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Chatterbox: Inkwell
So.I'm w
So.
I'm writing a book.
For Camp NaNoWriMo/NaNoWriMo/just on my own time.
Called "Glittering Stones, and what truly lies beneath." (Which sounds unbelievably cheesy, I know. ;))
It's a dystopian genre, so the government of now has been obliterated and now it is very corrupt. There may be some fighting, later on, just a heads up to @Admins, but nothing gory like BLOOD BLOOD DEATTTHH, etc ; ) You will understand more of the plot later on, but just know that the people in my story are not... normal people. They are named after gemstones, and they live in a strict caste system, sorted into "Classifications" according to how precious of a stone they are. It focuses on two MCs, Amethyst, and Topaz, who you will soon meet.
And I really need some feedback! Anything! Whether its grammar or rephrasing an, erm, phrase or anything! I would really appreciate it. I'll post the first few chapters, and if I hear from people then I'll post more.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Prologue, Two Years Earlier...
"Amethyst. Amethyst! Hello? Can you hear me?"
The voice sounded far away, very distant, but it slowly came back into focus. Here she was, Amethyst, standing in the kitchen, completely lost in thought.
"Finally! You went off into your 'dreamland' thing again." Her 9-year-old sister, Eudie, made air-quotes around the word, "Dreamland", enunciating the fact that there was no such thing in her opinion, at least.
Amethyst rolled her eyes, then went back to kneading the bread dough that she was preparing for Eveningmeal. "What was it that we were talking about again?" she asked her little sister.
Placing a hand on her hip, Eudie said, "We were wondering where in all the wide world Opal is hiding, and why so much healthy stuff has to go into this bread!" She poked a finger at a lump of the dough for emphasis.
Amethyst laughed. "You were wondering why most of these ingredients were healthy in this recipe, not me. I don't create the recipes, I just make them. But now that you mention it, I am getting a little worried about Opal. When was the last time you saw her?"
Eudie checked her wristwatch. "We started playing H&F almost an hour ago! She found me two times, so then I said best out of five, she went off to hide, and now I just can't find her!"
Grinning at her, Amethyst said, "Now's the time to admit that she's a better Hider than you are." But really, she was worried. Opal was known to go wander off by herself at times, but not for so long. Eudie and Opal were biological twins not identical in any way except for the fact that they shared the same Birthing Day. While Eudie was the life of the party and enjoyed chatting nonstop about nonsensical things, (Or, the life the party that a 9-year-old could have) Opal only talked when necessary and enjoyed a little peace and quiet to herself.
"Well," Amethyst began. "Where have you searched already? I'll help you look for her, but we can cross off whatever places you already checked." As she talked, she formed the now well-kneaded bread dough into loaves and put them on a metal sheet covered with a towel to rise. Then she dusted her hands on her apron and hung it on a peg on the nearby wall.
"I for sure looked all over the basement, and I think I got most of the third story too," Eudie told her as they began their slow search of the large house.
First, they began on the ground floor, peeking around commonplace things like window drapes and under tables until Eudie finally convinced Amethyst that if "she had hidden under those things, I wouldn't have needed your help!" However, that was what the ground floor was made up of for the most part; commonplace hiding places. There were none of the delicious and dark shrouded corners and closets like the upstairs or basement.
A quick peek of the lower and upper floors proved Eudie's point that she "already checked really good!" in those places.
Now Amethyst was panicking slightly. But only on the inside, never the out. Amethyst couldn't show Eudie how afraid she was. She was supposed to be the responsible one. The caretaker when their parents weren't home. Amethyst knew that if she started to panic, Eudie would too. Still, she couldn't help shouting her younger sister's name a little louder, the sound echoing off the spacious walls of the home like resonant waves on a seashore.
The only place there could possibly be left for Opal to hide was the outdoors. The yard of the house where Amethyst, her sisters, and her mother and father lived in was large, to say the least. Large and spread out, with very few trees or shrubs where a petite 9-year-old may hide.
It was also Curfew.
From 13:00 to 16:00, no person without military, police, or medical licensing could leave the building that they were currently residing in when Curfew began. The three sister's parents, Sera and Howlite, had neither. They were common Merchants, buying, trading and selling items at a higher or lower price (depending on just who was doing the buying) to different persons "in need."
At noon, Amethyst's parents had attended a Gathering at noon and were not expected to be back until well past Curfew. It was better to be safe than sorry when dealing with the Afternoon Curfew, which was one of Amethyst's inner hatreds. But that was a thing for another time. Right now, the only thing that mattered was whether or not Opal was out of doors and/or abducted by neighboring Authorities.
Amethyst inhaled deeply, once, then motioned to Eudie to come closer, as if there were said neighboring Authorities wandering about the house. "I think Opal might have gone outside." Brace for the explosion.
"What?! Why -why would she do that?!? She knows that it's Curfew! She knows what will happen if she... if she's... caught." The last word was spoken as if it was painful to get out. Amethyst could see her own panic mirrored in the eyes of her sister.
"Well," she said to Eudie, softly. "I'll have to go out and check."
"NO! Ame, you can't!!"
Turning and walking down the hallway, Amethyst said, "I have to, Eudie. You need to stay here. I doubt I'll be gone that long, but if Mom and Dad come back, you explain all that's happening to them."
"But where are you going? The front door isn't that way!" Eudie followed her down the hall, to where Amethyst opened a door to a room that she had not often been in: her father's. On the threshold, Eudie stopped.
"What are you doing in Dad's room? He doesn't like it when we go in here..."
Amethyst rummaged through the dusty wardrobe that was shoved into a corner, pulling out one of her father's long grey trench-capes. "I can't just go waltzing outside during Curfew; I'll be reported for sure. I'll stick to the alleys and wear Dad's cape, so even if someone does see me, I won't be immediately recognized."
Eudie nodded, looking very pale, but did not say anything else as Amethyst donned the long, voluminous trench-cape and pulled up the hood. Her face was draped in shadows, and her hands and legs were buried in the thick folds of the cape, making her completely unrecognizable as the 16-year-old daughter of Sera and Howlite Semi-precious. Instead, she looked like a regular person whose salary was profitable enough to afford a trench-cape, and who just happened to be out and about during Curfew.
Amethyst sighed at her image in the mirror, then turned to hug her sister. "Wish me luck," she whispered in her Eudie's ear. Eudie managed a wan smile. "You and Opal both," she told Amethyst.
With one more nod in her sister's direction, Amethyst walked down the hall, then she slowly turned the doorknob of the rear entrance. It slid open soundlessly, casting a shadow from the warm afternoon sun that slithered down the hallway. Amethyst, too, slid out the door without a sound.
She was wearing her house shoes, which would make less noise on the cobblestone-clad alley than her boots. The cape, too, made a swishing noise every time she took a hurried step, so she slowed her pace just a bit. Amethyst tried to shake away the dread that she felt creeping up her spine, but it was almost too much. She'd heard stories of people that had been caught outside during Curfew, she and Eudie and Opal all had. That's why she'd been so pale. Once the Authorities dragged you off, kicking and screaming, protesting that your pet had gone missing or some other completely plausible excuse for being outside, you were never seen again. Amethyst tried to force those grim thoughts down. She didn't need them floating around her mind right now, taunting her. Instead, she focused on her steps.
Right, left. Right, left.
Behind the Semi-Precious' backdoor was an alleyway. One way lead out onto the main road and the other led in the direction of their communities' yard. Amethyst crept down the alley towards the yard, thinking that the yard would be the most logical place for Opal to have gone. She had almost reached the edge of the yard, but stopped when she heard an urgent whisper:
"Pst. Hey. Hey, you. You with the grey cape."
Amethyst froze. The voice had come from behind one of the Waste Compartments. She turned, glad that the hood covered her face, and whispered back, making sure to keep her voice low, "What? Who's there? What are you doing outside during Curfew?"
After a pause, the voice behind the Waste Compartment said in the same cool-yet-quiet-voice, "I could ask the same about you." The voice was clearer, now. Most definitely belonging to a young man, a boy, perhaps. A bronze-skinned finger popped out from behind the Compartment and waggled at her to come closer.
Squaring her shoulders beneath the cloak, Amethyst shook her head silently. "I have other more important things to do than obey a strange person who spends their free time hiding behind Waste Compartments," she said in whispered --while still firm-- voice. "Good da--" The arm belonging to the bronze-skinned finger and whispered voice shot out from behind the Compartment, latching onto her own and dragging Amethyst down behind the Compartment with them.
She landed in a heap with a loud thump, her vision blocked by her hood falling over her eyes she started to cry out but stopped when she heard voices.
Men, most likely, running in the alleyway and shouting at each other from where she'd been standing moments ago. The Authorities. Doubtless, they would've seen her and taken her away had she done what she intended and continued searching in the alley for Opal.
"You sure?" one of the men asked in a gruff voice that grated on Amethyst's ears.
"I swear! I heard people talking!" another insisted.
"Eh, must've been the wind," the first one said.
"Wind? What wind?! It's the middle of After-Snow!" retorted the other. Their mingled voices faded away as they returned to their posts down the road once more.
Breathless from her close encounter, Amethyst yanked off her hood and confronted her rescuer. It was a young man, or rather, he, with bronzed skin to match his arm and finger, wearing tattered jeans and a shirt. His eyes were the most striking part, however; they were a clear ocean blue, shifting from an aqua green. If he seemed surprised that the wearer of a Merchant's trench-cape was a teenage girl, he did not show it. The smirk plastered on his face clearly said, "I told you so" mingled with a dash of "Why didn't you listen to me in the first place?"
That annoyed Amethyst. Very much.
Ruffled and flustered, she managed to get out a, "Thank you," and, "Who are you?"
With a slight air, as if he were offended that she hadn't recognized him already, he told her, "I go by Topaz."
She nodded. "I'm, well, you can call me Amethyst." Then, with hesitation, she added, "Nice to have met you, I just... wish it were under different circumstances... " Which reminded her of her reason for being out during Curfew in the first place. Amethyst got to her knees and scanned the alleyway both directions for lingering Authorities before standing completely.
"I would ask of the circumstances regarding our encounter," Topaz said, getting up and standing too. "But we all have our own secrets, most of which don't need to be shared."
Amethyst didn't quite understand his logic but nodded anyway. "Have you seen a little girl of about 8 or 9 anywhere around here?" she whispered to him.
Topaz's eyes fixed on something behind her, and he said/whispered with mild interest, "Why yes, I have." And he pointed to something behind her.
Amethyst turned, following to where he had gestured and there was Opal. She was crouched down among some other Waste Compartments, looking very guilty, very scared, and very close to tears at the same time. Still not daring to yell, lest the Authorities might hear her, Amethyst rushed over to her sister and enveloped her in a hug. Opal whispered into her ear how she had gone outside to hide and had heard some Authorities making rounds and had had to stay in her hiding place so long that she'd fallen asleep. She had woken up when she'd heard the Authorities come and go just a few minutes ago and had caught sight of Amethyst and Topaz.
After Opal had shed a few well-deserved tears, Amethyst motioned for her to go back inside, where she knew that a worried Eudie was waiting.
But when a very grateful Amethyst turned around, Topaz was gone.
submitted by Vyolette
(May 1, 2018 - 7:44 pm)
(May 1, 2018 - 7:44 pm)
Saammee!
(May 3, 2018 - 10:05 pm)
YASSSS. *starts chanting* Topathyst! Topathyst! Topathyst!
(May 4, 2018 - 8:17 am)
Topathyst! Topathyst! TOPATHYST! xD
(May 4, 2018 - 1:23 pm)
@Everyone else who replied- Thank you so, so much!!! I can't express how happy I am that you all enjoy my writing so much. :) As for the shipping... you'll just have to wait and see. I'm not giving away any spoilers. ;)
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Chapter Three
Where am I? Topaz wondered.
He was wandering down one of the winding alleys after he had escaped the frenzied crowd and Authorities at the Alarm Gathering. Not such a bad job, that. He had popped in to earn a few Rounds of "pocket money" --he chuckled at his own joke-- but had ended up making the Leaders -- even Ruby, at that-- really angry. Quite a day's work, if he did say so himself, which he did.
But he was quite lost now, which was embarrassing, to say the least. Lost in the very streets and alleys he had been grown and bred in, for Pete's sake! He couldn't let one of the Priceless see him like this.
Through the flickering early morning shadows, all manner of beasts roamed the alleys. He had seen a rat feasting in the, well, waste that a Waste Compartment held a while back, as well as a feral pig. As he took his next step, he heard a yowling noise beneath him. Startled, he lifted his shoe to see that he had stepped the tail of a lounging alley cat, who was glaring at him from the safety of the far corner after being released from the grip of Topaz's boot. He --the cat, who Topaz assumed was a 'he'-- was a mangy looking short-hair with a large kink in its upper tail --no doubt from their encounter moments ago-- and characteristic fur markings that covered both his eyes so that it looked like he bordered more raccoon than the actual cat. One vivid green eye stared out at him from the shadows, but it seemed like his other eye was either swollen shut or gone.
He was a rather good-looking cat, considering. The Leaders had banned all owning of pets or animals of any kind a little more than two years ago, and the going was harsh if you were used to grandiose mansions and linen cat beds. Squatting down on one knee so he was a little above eye level with the cat, Topaz tried calling to him. "Here, kitty kitty kitty kitty kitty. Come here, I promise I won't hurt you anymore." Wary, the one-eyed cat stared, unmoving, at the large boot-clad foot that had caused him his original pain. Chuckling quietly, Topaz reached down and tugged off his boot, shoving it to one side so that the cat could see that it could trust him. But then the cat continued with it's staring directed at his other boot, so he had to tug that one off too. Topaz was bootless, barefoot, sitting on the ground, trying to coax a half-dead alley cat out of a corner. He really couldn't let any of the Priceless see him now.
After a moment, the cat visibly relaxed. Ever so slowly, it slunk out of the shadows, inching towards him, only to stop abruptly, plop down and start licking himself all over. Argh, cats. They were prideful creatures, but Topaz loved them just the same --probably because he considered himself a prideful creature, too. He stood, and walked slowly nearer to the cat, who had not looked up from his personal hygiene routine. The cat stopped licking as he got closer, and just stared at him. Tentatively, Topaz reached out to scratch him behind the ears.
Slowly, the cat let it's guard down, easing into the soothing scratch and closing his one eye with bliss. He rolled over on his belly and began purring --which sounded more like a person who was dying of a blocked airway than a cat voicing its pleasure.
Against his will, Topaz felt his heart melt into pieces. "Well, you must have a name, little guy." He stopped petting the cat for a minute, thinking of Jewels that paired with green eyes. The cat noticed he had stopped his stroking and got annoyed, giving Topaz another one-eyed glare. "Okay, okay!" Topaz laughed, then went back to scratching his new-found friend. "Ah! I have it. Your name is from now on Peridot. But I will call you Peri." The cat, --Peri-- blinked once, then opened his mouth and let out an elongated, "Mrooowwwww." He got up from the alley floor and leaped onto Topaz's lap, situating himself as if it were his new home.
Topaz let out a sigh, still wary that one of the Priceless could jump out at any minute and see him like in this vulnerable position, but went back to petting his new feline friend. They sat there, doing nothing --except Topaz sitting with Peri on his lap, who was enjoying the attention he was getting very much-- for over a minute.
Then on a moment of instinct, Topaz leaped to his feet, the cat on his lap plopping to the floor. Milliseconds later, Carnie, Topaz's right-hand-man, stepped out of the shadows. He was short --some may consider him stubby-- with curly bleach-blonde hair and orange eyes to match his full name --Carnelian. He jumped a bit when he saw Topaz standing just a few feet before him. "Wha-- Paz? Whatcha doing here? I thought the plan was to meet back at the HQ after you're, ahem, 'pocket-money' job at the Alarm Gathering? We've been scared sick, thinking one of the Authorities must've nabbed you!" Then he blinked. "Say, what happened to your boots, Paz?"
Topaz looked down at his feet, wiggling his bare toes. "Yes, well, I had an incident with a cat --shall we say--, and I... also believe that my feet were in need of a good airing." He clung to the hope that Carnie would accept his weak excuse.
Carnie blinked his orange eyes again. "A cat stole your boots?"
"No! Of course not! They're right here, see?" Topaz picked up his boots from where he had shoved them in the corner, offering them to Carnie as proof.
"Whatever you say, Paz," Carnie told him, shaking his head.
"Allow me a moment to put my shoes back on, then we can leave," Topaz said to him, already putting on one of his boots, but taking time with the other. He pretended to have trouble with the buckle in an excuse to swing his head around to look for Peri. He was close by, his fur draping him in shadows, eagerly watching the moving buckle as if it were a mouse to catch.
Topaz whistled softly to him, motioning to Peri with his hands to follow, then stopped when he caught Carnie looking at him oddly. "You sure you're okay, Paz?" he asked him.
"Yes, of course." Topaz stood, pretending to dust off his pants while watching Peri out of the corner of his eye. The cat was now in a sitting position, staring at Topaz, unwavering.
"Alright, c'mon then. The HQ tunnel is three lefts and five rights from here exactly." Then Carnie -- who was known for being able to find his way back home while bound and gagged-- walked off. Topaz moved to follow him, but slowly. They took three lefts and five rights than had to go make a detour to avoid patrolling Authorities who were stationed near the end of one of the abandoned alleys they had come through. Topaz slowly regained his bearings, seeing the familiar streets and crevices which he called home, but did not say so to Carnie. He was put to shame just how acquitted with directions his comrade was, compared to himself, who he thought knew these streets and alleys better than anyone.
He allowed himself a quick peek behind him to make sure that Peri was following as Carnie went up ahead a little way to make sure that there were no Authorities like there had been on the previous street. To his surprise --he had never set up too firm of a hope that he would actually follow-- Peri was less than a few feet away, hunched in the shadows, his single green eye glowing. It seemed that he was still focused on the shiny buckle on Topaz's boot, but that was fine with Topaz if that meant he was staying close by.
This vagabond cat had stolen Topaz's normally cold heart, and he didn't know why or how!
Carnie came back a second later, saying that the coast was clear and so they moved on. It only took one more right and two lefts, however --according to Carnie's calculations--, before they came to a particularly cramped and dank alley. This one Topaz knew like the back of his hand. Deep into the shadows, they walked, until the only thing Topaz could see was the slight glow of Carnie's shining eyes. Their feet came to rest on a metal sewage grate from long ago in early 2000 --it had not been in use for some time. Topaz tapped out the passcode with his boots; long, short, short, long, pause, then short (It changed weekly, just to be on the safe side of things). All was silent for exactly twenty breaths, then slowly the grate slid open.
Larima's head popped out, surveyed them, then she waved Topaz and Carnie down. Carnie offered for Topaz to go first, but he shook his head and stepped away to let Carnie pass. After his curly head has disappeared down the dark hole, Topaz walked over to where Peri was hiding. The cat pounced on his boot buckle as he got nearer, and Topaz reached down and picked him up, cradling him in his arms for a moment before stuffing him down his shirt next to his 'pocket-money' --Peri let out an annoyed mew.
I'll just say he followed me, Topaz thought to himself, which, he conceded, wasn't really a lie now was it? Blame it on Larima for leaving to grate open too long. Then he went back to the tunnel entrance and climbed down, keeping one hand on his bulging shirt to steady the cat inside.
He stepped down from the last rung of the metal ladder and felt his eyes adjust slowly to the murky darkness. Larima was standing next to Carnie, holding her famed "flashlight" --as she called it, though everyone knew that it was an old electric torch-- in one hand. Topaz used this moment undercover to secretly lift out the cat --who was rather disoriented-- from his shirt and set him on the ground a little ways away.
"Carnie tried explaining where you were, but all he could get out was that a cat had stolen your boots." Ah, Larima. Always straight to the point. She placed a hand on her hip, looking slightly amused. "Is this true, Topaz?"
Topaz didn't try to hide his displeasure. "If you look down at my feet you will that I am wearing boots, which were not taken by a cat." He immediately groped his mind for something that would draw their interest away from the seemingly interesting topic of cats abducting the boots off of his feet. "Where is everyone else?"
"They went on ahead to HQ, where we had agreed to meet," Larima told him, turning and walking off down the tunnel, her long blonde ponytail swishing in the darkness. Topaz bit back a retort --seeing as he had no good excuse for being late-- and began following her. He stopped abruptly as he barely caught himself from tripping on a bony pile of fur. Peri rubbed himself up and down Topaz's legs, purring loudly --the sound echoing off the wide tunnel walls and multiplied by a thousand. Topaz tried to softly kick him away before either of his companions noticed the sound, but it was too late.
Carnie, who was some ways up ahead with Larima, turned and asked, "You hear that, Paz? It almost sounds like one o' those things called 'chainsaws' back in the old days, doesn't it?"
"Yes, it almost does," Larima told him. "But it sounds much more like," She walked back over the where Topaz was standing, waving her "flashlight" around. "A cat." She shined the torch at Topaz's legs, illuminating the purring Peri, who shirked away from the bright light.
"What in the wide world?" He faked surprise quite well, in his opinion. "What is this stupid cat doing in here, Carnie?" He turned to face Carnie accusingly.
"Wha-- How should I know?" Carnie stuttered. "Y-- You were the last one down the hatch, Paz."
Topaz let out an elongated sigh, pretending to be annoyed. "I don't care how he got here, I care that he's here now. Get rid of it, Carnie."
"Right now? We're already late for the meeting at HQ." Carnie told him.
Stopping to think for a minute, Topaz told him, "Fine. After the meeting then. But I don't want to have to remind you, he should be gone by the time Kyan blows his whistle." He would make sure that Peri was well hidden by then.
He kicked Peri --who was still rubbing himself all over Topaz's legs-- away, gently, so as not to hurt him. Just enough for him to know that he was not wanted right now. The cat retreated into the shadows, where Topaz knew he could easily find him again later on.
Larima rolled her eyes at them, then continued walking over to the HQ tunnel. Carnie and Topaz caught up to her a moment later, where she was standing waiting with the tunnel door already open. Larima tapped out the passcode once again, and the hatch slid open. Sugi popped his head out, recognized them, then ushered them inside.
To an outsider, all these security precautions may seem unnecessary, but Topaz himself had thought out each one very carefully --there were many more besides the hatch routines-- and even though they seemed tedious, it was entirely necessary.
One by one, they stepped through the hatch and entered what they liked to call "HQ" --even though the Priceless did not have a set headquarters. It was a large bunker fashioned from the crumbling ruins of the sewers that used to run all through there. A few purloined, overstuffed couches were shoved into corners, and a rickety wooden table and chairs sat in the middle of the room --most with people sitting in them. Sugi sat down in his place from when he had got up to let Topaz, Larima, and Carnie in. The rest of the Priceless sitting at the table recognized Topaz and greeted him enthusiastically.
"Hey! There's the boss!" Lolite told him, grinning at Topaz --who sighed inwardly. He had tried to convince them that there was no "boss" of the Priceless; they were all equal. That's why they called themselves the Priceless, even though they were all different Classifications, technically. They were all priceless, all equal, and, while they were in each others company, they could get away from their Classifications and be equal --since they weren't treated that way in their normal everyday lives. But Lolite persisted in calling him "the boss". Just to annoy him, Topaz was sure.
"What took you so long?" Kyan --whistle in hand, his swirling blue eyes reflecting off the dim light-- asked him.
Carnie opened his mouth to speak, but Topaz cut him off before he could begin again with the "cat stole his boots" business. "Oh, just a friendly neighborhood protest, you know. The people had an itch; I scratched it for them." Across the table from where she had sat down, Larima rolled her eyes. Topaz knew what she was thinking: Sure. You can come up with a good excuse after you have ten minutes to think.
He ignored her.
"Ooh, really?" Cassy said. "Like, a full-blown riot? Why didn't we hear about it?!" She was well known for her love of violence.
"No, not a riot. 'Riot' is too strong of a word. More like as I said; a protest. But of course, the Leaders clamped down on everyone as soon after the first shouts were heard. I myself barely got out." Topaz told her.
"It's coming. We all know it is." Bloodstone gazed at them from across the table, her multi-colored black and red eyes vivid as usual. Her wise words were forgotten, as they almost always were. Topaz kept her on hand, not for her fighting spirit and/or fighting ability, but because he trusted her judgment. All the other Priceless thought he was crazy for doing so, knowing about Bloodstone's shaky personality and temperament.
"So, what's the haul?" Inquired Sphene, eagerly looking at the bulge in Topaz's shirt, where he had hidden his "pocket-money". Topaz reached into his shirt and set down his bundle of wallets on the table in front of him, and Sphene immediately began digging through and counting.
"Well, let's see here. There are some Gem and Common leather wallets, ooh! Some of the Rare's sheep-skin, definitely worth quite a pretty penny," Sphene rambled as his fingers danced over the stolen wallets, like a spider spinning a web. "And--," He paused and looked at Topaz. "How come there aren't any Semi-Precious ones in here?"
Topaz kicked himself, inwardly. In all the hubbub and commotion of the protest and-- and that girl with the violet eyes finding him-- he'd completely forgotten to loot the Semi-Precious section. "I was just heading over there when I saw my chance to start the protest as I told you about, and I had a run-in with a girl. Young woman, really," he conceded.
"Oh? Just who was this 'young woman', exactly?" Lolite asked him, one eyebrow raised. There she was, at her matchmaking --again.
"Yes, a young woman. She told me what her name was, but now I can't quite recall." Topaz said, trying to keep himself aloof, even though the girl --young woman-- had piqued his interest.
"What color were her eyes?" Asked Larima.
Topaz had to think for a minute and stop himself from abruptly changing the subject. "Purple. Almost deep violet, but lighter. I'm not sure, it was rather dark under the tree."
Now Lolite looked rather excited, but before she could gush about how romantic it was to have met under a tree and a lot of other garbage, Sphene saved Topaz with a question.
"So this is it? You've been gone for over five hours and this is all you got?"
Topaz scoffed. "Under the circumstances, yes. But for our next plan, I have something much bigger in mind. Bigger than petty pick-pocketing, bigger even than the small-yet-still-feisty protest I started earlier. Something much, much bigger... "
(May 4, 2018 - 8:05 am)
Haha, I love Peri! (The cabin chat makes a bit more sense now! xD) Cute kitty.
Something bigger? Topaz, you better be careful!
(May 4, 2018 - 10:23 am)
Wow, so many Topathyst shippers. No pressure on the author at all... XD
@Inktail XD Yeah, now you can see why I don't want to kill him off? (Or whatever that conversation was about. We all know that it derailed itself. XD)
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Chapter Four:
"Tag! You're it!"
"No, I moved away! You only brushed me!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
Amethyst sighed. The twins were playing tag and soaking up some sunshine while playing outside during their one hour before Evening Curfew started. She had stationed herself out on the porch with a good book she had discovered in a long-forgotten cabinet --hoping to enjoy her hour outside with some peace and quiet. But that was not to be, it seemed. She grunted and sat up in her porch chair, shielding her eyes from the sun.
"What's with all the arguing?" She asked her sisters, who were now standing back to back with frowns on their faces.
Of course, Eudie burst out speaking first. "Opal says that I didn't tag her when I really did!"
"And Eudie says that she did tag me when she really didn't!" Opal yelled.
"Well now," Amethyst began, setting down her book and taking a sip of her cold drink. "That doesn't matter anymore because... I'm it!" She jumped from her seat and tagged both Eudie and Opal, who shrieked and started chasing her around the yard. Around and around they went. The twins kept up the chase so long that Amethyst --even though she prided herself on being a fast runner with much stamina-- had to collapse on the ground, heaving in deep breaths. Opal and Eudie landed on top of her, Amethyst grunting again as their eleven-year-old bodies sat on her almost twenty-year-old one.
"Off," she commanded them, wheezing --but still jokingly. Eudie and Opal just shook their heads, giant grins plastered on their faces. Amethyst groaned, pretending to be catching her breath for a minute before she started tickling her sisters into submission. They giggled as little girls do --high pitched with many snorts. They finally toppled on the ground, still giggling, next to Amethyst.
The three sisters lay on the green grass, thankful for the wonderful day that they were experiencing out-of-doors. The sky was an azure blue, with pink cotton-candy clouds that just brushed the horizon --with the sun slowly setting in the west. One by one, they each let out a contented sigh, first Amethyst, then Eudie, and finally Opal.
Turning her head to look at Opal and Eudie, Amethyst said softly, "That was fun. But we should be getting back inside in a minute. If the sun is setting that means it's almost--" She was cut off when their mother stepped out onto the patio.
"Girls, it's two minutes to Curfew. Come on in." Then she turned and went back inside.
Reluctantly, Amethyst, Opal, and Eudie gathered up their items they had brought with them --Amethyst's being her book and drink. Eudie and Opal's being a favorite doll or hairbrush-- and went into their house.
Inside, Howlite and Sera had already sat down at the table for the Eveningmeal. Amethyst had noticed that her father had been more subdued lately, after the incident at the Alarm Gathering. She had been meaning to talk to him but hadn't yet had a chance in the four busy days since they were interrupted in the living room to come and eat. Now Howlite just looked tired --he and Sera had arrived back after Afternoon Curfew from a Merchant's Gathering less than an hour ago-- and Amethyst silently decided that tonight was not the night for that conversation.
The girls put their things away had just sat down in their chairs when a loud knock on the front door interrupted their Eveningmeal. Sera and Howlite glanced at each other for a minute, then Amethyst's father pushed back his chair and stood to see who it was. Amethyst then looked at her mother.
"Curfew has already started, who could that be?" She asked her, furrowing her brow.
Sera shook her head. "I'm not sure." Eudie and Opal just sighed, annoyed that they could not begin filling their hungry bellies with the steaming, aromatic food before them.
Down the hall, the people seated at the table could hear Howlite unlatching the lock on the door and saying something too muffled for them to hear. Two voices mingled together, conversing in the short space between the entrance and steps outside. Then the door closed once again and Howlite walked slowly back into the dining area.
The mother and daughters looked at him expectantly, but Howlite glanced at Sera only, giving her a look that clearly said "Later. We'll talk later." When the sisters saw that look pass between their parents, they knew that they were not to interfere. But Amethyst's curiosity was still piqued.
The only person being out and about at this time of night legally --during Curfew-- could be an Authority. And yet, Howlite hadn't been put under arrest, as people who were visited by Authorities often were. Amethyst silently made a decision to get to the bottom of things --even if it turned out to be something completely normal and boring in the end. Anything was better than laying around the house, doing nothing.
Since it was still the high peak in After-snow, Amethyst had a break from her endless ES (short for Extra Schooling) studies for a little while at least. Eudie and Opal were still out on After-snow break as well, though they were still in IB (short for In-Between). During After-snow, when most work was sparse if any, most people sat indoors doing nothing. Since Sera and Howlite where Merchants, a year-round job, they still had the occasional Gathering to attend aside from their at-home work. Amethyst had started a sort of unofficial Apprenticeship with her father, but she was still not sure if she wanted to go into the Merchant business. None of the options of trade offered to her at her ES studies particularly excited her.
Eveningmeal at the Semi-Precious 020 home continued on as normal. As a joint effort, Howlite, Sera, Amethyst, Eudie, and Opal cleaned up; washing dishes, putting food away, etcetera. By the time they were done, it was almost 20:00, less than an hour before Opal and Eudie's bedtime.
As soon as they were free from doing their "exhausting chores" of cleaning up --as they called it-- the girls headed off to the living room, where most of their games and toys were kept.
Hanging the towel she had used to dry dishes on the oven door handle, Amethyst turned to join them --not missing the look that once again passed between her parents. Sera had mentally-asked Howlite if now was a good time, but then Howlite had stood his head. Not yet, Amethyst deciphered. She decided to just leave it be, for now. She knew that "later" for her father meant when he thought all his children were asleep. Lucky for Amethyst, her bedroom was on the third floor --right above her parent's -- and she stayed awake far longer than they thought she did. That's when she could hear their conversation about their during-Curfew visitor.
When Amethyst entered the living room, Eudie and Opal were already sitting around a table where a game of Hint was spread out before them. Eudie looked up as she approached.
"Can you play with us, Ame? It's way harder with only two people."
Amethyst said that she would, and she was handed her Hint and Accusation cards. While Hint was a family favorite, it was not Amethyst's personal favorite and she soon lost interest --playing her cards and rolling the die as needed, but without much energy. A few minutes later, the sister's parents joined them too -- Sera curling up on the couch and watching them, occasionally adding some insight to a move they might make and Howlite eagerly dealing himself in.
They played Hint for a little over an hour --Eudie won once, then Howlite and finally Opal. Amethyst hadn't put much heart into the game and she was completely fine with being the only person who was not a winner.
She stretched and yawned loudly while her father and sisters put the game away --mussing up her unruly dark curly hair and brushing it back from her face. Eudie and Opal too --while still happy that they had won-- looked very tired, and yawned a few seconds after Amethyst.
"Time to call it a night, girls," Sera told her sleepy children, getting up from her seat on the couch.
The twins quickly obeyed, heading up the stairs to their rooms and Amethyst trailed slowly after them. Opal and Eudie had bedrooms right across the hall from each other on the third floor, but Amethyst's was farther down. Sera and Howlite's bedroom was on the ground level, past the study and kitchen --right above Amethyst's.
She walked to her room, passing Eudie and Opal, who was brushing their teeth in their bathroom along the way. Amethyst stepped across the familiar threshold, went over to the familiar bed covered with the familiar purple bedspread and lay sprawled across it for a minute or two. She listened to the sounds of her younger siblings going through their nightly routine --brushing teeth, getting a glass of water and changing clothes-- before she walked over to her own bathroom to change into her PJs. Her Pajamas were nothing fancy --slate-grey sweats with a teal tank top, her messy hair pulled into a pony. She brushed her teeth slowly, rinsing her toothbrush in the sink.
Amethyst was making sure to draw her routine out and wait for everyone else to have settled down in the house before she was ready for bed. And ready to eavesdrop on whatever conversation her parents were going to have "later".
She could now hear her parents coming up the fight of stairs to tuck her sisters in --a family tradition of sorts in their home. Amethyst jumped into her bed and pulled up the covers as she waited to hear her parents footsteps heading in the direction of her room. They eventually did come, standing in the doorway, softly saying goodnight, and closing the door.
Amethyst counted to two-hundred. Then she turned on her lamp on her side-table and reached into one of its drawers to pull out her old pocket-torch. She stepped out of her blankets --thankful for the thick socks that padded her feet from the bare floor-- and slowly turned the knob on her door. she popped her head out and scanned the hallway. No sign of anyone --her parents had already gone downstairs and Eudie and Opal must've fallen asleep quickly. The hall was dark and unlit. She closed the door once again.
Then, tiptoeing it back to the center of her room, she pulled back the thin rug and kneeled on the ground --ear to the floor. For a minute, she couldn't hear anything, but then Amethyst heard her parent's slightly muffled voices.
A door closed, then Amethyst's mother said, "What was that all about?" She must've been addressing Howlite.
A sigh floated up to Amethyst's ear. "It was an Authority," her father began. "And he was going around the neighborhood asking questions."
"Question? What kind of questions?"
"About whether or not we had seen anyone out of doors during Curfew. But more specifically about whether we had seen that young man from the Alarm Gathering a few days ago, remember him?"
Sera must have nodded because Amethyst heard nothing else for the span of a few seconds. "Well," Howlite continued. "he's a wanted criminal now, on the run, and the Authorities are feeling pressure from the Leaders to hunt him down. The person who came to the door didn't say all that, of course, but that's what I gathered from his nervous way of talking."
"Mm-hmm," Sera said. "But why did you keep it from the girls at dinner?"
"Because, for one, Eudie and Opal don't know a thing. They wouldn't understand what we're talking about with run away people and such. And..." Amethyst's father paused.
Oh, come on! Just blurt it out already! Amethyst screamed inwardly. If this had anything to do with Topaz --and she was definitely sure that it did-- she needed to hear about it.
But her wishes were not granted, it seemed. Any other sounds she heard coming from the downstairs were heavily muffled and unintelligible. Sitting back on her haunches, Amethyst felt like she really could scream. She went back to her fetal position on the floor, trying to catch a word of what her parents were saying --just one word!-- and stayed there for a long while. But in less than ten minutes, the sounds completely died away.
Huffing, Amethyst replaced the rug on the floor and got back into bed. All that trouble, for nothing. But while she hadn't heard what she had wanted to hear most, she had learned that Topaz was for sure an evicted criminal --which was something Amethyst wouldn't have been told otherwise.
Still irked, she lay in bed without falling asleep for several hours. As she finally felt the drags of sleep overcoming her, Amethyst silently told herself that if she happened --just happened-- to encounter Topaz again -- and even though she didn't know him well at all-- that she would do everything in her power to make sure he was never, ever caught.
(May 4, 2018 - 7:20 pm)
WOW that is amazing Vyolette!!!!
(May 4, 2018 - 8:25 pm)
Whoa. Topaz... I swear. *shakes wimpy fist again*
If the Authorities-- *gasps suddenly* (Did that out loud too, scared the heck out of my parents xD)
DID THEY SEE TOPAZ AND AMETHYST????!!! Oh no....ohnoohnoohno(goes offline muttering "Oh no")
(May 4, 2018 - 8:38 pm)
TOPATHYST! TOPATHYST! TOPATHYST! TOPATHYST!
(May 5, 2018 - 10:58 am)
This is AMAZING! I absolutely ship Topathyst!
(May 5, 2018 - 11:13 am)
WOW and that's a good wow
(May 5, 2018 - 12:21 pm)
This. Is. Amazing. Please please please post more! I know everyone always says that the stories are super super good, but it's actually true for this. And you have way fewer errors than the people in my class. :) My only advice, off the top of my head, would be to break up the information dump during the Alarm. But you are amazing and I MUST READ MORE!!!
I don't, actually, ship Topathyst. I feel like Topaz is in a kinda different world and their personalities don't match. Also Topaz has a "cold heart." But Amethyst definitely has feelings for him!
(May 5, 2018 - 11:23 am)
@Agent Winter- Thank you! And I'm glad. ^^
@Inktail XD Once again, you will have to see... I ain't giving away any spoilers... ; )
@Quill & @thewintersoldier- Topathyst, Topathyst! So many people shipping Topathyst! XD
@Kitten- Wow, thanks! And okay, thank you! I will ponder on how to do that... As for the other stuff, well... ; )
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Chapter Five
The next few days passed by slowly. So agonizingly slow, that life seemed to come to an almost complete standstill.
Amethyst tried to act normal and not let on about how frustrated she was that she hadn't overheard all of her parent's conversation about Topaz. Eudie and Opal got peckish when it rained acid for a day straight --meaning that after the rainfall stopped, all rolling around or rough-housing on the grass was prohibited because of the toxicity. Howlite and Sera carried on with their daily lives, going to another Merchant Gathering in the middle of the week then spending most of the time in their study "doing work," as they told their children.
On a particularly boring day, when her parents were shut up in the study and her siblings were playing a monotonous game of Go Search, Amethyst decided to go out for a walk. It was in-between Curfews, but Eudie and Opal felt no motivation to play outdoors because the day was grey and overcast. She told her sisters where she was going, and after they told her "Fine," and promised to tell Sera and Howlite where she was if they asked --she kicked off her house shoes and went over to the entryway. She pulled on her trusty worn-out street shoes --false leather fashioned into ankle boots-- and opened the door to the main road below.
Not many people were out and about at that particular time of day --most were like Opal and Eudie: Not seeing any fun in the gloom that encompassed the outdoors-- and if they were, it was in the privacy of their backyards. Amethyst decided to stick to the main roads since the alleys were so dank and just why not? No one was out and even if someone was, it was a chance for real conversation for the first time in days.
She jumped down the stone steps leading from her home and started off, passing house after uniform house as she went. The Leaders had long ago declared that all homes be the same color --to be easier on the eyes, they said. Easier on the eyes, my foot! Amethyst thought with disdain. If anything, they were more of an eyesore now then before! For some reason, the color the Leaders chose was Eggshell. Eggshell. Which did not help the houses blend in from the filth and mud that always accompanied the roads and streets surrounding them. Over the years --and the law for single-colored houses had been passed when Amethyst was a child-- the light cream had slowly faded into a smeared dirt --quite literally, in fact-- brown. Paired with the dark cobblestones and the murkiness of the day, Amethyst was feeling shivers go up against her spine by the time she was four blocks away from her house.
Yet, on she walked. She passed old unused buildings like the town library --long ago banned because reading outside of school or work was prohibited-- and a butcher shop. Amethyst remembered the butcher and his family very clearly. After the Leaders had made a law saying that all slaughtering of animals outside of mass-production facilities were forbidden, he had packed up and left, taking his family with him. She hadn't heard from them since --and she only got to thinking about the butcher because she used to be friends with his youngest daughter, Beryl. Beryl had been sweet and kind to Amethyst --her only real friend as a child.
But that was all in the past.
A light drizzle started to fall --thankfully not acid this time--, which was fine with Amethyst. She ducked into the nearest alley --behind the butcher's-- shielding her head with her hands. Remembering that she was wearing a sweatshirt with a hood, she pulled it up over her head to block the sudden downpour. The rain pattered on the tiled roofs of homes, splashed on the cobblestones --sounding like musical chimes. One of the eaves of the roof she was standing under dripped water onto Amethyst, so she moved farther into the alley --being almost swallowed in shadows. She backed up one more step then almost stepped on a small creature below her.
Startled, Amethyst turned, trying to regain her balance as she went. The creature she had tripped on yowled at her loudly, and with great annoyance. It was a small cat, bony and with matted fur who had one green eye that stared at her --unblinking. It "Mrrooowww"-led at her, then started licking its paws delicately, as if it couldn't be bothered by a petty human.
Amethyst, who'd always been fond of cats, immediately felt an "Aww," form on her lips. It was not uncommon for her to come across a stray animal from time to time, but it had been a long while since she'd seen a cat. The cat stopped licking itself, then stared at Amethyst as if asking, "Why are you still here?" She stooped to her knees, slowly reaching out a hand to see if the cat would appreciate being pet or not. She had had a bad experience with a stray dog before when she was younger; she had excitedly reached over to pet it but had been bitten badly. Amethyst was still wary around this one, even though she adored cats.
This cat, however, was as friendly as he was dirty --and that was quite a bit. He leaned into her hand, purring loudly, and Amethyst began scratching at his neck. The cat --Amethyst realized was a 'he'-- started rubbing his body all around in circles on Amethyst, making it very clear that he adored her attention. He closed his one green eye, making Amethyst notice how striking his fur pattern was --black rings around his eyes and tail, making him look almost part raccoon.
The rain was still pitter-pattering all around them, drenching both Amethyst and the cat thoroughly. Taking a slight risk, she scooped up the cat in her arms and stood beneath one of the eaves of the houses on either side of them --to block the both of them from the downpour. The cat --Amethyst decided to call him Tom just for the sake of clarity. Plus, he was a 'tom' cat-- squirmed in her arms for less than a minute before he settled down and began purring once more.
Now Amethyst wasn't sure what to do. Leave the cat --no, Tom-- here, in the rain? No better off then when she'd first come across him? Or... could she possibly take him home with her? All pets were banned, as she very well knew, but what if she kept him hidden? Not from her family, but from their neighbors or the Authorities. Eudie and Opal would be ecstatic for sure. But could they keep a secret? And what would her parents think? She knew that her father would not be one to dump Tom back out on the streets, but what about her mother?
I'll just have to find out, she decided. Then she set off for her home.
Amethyst walked farther into the alley, planning on taking the back way into her house, only to discover that the alley only went about 10 more feet in until it dead-ended with an old sewer grate. Odd place for one of those, Amethyst thought, but quickly forgot about it. She backed out of the alley, walking a little more down the street until she came to the next alleyway behind the old library. Then, with Tom still cuddled in her arms peacefully, she made the slow trek back to her house --anticipating how she would tell her family, "Hey! I just brought back this random stray cat! You don't mind, do you?"
∞ * ∞ * ∞
The grate slid open with a thud, the rain that had accumulated on top in a puddle splashing onto the person emerging from the hollow place below. Topaz brushed off the water from his clothes, scanning the dripping alley quickly.
"Peri?" he whispered. "C'mere boy. Playtime is over. It's time to come back inside," he whispered into the alley before him, where he expected his cat to be. No happy mews greeted him back like they usually did.
Topaz walked over to where the alley met the street, looking every-which-way for Peri --but he had no luck. Brows furrowed, he wondered where he could be. Peri had come out to roam the alley for mice and get some time away from his permanent home with Topaz in the tunnels many times since they had first met. But this was the first time that he hadn't come back. Perplexed, Topaz stood there waiting in the alley for as long as he dared. He had to go duck back into the tunnel when he heard the Authorities going through their rounds of the neighborhood. He'll come back, he told himself. But even when he checked back again in the middle of the night, no Peri.
He'll be fine. He'll come back. I'm sure he will
(May 5, 2018 - 7:08 pm)
Wonderful, as always! I wonder what will happen to Peri...I can't wait to read more!
(May 6, 2018 - 8:37 am)
Again, WOW! This story is really good, and I can't wait to read more!!
(May 6, 2018 - 1:08 pm)