The Ruby Secret

Chapter 3 - Happy memories

Ian was the first to wake up to then realised that Jemma was missing! "Guys, wake up!" Ian panicked. Both woke up unaware that Jemma is missing. "Have you guys seen Jemma?" Ian asked both of the guys. "We just woke up." Pat said, tiredly. "Yeah and... Where is she?!" Dan panicked. "I don't know, I just woke up to see that she was gone." Ian replied to Dan.

"We need to find her!" Dan yelled. "Do you know if she sleepwalks?" Pat asked Dan, as a response he shook his head. "Maybe she needed to go to the bathroom?" Ian said, unsure. "Maybe that's it!" Dan said before running off and calling Jemma's name. "Pat, you think that those wither skeletons..." Ian's voice trailed a bit. "From yesterday? No, I'm sure one of us would've heard it at least." Pat assumed. "I feel bad telling Dan and Jemma that everything was safe." Ian told him. "I mean, it is possible that Jemma wanted to explore." Pat assumed.

"Guys, she's not in the bathroom!" Dan yelled at the two, panicked. "Maybe she got lost coming back, I mean this place is huge. There are many different halls to get lost in." Ian assumed, observing the place. "Alright, alright here's what we're gonna do. We'll just split up and check the garage, outside and the rest of the main hall. Once those areas are cleared; we can regroup." Pat planned. "Sounds like a plan." Ian agreed. "Let's go!" Dan yelled. So they split up to find Jemma.

Meanwhile with Jen, she was still driving to the lodge while playing 'I spy' just to make sure Cloud wouldn't get bored. "I spy with my eyes, something that begins with s." Jen said. "Snow." Cloud guessed. "You're right." Jen said with a smile. "Mom, it's the only thing here for the past 5 miles." Cloud sighed. "Alright fine. I spy with my eyes, something that begins with s." Jen repeated actually thing of something else. "Again? Snow." Cloud guessed incorrectly. "Actually, it's not." Jen replied. "Then, what is it?" Cloud said as his ears pointed upwards in surprise. "It's s for sad face because that's what you have right now." Jen explained. Later, Cloud's face looked a bit troubled. "Mom, can you pull over?" He asked Jen. She did and asked why, but to then realise that Cloud was busting. "Go ahead, I'll stay here." Jen told Cloud as he got out of the car.

Cloud tried to look for a place to do his 'business' but to be stopped many times by animals watching. Since Cloud use to be a cat, he found this very awkward and never went to do his 'business' and he just walked back to the car. "Cloud are you okay? You look flushed." Jen asked him confused. "Don't say that..." Cloud said embarrassed. "Cloud?" Jen asked. "Let's just go to the lodge. The sooner we can get there the better." Cloud just said. "Uhh, O-okay." Jen said starting the car.

Back to Pat and the other guys, they regroup after clearing the garage, the main hall and outside to find Jemma. "Anything?" Dan asked, still worried. "No, I didn't see her anywhere." Pat said in a guilty tone. "I came up with nothing as well. Not even a trace of anything being moved in this place." Ian sighed. "But where could she have gone?" Dan asked the two. "Well, we've searched everywhere we've been so that means we'll have to go deeper into the lodge." Pat explained to them.

All three men then walked to the first hallway, which was very dark and creepy, but that didn't stop Dan from getting his wife back. "I'm coming over, Jemma!" Dan yelled before running into the hallway. "Dan!" Pat called but he was long gone... "Dan has the right idea. As creepy as this place looks, we have to remember it's huge. I think, we should split up and continue looking around." Ian suggested. "Maybe, but this all the stuff going on. I think it's safer to stick together when checking places we've never been." Pat said disagreeing.

"I know, but given that fact that Jemma is missing. I don't think we have much of a choice, we honestly don't know if she's in danger. The faster we find her the better." Ian replied to him. "Alright, if anything happens just holler." Pat told Ian. "Gotcha." Ian said, before they bother walked into the hallway.

Dan on the other hand was still searching for Jemma. "Jemma? Jemma? Oh no, if anything happens to Jemma, I'll go insane... It's not like I could call her either, there's no signal" Dan told himself, before continuing to walk. However, Dan stopped on an unstable part of the floor and fell in, he also got stuck in it. "Help! Anyone!" Dan yelled, but to see 2 mice come up to him. "Hey, can you guys get help?" Dan asked, unsure if they understand him. But they went away, probably to get some help while Dan was struggling to get out.

Back to Pat, he walked into a room that look very familiar to him. A small memory hit him and it was when he was just a little boy and was playing with his kitten, Kitty, who has now passed away a few years ago. 'We stayed in this room when I was little.' Pat thought to himself. "Jemma, Jemma! Are you in here?" Pat called out. "Pat?" Ian said walking into the room.

"I thought you were Jemma for a moment." Pat sighed. "No, unfortunately I'm not. This is terrible! How can we have lost Jemma?" Ian angrily asked. "I don't know, this doesn't seem like her too." Pat answered. "Have you known her long?" Ian asked him. "No, I met her a few weeks after she married Dan, about a few years ago and we've never really talked to each other much." Pat told Ian. "Oh, you were engaged to Jen at the time, right?" Ian asked. "Yeah." Pat answered.

"Huh? Pat, what's that in your pocket?" Ian asked, noticing something red glowing. "Oh this. I don't know, it's some sort of jewel, I guess." Pat answered taking out the ruby from his pocket. "Pat, that's a really rare gem!" Ian exclaims. "It is?" Pat questioned. "Yes! Or well it looks like it." Ian answered. "Does it do something?" Pat asked as he doesn't know much about gems. "I'm not sure. My father talked about them a lot!" Ian explained. "Wait a minute, you don't know?" Pat asked as he knows that Ian is a smart person.

"Well, usually I do. But even in those world there are things I don't understand." Ian said. But then, they heard a car outside. "Huh? What was that?" Ian asked, confused. Both of them went to the balcony to see Cloud running inside and Jen beside the car. "It's Jen!" Pat said, excitedly before running to the door. "Get out of my way, I need the restroom!" Cloud yelled running inside.

Pat and Ian walked outside to see Jen wearing Cloud's hoodie. "Jen!" Pat yelled running to her for a hug. "Pat!" Jen yelled also running to him for a hug. "I missed you." Pat told her. "I miss you, too!" Jen said back to him. "Awww! Oh Jen, is Cloud okay?" Ian asked her. "Ian! I'm glad to see that your safe as well and about Cloud, he just needs to go to the bathroom." Jen answered. "Does he know where it is?" Pat asked Jen. "Probably not..." Jen answered.

Cloud walked into a room that isn't the bathroom, but to then hear that the door closed. He turned to see Jemma with blue eyes rather than her usual bright lime green eyes. "My love, I've waited for you for so long..." She said to Cloud. Cloud knew that Jemma's possessed because of his cat eyes. "I'm sorry but you got the wrong person, you have your husband, Dan." Cloud said trying to play it cool. "I don't have the wrong person nor that I have a husband, my love... You're the only one for me..." Possessed Jemma said to him getting closer. "Leave Aunt Jemma alone, you ghost!" Cloud yelled. "What are you talking about? I am Jemma." The ghost said, pinning Cloud to the wall. "Don't you-" The ghost cut him off. "Kiss me~" She desperately said. "No!" Cloud yelled. "I love you~" The ghost said before fainting. "Aunt Jemma!" Cloud yelled.

"What's going on? Those screaming and- Jemma!" Ian said as he walked into the door, followed by Pat and Jen. "Jemma! Is she alright?!" Jen asked concerned. "She's possessed!" Cloud told them. "What?" Pat asked confused. "The ghost possessed Aunt Jemma and made her try to kiss me." Cloud recounted. "Are you serious?" Ian asked Cloud and he nodded.

"This room looks like it's been live in." Pat commented looking at the room. "Haven't you guys been here?" Jen asked Pat. "No, we haven't explored the house that much. But this place, someone's been here." Pat answered. "Let's get Jemma down to rest." Ian suggested. "Yeah, she looks a little pale." Jen agreed. "Wait, I still need to use the bathroom!" Cloud yelled running out of the room, while the three tried to carry Jemma.

Dan was still stuck in the floor with the mice giving him cheese. "Guys, seriously. I'm glad I'm like your new king or something but I don't want cheese! I just want to get out!" Dan told the mice. But they didn't do anything. "HELP!" Dan yelled...