I'm a Genie in a Bottle Baby

Daria dropped her keys into the bowl by the door.

"Hi, Mum!" she called out. "Sorry I'm a bit late."

"I was just about to call you. I thought English Revision finished at quarter past."

"I got the time wrong, sorry. And my battery died. I told you, I need a new phone. This one is rubbish."

Daria was lingering. Something shiny and unfamiliar had caught her eye. Nestled beside her own keys, and her mother’s, was a heart-shaped pendant with intricate whorls etched all over it.

Being a nosy teenager, she picked it up for a closer look, and walked through to the lounge, the delicate chain dangling from her fingers.

"This is cute. Where’d it come from?"

Her mum looked up from her crochet.

"Oh, that old thing. It was in one of the rooms I cleaned today."

"Mum! You stole it!" Daria looked and sounded scandalised, but a smile teased around her mouth.

Her mum's face flushed.

"It's hardly stealing. Finders keepers. Someone left it behind when they checked out."

"Aren't you supposed to hand it in?"

"Technic'ly," her mother said, looking back at her stitches. "Technically, I'm supposed to hand in a bit of dropped gum if I find it, but what's the point? It's not worth anything. No one will miss it."

"Won't you get in trouble?"

"I hardly think so. No one knows. Paula called in sick, so I did the lot on my own today. Again."

Daria said nothing. This had been a sore point for the last few weeks.

"Even if someone reported me, I won't get in bother for tat like that. Look how scuffed it is. I told you, it's not worth anything."

"I dunno, mum, I don't think it's tat. It's cute," Daria said again.

Her mother shrugged.

"Have it, then, if you want."

Daria fastened it around her neck and wandered back out into the hallway to admire it in the mirror.

"It's shepherd's pie for tea!" her mother called.

Daria pulled a face, but her mum had just given her a bit of jewellery, and she didn't want to argue, so she just called back, "Okay!" and sloped off to her room.

+

The pendant bounced in the hollow of her throat as she flopped forward onto her neatly made bed. She rummaged around in the clutter on the nightstand for the charger, and plugged her phone in, tap-tap-tapping on its edge. Stupid old thing. So slow.

The moment it had even 1% of battery, she jabbed at the on button.

Come on, come on....

It took ages to switch on, even longer than usual.

It looked like it was... doing an update or something. Which was ridiculous, because she didn't have enough space on there for that.

All the same, it-

> Hello.

> I’m Jac.

> You’ve got good timing.

She stared.

> Who r u? she typed back.

...

...

...

> I'm sorry. I thought you were somebody else. This is a bit embarrassing.

> I mean it. Who is this?

> I'm Jac.

> do I know you?

> I don't think so.

Daria knew, on some level, she should stop talking to this "Jac". He could be anyone. He could be a creep. He probably was a creep. She couldn't see a way to block him, but surely there was a way to close the application it was using, and delete it from her phone.

In spite of herself, Daria was intrigued.

> are you a virus?

> That's not very nice lol

> sorry

> how are you doing this?

> You brought me close to your phone.

Daria paused, and looked down at the pendant. It was pretty close.

> so you're like a genie, right

> Depends who’s asking.

+

Thank you for reading!