Twisted

Julian recalls an episode when he was five and alone with his mother, enjoying the peace and playing with a stuffed bear his father didn’t approve of. When his father returned, Julian tried to protect his mother from his father’s abuse. When Julian was 16, his father gave him a snake. Julian named her Isabella and used her to kill his father, reveling in the feeling of power. Julian got a tattoo of a snake to honor the occasion.

In the present, Julian is impatient with the lack of progress of Jeannie, who is leading the expedition to find the lamp. Julian visits Ali, who is being tended by his hospice nurse, Shaina. Julian offers to attend a dinner with Yasmin and a new suitor, promising Ali, “You can trust me with your daughter the same way you trust me with your diamonds” (99).

Riya helps Yasmin choose her outfit for dinner. Yasmin hates feeling like she’s losing her voice and is “a mute trophy for people to lug around” (103). She is surprised to find Julian at the restaurant and is antagonistic toward him, but also feels grateful that he helps soothe her anxiety.