The Jinn Who Loved Karen

Karen slung her bag over her shoulder and stepped through the iron gates of Everwood College. The sound of the gate closing behind her felt final. Like a door to her old life shutting forever. New city. New college. New beginning. That’s what she kept telling herself on the 6-hour bus ride here. No one knew her here. No one knew about the panic attacks, or the way she used to flinch at loud noises back home. Here, she could just be Karen. A normal 19-year-old girl. She wanted friends. She wanted late-night ramen and study sessions and someone to laugh with in lectures. That was it. Nothing complicated. The campus was beautiful in a creepy way. Old brick buildings covered in ivy. Trees so tall they blocked the sun. And right in the center, a library that looked like it belonged in a gothic novel. Other students moved in groups, laughing, taking selfies. Karen kept her head down and followed the signs to the hostel. “Room 304,” the warden said, barely looking up from her papers. “Don’t stay out past 10. And stay away from the old library wing. It’s closed for repairs.” “Closed?” Karen asked. “Structurally unstable,” the warden replied. “Been like that for 300 years. Don’t go near it.” Karen nodded and dragged her suitcase up the stairs. Room 304 was small but clean. One bed, one desk, one window that looked out over the courtyard. She unpacked slowly. Photos of her little brother. A chipped mug. Her favorite hoodie. Normal things. At 4 PM she went to get her schedule from the admin office. On the way back, she decided to take a shortcut through the library. It was mostly empty. The lights buzzed overhead. The smell of old paper and dust filled the air. That’s when she saw it. The old wing. A heavy wooden door with chains on it. A sign: DO NOT ENTER. But the chains were loose. Like someone had taken them off recently and put them back. Karen told herself not to. But curiosity won. She pushed the door. It creaked open. Inside it was dark. Colder than outside. 10 degrees colder. Her breath fogged. Bookshelves reached the ceiling. Cobwebs everywhere. And in the very back corner, a single reading desk with a candle on it. The candle was still burning. “Karen...” She froze. Her name. Whispered. Right behind her ear. She spun around. Nothing. Just shadows. “Karen... you’re late.” Her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it. She ran. Didn’t stop until she was back in the sunlight of the main library. She told herself it was stress. New place. Overthinking. That night she tried to sleep but couldn’t. At 2:17 AM she finally drifted off. And that’s when he came. The dream was too real. A boy was sitting on the edge of her bed. He looked about 20. Long black hair that fell over his face. Pale skin. Dark, dark eyes that looked like they had seen too much. There was a small cut on his bottom lip, like he had bitten it. He wasn’t smiling. He was just... watching her. “You took so long to find me,” he said. His voice was soft but it echoed in her head. “The portal. You opened it when you walked in there today. You woke me up.” “I didn’t—” “You did.” He reached out and took her hand. His fingers were freezing. “Now you are mine, Karen. You have to be. It’s the only way to keep you safe.” “Safe from what?” But he didn’t answer. He just leaned in and pressed his forehead to hers. It felt like ice. “Don’t be afraid of me,” he whispered. “Be afraid for me.” Karen woke up with a gasp. Her room was dark. Her heart was racing. And on her wrist... there was a mark. Five faint fingerprints, like someone had grabbed her. But the skin was ice cold. She pulled her sleeve down quickly and got up. She needed air. That’s when she saw him. Outside her window, on the lawn below. Standing under the big oak tree. The same boy from her dream. Long black hair. Dark eyes. Hands in his pockets. And he was smiling. Not a nice smile. A knowing one. Like he had been waiting. He raised one hand and pressed it to the glass, right where her hand was on the inside. Then he mouthed one word. “Mine.” Karen stumbled back from the window and yanked the curtains shut. She didn’t sleep for the rest of the night. The next morning she acted normal. Classes. Introductions. Smiling at roommates. But she kept her sleeve down. And she kept looking over her shoulder. At lunch she sat alone. That’s when a girl with curly hair sat across from her. “I’m Maya,” the girl said. “You’re the new girl, right? Room 304?” Karen nodded. “Don’t take this the wrong way,” Maya said, lowering her voice, “but you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Karen forced a laugh. “Just jet lag.” Maya studied her. “Listen. About the old library wing... people say it’s haunted. A jinn was trapped there 300 years ago. A really dangerous one. They say he feeds on fear.” Karen’s blood went cold. “A jinn?” “Yeah. The college was built on top of an old Sufi shrine. The story goes that a scholar trapped a jinn for falling in love with a human girl. He’s been in there ever since.” Maya shrugged. “Probably just a story to keep kids out.” But Karen wasn’t listening anymore. She was remembering the cold hand. The whisper. The mark. That night she tried to stay awake. She put on music. She texted her brother. Anything. But at 2:17 AM her eyes closed anyway. He was back. This time they weren’t in her room. They were in the old library. The candle was still burning. “Why are you here?” Karen asked him. “Because you called me,” he said. “Every girl who comes to this college and feels alone calls me. I hear them.” “I didn’t call you.” “You did. By wanting to be seen. By wanting to belong.” He stepped closer. “My name is Azaan.” “Azaan,” Karen repeated. “It means ‘the call to prayer’,” he said. “Irony, right? A jinn named after a call to God.” “Are you going to hurt me?” Azaan’s expression changed. “No. Never you. But I will hurt anyone who tries to.” He reached out and brushed her hair back. His hand was still cold, but not painful. “The wardens are lying,” he said. “The wing isn’t unstable. It’s sealed. To keep me in. But you broke the seal, Karen. Just by walking in with an open heart.” “What happens now?” “Now they’ll come for you. The ones who trapped me. And I won’t let them have you.” He leaned in. “Run if you have to. But don’t run from me.” She woke up screaming. It was morning. And her door was open. She was 100% sure she had locked it. On her desk was a single black feather. It was ice cold. And written on her mirror in condensation were two words: STAY AWAY. Karen grabbed her bag and ran out. She ended up at the old library wing again. The chains were off. The door was open. “Hello?” her voice shook. The candle inside was still burning. And sitting at the desk, reading a book, was Azaan. “You came back,” he said. “I had to know if I was crazy.” “You’re not crazy.” He closed the book. “I’m real. And you’re in danger because of me.” “Why me?” “Because you’re like her,” Azaan said quietly. “The girl they killed me for loving 300 years ago. You have her eyes. Her soul.” Karen took a step back. “I’m not her.” “No. You’re better. You’re you.” He stood up. “And I’m not going to let history repeat itself.” Outside, thunder rolled. The lights flickered. “Azaan, what is that?” “The guardians,” he said. “They felt you enter. They’re coming to reseal the portal. And to erase you.” “Erase me?” “They’ll make you forget me. Make you leave. Or worse.” Azaan moved in front of her. “If they touch you, I will burn this entire college down,” he said. Shadows moved behind him like wings. There was a knock on the library door. Three slow knocks. “Don’t answer it,” Azaan whispered. “What do I do?” “You trust me,” he said. And then he took her hand. “Then we run.” And they did. Out the back window, into the storm, with the sound of footsteps behind them. As they ran across the courtyard in the rain, Azaan looked at her and said, “I’ve been alone for 300 years, Karen. Don’t make me go back to it.” Karen didn’t answer. She just squeezed his hand tighter. Because somewhere between fear and fascination, she realized she didn’t want to either.