Welcome To My Nightmare

“Well I don’t think we can kill the djinn in here. She will make sure that we won’t find any lamb blood in here. So we might be able to injure her, but also I am pretty sure she can heal much easier in here unless we can. We are not just in a dream world, we are in Adara’s world and she will make sure it is a nightmare for us. So don’t believe anything that is happening in here.”

Lenna was looking around, and it was in a way as if she was hoping to find a sign where to go to find Rome. But of course there wasn’t one. This made her slowly start to panic.

Gee, why can’t ever have a simple job for once. You know go in salt it, burn it, job done.

Aly listened to the conversation suddenly feeling very cold and very alone. She wrapped her arms around herself. Maybe this was part of the dream too? Maybe this bit about suicide was what the genie wanted them to do? Maybe the life she'd woke up to was real and the genie wanted them to kill themselves thinking it was all a dream?

The gleam in his eyes with that wrought iron in his hand was almost feral. It scared her, but not enough to keep her silent. She pulled him aside as the others moved out of earshot.

"Caleb--just stop and think for a moment. Does what we woke up to feel like a dream? Sure, all the supernatural sh*t that happened afterward does, but how do we know this isn't a dream too? How do we know that's really Lenna? How do we know the genie isn't trying to get us to kill ourselves? Suicide doesn't seem like a very practical course of action--maybe we wake up, but we're pretty much screwed f we don't."

Her hand found its way to his, but she pulled back before they could touch.

"Do you really want this to be a dream? I thought I had woke from a nightmare this morning--no friends, no job, no anything. I was lost in this crazy-ass world where nothing made sense and where I was a fugitive. I don't know what your nightmares were about--but whatever they were--do you really want to go back to them?"

Caleb sighed heavily and rubbed his chin, resting the candlesick over his shoulder. This was a better life than what he thought he'd woken up from this morning. But something about it felt wrong, in a Stepford Wives kind of way.

"We could be damned if we do, damned if we don't go through with this suicide thing. If this is real, we die. If this is the nightmare, we're on the Djinn's home territory and she'll kill us anyway," Caleb answered, "And ... as much as I prefer this dream life to what I woke up from ... I'd rather live in a nightmare of my own choosing than the playground of a monster."

Caleb could feel this dream life peeling away. It was like a statue of some Greek goddess. From a distance, it looked polished, gleaming, stunning. But as you got closer and really inspected the polished marble, you could see cracks all over it. He tucked his hand under her hair, drawing her close enough to kiss her forehead.

"If I die, I die free," Caleb stated quietly to Allison, walking her back towards the others.

Aly shuddered at his touch. It felt so real. It wasn't fair. This was the life she'd choose. When they woke up from this he would be some renegade hunter who'd done god knows what, and she was a fugitive from the FBI.

She stepped out of his embrace and wiped her cheeks dry with her sleeve.

"Well, if it's suicide she wants, I think I'm in the kind of mood to give it to her."

Aly straightened her shoulders and checked for her gun--it was in its holster as it had been before. At least that was normal. She looked around taking in the scattered chairs. The undead had moved on, or vanished completely now that the group of hunters was in on the ruse.

"The car Rome came is is gone." Aly leaned down and took in the oil spots. "They went south." She headed over to their--Caleb's--truck after checking her weapon and chambering a silver round.

This Genie was going to pay for every lost memory, every lonely Christmas, every cold night.

She was barely strapped in before the truck roared to life and sped off on the tracks of Rome's car. Aly watched out the window in silence, planning the Djinn's demise. Suddenly she sat up.

"Caleb, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore--unless something big took out the entire East Coast and gave Wichita beach front property."

Caleb turned the truck and the caravan behind it toward the lone pinnacle of an old lighthouse.

Danila made sure his pistol was loaded before slipping into the driver's seat of his black Mustang - a car that, oddly, fit the dream life but not his real life - and followed the group.

This was all so confusing. Both lives felt so real,. both lives seemed so. . . possible. But something about this one just seemed off. A Russian, in the CIA? Against his own country? It was possible, but. . . well. The other world had more things to shoot at than this world. And besides, having two sets of memories had given Danila a splitting headache, and all this thinking wasn't helping.

'First help save Romulous. Mind on the task. You don't have to die in either life until that's been done.' he told himself, looking up ahead at the light house that was growing larger in his windshield. Something in his gut told him Rome and Adara were there, but this world made Danila not even trust his own mind, let alone his gut. . .

Lenna stepped to her car, or more the car she thought is hers. She did remember that in the real world she drives a beautiful black Mustang, but here in this world she was driving a different car.

At least the wheels are still hot.

Lenna smiled when she got into the car.

“At least Adara didn’t change this in my live. I can’t believe she thought I would fell for that I’m a college student? I love to study, but not under the pressure of assessments.”

Lenna followed Caleb’s truck and Danila’s Mustang. It was weird when the lighthouse appeared out of thin air more or less.

“I swear this b*tch is going to pay for this fake live and the fact that I look like a girl. It sucks. I so don’t like it, as if I would go to school so close to the last place I ever wanna go back.”

We have to find a way to show Rome that this live is not real. He did react when I mentioned Andre. Maybe that works when I tell him all the hunts, all the important hunts we did together. Andre was the hunt we met and the siren was the hunt that made us friends. The skin walker in Gallup let us meet all the others. He has to remember, he just has to.

Rome was worse than breathless as he reached the top of the lighthouse. He was hopeless. His heart just wouldn't slow down, and though his brain had long ago shut down rather than process the horrifying images around him, he knew he physically couldn't take much more of this.

As if trying to torment himself, he took a look down the long winding stair, where the shambling remains of his brother, his mother and his father limped up the stairs. Slowly. But perfectly steady. And untiring. Part of him wished he hadn't dropped the axe in his fear.

A greater part of him couldn't wait for them to rip him apart and put an end to this.

Adara's shriek startled him. "Rome!" He wheeled around to find her hand clapped to her mouth theatrically, as she pointed down at the beach below them, where a caravan of vehicles he instantly recognized as those belonging to his friends were haphazardly parked. "Rome, what did I tell you? They're after us! They're going to kill us! And they have guns!" She shoved her face into his shoulder and wept. Rome felt himself go cold, but he wrapped his arms around her, attempting to offer comfort:

"What're you talking about? They're here to rescue us. They'll just..." Rome stopped. His mouth hung open. "The zombies! They'll--"

Adara was ahead of him now. "Oh, Rome!" she wailed, desperately. "Now they'll be turned into zombies, too, and they'll all come after us and eat us alive!"

Rome went to the edge. He had to warn them. He tried waving and shouting-- "Hey, guys! Don't come in! Zombies! It's not safe!" --but to no avail. He had to get out: there was a big window in his way, blocking the sound and most of his visibility. They were almost inside. He wasn't sure why he was trying to warn them--nothing made sense anymore and Rome was unsure who to trust--but he knew he had to, regardless.

Rome pressed against the glass, trying to find where it opened, but nothing worked. "Aagh!" he shouted in frustration--

And the glass shattered. Outward, rather dramatically. This was alarming, but a mere nothing on the long list of alarming things happening right now.

"Rome!" Adara shrieked, shocked. "What did you just do?!"

But he ignored her in favor of climbing out onto the ledge, ignoring the shards of glass which cut his hands and knees, until he was at the very brink, where he waved his arms and shouted below: "HEY! GO BACK!! DON'T COME IN HERE! THERE'S ZOMBIES! IT'S A TRAP!"

Someone, far below, ant-sized, looked up--Elenna, maybe--and waved, and shouted something he couldn't hear. Seriously, whose idea was it to make a lighthouse this freaking tall? It was a good thing he wasn't afraid of heights.

"Rome!" Adara had begun to crawl out onto the ledge with him. "Rome, get back in here, you're going to fa--aaahh!!"

Adara was tipping over the edge, head-first, spinning, scrabbling, but definitely falling. And Rome was lunging, diving, one blood-slicked hand searching for her hand and the other trying to find something to grab onto. He found both, just in time, but by then they were both hanging off the edge of the lighthouse, with two hundred feet and angry black rocks and the crashing ocean and milling zombies awaiting them below.

Lenna looked up and saw Rome, it looked as if he was shouting something at her but she didn’t hear him. Rome wouldn’t hear her anyway whatever she would yell at him. The friggin lighthouse was too high that he could. When suddenly first Adara, which made Lenna smile, and then Rome went over the edge.

“Whoa what the f*ck. Watch out Rome. Come on guys hurry up.”

Lenna didn’t really check if anyone followed her and for a change she didn’t care that she had no plan, well she had a plan. Get to the top of the lighthouse and make sure Rome doesn’t die, except through his own hand to wake up from this friggin nightmare.
As soon she stepped inside the zombie Raws, and zombie Mom and Dad Remington attacked her. She had to grin, this one time she could actually fight Raws and not worry what happened to him.

“This is for each time you called me a witch. I am not a witch, do you hear me? Feuer!”
In Lenna’s right hand appeared a fireball and she threw it at Rawson without thinking twice about it. Rawson caught fire and she could pass him and run upstairs.

“You… are… not… dying… in… here… Rome.” Lenna was out of breath, she was in a good shape but this stairs were endless, but finally she reached the top.

“Rome are you here, gosh please don’t be vanished again. I wanna help you, I promise.” Lenna went slowly closer to Rome.

“Damn it how the hell do I pull you up?”

Aly grabbed Caleb as Lenna darted into the lighthouse. This one was a handful. Papa Remington had a tight cluster in his forehead from her as Lenna did something with flame. Mama Remington fell soon after by what Aly guessed were Caleb's bullets.

They followed Lenna up the stairs. Aly had to grab her back before she plunged off the side grabbing for Rome.

"We'll help you, Lenna, just stand back."

Adara screamed something at Rome about them being zombies or out to get him.

"She's not your wife, Rome! She's a Djinn trying to kill you--and I've got one hell of a bone to pick with her. Do we look like zombies?! Give Caleb your hand!"

"Romulus Remington. Take. My. Hand," Caleb barked, his hard military tone undercutting the heaving mass of zombies below, "We're on your side in this. We're gonna help you. Allison, if you could be so kind as to shoot that Djinn in the face to get her off Rome, I'd be very grateful."

Before another word was said, Caleb caught Rome by the sleeve and held him still.

"If you even think of doing anything stupid I'm pulling you both up and cutting the Djinn's heart out on the floor," Caleb snapped.

For a moment Lenna wanted to complain when Aly grabbed her, but it was safer for her.

I feel too safe since my powers work exactly the way I want them to work.

“They are right Rome; Adara is not what you think she is. Gosh your life is not what you think it is and you know that, I saw it in your eyes at the lake. Rome, Raws is not dead. I swear he is alright. He is working another job remember?” Lenna spun around when she heard a noise from the stairs. Mom Remington came up the stairs.

“Damn it fire should kill zombies. Feuer!” Lenna did start to enjoy using her powers, or more using them with real results. The impact of the fireball threw Mom Remington backwards down the stairs.

Danila turned at Elenna's shout of "Feuer!", watching a burning carcass fall down the stairs only to fall on a nice pad of several others a bit of the way down. Ugh, this is like a bad American teenager movie. . . he thought to himself, raising his rifle and capping one of the undead between the eyes.

"Rome," Danila shouted over his shoulder at the dazed young hero, "Would your enemies be zaving you from valling to your death and being eaten by zombies?!"

She could see the shift Rome's features as he struggled with the choice of whom to believe. He couldn't take Caleb's hand without dropping her, but at the same time there was no way he was getting out of this.

Plan C time...did she have a plan C? No. Crap. Only thing left to do was hope he wouldn't drop her.

Adara's hand slid slightly in Rome's.

"Rome!" She shrieked as tears continued to trail down her cheeks. "I love you...please baby. I don't want to die!"

The conflicting thoughts, emotions, and impulses warring in Romulus Remington's skull were making him angry. And he didn't like himself when he was angry, so he didn't expect other people would, either.

"What the frack you talking about, Daly?" he shouted to Caleb. "I've never been so fracking glad to see you in my life and you'd better as hell haul me up! But nobody is shooting anyone in the head!" He glanced at Aly sternly, until she, looking nervous, lowered her gun. She didn't take the safety off, but this was progress.

Not at least until I figure out what the hell is going on.

Rome strained to hold onto Adara as Caleb, Danila, and the others hauled him up. His feet scrabbled for purchase, but found none. Both his arms felt like they were going to fall off, but at least he was going up.

Djinni?.... Rawson wasn't dead...on another job..."job"?.... Zombies, fireballs.... She's not my wife?!

This last one seemed most important. "What the hell do you mean she's not my wife? Just because it's Zombie Apocalypse now, doesn't mean I don't...love...her." He added this last bit with some trepidation, as flashes of a club and a boudoir in a warehouse flickered in his brain like possible memories.

And Rawson said not to trust these guys. And they certainly looked two-fries-short-of-a-happy-meal-crazy, kitted out as they were and appearing unperturbed by this whole zombie thing. And they were talking crazy sh*t. Trust no one, Raws'd said. That was important.

But what if it wasn't Rawson?

They had reached the lighthouse interior and were no longer in danger of falling. Aly raised her gun again, as did everyone else in short succession.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rome cried, trying to place himself as a barrier to Adara. "What the hell? Are you guys crazy?"

"She's a djinni, Rome!" Elenna warned.

"Djinni?" Rome paused at that, confused: "Weren't we hunting a vampire?"

Now where the hell had that one come from?

Lenna threw one fireball after the other to keep the zombies in a safe distance to them. Slowly Lenna started to get tired.

Sh*t even here the magic takes its toll.

“Listen Rome, I never lied to you. She is a jinni and we are in her dream world because she captured you here, there is only one way out here. A way that sounds totally insane. We can’t die in here, as soon we die we die in the real world. We need to wake up.”
Lenna was out of breath.

“We need to wake up, all of us.”

Wait. Wake up? This was all a dream? That sounded good. Rome liked that option.

"Whoa, wait, huh?" Rome paused, took Elenna by the shoulders--this seemed familiar--and shook her gently, staring deeply into her chocolate-brown eyes, searching for lying or insanity: "Okay, wait, run that by me again, Lennie, baby?"

"Rome!" Adara whined. "Can't you see they're lying?"

"Hang on--" he began, but the 'babe' stuck in his throat, "--Adara," he managed. "Just be quiet for two minutes, I'm trying to get...us out of here." Again, he struggled with the word. This wasn't connecting. Why wasn't it connecting? He was getting that antsy feeling he got when some chick was in his room and had stayed about five minutes too long. The feeling that things were going to turn awkward fast.

He turned back to Elenna, pleading in his eyes. "Lennie, chica--tell me--" No. She was talking weird sh*t. He didn't want that again, he couldn't handle it. He licked his lips: "Tell me what we've got to do."

Lenna smiled she just couldn’t stop it.

Lennie. Chica.

“You think I am just a friend of a girl you once dated, don’t you? We never talked a lot, but then tell me why you want me to explain this situation, why do you call me Lennie. I hate this name, well I hate it when other people call me this but I start to get used to be called Lennie by you. We are not just some people that have a common friend. We are the friends. Of all people here, we know each other since a bit over a year now. I saved you, remember you were possessed. Rome I promise you nothing bad will happen. You trust me remember? You know me, I am this chick that is crazy about books, I forget to eat and sleep when I am in a library like Tex has. And hell I know how insane this sounds, but do you know how you wake up from a dream?”

Rome looked confused at her.

“Ah never mind, you have me to know that. To wake up from a normal dream you need to die. But the jinni feeds from our fear and when we just die she can eat us. So the only way to wake up from this sh*t dream is to kill yourself. Insane I know. But it is true. I would never tell you to do anything that would harm you, I promise. How could I harm my big brother? You how the last time it ended, I was a mess and for a long time I blocked out everything that could turn into something good in my live. But meeting you and Rawson woke me up; you showed me that not always the past is repeated. Trust me Rome. I saw it in your eyes at the lake; you don’t wanna be without Raws, so if this dream is true you don’t wanna live without him, so honestly what do you have to lose? You die when the zombies arrive here or you kill yourself if I’m wrong you die but have I ever been wrong, I mean when it was important? No wait I am never wrong, I’m a walking encyclopedia of weirdness. Trust me Rome.”

Lenna stared into Rome’s grey-green eyes.

“We need to kill the jinni or it gets away and kills other innocent people, and you don’t want this. Do you? That is how you got Raws on board, remember? You said. ‘Innocent people are dying, Raws, you catch that? We gotta go help her. Soon.’ I don’t wanna wake up from this nightmare without you. We are here to get you out and I rather die in here than that I leave without you. Right know you are the innocent person we all want to safe. Please Rome.”

Lenna had tears in her eyes, she was scared that Rome wouldn’t believe her and dies in here. She was serious that she wouldn't leave without him. She would rather die then lose another brother.

Lenna smiled she just couldn’t stop it.

Lennie. Chica.

“You think I am just a friend of a girl you once dated, don’t you? We never talked a lot, but then tell me why you want me to explain this situation, why do you call me Lennie. I hate this name, well I hate it when other people call me this but I start to get used to be called Lennie by you. We are not just some people that have a common friend. We are the friends. Of all people here, we know each other since a bit over a year now. I saved you, remember you were possessed. Rome I promise you nothing bad will happen. You trust me remember? You know me, I am this chick that is crazy about books, I forget to eat and sleep when I am in a library like Tex has. And hell I know how insane this sounds, but do you know how you wake up from a dream?”

Rome looked confused at her.

“Ah never mind, you have me to know that. To wake up from a normal dream you need to die. But the jinni feeds from our fear and when we just die she can eat us. So the only way to wake up from this sh*t dream is to kill yourself. Insane I know. But it is true. I would never tell you to do anything that would harm you, I promise. How could I harm my big brother? You how the last time it ended, I was a mess and for a long time I blocked out everything that could turn into something good in my live. But meeting you and Rawson woke me up; you showed me that not always the past is repeated. Trust me Rome. I saw it in your eyes at the lake; you don’t wanna be without Raws, so if this dream is true you don’t wanna live without him, so honestly what do you have to lose? You die when the zombies arrive here or you kill yourself if I’m wrong you die but have I ever been wrong, I mean when it was important? No wait I am never wrong, I’m a walking encyclopedia of weirdness. Trust me Rome.”

Lenna stared into Rome’s grey-green eyes.

“We need to kill the jinni or it gets away and kills other innocent people, and you don’t want this. Do you? That is how you got Raws on board, remember? You said. ‘Innocent people are dying, Raws, you catch that? We gotta go help her. Soon.’ I don’t wanna wake up from this nightmare without you. We are here to get you out and I rather die in here than that I leave without you. Right know you are the innocent person we all want to safe. Please Rome.”

Lenna had tears in her eyes, she was scared that Rome wouldn’t believe her and dies in here. She was serious that she wouldn't leave without him. She would rather die than lose another brother.

Allison watched as Lenna started to jog Rome's memory. She wouldn't much use at this. About the only thing she could think of was unbuttoning her shirt and proving to him he wasn't a one-woman type--but that would happen only in his wildest dream...oh wait.

The Djinn started to move away, probably sensing the end of the road. Aly yanked her up by the hair and handed her over to the Russian. He kept her pinned against the wall while she signaled Caleb and moved off from the others.

"The only way out is suicide, right?" He nodded. "But she can get out anytime. If we all wait for Rome in here, she could do god knows what to our bodies--or escape herself. I don't know about you, but I'm in the mood for some revenge. One of us should go first, be waiting for her when she wakes up, maybe even soften her up for the final round?"

She fingered her gun nervously.

Georgina's glance met briefly with Aly's, then she took a deep breath. "I'm going with you." She grabbed her gun while nodding in her direction. "It's better to have at least two of us there in case she tries to escape or do something to our bodies. Who knows how fast or strong she is..."

((Dreams can happen in the blink of an eye, so you guys have as much time as you need to wake up. Adara won't make it to her car before you all wake up...because I say so ))

"That's not happening." Adara growled, her eyes suddenly very blue.

With a swift kick to the ribs, she knocked Danilla backwards towards the stairs and lunged out the window.

~~~~~

Adara inhaled sharply as she woke and scrambled to her feet. She only had a few seconds before they started waking. She grabbed the keys to her car cursing her ancestors as she ran for the parking garage. They had just had to give up the ability to kill flesh and blood, didn't they?

"Aly..." She cut him off pressing her lips to his for a deep, desperate kiss that left them both yearning for each other. This was good-bye.

Before Caleb could recover she stepped back, put the gun to her head and pulled the trigger.


***

Aly opened groggy eyes to find she rested on Caleb's heaving chest. She looked around. Rich colors spun around her like whirling dervishes on the divan. She shook her head to clear the fog, feeling for the spot she'd just exploded. This was strange. It took another full second to remember what she was doing there.

The Djinn was gone. Aly cursed as she checked her gun and pushed off Caleb to stand. She shoved a lose shock of dark hair behind her ear and started sweeping the basement. The jingle of car keys caught her attention as she ran up the stairs to the parking garage.

The Djinn's eyes shined brightly in the dim light.

"Freeze, Genie!"

The woman raised her left hand, an odd sort of glow came from it.

"Oh no--none of that supernatural bullsh*t. You're dealing with the real world now, sweetheart." She wasted one silver bullet on the tire of the car making the Jinn screech in fright. "Put your hands on the roof of the car!"

"What are you going to do, shoot me? Your friends would never wake up."

"Try me." Aly came up behind her with the gun trained on as non-vital an area she could think of and took out the cuffs she still wore.

"We are here to get you out and I'd rather die in here than leave without you. Right know you are the innocent person we all want to save. Please, Rome.”

Rome couldn't help but be a little surprised at that, and he bridled, trying to be confused, but actually perfectly comfortable with her getting all sappy and emotional on him. He smiled affectionately as he watched Elenna's Bambi-eyes fill up with tears. He could almost hear her adding, as plain as if he could read her mind, I would rather die than lose another brother.

And it was his duty as her surrogate brother to cheapen the moment. "Just a little suicide, huh? No biggie?" he confirmed.

She laugh-sobbed adorably, and nodded. Rome pulled her into a crushing hug.

He looked around at the group just in time to see first Adara--the djinni, dammit, it didn't have a name--and then Aly pop out, followed closely by Georgie.

"I guess we better get out there and help them, huh?"

The others nodded, solemnly, mentally preparing themselves for the gruesome deed they had to do. Caleb chambered a round, and Danila produced a sword. In this briefest pause, Rome stopped them:

"Thanks," he blurted out. "You know, thanks for comin' after me. I owe you guys."

A few nods.

"So," he said, grinning sophomorically, "I dunno about you guys, but I've always wanted to do this--" Rome winked at his companions and dove off the edge of the lighthouse.

Danila had solemnly drawn a longsword, pondering all the possible ways he could die. Jumping off a lighthouse, lighting himself on fire, a cyanide pill. . .

But no. sometimes the simplest was also the best. He cast the others a smile - a bit eerie, considering the circumstances - and lodged the hilt of the sword in a crack in the floor of the lighthouse. "Das vidania," he said with a slight chuckle, throwing himself neck-first downward.

An instant of pain, and then. . .

Danila's eyes flickered open, his mouth wide and lungs gasping for air. He looked around at the others, who were also waking up, then noticed something. . .

"Not to rush," he said, standing and pulling the bag and sponge from his pocket, "But does anybody know where Allison and the Djinni are?"

Drenched in blood and gore, Caleb stood like a stone, hands shaking with barely-contained anger. Well this was a crock of bullsh*t he'd probably never forget. He sighed and drew his knife, glancing back at the remaining Hunters.

"My dad shaved with a straight razor. Always made me wonder if it was possible to cut your own throat," Caleb sighed before slicing through his own jugular.


Caleb gasped sharply and rolled onto his face, pushing himself to his feet and snatching up his broadsword. He stood, flourishing the heavy blade and screwing his eyes shut, his sharp ears listening out for any sign of the Djinn ... or Allison. He flexed his fingers around the hilt as he heard the sharp report of a gunshot.

"Time to die," Caleb muttered under his breath.

Lily smiled a bit at Lenna and then disappeared as the others did. Now that she was alone, she let the tear run. Lenna looked around, threw a last fire ball and then smiled. There was something good in this dream, when know how you can get anything. She picked from the floor a gun, a pretty one. It was shiny silver with engravings and a pretty ivory grip. It was the same she used the last time, just this time she could finish it. It was waiting for her, and she knew how wrong this thought was but thinking about the live in here showed her what she all missed out. And on top of the missed out moments, not even here one thing in her live was changed.

“Not even the jinni could change that I have no family, not even she who could give me true magic could change that I lost them all.”

A last deep breath, seeing a mental picture of the most important people in her life and then she pulled the trigger.

*******

She was lying in the warehouse and everyone around her was moving. She kept her eyes closed just a bit longer. In a distance she heard Georgie call her.

“Elenna?”

“Yes, let’s kill the jinni.”

Lenna got up, took her knife and looked around to know where the jinni was.