TUMBLED
Fahmi and Lili

Arlan, Nanda, and Manda are trained by Gina separately, to prepare each person against Larasati or Grandpa Pareng. Since Arlan cannot go too often to Gina's house, it is Gina who takes Arlan to another realm. Of course, committing such a dangerous act would be impossible when Arlan was in the house unattended. Anything can happen when Arlan's soul comes out of his body.

Manda took a long breath. He sat in the back seat of Arlan's car, then let Arlan fall asleep on his lap. The priest who saw that, could not do much. Mr. Imam only knew that Arlan was sleep deprived and only Manda could make him sleep soundly. He won't get in trouble as long as he can be near Arlan.

Not far from Arlan's car, Nanda watched closely secretly. After all, Nanda was still much stronger than Manda, even though they had the same teacher. Nanda didn't let go of his attention for a second in the line of duty overseeing Arlan's car. Moreover, his sister was there.

Day by day passed. The exercise felt increasingly heavy for the three teenagers. However, Arlan feels fresher because his body can rest well while with Manda. Arlan's parents are not unaware that her son is getting brighter lately. It's just, Mr. Imam has reported whatever Arlan did while not at home.

"Mama's not comfortable with a boy named Manda." Lily served her husband a cup of coffee.

They were sitting in the living room while resting themselves after working all day. The clock shows at one in the morning. Neither Fahmi nor Lili could fall asleep that night once they got home. "Manda's? The girl he said he wanted to help Arlan?" ask Fahmi.

"Yes. The kid we met at the hospital."

"Haha! So, what did the boy do? Didn't Mr Imam say clearly, that the girl was only able to make Arlan sleep well for two to four hours? Then, Arlan returned home safely."

"But..."

"Arlan's our son, Ma," Fahmi asserts. "Nobody can take care of him but us. Although it must be in this way, we must have managed to keep it until his seventeenth birthday passed."

"Then, if it's past, is there any guarantee that Arlan will survive?" ask Lili.

"Whatever happens, I won't let our bloodline be cut off. Despite having to fight Dad though," Fahmi's voice sounded like a growl. "Based on a bad boy! It's dead, it's still causing trouble!"

Lily was silent for a moment. For a moment, she did not understand what her husband said. After a few seconds passed, Lili realized. "I haven't heard the full story. What did Mbah Santoso say? Why did the genie who had been guarding Arlan, suddenly disappear?"

"Beautiful Soul was not completely devoured by that genie when I made it into an offering. The rest of his soul, he used to fight the genie when they met."

"When it is a powerful genie that we have chosen ourselves" muttered Lili, lamenting the departure of his genie.

"So, Mama and Papa love the genie more than the flesh blood itself?" arlan's voice suddenly appeared in the living room, making Fahmi and Lili turn their heads in shock. Fahmi even dropped his coffee cup, making a velvet carpet worth millions of dollars wet with black stains. Arlan, whose whereabouts have been known to his father and mother, chooses to step down and join them. Horror when hearing the story of Fahmi and Lili, turned into anger when Arlan heard the name Beautiful called.

"Darling, this is not what you think it is" Lili argued.

"Haha! Mama thinks, I'm a little kid that you can lie to for a reason like that!?" jeremy Arlan.

"DON'T YELL AT YOUR MOTHER!" exciting Fahmi.

"Or what?" Arlan. "Papa will slash me with a display sword in Papa's study? Like Papa did to Indah?"

"Arlan..." Fahmi sounded begging.

"Aren't you now, Mom and Dad still don't want to talk?" arlan. "I've come to know so far. I wish I knew something else from my own parents' mouths."

Fahmi and Lili exchanged looks. Lili pleads silently for Fahmi to tell Arlan about what happened. Sooner or later, Arlan will know everything. There is no point in covering this up anymore.

"Where did you guys do that from?" ask Arlan.

Lili swallowed with great difficulty. He wanted to tell Arlan everything, and did not want to be hated by his son. "As you know..." Lili spoke slowly. "Beautiful..."

"Beautiful you have sacrificed for my protective genie" Arlan finished with a single breath. There was a pierced pain he felt when he finished that sentence. Arlan will never forget, how Beautiful sacrificed the rest of her soul to release Arlan from the genie that had eaten her.

"Yes... Is correct..." Lili admitted without much more reason. "We hope that the genie will always be strong until you are seventeen and can protect you from Larasati. But, unexpectedly, Grandpa Pareng turns out to be after you too."

"We knew that before your grandfather decided to leave" Fahmi added. "The day before your grandfather left, we cornered him to confess that he had wanted to prey on your soul all along. We wanted to know what the reason was, but until the end, he was silent."

"I have an invulnerable science" I'm Arlan.

Fahmi and Lili turned their heads quickly, shocked by Arlan's confession. They cast a look of disbelief at Arlan. However, Arlan returned their gazes without hesitation. There was no joke in his face. As if finding a way out, Fahmi and Lili suddenly understand what reason Pareng wants to prey on Arlan's soul.

"It seems that this talent could have declined from Grandpa" Arlan said. "I've never learned anything like this. So, this is a natural talent."

"Haha!" Fahmi. "That's why I like Arlan so much! Talented arlan! A talent I don't have, even if I try to learn as he wants!"

Arlan's hands clenched. He felt very upset at his father who could still laugh in this situation. "Then, what else are you doing?" Arlan switched the conversation, before her parents changed their minds.

Lili glanced fearfully at Fahmi before replying. "We've uprooted a few more children for your protective jinn."

Arlan had almost lost his sanity when his own mother said so. He did not expect, the person he had known so gently and also attentive to him, turned out to be a human-bodied monster. "How come y'all-" Arlan didn't finish the sentence. He can't. He had to hold back the anger and tears that were about to explode.

"All for your sake" Fahmi said. "This house, too, we've given you protection to keep you safe!"

"By subverting what?" sambar Arlan's.

Fahmi did not move from his seat. His eyes did not blink, only replying to Arlan's straight gaze. "Humans are the most powerful tumbals for the jinn. They'll obey whatever our request is."

"When are you going to do this?" arlan's voice turned slow. Arlan did not believe what he saw.

"Until Larasati doesn't bother anymore" Fahmi replied.

"He won't stop until I'm dead" Arlan corrected. "Why don't you guys just try to fight back?"

Fahmi and Lili exchanged another glance. "You think we didn't try?" Fahmy asked back. "Even though I have no power in black magic, I have many friends who are experts in this. They've been trying to find Larasati, even looking after our seventeen-year-old son. But that effort always fails. Larasati can cunningly find a crack and kill the one she wants to kill."

Arlan leaned back. This time, he was convinced that his parents were not worthy of cooperation. He did not want to be plunged into crime and black magic that his parents did. Arlan intends to return everything to the way it should be.

'First of all, I must try to stay alive, ' Arlan's inner self.

***