THE FUTURE

“Lancelot!”

He turns to the voice that’s calling his name.

“Headmaster. What can I do for you today?”

Lance is clad in his usual Jinni look with a satin pants and red sash tied in his waist. In the new generation, Jinni’s have become more and more fashionable. The unique ones have mostly made an impact on the style of clothing that everyone is wearing.

“I wanted to know how your mission is going. Do you think we’ll make it?” The headmaster is Charlie’s appointed leader for the school of Jinni’s. In the future, Jinni’s has evolved far more from what humans have known. They have become and entirely different entity.

Their role has expanded and have maintained the balance of the universe. Each Jinni’s are taught how to carry on wishes of not just the lost souls but even the innocent children. Everyone is given tasks that fits them.

“I am getting agitated. But Rory seems to have things under control.”

Rory is his father, Charlie’s husband in this future. But Charlie doesn’t know it. She doesn’t even know who he is. All she knows is that he’s a friend who suddenly appeared in her life.

“But did I hear it right? Did Charlie indeed stopped time?”

“I guess its true. I had to go back over and over just to make sure. The sad part about it is that her powers seemed to have run to a certain extent. Even when I travelled back to that time in the past, there’s a hollow left there. It’s as if she doesn’t want anyone to travel back to that part of time.”

They both walked together along the walkway of the school.

It was the start of the semester, so people have started to gather.

The school is in an eastern part of the skies. Where they could freely harness the power of the sun whenever they need to. All you could see are clouds that’s served as playground to every young Jinni’s.

It was an unbelievable future that Charlie managed to build. The moment she emerged as the mighty one, she has created a council of Jinni’s to help her build a better place for all the Jinni’s in the world.

The unique ones were trained harder to become the best part of the university and to become the future pillars. Their powers have varied from time travel, predictions, unimaginable strength, and even to the ones who could read and manipulate people’s minds.

Their powers have to be controlled to make sure that nothing goes out of hand. Part of what they have build up in the future is how they could all use their powers to the greater good.

Rules were made to make sure that whenever someone breaks the rules, they would be properly punished.

The grandmaster stopped at the edge of a cliff that served as the end of the trail they were walking.

“I hope she doesn’t stray from the future that she has built up in here. If she would, everything in here for us would change in just a single click. Her time manipulation just may mean something else for us.”

“I understand headmaster. But I know that my mother is way more powerful than what we know of her. I just hope she’d manage to learn more about her powers than Alvah would manage. Everything that’s happening on the other end of time right now is still on track. And with Rory in there, I know they’ll be alright.”

“I do hope so.”

“Well, I have to go headmaster. My mother might just be expecting me by now.”

“Have fun with your time with her. I know you miss her that much.”

“Thank you.”

In an instant, a vortex opened, and Lance changed his clothes from his usual Jinni outfit to the normal human clothes. The headmaster looked at him from head to toe.

“Interesting choice of wardrobe.”

“Got to fit in.” he steps into the vortex and was gone the next second.

He lands into the rooftop of Charlie’s apartment where he sees her already munching on some food.

“Interesting choice for your dinner today.”

He could see her startled with just his mere presence.

‘You’re crazy. Do you know that?”

“I know.” He sat down beside her and reached out for some of the food she had.

“How’s the new tenant?”

“They seem cool. Very happy girls.”

“They look like that have things under control. Don’t they?”

“Why would you say that?”

“Well, because just a few months ago, I’ve been struggling. I’ve had a lot of people trying to catch me because of my debts. Ever since my grandmother left, I have been struggling.” She says as she munched on once again on the sandwich she had, “But thankfully, I’ve recovered. But I’m thinking of whether I’d like to tell my kids or grandkids about it.”

“Why not?”

“It’s embarrassing.”

“Well, it your strength in all of those times that would inspire them to be great themselves.”

“You sound so familiar right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“You sound a lot like Mr. Bailey just this time. He constantly spurs me with all these inspirational quotes. All I could do is just wonder which books did he read just to be able to come up with all those inspirational things. It’s irritating.”

“Yeah, it is.” Lance whispers.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. Must be really irritating.” He looks up at the sky where the sky has started to show its sunset hue. If only Charlie would know how much she loved this color that she even built a castle up on the eastern parts of the sky.

She would love it if she knew as early as now. But Lancelot has to keep himself from doing anything that could possibly alter the things that has already happened in the future.

Just as soon as she was done eating, she stood up and fixed herself.

“Where are you going now?”

“To a friend. She’s supposed to give me a new task today.”

“Task?”

“Just something we do as part of me living in her house right now. Take care of my tenants, will you?”

“I sure will.”

He allowed her to leave just enough for him to turn himself invisible. He jumped off the roof and landed on the concrete road still invisible. Just in time as Charlie is already out of the building. He follows her without being noticed.

Lancelot is one of the unique ones. A by product of two of the most special Jinni’s of their generation.

Rory is a mind reader while Charlie is a time traveler. He is brought to the world from natural birth. And over the years, he’s been discovering more and more of the powers he has gained out from his parents genes.

Charlie reaches Alvah’s mansion. At least that’s what he thinks. All he sees is a vacant lot. According to the legend, Alvah’s house will never be visible to anyone except for those who she allows to enter.

It was the kind of curse the Jinni’s had to go through if they ever meet Alvah.

This is why he chose to travel to the past. Alvah has a reputation of ruining things in the past. It was her special curse. Every now and then, she shows up to a certain time and ruins the future of every Jinni.

He remained standing in front of the vacant lot where Charlie have disappeared.

“Someday, I will get to face Alvah and learn how to defeat you. So you won’t have to ruin anyone’s past or future.”

His invisibility was now gone. Yet he looked up at the sky as though he could see Alvah’s mansion.

Right now, only Charlie and Rory could enter. Rory has managed to earn her trust even in this generation. How he managed that, is beyond him.