Blaine blinked and opened his eyes. His hand immediately flew to his head and he groaned as he felt a large bump underneath his hair. He sat up slowly, still massaging his scalp, and tried to assess his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was that old hag – or was she old? Blaine seemed to remember her looking younger and more…blonde somehow – taking the lamp and letting them fall. He squinted up at the tiny patch of light hundreds of feet above him. How had he survived?
He jumped as he felt something stir beside him until he realised that it was Jeff, who also groaned and held his head.
"Blaine?" He whispered, his voice rough.
"Yeah, dude, it's me," Blaine clapped his friend on the back and started searching around in his pockets, "Let me see if I can find a light…" He found a small box of matches and, after a few moments of fumbling, managed to light one.
"Are you okay?" He asked, holding the match a bit closer to Jeff. He flinched as the flame illuminated his best friend's face, revealing bruises and cuts on every inch of skin. He knew he must look little better.
"I'll live…" Jeff grimaced as he pushed himself into a standing position, looking up to see the small chink of light above, "How the hell did we survive that fall?"
"No idea…" Blaine also stood up, wincing a little as his various injuries made themselves known to him, "Listen…Jeff, man…I'm really sorry. I got us into this situation and I didn't even think and now…"
"Are you kidding?" Even in the light of the match, Blaine could see Jeff's incredulous look, "This is all my fault, man." Jeff looked down at the floor, "If I hadn't been so greedy…"
"Hey," Blaine grinned, "When you've got nothing, you've got nothing to lose…right? We're in this together…until the end, even if…if the end's here."
Jeff gave a reluctant smile and Blaine cursed as the match burnt down to its end, burning his fingers and sending them into darkness again.
"I wonder why that old woman wanted that lamp so much anyway?" Blaine wondered, lighting another match, "D'you reckon it was worth something?"
"You mean…this lamp?" Jeff smirked as he pulled the golden object out of his picture. Seeing Blaine's shocked face, he laughed, "I nicked it from the old lady before she let us go. Thought she deserved it, really."
Blaine laughed as well, "You are the sneakiest genius I have ever met!" He gave the taller boy a high five before holding the match closer to the lamp.
"I think there's something written here but I can't…I can't make it out. Hold the match and let me see…" He gently rubbed the lamp on the edge of his t-shirt…
…And the world exploded around him.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Sue Sylvester screamed. She was standing in the middle of her room, throwing everything she could reach in a blind fury.
Becky sat in the corner, as close to the wall as she could get, trembling and trying to avoid being the next target.
"How could this happen?" Sue yelled, throwing a glass at the wall and watching it smash into hundreds of pieces, "How could this HAPPEN?"
She spun around and spotted Becky, who cowered away. The taller woman strode towards her and pulled her out of the hiding place and placed her in the only upturned chair in the room, "You'd better have a damn good plan, Becky, or else I'll have to dispose of you…"
"I do-I do have a plan, your w-wickedness!" Becky stammered.
"Well, spit it out! I do not have all day!"
"The person who marries the prince shares all the Sultan's powers and-and wealth…" Becky was now trembling so much that Sue's hand was shaking along with her.
"Yes…"
"So…so…why don't you marry the Prince? Then you would have the powers and wealth that only the leaders have!"
Sue opened her mouth and then closed it again. She slowly loosened her grip on her servant's shirt and strode to the other side of the room, "Well…that's an idea…" Her hands fell on the ring Sultan Burt had given to her yesterday, "And I have just the way to get our dear Sultan to agree…"
Blaine and Jeff had both been knocked backwards from the force that seemed to come directly from the lamp. They both braced themselves for the impact of the stone wall behind them but instead were surprised to find they had landed on a plush sofa, complete with matching blue cushions. Both boys gaped at each other before jumping as a voice emitted from the shadows.
"Man! Ten thousand years can give you such a crick in the neck!"
They both stared as the owner of the voice emerged. Light suddenly flooded the cave, illuminating the figure. He would have been indistinguishable from a boy around their age apart from the fact that his skin was sky blue. He was also bare chested and wearing nothing but some dark blue cropped pants with a red belt around his waist.
The blue boy ignored them, his attention instead on something on the floor that Blaine and Jeff couldn't see. It was only when the carpet zoomed into their eyeline that they both realised who the boy was talking to.
"Hey, carpet! Not seen you around for a few millennia! How've you been doing?" He nodded, appearing to understand the gestures the carpet was making with its tassles, "Saved their lives, huh? Nice guys?" He nodded again, glancing over at the two sitting frozen on the sofa. He then turned to the carpet again and dropped his voice to a whisper so neither Blaine or Jeff could distinguish what he was saying. The carpet made another wild gesture and the boy smiled before turning around and walking towards the two on the sofa.
"Hey guys!" He smiled and Blaine felt Jeff move slightly beside him as the boy extended a blue hand towards Blaine, "What's your name?"
"Uh…Blaine," Blaine let his hand be pumped enthusiastically by the boy, "And this-this is Jeff."
"Blaine and Jeff!" The boy smiled at the blonde boy, "I'm afraid Blaine's my master though, he did rub the lamp after all…"
"I…um…what?" Blaine let his hand be pumped enthusiastically by the boy, "I'm your…what?"
"My new master," The boy smiled, "You rubbed my lamp, right? You woke me up? That makes you my master!" He waved his hand and a mirror appeared in front of him, "My form is supposed to be what would be the least weird to my new master. It's less…intimidating than my last form." He turned sideways and studied his reflection closely, brushing his long brown fringe out of his eyes. Blaine turned to Jeff to try and make some sense of the situation but Jeff wasn't paying attention. Instead, he was gazing at the back of the boy's head as if he'd never seen one before.
"Sorry…still not getting this…" Blaine said as the boy turned to face them again, "What – or who – are you, exactly?"
The blue boy smiled and spread his arms open, "I'm a genie!" He waved his hand again and the mirror vanished, "You know, magic…wishes…general awesomeness…"
"Whoa whoa whoa…" Blaine stepped closer to the boy, "Wishes?"
"That's right! Three wishes actually…and please don't do the whole 'I-wish-for-more-wishes' thing because, frankly, that's just plain greedy."
Blaine laughed and turned back to Jeff, who was still looking slightly gobsmacked, "Now I know I'm dreaming…"
"Look, let me at least introduce myself properly…in the only way I know how." The genie winked mysteriously and then turned and vanished, leaving the cave in total darkness once more.
He suddenly reappeared in the spotlight, now wearing a top hat and tuxedo. Loud guitar riffs sounded out of nowhere, making the boys jump for the third time that night. Then the genie started singing…
We don't care what people say, we know the truth
Enough is enough of this horse shit
I am not a freak, I was born with my free gun.
Don't tell me I'm less than my freedom.
I'm a bitch, I'm a loser baby maybe I should quit
I'm a jerk, wish I had the money but I can't find work
I'm a brat, I'm a selfish punk, I really should be smacked
My parents tried until they got divorced 'cause I ruined their lives.
I'm a bad kid and I will survive
Oh I'm a bad kid, don't know wrong from right
I'm a bad kid and this is my life
One of the bad kids, don't know wrong from right
(This is my life)
Jeff looked at Blaine, looking as though he didn't know whether to laugh or be extremely shocked. Blaine shrugged and jumped off the sofa, pumping his fist along with the music. Jeff grinned and joined his friend and they both danced in the multi-coloured lights that had appeared out of nowhere.
Don't be insecure if your heart is pure
You're still good to me if you're a bad kid baby
Don't be insecure if your heart is pure
You're still good to me if you're a bad kid baby
A bad kid baby
(Don't be insecure)
I'm a twit, degenerate young rebel and I'm proud of it
Pump your fist if you would rather mess up than put up with this
I'm a nerd, I chew gum and smoke in your face, I'm absurd
I'm so bad and I don't give a damn, I love it when you're mad
When you're mad, when you're mad.
The blue boy jumped off his makeshift stage onto his knees in front of them, throwing off his top hat into the depths of the cave as the song slowed down into a slower piano melody.
I'm not that typical baby
I'm a bad kid like my mom and dad made me
I'm not that cool and you hate me
I'm a bad kid, that's the way that they made me
I'm a bad kid I'm disastrous
Give me your money or I'll hold my breath
I'm a bad kid and I will survive
One of the bad kids, don't know wrong from right.
He jumped to his feet, grinning and the two boys and they started singing along with him. Even the carpet was doing back flips in time with the beat.
Don't be insecure if your heart is pure
You're still good to me if you're a bad kid baby
Don't be insecure if your heart is pure
You're still good to me if you're a bad kid baby
A bad kid baby
A bad kid baby
A bad kid baby
A bad kid baby.
Blaine and Jeff jumped up and cheered as the song reached a close and the genie grinned and bowed almost shyly.
"That was awesome!" Blaine smiled as the genie invited them to sit back down on the sofa, "Seriously uh…genie, where'd you even learn moves like that?"
The genie shrugged, "When you've been around as long as I have, you learn a few moves here and there…and by the way, you can call me Nick." He sat down in mid-air, facing the two boys, "So…what'll it be, Master?"
"Wait, wait, wait…" Blaine held up his hands, "You're saying…I can wish for anything?"
"Well…there are a few rules…just guidelines, really," Nick smirked apologetically.
"Like?"
"Well…I can't kill anybody. That stuff gets messy and I can't say I'm pro-murder. I can't make anybody fall in love with anybody else. Even my brand of magic can't replicate something like that." For some reason, as he said this, the blue boy glanced curiously at Jeff before continuing. The tall boy looked at him briefly before turning away. Even in the darkness of the cave, Blaine could see a faint blush creeping across his friend's cheeks.
Nick looked back at Blaine, "And…I can't bring anybody back from the dead. It's just…not nice. You don't want to do it." He spread his arms wide open again, "Apart from that? Anything's possible."
Blaine and Jeff both exchanged a significant look before Blaine spoke again, "Rules? Guidelines? Some all powerful genie, huh, Jeff? He can't even make anyone fall in love! I bet he probably can't even get us out of this cave!"
"Excuse me?" Nick suddenly looked thunderous as he jumped down from his seat in mid-air, "Are you…are you doubting my powers?"
"No…" Blaine smirked, "I'm just merely suggesting…"
"I can get you out of this cave. I can! I'll prove it!" He beckoned to the carpet that zoomed forward immediately, letting Blaine and Jeff climb on it.
The genie cracked his knuckles, "Hold on boys. This is gonna be a bumpy ride…"
If you wanted to know, the song used in this chapter is 'Bad Kids' by Lady Gaga.
Hope you're still enjoying my story!