Emerald (The Protector) - undergoing editing

Chapter 26

Sarah woke up early; the sound of the birds early morning call filling her ears. The sun was just starting to peak through her window. She lay in bed thinking back to the evening before. Her eyes still felt gritty after she had cried herself to sleep.

What am I going to do she wondered. She thought she might have met up with Jacinta overnight, but the crying must have taken too much out of her, either that or Jacinta decided to leave her to sleep after what she had done yesterday.

She had so many questions – am I from this world or the one I grew up in, why do I have magic; it doesn't exist in my world, or does it, and why is Emerald in danger and why did she come and live with us and why was she kept a secret. Being an only child, Sarah would have loved to have had a sibling growing up and she felt Emerald would have been perfect.

She could hear movement next door and realised Emerald was awake. She sighed, what was she going to say to her. She pulled herself out of bed deciding that it would be better to get it over with as soon as possible. She knocked on Emeralds door.

"Come in" she heard Emerald say.

"Um hi, I aaah, thought we should talk" Sarah said "I wanted to apologize.."

"Oh Sarah there's no need, you had every right to be upset."

Sarah looked down "Maybe but I"

"Sarah, have you seen your hair?" Emerald suddenly interrupted her.

Sarah looked up startled "What? No I" she raced to the bathroom mirror and gasped at what she saw. Her hair was no longer brown, well it was, just a rather large part of it had turned blonde, the same colour as the streak she had always had.

"What the..." she turned, wide eyed to look at Emerald.

"It suits you" her friend said in response, "I don't think you need to worry about hiding your streak anymore."

"Em" Sarah said as she lifted her hair "there's blue as well."

"What, show me"

"Is there any on the back?"

"A little, but most of it is hidden by the hair on top."

"It looks like I dyed it."

Emerald nodded "It looks fine though, you really can't tell and the blonde does suit it."

"Do you think this has something to do with my magic?"

"Probably; unless it's just a coincidence. I'm sure Julia will know more, or Geoffrey."

"This is getting so strange' Sarah said as they headed towards the dining room. They could hear Julia in the kitchen and the smell of bacon cooking wafted through the hallway.

Sarah's stomach grumbled and Emerald laughed "You know I don't get it; I hardly ever ate breakfast at home, but here I'm always so hungry."

Emerald just grinned at her as they caught sight of Julia placing a platter of bacon on the dining table.

"Morning girls, you're up early. How did you sleep?" Julia asked them without looking up.

"I slept really well thank you Julia" Emerald replied "But Sarah has a question."

"Oh" Julia looked up and gasped "Sarah, your hair."

"I know."

"But how, and is that blue I see as well?"

Sarah nodded "Do you think it has something to do with the magic I used or maybe the poison" she trailed off.

"It's possible, though I'm not really sure, it could be from the poison too. Your body was under a lot of stress. Geoffrey might know; he's going to join us for breakfast this morning." She nodded at the platter of bacon "I've got scrambled eggs coming too."