Chapter 13:

Morbid Warnings

As soon as Henry got home he was almost immediately confronted by Krystal.

"What were you thinking!?"

"I...what?" Henry wasn't too sure on how to answer her abrupt question.

"You could've died! Why weren't you focused on the pedestrian signs?" She yelled at him.

"Does it matter? You still saved me in time."

"You crass human!" Krystal picked him up and pressed him against the wall. "What if I wasn't able to get to you in time? What if I was still wallowing in my own self pity, oblivious to the events happening outside? I would be crippled right now or worse: dead."

He deflected the argument. "But...you're not crippled or dead."

She glared at him for a minute longer before sighing and letting him go.

"It's much more serious than you believe it to be. Whenever I am forced to take action, to place myself in potential harm's way, I am revealed to anyone who happens to be watching."

"Wait...but you told me that no one can see you except for-

"That's only if I'm in a dormant state, void of any physical exertions."

Henry paused a moment and took a deep breath before apologizing.

"The only thing I can do is say sorry, I guess."

She pulled her paws back and quietly sat down in his computer chair. "I forgive you...this once."

Henry let out his breath, which he didn't even know he was holding in. He finally sat down next to Krystal and an awkward moment of silence ensued.

After a couple more minutes passed by of fidgeting and staring, Henry finally broke the silence.

"So...do you listen to music?"

Krystal gave him a blank stare which was equally matched by Henry's incredulous stare.

"You know? Music? Instrumentals, rap, rock-

"I know what music is! I'm not some dimwit." Krystal snapped at him. "But no...I haven't listened to music in the past century or so."

"You can't be serious? You don't listen to music? What the hell?"

"It's not that I don't listen to it...it's just that I've never been exposed to it regularly. I vaguely remember some of Mozart's and Beethoven's compositions."

"Mozart? Beethoven? Who?"

"Composers from Germany during the 18th century."

"Oh...well did you find any music from the Internet that you liked? You know, like today's music?"

"If you mean contemporary techno dance music, then no. I didn't bother listening to it at all...not that I had the interest to listen through every single song out there."

Henry pulled up Mozilla and turned the keyboard toward Krystal. "Why don't you find some music that you like and then we can both listen to it."

Krystal's eyes darted from the computer screen and then back to Henry's eager face.

She seemed very reluctant and tense. "If you truly-

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Henry said sensing her reluctance.

Krystal scrunched up her muzzle and happened to bite the bottom of her muzzle at the same time. After about a minute she finally pushed the keyboard back into the desk.

Henry sighed and planted his right elbow on the desk. "Well...what do you want to do-

"I never said that I didn't want to do what you requested. I am merely using a different method than suggested."

Krystal placed her paw on the desktop and immediately fell into a deep trance of some sort.

Henry noticed two things change immediately on his monitor. One: Thousands of windows began to surface and close at the same time; he was seeing Krystal travel through the Internet at unbelievable speeds. Two: While Krystal was in her trance, her physical body slowly slid towards Henry; her head finally resting on his shoulder.

Her paw seemed glued to the desktop's metal casing and she didn't seem to notice this at all; or maybe, perhaps, she gave no indication of noticing.

Henry's two speakers emitted a low, fuzzy white-noise. Then the choruses of arbitrarily chosen songs began playing.

All is lost again. But I'm not giving in. I will not bow! I will not break! I will shut the world away! I will not fall! I will not fade! I will take your breath away!

And in a matter of seconds it was gone just as quickly as it was played.

Another chorus of a song ensued almost immediately after the first. I've been looking for a lifeline! For what seems like a lifetime! I'm drowning in the pain! Breaking down again! Looking for a lifeline!

And then another. The beast and the harlot! She's a dwelling place for demons. She's a cage for every unclean spirit, every filthy bird and makes us drink the poisoned wine to fornicating with our kings. Fallen now is Babylon the Great!

And yet another. Get up! Come on get down with the sickness! Get up! Come on get down with the sickness! Get up! Come on get down with the sickness! G-

Suddenly, for some strange reason, her paw slipped off the desktop and the music was abruptly cut off. She just then noticed that her head had been resting against Henry's shoulder for the duration of the musical session. Her facial features seemed a bit troubled.

"What's the matter?"

Krystal disappeared right before Henry without answering his question; he sat there dumbfounded. A split-second later the doorbell rang.

Henry took his time down the hallway before eventually unlocking the door. It was Chris.

He stood at the door and regarded Henry with a terse stare. The staring contest lasted a couple seconds.

"Hey...uh, what's up?"

"Nothing much."

"So...there anything you needed?"

"Nothing really...just thought I'd drop by for a second."

This was definitely awkward and unusual. Chris normally never came to his house; if anything, he always gave reasons why he couldn't come over.

"You should've called me or something."

"Oh..."

A pause.

Suddenly Chris remembered his manners."Sorry." Which was quickly followed by "Can I come in?"

Another slight pause.

"Uh-ya. Sure."

Chris walked in and surveyed the living room closely, almost as if he was looking for something in particular. He slowly made his way into the kitchen and equally scrutinized the objects hanging from the walls.

"You want a drink?" Henry asked.

"No thanks. Can I check out your room?"

"No...its messy and I don't want you to in my personal space."

Chris's right eye brow rose and he gave Henry a stone cold stare straight in the eye.

"You sure it's not because you don't want me in someone else's personal space?"

Since there was no use in trying to hide her now Henry stopped trying.

"Look...I don't know what you want with Krystal but you ain't touching her. Got me?"

"Oh, I see," Chris walked up to a Oriental style painted vase and examined it before returning his piercing gaze back to Henry. "So you're protecting her now? From what, may I ask?"

"From anything. I don't care. She's been through too much shit. And I'm not letting some other genie mess up everything."

"Oh...what makes you so sure that I have this certain genie under my control?"

"How else would you know about Krystal? And besides, your ring has the same look as my necklace."

"And how are you so sure that there are other genies?"

"Krystal told me that there was this caste system thingy. Whatever that means."

Chris seemed genuinely interested now.

"A caste system? So it's a hierarchical structure? Interesting. So tell me more about these genies, I'm clueless and you seem to know it all."

Henry felt that it would be dangerous to reveal anything more to Chris so he caught himself there.

"Why are you really here? You aren't here for anything...unless you just wanted to hear me talk about genies all day or something."

"Very well then." Chris paused and fidgeted with his ring before continuing. "The true reason why I came here was to inform you, more like warn you, of events that are to unfold. You should sit down before listening."

Chris waited patiently as Henry slowly lowered himself into the dining chair.

"It is in your best interest to throw Krystal away. Break whatever meaningless ties that you have with her right now. This is all for your own good Henry. The less you know about Krystal, the better off you shall become. You-

"Bull fucking shit!" Henry stood up. "This ain't for my best interest and you know it! I already know everything there is to know bout her!"

"Sit down." Chris tried to tell Henry over his yelling.

"I don't care if she killed humans back then. I'm trying to help her-

"Sit down!" Chris cut him off effectively this time.

Henry obeyed.

"You think you know everything about her...but you don't even know half of it. You don't understand that greater things are at stake here. The risks and responsibility that comes along with the power of knowledge. You only hit the tip of the iceberg Henry. You barely know anything about her except for what she told you. You mean to tell me that you trust her?"

"Yes, I fucking trust her!"

Chris seemed to be taken aback by this statement, perplexed even.

"As a friend, I'm just telling you to do the thing that is best for you. Forget about Krystal. Let her go. Don't get involved with her past, or anything to do with her, anymore. Something hectic is going to happen in the near future and you will be deeply involved if you continue to dig into her past. This isn't just about her past anymore. This now involves shady politics and government."

"Fuck the government."

"Just remember my warning Henry. I can only be your friend for so long before I have to do what's required regardless of our status as friends. Heed my warning. Let her go."

With the grave warnings said, Chris walked out the front door and slammed it shut.

Henry sat in his chair for a minute longer before getting up and staring out the window. He noticed Chris adjust his ring before stepping into his 4runner and driving off.

Suddenly there was a crash from the hallway. Henry ran to his bedroom and found his speakers dashed against the wall. Krystal was shaking her head.

"Krystal...what'd you do that for?"

"The speakers...they....they started playing music when I never touched them."

As if on cue, the beyond-repair speakers began playing music once again.

You've got friends that you need, you like to keep them by your side. You've got lies that you keep, you keep them locked up deep inside. You've got all the pieces, but you ain't got the picture. You've got all the answers, but you ain't got the question. You ain't got nothing. (You ain't got nothing). You ain't got nothing. (You ain't got nothing). You ain't got nothing. (You ain't got nothing). You ain't got nothaaang!

As the last word trailed off the speakers cut off and became silent once more.

Krystal shook her head and sat on the edge of Henry's bed. "Who exactly is your friend Chris?"

Henry stumbled. "I...I'm not sure. He's...he was my friend I guess. But now he's just become plain weird."

"You told him that we genies had a caste system. Do you ever stop to think?"

"I thought he already knew. I mean, he already knew about you before any of this happened."

She suddenly looked up with realization in her eyes. "You didn't happen to let him touch your necklace. Did you?"

"Well...of course not. I'm not some dimwit." Henry used Krystal's saying against her.

She smirked at his remark and rewarded him with a face full of tail. As Henry swatted Krystal's tail away she got back to business.

"Either way...he knows too much now and you should consider him your enemy from now on. When one knows too much they become corrupted."

"So he's no longer my friend?"

"The only 'friend' you truly need, especially in the events that Chris predicted to come, is me."

Henry nodded his head. "So you're finally accepting my friendship?"

Krystal stared into his eyes and smiled. "No, I'm just handing you mine instead."

- Sleepmode

"Sometimes you can tell a lot more about a person just from the music they play instead of the words that they tell" - Anonymous