Djinn Ch. 01

Jack was thinking too, about their recent conversation. He couldn't for the life of him think why he had just said all that. He looked down at the ring. He supposed it was because he Dad had shown so much affection by giving him such a precious gift. Whatever it was, the talk had worn him out, so he turned the light out and went to sleep.

The ring glowed one more time after he closed his eyes. The next morning his Dad took him out to buy a car. He had gotten his license from the military during his training and his Dad wanted to give him some extra freedom.

He thought Jack would have wanted something exotic and sporty, which he could easily afford. But to his surprise, Jack decided to go for a large, new, 4-wheel drive SUV with a ton of boot space. He said that it was similar to what he had learned to drive in and because he heard people tend to let larger vehicles in first. He went for a model with lots of horsepower and better off roading capabilities, but he had all the extras added on for comfort.

Jack spent the next week driving around the city in his new set of wheels, visiting all the old places of his youth. While some of them had closed or renovated, most of them were still there. That Friday he visited the beach he had visited so many times when he was a kid, which helped his complexion, even thought it was quite cloudy, and went to his favourite mexican restaurant for lunch. When he went into the city he ran into a few old friends who were amazed at how much he had changed. They seemed surprised when he said he had just got back from the war.

They invited him to join them for a drink later that night, and, remembering his Dad's words, he accepted but only if he was the designated driver for the night, since he wasn't really ready for a big drinking night considering he'd never actually drunk any alcohol before. Despite them trying to get him to reconsider, they agreed and told him to pick them up from Town Hall in 2 hours and gave him the address of the club they were going too.

They asked him for his phone number so they could call him if they had to but Jack suddenly realised he didn't have a mobile. His old one had been trashed a few days before the conscription lottery. He told them to give him their numbers and he'd put them in his phone once he actually had one.

He then walked around until he found an Apple store and went in. He went up to one of the attendants and tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned around he thought she looked familiar. He looked at her name tag and saw she was called Lucy, which stirred a half forgotten memory.

'Excuse me but did you ever go to school with a guy called Eddie Slice?' As much as it made his blood boil to say that name again, he figured he'd make sure he was right about where he knew her from.

'Yes I did. Why, are you a friend of his?' The blonde girl asked. She squinted at him. 'You look awfully familiar. Have we met before?'

'Yeah we have. I was in the same year as you and Eddie until about 4 years ago.'

Lucy's brow knitted in thought. Then her eyes widened.

'Jack? Oh my god is that you? I didn't recognise you! What the heck have you done with your hair?' said Lucy with a grin on her face. The two of them had been friends in high school but like everyone else he ever knew, he had lost contact with her after he left.

Sophie had been best friends with Lucy before she disappeared and had introduced her to Jack but he had long ago dismissed that as false memories created by trauma during the war, though he couldn't recall how he'd actually met her, not that he was thinking about any of that right now.

He raised his right hand defensively to his head.

'Hey I like it. Nothing wrong with long hair these days. And yeah, its still Jack.'

'I think the look suits you. Man, you've really gotten tall, you kn...'

She pause just as he was lowering his hand and grabbed his wrist before yanking his sleeve up his arm. Her eyes widened.

'You... you were in the war? As a commando!?' she asked incredulously.

'Um, yeah. Just got back 2 weeks ago. Still getting used to life outside a commando suit if i'm honest.'

She just looked at him with amazement.

'But I... we all thought you left because of Eddie.'

Jack frowned in surprise. He hadn't expected that.

'What? Left because of Eddie? No, I got conscripted like the other commandos. Who gave you the idea I left because of that tool?'

She looked nervous.

'Um... Eddie did. He kept saying how he made you leave because you were a coward and couldn't get a good mark to save your life and that was bringing the school down. I didn't believe him of course, none of us did, you always got the best grades in the class, but I thought maybe because of his bullying...'

She trailed off when she saw the look of thunder that had come over Jacks face. He wasn't looking at her anymore, he was staring into the space above her head, thinking of all the ways he would take Eddie down if he ever had half the chance.

'Jack? Hey Jack! I'm sorry! I'm sorry for saying that, just don't get angry because of me.'

Jack snapped back to reality. He smiled ruefully at Lucy.

'Sorry Lucy. It's just hard hearing that after...'

He broke off as he started remembering some of the battles he'd been in. He could almost hear the sound of the guns firing.

'After what happened over there?' Asked Lucy gently, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Jack jumped at the contact, surprising Lucy. An awkward silence filled the air, which Lucy finally broke.

'So, what did you come in for? In the market for a phone?'

Jack smiled again. 'How'd you guess?'

'Well considering how long you served and the fact you didn't have a phone after you dropped yours in a sink, I figured that was a pretty good guess.'

'Not bad Sherlock.'

'Thanks Watson. Wait here, I'll get the latest model to show you.'

As she turned and walked over to the counter, Jack couldn't help but give her the once over. Lucy had really grown up. She was a good 7 or 8 inches taller than she had been the last time he saw her and she had grown her straight blonde hair out as well, which was now in a ponytail. He also couldn't help noticing how much her tits and her butt had popped out in the last 4 years.

She had been pretty when she was 15 but now she was 19 she was gorgeous, something he was acutely aware of thanks to her form fitting uniform of tight jeans and a company tee-shirt that was probably a size too small for someone with her large bust line. It was pretty clear that she had some spectacular breasts, something the shirt made evident since it displayed a nice but not indecent amount of cleavage.

And from the back, the jeans were flattering her ass even more, as well as her long dancers legs. He remembered she had taken dance outside of school and was also a basket ball fan. That probably accounted for both her natural grace and for her trim waist. The girl had become quite the bombshell, but he was glad her personality hadn't changed all that much. It was hard to find someone with a good soul these days.

Jack quickly realised he was staring and turned to look at some headphones on the wall. He pinched his thigh to make his semi hard-on go away before anyone noticed it. Then he realised that was the first time he had actually looked at a girl that way in over 4 years. It was also the first time he had gotten even semi hard. Jack had barely had enough time to even get a rest, let alone give any thought to that kind of thing. He unconsciously scratched his tattoo.

He glanced back over towards the counter, where the top of Lucy's head could be seen bobbing around as she searched through one of the cupboards under the desk. He couldn't deny she was attractive but he definitely wasn't anywhere near ready to go looking for a date yet, not with all the reconditioning problems he was having. Besides, somebody like her probably already had a boyfriend.

Jack decided to put those thoughts to the side until he was in a place where he could act on them. He looked back over as Lucy walked over to him with a box in her hands.

'This is the latest model but its pretty pricy.'

'That's fine. My parents are so happy I'm back, they were gonna buy me a sports car, so a phones not really that bad compared to that.'

Her eyebrows went up a bit in interest.

'So you didn't let them?'

Jack raised one of his own eyebrows.

'Thats the part that interests you?'

'Well your the first person i've heard of who said no to something like that.'

'I suppose thats true.'

She raised her eyebrows again questioningly.

'Yeah, I turned it down. I've been driving around in a white SUV for the past week.'

'Huh. Fair enough.'

'So what about you?'

'What about me?'

'I mean, whats happened to you since the last time I saw you?'

'Well, the long and short of it is, after I graduated I got a job here while i'm going through uni. My parents paid for school but I've gotta deal with living arrangements. The apartment's alright I guess, but my neighbours are total assholes who aren't exactly subtle when they try and hit on me and think I'm playing hard to get, so they won't listen to me.'

'You haven't got a guy looking out for bastards like that?' asked Jack, surprised.

'Nope. My last relationship fell through about a month ago. The guy was too possessive, kept calling me every five minutes and got mad when I went out with my friends.'

'Ah. I got similar feelings about the war. I'm putting as much distance between me and the military as I can. Thats actually why I got this new hair style.'

Lucy looked back up at his hair for a second then smiled.

'Like I said it suits you. Come over to the desk and I'll get your phone sorted.'

Ten minutes later it was all done. Jacks parents had given him a card that was linked to their bank account, which he had found had been a big help. Lucy also helped him set up an iCloud and Apple id, then downloaded a few apps she recommended.

Jack added his friends numbers to his contacts and Lucy gave him hers as well, saying she wanted to catch up more. Jack invited her to join the group that night but Lucy already had plans, though she made it clear she was up for another night.

Just as they were finishing up, Lucy glanced out the store window and gasped before she suddenly ducked down under the counter. Jack was confused and started turning around before Lucy snapped at him not too. Still confused, he asked what was wrong. Lucy said she had seen her ex outside and he was making a beeline for the store.

Jack thought fast and handed his phone and the packaging to her and told her to keep quiet. He turned around and leaned against the desk, putting an annoyed look on his face. He saw a fairly tall bloke with blonde hair and a determined look on his face come through the door and look around. He stomped over to the counter and looked at Jack.

'Where is she?' He asked, doing little to be polite.

'Who the hell are you?' Asked Jack, deciding to be equally rude.

'Where's Lucy?' He asked, his voice more menacing. Jack was unimpressed, he'd seen way more terrifying things before.

He pushed himself off the desk and squared up to the guy. Jack was a good 2 inches taller than him, so the guy wasn't very imposing.

'Look mate, I have no idea who this Lucy chick is but you better give me a good reason why you're looking for her unless you want me to call security over here.'

Now the guy looked a little calmer. He looked Jack up and down and saw he wasn't wearing one of the stores uniforms.

'Sorry man. I thought you worked here. Lucy does, so I figured I could find her here. She stabbed me in the back and broke up with me because she accused me of being too possessive.'

'One, I'm just covering for a friend on duty so he can get something to eat and two, he's told me one of his coworkers had relationship problems and frankly I can see why.'

The guys scowl returned.

'Whats that meant to mean?'

'Something tells me you already know.'

The guys fists balled up and Jack figured he was just about ready to get violent. Jack casually pulled his right sleeve up and rubbed the tattoo, figuring if Lucy had known what it was, then this guy would too. When the ex saw it, his fists flew open and his eyes widened, his anger replaced by shock. He suddenly realised how close he had come to getting his ass handed too him, the commandos reputation having preceded Jack.

'Still think she's worth it?' asked Jack.

'What?'

'Think about it. She left you didn't she?'

'Yes.'

'That means she's not coming back to you any time soon, and your little mission to get her back nearly made you get in a fight with someone who would have broken your jaw.

'But... I really cared about her.'

'Sounds to me like you got obsessive.'

The guy was silent.

'I understand being angry man, but trust me, you're too possessive. Whats the saying? There are other fish in the sea? Go swimming man, you'll find someone else. But if you don't move on, you're probably gonna wind up in front of someone who isn't as considerate as me.'

The guy looked thoughtful. He'd obviously just needed a dose of reality, which Jack had somehow managed to give him. Secretly he was amazed at how well he had handled the situation. He'd never been this confident before. Maybe the war had given him a bit of a backbone. He didn't realise that the ring was glowing again, brighter this time, because it was in his pocket for safe keeping.

The guy sighed and admitted he was right. Jack watched as the guy walked out of the store and got into the car park lift. He then leaned back over the desk and gave Lucy the all clear. She jumped up and threw her arms around him in a massive hug.

'That was amazing! I didn't think he'd ever let go of what happened! How did you do that?!'

Jack gently pushed her away so that his lungs could re-inflate.

'I don't know. I just didn't let him get to me. He wasn't scary at all. And I don't like being given orders. I had enough of them in service.'

Lucy looked him up and down again and beamed.

'Well, you're certainly no coward Jack. Thank you so much.'

Jack smiled and said it was no problem. Another customer came in and asked Lucy about their laptops, so Lucy handed Jack his phone and said she'd call him later that week. Jack said goodbye and walked out of the store. As he made his way towards the carpark he passed through the food court. He suddenly noticed someone he hoped he wouldn't see.

Standing in line for the macca's was Eddie Slice. He was chatting with 2 blokes who had the same hoodies on as Eddie did, which meant they were probably teammates of his. Eddie wasn't as big as he had seemed when they were 15 but that was because Jack had grown up faster and later than he had. Not wanting Eddie to see him, even though he probably wouldn't recognise him, Jack ducked into the stairwell, which was closer than the lift, and sprinted to his car.

Jack picked his friends up at 6:40 and they were at the bar by 7. Jack had looked up the bar and from what he could tell it was pretty well managed. They hadn't had an incident in over a year. Inside, Jack began to regret listening to his Dad's advice. The bar was noisy and crowded, the lights reminded him of gunshots and explosions and the music made the floor pulse like bombs were going off.

The rest of his mob was getting pissed pretty quickly. Jack could tell they were having a good time. Two of them had gotten up to dance and the other 3 were with him in a booth, laughing and giggling like 2 year olds. The were trying to get Jack to open up about the war, but Jack refused to answer any of their questions or dance.

Eventually all of them were on the dance floor, leaving Jack at one of the standing tables trying to mind his own business. He kept looking around, pretending everyone in the room was an assassin and trying to figure out who they were trying to kill. It was oddly calming, probably because it was familiar to him. He looked over at the entrance and saw a rather attractive redhead, around his age, with really curly hair walking out he door.

He wouldn't have thought anything more of it if he hadn't seen who went out after her. For the second time that day and twice more than he wanted to ever happen, Eddie Slice appeared. He and another guy walked out the door with looks on their faces that made Jack uneasy. Checking to make sure his friends were occupied, he slipped out of the bar.

Once outside he looked around for Eddie and saw him going down a side street. Jack sprinted over to the corner and looked round. Even though the ally was pretty dark, with shadows that seemed to be ballroom dancing all over every surface, he could easily see Eddie and his friend were facing a wall. The redhead was there too, but she was backing up towards the the wall, looking pretty uneasy.

Suddenly Eddie made a grab for he dress, which didn't have any shoulder straps. She shot away from him, but his friend was waiting for her and pinned her arms behind her. Eddies hand shot out again and he pulled the top of her dress down, revealing her large, well sculpted boobs. She tried to scream but his friends hand shot up and covered her mouth with his hand.

Jack watched as Eddie started groping her tits. He knew if he went for the cops there was a certain chance Eddie and his friend would really hurt the girl. Plus he had a score to settle with that asshole. Jack quietly stepped into the ally and snuck up behind Eddie before grabbing him below the shoulders and shoving him away.

Eddie fell into a pile of trash and lay there dazed. His friend was slow to react, giving Jack the perfect opportunity to jab him between the eyes. The hit temporarily blinded him but wouldn't cause any lasting damage. Jack knew how take someone out without any chance of crippling them. But the blow made him raise both hand to his face in pain, releasing the terrified woman.

Jack helped her up and pulled her dress up to cover her breasts before telling her to go and get the police. She nodded her head and ran as fast as she could. Luckily she was wearing flats so she was able to get to the main street in just a few seconds. Eddie disentangled himself from the rubbish pile and scowled at Jack.

'Oh you've done it now, you son of a bitch!' He said as he got to his feet.

'I think we both know thats not the worst thing you've ever called me Eddie.'

That brought a look of confusion to his face.

'Wait, we know each other? I'm pretty sure I've never seen you before.'

Jack scoffed.

'Of course you'd forget. You would, after all i was just, what was it you kept calling me? A 'worthless, loser nobody' wasn't it?'

Eddie just seemed more confused. Then the penny dropped.

'Jack? Is that you?' He suddenly started laughing.

'So you finally grew a spine did you? Didn't think I'd be seeing you again after you ran away with your tail between your legs.'

He actually fucking believes that, thought Jack.

'I didn't run away from you, Slice.' He yanked his sleeve up. 'And does this look like something belonging to a coward?'

Eddie was stunned. He obviously wasn't expecting that. Now he knew Jack was a commando, he sized him up again. He wasn't as bulky as Eddie was, despite him gaining a couple of kilos in the past two weeks. But Eddie knew that when it came to commandos, their appearances were always deceiving.

He had a friend who had gotten into a fight with a rather scrawny looking one and he was still in the hospital. With his buddy still rubbing his eyes, he didn't fancy his chances in a one on one fight with his old victim. It was lucky for Eddie that Jack never got the chance to kick his ass.

'Hold it right there!'

Jack kept his eyes on Eddie until he had turned his head before turning his own. He wasn't stupid enough to turn his back on an active target. Standing in the entrance to the road was a young, black police woman. Jack quickly noted the gun in her hands and had to actively restrain himself from disarming her. He didn't want to get in trouble.