NON-EXISTENTIAL

Charlie stood still, facing a noodle house where Spencer was happily talking with one of the servers. She seemed entranced by him, as anyone would be. But as she saw them having so much fun talking to each other, she felt a sudden feeling of pain inside her.

Is this the reality that Alvah wanted her to see? That he belongs to someone else.

She closed her eyes, wanting not to feel this sudden pain that’s attacking her. She took a step back, gave a very good thought of what’s happening and snapped her finger once.

As soon as she did, she was transported to another year. A year in her mind where she thinks she’d be. It was twenty years after the year she was in with Spencer. And about five years from her actual present year.

She’s led to a huge house the looked to be situated in a suburban area.

The corners are filled with flowers and some plants, the windows looked colorful with curtains adorning each one. In a few minutes, the crisp crying sound of a baby filled the entire house.

She smiled as she walked towards the room where she thinks the baby was just from the cry it’s making.

But before she could even get into the room, she sees a woman in teens, scurrying into the room. She lifts the baby up from its bed and dances as she attempts to put her back to sleep.

Not long after, the woman from the noodle house appeared and smiled as she gathers the baby into her arms.

“Come on little Charlie, you can’t be stubborn today. It’s your father’s big day.” Whispers the woman she saw not too long ago, talking to Spencer.

Following her was Spencer, he looked taller, and gained more muscles, yet he looked as gorgeous as when she first set her eyes on him.

They named their baby Charlie.

But one thing dawned on her, he isn’t with her. He has made a good family and perhaps a good life for himself.

This pained her so much, it was unbearable.

Charlie snapped her fingers once again and was now transported to her own apartment.

As she landed in the newly furnished apartment, she noticed something.

The air smelled of gasoline.

“What’s going on?” she whispers. In a corner nearing the kitchen, lays Lance, he seemed unconscious, “Lance! Lance!” but he doesn’t seem to hear her.

“Lance, wake up!” She tries to tug him, but it was useless, as she doesn’t have any form when she travels to the future, she realizes. Her hands just slip right through him. She seemed like a ghost.

Then suddenly, fire started to light up the entire place.

“Lance! Lance! Wake up!” she summons her and yet it was to no avail.

The entire apartment was now caught up in fire and all she could do was shout endlessly. Lance would soon be caught up in the fire as well.

This wasn’t the future she wanted to see. And this is definitely not the future she wanted to have.

She stood there as Lance was slowly burnt. Her tears flooded her eyes. This should not happen. Charlie realizes that what she thinks is important when she’s with Spencer did not weigh that much on how she sees Lance possibly in danger.

Snapping her fingers once again, she thought of herself back to Spencer’s year.

He landed inside the locker room of the football arena where the big game was already starting.

She wiped her tears and tried her best not to think about what could possibly happen to Lance.

As she walked towards the field, a soft whisper started to get clear.

I wish to win this game.

She sobbed as she realized who it must be coming from. She leaned on the wall as the whisper of that wish became clearer and clearer.

I wish to win this game.

I wish to win this game.

I wish to win this game.

I wish to win this game.

I wish to win this game.

It reverberated over and over again. It’s undeniable, he belongs to the game. And whatever the future holds for him, she’s never going to be a part of it.

And perhaps, in all her future endeavors, she would need to accept that reality. Now she knows what it truly means to become a jinni.

She is simply non-existential.

Charlie took every breath she could take as she stepped right onto the football field, she screamed at the top of her lungs, waved her hands apart from each other and once again, made time stop.

Every individual who was in the game stood still. The players stuck in their current game faces and forms.

She walks towards Spencer who, at that moment, was in his game mood. She touched his face for the last time, realizing that this was going to be the last time she would ever see him.

“I have at least loved you, in this time, in this era. But I should not interfere with what the future holds for you.” She whispers. Soon she planted a kiss on his lips and along with it was a beacon of light coming out from his lips and into her own mouth. All the memories of her from him.

She took them all and cried, the pain seeping through her entire being.

Slowly, her feet lifted her from the ground, and into the open sky.

She flew as far as he can as the game once again commenced like nothing happened. Charlie snapped her fingers once again and soon arrived in Alvah’s mansion, retiring into the comfortable sofa of the living room. She laid there like a baby, still hurt by how she needed to end things with Spencer.

He is her first love.

No matter what the future or the past holds, she will always have the memory of him. Sadly, he wouldn’t.

“Charlie.”

“Yes.”

“Are you okay?”

“I will be.”

“Do you want some tea?”

“No. I just need to be alone right now.”

“Alright then,” Alvah was just about to leave when she spoke once again.

“How do you do this? How do you stop yourself from getting attached? Surely someone out there has made you feel the way I felt about Spencer.”

“There was. But like you, I chose the path that I have right now. I guess it comes with the gift of power. We can never really have it all.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” She sobs once again as she recalls the swift moments she shared with Spencer.

Alvah closed the door of the living room and left Charlie alone.

She walked towards the kitchen, grabbed a basket, and walked out of the mansion. She treaded the way towards the market and ordered her usual stock of bread.

The Italian baker was so happy to see her and gave her some free pastries.

“I see you’ve come back.” Mr. Bailey comes to her curious about what has happened on their journey.

“She’s gotten stronger. More than what I expected. She met her first love and yet something made her choose power over love. I guess we aren’t that different after all. Which would just make it impossible for me to do what I have in mind.”

“Are you trying to tell me that you’re having second thoughts?”

“No. I am not. I’m just thinking about so many possibilities.”

“I don’t know, perhaps, a protégé for real. Someone who could do the things I want for me, and she doesn’t have to disappear. She simply exists for my own satisfaction. Perhaps that’s an even better life than what she will have in the future.”

“Well, that would just make you even more inevitable.”

“It will, wouldn’t it?” a sly grin filled her face.

And this in general just troubled Bailey. He must act as soon as he can now. Or else, Alvah will take away all of the things that they have worked for a very long time.