Scribble

The Gem Keepers

Ruby was running. Past the house she and the others were in now, past the woods concealing it from the town, past the town, and into the sea. She stood, panting, in the surf, waves beating against her thighs.

"Use your fire now, little gem girl," the cold voice from her mind sneered. "Just try!"

"I-I-" The words stuck in her throat. She coughed and tried again to speak. "I-"

A bawling coming from the boy's room interrupted her dream. Ruby sat upright in her bed and swung her legs over the side, sliding down past Lapis Lazuli on the bottom bunk. She smiled faintly down at the younger girl before walking across the hall to where the boys slept.

Opal again. The toddler was sitting up in bed, wailing. Topaz was trying to calm him down, but to no avail. The blond boy kept crying.

"Ruby!" Emerald said, relieved. "Opal woke up a few minutes ago. It's good, but it's also sort of bad. I was having the worst dream, but I don't like it when he cries. No one likes it when he crys."

The seven-year-old kept up a mindless chatter as Ruby reached out for Opal. Topaz handed him over without hesitation. 

"Ow!" Ruby murmured as the small shock that came with touching Opal fizzed on her skin. She shook out her hand - he was getting stronger - and bumped the boy up and down.

He continued crying. Ruby grimaced. "Sapphire, will you get Amethyst? She's much better at this."

Silence. Ruby rolled her eyes and shuffled over to the boy's bed. "Sapphire!" she said, louder and this time punctuated by a kick. 

"I'm awake!" came the muffled cry from the boy, who sat up and glared at the girl. "You didn't have to."

Ruby smirked, as much as you can smirk while trying to calm a screaming child. "I know. Now get Am!"

Sapphire got up as slowly as possible, only moving quickly when Ruby aimed another kick at him.

The girl began rubbing Opal's head - a bad idea. A static shock traveled up her arm, making it tingle and go numb.

With one arm half-useless and the other holding a wailing three-year-old, there was nothing for Ruby to shut the window with when Topaz opened it and started calling to the birds outside. She had to settle for scolding him. "Paz!" she hissed above Opal's head. "Shut the window! Do you want everyone to hear Opal's screams?"

Topaz rolled his eyes, but slammed the rickety window shut. "It's so boring here though," he complained. "Isn't there something I could do?"

"You can start breakfast," Ruby offered. "It's almost dawn anyways. And wake up Amethyst if Sapphire hasn't."

Sapphire had, apparently, woken the older girl, because she came inside, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Amethyst!" Ruby sighed. "Take the small one."

Amethyst laughed and held her hands out for the boy, whose wails quieted as soon as he was set in her arms. She smiled down at him, then rocked him until he fell asleep, with Ruby watching in amazement. 

"Why does he sleep for you?" she asked. "I can never get him to sleep. He doesn't like me."

Amethyst raised an eyebrow. "He's three. Give him some slack. He only falls asleep with me because of my gem." Amethyst held up the purple stone, hanging on a delicate chain from her neck, to prove her point.

Ruby lifted up her own gem, held on a leather strip, and considered it. "You're right. Let's help Topaz with breakfast."

She led the way down the stairs and grabbed the last of the milk, mixing it with flour to make simple biscuits. Topaz was frying eggs and Amethyst started setting out plates, glasses, and a small bowl of berries.