"Hi." Laurie replied not sure why he was talking to her.
"Hello ladies, hope you don't mind me borrowing her for a few seconds."
"You're the new kid, Shawn Fireawn." Katy said reaching out a hand, he shook it gently.
"You seem great, Shawn but we're not in the habit, of lending her out, she's our only dread head." Aaliyah said.
"What's this about lending out friends?" Meredith appeared at their table out of nowhere and was standing so close to Shawn, Laurie was sure he could feel her desperate little heart beating.
"Hey Meredith." The other girls greeted her.
"Hi, I'm Meredith Ashley, you're new right?"
"Yes, I am. I'm Shawn."
"Quick tip Shawn, this is a fortress of feminists in solidarity, you're not about to separate Miss Bloom so easily." Meredith replied smiling while holding on to his arm.
She was gorgeous, tall, jet black hair and impossibly intense blue eyes. Laurie could tell he was already, completely falling for her.
"I see, well I just wanted to tell you that I'm a really big fan of your dad's paintings, I actually bought one off Instagram a while back, I recognised you from a picture he has up."
Laurie immediately shrunk into herself, her father always posted the most embarrassing, out dated pictures of her.
"Oh God, not the one where we have matching hairstyles." Laurie replied and face palmed.
"Wow, I didn't think that was actually possible." Meredith said with a chuckle.
"Her father also has dreadlocks." Aaliyah said.
"Oh, well don't worry Laurie, it's super cute that you and your dad are like legit best friends." Meredith said tentatively touching her shoulder.
"Don't worry, I didn't come over just cause I thought the paintings were beautiful." Shawn knelt down and whispered, then bid everyone later and dipped.
"Oh my God, guys he smells divine." Laurie squealed after he left.
Meredith sat down next to Katy and observed them, even though her own table of friends were waiting on her to return.
"So, what do we know about him?" Meredith asked.
"Girl, it must be serious if you're asking you always have the 411." Keke replied.
"I don't trust a man without a profile pic on IG or any pics of himself online, gives me very much serial killer vibes." Meredith replied while checking her makeup in a small mirror.
"Well I don't wanna intrude any longer I just came to remind you ladies to meet me after school today." Meredith said to Katy and Keke then returned to her own table.
"Here we go again." Katy said just as Laurie was about to speak.
"You don't even know what I was about to say." Laurie complained.
"Yes we do, you think she's out to get you and only came over here to cock block like she did with Miles back in 6th grade." Eudora said.
"I'm still scarred, Miles had to transfer schools." Laurie exclaimed.
"Because his parents moved sis." Lisa replied.
"Technicalities." Laurie replied.
"Look, we're not saying you're wrong, we're saying show her whose got the bigger nuts." Keke said.
"Guys you know I'd never compete with another girl over a guy, not after Miles and me discovering my inner feminist."
"Bullshit, you're scared she'll snatch him regardless of if you try or not." Eudora said.
"Guys, it's not that serious, I don't even like him, he's too pretty, those guys are always trouble."
"I know that's right." Aaliyah agreed.
"I have to say as a feminist, I think you're just being a chicken, that guy legit just called you beautiful and you melted, remember you've been real single for a real unattractive second sis." Michelle said.
"Girl you know its serious when the virgin Mary over here, is calling you out for being single." Keke said.
"Bite me Keke." Michelle said.
"I'm going to the bathroom." Laurie said.
"I'll come with." Aaliyah said.
"Me too." Dora said picking up her makeup bag.
Laurie snuck out of the bathroom and into the boys room with her backpack when they were both in a stall.
"Um, where are we?" Ramses asked.
Laurie locked herself in one of the stalls and immediately realised it was a bad idea after he appeared.
"Bathroom. I just wanted to check up on you, I wasn't sure what to do with the lamp while I was at school."
"Bringing it here isn't a good idea, but leaving it at home would be a worst one."
"This is gonna sound weird, but I know a guy who could get you registered here no problem and you could just pretend to be a student, so you wouldn't have to be in the lamp"
They heard someone enter before he replied.
"No." he replied then went back into the lamp, she returned it to her back pack disappointed.
When she exited the stall a shadow ran passed her, she jumped frightened then hurried to the door, only to be knocked to the floor by an unseen force.
She looked up to see three huge shadowy figures, they were terrifying, the shadows never harmed her before and they've never been able to touch her before, not in her realm.
"Give us the lamp." another first, one of the shadows spoke, it was a spine thrilling voice.
She looked at them speechless, one of them blocked the door while the other two stood over her.
"No."
The shadow lifted her off the ground and threw her aside and then picked up her backpack.
"Osmo- Arthur Moses!" She yelled.
A portal formed on the floor and Arthur appeared and blasted the other shadows away then picked up her bag and threw it to her.
"Run!" He shouted fighting them off.
She ran out of the bathroom in cold sweat with a fast beating heart.
She felt unsafe and uneasy for the rest of the day, her friends could tell she was scared, but she couldn't tell them why, she's only ever mentioned seeing weird shadows to Aaliyah, but she never went into details.
Although Aaliyah oddly mentioned her family is from a long line of witches, she also didn't get into details.
The fear was surrealistic, unlike any other threat, the shadows seemed inescapable, they could show up any where at any time, what if they attacked while she slept?
She spent so long getting used to just seeing them every now and then, now she was being visited frequently and getting pulled into their world.
Maybe she could wish them away, maybe she could wish herself away.
******
"What so you mean she was fighting with ghosts?" Farley asked his brother dubiously.
"I mean, some invisible thing pushed her to the floor, lifted her up then threw her down. We're dealing with some seriously mystical shit, Farles I don't think a wish did this."
"She could be a witch." Farley replied seriously.
"I wouldn't rule anything out. Send me the ghostly goggles and the realm necklace thingy."
"They're called-"
"No one cares bro, get them to me. She's bringing the lamp with her to school, whatever is after her is after the lamp, which means they'll be our problem soon." Shawn said then hung up.
******
"You should have released me, I could've helped." Ramses said after Laurie told him what happened to her.
"That's what they wanted."
"Maybe you should hand me over to the Relic Hunters, this isn't your burden to bare."
"I know I don't know much, but I know that would be bad."
"This isn't a movie Laurie, the Relic hunters being after you is already a major target on your back, but these shadow beings could appear right now and hurt you."
"What will the relic hunters do to you, if they get you?"
He brushed his hair out of his face and leaned back on her dresser.
"Don't worry about me, princess." He replied then made to return into the lamp.
"I'm not, I'm worried about the millions of people their wishes could harm, I'm no superhero and you're right this isn't a movie, but I'm choosing to make this my fight."
"You-"
"Save it. Arthur might be sketchy, but he saved me, I'm not depending on him to always be there, I'm going to have him teach me how to use my abilities and I will become powerful." She said with her chin up and a serious face.
"You're going to get yourself killed."
"Maybe you're just afraid to get rescued by a woman."
"A woman, is that what you are now? Okay wonder woman, can I go back to my lamp now?" He asked.
"Actually, do you mind staying?"
"Why, you wouldn't be scared now? Would you, wonder woman?"
"Absolutely not, it's just if you're outside the lamp you can scream and I can come save you."
"Hah." he laughed and smiled genuinely, he had deep dimples that intensified his good looks, she threw him a couple pillows and a comforter.
********
The next morning Jaden was in her room well before the sun rose demanding his second wish.
"Jaden keep your voice down, dad will be up in any minute, you should be getting ready for school."
"I don't wanna go to school!"
"That's not an option." Laurie replied.
"He said I could wish for anything!"
"Help me out here."
"How long do you want to be away from school?" Ramses asked her brother.
"Forever."
"I can do that. Of course your parents would end up homeschooling you or you could get too sick to attend classes."
"What?"
"Wishes are tricky, a wish like that requires a sacrifice." Ramses clarified.
"This is so dumb." Jaden complained.
"Tell yah what, give it another day of thought and I'll show you how to really use those powers I gave you."
"Swear."
"I swear." Ramses replied, Jaden left satisfied and got ready for school.
"Was any of that true?" Laurie asked after closing her door.
"Yes, except for that last bit. I don't make promises and I wasn't necessarily the one who gave him the powers so I wouldn't be able to teach him anything." Ramses replied flipping through one of her magazines.
"Unfortunately for you, he doesn't work like that." Laurie replied.
"I don't know, sounds like a you problem to me." Ramses replied with a smirk, she threw a comb at him, he caught it and laughed menacingly.
"Not the face!" She exclaimed running to her bathroom.
*******************
Later that day at school, Laurie and her friends Aaliyah and Eudora were talking at her locker.
"So apparently being a part of Meredith's squad guarantees a job in your preferred field after college." Eudora said, she was chewing gum very loudly while twisting her brown curly hair.
"Her grand parents are oil tycoons, so that's not surprising." Aaliyah replied.
"So? Your parents own their own wine company and Dora's folks are legit Mateo and Victoria Lopez, she's not that great." Laurie huffed.
Mateo and Victoria Lopez were a very famous couple, both were B list actors until they got married and became a ship 'Matoria' and gained A list status.
"Girl, here comes Shawn." Eudora said then started to leave and forced Aaliyah to go with her.
"Aaliyah."
"Sorry, girl. Keep it cute with that dude." Aaliyah replied as she and Dora went to study hall.
"Hey miss Bloom." Shawn said.
"Hi." Laurie replied blushing, she thought his looks were too overpowering, everything he said automatically sounded cute.
"How are you?"
"I'm good, just headed to study hall."
"Can I walk you?"
"Yes, of course." she stuttered, what was happening, she wasn't shy, she was the one who made guys shy, not the other way around.
Then again she never came across a guy that looked like he could be the young Morris Chestnut.
"Hope you don't mind me saying, but after finding out from your dad's insta that you go here, I may have nudged my parents in this school's direction, just a little." He said and she laughed.
"Only a little." She replied laughing.
"Okay a lot." He replied smiling.
"You might be the first guy to ever admit to insta stalking."
Shawn laughed in response, then coughed.
"What's your insta?"
"I don't really use it, it's Melon_coolie." He replied.
"Is that a play on the word melancholy?" She replied looking up at him, his chin and jawline were god tier and his pecs were on hulk, yes I'd like to smash.
"It is and I grew up in the Caribbean where they call people with a little Indian in them Coolies."
"Oh no way, my dad's from Trinidad, a lot of the black people there are mixed with people with Indian ancestry, I've heard the term before, clever."
"You're an island girl, now I have to impress you, I'm Jamaican, I left early but my mom is obsessed with making sure I end up with a fellow islander."
"So is my dad!" Laurie exclaimed.
"So maybe we should exchange numbers, you know just to make them happy." He suggested smiling.
"Aren't you the good son."
"Anything for mom, besides there might be other Island girls here, but something tells me you're very rare."
"I mean I don't normally give out my number, but I can do this for dad." She replied blushing.
They exchanged numbers then parted ways, she met up with her friends and recanted the wondrous encounter.
*******
"Did you get the stuff?" Farley asked.
"Yeah, I thought I texted you." Shawn replied.
"You didn't, you have to be careful with my shit, my guy. This isn't inspector gadget crap."
"Relax, doctor do little. I got her digits today, I'll have the lamp by the sundown tomorrow."
"Don't be so sure. I checked out Artemis's bracelet, turns out it grants the wearer superhuman perception, and can return a blind person's sight only a million times better."
"There you go with your dramatic ass."
"I'm serious idiot, that guy's eye sight could rival a Orion AstroView 90mm Refractor, that's the shit they use to look at planets." Farley replied.
"Whoa, shit is going down behind the bleachers, call yuh back." Shawn said then hung up.