Read Online Wishful Thinking by Amanda Ashby - Free Book Online Page A

mean, I’m eleven. What am I going to do?”
    â€œGo back in time and not put the ring on?” Harvey suggested.
    â€œHarvey, you’re not helping,” Kara interrupted, but Sophie shook her head and felt a faint glimmer of hope rise up.
    â€œActually, he’s right. Well, not about the going back in time thing, but it all started with the ring, so what if I just take it off? Perhaps things will just go back to normal?”
    Please let things go back to normal.
    â€œI don’t know.” Kara started to frown. “Didn’t the djinn tell you to leave the ring on? I mean, things are bad enough. You don’t want to make them worse.”
    â€œWorse? How can it get worse? Besides, he also told me that I would never see him again and that everything would be fine, so I guess we can conclude that the djinn is a big fat liar, complete with flaming pants and a very long nose,” Sophie retorted as she closed her eyes (to stop from noticing how pretty and shiny the ring was). Then, before she could change her mind, she yanked it off her finger.
    There, it was done, and now her life could go back to normal and. . . 
argh
.
    She dropped to the floor in pain as it felt as though a thousand daggers were plunging into every inch of her skin.
    â€œWhat’s happening?” Kara yelled in alarm. But Sophie hardly heard her as her mind clouded with pain, and she shut her eyes to try and close it out.
    â€œSoph, put the ring back on,” Harvey commanded, but when she didn’t respond, he bent down and eased it over her knuckle. The pain instantly retreated, and Sophie looked up at him, her mind still a bit foggy.
    â€œOh my God,” she croaked. “That
was
worse. Like really, really worse.” Then she leaned against the mop bucket as the truth finally hit her. She let out a groan. “I’m a djinn, aren’t I?”
    This time even Kara reluctantly nodded her head. “It seems like it.”
    â€œB-but I don’t want to be a djinn.” She could feel her lip start to wobble. “Especially not an orange one. How can I even leave the closet looking like this? I’ll tell you how, I can’t. Which means I’ll have to live here. Forever. With only a mop and a bucket for company. I’ll be like Tom Hanks in that movie where he’s stuck in an airport with only a coconut to talk to, but at least he wasn’t orange and—”
    â€œThat was an island, not an airport,” Harvey interrupted, but Sophie just waved him off.
    â€œWhatever. The point is that I can’t let anyone see me like this. You know how kids are. I would
never
be able to live it down.”
    â€œYes, but if you’re a djinn, perhaps you can do some magic and become un-orange?” Kara suggested. “I mean, when we saw the djinn yesterday, he was doing all sorts of stuff without even breaking a sweat.”
    â€œYeah, like tricking me into wearing his stupid ring,” Sophie brooded before realizing that right now freaking out wasn’t going to get her anywhere. “But I guess I could try.”
    Harvey frowned. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, but if you are going to try and dabble with forces beyond your control, I don’t suppose you could magic me up some food as well? We had to leave the cafeteria pretty quick, and I didn’t get to finish my lunch.”
    â€œHarvey,” Kara growled.
    â€œWhat? I’m just saying that a little food wouldn’t go astray. I mean, it’s not like you couldn’t ask her for something as well. One of those horsehair paintbrushes that you’re always going on about. Or. . . okay, fine. I’ll stop thinking about food,” he trailed off, probably influenced by the way Kara had narrowed her normally wide eyes at him.
    â€œThank you,” Kara said in a sweet voice before giving Sophie a reassuring nod. “Just focus on thinking un-orange