Even though she was the Queen of Love, she could have given the Queen of Beauty a run for her money. In her mystical form, Vanzette was truly one of the most beautiful beings I’d ever encountered. Her frame was gold, silver, and brown. Her shape was curvy. Her scent… sweet. As she floated over to me, I bowed before her as my heart calmed even more.
Before she could even speak, I felt my body being pulled backwards. Slowly, my haze began to permeate the room. This time, purple and pink smoke began to leave me as I felt myself being pulled in the opposite direction of Vanzette.
“No,” I cried softly at the sound of Quenton roaring my name.
Meeting Vanzette’s eyes, hers were just as sad as mine as she reached her hand out for me. I tried to grab it, but Quenton’s pull was too strong. Ripped from my safe haven, I was poofed back to his home. To his room. To his toxic love that was really disguised hate. Not just for me, but pretty much everyone he ever came in contact with.
As a genie, I wasn’t all-powerful. I had a great deal of it, but there were two things that I couldn’t do. Three if you counted not being able to free myself. I couldn’t kill anyone, and I couldn’t make someone love someone else. Other than that, I could literally do anything I was asked. Whether it was rewinding time or giving power, I was at Quenton’s evil disposal.
I looked around his dimly lit by candles room, and my eyes landed on my gold lamp. It was my true home. Outside of the Genie orb, it was the only other place I truly felt safe.
“Genie.” My eyes went back to Quenton’s direction. His smug smile and the twinkle in his eye alarmed me more than I was before I ran away. “I’m only going to ask you this once.”
Pulling my hands behind my back, I inhaled a deep breath and waited for what I was sure he was about to ask.
“Will you make love to me and be mine, Genie?”
And there it was. I knew it was coming. He’d been trying his very hardest to make me his ever since I became his possession. But he’d been smart about it and didn’t try to use one of his wishes. He had, over the years, tried to force himself on me. Thankfully, I’d always been able to get away.
“No. I will not.”
There was no need for me to offer an explanation or anything else. Quenton wasn’t the first master I had that had fallen for me and wanted me intimately. It was always the same – men were always becoming smitten with me. Falling hopelessly in love with me. And I would never feel the same way. Naturally I was kind, caring, and giving. I was beautiful and empathetic. Even when I was just being of service and doing my job, men thought I was trying to impress them or that I liked them.
“Very well. I’m ready to make my final wish then.” I nodded and bowed, giving him permission to continue. “For the past thirty years I’ve waited for you to see what you had in me. I’ve been nothing but good to you, Genie. And all you’ve done was take my kindness for granted.”
Holding in my snicker, I lowered my head so he wouldn’t see my smile. Quenton had been everything but kind to me. Well, I take that back – he was kind after he’d done something horrible to me or someone else.
“I wish to have just as much magic and power as you do.”
Even though I hated granting this wish, I wanted to do so before he had a chance to change his request. If he had just as much power as me, he couldn’t force me to be with him. But if he had more power than me, he could force me to be with him and do whatever else he wanted me to do. Even though I knew the world would be a much worse place if Quenton had magical powers, I had to oblige.
“Your wish is my command,” I agreed, lifting my hand to my mouth. Pointing it in his direction, I blew into the palm of my hand. Instantly, pink and purple haze began to float in his direction. He closed his eyes and smiled with his arms open. Ready to receive his power. Quenton’s feet lifted into the air as pink, purple, yellow, orange, and red bright, solar rings began to wrap around him.
His laugh grew louder and harder as he began to slowly spin around. Once he was completely filled, Quenton’s feet lowered to the ground. His eyes opened, and they were now a shining silver.
“I’m just as powerful as you now. We can be together forever. Will you have me now, Genie?”
Squeezing the back of my neck, I shook my head slowly. My hand dropped, and I took a step back before vocally answering him.
“No matter what you do, I will never be with you.”
He laughed as he ran his hands down his face. Gray, black, and red haze began to shoot from him in spurts. I took another step back, unsure of what he would do at any moment.
“All you had to do was be with me. Love me. We could have been a power couple, Genie. But you ruined that. Now, I’m going to ruin you. I’m going to show you how it feels to want someone who doesn’t want you.”
My eyes trailed over to my lamp. If I could get to it before he got to me, I could leave and not have to ever see him again. But with him being just as powerful as me now, there was a chance that he would be able to stop me. My only hope at this point was becoming invisible, grabbing my lamp, and returning to the Genie orb. Even though I’d given Quenton power, he was still human. Still mortal. Still incapable of breaching mystical realms.
Quickly, I made myself invisible and flew over to the table that held my lamp. As soon as I reached for it, Quenton grabbed the lamp and held it against his chest.
“You want your lamp? Don’t worry, you’re about to go inside for quite some time.” His hand stretched to me as he commanded, “Reveal yourself.” Without my doing, I took human form again. “I curse you to eternal entrapment in this lamp until you learn to reciprocate love. You will never be free until you know what it means to love.”
“What? No!”
I rushed for the lamp, but he’d put an invisible shield between us. My hands and feet began to turn into purple and pink dust that slowly began to fill the lamp. His curse was being granted, and there was nothing I could do about it. Even if I tried to counter it, his fresh power versus my hundreds of years use would be no match. His was sharper, quicker, and I was ill prepared.
The last thing I heard before being whisked off was Quenton mumbling, “I hope you can swim.”
The sound of water surrounded my lamp. He’d banished me to the ocean. All I could do was pull my knees to my chest, lay down, and cry myself to sleep… praying I’d never wake up. While I felt safe in my lamp, I hated being trapped inside it for long periods of time. I needed to be free!
The only thing worse than being mishandled while possessed and owned was being alone. Now, the only hope I had of being free was to be wished free or loving a man who would too love me. How was I, the giver of wishes, now wishing someone would soon love me? It didn’t matter. I was now trapped in this lamp… and trapped with my wish.
2020
Hareem
Essence, Tennessee
“I don’t want you to worry, okay?”
Lovie’s chin dipped to her chest as she pouted. She gave me a pout nod as her head nodded slowly. For the past five years, I’d done everything I possibly could to make sure that I not only protected my daughter and kept her safe but that I was never taken away from her either. With me being a goon, an enforcer, that was kind of hard for me to do.