A CRYING GEM

FOUR

      My eyes skittered over the faded wrinkled pages I'd arranged on my bed. They're all that were left of the powerful family histories of Black Hills.
      Queenie had talked about the burning down of that library four decades ago. They apparently lost most of the old good books. And the charred pages in the envelope were all that got spared from the fire.

    The interesting part was that, they were only about the Cruise.

Nobody knew of the few pages, had to flirt with Queenie so that she'd agree to handing them over from a safe hidden among that corner shelf.

      A picture of a young man, maybe in his early thirties stared at me with so much void in his eyes. Beneath it, was the name, Athaga Cruise. After reading the notes through the dirt, realised he was the first male of the Cruise for over centuries.
            And he was also the first American to join the Black Rebel revolution back in the days. A rebellion that fought hard for equality among Blacks.

   The other side of the page only gave information on how he led the group. They were all praises. Nothing weird about that, I said putting the page aside.
      Reading through the rest important people from the family, there wasn't a damn strange thing that was written.

  But then, there was this specific page, half burnt. I had to squint my eyes to put together the words from the brutality of being scorched.
  "On the eighteenth day of April, Athaga died in a mysterious drown. Years later, no one could pinpoint how he had drowned," I read aloud. It gave me a calmer feeling hearing my own voice instead of imagining the writer's, which would obviously sound raspy and heavy.
          "He had predicted his own death according to the family members. Also saying that in the eighteenth generation, the world would welcome him back through the Damned..." And that was the end. But only because the other half was presumably, burnt off.
                I inhaled like I'd also been drowning.
      It felt weird that a man would know how he'd die and not avoid it. Then say he'd be reincarnated or something in the... I stopped to check his death year. Then did a quick math.
If he talked about the eighteenth generation, then, this was the eighteenth from his existence.
     A silly laugh exploded from deep within me. I'd be the most stupid person alive to believe such nonsense. But on the other hand, at least I had learnt a bit of history.

  I gathered the pages, and slid them back in the envelope.

        As I rose, something slid to the floor... Upon checking, another page.
"Now where do you think you were-" Speech abandoned me when I picked it. The female looking back at me, she, she... "No." I actually pressed shut my eyes, then pinched my right cheek to make sure I was awake.

     'Agatha Cruise' said the name squeezed below the drawing.
And damn yah, it was her. How could I miss the cute button nose. Or the wide eyes that kept glaring at me.
    Nothing else had been written about her.
But how could she be in the historical book that was written way back in the year two hundred and forty? Eighteen thousand years ago!

    "Gotta give the Cruise a point, what kind of magic is this?" Laughed sitting back on the bed with Agatha's drawing.
Actually, stared at it close to fifteen minutes, before slipping it between my Chemistry book.
      I had to return the envelope before eight or Queenie would be toast.
*                   *                *

   School, was stupid as usual.
Same old routine, same people, lockers, hallways, classes, books.
      And the only person I had anticipated on seeing, seemed to have ditched school for the day.
Even with her mysteries, I still had my mission. She'd be sorry for....what? Being rich?
I had no idea why I wanted to torment her. I just didn't like how she acted so important, so significant. To a point that even teachers couldn't say a word about her.

     I didn't care if she had ghosts locked up in her closet, or drank human blood for breakfast. For all I knew, all those were stories, rumors.

           From Andy, learnt that she always gets to her classes early. So if I'd know what class she was to attend next, I'd have an opportunity to harass her.

        "It's Wednesday, she usually takes an extra lesson on history in the library. It's the first place you can search." Andy said, but eyed me in a sympathetic look.
    I slapped his arm lightly, "If I disappear, just be aware it's Agatha," joked before hurrying off to the left hallway.

Along the way, it wasn't difficult to notice the googly eyes, and giggles from the girls. As much as I loved flirting, had to keep my head in the game, catching Agatha.
  

      As with every library in the world, it was deathly silent.

  Most of the tables were empty.
With the occupied having only one or two busy copying notes.

    I slid in the next aisle. From her quiet nature, I assumed she would be in some lone spot. And that, I was right. Saw the spill of hot red hair facing me. It flowed down her back like a lava fall.
       Before walking to her, made sure nobody was  close.

Step by step, she never turned. Never felt my presence. Not till I poked two fingers at the small of her back and she jerked in a firm yelp.
    Like thunder was about to strike, I saw the female spring and spin at me. If possible, Agatha would have been spitting fire like a dragon.

       Before she could kill me, I coiled a hand at her waist then tugged.
Her warm body slammed against mine as she gave another low yelp of surprise.
     "Like that?"
The gray eyes rocketed to mine. The scowl, so perfect and attractive.
   "Let go of me William Denver!"
The stupid grin returned to me. "Wow! Seems like someone been doing her homework as well. And they say you ain't a normal girl that can have a crush on someone so good looking as me."

     "Let g-"
I didn't let her finish, forcefully kissed the Gothic out of her, ignoring the fingers trying to scratch off my chest.
   I pulled back to the sound of books thudding on the tiled floor from behind us.
       We both looked to whoever was there. Caught three students watching us. With an older woman, possibly the teacher, standing behind them.
   Agatha yanked herself away from me. Before running  past me, and the little crowd still rooted on their ground.

     "Oh-my-god!" The auburn-haired girl snapped. The books on the floor were hers. And after a second, she joined them from loss of consciousness.
    "You!" The teacher shot. "In the principal's office right now!"