The Book of Gemma -Apocalyptic Fantasy Romance-

CHAPTER 27: VEEDU

Over the next couple days, Gem has made new weapons and armor for the community. Day and night she would train them to fight against anything that dared to come for them. She even made them a drawbridge for the hole in the rock wall, built watch towers behind the top of the wall, new arrows that they could dip in the poisonous plants she grew, repaired and double barriered the children's new safe house.
She knew she had to go back to the bunker to meet Albi on his arrival from Sky.

Her anxiety never spiked, she was confident in these people's skills to defend themselves. She told them she would hunt down the Darus Devils should they come back to retaliate, telling them she will never abandon them even if she was needed on Sky. She wrote down the officers names to talk to if they ever needed a message delivered to her.
More importantly, she promised them that she will get them off Lower as soon as she can, to save everyone on Lower.

It was our last night here, Djinn is already sleeping in the corner as I put on more layers for bed. Gem still hasn't slept in here with us, she liked sitting on top of the rock wall. I think secretly she was practicing her powers more, she never did like to tell me she didn't know everything.

I go to pull the covers up to get in bed but she appears in the doorway.
"Gem? Everything okay? Did you hear something?" I start to panic a little, she already said goodnight to me twenty or so minutes ago.
She shakes her head and I feel a little sadness start to dew around her.
"Hey, hey, hey what's wrong? Tell me." I walk over to her and start to rub her lower back.
I continued, "-Are you just worried about leaving tomorrow morning?"

She shakes her head again, "Akira's people are true warriors, I am not worried about their skills. I-... I am worried about Albi's reaction to this-"

She removes her glove and pulls her sleeve up, black markings swirl over her entire left hand and stretch up to her forearm.
I traced my fingers over the markings, they looked like swirls with horns at the end of the tail.

"-It's my kinds language, I didn't see it at first being wrapped around my fingers but this-" She points to the top of her hand showing the swirl more of a half circle. "-This is the symbol for death. The same one Scorpz was covered in.. am I a despicable God?" Her question leaves her begging for reassurance of the actions she's made.

I sit her down on the bed and kneel to her feet,
"You protected us, Gem. You saved those people and killed the ones who should have never existed. The symbol may mean death but it doesn't say... evil. You did what you had to do and I'm so proud of how in control you were. I felt every degree you dropped and it wasn't as nearly freezing when you took my life. You were in control, You were serving justice for these people. You shouldn't have to hide it or be ashamed, display it with honor that you helped these people live another day, and not just these people but the future ones who won't be tortured by the Darus Dev-.... sorry I can't, the name is so ridiculously moronic to say out loud."

She starts to laugh thinking of it too, she takes her glove from her pocket and fidgets with it in her lap, "I should still feel shame for the two around my finger." Her voice becomes a smooth small creek no longer feeling the bashing guilt of the undertow.

I place my hand on top of hers to get her to stop fidgeting, "One swirl was given when you removed a pawn that tried to cheat the game, the other was given when you finally had enough of my bullshit, surprised you didn't kill me years before it... but it was also the day you gave my life back.. A day I remembered every amazing moment I had with you and I plan on making more. Don't feel ashamed for Franco's swirl and don't ever feel guilty about mine, I would die a hundred times to feel the crashing waves of those memories returning. You don't need this." I take the glove from her and push it into my pocket.

I know she's begging to let her body cry but her eyes remain dry. She stretches her arms out to me from the edge of the bed, my face presses in against her chest as my arms wrap around her lower back.
"Thank you." She whispers into the back of my neck. She has never really thanked me for anything but ever since she gave me part of her Star, it's like she was thanking both of us.