Journey for the Gem

JFTG- Please-Don't-Hate-Me Chappy 17

^_^ RUBY'S THOUGHTS

Ruby hollered as she waved her arms over her head.

"Hey yo, TAXI!" she bellowed. This was Hollywood, where cab rides where impossible to catch and where the price for a funnel cake was outrageous.

They had just figured out that Hollywood had a huge gaping hole in it that seemed the ideal place for Set to hide out and stash the ManyGems stone.

So, they were hiking up the freaking Hollywood mountain. On a taxi cab's hood. Don't ask.

Just pretend that your next step will be your last, Ra had said to her. That's happened to me before, with that Isis girl.

Ruby had glanced over to Jade, and she had made a face at her. Jade was probably getting obnoxious advice from Isis as well; so were the others.

Ruby was nervous, excited, angry, burning, energized, scared, and running on adrenaline.

Who knew if the ManyGems stone was really up there, if it would really save her brother, Jade's father, or Jasper's mother. Anything was possible.

Set could be in a panda bear suit, dancing to Stayin' Alive on the outside of the hole in the Hollywood letters. Ruby doubted that, though it would make a funny postcard.

Ruby's daydreams ended abruptly as the cab jerked to a stop and she almost face-planted into the ground from five feet off the ground. Not. Good.

So this was it. Oh gosh. What if they paid that cab driver two hundred bucks for nothing? What if Set had bailed? What if the ManyGems stone wasn't up there? Worse... what if the ManyGems stone didn't bring her brother back?

Breathe in. Breathe out. Ruby almost fainted as her feet hit the ground. Breathe in. Breathe-

"Race you to the top!"

Jasper's holler made Ruby jerk to a stop and tumble ten feet before she managed to regain footing.

No one bothered to ask if she was okay or not; they were all preoccupied in their own thoughts.

After about two hours of endless climbing, worrying, starvation, and grimacing, they reached the top of the mountain.

Ruby glanced up at the sky, and saw the beautiful sunset. A good omen for a probably bad ending. They were doomed.

It was no doubt that Set was and still occupied the Hollywood sign. Ruby could feel a godly presence, like when she had felt Geb.

They walked up to the crater in the Hollywood sign.

"Well, pretty-pretty, you first," Jasper said to Jade, all gentlemanliness gone.

*~* JADE'S THOUGHTS

Jade took a deep breath and forced herself to climb into the sign. It was outside and hot, but as soon as she stepped through the sign and into the hidden cave, she felt a shiver run through her. She felt Ruby brush against her. At least she hoped it was Ruby; she didn't dare turn.

It was light enough to see in the sign; the sun reached through the slats in the top and through the hole.

It was clear that Set was an animal. He littered Beef Jerky wrappers around and you could smell that he hadn't showered in at least a week or two.

Suddenly Opal called out.

"Guys! Come here!" Opal said, her voice hushed with panic.

"What's wrong?" asked Jasper, his face knotted with concern as they found Opal on the ground.