Solomon' Daughters

Chapter 14

Her face flaming Liz shook her head but she waved at the few people close enough to see her clearly as they

clapped. Sar-Rah slipped back into her seat reached into her backpack and pulled out an identical bag of

chips opened them and began sharing them with Liz and the two girls across the table while they talked

about nothing in particular until lunch ended. Nobody even noticed John as he slunk off unable to do or say

anything without looking even more foolish. Before the end of lunch Jen came up and told Sar-Rah to go to

the coach’s office before sixth period.

After lunch, while Liz headed off for the rest of her classes, Sar-Rah head to the library, on her way there as

she was passing an open door she looked in and stopped. There sat a beautiful girl her back to the door,

painting. The picture she was painting was of a wolf but it was so lifelike Sar-Rah half believed it would jump right off the canvas.

“Is someone there,” the girl asked in a small breathy voice.

“Yes. Hi, my name to Sar-Rah.”

“I’m Linda Everett, Linda or Ms. Everett, you can call me either one. I am afraid you’re in the wrong room

though since my last class isn’t till sixth period,” the girl said as she continued to paint.

“Wait a sec, you’re a teacher? How old are you,” Sar-Rah asked in shock.

“I am twenty-eight, and yes I am the art teacher,” Linda replied stopping her brush and turning to face Sar-

Rah.

Her elfish features were what caught the eye first her small face all angled and pointy her pale green where

next then her pale complexion. Sar-Rah focused on the woman and tried to read her mind but was rebuffed.

“You’re an elf,” Sar-Rah stated.

“Don’t be silly elves don’t exist,” the woman said her features pleasant.

“Your features are all elfish, your eyes are pale, as theirs were, and you heard me stop in the door even

though I made no sound that a human would have heard. And most damning is this,” Sar-Rah hand flashed

out and pushed the woman’s hair from her ears, having felt the magical glamour to hide them as soon as the

woman looked at her, she dispelled it with a thought. With a small pop of displace air the tips of the woman’s

ear showed itself to be pointy. Linda backed away in fear reaching her hand up to her ear and replacing the

glamour with a thought.

“What are you? What do you want from me?”

“I am a Lesser Djinn, don’t the elves remember the Djinn at all? And I don’t want anything from you

specifically. I saw you painting and wanted the knowledge of how to create such a beautiful thing so I was

going to absorb your knowledge of how.”

“We are told your kind was evil, mischievous, and cruel. You were going to steal my ability to paint from me?

You are evil,” the woman said as she backed farther from Sar-Rah who made no move to pursue her.

“I was not born Djinn, my sisters and I were turned into Djinn by the last high Djinn in hopes to continue his

race in this modern period. The Djinn are not good or evil any more then any other race is. There are some

good and some bad but the mischievous is quite true,” she grinned at Linda, “I was not going to steal your

knowledge of how to paint I was going to absorb it. It is more like reading a book. If you read a book and

learn to cook from it, the book still retains the knowledge of how to cook only now so do you, you

understand?”

“Yes I understand what you’re saying but why should I believe you? You are Djinn.”

“It doesn’t matter if you believe me. Since I can’t get the knowledge of painting from you, I’m leaving, have a

nice day Linda,” Sar-Rah turned and walked from the room.

“Wait,” Linda called from inside the room but without a backward glance Sar-Rah walked quickly in the

direction of the library. Sar-Rah spent the rest period reading books; reading so fast having to turn the pages

was slowing her down. With ten minutes left of her fifth period she put all the books aback in their proper

places and waved to the librarian who had helped her find the books she wanted and headed off to find the

coach’s office.

Liz’s sixth period was art. She walked in and took her seat at her easel and waited for the topic of the day.

They were to paint a wild animal focusing on how to make to as lifelike as possible. Ms. Everett even placed

and example painting in front of the class, it was a wolf. The kids around the room were still talking about Sar-

Rah and Liz’s show at lunch, casting sidelong glances at Liz. She wasn’t paying attention at all painting a lion

lounging on its side surrounded indistinctly by its pride (FYI a pride is a group of lions like a pack of wolves).

Her painting was coming out well she was talented, it wasn’t quite as good as Ms. Everett’s but it was close.

“Very good, Liz,” Linda said from directly behind Liz’s back startling her and nearly causing her to smear the

line she was painting.

“Thank you Ms. Everett.”

“I’ve heard rumors that a girl named Sar-Rah is staying with you and your brother.”

“Yes, she is. She is engaged to my brother,” Liz offered. A sharp intake of breath behind her caused her to

turn her head and look at the woman behind her.

“I don’t think she is suited for your brother, Liz, you may want to try and talk him out of marrying her.”

“You know Sar-Rah?”

“We met last period she noticed me painting as she walked by and stopped and came in to see if she could

gain the knowledge on how to do it too.”

“So you don’t really know Sar-Rah at all if you met her last period for only a few minutes and I know you don’t

know my brother. So the question is why would you say something like that?”

“I just got the feeling that she wasn’t a good person to associate with,” Linda said feeling slightly ashamed

though not knowing why.

“I do know Sar-Rah and my brother and they will make a perfect couple. However I do thank you for your

concern I’ll be sure to tell Sar-Rah your worried about her,” Liz said her annoyance clearly heard in her voice

she turned back to her painting and continued it. Linda feeling hurt that her warning was dismissed so lightly

and feeling foolish for not thinking up a better argument to enlist Liz’s cooperation, returned to her desk.

Sar-Rah managed to find the coaches office, stepping through the door just as the bell for sixth period to

begin rang. She looked around the office immediately noting all the trophies and awards around the room.

Letting her eyes drift over them she focused on the woman behind the desk, who was looking down reading

something and didn’t appear to know she was there.

“Coach Shell,” Sar-Rah asked.

The woman looked up and shock jolt through Sar-Rah. The woman had on an eye patch. The woman seeing

her startled expression reached up and touched the patch and Sar-Rah lower her eyes not wanting to

embarrass or offend the woman. The silence grew stain when neither said anything.

“I lost the eye in a car accident its why I couldn’t go to the Olympics. It is also why I’m a coach for a swim

team. Your Sarah?”

“Sar-Rah Solomon, Jen said to come and talk to you.”

“Yes, please sit down. Jen said we had a new transfer student who wanted to use the pool and since it’s

against school policy to let students use the pool alone, and since I need one more person on my team to

compete in regionals she asked if I could let you join.”

“She said I wouldn’t have to compete as long as I showed up every day that I could just be a spot filler on the

team so I could use the pool,” Sar-Rah said.