Chapter 1 – The Beginning
Thursday, February 18 1999
Sandi awoke early, around 6:45, from a nightmare. "What a dream," she said. She did not remember many details. She did however remember the emerald and picked it up as she climbed out of bed. The emerald looked dirtier in the early morning light than it had the previous afternoon. "I need to get the dirt off," she said. She began rubbing it.

What happened next was entirely unexpected. It frightened her much more than the nightmare did.

The Emerald lit up! Sandi dropped it in shock, collapsing back onto her bed. "Eep!"
There was static on the radio, where there had been a clear signal from one of Lawndale's local FM stations (but not Z93) only a moment before. The bedroom light was flashing on and off. Then many swirls of light emanated from the emerald.
Sandi had recovered herself enough to think 'What is happening?'

Then, there, in the centre of the room impossibility occurred. What appeared to be a normal teenage girl, much like Sandi herself appeared, appearing to coalesce out of the swirls of light. She had medium length dark blonde hair, about the length of Sandi's, and grey eyes that showed a much greater age than her looks implied.


Sandi fainted.


A while later Sandi came to. The stranger was sitting on her chair at her study desk, where the accoutrements of the previous night's homework session were, undisturbed by the stranger.

"Like, who are you?" Sandi asked, with fear, rather than the usual haughtiness, showing in her voice.

"I am sorry for the fright that I have given you. I am a genie. You may call me Jeannie, or Jean for short."

Sandi didn't know what to believe, genies were the stuff of fairy tales and Disney movies.

"Say that again, a genie who grants wishes?" Sandi asked, her voice showing scepticism similar to that of Quinn's sister, not that she would ever admit that fact.

"Yes, I grant your wishes. If you are holding the emerald in some way when you wish for something out loud it will be granted. The number of wishes is without limit."

Sandi didn't know what to think. One thing was certain, if her parents discovered Jean in the room, she would be in trouble.

"I wish that my family would remember that you are staying here on exchange," Sandi said, hoping that that it was a wish that Jean was capable of granting.

"Do you mean your immediate family or your extended family?" Jean asked.

"My immediate family, those that are living here!" Sandi said with impatience.

Jean then blinked, holding her arms across her chest as she did so. A strange sound surrounded Sandi on all sides.

"Your wish has been granted, although it would be easier if I knew your name. I know that the surname is Griffin, from the granting of the wish, but not your personal name," Jean said.

"Alexandra, though I prefer Sandi if you don't mind!"

"I will call you Sandi," Jean said.

"Sandi! Jean! Your breakfast is ready," Sandi's mother, Linda, called.

"Yikes!" Sandi said, looking at the time (7:30 by her clock radio).


They were out in the kitchen in slightly less than 10 minutes, a record for Sandi. Sandi was wearing her usual outfit; whereas Jean was wearing one of Sandi's other outfits...


Breakfast was tense.


Lawndale High School 8:30
Sandi and Jean were dropped off by Linda in front of the school. "We're early; Stacy and Tiffany do not arrive until 8:45. Quinn usually arrives five minutes after that." Sandi said after her mother had driven off.

Jean stopped short of the front entrance. "Aren't you forgetting something Sandi?" she asked.

"What have I forgotten?" Sandi asked.

"I am not enrolled. I am not in the school's records!" Jean said. Sandi mused on this. Ms Li would very quickly find out that someone was at the school, who was not supposed to be there.

"Good point," Sandi conceded. "I wish that you were in all the relevant records at the school."
Jean granted the wish, repeating the gesture from earlier, with the same sound.

"The wish is granted," Jean said.
"Who can hear that anyway?" Sandi asked, referring to the wish granting sound, whilst entering the front entrance of the school.

"The person making the wish, and anyone in the immediate vicinity," Jean said, as she entered the school building herself. Sandi could see that she was holding some information back, but figured that she would find out soon enough.

"Where are we going?" Jean asked.

"The Library. It is, like, open before homeroom on Thursdays. I would like to see if there is any information there about genies in history," Sandi said.

"Ok," Jean said, not sure what Sandi's motives would be in such a project. They passed the Cafeteria and then went out into the quad towards the library.


Once in the Library, Sandi looked around and made sure that there weren't any 'popular' people there who could identify her. She saw no one whom she recognised. She then went over to the cataloguing computers.


"These are new," Jean said, looking at the computers.

"Were there not any computers the last time you were out of the emerald?" Sandi asked, wondering how long Jean had been in the emerald.

"They did exist, but they were not advanced enough to be used as a cataloguing system in a High School Library," Jean said. She was in awe at the advancement of technology...


"Interesting," Sandi said. She then thought of how they could be easier used. She decided that voice recognition would be interesting to have 'At least that is what it is called in those shows that Stacy watches,' she thought. She grabbed the emerald, which was on a necklace that she was wearing. 'Good thing that its green matches that of my eyes,' she thought.

"I wish that the computers in the school will be able to be controlled by voice, and that they would have the components necessary for that to work," she said.

"This will take a few moments," Jean said. She closed her eyes and concentrated as she and the emerald scanned all the computers in the school. (She had been aware of them earlier after Sandi had wished for her to be on the enrolment records, but now she needed to understand them better.)

After scanning the hardware and the software of every computer in the school and then understanding all of them, she was ready. She granted Sandi's wish. A barely visible ripple emanated out from Jean and the emerald, carrying the wish granting sound with it. As it struck each computer in the school it changed them, giving them microphones, speakers and voice recognition software compatible with the operating system that the particular computers were running.
Where there wasn't enough hard drive space, the wave increased the capacity of the drive to compensate. All the computers in the school were affected, from the more recent Pentium II's running Windows 98 and iMacs running MacOS 8.5, through to the 386's running Windows 3.11 and Macintosh II's running System 7.5. Jean also placed some 'Easter Eggs' on many of the computers...

"The wish is granted," Jean said, once the conversion processes were complete.

"I would have thought that it would have been quicker," Sandi said.

"The bigger the wish, the longer it takes to be completed," Jean said. Sandi gave this some thought. "I suppose so," she said. She lead Jean over to the closest of the cataloguing computers.

"Catalogue: Like, show me the listings for any books containing information on genie legends," she said. After a few seconds the database software returned Sandi's query. There were 3 books.

"Cool," she said. She took out a notepad from her purse and wrote down the Dewey Decimal numbers that had come up.

"Let's go," she said to Jean as she went towards the first relevant section of the bookshelves.


However, Sandi did not know that the School Librarian, Michaela Daniels, had seen and heard everything after her wish for the computers to be able to be controlled by voice.

As Sandi and Jean walked into the midst of the non-fiction section she ran what happened through her mind. Sandi's wish, Jean's response and gesture, the wish granting noise, the ripple carrying the wish granting noise, a different noise coming from the computers in the library as they were altered and Sandi ordering books via voice... She came to the conclusion that Jean was a genie (though she still didn't know her name).


Meanwhile at the front of the school, Stacy Rowe and Tiffany Blum-Deckler had arrived. "Whe-ere is Sand-di?" Tiffany asked after a minute of looking for her.

"I don't know," Stacy said. 'Maybe she is late,' she thought. Tiffany reached into her handbag and took out her cell phone.

"Tooo, bad Sand-di doesn't ha-ave her own Ce-ell Pho-one," Tiffany said.

"You could try her house," Stacy said.

"Oh Yea-ah," Tiffany said, as she dialled the Griffin's home phone number.

"Hello; you have reached the Griffin's Residence, we are not at home now. Would you please leave a message," came the recording of Linda's voice from the Griffin's answering machine.

Stacy looked at Tiffany. "We will wait for Quinn. She will know what to do," she said.

"Oh Yea-ah," Tiffany said. She placed her cell phone back into her handbag and took out a mirror. Stacy sighed.


Back in the library Sandi was talking to Elias Howarth, whom she had dated a couple of times. "...Like, I am looking for a book for class. Mr DeMartino gave me a C on my last test. My Mom insists that I keep a B average," Sandi said after Elias had asked why Sandi was in the library. 'And most of it is true,' Sandi mused. Linda did insist that she had moderately good grades and Mr DeMartino had given her a C on her last test.

"That is fine, Sandi. It's not like you're a brain, like a certain Junior I have often run into," Elias said.

'While dating Quinn no doubt,' Sandi thought.

"Anyway, who is this new friend?" Elias asked.

"Hi Elias. I am Jean Jenner. I am on exchange from Britain, staying with the Griffins. It seems that I have picked up the American accent well."

"Interesting. If you are available at Recess I would like to find out more," Elias said.

"Sure," Jean said. Elias said goodbye to Sandi and left.

"He is a little geeky, but, like, his cuteness makes up for that geekiness," Sandi said. She then found the first of the books that she was looking for. She grabbed it from the bookshelf...


Meanwhile Quinn Morgendorffer had arrived at school. She had walked up to Stacy and Tiffany and asked; "Where's Sandi?"

"We-e Do-on't kno-ow," Tiffany said.

"I thought that maybe you would know," Stacy said. Quinn thought for a few seconds.

"Something may have come up. I am sure that we'll see in her in class," she said.

"Oh Yea-ah."

"That is a good idea, Quinn," Stacy said. The three friends then went into the school.


Michaela had gone to the CD-ROM reference computer and had started to use the voice recognition software. Elias noticed her and went over to her. He was quite sure that even if voice recognition software existed that the school wouldn't be able to afford it. "Since when do we have computers with voice recognition software?" he asked, the curiosity showing in his voice.

"I am as confused as you are," Michaela said.

"Really?" Elias asked, surprised that the librarian would admit that.

"You have met Sandi's new friend?" Michaela asked. Elias nodded in the affirmative and she continued, "She could be some kind of genie. I think I heard Sandi wish for the computers to change." She also explained Jean's body language and the strange sounds.

"That is only a possibility. There could be others," Elias said. He was uncertain. A genie could explain at lot of things. "I will investigate Jean, that is the name that she gave me, and I'll get back to you," he continued.

"That would be a good idea," Michaela said. Elias went over to the Cataloguing computers.


Ted Dewitt-Clinton was already at the cataloguing computers, looking something up. Elias could see that Sandi and Jean were out of sight, somewhere in a distant corner of the library. He decided to tell Ted the librarian's suspicions.

"Ted? Have you seen Sandi Griffin this morning?" he asked.

"Why do you ask?" Ted asked, curiously.

"She had this person with her. It wasn't one of her usual Fashion Club friends," Elias said.

"Yes. I did see her and someone else enter the library earlier," Ted said.

"Anyway, Ted, Mrs Daniels thinks that that person is a genie," Elias said, hoping that Ted did know what a genie was.

"You mean a genie like one in the old Arabian tales, or like the more recent Disneyfied versions? Why would she think that?" Ted mused.

"The computers in the library can suddenly respond to voice commands," Elias said to Ted. Then to the computer "Computer: List all works by JRR Tolkien."

Ted gave Elias a dubious look as he gave his answer but then he looked at the screen.


AUTHOR SEARCH: JRR Tolkien

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring TOLK 5 copies

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers TOLK 5 copies

Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King TOLK 5 copies

Lord of the Rings: Omnibus Edition TOLK 4 copies

The Hobbit TOLK 6 copies

The Silmarillion TOLK 2 copies

The Unfinished Tales TOLK 1 copy

"Amazing!" Ted said, more at the computer having voice recognition software, rather than the school having multiple copies of most of the Middle Earth Legendarium, although he appreciated the latter too.

"See?" Elias asked. He already knew that the library had multiple copies of LOTR.

"Ok. Possibly, I will look into it," Ted said, thinking that there could be other reasons why the computers suddenly had voice recognition software.

"Cool. I will do so as well, but we have to be discrete about it," Elias said.

"No problem there," Ted said. Then the bell rang. They quickly left the library, not knowing that Sandi had heard most of their conversation.

"Gee, Jean, I hope that they will not, like, confirm their suspicions," she said.

"You could have made a subtler wish," Jean said. Sandi placed the book she had been reading down next to the cataloguing computer, glancing at the Tolkien list.

"Maybe, but now I have lost track of time. Quinn could be turning Stacy and Tiffany against me," Sandi said.

"In fifteen minutes?" Jean asked as they left the library.

"You don't know Quinn! Let's go to homeroom. You did put yourself into my homeroom didn't you?" Sandi asked.

"Yes, of course I did," Jean said. They went towards the building in which their homeroom was...


After homeroom, Sandi, Jean, Quinn, Stacy and Tiffany had history. Sandi and Jean met Quinn, Stacy and Tiffany.

"There you are, Sandi!" Quinn said as she approached the history classroom. "Who is this?" she asked, referring to Jean.

"This is Jean Jenner. She is on exchange from England and is staying with my family," Sandi said.

"That is so cool!" Stacy said.

"Yea-ah. Very coo-ol," Tiffany said.

"You didn't say anything about this," Quinn said.

"It was, like, a surprise!" Sandi said. She then noticed Mr DeMartino approaching.

"Where is the rest of the class?" he asked.

"I don't know, but maybe, like, their homerooms are on the other side of the school!" Sandi said.

"Stupid timetable changes!" Mr Anthony DeMartino said as he opened the door to the classroom.


10 minutes later Ms Li was going through paperwork when she noticed the addition of Jean Jenner as a new exchange student. She called her secretary.

"Nadine! Why was I not informed of the arrival of a new exchange student to my school!" she said.

Nadine Fenton looked over the paperwork. "She is enrolled starting today. The paperwork looks in order," she said.

"Good! But still, a new student needs to report to the principal as soon as they arrive on the first day. No exceptions!" Li said.

"Very true," Nadine said.


"Ms Jean Jenner, please report to the Principal's Office. Immediately!" came Ms Li's voice over the intercom.

'I knew that would happen,' Jean thought. She quickly left the room before Sandi, or Mr DeMartino could say anything.

After Jean had left Sandi grabbed the emerald and said "I wish that Jean will know what to say to Ms Li." The emerald glowed briefly and the wish granting noise came from it.
"Ms Griffin! Please refrain from playing with your gimmicky Jewellery in class!" Mr DeMartino shouted.

"Sorry," Sandi said, not entirely sincerely.


Jean had turned a corner when Sandi had made her wish. The wish granting noise emanated around her. "You didn't need to make that wish Sandi!" she muttered. Even so, she gained the extra knowledge about Ms Li's personality. 'That may be useful in future,' she thought.


Ms Li looked up from the paperwork strewn on her desk as Jean entered her office. "Jean Jenner reporting as requested, Ms Li," she said.

"Good!" Ms Li said. She picked up a piece of paper "It says here that you are billeted with the Griffins. Is that correct?"

"Yes it is," Jean said.

"Why didn't you report here as soon as you arrived at school?"

"I got carried away talking with Sandi, Ma'am."

"I can believe that, your transgression was minor. But you still need to submit to a psychological test before returning to class," Ms Li said. She pressed a button on the intercom. "Ms Manson, please report to the Principal's Office!"

"Great, a psychological test!" Jean said.

"It is nothing to be worried about. And Welcome to Lawndale High," Ms Li said, saying the school's name in a reverential manner.


20 minutes later Jean was walking back to Mr DeMartino's classroom. "Stupid Psychological test! It's a good thing she didn't think that I have low self-esteem!" she muttered. She was sure it would be time for the next class shortly after she got back. She decided to have some fun...

The security cameras in the west half of the school all failed! 'That will have Ms Li in an uproar,' Jean thought.

Jean arrived back at Mr DeMartino's classroom 5 minutes before the end of the period.


After another period, it was recess.

Elias came up to Jean, where she sat near where Sandi and a large group of other girls, including the rest of the Fashion Club, were talking near the rear of the library.

"Can I talk with you away from the others?" he asked, with more than a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"Sure, absolutely," she said. They walked away from the group of girls, towards the Home Economics/Music block.

"I have a hypothesis related to the fact that with the strange events that happened in the library this morning and the fact that all of the school's computers can suddenly be controlled by voice," Elias said.

"What is your hypothesis?" Jean asked. She was hoping that Elias was going where she was thinking he was going.

"That there is some kind of magic involved, almost certainly some kind of genie," Elias said.

"I will tell you the truth, Elias. Although I am certain that Sandi will be angry," Jean began. Elias looked concerned.

"I'll tell you since you are curious," Jean said, with a laugh. "There was magic in the school this morning with the computers changing. There is a genie in the school," she hesitated. "And I am that genie." She knew that Elias had to find out, regardless of how Sandi felt about the matter. She didn't know what the repercussions would be if Elias didn't find out about her within the next day.

Elias was then in thought. "Were you always a genie? Or did you become one somehow?" he asked.

"Good question. I will answer it. Approximately 2000 years ago, I was born as a normal human, and then one day soon after my 15th birthday I became a genie and I found myself in the Emerald," Jean said.

"Is that all?" Elias asked.

"There is a more complex answer but that would take a lot longer to explain," Jean said.

"Here is another question; how many people have had wishes granted by you?" Elias asked. He was still curious, though Jean's answer to his earlier question had him trying to think about the repercussions of such an event.

"Sandi is the 2225th," Jean said.

'That is a large number,' Elias thought. He asked something else though. "Are there any other genies that you are aware of?"

Jean answered that she had seen 6 others since the fall of the Roman Empire. Elias talked to her for a short while more before leaving to eat his recess by himself. However Sandi had overheard most of what had been said.

"Why did you tell him?" she asked, with anger in her voice.

"He asked if I was a genie and I had to tell him the truth," Jean, who wanted to be honest with Elias for her own reasons, said.

"Do not tell anyone else!" Sandi fumed. 'Elias may now want Jean for himself!' she thought.

However someone else had overheard Elias and Jean, Torii Jericho. "What were Elias and Jean talking about?" Torii asked.

"None of your business!" Sandi said.

"There is a genie in the school," Jean said. She was thinking that there was a way around Sandi's unspoken wish that she not be identified as the genie if someone asked about what was happening.

"There may be, like, a genie in the school, but Jean is not it!" Sandi said. 'Of course Jean would say that there is a genie. She has been very mischievous this morning,' she thought.

Torii was in thought for a second. "Sandi, I am going to look for this genie. Come on Brooke, we will look for it," she said.

Brooke Peters followed Torii away from the group.


After Torii and Brooke had gone, Ted approached Elias from the direction of the Science block.

"I haven't found the genie yet, Elias, but I will keep looking," he said. Ted was taking the events in stride; he had heard rumours of strange events in history that could have been caused by rather unusual forces.

"I have found her, Ted," Elias said, having decided to fill Ted in on what he had discovered regarding the genie.

"Who is it?" Ted asked, almost whispering.

"Jean, whom was with Sandi in the library earlier," Elias said, not quite so quietly. Indeed, Sandi overheard! She was quite annoyed with Elias. She came stomping over and said; "You are going to regret this, Elias!"

Jean came over "Calm down, Sandi. Elias, Ted, please do not inform anyone else about my nature. They are going to find out soon enough," she said.

"What do you mean, Jean?" Sandi asked, fuming, but trying to keep her voice down.

"Events are going to get out of control, regardless of what you do, Sandi. That is what always happens," Jean said.

"Whatever!" Sandi said, dismissing Jean's comment.

"I am going to tell Mrs Danielson. But not anyone else," Ted said. "See you, Elias, Jean and Sandi," he then left going into one of the buildings.

"I hope no one else has overheard," Sandi said.

"I wouldn't count on it," Elias said.

"I heard that!" Sandi said.

"Tisk, Tisk, Sandi. You haven't counted on my mischievousness. I don't need to grant a wish to do magic!" Jean said.

"What!" Sandi said.

"For instance, I can do this!" Jean blinked and Sandi started to float up into the air!

"Jean! People can see!" Sandi shouted.

"Exactly!" Jean said, laughing.

"Why iis Sand-di flooaating?" Tiffany asked in the background.

Sandi started producing lighting around her fingers. "Your feeble powers are no match for mine, Sandi," Jean said.

"Oohf!" Sandi exclaimed, grabbing at the emerald. "I wish that you would let me down!" she said.

"As you wish!" Jean said, she didn't really want Sandi to reveal her own powers, 'though I am sure that most didn't notice,' she thought. She granted the wish. Sandi fell down, though landing gracefully.

"I thought you said that Jean wasn't a genie!" Andrea Hecuba said.

"As what just happened shows, yes. Like I would have admitted it without that happening, but what are you doing here?" Sandi asked.

"I was reading here. I usually read here. No one notices the Goth Chick!" Andrea said.

"Indeed, your outfit is worse than that of that girl who lives with Quinn!" Sandi said.

"That is certainly true," Quinn said in the background.

"Tell me about it!" Stacy said.

"Thaaat Jac-ket aand thooose boots look soo wrooong!" Tiffany said.

"Most of the 'popular' people in the school now know, Sandi!" Jean said.

'And who knows who Andrea could tell, certainly most of the unpopular students,' Sandi thought. "You want me to make a wish?" She asked.

"Make one, or there will be more mischievousness," Jean said.

'Oh the irony, my own trickery turned against me,' Sandi thought. "I wish that an extra floor would appear on the top of the Science Block!"

"As you wish, You keep wishing big though," Jean said. She granted the wish. With the usual wish related sounds, and an additional sound similar to that of Autobots (or Decepticons) changing shape, the Lawndale High science block gained an additional floor...

One of the other students ran off to find Torii and Brooke...

Most of the other students began running around in a panic. Sandi facepalmed, as Quinn, Tiffany and Andrea looked at the situation impassively and Stacy fainted. Jean and Elias wondered if the situation was out of control...


It was halfway through recess, and the news was spreading through the student population of Lawndale High, although invariably Chinese Whispers took its toll on the accuracy of the message.


Daniela Gray found Torii and Brooke, in a girl's bathroom near the assembly hall. "Here you are!" she said.

"What is happening, Daniela?" Torii asked.

"Sandi was lying! Jean is a genie. She made Sandi float in the air..." Daniela said.

"Are you sure?" Brooke asked.

"Yes!" Daniela said.

"How do I know that it isn't you that is lying?" Brooke asked.

"Come and see for yourself!" Daniela said. Brooke reluctantly followed Daniela and Torii back to where Sandi and Jean were.


"How did the Science Block get an extra floor?" the head Science teacher Janet Barch asked as she exited the library.

"There is a genie in the school. That is the source of the trouble," Andrea said. She wanted an adult to know, regardless of the consequences.

"I suppose, that is one explanation, what with the computers and all," Ms Barch said. Andrea had already heard about the computers.

"Yeah," Andrea said.

"I bet it was a male who wished that!" Ms Barch exclaimed.

"Actually, it was Sandi Griffin," Andrea said.

"Maybe..." Ms Barch said, wondering.


Inside the library, Ted was talking to Mrs Danielson.

"It is Jean, isn't it?" Mrs Danielson said.

"Yes, Elias talked to her, then Sandi and Jean herself confirmed it. So what happens now?" Ted asked.

"I don't know. This is completely outside our experience. I hope that Sandi has the wisdom not to abuse the power that the genie is giving her," Mrs Danielson said.

"Me too," Ted said.


Outside the library, Daniela, Torii and Brooke arrived on the scene. Most of the previously panicking students had dispersed. Quinn was helping Stacy to calm down. Tiffany was looking around clueless. Andrea and Ms Barch were still conversing. Sandi and Elias were sitting near each other with ponderous looks on their faces. Jean was standing between them, waiting...
'Why is it that Sandi gets the genie?' Brooke thought to herself. 'She is the President of the Fashion Club. She won't let me in the Fashion Club. I should be in the Fashion Club!" She then decided to grab the emerald off Sandi!

"Give me that emerald, Sandi Griffin!" she shouted, and charged...

Sandi saw what was happening. "I wish I was, like, somewhere else in the school!" she said, rapidly. Jean blinked, and Sandi vanished.

"That was not a good idea, Brook Peterson! If you had touched, Sandi, you would have gotten detention!" Ms Barch said.

"Sorry, Ms Barch," Brooke said.

"You should apologise to Sandi, not me," Ms Barch said.

Then the end of recess bell rang. Everyone went to class.


In the rush to get to class no one noticed two squirrels jump from a tree in the quad onto the Industrial Arts Block. The two squirrels then left the school to the west.


Sandi had appeared underwater in the school's swimming pool. She came up for air, spluttering. She still had the emerald, although Jean was nowhere to be seen. She was quite angry at being dunked when all she wanted was to escape Brooke's attempt to fight her for the emerald. Then the bell rang. 'Great! I'll be late to class,' she thought. She grabbed the emerald. "I wish I was in class," she said.

Sandi and all the water vanished from the pool...


5 minutes later, Mr Timothy O'Neill's Sophomore Language Arts Class was interrupted...

"Oh, dear, where is Sandi?" Mr O'Neill asked. He was absolutely clueless about what had been happening in the previous half hour.

"No idea, Mr O'Neill," Quinn said. Then the whole room was filled with water, as Sandi and the water appeared in a distorted version of the normal wish granting noise.


Sandi noticed that the door of the classroom was shut. She attempted to wish the water away, but all that came out of her mouth were bubbles. 'Great! I need to be out of water to speak a wish!' she thought, and then wondered about how to get out of the situation before everyone drowned. She then saw Jean, who appeared to be enjoying herself in the water filled classroom. 'Ah, now everyone will almost drown!' Sandi thought.
She then noticed Jamie White and Jeffy Brown; two of those football players who usually attended to Quinn's every whim, attempting to open two of the windows. 'That is one way to avoid drowning. She concentrated on the windows. The telekinetic aspects of her powers assisted Jamie and Jeffy's efforts. The windows then opened.

The water rushed out of the classroom. Sandi noticed that 5 of the students including Joey Green and Tiffany were swept out. 'It is a good thing that this classroom is on the ground floor,' she thought. Seconds later the water level was down to the level of the bottom of the windows.

"Sandi!" Quinn yelled.


Tiffany Blum-Deckler was preparing herself for the arduous Language Arts lesson ahead when she suddenly realised that the classroom was full of water. 'Why is all this strange stuff happening today,' she thought, at a pace quicker than that of her speech. She noticed that Sandi was in her seat, which had been vacant a few moments before. 'And why is Sandi appearing out of thin air/water, water/air?' she thought again. Sandi was glaring at her Exchange Student housemate, Jean.
'Jean does have something to do with what happened at recess,' she thought, as she was attempting to hold her breath. She saw Jamie and Jeffy, who usually did stuff for Quinn, attempting to open the windows. They then opened them. 'Oh no!' she thought as she started going out of the window. 'I should not have stood up!'

Tiffany roused herself. She was shivering, lying on the ground in a puddle outside of the Language Arts classroom. She barely heard Quinn yell at Sandi.

"Are you ok, Tiffany?" It was Joey Green.

"I'm Freeeezing, and my hair is ruuuined," she said. She wasn't actually sure that her hair was ruined, but that usually happened if she got dunked. She was also surprised that Joey actually gave her any concern, as he usually hung around Quinn with Jamie and Jeffy, competing with them for her attention. Her dates usually didn't go well, because they usually got bored of her slow monotone. She sat up. 'As opposed to the not-so-monotone 'brainy' voice of Quinn's sister,' she thought. Joey then leapt back into the classroom.
She stood up and observed what happened next through the window.


Joey Green had opened his book of David Copperfield, when suddenly the room filled with water. 'What the heck?' he thought as he stood up. He looked towards Quinn. She seemed to be handling herself, indeed she seemed to be glaring at Sandi. 'She wasn't there before. Indeed I heard Quinn tell Mr O'Neill that she didn't have any idea where Sandi was.' He thought. He didn't have much time to ponder this before he was washed out of the classroom...

Next thing he knew he was lying on the ground. He got up and saw Tiffany lying in a puddle.

"Are you ok, Tiffany?" he asked.

"I'm Freeeezing, and my hair is ruuuined," Tiffany said. 'At least that is all she is worried about,' he thought. He waited for a little while and then she sat up. He then thought of Quinn and leapt back into the classroom, causing a splash.


Jeffy Brown was looking over at Quinn when the water appeared. 'This is not good!' he thought. He noticed that the water was not going down. He swam over to the closest window. He tried to open it, without success. 'Come on!' he thought. He gave it more tries and it eventually opened. 10 seconds later the water was down to the level of the bottom of the windows.


"Sandi!" Quinn yelled.

"Oh, dear!" Mr O'Neil said, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

'It is not my fault, Quinn. It is Jean's!" Sandi said.

"What do you mean?" Mr O'Neill asked.

"I am a mischievous Genie," Jean said.

'That certainly explains this happening and those rumours at recess,' Jeffy thought as he and Elias went over to the door to open it.

"But Genie's don't exist," Mr O'Neill said.

"But, how would you explain what just happened?" Stacy asked.

"I don't have an explanation," Mr O'Neill said.

The door wouldn't budge. "Great, the pressure has the door locked!" Elias said. 'So the reason why we want to open the door is the same reason we can't open it?' Jeffy thought.

'And again, my powers save the day,' Sandi thought. She then applied barely sufficient pressure on the other side of the door to allow it to open. Then the rest of the water cascaded out of the classroom and into the corridor outside, taking with it some chairs and many very soggy books.
'I never have used my powers so much in one day,' she thought, thankful that her brothers did not also inherit powers from their mother.

"Given what has just happened, class is dismissed!" Mr O'Neill said.

"Great!" Elias said.

"Our outfits are ruined, what are we supposed to do for the next forty minutes?" Quinn asked.

'That is a good observation, Quinn.' Jeffy thought. He looked out of the door, both ways. The corridor was waterlogged. "And the corridor outside is all wet, we'd all slip!" he said.



In Ms Li's office, Ms Li changed a camera view and saw the pool empty. "What!" she said. 'Nobody can empty that pool without my knowledge!' she thought. She then expertly changed the output from that camera to a different tape and then rewound the tape. She didn't see Sandi in the pool in the rewind, the water suddenly reappeared. She then presses play. There was a minute of nothing and then Sandi appeared in the pool.

"Ms Griffin! But how?" Ms Li asked herself. She checked the timestamps as she rewound and reviewed Sandi appearing. She saw that there is no time skip. 'This is definitely related to the rumoured events of recess and the computers suddenly acting up,' she thought. She continued watching, and then sees Sandi and the water disappear. "Something is definitely happening. Something is causing havoc in my school! I want to know what is going on!" she said.


Back in Mr O'Neill's classroom they were still blaming Sandi.

"Like, Quiet, all of you! Let me explain," Sandi said.

"This had better be good, Sandi," Quinn said, shivering.

"You were there when I wished to be elsewhere in the school," Sandi stated.

"Yes!" Quinn said.

"I waaas theeere," Tiffany said from where she was leaning against the window from outside.

"Right, Brooke was going to fight me for the emerald, so I wished to be elsewhere in the school, but then I appeared in the pool!" Sandi said.

"Bad idea, Jean!" Elias said.

"Gee, Elias, you like interrupting me, don't you?" Sandi asked.

"Go on!" Elias said, wanting Sandi to explain what happened next. 'Why did I ever date her? Quinn is a lot nicer,' he thought.

"I knew I was going to be late to class, so I wished to be in class. The rest is obvious," Sandi said.

Mr O'Neill was blubbering in the background. "Why did my class have to be the one interrupted by a mischievous genie?" he was saying.

"Well, this period is a bust," Elias said.

"But now we're soaked! Our outfits and classwork are ruined, and the corridor outside is now very slippery!" Quinn said.

"Quinn is right," Stacy said.

"Right!" Sandi said, grabbing the emerald. She then wished that the water lying on the floor of the classroom and the corridors would go back into the pool.


Half of the water appeared back in the pool.


"The floor is now dry, but we are still wet!" Quinn said.

"Our outfits are ruined!" Stacy said, as miserable as Mr O'Neill.

"And our work is ruined also," Elias said.

"I was getting to that!" Sandi said. She then wished that the people in the room and just outside the window would be dry, that their clothes and hair would be as if they hadn't been wet and that the books, stationary, etc would also be dry. Jean also granted that wish.

The students then looked as they did when they had entered the classroom.

"The class is still a bust!" Elias said.

"Not much can be done about that, Elias. I am now, like going to continue my research from this morning. Come Jean," Sandi said. She and Jean quickly left the classroom. Mr O'Neill was still blubbering, although Quinn was calming Stacy down. Elias helped Tiffany in through the window.

"What now?" Stacy asked Quinn.

"We will wait here until the period is finished. We need to figure out what to do about the situation with Sandi and Jean," Quinn said.

"Good idea," Elias said.

For the rest of the period, instead of Language Arts, the group of sophomores went through various scenarios involving Sandi and Jean. They liked none of them. They were still discussing as they went to their next classes.


Ms Li was still fuming later in the period, having not discovered the happening in the Language Arts classroom. Indeed she was mostly fretting about the failure of the cameras in the west half of the school. She had called in several electricians to look at the failures...
(She had taken notes on Sandi's appearing and disappearing, but did not notice when half of the water had appeared back in the pool.)


Sandi and Jean arrived at the library without incident. Sandi picked up her earlier book from where she had left it and continued to read. When the period was over, she went to her next class...


The two squirrels whom had observed the recess events arrived in an oak tree in the back yard of a two story red brick house on Glen Oaks Lane.
"You are early from your patrol! Report!" another squirrel said, in the Lawndale squirrel dialect.

"There was a non-normative event at the place that the Humans call Lawndale High School," one of the squirrels said, giving a high pitched impression of Ms Li when saying 'Lawndale High'.

"Non-normative?" the previous squirrel said.

Both squirrels described Sandi floating in the air and later disappearing. The other squirrel is in thought. "Thankyou, I'll inform the Emperor. Remain here and wait until the 2 junior humans return and then infiltrate the house," he said.

"Yes, sir!" the 2 other squirrels said, saluting him. The senior squirrel then left.


An hour later, the senior squirrel arrived at a large oak tree in a small forest just to the west of Lawndale's suburban fringe. A large group of squirrels appeared from behind nearby vegetation.
"Password?" a large gruff squirrel asked. The new arrival gave the password he had been given, and then was escorted into a tunnel that lead into the large tree's root system.

A minute later he was high up in the tree, the heart of the Varmittan Empire, the squirrel polity that dominated the area around Lawndale.

"Report Captain Javwi," said the commander of the Varmittan forces.

"A Non-Normative Event has occurred at Lawndale High School," Captain Jaywi said, repeating the high pitched impression of Ms Li from earlier.

The Commander of the Varmittan forces remembered Edict 004 'All Non-Normative Events are to be reported to the Emperor' and so allowed Captain Jaywi audience with the Emperor.


Captain Jaywi reported the events at Lawndale High as he had heard from his two patrol officers and his orders to the same. The Emperor was then in thought.

"This Non-Normative Event is serious. I have to check the archives to be sure, but I think that this human female may have had found what is termed a 'genie'," the Emperor said.

"Orders, Your Majesty?" Captain Jaywi asked.

"Return to the Glen Oaks post. I will send relevant information if it is found," the Emperor said.


As he left the Palace-Tree Captain Jaywi reflected on the rumours of a Non-Normative Event that may had occurred the previous fall, something to do with 'Holidays'. There was definitely a reason why the Empire kept a constant guard post at the rear of the 'Good Time Chinese Restaurant'...

He returned to the Glen Oaks post an hour later.


Ms Li was talking to one of the electricians. "The cameras in the Industrial Arts Block are all working again. The power wires had somehow been severed. I certainly haven't seen anything like it,' he said.

"Thank you, Mr Wallace. How soon would it be until the cameras in the Science Block are repaired?" Ms Li said.

"They should be repaired by the end of the school day, but there appears to be an extra floor that is not in the blueprints," Wallace said.

"Yes. Weird stuff has been happening, but that is not your concern," Ms Li, whom had been informed of the appearance of the extra floor by Ms Barch, said. (However Ms Barch hadn't told Ms Li everything that Andrea had said.)

"Ok then, the cameras on all of the floors will be working by the end of the school day," Wallace said. He exited the office to go back to work.
'All the cameras will be working. Maybe I can then figure out what is happening today, including with what happened to the pool water, and the report of a splashing sound in the HSIE Block,' Ms Li thought.


At the end of the school day, Sandi sneaked out of Economics ahead of the rest of the class. She then slowly headed for the exit. However Torii was waiting around a corner...

"Ah, Sandi! Your uber-popularity, and that of Quinn Morgendorffer too, is at an end.

"Gee Torii, I doubt that even a genie can do things to, like, change popularity status with a single wish!" Sandi retorted. "That would be true even of Quinn," she continued.

"Oh no? I could wish for someone to become obese, or to turn your personality 'up to eleven' or to make Quinn more concerned about her grades. You remember 'Academic Imprisonment' last year, don't you Sandi?" Torii asked.

"What of it? Quinn said she found it in the trash!" Sandi said, wondering what Torii was getting at.

Torii laughed. "Tiffany and Stacy may be gullible enough to believe that, but you and I know better!"

"True, What are you getting at, Torii?" Sandi asked.

"Give me the emerald, Sandi!" Torii said.

"No!" Sandi said, backing away.

"Yes! I'm going to change things at Lawndale High!" Torii said. She started to charge at Sandi. Sandi realised she was backed against a wall.

"I wish that time would stop for a while!" she cried out, touching the emerald.


Sandi could then hear the usual wish granting noise, slightly more drawn out than usual. She opened her eyes. Torii was slowing down and her voice was growing deeper. Then she stopped.

Jean walked up. "Well Sandi, time is not actually stopped, but at a crawl," she said.

"What do you mean?" Sandi asked, glancing at the apparently frozen Torii.

"For every second passing for us, a millisecond is passing for everyone else. The wish has taken effect for a full second after it was fully granted," Jean said.

"How long would that be?" Sandi asked.

"Fifteen minutes," Jean said.

"Good, there is plenty of time for me to get far enough away from school. Let's go Ten Pin Bowling," Sandi said. She hadn't been Ten Pin Bowling since Middle School.

"Good idea, relax," Jean said. Sandi then ran off, almost knocking Torii out of place.

"Slow down, Sandi! Your time bubble is exceeding the speed of sound!" Jean yelled, smaller 'time bubbles' allowing the soundwaves to travel between their time bubbles.


14 minutes later by Sandi's reckoning, she and the genie entered Lawndale Ten Pin Bowling Centre.
"Alright, the wish will end its effect in 10 seconds," Jean said as they approached the lanes and the service counter.

"Whatever," Sandi said, looking at a ball that was about to knock over the pins.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1," Jean said. Then Sandi and Jean re-emerged from the time bubble into the normal space-time continuum. Sandi could see the ball slowly knock over the pins and then the normal bustle of the Ten Pin Bowling Centre could be heard. She then recognised who had bowled that ball, Jane Lane.


Back at the High School, Torii heard a sharp cracking sound, like that of a whip. She saw that Sandi had disappeared into thin air. She slammed into the wall where Sandi had been standing moments before.

'Great, she could have gone anywhere whilst time was 'stopped' she thought. She didn't consider herself a 'brain' but she knew enough to know that time wouldn't completely stop. 'I guess that I should go home now,' she thought. She then started walking out of the school, automatically judging the popularity of the students she saw as she went by. She overheard Quinn and her posse discussing the day's events as she left the school.


Sandi and Jean had chosen a lane next to Jane and her bowling partner, whose name on the score screen was given as 'Tom' (verses Jane's 'Janie').

"I wish for a winning streak," Sandi said, as she went for her first bowl. (Her and Jean's names on the score screen were 'Sandi' and 'Jeani' respectively.) Jean reluctantly granted the wish.

"Your wish is granted!" Jean said.

"Excellent!" Sandi said as she bowled.


Jane looked as Sandi got her second strike on her 4th frame. "She's good. Suspiciously good!" she told her boyfriend, Tom Sloane.

"What do you mean?" Tom asked.

"That's Sandi Griffin. She is the President of the Fashion Club. The most physical exertion that she usually does is Power Yoga," Jane said, remembering the time when she and her best friend videotaped her sister for a class project.

"Isn't that the group that Daria's sister is part of?" Tom asked.

"Exactly," Jane said.

"So it is suspicious?" Tom asked.

"Exactly, I mean, the last time I saw Sandi bowling, we were in Elementary School," Jane said.

"Sounds like an interesting story," Tom said.

"Oh it is. Bowl and I'll tell you," Jane said, laughing. Tom then took his turn, knocking over 6 pins.


5 years, 9 months earlier
"It was my 11th birthday and Trent surprised me by showing up at the front of the Elementary School in the Tank shortly after school had let out. He had gotten his licence 2 months before and had borrowed the Tank for the occasion. He winds down the window. "Happy Birthday, Janie," he said. I get in and he says that we are going bowling as a birthday treat.

Trent and Jane Lane carry their balls over to the bowling lane that they're using. "Better than the usual art supplies isn't it Janie?" Trent asked.

"Penny gave me art supplies, Mom says she will give me my present when I get home. I haven't heard from the others. Thanks Trent," Jane said, she hugged him. Trent smiled.

They were bowling their second frame when they see another family set up in the lane next to them – the Griffins, Sandi, her brothers Sam and Chris and their mother, Linda.

"What are you looking at?" Sandi said when she noticed Jane looking at her.

"Nothing," Jane said and bowled.

5 minutes later, Sandi bowled and missed the pins, twice. She got angry and moodily skulked back to the seats. Linda gave her a look of disapproval. Linda then bowled and got a spair. Sam knocked down 8 pins and Chris managed to knock over 3. In the meantime the Lanes got a higher combined score than all the Griffins combined, including a strike by Trent.

Sandi bowled again and again got a nil score. "Why can't I, like, hit the pins!" she shouted. She kicked the ball retrieval mechanism.

"Alexandra! Hold your temper!" Linda shouted, with a disapproving look and her hands on her hips.

"Yes, mother!" she said, trying to calm down.

"It's my turn,"

"No, it's my turn," Sam said.

"It's my turn!" Chris said.

"It's my turn!" Sam said.

"It is Sam's turn!" Linda said.


Sandi continued to bowl poorly through the rest of that game. She even got a lower score than her 5 year old brother. She was seething with temper all the while. I heard that she had to go to anger management classes when she was 13. I suspect that is one reason why she has a hold over Quinn and the other two, she doesn't like losing control.


End of flashback


"Interesting," Tom said, "I hope she hasn't overheard," he continued.

"I don't think so," Jane said. Indeed, Sandi was focusing on her genie-magic enhanced bowling...

"And the point is?" Tom asked, referring to Jane's earlier comment that Sandi's bowling was 'suspiciously good.'

"There have been rumours of magic occurring at school today," Jane said.

"Really? Is that all?" Tom asked.

"No, Daria and I overheard Quinn and her trio of admirers talking about a classroom filled with water. Daria made a comment to Quinn about it, and Quinn retorted that it was true, and the three admirers backed her up on it.

"A classroom filled with water?" Tom asked dubiously.

"One of the admirers, I think it was the one whose name Quinn constantly forgets, said that it just appeared," Jane said.

"Really?" Tom asked, even more dubiously.

"And then there is the extra floor on one of the school buildings. Ms Li would never be able to hide that, no matter how paranoid she is!" Jane said.

"An extra floor on a school building? I suppose that could be proof of magic. So you are saying that Sandi is involved and is somehow enhancing her bowling using this magic?" Tom asked.

"Exactly," Jane said.

"Any more rumours?" Tom asked. Jane shrugged and bowled her turn, which had been held up whilst she and Tom had been discussing. She then told Tom about the Genie rumours she had heard. They continued talking through their game.


After she had finished bowling Sandi went home and hid the emerald in her room. She stayed there doing her homework until her mother came knocking on the door demanding that she come down for dinner.


Quinn Morgendorffer arrived home at 7:30, having spent the afternoon talking to Stacy, Tiffany, Jeffy, Joey and her other admirer about Sandi and the genie. Their discussions had been inconclusive. 'One thing is for certain, things are never going to be the same again,' she thought as she opened her door.
Jake, her father, was watching the television and going on yet another rant about his childhood, whilst her mother, Helen, was on the phone talking to her boss. Slightly depressing Classical music was filtering down the stairs from Daria's room. She closed the door and smiled. 'At least things are still normal here,' she thought.

"Daddy! Your Heart!" she said as she went to her father. His rant was getting serious...

"Hi, Quinn!" he said.


One of the squirrels assigned to the Varmittan Glen Oaks Post saw Quinn enter the living room from his vantage point next to the sliding door. He then went to inform Captain Jaywi that all of the Morgendorffers were home.

"Captain, the entire family are home," he said, once in the oak tree.

"Good, you and Yogez go down and watch near the kitchen door and listen for information about the Non-Normative Event whilst they have their 'dinner'," Captain Jaywi said.

"Yes, Captain!"


10 minutes later, the Morgendorffers were sitting around the table for their usual dinner, micro-waved lasagne.

"Did anything interesting happen at school today?" Helen asked.

"You wouldn't believe the half of it!" Quinn said.

"Why wouldn't I believe it, Quinn?" Helen asked.

"'Cause it would sound totally crazy! The events were totally fantastical!" Quinn said.

"I wouldn't say, totally fantastical," Daria said, with her usual sarcasm.

"Maybe not totally fantastical, but the events at school today were rather close!" Quinn said.

"Fantastical, in what way? What has that Ms Li gotten the student body into now?" Helen asked.

"Mo-om! It has nothing to do with Ms Li!" Quinn said. Helen had a confused look on her face, Quinn was being rather elusive.

"Mom, if one talked about magic, extra floors appearing on school buildings and rumours of pool water in classrooms the listeners would be convinced that the speaker was going crazy, or that they were making up a story. And that is just what I had heard by the end of the day," Daria said.

"You are right. I would think that someone saying that would be crazy. I also think that is a great idea for one of your stories," Helen said.

"I wish it was," Daria said. Helen could tell that her older daughter was telling the truth.

"Quinn? Is what Daria is saying true? About magic and extra floors?" Helen asked.

"That wasn't the half of it. Much more stuff occurred," Quinn said.

"Isn't this like a Disney movie?" Jake asked. "Not that I ever got to see a Disney movie when I was a kid! I wanted to see 101 Dalmatians! But no! My Father said that animal and Disney movies were for sissies!"

"Jake!"

"Da-ad!"

"Didn't we see The Lion King when it finally appeared at Highland's cinema?"

"Yes, we did, kiddo. Thanks. What were we talking about?"

"Quinn was saying that fantastical events occurred at the High School today," Helen said.

"Right, I became aware of it when I heard Tiffany ask why Sandi was floating. I then saw that Sandi was floating," Quinn began. She continued to spill the beans about what had happened at recess and during the following period.


"So Quinn, can anyone else back up this fantastical story?" Helen asked.

"The idea of Sandi Griffin with the power a genie can give her is frightening," Daria said, her voice showing a trace amount of fear.

"Dar-i-a! Didn't I say that?" Anyway, Stacy and Tiffany can back me up. So can Jeffy, Joey and Jordan. Mr O'Neill can vouch for the water filled classroom. Then there are the other members of the class. Ms Barch was aware of the extra floor almost from the outset. That Goth chick was present when Sandi was one-upped by the genie. That Ted guy is also aware from Elias telling him..." Quinn began.

"That is enough Quinn," Helen interrupted. "As soon as we're finished eating, I'll be calling the Rowe's and the Blum-Deckler's."

"Ok," Quinn said.


Helen called the Rowe's and Stacy filled her in on her point of view of the happenings that day. Stacy corroborated Quinn's story and gave Helen much more extra information.

Tiffany also corroborated Quinn and Stacy's stories and gave her extra information (though nowhere near the amount that Stacy did.)


Over an hour later, an almost exhausted Helen clicked off the phone from her conversation with Mr O'Neill. His story and those of Joey, Jeffy and Jamie corroborated with those of Quinn, Stacy and Tiffany.

She briefly considered calling the Griffin's but decided not to. If the idea of Sandi with a genie was frightening to her older daughter, who wasn't usually frightened by anything, then the idea of Linda with a genie was even more frightening!

'There is nothing that can be done about it tonight. Quinn and her friends will have to keep an eye on Sandi tomorrow at school and then tomorrow afternoon I will see if I can get off work and talk to their parents,' she thought. She hoped that she would be able to get off work, Vitale, Davis, Horowitz, Rhiordan, Shrechter and Shrechter had a large case load, and she wasn't sure whether she could trust Jake with trying to talk to the other parents. She then went up to bed.


Meanwhile the junior squirrels had reported to Captain Jaywi the information that Quinn had divulged to her family.
"So it is a genie; just as the Emperor suspected!" Captain Jaywi said.

"Yes," Yogez said. Captain Jaywi was in thought.

"The Emperor has to be informed. This Griffin girl could cause a lot of trouble with that genie," he said. He then looked at the sky. It was way past sunset and the moon wasn't visible, it having been the new moon the day before.
"It can wait until the morning though," he continued. The Varmittan Empire only conducted its business at night if it was an absolute emergency. As serious as the Non-Normative Event sequence appeared, it was still not an absolute emergency.

"We wait until morning?" the other junior squirrel said.

"As soon as most of the stars have disappeared, I will go to the Palace-Tree," Captain Jaywi said. The two junior squirrels agreed.


The squirrels were not the only eavesdroppers upon the Morgendorffer family's discussion about the events of the day. A family of sapient mice living in the space between the ceiling of the kitchen and the floorboards of Daria's bedroom had also overheard their discussion.

After Helen had called Stacy, the mice went into a discussion of their own...

"...this is serious! There hasn't been a verified genie in Pennsylvania for decades!" one of them said.

"What can be done? It is a human with a genie! It is not like we can just grab it off this 'Sandi' person. She'd just wish us away!" one of the other mice said.

"Maybe the Varmittan Squirrels can help us?" another mouse said.

And so the mice argued amongst themselves for over an hour about what to do, before deciding to convene with the other mice of that section of Glen Oaks Lane in the morning.


At 8:30 Stacy Rowe went up to her bedroom. She was tired from her discussion with Quinn's mother about the events of the day. Her own mother had hardly believed what they were talking about, until she had talked to Helen herself.

Stacy opened her most recent diary and began writing about the events of the day.


Diary of Anastasia Elizabeth 'Stacy' Rowe – February 18, 1999 (Summary)
If someone had told me yesterday that the events that happened today would happen in the next 24 hours, I would have told them that they were crazy. And yet they have happened and so I am still trying to come to terms with them. I keep expecting to wake up to find out that it was just a dream!
It all started when Tiffany and I arrived at school...

Arriving at School – Where is Sandi? Waiting for Quinn, looking for Sandi.

Homeroom

Information about meeting Sandi and Jean outside the history classroom.

Summary of History notes

Summary of Mathematics notes

The weird events of recess, beginning with Tiffany's noticing that Sandi was floating until Sandi's confrontation with Brooke.

Events of the aborted Language Arts lesson.


Language Arts Lesson
I thought that the problems caused by Jean's mischievous nature would not have had continued into the next class. After all she hadn't caused problems in History or Mathematics. But I was wrong, very wrong. I had got out my copy of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield and my notebook and then the classroom filled with water!


'Oh no! Why are Sandi and/or Jean acting like this?' she thought, beginning to panic. She looked around. She saw that Sandi had appeared and was glaring at Jean. 'Not entirely her fault then,' she thought. She also saw Quinn glaring at Sandi. 'Good, Quinn,' she thought, feeling the usual fondness for her best friend.
'OMG! If Jean doesn't displace the water we're going to drown!' she started crying and her heart rate went up. At least with the water no one would notice the tears, but she knew that an accelerated heart rate wouldn't help matters at all.
She then saw that the water was going down. She looked over to the window to see Tiffany float out!
'Tiffany!' she thought in anguish.
5 seconds later the water level was down to the level of the windows.

"Sandi!" Quinn yelled.

"Oh, dear!" Mr O'Neil said, it was clear that he was trying to make sense of the situation. Stacy went over to the window and saw that Joey was asking Tiffany if she was ok. 'Good of you, Joey,' she thought.

"I'm Free-ezing, and my hair is ru-uined," Tiffany said in response to Joey's question. She could see that Tiffany was ok. Joey then jumped back into the classroom, causing a splash.

Stacy then listened to the conversation in the classroom.

"I am a mischievous Genie," Jean said.

"But Genie's don't exist," Mr O'Neill said.

"But, how would you explain what just happened?" Stacy asked, wondering how else Mr O'Neill could explain it.

"I don't have an explanation," Mr O'Neill said.


Elias and Jeffy opened the door and the water emptied from the classroom, carrying many books and chairs with it. Quinn was angry. She blamed Sandi for the happenstance. I was angrier at Jean. It wasn't really Sandi's fault that the Genie that she has found is mischievous.

End of Flashback

The conclusion of the happening in the Language Arts classroom and discussions about the genie.

Summary of Science notes

Summary of discussions at lunch

Summary of Geography notes

Summary of Economics notes

Post school discussions about Sandi and the genie at the Blum Deckler's house.

Arrival at home and dinner

Discussion with Mrs Morgendorffer and Mom

In conclusion, the events of the day were confusing and frightening. We do not know what is going to happen tomorrow or on any of the days after that. I do hope that Sandi will not use the power that the Emerald is giving her for ill. Tomorrow I will be meeting Quinn and Tiffany at Quinn's house before going to school. I hope that tonight's sleep will allow us rest and that clearer heads will allow us to come to some sort of decision before we go to school.

Weather forecast for tomorrow: Maximum temperature 50 degrees Fahrenheit, overcast with possible rainfall or snow later in the evening.


Having finished writing in her diary, Stacy set her alarm to 7:00 and tried to go to sleep.


White House Situation Room, Washington DC
President William Jefferson Clinton was looking at a satellite image of an area of a town, centred around a high school.
"What is significant about this Pennsylvania town anyway?" he asked.

"A variety of weird events have been reported from Lawndale and its vicinity ever since the town was founded, Mr President. However the reason why you are here is a specific happening that happened today."

"What is that event?" the President asked all business.

The image changed, zooming into the High School. "This is Lawndale High School. This image was taken this morning at 0800. This is the school as it normally is, Mr President," the National Security Advisor said.

The image changed, showing the extra floor on the science block. "And this is school as it is now. This image was taken at 1400."

The President looked at the image with incredulity. "Is that an extra floor on one of the school's buildings?" he asked.

"Precisely, Mr President, there are many theories as to how this has occurred, but all of them involve magic."

That got the President's attention. He had been briefed on many organisations and groups that used magic shortly after his inauguration, but none of them had been active anywhere near Pennsylvania. "The closest group I can think of is the Salam Coven," he said, thinking of the most active group that he was aware of.

"They have been inactive since last September, Mr President. They have gone into hiding," the National Security Advisor said.

"What is your theory?" the President asked.

"Our experts in the matter have largely theorised that it may be what is termed a 'genie', Mr President.

The President was surprised. He hadn't been informed of the possibility of the existence of genies. He argued with the National Security Advisor about why he had not been informed (most of the evidence was indirect and there hadn't been any activity that would be conclusive evidence on record in American territory at any point after 1776).

The briefing went on for another 20 minutes.


Elsewhere
Other organisations, both part of the United States Government and not part of it, were aware of some aspect of the events in Lawndale and were each making their own plans and preparing to send agents to the suburban town...