rick's Dad, who was a full-blooded gypsy, was asleep next to his mother - who was anglo saxon. Erick paused in the doorway, and glanced at the stone. It wasn't glowing. He looked back at his sleeping parents, and decided it could wait until morning. It wasn't *that* important. Besides, what were the chances that he was holding the only gray destiny stone? Erick turned around and went back to bed. He watched the stone on his bed-side table for a long while, but it didn't glow again. Erick drifted off to sleep. In the darkness of his room, the stone remained merely that - a stone, for more than an hour. Then, suddenly, in the early hours on the morning, it shone with a brilliance that lit the entire room as bright as midday sun. The brightness lasted for a full minute, before fading to it's customary pale glow, and Erick shone with silver light until the sun began to rise, and the glowing stone flickered out, and Erick's glow faded out.

On the other side of town, Jade woke before dawn. She rolled over to look at Darryl, and saw he was bathed in a soft green light. Confused & disorientated, Jade looked around for the source of the glow, but failed to locate it. Figuring it was some product of her fuddled wits at 4:00 am, Jade rubbed her eyes and sat up. Darryl was still glowing. In fact, *he* was the source of the glow. Jade began to shake him awake, but as soon as she looked at her hands, she noticed *she* was glowing too - only blue! Staring into the pre-dawn darkness, Jade drifted back to sleep before she even realised she was doing it.

At a more reasonable hour, Jade awoke again. It was almost 10, so she knew her mother wouldn't be home. She rolled over, and was relieved to see that Darryl wasn't glowing green. She awoke him with a kiss. Or several. A while later, when they were showered & dressed, they moved down the hall to the living room. Glenn was sporting 2 long red scratches from his back, over his left shoulder, and down the front of his chest. The skin was actually broken in places. He looked up as they entered the room.

"Have fun?" asked Darryl, also eyeing the scratches, with a slightly protective look on his face.
Jade smiled & slipped her hand into his, whispering, "She's a big girl, she can take care of herself."
He looked slightly abashed.
"I haven't slept with her, if that's what you're asking," Glenn declared, looking slightly indignant.
"She just clawed me in her sleep last nigh. Damn long fingernails."
Jade laughed, and her laughter woke Kat, who rolled over sleepily.
"'Morning," she slurred, not quite awake.
"Morning," replied Jade with a smile. "Pancakes?"
Kat awoke instantly.
"Ooh, pancakes... I haven't had those in ages..."
Jade laughed, and said, "Not since the last time you were here anyway."
Kat sat up, and stretched.
"I think Midnight slept with us last night," said Kat, picking out several black hairs from her clothing, and trying to put her clothes in some sort of order. Glenn watched, with interest.

Jade nudged Darryl in the ribs, and they went out to the kitchen to make the pancakes, leaving Kat and Glenn alone for a few minutes. A short while later, they joined them in the kitchen, and Kat started looking through the cupboards for interesting things to put in the pancakes. It was only 10 or 15 minutes later that the door bell rang. Kat went to answer it, to find Erick on the doorstep, a book in his hand, a finger marking a page.

"Morning," said Kat, surprised.
Erick was looking around rather wildly. His eyes fell on Kat, and widened considerably. He started at her in silence for a second.
"Erick? Are you ok?" Kat asked, beginning to get alarmed.
He focused on her again, and said, "I think I'm going mad. I keep seeing colours. Colours! Everywhere! My God, I never knew there was so many colours!"

Erick had drawn attention, and the other 3 came to the door. Together, they talked him in to coming inside & sitting down at the table, where he sat with eyes closed. They waited for him to explain. He opened his eyes.

"I'm seeing Auras. For the first time in my life, I'm seeing Auras. Not just a little bit at a time, but completely seeing them in every single thing!" Erick took a deep breath. "And it's that stone that did it."
The kitchen was silent. Jade removed the frying pan & turned off the gas.
"What exactly are you saying?"
Erick opened the book. "The destiny stones, or divinity stones, are 6 gypsy stones imbued with ancient power. The legend goes that in times of need, 6 people will be chosen to wield that power, against the greater evil. They will somehow acquire the stones, and select one each, at which point the power of the stones will affect them." Erick shut his eyes. "6 people, 6 stones, 6 powers. Blue, Red, Green, Purple, Yellow & Silver."
"Does it... say what they do?" Jade managed to ask.
Erick opened his eyes again. "Blue alters time. Slows it down, speeds it up, stops it all together for short periods of time. Could probably even go backwards for all I damn well know. Red is telekinesis. Mind over matter and all that. Green is healing. Manages to heal anything short of death. Purple is shape-shifting. Yellow is mind reading & coercion. And Silver," Erick held out his gray stone, "is seeing Auras and future-telling."
They sat there in stunned silence for several long moments.

"Are you sure?" ventured Glenn, eventually.
"Hell, yes, I'm sure. You want to try it out? Try and stop time or whatever colour you've got."
Kat was staring in a kind of horror at the welts on Glenn's chest. She reached over and traced them with one finger. He flinched.
"I couldn't have done that," she breathed. "Not with these nails."
She held up her hand to show the shortness of them. Then she turned to Darryl.
"You have the green stone," she said. "It's at least worth a try... We can test it out..." She stopped. "I should have picked the red stone,"
she muttered, looking guiltily at the scratches again.

"Peter, can you - What's that you've got there?" asked Matt, curiously.
Peter held it out, the curiosity his Dad was radiating was almost palpable.
"I dunno," replied Peter as his Dad picked it up and looked at it curiously.
"Kat gave it to me last night."
Suddenly, Peter became aware that his Dad had shifted his train of thought from the stone, to Kat.
Kat... Such a *nice* girl, and she believes in magick. Could have used a daughter like her, or her cousin. Someone to carry on the family line, to inherit the magick...
Peter looked warily at his father, but his lips weren't moving at all.
...Oh well. He's a good boy, even if he doesn't believe. Humours his old man. I wonder what this stone is for, not like those girls to give something for no reason at all... and I'm pretty sure they don't love Peter...
This was thought with some no small amusement. Peter was staring at his father in wide eyed astonishment.
.. What's this? It looks like a rune...
Matt squinted at the stone
...Damn eyes aren't what they used to be. Maybe I should get them tested. But what kinda of magician wears glasses? Oh, yes, it *is* a rune. Well, well. A gypsy stone with a symbol of power, and owned by my son, who doesn't believe in magick. What a waste...
"Can I have my stone back please, Dad?" asked Peter, needing to get away.
Matt looked up, as though he'd forgotten his son was there.
"What? Oh, yes... Sure, here."
Matt handed the stone back to Peter, who slipped it into his pocket, and began talking quickly.
"I'm going over to Kat's this afternoon," he announced & privately hoped his father wouldn't object.
"Well... Ok, I suppose..." started Matt, and Peter practically bolted out the room. With a shouted, "Thanks Dad!" Peter ran out the front door & down the street.

***

Kat, Glenn & Erick had gone back to Erick's house after leaving Jade's, to talk to Erick's Dad about the stones. After a stop at her house for a shower and change of clothes, Kat felt much better, and walked down the road arm-in-arm with both Erick & Glenn.
"You could have showered with me," Kat teased Glenn. "Erick's already showered this morning, but you haven't, so you could have come with me."
"There's no point, sweetness. I have hockey in a little under 3 hours, I'm gonna end up all sweaty anyway."
"You didn't tell me you had hockey," complained Kat with the cutest little pout Glenn had ever seen.
He laughed, & kissed it.
"You'll live, sweetling, I'm sure. How did you know Erick had already showered anyway?"
Kat smiled, and said, "He smells nice. And he's shaved. And," she reached up and ran her hand through his hair, which was damp, releasing the curl into waves, "his hair's wet."
Erick laughed, and re-linked his arm with Kat.
"The lady is observant," he commented.
Arriving at Erick's house, Kat paused to smooth her skirt and hair. The boys waited semi-patiently.
"It doesn't matter how you look, Kat," said Erick.
"Dad sees straight through people anyway. He has a second sight - can tell what's in your heart instantly. You can look as well-presented as you want, and it won't make a bit of difference."
They went forward. Erick's Dad was in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled delicious. Erick introduced Glenn & Kat, and his Dad looked at them both carefully, then smiled.
"These are very special people, Erick."
Erick laughed shortly.
"Probably something to do with these," he said, producing his stone.
Erick's dad glanced at it, then startled.
"Where did you find that?" he demanded.
"I found it, sir," interrupted Kat. "In my room. I don't know where it came from, or how it got in my things. I didn't even know what it was until this morning."
"And you gave it to my son?" demanded Erick's dad.
"Yes," she replied simply, meeting his eyes directly.
After several long moments, Erick's Dad looked away, and turned off the stove. Erick breathed a sigh of relief. Kat glanced at him, and Erick smiled reassuringly.
"I don't suppose you found the rest of them too?"
Kat nodded. "Jade did. That's my cousin."
"And Erick told you the story?"
"Yes."
"It's not a story."
"We kind of noticed that."
"Maybe I should explain.
"Good idea."
Erick's Dad continued to look at Kat for a long moment, then moved into a room furnished in a way similar to the way Kat & Jade had decorated Jade's living room the night before. It seemed a long time ago now. They sat down, and Erick's Dad started to talk.

"I was only 14 when I found the yellow gypsy stone," he began. "I was living with my parents in a caravan down by what is now Peddle Lane. I didn't know what it was when I picked it up, but I soon learned..." Erick's father shut his eyes. "I learned more than I ever bargained for with that stone. I was 15 when I left home. I didn't get far. I met 5 people by the beck at the bottom of the hill. One of them was your mother, Erick. The others were a boy named Matt, a girl named Clarissa, whom I knew because she also lived in the encampment with my family, and two girls from the town who were sisters. Their names were Jen and Linda."
Erick clamped a hand swiftly over Kat's mouth as she gasped in surprise. They sat there in silence until Erick's father continued the story.
"Together, we learned much about the stones. Each had different powers. The yellow stone allowed me to alter people's minds. At first, it was simply hearing what they were thinking, but that swiftly developed into searching through their minds for information, and making them do what I wanted to. Grace, that's my wife, was a shape-shifter. The purple stone allowed her to transform into any creature she wished, as long as she had something from that animal. Once she had become something though, she could change back into it as many times as she wished. That power was rather uncontrollable to begin with - she didn't even realise she was changing until half way through. She eventually mastered it, however. The boy I met by the river that day, Matt, had the red stone, which gave him a form of telekinesis. It started out that he could only move things when he was angry, but he soon developed that power. As we all did. The other gypsy, Clarissa, had the silver stone. She developed her power a lot faster than the rest of us. Her mother was a crystal gazer, and had been teaching Clarissa in her art for years. By the time she met us, Clarissa could call a vision of the future at will, whenever she was touching the person, or something that belonged to them. She could also see auras, but only had a vague ides of what they meant. That came later. The sisters..." Erick's Dad laughed softly. "They were a pair. Free-spirited as two birds, stared the world in the face, nothing stood in their way. Together they had found the stones, and together developed the use of their powers. Linda had the healing stone, Jen could freeze time. It was such a pity, what happened to Jen..."
"What happened?" demanded Kat, unhampered because Erick's hand had fallen to her lap.
Erick's Dad looked straight at her.
"The evil came. Many were lost, including her sweetheart. He turned on her, and she lost faith in the cause, as well as life. We managed to banish the demon - or at least, drive it back - and Linda healed her sister's body, but she couldn't heal her soul. Jen bled alone inside for a long time, and distanced herself from all of us - including her sister. Surrounding herself in everything she had until then despised - order, rules, neatness and the like, Jen shut herself off from the rest of us and re-built a new life. She married a man she claimed to love, but who was nothing like her first love. Jen refused to see us, or return our calls. And so the wall remained. For a while we feared the evil would come back, because we were no longer 6, but it didn't. And our lives separated, and we drifted apart. I married Grace. Linda also married, and so did Matt. Clarissa never married. She separated herself from us much as Jen had, living entirely for her work. Matt became a magician, drawing on his own stock of tricks and practical jokes, some family magick he never did explain to me, & his telekinesis to produce a show. He's down on Peddler Lane now too. Grace & I moved here & set up our shop. Linda set up a natural healing practice. Grace sometimes helps out there. I see Matt occasionally. One day my stone was missing from the bedside table. So was Grace's. We searched for them everywhere, but couldn't find them. Grace was pregnant with you by then, Erick. Together, we went back to the beck, where we'd first met, and there we found the others. All of them. Jen was crying in Linda's arms - both of them were also pregnant. We had 3 pregnant women, two grown men and one fortune teller, all with no idea why they were there, aside from the fact that our stones, which we'd possessed for about 10 years, were suddenly missing. We talked. Caught up. Jen wanted to leave town. Clarissa didn't really want anything to do with us. Matt's wife was also pregnant, but was very sick. Linda healed her that time, but wasn't there when pneumonia took her 2 winters later. It wasn't long after that Jen moved away, and I lost contact with her. Linda didn't though, which is something, I guess. Anyway, the stones were missing, the group scattered. But now the stones have turned up again, and that can only mean one thing." Erick's Dad looked up at them.
"The evil is coming back."

***

Kat was crying softly, tears running down her face. Glenn reached for her and enfolded her in his arms, then rocked her gently back and forth.
"Shhh, Baby, it's Ok, it's Ok," he murmured, stroking her hair.
"My poor Mum, I never knew, I never knew... Why didn't she tell me? Why didn't Aunt Linda tell me?"
Comprehension was slowly dawning or Erick's father's face. He leaned forward & looked deeply into Kat's eyes. Then he sat back, and sighed.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I didn't realise Jen was your mother."