"Released" (Romani Realms Series, Book 1)

"Released" Chapter Three - Part 1

Some people foolishly think that stumbling upon a Genie's bottle and unleashing her power is a random act of coincidence when in reality it is fate. The girls I was about to meet appeared to be your typical, average teenagers, but I knew that if the demon gypsies were circling, flying in their animal form – whether that of blackbird when they wanted to swoop in, or quiet as a white moth when they surreptitiously gained access to a home -- then these seemingly ordinary girls were actually quite exceptional. How their destiny would affect our world was yet to be seen, but I was sure to be a part of it. That is, if Samantha pulled through.

I needed Charlotte to get me to that hospital, but the girl had been a basket case ever since hearing about the accident. If I could only occupy her thoughts, I might be able to get to Samantha before the gypsies returned for her. Of course, I couldn't know for sure that either of the girls would be my next Releasor, and if I were wrong and I entered Charlotte's psyche, then I may not return for many lifetimes. It was a risk I was willing to take.

I concentrated on my bottle's history, the magic of the butterflies that could carry a thought on the wind, and imagined Charlotte at peace. In her dreams, she wouldn't remember Samantha's accident. She would only see herself running through a beautiful grassy field with the butterflies trailing behind her. Whereas the gypsy moths brought darkness, butterflies were used by Genies at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Charlotte smiled in her sleep. Butterflies of lavender and blue tickled her arms and she felt weightless as if she could fly next to them. Samantha was in the field too and everything was beautiful. Flowers were the colors of the rainbow. The sky was a clear, light blue and they were running freely with the wind in their hair. It was a feeling of total elation in a world of peace. There were no memories of Samantha's accident, until Charlotte's neighbor, who was looking for her cat, rang the bell and woke her.

"Charlotte dear, have you seen my Caesar? I think all of those sirens must have scared him," her neighbor spoke while peering behind bushes. "How is dear Samantha doing? Such a tragedy."

Charlotte struggled with the thoughts from her dream and stared at the woman in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"The accident. She's at the hospital. You remember that, don't you?"

But Charlotte didn't know anything about the tree, the car or Samantha caught up between the two. Her kindly neighbor explained it all patiently and suggested that Charlotte see her own doctor after school. It made no sense and the only person who understood what Charlotte was thinking was lying in a coma. With the memory of the dream I planted in her mind, Charlotte rushed to get dressed hoping that it was a positive sign. I willed her to take my bottle with her. She was just about to leave, but stopped suddenly and eyed the bottle, just as I had hoped, and thinking that it would be a nice gesture to bring it to Samantha, she placed it inside her backpack before heading out the door. She moved with renewed purpose and I had hope that she would release me in time.

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