She looked up and down the street, ignoring the crowd of teenagers passing by. Had someone been watching her? She couldn’t shake the feeling as she hurried to her car. Once safely locked inside the small space of her beige Mini, she put the key into the ignition and quickly pulled into traffic. Her heart rate slowed down with every passing mile that brought her closer to home. The wind rustled her hair as she sped down the highway and tried to shake her sudden paranoia. After the last couple of months, not to mention hours, she had been through who wouldn’t be having panic attacks? Going into the studio had helped to take her mind off him and his proposal but now the anxiety was back with a vengeance. She pulled into her parking spot and rested her head on the steering wheel. Genie or no genie, she wasn’t convinced she possessed any special talent other than blending oil paints. How powerful could she be when she couldn’t push back her own fear or feel where her mother was? With a muffled curse, she lifted her head, put up the windows and got out of the car.
