Genie-Us

Chapter 6

"Ah, hell, no!" I exclaimed.

Now it really spoke of inherent slavery. He had a collar and chain to tie me up. Did he intend to somehow keep me? I shivered with dread and went to back away from him again.

"I will not lock it, nor will I enchant the chain to keep you with me. You will keep all of your freedoms. I swear it on the Genie Code." Jene sounded so sincere with his promise, but my eyes couldn't look away from that awful collar.

"A genie's pet is an actual pet! You want to put a collar and chain on me!" my screeched words grew alarmingly loud.

"This is one of the reasons why I will never keep a pet. This," he shook the collar and the chain tinkled against it. "Is why I choose not to keep a pet. To me it speaks of much cruelty and wrongdoing. No being should have its freedoms stolen."

I calmed down at his explanation. Not once did I take my eyes from that collar and chain. The collar appeared bedecked with diamonds, while the thin chain also had diamond studs along its length. He wanted to collar me like a dog, and I wasn't keen on that.

"Why is it so elaborate?" I pointed to the collar.

"The more decorative the collar and chain the greater importance of the pet to the genie. Diamonds show that you are of an exquisite wealth to me."

"Wouldn't it be better to have something cheaper? Wouldn't I have a less likelihood of someone stealing me if it wasn't so shiny?" I tried to avoid getting near that collar.

"Perhaps, but I would not wish to degrade you. Those who wish to steal know full well the punishment if caught stealing the genies prize pet." Jene nodded decisively.

"Great, now I'm the prize pig in the pen." I huffed.

"Without the collar, you have no protection. Others will see you as the prey you are." Jene said, and this time it was my turn to sigh.

"As long as you know that I'm not happy about this."

"I am not happy about it either, but there is nothing else that I can do to protect you."

Seeing the obvious disgust that Jene gave the collar eased my mind a little. If it was the only way to protect me within the Realm, then I'd have to suck it up and do it.

"Fine," I gave up my argument, and pointed my neck out. "Get on with it."

Jene approached me with a a great deal of caution. His fingers touched my neck, and tingles shivered across my skin. As delightful as it felt, I still didn't want that collar around my neck.

"Do you promise me that I can remove it when we're done?" I asked quickly.

"I swear it to you." He turned solemn, made a funny gesture in front of his forehead and bowed to me.

"Do it before I lose my courage."

I stuck my neck out again, and Jene snapped the collar onto me with a resounding click. Belief, I needed to have belief in a genie who I'd only met yesterday. Prickly anxiety gathered within me. I struggled to control myself.

Gulping in a breath took effort, and the collar dragged against my sensitive skin. I wanted desperately to tear it away from me. A foul sense of entrapment swallowed me, and I began to see red at the edge of my vision. Never in my life had I suffered from such raw panic.

"I really hate this." I said as desperate tears pricked my vision.

"It is the only way." Jene sounded upset, so I looked at him.

Distressed blue eyes watched me. It was the first time I'd taken the time not to stress about this thing around my neck. He didn't like what he'd done to me. I could see it clearly in his expression.

"I could never entrap any being. Seeing you like this enrages me more than I expected. We must school our expressions before we dare to enter the Realm." He turned serious again.

"I can't act normally with this thing choking me."

"You must. We cannot give the wrong impression. The second you enter the Realm you will have a host of magical and non magical beings watching us." He warned me.

"How does a pet look at the genie who stole its freedom?" I drawled.

"As I stated, a pet has an emotional connection to the genie. You must look on me as your saviour, your life, and the only one you care for. Give any other impression and I fear for what may happen to you."

"I think I hate your Realm, Jene. This sucks!" I pointed to the collar.

"If you wish, we may practice with the collar now and enter the Realm tomorrow. It may help you to become used to the collar."

"Nothing's going to help me to suddenly enjoy being an actual pet who's in a collar and chain!" I exclaimed.

"All I can do is apologise, but it must be this way." He whispered.

I realised that I couldn't blame Jene for this. If I wanted to point the blame anywhere, it was at Harrison who'd stolen his lamp.

Did I want to have practice time with this awful collar choking me? My answer came swiftly, no, not ever! That meant I had to go into the Realm, stare up at Jene with goo goo eyes and get through to this crazy She-Gen woman.

"We need to get this over and done with."

"No harm shall come to you, Little One. You remain, as you always shall, safe with me." Jene assured me in a soothing, velvety voice that did wonders to loosen the anxiety inside of me.

"Does it have to be so tight?" I managed to say as I moved my head around awkwardly.

With this thing on me I had difficulty even twisting my head. The collar scraped at my skin, which only dragged the panic back to life. All I could do was stare ahead of me. It was a disconcerting experience that I hated.

"I am afraid that I cannot loosen it, least others see a weakness in either of us. If you wish to leave then the sooner we go the sooner I can release you from this burden."

"What do we need to do to get to this Realm of yours?" I asked nervously, and Jene flashed his travelling orb at me.

"Before we go, what is expected of you?" he turned fiercely focused for a long moment and it was a little unnerving.

"Always look at you and never away." I recalled his rules.

"Try not to say anything either. A genies pet stays quiet unless answering something the genie asked."

"Don't speak, stay chained, and only look at you. Surely sounds like a dog to me." I huffed as I fingered the collar.

"It will end soon enough, I promise you. Follow the rules and we shall make it safely through."

"Let's go already. I promise that I'll follow the rules." I swished an impatient hand at him as the collar threatened to choke me.

Jene touched me on the shoulder. I saw the chain he held me with gripped firmly around that huge hand of his. That made me shiver. I intended to walk into this Realm with a collar around my neck and a chain held by a man, who happened to be a genie.

A man I'd met yesterday had me shackled. All I could hope was that Jene was the man he said he was. I had to believe that he would release me the second he could.

I gulped, forced down the bile that wanted to rise into my throat and nodded at him. Life as I knew it was about to change forever. Right now I wish I knew a lot more about this Realm before I stepped into it so blindly.

I blinked my eyes, remembered to stare constantly at Jene and prepared myself for the worst.