ade was concentrating on the several books she had open infront of her she didn't hear her mother walk in.
"Hello dear"
"Ahh" Jade jumped "Hi mum, you scared me"
"Sorry. What are you doing?"
"Looking up some information. You gave me the stones tell me what do you know about the gypsy stones?"
"I know a bit but I gave you no stones"
"Yeah you did, Friday afternoon when I got home about 4 pm I think it was"
"That is impossible Jade, I was over at Melissa's house remember, she is two towns over and I didn't get home till 7"
"But it was you I swear." Jade looked rather confussed. Her mother or someone who looked and sounded exactly like her mother had given her three
gypsy stones
"Mum?"
"Yes?"
"Tell me what you know about the gypsy stones"
Linda told Jade the same story the Kat, Erick and Glenn had been told by Erick's father.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Jade asked almost accusingly
"Because of Jen. She didn't want Kat to find out so I respected her wishes"
"Does Dad know?" Jade asked
"Yes"
Jade said nothing for awhile letting it all sink in. Linda waited awhile before speaking up again.
"The stones themselves do not give you the power, you all had it before but it layed deep within you. The stones just helped you release that power and enhance it. I had the green stone and I could heal. However my healing powers are never as powerful as what they were when I had the stone."
"What is the evil?"
"That changes. It shows in many forms and in many ways but you will know when it comes"
"Great that helps me a lot" Jade said under her breath.
The door bell rang and Linda went to answer it while Jade sat pouring of the books. A couple of minutes later Peter entered the room.
"Hey Peter"
"Hi, I went to Kat's but she wasn't there"
"Probably out with Glenn or something" Jade laughed then spotted the yellow stone in Peter's hands
"Been able to read minds yet?" She asked
"How did you know about that"
"Let me tell you the story"
Jade told Peter the whole story and showed him what was in the books.
"Whether you like it or not Peter Magick does exist and you have some power with it. You can try to deny it all you like but it wont help"
Peter nodded silently. He couldn't quite resign himself to the fact that Magick didn't exist though. He had spent so long hating it because of his father. Peter didn't stay much longer leaving rather silently. Jade sighed. She knew she had been rather blunt with Peter but their was possibly very little time left before the evil came. What troubled Jade the most was not knowing what enemy they were coming up against. It sort of didn't help matters. She wished Darryl was their but he had a hockey game with Glenn. She decided to go watch in hopes she would find Kat and headed out the door.
She got to the game as found Erick and Kat sitting in the rafters. The look on their faces told Jade that they knew about the stones. When she reached them Kat jumped up and hugged Jade. Jade held her tight and didn't let go. Erick whispered that his father had told them the whole story. Eventually Kat let go and they sat down
"Does Darryl know?" Kat asked
"No, I hadn't had a chance to talk to him. However Peter dropped by looking for you. I told him" Jade admited rather grimly
"How did he take it?"
"I don't know really. I was rather blunt about it. We don't really have time to try and break it to him."
Kat hugged Jade again and they watched the rest of the game without much interest. Each of them busy with thoughts of their own.
As the game ended, Kat reached over and slipped her hand into Erick's. He squeezed it reassuringly, and she smiled gratefully at him. As the team moved off the court, Glenn took Darryl's arm, and pulled him aside. They spoke together in low voices for about 5 minutes, then followed the rest of the team to the shower room. The crowd slowly dispersed, leaving Kat, Erick, Jade, and a couple of other people who were waiting for team members to finish changing. Erick was thinking back over that afternoon. After his Dad had realised Kat was Jen's daughter, he'd made them a all a cup of tea, and comforted Kat as best he could. After her tears had stopped, they'd been able to ask some questions. Erick's Dad answered as best he could, but several matters he couldn't resolve. He'd said that he'd call together the rest of the group, and have a meeting... and hopefully gain some replies to the questions he couldn't answer.
Erick was brought back to reality by Kat squeezing his hand. Jade had got up and moved to the kiosk, and Kat wanted to go down to meet the boys, who were just starting to leave the shower room. Hand-in-hand, Kat & Erick moved down to the shower room door. They were standing to one side when Glenn came out. He looked pointedly at their linked hands, and dropped his bag on the ground. Kat dropped Erick's hand, and moved over to Glenn, who took her in his arms & looked suspiciously at Erick over her head.
In the kiosk, Jade bought a lemonade and a packet of M&Ms, which she started nibbling on. She was half way through the packet before she remembered that she was eating healthy. Looking over towards she shower room, she noticed the look Glenn was giving Erick. That was interesting. Darryl wasn't out of the shower yet. He took forever in there. If she didn't know better, she'd say he was female. Jade finished her M&Ms and tossed the packet in the bin, before moving over to the others. Darryl appeared just as Jade reached them.
"Dazz, I have something to tell you," said Jade. "About those stones..."
"I know," he interrupted. "Glenn already told me. I think we should find Peter, tell him, and go somewhere to talk about it."
Jade remained silent, hurt.
"Peter knows," Kat spoke up, removing her face from Glenn's chest.
"Jade told him this afternoon. And Erick's Dad is going to get their group together for a meeting tonight. At my house, because Mum wouldn't come if she actually knew about it..." Kat trailed off & Glenn squeezed her reassuringly. "We can go back to my place to talk now. That way we won't have to go anywhere when the time comes," continued Kat.
They all agreed to this plan, and started to walk back to Kat's house.
"You know," Kat commented, "this whole thing is probably why my Mum doesn't like you, Erick. Cause both your parents know about... you know..."
Jade thought there was probably some merit in this observation.
"But what about Peter, your Mum likes him, doesn't she?" Jade asked.
"She's not particularly fussed. But then, I don't think she knows he's Matt's son. Speaking of Peter, we should probably collect him on the way."
"I'll go," volunteered Glenn & Darryl at the same time.
Erick grinned. "Why don't you both go, and take Jade. Then I can have Kat all to myself," he teased, leering at Kat suggestively.
The meaning behind Glenn's glare had not escaped him either.
"I don't know that Peter will particularly want to see me at the
moment," said Jade a little sadly. "I'm probably the last person the wants to see, and the rest of you are probably not far behind."
Jade was beginning to feel a bit sorry for herself; A fact that Kat quickly recognised.
"Why don't all three of you boys go, and we'll meet you at my house," she suggested, glancing sideways at Jade's expression.
The group parted ways not much further along the path, and Kat turned to Jade and gave her a reassuring hug.
"I know how you feel," she murmured. "I can read you like a book."
Jade laughed a little shortly, but slowly regained her good cheer during the walk to Kat's house. Once there, the girls pulled food & drinks from the pantry & fridge and made up a couple of plates of food to hold them over until dinner, as none of the group had actually managed to eat anything substantial since breakfast at Jade's that morning.
It was a little over 30 minutes before the doorbell rang. Kat and Jade had spent that time discussing what Erick's Dad and Linda had told them. Kat went down, let the boys in & led them upstairs to her room. They'd found Peter in the cafe, and almost pressganged him. He looked a little shell-shocked, but was slowly coming around to the idea. After a couple of hours discussing the stories with the group, and testing out their powers together, he was adjusting to the idea. Not entirely happy, but he didn't despise it any more either. He looked around the group.
"Boy, with this power I could blackmail the world," he murmured quietly.
"You could, but what would be the point," asked Jade.
Peter gave her a look.
"Money? Hello?"
Everyone laughed.
"I think you should promise not to read our minds," spoke up Kat. "I don't like the idea of you poking about my private thoughts."
The rest of the group were quick to echo that particular idea.
"Sure, fine, but tell me *how*?"
"I would suggest that it had something to do with focus," said Glenn.
"It seems most of our powers have something to do with focus. Jade froze time when the plate fell, Dazz healed my scratches when he thought about it..."
"That's true," said Erick. "And I've been learning to control seeing auras all today. I sort of... look through them, if that makes any sense. I'd say if you looked *above* people with your power, it would be Ok."
"Well, I'll try it," conceded Peter reluctantly.
Several moments passed in silence as Peter silently experimented.
"Hey! It works!"
Everyone laughed again.
"What about you, Kat?" asked Jade. "We've all fiddled with out powers. You haven't done anything except talk."
Kat looked at the assembled group... and was saved by the doorbell. She jumped up, and almost ran downstairs to answer it. On the doorstep stood the crystal gazer from Peddle Lane, and Erick's parents. Matt was coming up the sidewalk. Kat let them all in, and they moved to the kitchen as the others come down from Kat's room. Introductions were swiftly made, and the group quietly segregated. Glenn was talking to Matt, and Erick's Dad was explaining the use of the yellow stone to Peter in low, urgent tones. Erick was struggling to get Clarissa to talk to him, either helped or hindered by Darryl & Jade - it wasn't quite apparent which. Kat had sought out Grace, and they were sitting at the kitchen table, murmuring quietly to each other.
Jade caught the phrase, "there's no need to be afraid, because the power is easy to control once you realise what it is you're feeling each time you start to change," and decided not to interfere.
It was only 10 minutes later that Kat's mother showed up, with Linda. Jen stopped dead in her kitchen doorway, staring at the assembled group.
"Just what exactly is going on here?" she demanded in a terribly cold and quiet voice.
Everyone sort of stopped what they where doing. Kat shivered never having seen her mother so upset or angry.
"Why don't you sit down Jen" Linda said gently
"No! I want to know why they are here" Jen pointed at everyone.
Kat went to say something but just couldn't. Erick's father stood up and turned to Jen.
"They have the Gypsy stones" He said quietly
"And that gives *you* the right to come to my house. You all knew I never wanted to speak to you again so get out!"
Everyone was a little taken aback by Jen's rage. Jade grimaced, she had to have the blue stone. Jade sighed and then having been in a cruddy mood since she told Peter she spoke up.
"Aunt Jen sit down" Jade said forcefully.
"Jade" Linda said gently
"That's it" Jade said and gathered her sense. She froze everyone but herself and Jen.
Jen sat down a little shakily at Jade's display of power.
"Aunt Jen, we have these stones and limited knowledge. I understand that when you had the stone you had no guidence and maybe that is why your lose was so great. Look around you though. Had maybe you had not broken the group up after you had dispelled the evil it might not have returned, it might have stopped their and then." A bell rang in Jade's head and somehow she knew that notion was true. She took a deep breath before going on.
"We need your help Aunt Jen. Help us stop the evil once and for all. Please Aunt Jen, make it possible that we don't get hurt" Jen looked at Jade with tears in her eyes.
"Okay, I will help as best as possible"
Jade unfroze everyone else and they looked a little astonished at the fact that Jen was suddenly sitting and had been crying. All eyes slowly turned to Jade who looked a little sheepish.
"Jen is going to help us" She said quitely. The group cheered and Kat got up and hugged her mother.
Training began that night and slowly Jen started to enjoy herself. Jade and Kat watched her carefully for most the night. Glimses of what Jen must have been like when she was younger showed through and they couldn't help smile. Even Linda seemed to be proud of her sister. The evening came to an end though and most people left Kat's house except Linda and Jade. Jade and Kat headed up to the attic and then climbed onto the roof.
"Sorry I froze you" Jade said
"I forgive you if you don't do it again, it can be a little disorientating" Kat grinned
"Something I said to Jen made a bell ring in my head"
"What do you mean?"
"Well I said to her that maybe the reason evil returned is because the group split up" The bell rang again and this time Kat heard it aswell.
"Hmm cute sounding bell" Kat said not really knowing how to interpet the bell
"Well it got me thinking..."
"You thinking" Kat laughed and Jade poked her tongue out at her
"Anyway as I was saying before I was rudely interupted" Jade smiles "maybe the way to defeat evil for once and for all is to keep the strength of the group"
"You mean like there is two battles"
"How do you mean"
"Well with our parents the first battle required the stones right?" Kat asked
"Yes"
"Well maybe the second battle requires us"
"Yeah, our strength of our love for each other" The bell rang again
"Hmm I wonder if mum heard bells?" Kat asked
"I wonder if anyone else is hearing bells?"
They both shrugged and then gazed at the stars.
***
Jade woke up Monday morning and realised she had forgotten to turn her alarm on. It hadn't mattered as it was still ages before she had to get up. She got up and started cleaning her room. She picked up a handbag and a book fell out. She picked it up remembering that the book was the one she had loaned to Kat. She sat down upon her bed and flipped through it. She stopped when she got to the books dedication pages.
To the gypsy children,
remember you can't defeat evil with evil
you have to defeat it with love...
your love
Jade dropped the book astonished. She picked it up again and read the publishing date ©1862.
That just wasn't possible. The book was set in 1980's. Jade knew there was good writers but writing a book set about 100 years ahead of it's time was just unheard of. She tried remembering where she had gotten the book. It had been at the flea market by stall she didn't remember being there before. It was called Mystix if she was correct. She put it in her bag and decided she would have to ask Matt about it since he works at the market. Jade put the book out of her mind and got ready for work. She was about to leave when Darryl rang. He wanted to met her for lunch but wouldn't say what about. For some reason that peaked her curiousity was peaked. She wondered if he was going to give her an early birthday present like Kat. She doubted that as he always seemed to give her presents late. She chuckled to herself and headed out to work.
