Chapter 1
"Nora?" Hayden yelled soon as he stepped out of the portal and into the ravaged apartment.
The sight of the fallen bookshelves, broken glass, and smashed TV sent shivers down the half jinn's spin. His mind started to spin as his eyes bounced around.
"Nora?" Hayden called again, more urgently.
"I'm here," came the small voice of the defiant girl who stood up from behind the kitchen counter.
"What the hell happened?" Hayden marched through the shards of broken glass towards her. "Are you hurt?"
"I...." Nora looked around at her apartment. "I didn't mean to do this."
"What?" Hayden asked in confusion.
"I was just trying to push her away," Nora began to shiver.
"Who?" Hayden asked.
"Nana," Nora pointed to something behind Hayden.
Confused, concerned and frustrated with not being able to pull her into his arms, Hayden looked over his shoulder. His eyes moved over the broken furniture before spotting the hint of an arm under the flipped sofa. Hayden narrowed his eyes and took a step closer. He lifted his hand and flickered his fingers to move the sofa and get a better look.
"Who the hell is this?" He asked, looking at the old woman laying face down on Nora's floor.
"Nana," Nora said from where she stood.
"Who's nana?" Hayden looked over his shoulder.
"Our old neighbor," Nora said. "From when I was like seven or eight."
"What is she doing here?" Hayden moved closer to the woman. "What happened?"
"No, don't go near her!" Nora yelled.
"Is she breathing?" Hayden asked. "We need to get help."
"She tried to stab me."
"What?" Hayden's head spun back around to look at the girl.
"Yeah," Nora nodded.
"What the fuck is happening, Nora?"
"Nana came to see me," Nora swallowed. "She came inside and I was getting her a drink and I turned around and she had a dagger and she was trying to stab me."
Hayden couldn't believe what he was hearing. He looked back at the old woman with gray hair and wrinkly fingers on the floor with a new perspective. Snapping his fingers, he trapped her under a spell before rushing back to Nora standing in the kitchen.
"Are you okay?" He asked, placing both of his hands around her face and pulling her closer. "How did all this happen?"
"I don't know," Nora couldn't take her eyes off of the woman. "I pushed her away and ran towards the door. She pulled my hair and dragged me back into the apartment an-"
"She dragged you back?" Hayden's eyes widened. "Her?"
"She's stronger than she looks!"
"Sorry, sorry," Hayden pulled Nora closer and pressed a kiss on her forehead. "What happened next?"
"I don't know!" Nora stomped her feet in frustration. "I was on the floor and she was standing over me with the dagger. I held out my hands and then....."
"And then?" Hayden urged her to continue.
"There was light," Nora looked up at the half jinn. "I can't explain it. My hands got really hot and there was this blinding light and Nana was flying into the sofa and everything started to break."
