The late summer sun was sinking below Manhattan�s skyline. I was outside on the castle�s tallest tower, human. As the last ray of sun faded from view, I felt a pang of pain just as hairline-like appeared on the gargoyles. By the time the clan was fully awake, I was back in my gargoyle form.
The nine of us filed into the TV room. Within twenty minutes, we all were either laughing, talking, reading, or watching TV. Brooklyn & I were sharing a play, taking turns reading it. The play was Romeo and Juliet. The intercom on one wall buzzed & said, �Hello?� It was Owen.
�Yes?� Goliath replied, pushing the reply button.
�There is a letter for someone there. Could you send someone to retrieve it?� asked Owen.
�Of course,� Goliath signed off. Then he sent Angela to get the letter. Meanwhile, we were guessing who the letter was for. Minutes later, Angela returned, envelope in her claws.
�The letter�s for Jasmine,� Angela said, before anyone asked. She handed it to me. I looked at the return address.
�It�s from Genie,� I said, delighted that Genie actually wrote me a letter.
I opened the envelope & removed a piece of paper.
�Would you please read it out loud?� requested Goliath.
�All right,� I agreed. �It says Dear Jasmine, What�s going on in Manhattan? How�s Aladdin? How about you? The clan? Rose? I know I�m asking too many questions, but I would like to know how life�s going.�
�There�s something I need to tell you, so here goes. Jasmine, last week, your father,� I swallowed. �died.�
I dropped the letter & gasped. Father was dead! I covered my face with my hands & cried, while saying, �No, no.� Brooklyn held me, wrapping his wings around me, while Goliath picked up the letter & read the rest.
�I extend my sadness to you I know how you must feel. Please tell Aladdin. I know he�ll comfort you as well as your friends. Sincerely, Genie.�
�Jasmine, we�re very sorry that your father is�gone,� apologized Elisa.
�And remember you still have the clan,� Angela said. �And Demona,� she added in a low whisper.
I wiped the tears from my eyes. Angela was right. I still had the clan with me. As well as Demona.
�I think we better leave,� Hudson said. I watched as everyone, except Goliath & Brooklyn, left. It was just the three of us.
Brooklyn�s wings were still around me. But they unfurled as Goliath took me in his arms. His wings then went around me.
�You may have lost your human father, but you still have me,� Goliath whispered in my ear.
�I know�Father,� I whispered back softly. This was the first time I called Goliath, Father. I wondered if it would be the last time.
Brooklyn suggested that he & I should go to the library to finish our reading of Romeo and Juliet. And we did.
After reading the play, Lexington came in & asked if we could have our weekly reading session. Brooklyn said yes & we settled down with the books we had last time. Lexington with The Industrial Revolution, Brooklyn with American History, & I with Mexican History. North American past was our group�s choice that time.
We read until an hour before dawn. As we headed toward the towers to take a late pre-dawn flight, I felt very dizzy. I stopped walking & panted like I had ran.
�Brooklyn, I think I�m sick,� I called before I collapsed.
I moaned as I came to consciousness. I opened my eyes & saw the clan, Xanatos, & Owen looking concernly at me.
�Jasmine, can you hear us? How do you feel?� Xanatos asked. By then, sleep was starting to take me over again as well as a wave of pain.
I closed my eyes. �The pain, the pain,� I moaned before I fell asleep.
I heard a voice. It called my name twice. Then, it yelled, �JASMINE, WAKE UP!�
I sat bolt upright, �What? Who?� I saw Puck & Alex standing at my bedside. I groaned, �Why don�t you go bother Demona, Puck? No, scratch that. Go bother a mugger.�
�But I have something to tell you,� Puck said, in a serious un-Puck-like way.
�What? Did I get a serious disease?� I asked anxiously.
�No. Owen & Xanatos discovered that you�re�part fay,� Puck said. �Isn�t that great?�
�Great? Great? No, it�s not. I�m supposed to be part gargoyle, part human. I am NOT part fay!� I shouted.
�You are now. The spell we cast on you seemed to work too well. Your body absorbed some of the magic & was working on building it up inside your heart until it spread through your system. That�s why you collapsed. And by the way, you dreamed yourself back to human form.�
He was right. It was daylight. Cloudy, but daylight. I wasn�t wearing my amulet & I was certainly human.
�And because you�re inexperienced, I now have more chances to be the Puck,� the fay explained. �So let�s begin our lessons.�
�Hold it. What if I don�t want to use any magic?�
�You�ll die. Remember, you may be part fay, but you don�t have immortality. Magic, but not immortality.�
I sighed, �All right. I�m ready. But I refuse to practice any magic on anyone. Deal?�
�It�s a deal. Let�s start with teleportation. All you have to do is think of where you want to go & you�ll be transported there.�
Now here�s what I didn�t understand. One minute I�m in the infirmary, thinking about the castle parapets, the next minute I�m actually on the parapets. Puck & Alex appeared behind me.
�Excellent for your first time. Alex is too young for this. But not the next lesson. Levitation. Lift yourself off the ground like this,� Puck demonstrated. It looked easy enough.
Alex & I practiced our levitations for awhile, then Puck was ready to start a new lesson.
He led us to a pile of rubble & instructed us to make a life-size stone statue of anyone we could think of. Alex went first & a stone statue of Owen appeared.
�Very nice Alex. Jasmine?� Puck gestured to me. I stepped over to some rocks & waved my hand. The rocks swirled together & formed the form of�my human father.
�Incredible. Haven�t seen your father for three years & you still know what he looks like,� Puck praised. While he talked, I felt a pang of remorse & sadness in my stomach. It was too much. I turned & floated down to the next tower & let tears of sadness roll down my cheeks.
I felt an arm on my shoulder & Puck saying he forgot the fact that my father was dead until he just remembered. I said that it was all right. Puck stopped lessons for the day & I walked to my room & slept the rest of the day away.
I woke up before sunset & went outside to change. While I waited, I wondered if I should tell the clan what happened while they slept. I decided not to tell them right away. Maybe later. The sun disappeared from the horizon, & the gargoyles� stone skin cracked & flew through the air, while I changed back to my nocturnal form.
Goliath turned around. �Jasmine, you�re awake. How are you?�
�I�m feeling much better now,� I replied. We joined the rest of the clan, who had the same reaction. As we turned to enter the castle, we came face-to-face with Xanatos, holding a scroll.
�I have an urgent message for you, Jasmine,� Xanatos announced, handing me the scroll.
The clan stood around me as I opened the scroll. There was nothing on the parchment, but a mouth. Then, the mouth spoke.
�Princess, I�m in the Land of the Black Sand with Carpet, Iago, & Abu. Mozenrath plans to attack Argrabah using his magic to keep the Mamluks from falling apart. We�re here to keep him from leaving his kingdom. Pray that we don�t- Augh! We�ve been found out! Jasmine, HEEELLLP!� the mouth said. Then the scroll disappeared.
�Genie,� I said softly. I clenched a fist & my eyes lit up.
�Mozenrath�s not going to get away with this,� I growled. I headed for the edge of the tower & leaped off. The next thing I know, Xanatos� helicopter appeared in front of me.
�Hop in. I�ll take you & the clan to the enemy�s lair,� offered Xanatos.
I glided in & saw the clan in the back & Fox at the controls. I headed towards the back & sat between Goliath & Brooklyn.
�Where are we headed?� asked Fox.
�The Land of the Black Sand,� I told her. �And hurry, please.� I didn�t even want to think about what Mozenrath could be doing to my friends right now.
Hours later, Xanatos called me up front to check the scenery. Below us was a huge stretch of sand. I was home. After ten minutes I spotted swirls of black sand in the white sand.
�Stop here. This is the edge of Mozenrath�s kingdom,� I said. Goliath got up & looked out the window.
�The clan will go on alone. Wait here until we get back,� Goliath ordered Xanatos. He turned to me, �Lead the way, Jasmine.�
I glided out of the door & the clan followed. I remembered that Mozenrath had magic detectors, so the only way in was to glide above the city & enter the citadel through a window. I looked behind me & saw the clan already searching for Genie & the others.
I banked to the left & glided to Mozenrath�s lair. I heard Brooklyn glide up next to me & ask, �Jasmine, where are you going?�
I answered, �The Citadel. There,� I pointed in front of me. I smiled,� Just follow me.� As we glided above the Mamluks, I wanted to laugh. Mozenrath wasn�t thinking about winged rescuers.
I went through one of the Citadel�s windows & folded my wings. The clan followed suite. I walked down the hall, my back near the wall, checking around the corners for undead guards.
At last we came to Mozenrath�s dungeon. Pushing the door open, I peeked in & saw Genie, Abu, Iago, & Carpet shackled to the wall.
�Genie,� I called, running to him & hugging him.
�Jas,� Genie whispered. Then he called, �Look out!� I felt a magical blow behind me & I fell unconscious.
�Wake up, gargoyle,� a voice called to me. Then, I felt a slap across my face. That woke me up. I found myself shackled & my clan in a cage of thick steel. And staring at me was Mozenrath. I knew that I could get loose, but I wanted Mozenrath to think I couldn�t.
�Well, I certainly wasn�t planning on having gargoyles coming to the Genie�s rescue. Now I can destroy nine gargoyles along with Aladdin�s sidekicks before I go to attack Argrabah,� gloated Mozenrath.
�That�s not going to happen, Mozenrath,� I growled.
�Oh, really?� Mozenrath said. �Look out the window.�
Looking, I saw sunrise coming. I closed my eyes & focused on my human form. As my clan turned to stone, I gasped in pain. When it passed, I was human & Mozenrath was staring at me, shocked.
�Princess? You�re a gargoyle?� he gaped in surprise.
�Yes. Now, I�m going to deal with you,� I spat at him.
�You can�t stop me,� Mozenrath declared. He stepped over to my clan & aimed his gloved hand at�Brooklyn!
�NO!� I screamed & teleported out of the shackles & tackled Mozenrath before he could fire.
We tussled & rolled on the ground. He landed on me & I pushed him off with my legs. I pushed so hard, that Mozenrath crashed into the wall with a thud. He fell to the floor, unmoving.
I freed Abu & I ago. Then Abu feed Genie, who freed Carpet. He made the cage around the gargoyles vanish. Then, he turned to me & asked how I got loose. I told him what Puck told me & Genie looked impressed. I added that I needed to tell my clan. With that out of the way, Genie & I put Mozenrath in the anti-magic manacles that Genie was in.
At sunset, Genie & the others watched as the gargoyles awoke & I changed to my gargoyle form.
�How did you all get free?� Elisa asked.
�Yeah, you were shackled pretty tight,� Lexington added.
�Jasmine saved the day,� Genie answered.
�How?� Angela questioned.
�Well, yesterday, Puck told me that, uh, I was, um, was-part-fay,� I said in a rush. I looked down. I wasn�t sure how the clan would react. When no one spoke, I dared to look up. Everyone was gaping at me.
�How can you be part fay?� asked Goliath. �It�s not possible.�
I explained about the favor�s apparent side effects & that I wasn�t immortal which explained the �part� concept of part fay.
Genie & the others returned to Argrabah after wishing I could go. I promised that I�d come back for a visit soon. Then, the clan & I headed back to Xanatos� helicopter & returned to Manhatten.