The- the voice! The voice that was in the abandoned mansion! The opal light seemed to dim a bit while Opal gaped at the group of people surrounding her. At that moment, all the pain Opal had blocked out crashed into her. She glanced at her arm and feet-- a hole was still visible, though the blood seemed to stop. Her clothes were shredded and did a poor job of covering her from the cold. All the other parts of her body seemed to be covered in bruises and blood.
"Oh, your injuries are worse than I thought... Garnet, Quartz, come here. Take a look will ya?" A huge man (whose voice was the one in the mansion) laughed at Opal's hostile glare at Quartz and Garnet who started to corner her. "Oh, those are just our medics. The very best of the best. Quartz is Garnet's apprentice... Almost ready to be a full medic aren't ya, Quartz?" Quartz, a thin, young man nodded, blushing profoundly, keeping his eyes down. Well. Better not tell this to Fern. She'll explode. I can already imagine her saying, "Opal! Whose wedding am I supposed to organize? Thomas's? Or Quartz's?"
"Fern! Thomas!" Opal exclaimed, getting to her feet. Unfortunately, her feet crumpled beneath her, useless.
"Stay still," Garnet growled, a scowl on his face.
"Who's this Fern and Thomas?" The huge man asked.
"Uh-" Hesitated Opal. Seeing her reluctance, the huge man reassured her,
"I haven't introduced you, have I? Silly me! I'm Peridot, and we're the Gem Keepers! That's Amethyst, Pearl, Quartz, Garnet, Emerald, Sapphire, Aquamarine, Topaz, Amber, Zircon, Citrine, Apatite, Diamond, Azurite, Lazuli, Lapis (They're twins), and Ruby! Annnd you are our new leader!"
"N-New l-leader?" Opal stuttered, overwhelmed by the names. "And what's this Gem Keeper thing? And why are all you're names gem names?"
"Gem Keepers is a group that was formed way before humans. They were created by the gods of gems. There were nineteen gem gods. Lord Peridot, Lord Quartz, Lord Garnet, Lady Amethyst, Lady Pearl, Lady Emerald, Lady Sapphire, Lady Aquamarine, Lord Topaz, Lady Amber, Lord Zircon, Lady Citrine, Lord Apatite, Lady Diamond, Lord Obsidian, Lord Azurite, Lord Lapis Lazuli, Lady Ruby, and The Great Opal. They each had a gem of their namesake and they put all their power into that gem. So then their descendants passed on that gem, giving each descendant the power of the gem until he/she died and passed it on. To honor our gods, we name our children the god they are descendants of. For example, my descendant is Lord Peridot, so my mum named me Peridot. And her name was Peridote, some names changed due to gender, and my dad became Peridot when he married my mum. Oh, and you're a descendant of The Great Opal so.... as you can see.... The Great Opal was a great lady and she was the boss of the others. The others thought of her as superior because The Great Opal's gem had multiple colors. So you're our leader now! Your mum was the leader before she died... and now that pendant belongs to you!" Peridot was red and out of breath when he finished.
"But... the pearl has several colors too..." Opal trailed off, not absorbing the enormous amount of information she had received.
"Oh Lady Pearl was the daughter of The Great Opal and Lord Topaz. So Pearl here has been leading us for a while..." Garnet told her. Topaz blushed more, intent on fixing Opal's bullet hole, clearly embarrassed by the connection between Opal's descendant and his descendant.
"But- Who's the Lord Obsidian's descendant?" Opal asks, confused.
"Uh- ANYWAYS. You're the leader now! Are you excited?" Peridot says, leaving Opal confused about his behavior.
"You have an infection. Those.... thugs didn't treat you well," Topaz told her, his voice shaking with rage.
"Well, I took out more than half of their Enforcers... You wouldn't ask for your powerful enemy for a cup of tea, wouldn't you?" Opal chuckled, hoping to shake off the tension in the room.
"Hey, Bob! I'm here to have my daily kick of the mysterious girl-" An Enforcer strutted into the room. "Uh- A- Am I interrupting something?" She stuttered.
Opal snarled and leaped at the Enforcer. I don't need my leg to injure this one seriously! "Yes, you are! My revenge!" Opal slapped her across her face, sending the Enforcer sprawling.
"T-the Lionness You are dangerous..." The Enforcer murmured as she scuttled out of the room.
"The Lionness? Do I have a reputation here?" Opal asked, amused.
"I told you to stay still! Now I hafta do the bandaging again!" Garnet grumbled, tearing away at the bandaging that lay limply around Opal's leg and arm.
"No need!" Opal reassured him, shaking him off. "I can just hop around! And I gotta get to Fern and Thomas," She trailed off, realizing that a wall of Gem Keepers was blocking the door.
"Nope, you aren't," Peridot told her, crossing his arms.
"Listen Peridot! The kid's overwhelmed. Let's just escort her to this Fern and Thomas and we can just stand guard around the place." A woman stepped up and told Peridot.
"Hmph. Fine, Diamond. Lead us," Peridot finally grunted to Diamond, who had put a hand over Opal's shoulder.
YOU ARE READING
Let the Games Begin
Mystery / ThrillerThis story is about a girl, Opal, whose Mom died. The only thing that her Mom left her was a strange locket. The girl has to solve the mystery of her mother's death to save her home.
