Bigger Sister

"Because I'm a genie. And also I knew... have known people a bit like you. And like me before I became a genie, if we're being honest. Regardless, I don't know nearly everything about you yet, and if I'm going to make your wishes come true, it's best that I understand your preferences properly."

Candace didn't say anything immediately. What were her preferences? She knew what she liked to think she preferred, but sometimes she wondered.

"Okay, the truth is that my hair is just really thin, and if I don't dye it a dark colour, I look a bit bald. When I was younger, I thought I could have those long golden waves you see in adverts, but my hair grows slow and thin, and gets wispy past the shoulder. But I'm not about to spend a wish on nice hair."

Genie laughed. "Of course not. Do you want to make a lot of money?"

"I guess, but really I just wish... Strike that, I would like to make enough money so that I'm paying my own way and not leeching off Kelly."

"How about lots of romantic success?" Genie asked.

"More than I've had, surely, but that's saying very little. Honestly I'd be happy if I could flirt with attractive strangers without making an utter fool of myself. But one actual partner is enough for me."

"And what kind of partner would that be?"

Candace opened her mouth to answer Genie's question, but the sentence playing across her tongue wasn't something she'd ever admitted to anyone, perhaps even herself.

"I understand," Genie said compassionately, and took Candace's hand in hers. "Do you want me to take a look for myself, or would you rather keep that private?"

"What do you mean? Are you asking if I want you to read my mind?" Candace asked uneasily.

"Yes. More or less. It's not something I can do without invitation or cooperation. I just hold your hand whilst you think of people to whom you've been attracted over the years, and I get glimpses of them."

"That does seem easier," Candace admitted, and before she could lose her nerve she said, "Let's do it."

She blushed slightly when the phrasing made her think of Genie's gorgeous body and her mind's eye of what it would look like if they were 'doing it' naked. Of course, her own podgy body intruded on the mental vignette and she pushed it away. Genie didn't look appalled or embarrassed, though; she was still smiling in a calm, friendly way. Truly Genie was a beautiful person, and not just physically. But that's not what she was supposed to be thinking about, so she tried to think back to people who had excited her in the past. Whoops, not Kelly. Eek, or that one floppy-haired boy with the fascinatingly huge package. God, not Sophie Reade! More like, well, not the busty anime dragon-girl she'd kept as an 'ironic' screensaver, either. Okay, what about Angelina Jolie's Tomb Raider? That was better. Whoops, not the demented fan-fiction version! So many fan-fiction alternates. This is why she should have had more actual girlfriends, or boyfriends, instead of contenting herself with exaggerated fantasies in the bathtub.

She let go of Genie's hand in mortification. "Well, I guess now you know more about me," she said, feeling like her weird fantasy life had probably put Genie's claims to the test.

"Oh, Candace, don't be embarrassed!" Genie said reassuringly, "That how it is for everyone. I mean, not the specifics, but everyone has a mix of fantasies that aren't quite what they'd like to share with the world. That's part of fantasy."

"Really?" Candace said, feeling significantly better.

"Really. And I always like when I can make a harmless fantasy come true. Is this your home?"

"It is," Candace confirmed, wanting to address Genie comment about fantasies coming true, but distracted by the need to see if she'd gotten a text from Kelly that would let her know if her sister was home. She was relieved to find that Kelly's last text was telling her that she and her friends were 'going to wind down a bit' at the pub if Candace wanted to join them after work. "It's just us, for at least a little longer. That makes this easier. I'll text her that... Oh, we never quite settled on the story we'd tell about you."

"You haven't seen her in some time, so can we say that I'm a friend of yours visiting from your place of origin? And I am a recent arrival in that place from, let's say, Norwich."

"Do you know Norwich?" Candace asked.

"Not recently, but I think I could pass myself off well enough, with a little research. Last I was out of the bottle you had an excellent thing called the 'World Wide Web' that contained quite a lot of information. I expect it's common enough now that nearly everyone has a connection to it?"

Candace laughed as she typed out her text to Kelly. "We call it 'internet' these days, and yes, I have it on my phone, my laptop, and basically everything else. Here, you can use my laptop, if you want. You probably should acquaint yourself with some of the lingo, or you'll sound very out of date."

"This is very nice," Genie commented, then chuckled slightly to see the busty anime girl from Candace's mind's eye in the background of her computer.

Candace blushed, but muddled through. "This is Google. They pretty much took over all searches, and now searching for something on the internet is called 'googling'. There's also social media, but you look really cool so you can probably just say you don't use it. Though you also look kind of..."

"Outdated? I'm sure I do, though I'll change my look to fit the current need when we meet your sister and her friends."

"I was going to say that you look a little too sexy to be a friend of mine. But I'm supposed to be truthful, right? I kind of like that. It will impress them that someone as hot as you are would be friends with me."

"If you don't want me to change at all, I can remain just as I am. Or I can assume a somewhat similar 'look', updated for the current task. Or I could change to maximally impress them. I could even be male, if you prefer."

"No!" Candace exclaimed at the last option. "I'm sure you would be a very hot guy, but I... Wait, would you like to be male?"

Genie looked surprised. "That's not the relevant question."

"Sure it is. You only get so much time out of your bottle. You should be able to enjoy it."

"I assure you I enjoy it very much either way."

"I want to you to look whichever way would entertain you the most," Candace insisted.

Genie paused to consider. "Agreed. Can I use the internet for a few minutes? I think I can navigate for myself from here."

Candace felt a little self-conscious letting the genie use her laptop, but then she considered that the genie had already looked inside her private mind, so it was a little late to be bashful about what the supernatural being might discover in her browser history. Maybe the dreadful slashfics, but would a genie care at all about that? Genie wouldn't. Candace sighed.

"Would you like some tea? Or something else to drink? Or are you hungry at all?"

Genie laughed. "I'm a magical creature, mistress. I don't need to eat or drink."

"Didn't you have a juice earlier?"

"I did, but I didn't need it."

"Well, I asked if you would like something, didn't I? Lord knows I don't only eat when I need to," Candace said, grabbing at the fat at her tummy. "Maybe I should wish for a faster metabolism or to have more motivation to get fit. How about a muffin with some butter and jam?"

"I could do something about the metabolism, but motivation is harder," Genie said absently, "And a muffin sounds lovely. Thank you very much, mistress."

"You're not going to keep calling me that, are you?"

"No, I'm just reminding us both who and what I am."

Candace considered that as she watched the toaster. "It seems to me that you're my guest. A guest who is gifting me with three wishes because... because I'm lucky. This isn't very fair, is it? I should wish for the end of hunger or something."

"That's not a medium wish. It's also not really how genie wishes work. They usually have to be centred on the person doing the wishing. You could wish for a better income, then donate your wages. It... you're supposed to wish for things you want for you. It's the nature of these things."

"I guess karma evens it all out?"

"It is perhaps a good thing that it does not, or it would punish the fortunate as well has help the downtrodden. In reality it's mainly useful for punishing those who would abuse magic. The best I can say of Karma's treatment of the kind and good is that it sometimes exacts terrible judgements on those who prey on them. But I have never yet seen it come to anyone's aid just because of their goodness." Genie sounded faintly bitter.

"So what would happen if I wished for the good of others?"

"The results would be disappointing. The magic gets weaker when the beneficiary is more distant to the wisher."

"I suppose that assuages my conscience, then," Candace said. "Is that enough butter? I don't know how you like it."

Genie looked up into Candace's eyes and smiled. It was just a regular, friendly smile of thanks, but it filled Candace with happiness. Then she remembered that Genie was here to perform a service, not be her mistress' best friend. Her only friend, given that she had screwed up her other friendships one way or another.

"What's wrong?" Genie asked, seeing the change on Candace's face.

"Sorry. My stupid brain likes to bring up dreadful thoughts to ruin the happiest moments. Like karma, I guess."

Genie frowned thoughtfully. "I don't think I can help that directly."

"I didn't even say anything about wishing this time," Candace objected.

"Yes, you are right, of course," the genie acknowledged, pushing back from Candace's laptop. "And anyway, we should give this time to play out a little."

Genie rose higher than her previous stature when she stood from the chair, and her hair brightened to a fire-engine red, growing longer as it did. Her makeup shifted, becoming slightly darker and more subtle. Fishnets faded into nylons, and combat boots elongated until they became heeled thigh-highs. Her scrappy top became a dark navy grenadier's jacket with an open neck displaying an impressive amount of cleavage. Below it her short shorts merged and extended into a matching skirt with toggle decorations down the front. When the transformation was complete, Genie still looked like Genie, but larger and more impressive in every dimension, dressed somewhere between a gothic steampunk, a Suicide Girl, and a fashion designer.

"Wow! You look amazing! I didn't think it was possible for you to be any... better looking," Candace gushed, saving herself at the last moment from saying something a little more pervy than intended.

Kelly's key in the door forestalled any response.

Meeting Kelly

"Candi!" Kelly said, stumbling in on the arm of a boy Candace hadn't seen Kelly with before. Not that this was especially surprising, though Jeff lacked the smug swagger of her usuals.

"You gotta meet my friend Jeff, who," Kelly stopped mid sentence when she noticed Candace's guest. "Oh! Hello! You must be Candi's friend. I'm her sister Kelly. This is Jeff. Candi! This is my friend Jeff. He's a nice guy. And Candi is fucking amazing, Jeff, so you better be nice as fuck."

"Hi Jeff," Candace said, rescuing Jeff from her inebriated sister. "This is my friend," she hesitated just a moment, unsure of what name to use.

"Genie," Genie supplied.

"Jenny?" Kelly asked.

"Close enough," Genie said.

"Jeff. You can get home, right? You know how to go home?"

"Yes, Kelly, I know how to go home," Jeff told Kelly.

"Good. I'm going to bed, because I have definitely had enough to drink tonight. Candi! You are the best, and your friend is smoking hot. Remember we're going shopping tomorrow! And Jenny can come, too. Get Jeff's digits! G'night."

They all watched as she swayed into her room, then looked at each-other and laughed.

"How long have you known my sister, Jeff?" Candace asked.

"'Bout, oh, two hours? Seems really nice."

"She is," Candace confirmed, though she doubted that Jeff was hanging out with Kelly because she was 'nice'. Jeff was a good-looking guy, but not in the muscular athlete kind of way Kelly usually favoured. More of a long-haired, vaguely nerdy, but engaging kind of fellow. He didn't look like the sort who would be at a rager. He was also smiling at Candace.

"Uh, I was chosen to walk her home because her friends agreed I was harmless," he said, half-jokingly. "A bit embarrassing to admit that they're right."

"How did you meet Kelly and her friends?" Genie asked.

"Luckiest day of my life. Got placed on their team for trivia," Jeff said, blushing and carefully enunciating his words. "Kelly is a lot smarter than you'd think. I mean, not that you'd think she wasn't smart or anything, just you know, you wouldn't think she'd know so many..." Candace's raised eyebrow brought his statement to a flustered stop. "I'm a bit pissed myself. I should prolly go."

"I believe we are supposed to get your digits before you do," Genie said.

"Oh year! Definitely. Do you have something to write with?"

"You could just text," Candace suggested.

"That would be simpler. Never given my phone number to a girl before. I know you wouldn't think that a beefcake like me would be able to go two steps without fighting off hot girls asking for my number, but somehow it never happens. Mysterious."

Candace giggled. "You're cute."

Jeff paused. "You sound just like Kelly when you laugh."

"We are twins, believe it or not," Candace said before giving him her number to type in. Seconds later, they had exchanged texts and were making farewells.

"Was he to your taste?" Genie asked when he'd gone.

"Yeah, sure," Candace said noncommittally, "Do you think he could be convinced? I know wishes aren't supposed to affect other people, I'm just asking if you think I'd have a shot."

"Generally speaking, yes," Genie began, but then stopped and turned to watch Kelly stealthily crack open her door.

"He's gone, right?" Kelly said, opening the door the rest of the way.

"It would sure be embarrassing if he's merely gone to the loo and overheard you," Candace teased.

"Yeah," Kelly agreed with a smile. "So what did you think?"

Suddenly it dawned on Candace. "You're not even drunk!"

Kelly laughed. "A little buzzed, at least. I just wanted to bring him home to see if you'd like him. He seems like a really nice guy. Barely even looked at my tits once. I thought he might be gay, but then I realised he was constantly embarrassed by the girls, and so he's actually just kind of a nerd. But a cute one, right?"

"Right," Candace agreed, laughing. "Wait! Does that mean you ended your night early just to bring me a boy?"

"Nope! I was thinking about going to bed, but apparently the girls found a fab do in Harringay. Want to come with us?" Kelly's question encompassed Genie as well.

"Oh, you're rejoining Mary and Tina?" Candace said.

"Tina and Noor tonight."

Candace liked Noor; she had been welcoming and friendly when they met. Noor was intimidatingly pretty, but she was also nearly as heavyset as Candace used to be. Noor, however, had the courage and hips to carry it like a hot girl. Candace sometimes wondered if Noor was subtly encouraging Candace to embrace her body. If Candace had had Noor's fierce independence - and her fierce thighs - maybe she could have followed Noor's example and not felt so overshadowed by Kelly.

Tina, meanwhile, had a thin dancer's body that was a fashion designer's idea of a female body, and had always completely ignored Candace. Even now, she'd probably think Candace was a cow. Maybe with Genie, though... "Would you like to go?" she asked Genie.

"Absolutely!" Genie said enthusiastically.

"Really?" Kelly asked, delighted.

"Of course! Candi's one of my best mates, and she has only good things to say about her sister, so obviously it would be a good time. Plus, it's about time Candi started getting out and about more. Unfortunately, it's quite late. Perhaps it will be better next time, after you've had a chance to get some fit clothes?"

Candace let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. "Right, yes. Shopping tomorrow!" she said to Kelly, who was visibly disappointed at Genie's seeming support turning the wrong direction.

"Okay, but next time for sure. Promise."

"I promise!" Candace said, thinking that Genie would help her make it through one way or another.

"Good. Also, Genie, thank you. You must be the good influence on my homebody sister. Fucking killer style, too. Don't wait up for me!"

When Kelly was gone, Candace breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you were going to say yes! I was so anxious."

Genie smiled reassuringly. "Well, tomorrow will be a much better day for it. We should get some sleep and start early."

"Kelly won't be up until late, though."

"We'll need to be finished before she wakes, and you need a good night's sleep."

"Finished with what?" Candace asked.

"Preparing to make your first wish come true."

"Oh, I guess that does make sense," Candace agreed, thinking that she should think seriously about wishes before making a real one. "I'll definitely want to sleep on that. Which reminds me. Where do you want to sleep? Do genies sleep?"

"I do. Quite a lot sometimes, if I've been overexerting myself."

"Have you been?" Candace asked with concern, thinking about the two extra wishes Genie had given her.

"A little. Not too much."

"My bed is pretty big, if you don't mind sharing."

"Not at all," Genie said easily, as if she didn't know Candace was totally perving on her.

At least, Candace felt like she was. She tried to suppress it, but when Genie started disrobing, it was basically impossible not to stare. Not just because she was stunningly gorgeous, either: each time she removed an item of clothing, it would vanish with a soft popping noise. Also, her breasts were not only huge, they were impossibly pert and round. Not to the point of being the kind of bolt-on tits one might see in straight porn, but definitely the kind of boobs where Candace at least suspected well-concealed implants.

"Would you like to feel them?" Genie asked.

"No!" Candace yelped, and turned away. "I beg your pardon! I hadn't meant to stare."

"Mistress, it's okay," Genie said gently, "I'm glad you looked. You'll need to have opinions, after all."

That didn't make much sense to Candace, but she was reassured by Genie's tone anyway. Everything will be okay, that calm alto told Candace's hindbrain.

"You know I fancy girls, right?" Candace asked warningly.

"How could I not? Do you think I should be unhappy about that for some reason?"

"Are you trying to seduce me? Because you don't have to be subtle about it."

Genie laughed. "No, of course not. I'm just adhering to the spirit of the contract."

"Oh," Candace said, taken off guard by the depth of her disappointment. Apparently one of her unacknowledged wishes was to sleep with her genie. As soon as she thought about it in her mind's eye, with Genie's expert and elegant perfection writhing on a bed with an inexperienced and awkward lumpy bag of rotten potatoes that was Candace's body, she felt ashamed of even contemplating it. Genie or not, Genie was way out of her league. "Well, I should get a bath."

"Good night, Candi," Genie said, laying out on the bed like a painter's muse, "I'll no doubt be asleep by the time you're through."

Genie was right, but Candi spent a certain amount of extra time in the tub making sure of it.

Dreaming

Candace's dreams were full of beautiful women, all of them with faces like hers, but not her. Sometimes she thought they were distorted versions of Kelly or even Genie, but she kept finding that she was actually looking in mirrors. As soon as she'd try to confirm that it was truly her own reflection, however, the images would slide out of view, as if the mirrors were turning.