Chapter 1: Chasing Death

Every morning when I wake up, I look outside my window and look at the park. The feeling of excitement and thrill fills my heart every time the children run after each other and laugh out loud with joy. Adults walk around, greet each other politely and couples sit comfortably on the benches while cuddling. This has become my daily routine before I get up to bed. Then, I saw him again.

"Who are you?" I softly whispered. This is the third time I saw him standing underneath the cherry blossom tree that is situated outside my window.

Even though he is far away from where I am, I can feel his eyes staring at me. He is wearing a dark suit. His skin is as white as the snow, dark messy hair, and a slender physique. Although he seems creepy, I can't sense any harm from him.

I went back to bed and tuck myself inside the blanket. I planned to sleep all day and hope to get a good dream this time. When your reality sucks sometimes we rather sleep and dream to escape the painful truth of life.

"Good morning, Sunshine!" I heard a familiar deep-toned voice calling from behind.

I jump up and turn around to see the person behind me.

"Geez, Clarren, you startled me," I surprisingly said while holding onto my chest. My heart beats so fast that I can feel it palpitating. "Don't ever do that again?!"

His cheerful bright smile is so contagious that I can't help smiling back and returning the same courtesy he had given me. "How are you feeling today?" He walked towards me and sits beside my bed, placing the back of his hand on my forehead to check my temperature. "You seemed normal today," he said.

"Thanks to you," I simply replied. Clarren removed the blanket from my body and helped me stand up from the bed. "What's for breakfast?" I excitedly asked, pulling his arm and swinging it back and forth.

I've been like this for as long as I can remember. It's not a pleasant feeling to lie in bed the whole day and just watch people enjoying their lives from outside my window, just like watching a movie on the television. I have very weak resistance and am prone to all types of diseases. I'm not allowed to stay outside for too long or I may catch a virus from my surroundings.

St. Luke’s Medical Center has been my home for the longest time. The doctors, nurses, and patients have become my family, and Clarren, one of the nurses, became my trusted best friend. He always looks after me. I may be fragile, but that doesn't mean that I am weak and I am very thankful for the blessing of having such wonderful people around me. They are my strength, my shield, and my hope. But sometimes I felt like a burden to them. I tried hard to be on my best behavior and act normal and happy to lessen their worries. Deep down inside I feel empty like a part of me is missing. Despite the large number of people that surrounds me, I still feel lonely.

"Wow, it looks like you're in a great mood today! Hmm... Breakfast? It's a surprise!" He smiled at me and pushed me in front of my closet. "First thing first, fix yourself and I'll meet you in the canteen." He left my room after saying those words. I immediately followed.

Before going to the canteen, I walked towards the window and looked at the park one more time. The mysterious man is still there. Patiently standing and looking at me. He stares at me as if he is inviting me to come to him.

I thought to myself, "How long are you planning to stand there?" I know it was wrong to talk to strangers, but there are these urges. I can't seem to resist the feeling of being lured and charmed, but out of curiosity.

Instead of going to the canteen and meeting up with my friend Clarren, I headed straight outside to see the mysterious man. I need to know why he is standing outside my window like a creepy pervert. This has to stop now as I am getting uncomfortable with him stalking me.

"I see that you have finally decided to show up," he said with his eyes darting at me. His lips curved into a smile and started to walk slowly toward me.

I suddenly felt a dark aura surround me. "W-who are you?" I stuttered. For some reason, my feet got stuck on the ground and unable to move, my knees were shaking as he continued to walk closer. His eyes were locked on like magnets as if he was studying me like a predator and giving me his unwavering attention.

“Is he going to hurt me? May he want to sexually harass me? But I am just an ordinary girl and I am not that pretty for him to be interested in me. Am I that charming? Oh my gosh, I haven’t taken a bath nor washed my hair. What if he smells my scent? I should have at least put on some perfume before I meet him. What the hell was I thinking?” There are a lot of questions that keep piling inside my head as he gets closer.

The answers to my questions revealed themselves and none of the thoughts inside my head matches his motive and intention when he asks me a question that doesn’t make sense.

"What if I offer you three wishes in exchange for your soul, would you take the chance?" His face was very serious. He's giving me a bit of a scare as he comes closer. He grabbed my waist and wrapped his muscular arms around me. "Answer the question missy. Time is ticking, and I don't have all day!"

In a heartbeat, I bluntly replied, "Yeah sure, whatever." I somehow feel disappointed that he was not interested in me at all. Maybe he was just asking me that question to start a conversation.

"Wait, what? That's it?" His eyes widened. "Yeah, sure, whatever?! That's all you have to say?" He furiously asks. "Missy, this is not just some sick joke. I'm not fucking kidding!" he exclaimed.

"So do I," I quickly responded.

"Do you have any idea who I am?"

"I wouldn't have asked you earlier if I had known you." I rolled my eyes.

"I'm a Djinn!" he confidently said. I can see the smirk on his face.

"Djinn, oh, I see, you mean a genie?" I asked in confusion, scratching the back of my head. “Is he for real? He looks more like a freak,” I said to myself.

"Hell no!" he immediately opposed. "But I do grant wishes though." He appeared to be having second thoughts. "Let's just say I'm the highest form of a genie, but with class and style," he explained and feeling proud of himself.

"Nice to meet you Djinn, I'm Aria!" I casually said and reached out my hand for a handshake. "So tell me, when can I get my wish?" I asked inquisitively.

"Hey missy, do you have any idea of the risk you're going to face? A wish in exchange for your soul! Get it?" he said astonishingly. His dark aura had changed. "Aren't you afraid of dying?" he sounded a little hesitant, judging by the worried look on his face.

He may look harmless, but am sure that he is not an ordinary man and yet, here I am still talking to him. I try to conceal my fear and continue to make a normal conversation with him. Why can’t I resist you?

"Yep, you said it already," I replied. I know deep down in my heart about the danger that I am going to face and, for some reason, whether he is telling the truth or not, I am willing to take the risk. "We are all going to die sooner or later, one way or another," I added.

He moves back, stands firm, and stretches his arms. "Okay, well, before we start, we need to have an agreement." He spread his hands and out of nowhere, a piece of paper pops out in the palm of his hand. "Sign here!" He reached out his hand to give me the agreement paper. But before I get the chance to get the paper, Clarren shows up.

"Aria, what are you doing? Stay away from him!" he screamed, running his way to where we are.

"Clarren," I softly whispered. I felt like being knocked out of my senses and realized the mistake that I was about to make. I was about to turn my head to Clarren when the mysterious man called out to me.

"Missy, do you want the deal or not?" He looked at me and reached out for my hand. "Come with me," he said, trying to convince me.

My mind said no, but my heart took over my body and grabbed the hand of the mysterious man. A thick dark smoke pops out in the air, surrounds, and covers our entire body. After the smoke clears the air, we were already transported to a different place.