They spent a long time being questioned by the various emergency responders. Parents came. Teachers came. It was a circus. And even though he hadn't gotten a chance to talk to the others Kyle was just as glad when he was able to drag himself home and crawl into bed. He thought he'd have trouble sleeping, but he collapsed almost immediately.

He woke up with light streaming in from the window. He was amazed at how comfortable he felt, so warm and at ease. He was a little heavy though, like something was on his chest...

He looked down. There was something on his chest. It was Jenny's chest. And he her head too, resting on his shoulder. She was fast asleep, looking positively angelic as she law with him underneath the covers. He felt his nose threaten to spray blood but he fought it back. How had she gotten in here with him? How was he going to get out from under her? Should he wake her up?

“Oh,” she said, shifting in her sleep. “Ohhhh...” her eyes fluttered open, her cheeks flushed. “Good morning master.”

“Uhm...good morning,” Kyle said. “When did you get in here?”

“You just uhm...” she trembled a little, though Kyle couldn't see why. “You just came in and fell asleep right away. So I kind of tucked you in and got in the bed with you Master.”

“Ah,” Kyle said. “Okay. So uhm, is something wrong? Are you okay? You seem a little distracted.”

“It's just...your hand...” she said, blushing.

“My what?” Kyle pulled the covers back. Sure enough his hand had once again wandered to her breasts, slipping between them in his sleep and now enveloped in soft, warm flesh. “Traitorous pervert!” He yelled at his own appendage, yanking his hand away.

“I keep telling you I don't mind,” Jenny said.

“But I mind,” Kyle said. “It's not alright to do things to people like that. It's not okay at all. And I'm not Evan.”

“But he keeps trying to do it when people do mind,” Jenny pointed out.

“Still,” Kyle said. “That's no way for someone to act. I never should have done it in the first place, and saying I can't stop is...just an excuse. And excuse a creepy guy would use.”

“I keep telling you you're not Evan,” Jenny said. “Maybe you shouldn't have done the first time, but I've told you it's alright...”

“It's not though,” Kyle said.

“Kyle, Evan is...” Jenny looked at him for a moment, then stopped. When she spoke again he could tell it wasn't what she'd originally intended to say.

“You're NOT like Evan,” Jenny said firmly.

“It's just...never mind,” Kyle sighed, sitting up in the bed. “What time is it? We should get to school.”

“It's four in the morning,” Jenny told him.

“What!?” Kyle grabbed his phone. Sure enough, it was true. There was the clock right there, and a text message from his grandfather, telling him to call whenever he woke up. Since he didn't feel like going back to sleep, Kyle decided to take him at his word and call the old man back immediately, four in the morning or not.

“What is that thing anyway?” Jenny said. “I saw a lot of people with them at school.”

“It's a smartphone,” Kyle said. “Wow, you really have been gone for thousands of years. I'll explain how it...oh hey grandad.”

“There you are!” the old man said on the other side of the phone. “I've had to go on a sudden business trip, so I won't be opening the shop for a few days.”

“A business trip?” Kyle blinked. “Where?”

“Don't worry about it,” the old man said. “Besides, seems like you've got better things to do than stack crates for an old man!”

“What do you mean?” Kyle asked.

“Did you really think they wouldn't call me?” The old man chuckled. “I'm your legal guardian after all. Or I was before your turned eighteen the other week.”

“Then where were you last night?” Kyle asked. He didn't want to go so far as admitting he'd missed the old pervert, but...

“Well when I got to the shop you were already niiice and tucked in,” he could feel his grandfather's lecherous grin over the phone. “With your genie girl all nice and cozy...”

“Grandad don't even...”

“Good job, boy!” the old man said proudly.

“Stop it!” Kyle said.

“Alright alright,” his grandfather said. “Seriously though, are you okay? I mean you looked pretty comfortable, but seriously.”

“I'm fine,” Kyle sighed. “Sorry for making you worried. But Grandad, last night I...”

There was a crashing noise from the other end of the line.

“Oops!” His grandfather said. “Gotta go boy! We'll talk tomorrow okay?”

“But-!” Kyle sighed. The phone had already gone dead. “Okay.”

“Alright,” Jenny said. “Come on, we should get to school!”

She hopped out of bed and Kyle could now see that she was, in fact, completely naked. He forced down the anime nosebleed. That was NOT going to turn into a running gag. He tried to focus on anything else as she ran around the room looking for...what was she looking for?

“What are you look for?” he asked.

“Clothes!” she said. “I put some here somewhere!”

She bent over to look in a bottom drawer it was too much. The blood in his nose shot out like rocket exhaust and his head banged against the wall.

“Master!” she yelped, running to his side. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

I'm fine, but you're going to kill me, he thought.

“I'm fine,” he said. “But this is my room remember? We gave you a room. Your clothes should be in there.”

“Oh right,” she cocked her head. “I still don't see why I can't sleep in here with you.”

“Because I already can't trust my hands,” Kyle said. “Who knows what would betray me if you were in here every night? I'm trying to remain a decent human being.”

“Not like Evan,” Jenny nodded.

“Evan's not a bad guy he's just...” Kyle shook his head. “He's just kind of bad at the world. I am too.”

“Mmmm,” Jenny seemed to think about it for a second. “Okay Master. Anyway, we need to get to school!”

“It's too early to go to school,” Kyle said. “It's not just open all the time. We can only go when school starts. If they open it at all today. We blew up the green, damaged a few of the buildings, they might decide to close down.”

“But what about...” Jenny looked absolutely desperate. “Chicken nuggets?”

Kyle looked at her for a second.

“You do realize they don't just have those at school right?” He said.

“What?” She blinked.

“They're one of the most popular foods in this entire country,” he said. “They sell them at all kinds of places.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Jenny's eyes widened.

“You can even buy them at the store and heat them up at home,” Kyle said.

The genie girl's eyes started to sparkle. Literally, little flashing lights started dancing around in front of them as she contemplated a world where she herself could control the chicken nugget flow.

“Now put some clothes on,” he said.

“Why?” She cocked her head.

“God every day you sound more like a horny hallucination I had,” Kyle sighed. He supposed if she wanted to walk around naked in her own home—and he DID want her to think of this place as home, it had to beat a cramped little lamp—he didn't have the right to stop her. But it was just so...it made him feel guilty. Like he was tricking her into something. Or taking advantage of her. “Look, I'm super hungry, and we've got some time to kill before school. Plus I just remembered something that'll make you pretty happy.”

A few minutes later Jenny's eyes were wide and bright, basking in the glow from the microwave.

“You had chicken nuggets here?” Jenny said in wonder, watching them spin in the radioactive haze.

“I forgot we had them in the freezer,” Kyle shrugged. “I mean I didn't have a reason to think about them the other night, you only discovered how obsessed you were with them yesterday. And last night we were busy.”

“Is there sauce?” she asked.

“Over here,” Kyle said, picking up a bottle of barbecue sauce as the microwave beeped. “Am I going to get any of those?”

“I'll consider it,” Jenny said, grabbing the plate from the microwave and following Kyle out into the living room. She sat down on the couch beside him and he picked up the remote.

“Television,” she said. “I've seen spells that can do this but they're rare and super complicated.”

“The benefits of technology I guess,” Kyle shrugged. “We've got a while to kill before we meet up with Tanya, so I'm going to put something on to help me calm down.”

“Oh okay,” Jenny said. “What was that thing you were watching the night you summoned me?”

“Forgotten Garden?” Kyle asked, suddenly nervous. “Yeah, listen, I like that show but...”

“But what? It looked fun!”

“Well it is,” Kyle admitted. “I mean the plot is good and the action is great, but..”

“So let's watch it! Can I see it from the beginning?”

“I mean in all honesty it's still basically just softcore porn with aspirations...”

“Please?” She asked, wide eyed. He relented, opening the app and starting Forgotten Garden from the first episode. This was going to be interesting. Especially episode five, with the banana.

Jenny got interested almost as soon as the first opening started, anime girls in short skirts smiling as they flew from the screen down towards an endless expanse of lush green grass. Kyle studied her face. He wasn't completely dense, he would have known “I'm fine” meant absolutely not fine even if Jenny had been any good at all at hiding her emotions. Which she wasn't. At all.

But what could he say? He'd only known her a few days, and it wasn't like he had a ton of experience with people in the first place. He had half an urge to push her, to make her tell him what was wrong, but the other half urge was to let it wait. Let her decide when she was ready to talk about whatever was making her upset.

“Oh wow!” Jenny said, leaning forwards and staring at the screen. “Her hair is so beautiful! Do you think I could do that?”

Her hair turned the pale green of Kimiko's on the show, and just like that waiting won. He wanted to know what was wrong, but she looked so happy in that moment trying to twist her hair to match the complicated twirls of an anime character he didn't have the heart to make her talk about serious things. Even if he did have to disappoint her by pointing out that even if magic could achieve the hair she was trying to mimic, it would draw to much attention out in public.

Which was where they were just a short while later, walking not to school, but to Tanya's house. School was indeed closed, but Tanya had sent them a time and an address to meet. Kyle hadn't been able to get in touch with anyone else, which was...worrying, but he'd swing by and talk to them as soon as he got a chance.

For now, he wanted answers from Tanya. And he was enjoying walking with Jenny.

“...and mermaid's don't really work like that,” Jenny said. “Or at least they didn't last time I was out of the lamp. But they said this was taking place in...it's called Japan? That's far out in the east right? I guess maybe these are eastern mermaids. Come to think of it we're farther out in the West than I even thought there were any continents, so that could make sense. And I love the way Oyuki flows around in that dress with the snow...”

“I'll be honest I'm kind of surprised you were so into it,” Kyle said.

“It was fun!” Jenny said. “I want to know what happens with Kei and all the girls next! You said there's how many more episodes? Fifty?”

“Fifty one, and the new season just started.” Kyle shook his head. “And the harem aspect doesn't bother you?”

“There's going to be a harem?” Jenny said. “Well I suppose that makes sense. Though I can't picture Kimiko standing for it.”

“Kimiko is already standing for him making out with Oyuki,” Kyle pointed out.

“So what, that means she's just going to let him lock her up?”

Kyle paused a moment. Then he took out his phone and looked up the word “Harem.”

“A sequestered and isolated area for keeping wives, pre pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, and female slaves away from the public!?” he read with growing alarm.

“Basically a barn for your wives. I can't picture Kimiko putting up with anything like that.”

“Okay well the modern use of the word is kinda different,” Kyle said. He took a moment to explain.

She looked at him and blinked.

“So by harem you just mean lots of girlfriends and wives?” she asked. “Why would it bother me?” She asked. “Tons of people have....harems. Even if that's not how I'm used to using the word. And at least Kei is meeting the girls and collecting them for love instead of just buying them.”

“Wait,” Kyle said, rubbing his temples. “Wait, just, wait a second.”

There was a moment's pause.

“Are you going to ask me a question?”

“No I'm just trying to suppress the headache,” Kyle explained. “The culture shock thing can really reach up and get you sometimes. Listen, Jenny, something you should probably know. Harem's aren't common anymore. Not for most of the world, anyway, and definitely not in this country.”

“Really?” Jenny shook her head. “I suppose that makes some of the stuff I've seen make sense, but...really?”

“It's not even legal in this country to be married to more than one person,” Kyle said. “It's a crime. It's called Bigamy. I know there are people who do it anyway, some religions like the Mormons do it, and I think there might be special legal exceptions for them but mostly it's not a thing.”

Jenny cocked her head in thought for a moment.

“I mean I believe you,” Jenny said. “It's just kind of hard for me, you know? Last time I was out of the lamp harems were all over the place. Even a merchant who only owned a small market stall probably had at least two wives. It was just...how things worked. I wonder if it's still legal in Uzbedi? I wonder if I'd recognize anything there anymore.”

She slumped, and he found himself putting an arm round her shoulder. His brain screamed at him, not in adolescent lust but in panic, absolutely certain she would slither away from his touch. But instead she leaned into his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Come on,” he said, pointing to a dark blue roof sticking up over the other houses. “I'm pretty sure that's Tanya's place, we should hurry up. Don't want to keep everyone waiting.”

It would be very pleasant to find an excuse for Danny O'Brien.

Poverty is a classic. Crushing poverty, crushing hard enough to stamp coal into diamonds. Poverty so crushing it makes a man's soul hard and cruel, because he had to to survive the weight. But while that does happen, Danny O'Brien had never experience poverty of any sort. Oh his family wasn't the richest in Rolling Hills, but poverty was a far distance away from the quiet suburban home in which he had live all his life,

Bad parents are popular these days. Always were, really. Parents who are neglectful or cruel, a father to beats and resorts to the belt, an upbringing of cruelty and violence building him into a cruel and violent man because that is all he knows of the world. And once again, not so. Danny's parents could in no way be described as abusive or neglectful.

The opposite then. A doting mother and father who can see no wrong in their perfect boy, who ignore the signs of his cruelty, who do not punish when he should be punished. Who follow the first basic duty of a parent, to keep their child fed and safe, while ignoring the second, to show their child what it means to live and be a person. Another kind of neglect, really, and this one very likely to produce a villain in the real world. But once again, not applicable to the story of Danny O'Brien.

The truth was, Danny O'Brien was a jerk.

It really wasn't more complicated than that. Danny was a jerk. He woke each morning and chose cruelty and violence, no outside input needed. He would occasionally be caught, and punished by the school or his parents, but he took these punishments as the cost of doing business and living life the way he preferred. With his foot pressed into someone's face. And if perhaps there was something darker there, something twisted and horrible Kyle had once seen behind his eyes over the corpse of a tortured dragonfly, then that was something he'd been born with too, and it lay relatively quiet inside of him.

For now.

When he woke up that morning there were loud voices downstairs. Something must be up. He rolled out of bed and headed down to find his sister still eating at the table and his father pacing back and forth on the phone.

“And I'm telling you there was some kind of explosion over here too!” his father insisted. “I mean I can see the smoke through my window right now.”

“Morning jerk,” his sister said.

“Morning loser,” he shot back. “What's going on?”

“There was a gas explosion at the highschool,” she shrugged. “ And something happened on our street too. Look see? Dad's right you can see the smoke. I think Dad's worried the gas lines over this way are busted like they were at the school.”

“I appreciate that you're checking the entire system,” Danny's father was saying. “I should hope you're checking the entire system. I'm just saying when there was a big bang last night and I can see smoke rising in the air it makes more sense to check this part of the system first.”

Danny shrugged. Troubles with the gas system weren't his problem, and he couldn't find any advantage to interfering with them, so he didn't feel any particular urge to get involved. He sat down, ate his breakfast, and then tried to decide what he was going to do for today. Go to class, probably. He actually did that most days. But maybe he could take a nap first. He headed back upstairs to catch a little more sleep.

As he lay down and closed his eyes, he dreamed he heard a voice.

Hey kid the voice said. Hey I wanna talk to you for a second.

“What? Why?” Danny mumbled. There was something wrong about the voice, something ugly.

Because I'm dying the voice told him. And I wanna make you an offer. There's a lot worse than death, so I can't just check out, and you might like what I've to suggest.

“No,” Danny mumbled. “You're creepy. Shut up.”

Okay kid the voice said. I can hold out for a couple more days. Even weeks maybe. But you smell like you're gonna take it, eventually. Besides, we got an enemy in common.

Danny grumbled a curse word and rolled over in bed. He was facing away from the closet, but even if he'd rolled the other way his eyes were closed. He probably never would have seen the dull burning orange light fade away, as if something that glowed with inner firer had taken a few steps back away from the door.