Journey for the Gem

Journey for the Gem- Chapter 5

*~* JADE'S THOUGHTS

"Holy cow!" Ruby said as soon as she stepped in Jade's room and ordered Missy (through a series of 'humph's and 'mumphs') to take the charm off.

"That'd be an udder disaster!" said Jade, knowing the joke was so corny it was actually kind of funny. Missy smiled then her mouth dropped open at Jade's room.

Jade had to admit, the first time she had seen the room after Jade's mom had grudgingly redecorated, her mouth had dropped.

The fifty-inch flat screen TV was set up in front of her queen water bed, which had a canopy decorated with sparkling flowers floating over it. A karaoke machine with microphones and a screen with the lyrics were set up in the corner next to a box filled to the brim with CDs. A Dance Dance Revolution game took up one corner of the room, the other side a large mirror with a basket of markers hooked up to it. A Play Station, Wii, and X-Box were set up next to the mirror, beside a bean bag massage chair. Her closet was opened, and that was the only thing that really embarrassed Jade. Weird clothes piled up in the doorframe, causing Jade to flush bright pink. Her bunny slippers were set up next to her bed, which Ruby was pulling the pull-out bed from. "I call pull-out!" sang Missy. Ruby frowned but didn't argue; she seemed pretty frightened with Missy since she had done that Ger spell. Then Missy whirled and studied herself in Jade's mirror. "I don't think brown suits me in this shirt, do you?" She said, still squinting. Missy snapped her fingers and said loudly and clearly to the mirror, "I want 2.786% thinner, more lip gloss, more eye shadow, and brush my hair gently before dying it red."

The mirror rippled then began to do what Missy had asked it to do. Ruby and Jade sat in awed silence before Ruby blurted out, "Red really does suit you!"

Missy smiled at Ruby, then began explaining when she saw the look on Jade's face.

"I'm a shape-shifter. I can make myself look big or small, or disguise others. Pretty cool, huh? Plus only really cool people get into the business. I've been working at it for five years, since I was sixteen."

Missy glanced at Jade's room again and got a gleam in her eye. "Before you two start training to become shape-shifters, I challenge you to some Dance, Dance Revolution!"

"You're on!" was the reply.

*~* JADE'S THOUGHTS

About three hours later, Jade's mom's voice carried to her door.

"Hon how was school today? And what is that?" Jade froze, wide-eyed while Missy and Ruby looked at her quizzically.

Finally Jade stammered, "I'm having some friends home from school to spend the night."

Jade and the others tramped down the stairs to find Jade's mother at the end of the staircase, hot chocolate and a platter of cookies in her hands.

"All right. Only on one condition, though." Jade's mom paused, eyebrows raised.

"That you let me have a cookie, too!" Before you go on reading, you should know something about Jade's mom. She's not... well, not a normal mom. She doesn't come to Jade's soccer games, and never drives.

Her name is Kaman, she rides on the Subway, and orders Jade around like a slave.

Her grandparents told her that she got hurt when her parents where killed by a drunk driver that, the police had confirmed, was also a murderer. Other than that, she was pretty normal... except for being totally mad.

Kaman has long, blonde hair that she usually pins back in a braid cascading down her back. She has eyes so blue they were like the ocean themselves, washing over you with the tender love that Jade craved.