Generation Gem

Pearl Education

Before leaving the cottage that morning, I had found the spell needed to travel to the different worlds with ease. Jamie had left it in the kitchen on the side before coming in to the bedroom to see me. I shivered as I thought of the memories from last night. The way he touched me, the way he kissed me, the way our bodies became one as we let everything else fade into nothingness.

He told me that he had fallen in love with me. I told him the same. Yet now, here I was....walking away from him, from our future, to go into a place where they tortured good people. It was my only choice. It was the right thing to do. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that if one of us had been taken, Popkins would have stopped at nothing to get us back. Everyone I met so far had been willing to risk their lives for me, so I had to do the same. And the only way I could do that with a clear head was to put Jamie and the wonderful memories of last night to the back of my mind.

The Emerald Generation entrance was only a twenty minute walk away from the cottage, so I found myself ready to do the spell quicker than anticipated. I knew that the spell worked for the other generations, but technically, once we left Pearl Eds at graduation, we were never allowed to go back to that world. I hoped with all my heart that I would get there OK.

I grabbed my wand from my pocket.

"The generations lay in wait for me, With so much to do and so much to see. Oh lovely wand, I will take care. Pearl Education...please take me there."

I gasped as my body suddenly and rapidly floated into the air. An unknown force pushed me so that I were laying down and with a loud whoosh, I started speeding through the sky. I closed my eyes, feeling distinctly nauseated. I could feel the wind whipping my long brown hair back, it almost felt as if my face were about to be pulled off from the force. And then, just as quickly as it started, I was dropped into the dome building where I had graduated. A day that now felt like a lifetime ago.

The dome was empty and vast. I hadn't realised just how big it was that day because there were so many of us crowded into it. As far as I could see, there was nobody here. The dome never got used for anything besides graduation. All I knew is that I had walked for what seemed like miles through this building so I would have to do the same again to get out.

As I made my way through, I held my wand at the ready in case any of the Pearl Eds authorities came for me before I could get to Popkins. I didn't know what spell I would do if that happened, but I wanted to be prepared. I was on high alert and every little noise I heard made me stop dead in my tracks in case it was an enemy. It took me a good two hours to finally see the exit of the building. I pushed the huge brown door open with great difficulty and peered out onto the street. This happened to be the place where the authorities would buy all general needs supplies for the students. Food, toileteries, basic stationary. Everything growing up had been severely rationed because there were so many of us. Millions of students of all different ages would be either at school right now or in their tiny solitary tents that we had to call home while under Pearl Eds.

The street so far looked pretty empty. Every shop doorway had a beige sign that stated the name. 'Pearlies' was the massive grocery store. It was down the street some way and although there were people flitting in and out of the place, I had so far been undetected. The street was completely clear in the other direction, so I decided to go that way. I closed the door behind me and took a deep breath. I felt sick to my stomach. I knew that Popkins was so close yet so far away and I didn't even know how I could rescue him when I eventually found him. But first, I had to get through this. I stepped out, trying to remember invisibility spells or anything that could help me if someone came for me. I breathed a sigh of relief as I managed to make it all the way past the dome without anyone noticing. But my relief didn't last for long.