almost fully exposed). Then she only just resisted the urge to scream as she looked at her other arm and realized her friends really hadnât been joking.
As far as she could make out, she was completely orange.
O KAY, SO IS ANYONE ELSE THINKING WHAT IâM thinking?â Harvey asked ten minutes later as they squeezed into the janitorâs closet, which was full of mops and buckets but completely empty of evil, lying djinns who obviously liked to spend their days tricking innocent girls.
âWhat? That this place smells of bleach?â Kara wrinkled her nose as she looked around the tiny space. But Sophie hardly heard them as she continued to stare at her arm in disbelief.
There had been moments in her life when she had really thought the world was about to stop. Like when her dad had left and then forgotten to come back, or when her mom had refused to get out of her pajamas for four weeks after it had happened. But nothing had prepared her for how she might feel to discover that she was orange.
Oh, and she wasnât talking about a âspray-tan-gone-wrongâ sort of orange either, but more of a âHello, and welcome to your new life as an Oompa Loompaâ orange.
âNo.â Harvey shook his head so that his straight hair went flying into his eyes. âOf course Iâm not talking about the smell, Iâm talking about Sophie. Is anyone thinking that the djinn wasnât lying about the fact that Sophâs now got all of his power?â
âBut thatâs ridiculous.â Sophie finally dragged her gaze away from her arm and resisted the urge to look into the small chipped mirror that was hanging on the wall, since absolutely no good could come from seeing her face right now. âI mean, it makes no sense.
And where is the djinn anyway?
He said all I had to do is clap and he would turn up. Why hasnât he turned up? Why?â she demanded as she continued to clap her hands in a manic beat.
âI donât know, but the important thing is not to panic,â Kara said in a soothing voice.
âHow can I not panic?â Sophie panicked as she started to clap even louder. âIâm orange.â
âYes, but for all we know it could just be some weird disease with a really complicated name and weâre freaking out about nothing,â Kara said. âWhat if we go to the school nurse and ask her?â
âYou think a disease that turns you orange isnât something to freak out about?â Sophie yelped, and Kara shot her an apologetic wince.
âSorry. I just meant that it might be a complete coincidence and nothing to do with the djinn at all. Stop looking at me like that, Harvey. It could happen.â
âI really donât think that there are many diseases in suburban San Diego that turn you orange.â Then he turned back to Sophie, the frown lines still clearly etched into his face. âSo when you saw the djinn before, what exactly did he say to you?â
Sophie rubbed her brow for a moment and tried to recall. Of course the problem with being a positive person was that she tended to push aside the negative stuff that she didnât want to hear (especially when it involved being turned into a djinn).
âOkay, so first he told me that by taking the ring off his finger, I had killed him. Then he said that because Iâd worn the ring for twenty-four hours (without dying), Iâd now inherited all his powers. I mean, can you believe that?â As she spoke she blew another breath of air up onto her burning forehead.
âYeah, sort of.â Harvey reluctantly nodded while ignoring the blatant glare that Kara was throwing at him. âI hate to say it, but it sounds like he was telling the truth.â
âOh, man, this is bad.â Sophie helplessly waved her hands in the air before realizing that seeing her orange fingers was anything but comforting. She immediately thrust them into her pockets instead. âI
As far as she could make out, she was completely orange.
O KAY, SO IS ANYONE ELSE THINKING WHAT IâM thinking?â Harvey asked ten minutes later as they squeezed into the janitorâs closet, which was full of mops and buckets but completely empty of evil, lying djinns who obviously liked to spend their days tricking innocent girls.
âWhat? That this place smells of bleach?â Kara wrinkled her nose as she looked around the tiny space. But Sophie hardly heard them as she continued to stare at her arm in disbelief.
There had been moments in her life when she had really thought the world was about to stop. Like when her dad had left and then forgotten to come back, or when her mom had refused to get out of her pajamas for four weeks after it had happened. But nothing had prepared her for how she might feel to discover that she was orange.
Oh, and she wasnât talking about a âspray-tan-gone-wrongâ sort of orange either, but more of a âHello, and welcome to your new life as an Oompa Loompaâ orange.
âNo.â Harvey shook his head so that his straight hair went flying into his eyes. âOf course Iâm not talking about the smell, Iâm talking about Sophie. Is anyone thinking that the djinn wasnât lying about the fact that Sophâs now got all of his power?â
âBut thatâs ridiculous.â Sophie finally dragged her gaze away from her arm and resisted the urge to look into the small chipped mirror that was hanging on the wall, since absolutely no good could come from seeing her face right now. âI mean, it makes no sense.
And where is the djinn anyway?
He said all I had to do is clap and he would turn up. Why hasnât he turned up? Why?â she demanded as she continued to clap her hands in a manic beat.
âI donât know, but the important thing is not to panic,â Kara said in a soothing voice.
âHow can I not panic?â Sophie panicked as she started to clap even louder. âIâm orange.â
âYes, but for all we know it could just be some weird disease with a really complicated name and weâre freaking out about nothing,â Kara said. âWhat if we go to the school nurse and ask her?â
âYou think a disease that turns you orange isnât something to freak out about?â Sophie yelped, and Kara shot her an apologetic wince.
âSorry. I just meant that it might be a complete coincidence and nothing to do with the djinn at all. Stop looking at me like that, Harvey. It could happen.â
âI really donât think that there are many diseases in suburban San Diego that turn you orange.â Then he turned back to Sophie, the frown lines still clearly etched into his face. âSo when you saw the djinn before, what exactly did he say to you?â
Sophie rubbed her brow for a moment and tried to recall. Of course the problem with being a positive person was that she tended to push aside the negative stuff that she didnât want to hear (especially when it involved being turned into a djinn).
âOkay, so first he told me that by taking the ring off his finger, I had killed him. Then he said that because Iâd worn the ring for twenty-four hours (without dying), Iâd now inherited all his powers. I mean, can you believe that?â As she spoke she blew another breath of air up onto her burning forehead.
âYeah, sort of.â Harvey reluctantly nodded while ignoring the blatant glare that Kara was throwing at him. âI hate to say it, but it sounds like he was telling the truth.â
âOh, man, this is bad.â Sophie helplessly waved her hands in the air before realizing that seeing her orange fingers was anything but comforting. She immediately thrust them into her pockets instead. âI
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