She'd hope she lost it or whatever it was but she couldn't stop until she was affirmative, she was far away as possible - as her legs could carry. She curved at a corner, to another, went straight ahead then curved again passing a burning sun tapestry on the wall. Her brows pulled together in a frown. Hadn't she passed it before? She hoped she wasn't running in circles because it would be bad...very, very bad indeed.

'Zyca'

What! Did someone just call her name? It sounded feminine almost. Never did she come across any female other than herself since she arrived. Her heart hammered again making her quicken her step across a hall and up a wide stony staircase with her fists clamped on her dress.

Zyca came to a dead end happily not the end of her life because a door was situated just on her right. Without a second to waste she threw herself in when the door opened a generous size, enough for her to pass through.

A hard surface of warmth, she fell into, a scent of masculinity filled the air when she heard quickened breathing from above. Whatever she fell into could be it, the one she ran away from. Her body shook in panic at the thought, eyes tightened in fright but somehow it wasn't as bad when she saw the shadow. Somehow, she felt safe. Unable to keep her hands at bay, she wrapped them around settling them on a hard surface.

Silence filled the air as she stayed glued to whatever she hugged, one second, two seconds...ten seconds, accelerated heart beats sounded in her ears. It was human. She jolted releasing her hold at once and distancing herself away from the warmth.

Zyca peered up and caught his eyes in a stare. Her lips spread into a smile for she felt totally relaxed knowing her master stood in the same room as her.

"Master," she breathed.

Her breath hitched as he took a step forward. She swallowed. It was the first time she'd seen clearly what he looked like under the clarity of the fluorescent light. His hair was brownish, the t-shirt he wore barely fit his broad shoulders... His voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Zyca?"

Inwardly, her system churned. A feeling she hadn't expected when he said her name. How did he even know her name? Of course, Riel must have told him so.

"Zyca?" he called again.

She cringed. How stupid of her not to respond after one call. If he was anything like Master Kane a hard smack on the side of her face was what she'd receive. Responsively, she closed her eyes awaiting the strike that never came.

She peered open her eyes one after the other and she was met with her new master's bewildered face. Then it turned pained and angry?

"Don't worry, I'm not going to smack you," he growled striding to the lustrous desk.

"I never thought you would," she lied through her teeth. "It's a pleasure to meet you master..." Zyca said sticking her hands out for a shake. He eyed it and retreated his hands speedily into the pockets of his pants.

He hadn't done it fast enough because she saw it. She'd seen the silvery top-knotted ring that sparked her interest when she closed her eyes for the night. Although she cared not a tad bit about it, seeing it on her master's finger had her peculiar about it.

She gasped, her mouth opens ready to speak. "That ring. Is it yours?" she questioned. "I swear I've seen it before."

His face blanched with a look of surprise across. "I wear no ring," he said elevating his hands for a show and as he aforementioned no ring fashioned any of his finger.

Had she mistaken? Unable to keep her curiosity at bay, she watched him through her windy eyelashes in wonder and the waiting for any reaction from him that never came - must have been her imagination. It was ludicrous to think a dream was real. What was she thinking?

"Forgive me. I guess I saw wrong."

Daniel gave a sturdy nod. "It happens - Please do have a seat," he gestured to the crimson cushion chair beside him. "It's quite old so be careful when you seat," he sent her a sweet beam.

"Thank you," she returned the gesture and slowly let herself sink into the chair which gave an unearthly squeak the moment her component met with it.

Daniel rounded the desk and sat on the other side so he faced her squarely. Zyca couldn't help but stare at the hands he now placed in front him, tangling them together. "I saw in my dream, a hand like yours silky and brown gliding itself on a number of letters as it typed my name."

His gaze traveled to his open book like machine and without a minute to spare he shut it the monitor at once. "Surely you're mistaken," he laughed nervously. "Dreams don't come true and I'm glad you found my hands silky and brown," he added with a smirk.

Zyca looked away, her cheeks feeling as hot as a boiling pot of water as he called out her obvious mistake. It wasn't a lie though, she indeed found his hands good looking "Pardon me for my mistake master," she apologized still with her head turned away from him.

"So, I never expected you to barrel your way into my office the way you did," he said calmly. "From the way you entered, I assume you were being chased by something."

"I'd lost my way in search for my lamp, landing in a place I'd never seen before. Then lurking in the shadow, a silhouette stood and I was scared so I ran and ran and I heard my name on reaching here so I quickened my steps and ran and ran," she spoke quickly narrating the events which happened moments ago, flapping her hands in the air when she spoke of the size of what she assumed chased her.

Daniel smothered a grin, watching her continue.

"No female lives in except for the house help and her little girl who come in during weekends to assist Riel with the chores- maybe it was them you saw."

Zyca flushed as another wave of embarrassment come over her. How stupid she was to think something other than the human lived in. "Maybe," she whispered and perhaps Riel told them her name too.

"I see you've found the lamp during your exploration."

"No, I..." she paused. Daniel pointed downwards to her wrist to which she followed, looking down to see - to her surprise the lamp was attached to her golden cuff.

She was elated. Now she could explain to him why she came and who she was. Somewhere in her mind, she wondered why he didn't ask why she was green, or why she was in his house for the way he reacted the first time their eyes met was the direct contrast of how he presently behaved.; calm and collected.

With a shrug, she explained to him without leaving out any detail, she told him of her world, her life, her friends and her parents. Well only her father. Or maybe she did leave out a tiny bit of detail from the words that flew out her mouth - her mother. The woman she hadn't see in so many years since she ran in fear of landing in Laddendebt leaving her own children in the hands of the higher up. How cruel she was.

A lone tear slid down her face- cheek to chin as she spoke of the loss of her dear sister Allet, little as she was had to be taken to Laddendebt. Although she hadn't regained consciousness, she was sure deep down she would feel the gruesome place it was.

"...three wishes, of anything at all is what I can grant you," she unclipped the lamp from her cuffs, sliding it towards her master. "You make a wish while rubbing the crested image at the side and I'll grant you whatever you need. But I beg you to use it sparely because of the mission I'm meant to complete."

"I'll definitely see to it your father is found and please call me master no longer. My name will do - Daniel or Dan. Whatever you please."

"I dare not. A slave like me has to know her place."

****

Nonsense!

"I'll have you know, the human world, treats everyone as equal," well not necessarily. "I too will not let you feel the same way you felt at the place you called home - so as your master I prefer if you called me by my name," he insisted.

Daniel knew all too well the feelings she felt when a palm landed on the side of her face, the throbbing pain on the back of her legs from the cane strokes lashed on it by Master Kane and his fiancé, Lady Penicillin and the pounding sensation she felt she was thrown into a room that wasn't hers for the night when she'd commit a little mistake. He knew it damn well and it made the blood coursing through his body boil and his veins pop. A second with the fools would let him do enough harm to scar them for life.

The skin green beauty nodded her head in compliance. "Yes, Master Daniel - Daniel," she corrected when he sent a glare through her way.

****

Daniel. A wonderful name for a man like him. She found herself testing the name once again at the lip of her lips, her tongue raising to the bridge of her mouth at every syllabic pronunciation.

"We might as well get started on the first step to finding your father," he said picking up the lamp. "And the crystal of course."

Her mouth fell open. The words he spoke caught her by surprise.

"What are you doing?" she eyed his actions. "You want to make a wish now? After all I've explained."

She couldn't believe he just raised his shoulder and shrugged. That ass! She slapped her hands over her mouth. Did she just let a foul word at her master? She was glad she hadn't spoken a tad bit of the foul word out loud for him to hear for a deepened grave is where she would have laid.

The way he worked the lamp made her swoon. Eyes, body, hand manipulated the lamp in utmost attentiveness. She wanted to stop him like she initially wanted but she couldn't let the words fall out her mouth when his lips started to move. She was in a trance. How could someone look like that? Were all the human males the way he was? No! How could she think that way when she already encountered the old butler, wrinkled and possessed a skin of maximum elasticity? Not that she hated the way he looked - old genies where of the same form. It's just that she couldn't help but get immersed with her new master - Daniel like he wanted her to call him.

"Zyca. Have you heard what I wished for?"

She flushed again, embarrassed, chagrined, abashed at her actions; she had been checking him out. At once she sank deeper into the chair in hopes it would swallow her shame away.

Daniel cleared his throat. "I'll just say it again," he stood up rubbing the lamp the same way he did before. "I wish for Zyca to look human like me."

Before she could object, her fingers clicked on its own reminding her of the time Colt had done the same. It was the first time her powers were used, and the only time it could ever be used.

Much to her surprise it didn't take long for the color of her skin to change to his.

She felt different. Good different.

****

Daniel inclined his head in astonishment watching her change to something he was used to seeing in the everyday world; a girl. Although it didn't take a long time for her to change - it was longer for him because where he stayed fixed, he made sure to take in as much as he could, savoring every second.

Deceit was atrocious and he encouraged no one to do so. Hell! He hated when Sarah lied when she brought women over to his house and the unfaithful relationship his wife had. But he found himself doing just that; lying. He panicked when she wanted to shake hands and why? He was scared she would run, find him disgusting when she is told he saw everything she did in her own world. He didn't want to lose her at the early stage of introductions even though she was bound to him till she left.

His pupils dilated when he zoned in on the pinkish lips that replaced her previous ones. "What do I look like?" she asked twinkling her fingers in front of her as she tried to realize the new skin she possessed.

"Human," he answered. He gave a hearty laughed the moment she bolted to the door, trying to see her reflection on the metallic handle.

"I look like you," she breathed facing him, pressing her face with the tip of her fingers. "I look human," she smiled. Although he'd seen her expression when he wanted to make the wish, probably thinking he was going to waste it after he had promised not to, but he did it for her own good. Green skin definitely posed as weird in many people's eyes.

Her lips found its way into the center of her teeth as she chewed on it quickly.

As beauteous as she looked, and as attracted he was to her physical component, which he was positive any man would feel the same to a female like so, he was clear as the brightness of the early morning, getting into a relationship after his last wasn't going to be for him.

His eyes darted to the said girl still checking out her new look and to his closed laptop as an unholy thought coursed through his mind. That was it! His insides churned in delight.

A romantic relationship with her could allow him write the sizzling romance his fans longed for. He could get back on his feet with that. He raised the left side of his lip in a smirk. Shockingly he felt no remorse whatsoever for what he was about to do. He pretended not to know her, what harm with it be for him to use her to get back what he lost, and in a year, she would be gone out of his world.

He was going to help her, now she was going to help him, although she didn't know so.

----------------