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"Must be pretty cool working with your dad" Ari s to her What kind of dad didn’t question a rando, Jai sat forward "You know I could teach you things about the Jinn That would pass time"

The smile slid off Ari’s face and she looked away fro about them"

"Ari, it’s my job to protect you If I can teach you about different kinds of Jinn it could act as an early warning system if you ever encountered one"

"No"

"This is your heritage, Ari Don’t you want to learn about your heritage?"

"No!" she snapped, jolting out of the chair, sending it careening across the floor "I don’t knoho or what I am, OK Before this I didn’t know and I still don’t know But the one thing I did knoas that I was Charlie’s friend That’s the only thing I have So, I don’t want to talk about the Jinn I don’t I’ to sit here and wait for my friend to remember that that’s all I have and call me"

Silence fell between the to co

When he cleared his throat, she turned back to look at hiry He shook his head at her "You’re smarter than that Don’t make out that who you are is dependent upon who you are to so Charlie’s friend isn’t who you are It’s a part of whatback on your ass while life happens to you… is that really who you are, Ari?" He tutted and grabbed his book up again, opening it to the placeholder "I guess I rong about you"

"He’s right, you know," a new voice entered the fray and Ari’s head shot up in surprise to see Charlie standing in her doorway He looked worn out and unsure He jerked a thumb over his shoulder "Your dad let me in I take it he doesn’t know about…" his eyes fell to Jai on the floor, Jai who kept reading his book as if nothing was going on, as if he hadn’t hurt her with his painful observations

Ignoring hiht of hi there Of his own accord Relief blosso when dad’s around" She smiled crookedly "You’re here?"

Eyes wide, Charlie nodded and stepped into the rooh and turned around, leaning back against it She saorld of hurt in his eyes: trauma, shock, disbelief, relief, fury Charlie had always felt soto control how overwhel it all was "I don’t bla her face for reassurance "I’m sorry I made you think I blamed you I just… God… it was a lot, Ari"

Afraid to scare hie his mind, Ari took a tentative step towards him "I know I know Believe me I know" She stopped at the pile of ash made from the cushion Jai had burned and tipped her toe into the pile nervously,it around "So… you took so… How do you feel? I et about me for a second How are you?"

Ari s"

"I can’t believe all this is true I mean I can because I saithweird is that?"

She laughed at such a natural response and nodded, grateful when he returned her smile with one of his own lopsided ones "It is weird"

"So what are you going to do about it?" he asked, pushing up away fro his book like they weren’t having thisto learn, you know, to be Jinn?"

Scowling at the thought Ari shook her head violently "Hell no No No way, I want nothing to do with any of it Once I have a couple things sorted out I a to continue my very human life like none of this ever happened"

Charlie looked doubtful "It’s not that easy, Ari"

"Yes it is Irefuses to drop the protection so I’et rid of hi up from the book

Charlie frowned down at him, clearly ?"

His look of disappointment baffled Ari She wanted to question him about his reaction but she was afraid of what’d he say, afraid it would spoil the tenuous thread they’d sewn in their torn friendship in the last few minutes "No Well… yeah You remember I told you about Nick? How he’s possessed by one of the Jinn?"

"Jesus" Charlie’s eyes widened "After everything… I guess that part I kind of forgot"

"Understandable under the circuuys--"

"Aissawa," Jai interjected before yawning

"Aissawa Brotherhood guys who specialize in exorcism"