Eva had never cried so much in her entire life. She had also never been out of her lamp for so long. Normally when a new master found her they would use their wishes quickly as if they are scared they might lose them. But King Florence wasn't a new master. He already had a genie, but Eva hadn't been allowed to meet him. Something about it being dangerous for two genies to be in the same place at once.
So Eva had been locked in her room, not allowed to come out until the king needed her to make a wish. She had a feeling she would never escape her new master. He didn't spend his wishes lightly, so Eva would be forced to stay in her room for days on end.
She was only allowed out once every new moon to create a new beast. Having to spend so much time in her room, Eva often found herself lonely and beyond bored. Her master hadn't left her much for entertainment. One book, a few papers with a quill and jar of ink, and clothes to occupy her time. Then there was the servants who came to give her food three times a day. They weren't allowed to talk to her or give her anything but food, water, and any living essentials she ran out of.
It was terrible! Being left alone with her thoughts all day! Thoughts that told her how terrible she was! Telling her she was a murderer. She was responsible for all the lives the beasts she'd created took. So many. Too many.
She couldn't stand it! Her master was cruel and all she wanted was to hide away in her lamp. But she was stuck. Stuck alone in her room with nothing to do, but cry herself to sleep. She was in a nightmare while she was awake and it refused to go away when she tried to sleep.
So she cried thinking it would make her feel better, but it only ever made her feel worse.
Eva was cocooned in her blankets when a knock sounded from the door.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she called across the room, "Come in!"
It was probably just another servant who would give her some food, but completely ignore her. When the door opened she glanced up curiously.
The boy who walked through the door was new. He was dressed as a servant, but Eva had never seen him before. He looked to be about sixteen years old, the same age Eva would be if she were a human. He had light brown hair that fell to his ears in soft waves. His eyes were also a light brown and laced with rebelliousness. And he was tall, at least half a foot over Eva.
He held a tray of food, but didn't look inclined to put it down. He instead kicked the door close behind him. That caught Eva's attention. The servants never closed the door. They were always in and out real quick as if staying with her for more than a minute would kill them.
Blonde hair fell over her shoulder as Eva sat up and cocked her head to the side.
"You can set that over on the table." She said gesturing to a long dining table at the other side of the room.
The boy nodded and walked over to the table. Setting the tray down, he pulled out a chair and took a seat.
Looking over at Eva, he asked, "Aren't you going to join me?"
She didn't want to seem as eager as she was, but she feared he would leave if she didn't do something. Eva stumbled out of her bed and over to the table sitting in a chair across from him.
"No one ever talks to me!" She was shaking with excitement and had to grip her dress under the table so he wouldn't know. "I'm Eva by the way."
The boy nodded. "I know."
Eva wanted to know his name, but he just started at her blankly.
'Maybe he needs some prompting?' She thought and smiled.
"What's your name?"
His brown eyes looked at her with disinterest. "Connor."
Eva's smile slowly faded. When it came to talking to people she had a bit of trouble and Connor wasn't making it any easier. Out of all the people to stop and talk to her, it just had to be someone who didn't really want to talk.
"So, um." She wasn't sure what she wanted to say, but she felt like she had to say something. If she didn't then he might leave. "Why are you here?"
"Well, someone had to bring you food and I volunteered." His voice wasn't as deep as her master's, but something about it made her happy. Maybe it was just the fact that he was talking to her without really holding a conversation.
A few seconds of silence Eva got bored again. "Do you want to play a game?"
Connor looked at her. "No."
"Are you going to leave me?"
"No."
"Is that the only word you're going to use to answer my questions?"
"It depends on what questions you ask."
Eva wasn't sure what would be a good topic to talk about, but asking questions was fun. It helped her get to know Connor a little better and it gave her something to do.
"What's your favorite color?"
"Black."
"Why that color?"
"It's dark. I like the dark."
"Okay?" Eva was getting a little scared. "That's... nice?"
She thought of something else that might be a better question than 'what's your favorite color'.
"Why are you here at the castle?"
"My family needs the money."
"Where does your family live?"
"Far from here in a city in the Arkenine Mountains."
"Where's that?"
"Far. Farther than you can possibly imagine."
"How do you get money to them then?"
"The people who want me here live in the same city as my family. They give them money as long as I'm here."
Eva was confused and tried to get more clarity. What did he mean someone wanted him in the castle? Why?
"So who wants you here and why?"
Connor looked at her and smiled. Eva felt she couldn't breath. His teeth were so perfect; his smile was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
"Can I trust you?" Connor's brown eyes shone as he looked at her. The way he looked at her made her feel like she was the only girl in the world. She could almost forget the terrible things she had done.
"Yes!" She squeak out. "You're the only person that will even talk to me, so really who do I have to tell."
His smile widened and Eva found herself smiling back at him.
"There's a different kingdom in the Arkenine Mountains. A rebel kingdom." His eyes glowed with the rebelliousness she had seen in them earlier.
"Will they overthrow the king?" Eva really want to ask if they could free her from her master, but that didn't feel like a normal thing to say.
"They're going to try."
Eva nodded. "Why do they want you here?"
Connor looked at her with wonder. "You. They want me to take you away from here."
Eva's heart threaten to pound out of her chest. She wanted more than anything to get away. She wanted to be free. She looked at Connor. 'Maybe he can free me.'
"You can't." She knew the words were true when she said them. No matter how bad she wanted to be free it would never happen. She was a genie. She was born a prisoner.
Connor reached across the table to grab her by the shoulders. "You're wrong. I can get you out of here. If I don't my family will suffer. I'm their only hope."
Eva's heart sank, which instantly made her feel guilty. He wasn't helping her because he cared about her. He was only helping her because he had to. She understood, but that didn't make it hurt any less. She didn't have a family. No one truly cared about her and it was likely no one ever would.
"I'll help in any way I can." She told him. "But if this puts your life in too much danger, I won't let you go through with it."
Connor narrowed his eyes at her. "Why would you care about me enough to put my safety ahead of your own freedom?"
Eva felt like crying again, but she didn't want to look as weak as she felt. "Because you're the only one who will talk to me."
* * *
The evening after Eva met Connor she finally got to leave her room. She had to go to the ballroom and release the second beast. The thought made her sick.
It was the night of the new moon; a night Eva had been fearing for days. Sure she wanted to get out of her room, but she certainly didn't want to create another evil. She had enough of those in her life already.
She walked through the halls by herself. The king didn't trust her, but she couldn't resist his beckoning. 'That's going to be a problem if Connor and I manage to escape.' She thought to herself. Even if she could get out of the castle, if the king summoned her... well let's just say her freedom would be short lived.
Pushing through the ballroom room doors, whose weight equaled the weight of the world pushing down on her, Eva slipped into the room. The room was empty except for the king who sat a different throne of thorns.
The iciness of the room seemed to seep inside her, freezing her heart and turning her emotions cold. It would do her good to not feel anything in front of her master. If he saw what she was feeling it would only bring him more joy. He was like that. Other people's pain brought him joy.
'He's disgusting. A creature fouler than anything I could ever create.'
Her master's face broke into a wicked smile as if he could hear her very thoughts.
'Let him know what I think of him!' Eva screamed in her head. 'My feelings are the same as everyone else's!'
Clutching her teeth, Eva bowed in front of him. "Master. What do you need from me?"
The man looked down at her with a joy that made her sicker than she was before. "Show me my second beast, genie."
Eva made a point to glare at him as she stood. The second beast was worse than the first because there wasn't just one. A humming swarm of wasps, twice their normal size, swayed in between them.
"They're perfect!" The king exclaimed. "Sure to kill me a dozen traitors!"
'I wish they would kill you while they're at it!' Eva hated her master, but more than that she hated herself. For being the most powerful creature in Florencia, she felt so powerless.
She couldn't do anything for herself. She would always be a slave to whoever happened to own her at the time.
Through the swarm of wasps in front of her, Eva glared at the king like she had never glared at anyone before.
A day would come when someone better would be her master; someone who wouldn't use her powers for evil. When that day came she would truly be free to do what she wanted and at that moment she just wanted one thing. One last evil thing. Eva wanted to kill the king of Florencia.