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 ohn crawled into bed and turned off the bedside lamp. He layed very still as the darkness started to swallow the light in the room. He loved the way it seemed to enfulge everything and waiting til he to was consumed with darkness. He sank futher into the bed and waited. He wasn't sure if anything was going to come like the gypsy had said but he waited all the same...'
"Kat"
Her mothers voice interupted her reading. Seemed that everytime she got to the good part of books her mother would need her for some stupid reason.
"What?" She called back
"Can you come here please" her mother replied in that sweet tone that meant she needed help with something.
Kat put grabbed her bookmark and set the book aside. She had been reading all afternoon after she had gotten home from shopping with her friends. She was meant to go out with her boyfriend and was waiting for him to ring. She bounced down the stairs and nearly collided with the family dog.
"Dammit Merryll! Must you *always* sprawl at the bottom of the stairs?"
The dog, a golden Lab that Kat had named after one of her favourite books, "Merryll of the stones", looked up at her and wagged her tail a little. Kat bent down to give her a pat, and was rewarded with a lick all the way up one side of her face.
"Ew! Gross! Get off!"
Merryll gave her a big doggy smile, and obidently moved down to the back door. Kat watched as she pushed it open and slipped out into the late afternoon sun. It was Autumn, and starting to turn cold. Kat's mother interupted her thoughts.
"Kat!!"
"Coming!"
Kat moved into the kitchen, where her mother was struggling with several large boxes. Kat watched in silence for a moment, trying to figure out what her mother was doing. The answer eluded her. Seeming to read her mind, as her mother tended to often do, she turned around.
"There's a charity drive. I thought it was about time we emptied out the attic."
"Mother, that's my bedroom."
"I know, dear," said her mother with a bright smile.
Kat had to laugh.
"Uh uh. No way. That's *my* junk, and you're not throwing it out. I don't care *how* many people you're having for dinner, they won't be going up there anyway. You're *not* going to go through my things."
Her mother looked put out.
"Not even a little bit?"
"No."
"Damn." She looked around the kitchen at the empty boxes she'd brought up from the basement. "Well, what are we going to put in these?"
"Your wedding dress?"
"KAT!!"
Kat laughed, and helped stack the boxes in the corner of the lounge room. Her mother found it impossible to throw anything out, she'd kept all the boxes from when they'd moved into the house 7 years ago "just in case". Over the 7 years they'd used most of them in various charity drives and house-cleaning activities, and Kat was frankly surprised they had any left at all. On the other hand, they *did* have a lot of stuff.
"Will you be home for dinner tonight?"
"Nope. Going over to Jade's, and supposed to be meeting my boy, but he hasn't called yet..."
Kat's mother frowned.
"I don't like "your boy", Kat. He's too old for you."
Kat laughed.
"Oh, come on. It's in the limit, relax. Besides, you said yourself he was nice."
"That was before I knew you were going to date him," her mother muttered.
Kat laughed again, and looked at the clock.
"I have to get going. Anything you want to give to Aunt Linda?"
"No. Take your phone. And change your clothes."
"What's wrong with these?"
"You look like you've been home all day."
It was easier to change than to argue, so Kat went back up to her room and changed to something a little "dressier". Her mother had a thing about being dressed right, and it was always easier to change than argue. When she was suitably attired, Kat went out the front door and walked around the corner to her cousin's house. She let herself in the back door and wandered into the kitchen, where her Aunt was making pasta.
"Hi, Aunt Linda."
"Hello, dear. Jade's in her room, trying to figure out what to wear," said Kat's Aunt, shaking her head.
"How's Jen?"
"Oh, Mum's fine. Cleaning house again, I think."
Although the two were sisters, they were as different as night and day. Kat's mum, Jennifer, was compulsively neat, obsessed with appearance, and rather straight laced. Jade's mum on the other hand was often described as a "free spirit" - very relaxed, and not concerned with anything much at all. The two had fought all through their childhood, and it had taken moving out of home to reconcile their differences. Jade & Kat had been brought up as sisters, as Kat was an only child, & Jade's two younger brothers were both pains, and both girls were happy with the arangement. Kat moved down the hall to Jade's bedroom. There were clothes everywhere.
"Hello."
Jade looked up.
"Hey, Kat. Help?"
Kat glanced around the room.
"Um... jeans and that blue top," said Kat, pointing.
Jade changed and then came over to hug Kat hello.
"Hi."
"Hi."
They smiled at each other.
"You finished that book yet?"
"Nope, John's just seen the gypsy and is going to bed. Mum interrupted me again."
Jade laughed.
"Want to go down to the shops? The boys are going there after the game."
"Yeah, sure. My boy was supposed to call, but he hasn't yet."
"He's probably still playing. You know how they are."
"Really."
With a little more meaningless chatter, the girls made their way down to their favourite cafe, and waited for everyone else to show up.
Kat and Jade had only just sat down when Liz and Peter came rushing up to them.
"Hi, guess what?" Liz blurted out while both herself and Peter sat down.
"Hi Liz, I am well Liz, great to see you Liz" Kat said laughing.
"Huh?" Liz responded completely stumped by the answer
"Let me guess Liz, they sky finally turned Purple and started raining down chocolate chips" Jade spoke up.
"Nah," Liz replied
"James finally asked me out. Isn't that so cool?"
Both Kat and Jade laughed. Liz and James had only been in each others arms for the past three months but they had both denied they liked each other until the other week. As Liz chatted on Jade turned to Kat and smiled. They were going to be here for a while listening to all the details. However Peter came to the rescue.
"Hey Kat, where is your loverboy?"
"At the game still" Kat rolls her eyes. Everyone laughs.
Jade got up from the table still laughing and gets some drinks. She comes back with an iced chocolate for Kat and large juice for herself.
"Still eating healthy Jade?" Kat asks
"Yeah, juice is much nicer I think"
"I will get you addicted to chocolate someday" Kat teases
As Jade sits down she remembers something and pulls out 3 shiny stones. One blue, one purple and one green. She puts them on the table and stares at them.
"What are they?" Peter asks.
"No idea, mum found them earlier in amongst her crystals, she has no idea how they got into her healing kit"
Just then all the guys on the soccer team walked through the door. Some of them went to the "teeny boppers" side of the cafe. Two tallish guys walked over to the table Kat and Jade were sitting at with huge grins on there faces retelling the highlights of the game to each other. As they reached the table they stopped.
"Hello sexy"
Kat jumped up from her seat and threw her arms around one of the guys.
"Hey baby," she said to him.
"HEY!" protested Jade and the other guy simultaneously.
"Well, I had to get in first, else Jade would be all over him and I wouldn't get to say hi."
Everyone laughed, and Kat hugged Darryl, and kissed him hello.
"Hey Kat," he said laughing and kissed her back.
"Hey Dazz," she replied smiling at him.
The two had been best friends for ages - they'd met before Kat & her parents had moved to Carosue, where Jade & her family had lived all their lives. They let go of each other, and Darryl moved over to Jade. He leaned down and kissed her for a long moment.
"Hey there," he said to her softly.
Jade smiled at him. "Hey."
They'd been dating for a year and 2 months - which was a long time as far as most members of their group was concerned. Darryl sat down next to Jade, in Kat's chair, & pinched her pineapple juice. He took a large gulp, before Jade took it back. She gave him a mock glare & moved the juice to the other side. Jade was known to be protective of her juice.
Kat had turned to the other guy.
"Hey, lover," he teased softly.
Kat grinned at him.
"Hey yourself. You didn't call me," she scolded.
"Sorry, baby... We only just finished the game. I was gonna call you..."
As he spoke, he'd slipped his arms around Kat's waist, pulled her in, and was now kissing her neck.
"But... You can't... Just... Dammit, stop kissing my neck! How do you expect me to be mad at you if you keep kissing me??"
He grinned at her and kissed her ear.
"That's entirely the point, love. I don't *want* you to be mad at me. I like you pliable," he teased.
"You mean comatose," Kat muttered, trying to wriggle free.
Jade laughed. She & Kat were close as sisters, and Kat had told her *everything* - including that her current boy liked nothing of the sort.
"Glenn!" Kat protested. "Let me go!"
He silenced her with a kiss that lasted several moments.
Jade wolf whistled, and the others all clapped and laughed teasingly. Kat & Glenn had only been dating 3 weeks, and, according to Kat, were still at the "pawing" stage - putting their hands all over each other at every opportunity.
After a moment, they separated and Kat laughed.
"Ok, I forgive you. Get me a chair will you? Someone," she looked pointedly at Darryl, "stole mine."
Glenn pulled up a chair, sat down, and pulled Kat onto his lap. She settled down, then noticed the stones on the table.
"What are they, Jade?"
Jade explained again, and Kat picked up the purple one as Glenn ate the cream off the top of her iced chocolate. The stone was smooth & shiny.
"The look sort of like those wishing stones I got from the faerie shop," murmured Kat.
"Except not made of glass. Cool!"
Jade laughed & picked up the blue one.
"They are, rather. Take that one home and ask your Mum about it. Maybe it's from when they were little or something."
"Ok."
"Don't I get one?" teased Darryl.
Jade laughed and handed him the green one. Kat put the purple stone in her pocket, Darryl placed the green in his, and Jade slipped the blue back into hers, and promptly forgot about them again.
"So... What are we doing tonight?" asked Liz brightly.
"Glenn & I are going to go screw in the movie theater..." said Kat, casually.
Jade bust out laughing as Darryl choked on her pineapple juice, which he had somehow gotten hold of again.
"Serves you right," Kat added as he mopped up spilled juice with paper napkins.
"Dazz and I are renting a couple of videos," said Jade. "Want to go out for dinner first?"
Kat looked quizzically at Glenn, then nodded. "Sure, why not?"
"I'll ask James," said Liz, and moved back from the table a little to call him on her mobile.
"This is going to be a couples thing," observed Peter. "I think I'll be off. Maybe we can do something as a group tomorrow?"
"Sure, why not."
Liz came back looking a bit glum.
"He can't come. I think I'll go home too. But you four have fun."
"Oh, we will," said Jade with a grin.
Everyone laughed, and Kat looked towards the door.
"Aren't the others coming?"
Peter shook his head.
"Nah, not tonight... They said they'd be here tomorrow though."
"Ok then."
After another half hour, Liz & Peter had gone home, & Kat, Jade, Darryl & Glenn had walked down to the pizza shop. They'd spent an hour & a half sitting over the pizza, talking, then split up to go to their separate movies.
It was late when Kat got home. After a long goodnight, she slipped in the back door, and silently up to her room. Kat changed in the dark, not noticing the purple stone falling out of her pocket onto the carpet. Kat crawled into bed & curled up, facing the wall. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought idly of the book Jade had lent her. She'd finish it in the morning & return it tomorrow. Kat didn't see the stone begin to glow, or the soft purple light that seemed to light the room. Nor did she see the way the glow seemed focused on her as she slept. The glow kept up all night, only fading when the sun began to rise. Then it flickered out. A soft violet glow continued to surround Kat for several long minutes, then dimmed and seemed to sink into her sleeping body. In a house several blocks away, a green glow sunk into Darryl, and even closer, a blue glow sunk into Jade.
Jade was awoken as the sun started shining into her room. She yawned loudly and then wondered what day it was. She could smell her mother cooking pancakes in the kitchen and she grinned. It was a Saturday, she didn't have to move a muscle which always made her feel good. Her pet cat pounced onto her bed and started cleaning herself.
"Hello Midnight"
Jade pulled an arm out from under the blanket and started to scratch the cat behind the ears. Midnight purred loudly as she always did. Laying in bed she wondered what she was going to do today. She slowly crawled out of bed and went and had a shower. Walking back into her room she remembered that Darryl was meant to be staying the night so she tidied up her room. Jade kicked a few things under her bed and found her dress ontop of the heater. She got dressed in silence before picking up Midnight and heading downstairs.
"Morning mum"
"Morning sweet heart, cleaned your room for Darryl's visit?"
"Yeah, kicked the dirty clothes under the bed, that sort of thing"
Jade's mother laughs and puts some pancakes down on the table. Jade fed the cat and then sat down for breakfast.
"The munchkins up yet?"
"No they are both still sleeping, you know what they are like."
Jade nodded and continued eating.
"You remember the fair is on next weekend don't you?" Linda asked
"Yeah, I am going with Kat and the boys. I am going to the flea markets today though, want me to get you anything?"
"Yes thanks, I will go write a list."
Linda left the kitchen with some pancakes still cooking and Jade had to jump up and rescue them. A few minutes later Linda returned with a piece of paper.
"Oh sorry dear, I forgot all about the pancakes"
Jade laughed. She grabbed the list and looked at the time. It was coming onto midday. She finished her drink put her dishes in the sink kissed her mother goodbye and headed out the door letting Midnight out at the same time.
She started walking towards Kat's house. The weather was suprisingly crisp and it seemed very quite but Jade enjoyed the silence. It didn't take her long before she arrived at Kat's house. As she was walking up the steps she nearly bumped into a stack of boxes on legs.
"Oh sorry Jade, didn't see you there. Go right inside. Have you eaten breakfast? There is breakfast on the table with fresh juice."
"Morning Aunt Jen, yes I have eaten and the car is to your left"
Jen stopped before colliding into the garden fence and changed direction. Jade laughed and then stepped inside only to be met by Merryll. She stepped around the dog and walked into the kitchen. Kat looked up when Jade embraced her from behind.
"Miss me?" Jade asked
"Always" Kat replied
They had done that since they could talk but somehow they never stopped doing it. Jade sat down and talked while Kat's mother Jen kepted walking in and out of the house. Kat was wearing her favourite skirt. One that she had found at a flea market like the ones they were going to today. It was layered and very colourful. Her mother hated it as it didn't represent being "neat and presentable". That was probably the very reason why Kat loved the skirt. Kat grabbed her bag and the keys to the convertable and they headed out the door yelling out goodbye to her mother and father.
They drove the long way to the flea markets. Peddle lane was long and windy but was very scienic so they didn't really mind. As they broke out from the trees that lined the road they could see the reflection of the lake. They turned right travelling parallel to the lake and eventually arrived at thefair. Kat parked the car not far from the entrance.
As they always did Kat and Jade headed straight to the magicians tent.
Pulling apart the flaps of the tent they met up with Peter.
"What are you doing here?" Kat asked
"Dad dragged me along. He wants to use me in one of his magic acts" Peter replied.
Peter's dad was the local magician and was a really good friend of theirs. Peter however just didn't believe magic was real.
"Ah, sweet ladies, what brings you to my humble tent?" Peter's dad Matt appears out of nowhere and Peter makes a rather quick exit. A look of pain runs accross Matt's face before turning back to the girls.
"Any more tricks we can learn Matt" Kat asked
"Nah my child, I can't give all my secrets away" Matt smiiled before embracing the two girls. Suddenly a scream is heard and they turn to see an old lady holding a very struggling Peter.
"Ah, there they are you wicked man, your holding the gyspy children, they hold the stone, they hold fate in their hands" The lady screamed at Matt pointing at Kat and Jade. Peter finally able to wriggle out of the old ladies grasp ran towards his Dad.
"Lady of the crystal, keep away from this girls or there will be trouble that even your ball can not reveal upon you" Matt said back to the lady in a calm but threatning manner.
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