Djinn by Laura Catherine Read Free Book Online Page A

effort you put in."
    I gave her a genuine smile. First Dad actually listened to me, and now I was being praised by my favourite teacher. This day was getting better and better.
    "Alright," Miss Bree said as she made her way back to the front of the class. "We've finished with King Arthur and we're moving on to one of my favourite books: Arabian Nights. Now, can anyone tell me about the book?"
    A few uncertain hands rose in the air. I'd never read the book before.
    "Yes, Rachel," Miss Bree said.
    Rachel was the girl sitting next to me. She had a pointed face that reminded me of a chipmunk but with her heavy makeup, skimpy clothes and bleached blond hair she was clearly a popular girl in school.
    "Umm … it's the one about the boy from the streets who finds a lamp and gets a blue genie to grant him three wishes? I think he was voiced by Robin Williams."
    "That was Aladdin , Rachel," Miss Bree corrected. "And that was a movie."
    The class erupted in giggles and Rachel's face burned bright red. She was popular, but not very bright—just the way teenage boys liked her.
    "Settle down." Miss Bree silenced the class with her hands. "Rachel's not completely wrong. Arabian Nights does have genies in it, but they are called Djinn. They are tricksters who turn the wishes granted against the wisher."
    "Sounds mean," Rachel said.
    "There are other creatures in the book, like mermaids, and there is lots of fighting to survive, and stunning locals," Miss Bree said as if she were reading it in the moment. "I'm going to break you up into groups and I want you to write down everything you know about mythical creatures."
    Miss Bree began breaking everyone up in small groups. I loved the sound of the activity but the fact I had to do it with someone else wasn't great.
    "Sally, Rachel and Mia. You three can work together."
    I glanced at Rachel, who in turn looked back at me. We had the exact same look on our faces. We did not want to work together.
    "Who's Mia?" Rachel asked Miss Bree.
    The same question flashed in my mind. I knew all the girls in year twelve, and there was no Mia.
    "I'm Mia," said a voice behind us.
    I turned to see the goth girl from yesterday sitting behind me. I hadn't even noticed her when I came in. How could I have missed her? The way she looked set her apart from the other students like a beacon, which seemed ironic, given her black outfit.
    "Gross," Rachel said, looking Mia up and down. "What are you, emo or something?"
    "Shut up Rachel," I said, before I could stop myself. I didn't usually stand up for people, but I guess I knew what it was like to be the new girl.
    "Losers sticking up for each other, how cute," she said with a devious grin. "There's no way I'm getting stuck with you two as partners. Later, losers."
    Rachel rose from her seat and strutted across the room to her friends. I watched her leave. At least we wouldn't lose any marks with her absence. If anything our grade would get better.
    "Soooo, you're Mia," I finally said, like an idiot.
    "Yeah, I am, obviously."
    "I'm … Sally. Sally Fox," I said, remembering my fake name. It wasn't often I had to say it.
    "Should we do this thing?" Mia asked, holding up a blank piece of paper.
    "Sure."
    Mia was surprisingly knowledgeable about mythical creatures. Even though we tended to disagree on key points, it was really nice to have someone to talk to, and time passed quickly while we argued.
    "So mermaids are half-human, half-fish," I said, moving on to our fourth creature. "I think I read once that they were cursed to have tails. Something to do with the Greek gods."
    Mia shook her head, her black bob swishing in place. "I keep telling you, mythical creatures aren't made by curses or spells. It's all evolution. Mythical creatures are just mutated humans."
    "They're magical though," I tried to explain.
    "Doesn't matter, it's all genes." She glanced up at me, eyes framed with heavy black eyeliner. Mia kept throwing looks like she was studying me, trying to figure