Chapter 1- Star
On a warm summers evening, (all that once upon a time thing makes me feel sick, I swear) the secret Hultimore street was silent, with exceptions of course. The crunch of gravel under the feet of a lonely traveller was amiss.
The One.
People would do anything to be away from him. This man was different. He was the type of person that hated to be thought the same as anyone else so he made sure everyone knew he was different from every single being, he was most powerful. But that was about to change.
Carol Beech was expecting a baby in any minute. She was sat in a red armchair examining the heart-cut ruby on her left palm.
"Nothing cracked, Just a bit dirty, I'll wash that in a moment, Jewels working fine, I've never been able to do Diamonds anyway, um, what else?" Carol sat there day-dreaming for a while but the sound of an alarm woke her so she got up to wash her ruby.
When she was done she went to the fridge to see if there was any cheese left, she, like all pregnant women, had cravings and Carol's craving was cheese. When she had found a large chunk of cheddar, Carol went back to the sitting room to eat her cheese.
After Carol had eaten all the cheddar she started practising her Shield.
That's when it happened. The door burst open and there was Ethan Fur, aka, The One. He marched inside with his cold, evil green eyes darting to and fro. Carol heaved herself out of her chair and struggled into the hallway.
"Ugh! What do you want?" Carol exclaimed, her long, light brown hair blowing gently in the summer breeze.
"The child," he replied coldly.
"Well! I'll go get it and give it to you shall I?" she said sarcastically. "What do you think, idiot, I'm not gonna reach down my throat and pull the baby out am I?"
"Works for me, just give me the kid!"
"LOOK AT ME! I am pregnant! It's due any minute n-" Carol stopped in mid-sentence, looking frightened.
"What?" asked Ethan, his cold look disappearing suddenly.
"I think I need Opal on the communicator." Opal was the Gemmer's hospital.
"Opal? Oh! I'm going to get what I want?" Ethan asked hopefully.
"No. You are never getting the kid, but what you are getting is Opal on the communicator!" Carol snapped breathlessly, clutching her ballooned stomach.
"Fine!"
Ethan ran to an elegantly carved sheet of glass on the counter top that was propped up by an expensive-looking crystal holder and ran his finger across it. A woman's bored voice came to him.
"Location?"
"Opal hospital for-"
"Yeah yeah I get it, calling now."
"Hello? Can I help you?" a cheery voice came from what was a sheet of glass but now a screen showing a pretty woman with golden eyes and the exact same colour hair, she looked frightened.
"Yes, can you send the Birth Van someone giving birth." he said matter-of-factly
"We'll be with you in ten seconds, thank you, see you in a minute." and with that overly perky say, the face disappeared and it became a sheet of glass again.
In exactly ten seconds, a white hovering van appeared outside and a man in a white cloak with a picture of an opal engraved on the breast pocket appeared in the doorway. Ethan helped Carol into the gleaming white hover-van and into Opal when they arrived.
Meanwhile, Tandy Meltibar, the headmistress of Trexfix School for young Gemmers, was sitting in her office with her eyes closed and frowning with concentration.
"The Star, you say?" she said to a shadow in the corner of the large room.
"Y-yes m-mistress, the S-Star," the shadow turned out to be a small, scared looking man was with a twisted ear and a shiny bald head hiding in the corner the large room, fiddling with his fingers and shifting from foot to foot.
"Due today then, Septimus?"
"Y-yes, due today," Septimus stared at Tandy then at his left hand which bore a glittering square-cut Topaz.
"The mother is Carol Beech?"
"Y-yes, Carol B-Beech,"
Usually, Tandy would be annoyed by Septimus' repeat of her words but she was too deep in concentration that she didn't notice. She sat there with her eyes closed for some time and Septimus was tempted to leave but resisted; a wise choice.
After what seemed to be an age, Tandy opened her eyes and stared at Septimus with china-blue eyes. Looking into them was like looking up at a star-filled summer sky at daytime. (No, stars do not come out in day time)
"Thank you for coming Septimus, good luck with your baby."
"Th-thank you," and Septimus turned on his hell and a well polished brown door appeared out of no-where. With one scared glance back, he opened it and fled.
In Opal, a certain young woman was shouting at the deliverers for trying to run away when they saw a certain One gazing at them with cold eyes and then shouting at Ethan for looking so cold and harsh. Many people fled when they saw Ethan and Carol got tired of it. She conjured a ski mask and with a flick of her wrist made it travel to Ethan's head and put itself on him. He wasn't happy.
"Try not to use to much magic dearie, it might harm the baby," the young deliverer was staring out the window with big, frightened green eyes.
Carol was on a floating stretcher, trying - unsuccessfully - to sit up to speak to the deliverer. (Or rather, snap)
"I used a tiny bit and I know, I'm not stupid. Unlike you!" Carol struggled out something that would have been a snap if she were fit to do so at the deliverer.
When they arrived at the room the door opened to the deliverer and let her and Carol in but sensed Ethan's presence and slammed shut as soon as Carol and the deliverer were in the gleaming white room. Ethan banged on the door,
"Oi! Mate, I 'av to stay shut during the delivery you know, or does it not say in the Daily Evil! You're just not makin' it any easier for me, mate." the door had shouted sharply at Ethan, clearly knowing he can't do anything too painful to it.
"Well my child is being delivered in there and I need to steal - uh! See it." Ethan corrected himself, kicking himself inside.
"I can't do anything apart from a DNA scan but I can't do that 'till the baby's born so, you know! GO! SCRAM!"
"You asked for it, I'm more capable than you know I am," but before Ethan could do anything, a bright white flash came from the room.
"No, oh my GOD, I'm the door to see it! I mean, in my room it's happened!"
"What?"
"The Star," the door whispered "You actually are the father! Well, you can go in now." and the door opened. Ethan ran inside before it could change its mind.
Chapter 2-Discoveries
Mary Beech, a ten year old girl with light brown hair that could never seem to decide whether it was brown or gold. The thick hair flowed down to her slim waist and she had big, hazel eyes and plump pink lips, was leaning over the rusty tin sink trying to wash off the unusual half-teardrop half-heart cut ruby.
Little did she know that the ruby was no tattoo but that she was born with it; a birth mark.
After a while, she gave up and went to her small room, sat down on the tiny rusting bed and gazed at the ruby, waiting for it to get up and walk away when her second cousins, Christopher and Sapphire, walked into the room.
"See you twit! We're going to the pub," spat the eldest, Christopher. He had big red bushy hair and small, beady green eyes.
Mary had just enough time to get her black velvet gloves on to hide the ruby - they wouldn't question her, it was as cold as Antarctica in there, even in the summer, well, they have already had their three days of sun that year, and it was Cardiff.
"I'm not. Someone's got to look after her." Sapphire said in her sweet flowing voice. Her voice would remind anyone but Christopher of candy floss. She had half a square cut Sapphire on her left palm and long bleach blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes.
"Suit yourself." Christopher grumbled.
Mary smiled to herself, she had a chance to tell Sapphire about her ruby and ask what it was all about. Christopher never let her inside the house, not to mention the fact this was the first time Sapphire had spoken up for herself.
See, Mary wanted to say, that was easy, wasn't it?
When Mary turned five, she was sent outside and Christopher built a small shack which Sapphire protested about but when they had an argument, Christopher usually won. Not that Sapphire ever put up as big a debate as Christopher.
Christopher set off down the street to 'The King's Eye'. When he was out of sight and hearing, Sapphire sent Mary into the house and she was able to see it for the first time. It was clean, not a spec of dust in sight but then she realised Christopher and Sapphire had different sides to the house.
Christopher's side had crisp packets all over the floor and it stank of beer and sweat.
She was amazed to think that they were siblings.
Sapphire sat Mary down on a comfy pink chair. The'S part of the house was full of lovely frilly furniture and Sapphires.
"Saph?" Mary asked quietly.
"Hm?" Sapphire smiled at Mary.
"I was wondering, what is that tattoo on your hand?"
"Why do you ask?" she frowned at her sapphire.
"Well what is it," there was a long long pause as Sapphire considered this when finally, Sapphire whispered,
"It gives me power," Mary raised her eyebrows. Then reality hit her. Hard.
“WHAT THE HECK?!” she screamed, jumping up out of her chair.
"Yes," Sapphire nodded calmly to Mary's reaction. “It can be hard to take in at first. I'm sorry, I should have approached the matter more slowly and... reasonably.”
"Tell me about it." Mary said, panting as she calmed down. She plonked herself back onto the pink chair.
"Well," Sapphire sipped a cup of tea that Mary could swear wasn't there before, she raised her brows at the cup, but ignored it. "There's a lot to a Gemmer's life."
"What's a Gemmer?" Mary asked, frowning.
"One who beholds the wisdom of a gem." she said it as if it was obvious.
"Right," Mary sighed, "What shapes are there?"
"How do you know there are more than this one shape?" Sapphire raised a brow.
There was a long silence and then,
"I want to show you something." The words came right out of Mary's mouth before she could stop them. Sapphire smiled wide. Sapphire knew what was coming and grabbed hold of Mary's wrist gently. She pulled off the black velvet glove and there was the ruby, glowing...
“DUCK!” Mary screamed and Mary ducked down while Sapphire was looking around with a worried look on her face,
“What are you on about?” the smallest Sapphire came flying at where Sapphire was before Mary pulled her down. The ruby stopped glowing but it's beauty stayed.
“This is rare.” Sapphire whispered.
“What? Sapphires coming flying at your head! Yeah, it's bloody rare!”
Sapphire looked at May as if she should know.
"Watch your mouth. I mean this shape!" Sapphire dropped Mary's wrist and it hit the side of the chair.
"Ow!" Mary rubbed her wrist.
"Sorry, this shape is a wonderful sign," Sapphire smiled and suddenly hugged Mary so tight she nearly suffocated her. When Mary got her breath back she spoke,
"What does it mean?" Mary asked, looking down on her ruby. Sapphire smiled sweetly,
"Ah, You'll learn all that when you go to -"
"WHAT DOES IT MEAN!" Mary bellowed standing up and glaring down at Sapphire.
"-Trexfix school," Sapphire whispered as she slithered down the chair.
"Sorry." At that moment, the telephone rang. It was Christopher.
"What?" Sapphire looked happy but sounded sad.
"What do you mean you're moving out?" she gave a happy look at Mary.
"OOOOOOOOOOHHH!"
"Bye, don't visit just come and take your stuff and go!" there was a confused shout from the other end.
"I said bye!" and to that she slammed the phone down and gave a big,
"WOOPEE!" Sapphire had a wide smile going up to her ears and lifted Mary off the ground, swinging her round.
"Whoooaaa!" Mary cried.
"By the way my birthday's tomorrow, now I don't need to wish Christopher moving out!" shouted Mary. Sapphire put Mary on the floor and a look of excitement spread on her face. The thump was loud and shook the room, Sapphire held up her left hand and the shaking took a small time to stop. She sighed. The phone rang again.
"What now?" Sapphire exclaimed.
"Two months?" She frowned in confusion.
"Why isn't it permanent?"
"Too soon?"
"Bye." and she dropped the phone and started falling but Mary caught her and placed her in the blue frilly chair.
"What's wrong?" Mary asked, she was scared now.
"Two months," Sapphire looked up at Mary sadly.
"What do you mean?"
"Coming back in two months,"
"Who? What?"
"Christopher." to this one name Mary knew why Sapphire would fall.
"Too soon?" Mary whispered. Sapphire nodded slowly. "Well, we have a couple of months, lets make it last!"
The next day was Mary's eleventh birthday and Sapphire had brought a small cake with ruby-red icing with little silver balls around the edges and it read,
'Happy eleventh to Mary' in silver writing icing. Sapphire gave Mary a ruby necklace.
"It's called a Simu necklace. When you use magic, it glows with the ruby on your hand." Mary gave her a big hug and many thanks. When Mary had to blow out the candles, she made her wish after a long while of thinking. She then closed her eyes and whispered, I wish my life was happy all the time, even though she knew it was a pipe dream, she blew out the ruby red candles and started to cut into the thick red oozing icing. They ate it on special white china with blue flowers and gold lining on the edge.
"There's one thing I haven't told you, Mary," Sapphire spoke out calmly. Mary frowned.
"What's that?" she asked still not looking up from the yummy cake.
"I knew all along that you were a Gemmer," Sapphire replied calmly looking back to her slice which had strangely enough turned purple. Mary dropped her fork.
"WHAT THE HECK?!" Mary screamed so suddenly but Sapphire still didn't react."ALL ALONG?!" Mary was furious, I mean, you would be too.
"Yep," Sapphire' s voice was calm as if she knew what would happen.
"WHY DIDN' T YOU TELL ME?!"
"Wasn't it obvious?" Sapphire looked up at Mary who had stood up. "Your parents. They told me not to,"
"Why?"
"You're famous!" Sapphire at long last started shouting but was still calm. Mary calmed down and dropped to the seat smiling but then jumped up again.
"What!"
"You. Are. Famous."
"How?"
"You know that shape?"
"What the one on my palm?"
"Yes,"
"What about it?"
"It's not rare-"
"So I'm not special!" Mary cut in.
"Let me finish!" Sapphire sighed. "It's never come before. You are the first ever!" Mary stared wide eyed at Sapphire who was the calmest woman on earth.
"Ever?" Mary whispered. Sapphire nodded. "I don't like it though, its ugly," and at that point the halves separated and became full. One of them then disappeared and reappeared on Mary's other hand
"T-this h-has never happened b-before!" Sapphire was scared.
"It's nice now," Mary was smiling gleefully at the rubies.
"H-how?"
"I thought you knew all about it!" Mary stared at Sapphire, confused.
"I-I said," Sapphire was stuttering so badly that she had to stop talking, "Th-this has never ever h-happened before!"
"Well how can it happen to me!"
"'Cause! I said you're special! YOU have unlimited powers, think of it as a magical story, for example, uh, oh! You like the Harry Potter books, don't you? Well think of it as that."
"But people die in Harry Potter!"Mary whispered, suddenly scared. Sapphire sighed.
Mary's cake seemed to have a darker red than before when she realised that her Simu was glowing.
Mary stared absently at the ceiling as Sapphire gathered the plates.
"Look, this is a less death experience kind of fame, get me?" Sapphire frowned when Mary stared at her blankly.
"Sorry, I just felt like doing that and yeah I get it now." Sapphire smiled her sweet smile and Mary was suddenly reminded of candy floss. Sapphire went into the kitchen to wash the dishes and they were clean a little shorter than normal.
"My God! Is that the time? Come on, Mary, upstairs."
"But I slept in the shack last night and besides, where am I going to sleep?"
"I've sorted something, you had to sleep in the shack last night because I can't do what I've done so quick and you wouldn't want to sleep in Chris' room, trust me."
"I trust you." Mary shivered at the very thought of sleeping in Christopher's room.
"Anyway upstairs."
"But there are no stairs!"
"Oh damn, sorry about this." She pressed a button she conjured from thin air and out of nowhere, white shimmering stairs with a dazzling blue carpet appeared.
Mary stared there for a moment her mouth in a perfect O
"Come on!" Sapphire exclaimed.
"Sorry," and Mary then ran up the stairs and before her lay four gleaming doors. Two white, one blue and the other scarlet.
"Let me guess, you haven't seen a door before." Sapphire was standing beside Mary and smiling.
"Of course I've seen a door before!"
"Well then go through the red door," Mary went over to the red door and turned the knob. She stood there rattling it for a moment and Sapphire came up and whispered, "Other way."
"Oh." Mary said quietly and started turning it the other way. It opened easily, Mary flushed as scarlet as the door and went inside the red room. A bed with red satin sheets, a scarlet carpet and pearly white wallpaper with velvet roses, there was a bedside table with a red lamp and a couple of books on it and a white wardrobe with red love hearts on it.
"Use the ruby to get into pyjamas," Sapphire suggested.
"How?"
"Just get changed!" then Mary's ruby started glowing, but this time it made a humming noise. She didn't hear it so she expected all hell to break loose.
"Again?" Mary exclaimed and she waited for something to happen, nothing did.
"What's going on?" she asked Sapphire.
"Someone's trying to communicate with you,"
"Who?" Mary was becoming frightened. She didn't know any other gemmer did she? "What do I do?" she asked.
"Tap it," she answered calmly, she knew who it was, Mary could tell. She tapped it and said in a wary voice, she had her eyes closed and did not notice the tall, youngish woman standing in her room.
"Hello?" she held the ruby at arms length.
"Hello, I am Tandy, or as you will call me in September, Miss Meltibar, I will be your headmistress."
"Oh." was all Mary could say, she was disappointed.
"Were you expecting someone else, Mary?" Tandy asked. Mary opened her eyes in surprise and saw the tall stranger in her room and jumped about a foot in the air.
"Sorry it's just, how do you know my name? I mean I've never met you have I?" She racked her brain to search for clues but all she saw was a toy monkey jumping up and down. Yes, her mind is random all the time.
"No, but the reason I know your name is because I'm here to say that you have been excepted into Trexfix school for young Gemmers." she smiled.
"Is it boarding school?" Mary asked hopefully, once the two-months were over, she didn't want to come home to Christopher's shouts and comments, although she would miss Sapphire.
"Yes.” Mary smiled in relief. Tandy's face went blank and there was an uncomfortable silence.
"Tonight's dream wont be a dream," Tandy said darkly "Oh yeah, I can see the future." she smiled, looking more like a normal person than the way Sapphire smiles, that's another thing Mary will miss too, Sapphire's candy-floss smiles.
"What do you mean?" Sapphire asked worriedly, she knew something was wrong, she always knew.
Tandy looked at Sapphire sadly and whispered something so fast, Mary couldn't hear her. Sapphire looked scared and upset, she shook her head.
"No." she said firmly, "Not possible."
"I'm afraid so. I'm so so sorry, Sapphire, Mary." Mary was about ready to run and hide at this point.
"Oh, I almost forgot, Mary will have to go into Trexfix by the name of Sophie Portly, you don't want boys and that buzzing around you like flies, now do we? You will have to cover up the gem on your right hand using a portipie, it's like potions, except it's used by Gemmers. I believe that is the teardrop." Tandy said knowingly.
"Uh, yeah." Mary replied warily, even though it wasn't a question.
"Remember that, Sophie Portly, not Mary Beech, okay?"
"Um, okay," and before Mary could finish, Tandy was gone. Sapphire kept Mary up late, very late. Until 2:00 am. By then, Mary had said she was about to faint with exhaustion twenty-two times and Sapphire had reluctantly put Mary to bed.
Mary dreamed that night of a boy about her age, way taller than her, a chocolate-brown haired, beautiful boy, she couldn't remember the name in the morning but she could remember being bitten by the boy on the neck, which was weird, and Sapphire jumped in the way and pointed her sapphire at him, sunlight burst out of her hand and he screamed and dissapeared. All Mary could feel was real pain, it wasn't a dream like Tandy had said, it was real. There was a stabbing electric pain in her heart and she slowly drifted into a long, real sleep.
On a warm summers evening, (all that once upon a time thing makes me feel sick, I swear) the secret Hultimore street was silent, with exceptions of course. The crunch of gravel under the feet of a lonely traveller was amiss.
The One.
People would do anything to be away from him. This man was different. He was the type of person that hated to be thought the same as anyone else so he made sure everyone knew he was different from every single being, he was most powerful. But that was about to change.
Carol Beech was expecting a baby in any minute. She was sat in a red armchair examining the heart-cut ruby on her left palm.
"Nothing cracked, Just a bit dirty, I'll wash that in a moment, Jewels working fine, I've never been able to do Diamonds anyway, um, what else?" Carol sat there day-dreaming for a while but the sound of an alarm woke her so she got up to wash her ruby.
When she was done she went to the fridge to see if there was any cheese left, she, like all pregnant women, had cravings and Carol's craving was cheese. When she had found a large chunk of cheddar, Carol went back to the sitting room to eat her cheese.
After Carol had eaten all the cheddar she started practising her Shield.
That's when it happened. The door burst open and there was Ethan Fur, aka, The One. He marched inside with his cold, evil green eyes darting to and fro. Carol heaved herself out of her chair and struggled into the hallway.
"Ugh! What do you want?" Carol exclaimed, her long, light brown hair blowing gently in the summer breeze.
"The child," he replied coldly.
"Well! I'll go get it and give it to you shall I?" she said sarcastically. "What do you think, idiot, I'm not gonna reach down my throat and pull the baby out am I?"
"Works for me, just give me the kid!"
"LOOK AT ME! I am pregnant! It's due any minute n-" Carol stopped in mid-sentence, looking frightened.
"What?" asked Ethan, his cold look disappearing suddenly.
"I think I need Opal on the communicator." Opal was the Gemmer's hospital.
"Opal? Oh! I'm going to get what I want?" Ethan asked hopefully.
"No. You are never getting the kid, but what you are getting is Opal on the communicator!" Carol snapped breathlessly, clutching her ballooned stomach.
"Fine!"
Ethan ran to an elegantly carved sheet of glass on the counter top that was propped up by an expensive-looking crystal holder and ran his finger across it. A woman's bored voice came to him.
"Location?"
"Opal hospital for-"
"Yeah yeah I get it, calling now."
"Hello? Can I help you?" a cheery voice came from what was a sheet of glass but now a screen showing a pretty woman with golden eyes and the exact same colour hair, she looked frightened.
"Yes, can you send the Birth Van someone giving birth." he said matter-of-factly
"We'll be with you in ten seconds, thank you, see you in a minute." and with that overly perky say, the face disappeared and it became a sheet of glass again.
In exactly ten seconds, a white hovering van appeared outside and a man in a white cloak with a picture of an opal engraved on the breast pocket appeared in the doorway. Ethan helped Carol into the gleaming white hover-van and into Opal when they arrived.
Meanwhile, Tandy Meltibar, the headmistress of Trexfix School for young Gemmers, was sitting in her office with her eyes closed and frowning with concentration.
"The Star, you say?" she said to a shadow in the corner of the large room.
"Y-yes m-mistress, the S-Star," the shadow turned out to be a small, scared looking man was with a twisted ear and a shiny bald head hiding in the corner the large room, fiddling with his fingers and shifting from foot to foot.
"Due today then, Septimus?"
"Y-yes, due today," Septimus stared at Tandy then at his left hand which bore a glittering square-cut Topaz.
"The mother is Carol Beech?"
"Y-yes, Carol B-Beech,"
Usually, Tandy would be annoyed by Septimus' repeat of her words but she was too deep in concentration that she didn't notice. She sat there with her eyes closed for some time and Septimus was tempted to leave but resisted; a wise choice.
After what seemed to be an age, Tandy opened her eyes and stared at Septimus with china-blue eyes. Looking into them was like looking up at a star-filled summer sky at daytime. (No, stars do not come out in day time)
"Thank you for coming Septimus, good luck with your baby."
"Th-thank you," and Septimus turned on his hell and a well polished brown door appeared out of no-where. With one scared glance back, he opened it and fled.
In Opal, a certain young woman was shouting at the deliverers for trying to run away when they saw a certain One gazing at them with cold eyes and then shouting at Ethan for looking so cold and harsh. Many people fled when they saw Ethan and Carol got tired of it. She conjured a ski mask and with a flick of her wrist made it travel to Ethan's head and put itself on him. He wasn't happy.
"Try not to use to much magic dearie, it might harm the baby," the young deliverer was staring out the window with big, frightened green eyes.
Carol was on a floating stretcher, trying - unsuccessfully - to sit up to speak to the deliverer. (Or rather, snap)
"I used a tiny bit and I know, I'm not stupid. Unlike you!" Carol struggled out something that would have been a snap if she were fit to do so at the deliverer.
When they arrived at the room the door opened to the deliverer and let her and Carol in but sensed Ethan's presence and slammed shut as soon as Carol and the deliverer were in the gleaming white room. Ethan banged on the door,
"Oi! Mate, I 'av to stay shut during the delivery you know, or does it not say in the Daily Evil! You're just not makin' it any easier for me, mate." the door had shouted sharply at Ethan, clearly knowing he can't do anything too painful to it.
"Well my child is being delivered in there and I need to steal - uh! See it." Ethan corrected himself, kicking himself inside.
"I can't do anything apart from a DNA scan but I can't do that 'till the baby's born so, you know! GO! SCRAM!"
"You asked for it, I'm more capable than you know I am," but before Ethan could do anything, a bright white flash came from the room.
"No, oh my GOD, I'm the door to see it! I mean, in my room it's happened!"
"What?"
"The Star," the door whispered "You actually are the father! Well, you can go in now." and the door opened. Ethan ran inside before it could change its mind.
Chapter 2-Discoveries
Mary Beech, a ten year old girl with light brown hair that could never seem to decide whether it was brown or gold. The thick hair flowed down to her slim waist and she had big, hazel eyes and plump pink lips, was leaning over the rusty tin sink trying to wash off the unusual half-teardrop half-heart cut ruby.
Little did she know that the ruby was no tattoo but that she was born with it; a birth mark.
After a while, she gave up and went to her small room, sat down on the tiny rusting bed and gazed at the ruby, waiting for it to get up and walk away when her second cousins, Christopher and Sapphire, walked into the room.
"See you twit! We're going to the pub," spat the eldest, Christopher. He had big red bushy hair and small, beady green eyes.
Mary had just enough time to get her black velvet gloves on to hide the ruby - they wouldn't question her, it was as cold as Antarctica in there, even in the summer, well, they have already had their three days of sun that year, and it was Cardiff.
"I'm not. Someone's got to look after her." Sapphire said in her sweet flowing voice. Her voice would remind anyone but Christopher of candy floss. She had half a square cut Sapphire on her left palm and long bleach blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes.
"Suit yourself." Christopher grumbled.
Mary smiled to herself, she had a chance to tell Sapphire about her ruby and ask what it was all about. Christopher never let her inside the house, not to mention the fact this was the first time Sapphire had spoken up for herself.
See, Mary wanted to say, that was easy, wasn't it?
When Mary turned five, she was sent outside and Christopher built a small shack which Sapphire protested about but when they had an argument, Christopher usually won. Not that Sapphire ever put up as big a debate as Christopher.
Christopher set off down the street to 'The King's Eye'. When he was out of sight and hearing, Sapphire sent Mary into the house and she was able to see it for the first time. It was clean, not a spec of dust in sight but then she realised Christopher and Sapphire had different sides to the house.
Christopher's side had crisp packets all over the floor and it stank of beer and sweat.
She was amazed to think that they were siblings.
Sapphire sat Mary down on a comfy pink chair. The'S part of the house was full of lovely frilly furniture and Sapphires.
"Saph?" Mary asked quietly.
"Hm?" Sapphire smiled at Mary.
"I was wondering, what is that tattoo on your hand?"
"Why do you ask?" she frowned at her sapphire.
"Well what is it," there was a long long pause as Sapphire considered this when finally, Sapphire whispered,
"It gives me power," Mary raised her eyebrows. Then reality hit her. Hard.
“WHAT THE HECK?!” she screamed, jumping up out of her chair.
"Yes," Sapphire nodded calmly to Mary's reaction. “It can be hard to take in at first. I'm sorry, I should have approached the matter more slowly and... reasonably.”
"Tell me about it." Mary said, panting as she calmed down. She plonked herself back onto the pink chair.
"Well," Sapphire sipped a cup of tea that Mary could swear wasn't there before, she raised her brows at the cup, but ignored it. "There's a lot to a Gemmer's life."
"What's a Gemmer?" Mary asked, frowning.
"One who beholds the wisdom of a gem." she said it as if it was obvious.
"Right," Mary sighed, "What shapes are there?"
"How do you know there are more than this one shape?" Sapphire raised a brow.
There was a long silence and then,
"I want to show you something." The words came right out of Mary's mouth before she could stop them. Sapphire smiled wide. Sapphire knew what was coming and grabbed hold of Mary's wrist gently. She pulled off the black velvet glove and there was the ruby, glowing...
“DUCK!” Mary screamed and Mary ducked down while Sapphire was looking around with a worried look on her face,
“What are you on about?” the smallest Sapphire came flying at where Sapphire was before Mary pulled her down. The ruby stopped glowing but it's beauty stayed.
“This is rare.” Sapphire whispered.
“What? Sapphires coming flying at your head! Yeah, it's bloody rare!”
Sapphire looked at May as if she should know.
"Watch your mouth. I mean this shape!" Sapphire dropped Mary's wrist and it hit the side of the chair.
"Ow!" Mary rubbed her wrist.
"Sorry, this shape is a wonderful sign," Sapphire smiled and suddenly hugged Mary so tight she nearly suffocated her. When Mary got her breath back she spoke,
"What does it mean?" Mary asked, looking down on her ruby. Sapphire smiled sweetly,
"Ah, You'll learn all that when you go to -"
"WHAT DOES IT MEAN!" Mary bellowed standing up and glaring down at Sapphire.
"-Trexfix school," Sapphire whispered as she slithered down the chair.
"Sorry." At that moment, the telephone rang. It was Christopher.
"What?" Sapphire looked happy but sounded sad.
"What do you mean you're moving out?" she gave a happy look at Mary.
"OOOOOOOOOOHHH!"
"Bye, don't visit just come and take your stuff and go!" there was a confused shout from the other end.
"I said bye!" and to that she slammed the phone down and gave a big,
"WOOPEE!" Sapphire had a wide smile going up to her ears and lifted Mary off the ground, swinging her round.
"Whoooaaa!" Mary cried.
"By the way my birthday's tomorrow, now I don't need to wish Christopher moving out!" shouted Mary. Sapphire put Mary on the floor and a look of excitement spread on her face. The thump was loud and shook the room, Sapphire held up her left hand and the shaking took a small time to stop. She sighed. The phone rang again.
"What now?" Sapphire exclaimed.
"Two months?" She frowned in confusion.
"Why isn't it permanent?"
"Too soon?"
"Bye." and she dropped the phone and started falling but Mary caught her and placed her in the blue frilly chair.
"What's wrong?" Mary asked, she was scared now.
"Two months," Sapphire looked up at Mary sadly.
"What do you mean?"
"Coming back in two months,"
"Who? What?"
"Christopher." to this one name Mary knew why Sapphire would fall.
"Too soon?" Mary whispered. Sapphire nodded slowly. "Well, we have a couple of months, lets make it last!"
The next day was Mary's eleventh birthday and Sapphire had brought a small cake with ruby-red icing with little silver balls around the edges and it read,
'Happy eleventh to Mary' in silver writing icing. Sapphire gave Mary a ruby necklace.
"It's called a Simu necklace. When you use magic, it glows with the ruby on your hand." Mary gave her a big hug and many thanks. When Mary had to blow out the candles, she made her wish after a long while of thinking. She then closed her eyes and whispered, I wish my life was happy all the time, even though she knew it was a pipe dream, she blew out the ruby red candles and started to cut into the thick red oozing icing. They ate it on special white china with blue flowers and gold lining on the edge.
"There's one thing I haven't told you, Mary," Sapphire spoke out calmly. Mary frowned.
"What's that?" she asked still not looking up from the yummy cake.
"I knew all along that you were a Gemmer," Sapphire replied calmly looking back to her slice which had strangely enough turned purple. Mary dropped her fork.
"WHAT THE HECK?!" Mary screamed so suddenly but Sapphire still didn't react."ALL ALONG?!" Mary was furious, I mean, you would be too.
"Yep," Sapphire' s voice was calm as if she knew what would happen.
"WHY DIDN' T YOU TELL ME?!"
"Wasn't it obvious?" Sapphire looked up at Mary who had stood up. "Your parents. They told me not to,"
"Why?"
"You're famous!" Sapphire at long last started shouting but was still calm. Mary calmed down and dropped to the seat smiling but then jumped up again.
"What!"
"You. Are. Famous."
"How?"
"You know that shape?"
"What the one on my palm?"
"Yes,"
"What about it?"
"It's not rare-"
"So I'm not special!" Mary cut in.
"Let me finish!" Sapphire sighed. "It's never come before. You are the first ever!" Mary stared wide eyed at Sapphire who was the calmest woman on earth.
"Ever?" Mary whispered. Sapphire nodded. "I don't like it though, its ugly," and at that point the halves separated and became full. One of them then disappeared and reappeared on Mary's other hand
"T-this h-has never happened b-before!" Sapphire was scared.
"It's nice now," Mary was smiling gleefully at the rubies.
"H-how?"
"I thought you knew all about it!" Mary stared at Sapphire, confused.
"I-I said," Sapphire was stuttering so badly that she had to stop talking, "Th-this has never ever h-happened before!"
"Well how can it happen to me!"
"'Cause! I said you're special! YOU have unlimited powers, think of it as a magical story, for example, uh, oh! You like the Harry Potter books, don't you? Well think of it as that."
"But people die in Harry Potter!"Mary whispered, suddenly scared. Sapphire sighed.
Mary's cake seemed to have a darker red than before when she realised that her Simu was glowing.
Mary stared absently at the ceiling as Sapphire gathered the plates.
"Look, this is a less death experience kind of fame, get me?" Sapphire frowned when Mary stared at her blankly.
"Sorry, I just felt like doing that and yeah I get it now." Sapphire smiled her sweet smile and Mary was suddenly reminded of candy floss. Sapphire went into the kitchen to wash the dishes and they were clean a little shorter than normal.
"My God! Is that the time? Come on, Mary, upstairs."
"But I slept in the shack last night and besides, where am I going to sleep?"
"I've sorted something, you had to sleep in the shack last night because I can't do what I've done so quick and you wouldn't want to sleep in Chris' room, trust me."
"I trust you." Mary shivered at the very thought of sleeping in Christopher's room.
"Anyway upstairs."
"But there are no stairs!"
"Oh damn, sorry about this." She pressed a button she conjured from thin air and out of nowhere, white shimmering stairs with a dazzling blue carpet appeared.
Mary stared there for a moment her mouth in a perfect O
"Come on!" Sapphire exclaimed.
"Sorry," and Mary then ran up the stairs and before her lay four gleaming doors. Two white, one blue and the other scarlet.
"Let me guess, you haven't seen a door before." Sapphire was standing beside Mary and smiling.
"Of course I've seen a door before!"
"Well then go through the red door," Mary went over to the red door and turned the knob. She stood there rattling it for a moment and Sapphire came up and whispered, "Other way."
"Oh." Mary said quietly and started turning it the other way. It opened easily, Mary flushed as scarlet as the door and went inside the red room. A bed with red satin sheets, a scarlet carpet and pearly white wallpaper with velvet roses, there was a bedside table with a red lamp and a couple of books on it and a white wardrobe with red love hearts on it.
"Use the ruby to get into pyjamas," Sapphire suggested.
"How?"
"Just get changed!" then Mary's ruby started glowing, but this time it made a humming noise. She didn't hear it so she expected all hell to break loose.
"Again?" Mary exclaimed and she waited for something to happen, nothing did.
"What's going on?" she asked Sapphire.
"Someone's trying to communicate with you,"
"Who?" Mary was becoming frightened. She didn't know any other gemmer did she? "What do I do?" she asked.
"Tap it," she answered calmly, she knew who it was, Mary could tell. She tapped it and said in a wary voice, she had her eyes closed and did not notice the tall, youngish woman standing in her room.
"Hello?" she held the ruby at arms length.
"Hello, I am Tandy, or as you will call me in September, Miss Meltibar, I will be your headmistress."
"Oh." was all Mary could say, she was disappointed.
"Were you expecting someone else, Mary?" Tandy asked. Mary opened her eyes in surprise and saw the tall stranger in her room and jumped about a foot in the air.
"Sorry it's just, how do you know my name? I mean I've never met you have I?" She racked her brain to search for clues but all she saw was a toy monkey jumping up and down. Yes, her mind is random all the time.
"No, but the reason I know your name is because I'm here to say that you have been excepted into Trexfix school for young Gemmers." she smiled.
"Is it boarding school?" Mary asked hopefully, once the two-months were over, she didn't want to come home to Christopher's shouts and comments, although she would miss Sapphire.
"Yes.” Mary smiled in relief. Tandy's face went blank and there was an uncomfortable silence.
"Tonight's dream wont be a dream," Tandy said darkly "Oh yeah, I can see the future." she smiled, looking more like a normal person than the way Sapphire smiles, that's another thing Mary will miss too, Sapphire's candy-floss smiles.
"What do you mean?" Sapphire asked worriedly, she knew something was wrong, she always knew.
Tandy looked at Sapphire sadly and whispered something so fast, Mary couldn't hear her. Sapphire looked scared and upset, she shook her head.
"No." she said firmly, "Not possible."
"I'm afraid so. I'm so so sorry, Sapphire, Mary." Mary was about ready to run and hide at this point.
"Oh, I almost forgot, Mary will have to go into Trexfix by the name of Sophie Portly, you don't want boys and that buzzing around you like flies, now do we? You will have to cover up the gem on your right hand using a portipie, it's like potions, except it's used by Gemmers. I believe that is the teardrop." Tandy said knowingly.
"Uh, yeah." Mary replied warily, even though it wasn't a question.
"Remember that, Sophie Portly, not Mary Beech, okay?"
"Um, okay," and before Mary could finish, Tandy was gone. Sapphire kept Mary up late, very late. Until 2:00 am. By then, Mary had said she was about to faint with exhaustion twenty-two times and Sapphire had reluctantly put Mary to bed.
Mary dreamed that night of a boy about her age, way taller than her, a chocolate-brown haired, beautiful boy, she couldn't remember the name in the morning but she could remember being bitten by the boy on the neck, which was weird, and Sapphire jumped in the way and pointed her sapphire at him, sunlight burst out of her hand and he screamed and dissapeared. All Mary could feel was real pain, it wasn't a dream like Tandy had said, it was real. There was a stabbing electric pain in her heart and she slowly drifted into a long, real sleep.
