Tandem Lives

It's a Her

"What's going on?" I whisper to her as she chants away and clips a pretty green gem in my hair. "Stay still," Emerald said between her teeth as she lit up a candle and I immediately took a whiff of fresh sandalwood. After an hour of all the royal gems bowing to me as their introductions were read, I am more confused as to who is who. Diamond and Jet stayed in their circle a feet from my throne. "I told you to not roam around," I hear Emerald mid-chant. "Huh?" I look up at her and she pushes my head straight to face the door opposite the throne I am forced to be on. She continues to place the candle on my head and I feel ridiculous. "Is this even necessary?" I question and she meets me with her emerald eyes, "No, I am buying time, I need to tell you something, you are infected." So she just made me hold candles, placed some on me, and said all that nonsense just so she could say I have a disease? "By what?" I whisper. "I don't know-" she has her brow knotted.

"Emerald." I hear Jet, "Is the crowning ritual done? I have something I need to attend to." Emerald nods and quickly shuffles her stuff into a rag sack. With the jeweled flowing gown she has on, the rag sack is rather odd and standoffish. Jet gets off his position and walks out in quick-paced steps. Once he's gone, Emerald bends towards me to clip my hair with another gem, a black one this time, "Meet me at my tower. Tonight." she rushes away, Diamond follows with a bow and I stare at the empty room. What just happened?

I tread slowly on the cold stone floors with socked feet. I hold my shoes in my hand and try rushing as much as I can to Emerald's tower. Once I get there, she meets me at her crystal room entrance just like she promised. I put on my heavy shoes expecting her to signal me to follow her in but as I look up, I see her pull her rag sack in one hand as she rushes towards me and grabs me by the arm as she ushers me out the door I came. My footsteps as I am dragged along by her are now loud and I don't understand the point of me sneaking up to her if she were to do this anyway.

I followed her on the blue grass around the palace walls as we made our way out and her grip was firm so as she let go of me, I could still feel her long frail fingers around my wrist. I open my mouth but shut it as I feel the new green energy meeting us. Jade.

He nods and we follow.

The land once the woods are done, leads to grasslands. Wide stretches of them. We walked along the edges of the woods. Like we were going around the area it covered. To enter this rocky landscape. An enchanting place of translucent rocks. I wanted to place my bare feet on them and the entire ambiance it set was aesthetically pleasing. I follow them with no question because if there's one thing I just go along without question, it's Jade, I know I will be fed with the explanations later on. We silently walk into a cave. And that's when I saw how Emerald made the stones around her glow as she tread.

There was an air of awkwardness. Something off about.. Them. "Ok, am I allowed to talk? By the way, things have been going, I just shut up for no reason, I instinctively stayed quiet, and now that I think about it.. There's something between you two, ain't there? Do you guys have something like an unfinished past argument?" I ask and they keep walking. No words. So, I am right. I follow Jade's new quick pace.

"Wait a minute you guys kissed," I say out of the blue. And they both together yell, "WHAT?!" "Oh, oh, I mean from the memory flashes? I had when I was hanging out with Jet and you guys took us home, you know you were our guardians.. Oh, you guys.. Broke up. Ok, I get it. Let's go. I'll stop." I spill my thoughts out loud and regret it. God, am slow. "This place, it's the birth canal," Jade says it to probably fill the void my words caused. I burst out laughing and when I see their stern look I pause, "This.. Long cave passageway, is actually called that?" They look at me, waiting for my further explanation. They are no fun together, I say. "You know what's called a birth canal where I come from?" I ask and get no response. I motion my belly and downwards as I say, "The baby comes out through it." "Yes, the gemma babies come from here," Jade states. "A human baby comes out of a woman's privates!" I get to the point.

The pause is long. They both look absolutely horrified. "Lead the way." I smile and walk past them as they register reality. Humans are fascinating too, I guess.

I reach a small volcanic opening on the floor where the cave ends. Jade and Emerald step on either side of it as they whisper words to each other.. More like chants. The water in the center starts swirling and bubbling. It all happened as quickly as that, a round stone came out floating on the surface and my eyes glowed to the beauty it held. It was green, blue, and purple, all at the same time. I smile, as Emerald gestures for me to pick it up, I walk to it as slowly as I can, like the floor would give away. The place feels so sacred all of a sudden. I slowly pick up the stone and wrap it in my hand.

I don't know why I expected it to be cold, as I felt it warm and breathing and slowly taking up form and curling in my arms. She looked up to my amethyst eyes and I saw the stone shine brightly as the stars in her eyes as she smiled. It's her, it's a her, she's an Alexandrite, she's Alexandrite.

Oh. Oh.