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brown. His
strong nose and square jaw covered in bristle made her pulse
flutter for the merest second in time.
    “Look at me,” she pleaded, feeling a hard
lump work its way up her throat when he failed to do so. “Please,
look at me. I’m so lonely.”
    An awareness of something reached out-- like
the gentle touch of a lover’s hand-- across the nape of her neck.
Paz turned and then smiled a huge, wide grin.
    “Where have you been?!” she demanded,
uncaring that she sounded like a jealous girlfriend. Jinni was
back, staring at her with his soulful black eyes, liquid blue face
creased with a gentle frown. She rushed to meet him. “Why did you
leave me?”
    He stared at her, only stared. And for a
moment she worried that he could no longer hear her either. Fear
gnawed at her gut, but then pleasure blossomed like a rose opening
up to morning dew when he shrugged.
    “I did not know if you would want me around.
I did not wish to bother you.”
    The lyrical inflections of his voice did
strange things to her spirit. She tingled, every inch of her. Even
her lips burned, as if she’d been kissed, and kissed
thoroughly.
    “Why would you think that? You’re the only
one who can see me. The only one who knows I even exist.”
    Everywhere his eyes touched her face, it was
like a feather light caress.
    “I am sorry, Paz. I just did not know what to
do.”
    She swallowed, glancing down at her bare
toes. In this form she still had her toenails, though they were no
longer painted. The hospital gown draped across her body, flapping
as she walked like a ghost moving through a still graveyard at
night.
    She laughed.
    He frowned. “What is so funny?”
    Shaking her head, she threw up her hands. “I
was just comparing my hospital gown to a ghost. Which is ironic,
right? All things considered.”
    It took a second, but a flicker of emotion
ticked swiftly across his brow. Then his lips curved at the very
corners and she knew he smiled with her. “Ironic indeed,” he
drawled.
    She sighed. “You have such a nice voice.”
    He did smile then. A fully fleshed out one
and she couldn’t help but return it.
    “So do you,” his deep voice made her breath
hitch.
    “Really?”
    He drifted closer, so close she felt the pop
and buzz of his energy roll through hers.
    Breathless, she asked, “What does mine sound
like?”
    “What does mine sound like?” he asked
back, cocking his head. He had black curls, thick and sleek,
glinting like onyx in flame. Her fingers twitched, wishing she
could touch it.
    “Like the blue of the ocean floor, or the
inky black of a midnight sky.”
    His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “You
think in color?”
    “I’m an artist.” She remembered the body with
the bloated face and her shoulders sagged. “Or I was.”
    A burst of static traced the line of her jaw.
She glanced up as he pulled his hand away.
    “You sound like my Kingdom. Like the golden
brush of fairy light dancing through the night, the iridescent jade
of a beetle’s shell in the moonlight.” His eyes searched hers.
    “Where are you from that you see fairy
light?”
    “A place not of Earth. A place of fairy tales
and magic.” His smile was self-effacing. “But I’m sure you do not
believe me.”
    “I’m half dead, Jinni. It’s not so hard for
me to believe in the impossible anymore.”
    His face was calm, nearly devoid of any type
of emotion, save for the briefest twitch of his eyelid.
    “Where did you go before?” she asked again.
“Why did you leave me? Aren’t you bound to this place like I
am?”
    He shook his head. “I am not dead.”
    She cocked her head. “Then why can I see you?
Why can you see me?”
    For a moment she didn’t think he’d answer.
Taking a deep breath, he said slowly, “Because I am not bound by
this world’s rules, I am a being made of magic. Though there is one
similarity between us.”
    “What?”
    “I am dying. Just like you.”
     

Chapter 5
     
    Jinni paced the length of his cave.