“Once you feel better, you could leave.”

Taeyeon watched as Jessica got off the carpet and sat down on a chair. She creased her eyebrows and blurted out, “Leave with me.”

Jessica let out an amused laugh. “No.”

“You’re a thief. I’m a thief. We could work together to help people.”

“What is with you and helping people? Are you aspiring to be the next Mother Teresa?”

The genie winked and suddenly Taeyeon was dressed like a nun. Jessica laughed along with Soo. Times like these they enjoyed having the loud and obnoxious genie around.

The shortest girl in the room took off the veil on her head and huffed. “You’re already stealing so why not share what you steal.”

“And feel better about myself? No, thank you. I don’t even feel bad about stealing.”

The stubborn girl hopped on s3c once again and in a matter of seconds they were out of the lair, leaving Taeyeon alone with the genie once again.

“What is her deal?”

Fany raised a brow and shot her a weird look. She might not be fond of her master all the time but she knew that if anyone was acting weird, it’s the girl in front of her. “What do you mean what is her deal? What is your deal?”

“I just like to help those who are getting taken advantage of. What is so wrong with that?”

“Oh okay, but you can’t really expect for my master to do the same thing.”

Taeyeon then remembered the question that she’s been itching to ask. “Where’s her family? Did she run away from home?”

“How could she run away from home when she didn’t even have a home in the first place?” Fany covered . She knew her master would get angry for spilling the beans. “Okay, forget I said that. Jessica’s a very private person and she’s very violent.”

“Wait, wait, no. Where are her parents?”

“Theyabandonedherwhenshewasstillababy.” Fany covered once again. She wasn’t supposed to be telling all these things to Taeyeon but she couldn’t stop it and unfortunately for her, Taeyeon caught it.

For years, she’s travelled places where she’s seen lots of bad things happening but it was mostly the rich taking advantage of the poor. Parents abandoning their child? It was a foreign concept for her.

“Why…why would they abandon their child?”

“I don’t have the answer for that but at least now you know why Jessica acts the way she does, right?” Fany face palmed herself when she saw Taeyeon’s confused expression. “She’s not up for helping people because she has always felt alone. She lived like a beggar who got used to stealing food and only food and living on abandoned houses until she gets kicked out by whoever claims those houses to be theirs.”

“But…”

“You can’t force people to do what you want, shorty. Even I can’t mess with free will.”

Taeyeon sighed realizing how it really wasn’t her place to tell Jessica what to do. She should be thankful she saved her back there when they’re basically just strangers. She slumped down on Jessica’s bed and groaned.

---

Soo looked at Jessica who had an obvious scowl on her face. The monkey tugged on her owner’s shirt and Jessica huffed.

“I shouldn’t have helped that thing. I should’ve left her there.”

Soo looked at her with a disapproving look. The same look she gave her owner when  Jessica told her that they were going to keep the flying carpet with them.

“Oh don’t look at me like that, Soo. That ungrateful short stuff is the wrong one here. I mean, I’m fine living the way I’m living now. I don’t need to help other people. I’m just fine with you, s3c and Fany. I know once Fany has grant all my wishes then she’d be gone but still. I don’t need another annoying girl telling me what to do. Fany doesn’t even tell me what to do.”

Soo listened intently as her owner continued ranting.

“She could go help people herself. Why would I want to do that when…” her expression went from angry to complete sadness, “when no one even bothered helping me when I needed help.”

She scoffed. Just when she was about to complain even more, a memory from when she was a kid invaded her mind.

A little girl whose clothes barely even fit her anymore and had tiny holes on it was thrown out of a bakeshop when the owner caught her stealing.

She coughed and stood up, dusting herself off. Tears welled in her eyes and before it fell on her cheek, she wiped it away and ran. Because of the tears that continued to fill her eyes, she didn’t see where she was going and bumped into another kid.

The kid was taller than her and compared to how she was looking, this kid looked neat and well-fed.

“Hey, watch where you’re looking!” she bellowed at the kid that was now rubbing her shoulder.

Instead of yelling back at her, the kid chuckled and said, “I was just standing here. You’re the one who’s running.” The kid held out her hand for the girl that was sitting on the floor.

She swatted it away and stood up by herself. Just then, another kid whose face you could barely see appeared from behind the other and said, “That’s not nice.”

“Well, I’m not nice so deal with it.”

The girl she bumped into surprisingly just shrugged off her rude way and introduced herself. “I’m Yuri. This is Ju…Seohyun. Yes, Seohyun. I’m the only daughter of the best Emperor’s guard,” she declared proudly.

She stared at her with an arched brow. “Jessica and I’m no one’s daughter nor do I care about you and your friend there.”

She was about to run away again but Yuri grabbed her by the forearm and offered her something she couldn’t resist at that time.

“We’re about to buy the best bread from that bakeshop. Want to come with us?”

She smirked as she followed where Yuri was pointing at. The owner was still there, glaring at her. She didn’t give Yuri an answer and instead, she pulled her with her with the girl Seohyun in tow.

“Well, what the hell are we waiting for?”

Before the three of them could enter the shop, the owner blocked their way and exclaimed, “You little thief! I told you I never want to see your face here ever again!”

“We’re paying customers!” Jessica pushed the owner out of the way, letting the two girls explain the situation.

After they’ve gotten the bread that Yuri and Seohyun had paid for, they pranced their way out of the shop. Jessica was smiling widely. The two girls bought her a week worth of food and she’s never been happier.

She was supposed to run away again but Seohyun’s voice stopped her. “You’re not even going to say ‘Thank you’?”

“Can’t you eat with us?” Yuri asked.

She stared at Yuri and answered, “No.” She looked at Seohyun and said, “Thank you,” with a pinch of sarcasm.

Seohyun noticed it but decided to ignore it.

“Can we know where you live so we could visit you?”

Jessica wanted to pull her hair out at Yuri’s persistence. She put an arm around Yuri and pointed north. “Do you see that?”

Yuri squinted her eyes. “What exactly am I supposed to look for?”

“That!”

“Where?”

Jessica flicked Yuri’s forehead when she least expected it making the taller girl hiss in pain.

“Hey! That hurts!”

Seohyun frowned at the continuous display of Jessica’s rudeness.

“I don’t live anywhere.”

Yuri mirrored Seohyun’s expression. “Where are your parents?”

Jessica let out a low growl. “I have no parents.”

“How do you—“

“Yuri-unnie, we should go.”

Yuri nodded but before she left with Seohyun, she grabbed Jessica’s hand and gave her the bread that she bought and the spare change that she had.

Jessica felt offended and attempted to throw it back to Yuri but the taller girl was stronger than she was so she failed. “I don’t want your bread and your money!”

“I’m giving it to you,” Yuri said calmly.

“And I don’t want it. Let go of me!”

“That’s not going to stop you from stealing but at least, it’ll help you a bit. I have to go now. I’ll see you again, Jessica.” Yuri smiled and left.

---

Even though Jessica didn’t intend to remember the girl’s smile, she still does until now. It was the first time someone did something nice to her.

Yuri was the first one to remotely show her an act of kindness but she wasn’t the last one. She’s had a handful of people who’ve given her something and didn’t ask for anything in return but those moments were very rare.

Everywhere she went, she was perceived as a good for nothing thief but when she could and when no one was watching, she would do small deeds for people. She would then watch from afar with a small smile on her face as those people smile gleefully and silently thank whoever did it.

“So I don’t steal much and whatever I steal I don’t give to other people but does that make me selfish, huh, Soo?”

The monkey shook her head and climbed on top of Jessica’s shoulder.

Jessica sighed, her head finally cooling off. She thought about it and reasoned out in her head that whatever she was going to do next was because of pure boredom and it has nothing to do with wanting to help the shorter girl or any other people for that matter.

They flew back to the lair and found Taeyeon trying to stand up on her own but failing miserably. Earlier, Jessica handed her a bunch of jacket to cover herself up so she would stop shivering. Jessica insisted on her wearing all of it and now she could barely move. It was akin to having your whole body covered in a cast.

Taeyeon just fell back to the bed and s3c tried helping her by going behind her back and lifting her body. When she was finally standing on her own two feet, she picked up her feathered cap and said, “I’ll be leaving now.”

“Why?”

“You said—“

“I know what I said and I may not be a doctor but I do know you haven’t fully recovered yet. It’s only been a day. You’re still covered in bruises.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve been in countless situations like this before.”

Jessica shook her head at how the girl was acting. “Look, I can’t leave. This is my home. If I leave now then I would’ve wasted a wish.”

S3c nudged the genie but the genie just crossed her arms and turned her back to the two girls conversing. The carpet continued nudging her.

“Stop it. I am not going to do it.”

S3c continued nudging her and even pushed her towards Jessica. “Stop it!”

“What the hell are you two doing?”

“We aren’t doing anything. This stupid carpet’s just bugging me. Stop it!” Fany got hold of the carpet and tried to roll it but s3c escaped. It rolled itself and hit Fany on the head. “Ouch! Ugh! Fine, I’ll tell her!”

“Tell me what?”

“Do you really not remember your exact words when you made your first wish?”

“I wished for you to give me a comfortable place to live in and you gave me this.”

“No, this is what you said.”Fany spun in the air and when she’s stopped, she resembled Jessica in a way and imitated the way she spoke, “I want to have a comfortable place to live in wherever I go. If it’s too hot, I want it cold. If it’s too cold, make it a bit warm.”

Fany transformed back to her original form. “That’s your wish so technically if you leave, I still have to provide a comfy living space but it’s only valid until you’ve made your three wishes.”

Taeyeon grinned and looked at Jessica expectantly only to see confusion on her face.

“So you’re telling me even if I leave, I’d still have a decent place to stay in because that’s what I wished for?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what she said, Jessica!” Taeyeon answered for the genie. “So will you leave with me now?”

“Where are we even supposed to go to? I’ve already told you that Khan’s men are hunting you down.”

“They’ll eventually find me if I stay in one place. I don’t know where we should go but I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “Since when did this ‘we’ started happening?”

“Oh come on, Jess. You’re in dire need of someone and Taeyeon here,” she put an arm around the shorter girl and rubbed her knuckle on the poor girl’s head, “seems like your only choice.”

Her master sighed in defeat. If she agreed on this then it must mean she’s really bored and as Fany put it “in dire need of someone” to talk to besides the genie, and the monkey and the flying carpet that couldn’t even talk.

“Fine,” she mumbled and Taeyeon didn’t catch it.

“What?”

“I said fine but we’re not going to leave today. You’re still not in good condition.”

“Oooh,” Fany cooed. “Looks like you have a soft spot for Taeyeon.”

“No, I don’t. I just don’t want to leave with Barney over there still covered in bruises and could barely stand up properly.”

Taeyeon tried to stand up straight but only hurt her back in the process.

“Relax, Quasimodo and just rest for now.”

Jessica whistled for s3c and hopped on, Soo sitting beside her.

“Where are you going?”

“We’re going to look for food again seeing as to how you’ve ravaged it all while we were gone.”

Taeyeon blushed in embarrassment. “I just haven’t eaten properly for days.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jessica waved it off before leaving Taeyeon with Fany once again.

“Told you she’s a softy.” Fany winked  and she couldn’t help but be intrigued.

____

here's another chapter i've managed to finish this deespite having my laptop die on me again. at this point, i've given up on it. i'll probably sell it (if i could even get something from it) and buy a tablet instead so i could still write whenever i'm at the hospital.

i've introduced two new characters and believe me when i say that that's not their first and last appearance to this story. i at thinking of titles haha