Chapter 1~ The Gemstone Palace

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  • Dedicated to Lisi Harrison
                                    

Credits to Ally Guo who came up with the idea of this story and will help me edit and revise later on.

Creeeek.

            The door of Amy's bedroom cracked open just a bit, a shaft of light slicing across the dimly lit room.

            "Almost finished?" the lady behind it asked.

            "More like done," Amy replied, closing the cover of her Geometry Six textbook.

             Amy drifted into thoughts of going to school, and being around other kids and counselors and teachers besides her parents. But where she lived in Kansas, the closest school was 97 miles away. And Michael's Merriam Middle School did NOT have a good reputation.

            The words "alright, honey, I'll tuck you" broke Amy out of her dreaming. When her mom was finished tucking, she closed her eyes.

            Click. The lights were off. 

       Amy's eyes fluttered open. She was tired, and she wondered how she could have woken up so suddenly. She looked towards her clock 

        "Oh, good you're awake," Sighed a youthful woman. Her entire body was white and sheer. She was draped in silky, long fabric. Her dove-white hair flowed down to her hips in loose waves. She rummaged through her handbag and pulled out a compact mirror. Under her breath she muttered, "Took you long enough."

            Amy was shocked. "What? Who are you?" Amy wondered aloud.

            She pulled out two sticks of gloss out of her purse, not paying attention to Amy's question. "Which color do you think would look best on my lips?"

            "Um, they both look the same..."

            "What are you even talking about? One is coral and the other is Russian red." she scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion.

         "No," Amy wasn't a Kohl makeup expert or an art teacher, but she did know her colors.  "They're both white." 

          She looked down at her glosses. "Ugh, really? But Gaynu told me he fixed the Dream Rippler model seventy six... thousand? Whatever, I never trusted that liar, anyways." 

          "Huh? Who's Gaynu? And, more importantly, why are you here?" Amy shouted at the last part.

         Suddenly, the ghost got serious, a face you wouldn't expect on someone so self-obsessed and shallow. "You are needed at The Gemstone Palace tomorrow by f-"

          "What? Where i-" 

          "The Gemstone Palace is in Kettlekorn, Kansas," she return-interrupted, smirking. "120 miles away. It is important you show!"

          "Puh-lease! 120 miles is way too far for our truck. And who are you even?"

          "The world is in grave danger, Amy! You must-"

         "How do you know my name?!"  Amy gasped, as if someone had just spilled coca-cola into her lap.

      "I know more than you think! And I know that you know that you need to be in Kettlekorn tomorrow by 5 pm. And just because a random stranger tells you to go to some weird place does not mean that you shouldn't trust them!" 

          "Uh, yes it d-"

          "Silence. The Gemstone Palace is underground. You will have to visit the city cemetery,  find the tombstone that says: 'Jimmy Ace Gilbert, if only he had a windshield wiper.', and tap the letters in this order. G-e-m-p-a-l-a-c-e. It doesn't matter which letter you choose, all of them work. A building should rise from the ground. Make sure your parents don't witness this. And, bring your turquoise necklace." she said, pointing to my chest. And, with that, she was gone, just like the pizza Amy had for dinner.

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