row.

Sam parked the car, and they all bundled out. Walking together until approaching the main entrance. His sister shaking her head as she walked ahead of them and stated what they were both thinking aloud,

“Well, here we go again, boys and girls.”

This would be the first time since the party that they’d have to separate from each other for over an hour or two. Simon's hazel eyes looked down at her, unsure, and the blonde did the same with her emerald orbs back up at him.

“So... I’ll see you at lunch?” she asked hesitantly.

He nodded, pulling out a pair of headphones from the side of his bag and putting them around his neck, “Yep. Lunch.”

He opened the main entrance door for her, and she readied herself for battle. At least that was what it looked like when Jessica’s face went from its more ****, unsure, and unease with him to the confident smile and wink façade of the Head Cheerleader.

Into her kingdom, she strolled, and he watched as she went further in to find her group of peers, and left him standing in front of the door.

He sighed and let the music in his headphones play, straightening his backpack as he let himself walk through into the building.

If they got through a typical day of school, it would be a successful day to be proud of.

And if it turned into full-blown shenanigans, they could only get through by wishing their way out? Then he’d get to bathe with his genie.

It was a win-win-Especially if things went incredibly off the rails in all sorts of directions.

But that wouldn’t happen at High School, right?