EMERALD GONZALES.
pearl.
the first thing i saw when i look up was the familiar set of pearly white teeth beaming up at me in a large smile, until i finally connected my eyes and gaze at his ocean blue irises.
"niall?" i echo out once again.
for the first time in three years since we parted in dunkirk, i finally saw him in person once again. nothing much has changed upon me inspecting and looking at him up and down, he looks a bit taller and more toned, but all in all he still exactly looks the same.
however i noticed one thing that changed about him that he told me before he will never do again.
"why are you a brunette?" i gasp out instantly.
brunette is niall's natural hair colour and ever since he ran away like me at a young age, he keeps on bleaching his hair and he swore he will never go back to being a brunette because it reminds him of his old self. his "old weak vulnerable" self, as he puts it to words, his past self life. ever since that moment, we bleach our hair together with the same colour.
we share the same kind of fucked up past.
"whoa, slow down you still have a gun aimed at my friend," niall chuckles lightly, walking towards me and the man who is still on his knees in front of me.
he stretches out his arm to reach the gun in my hand, taking it on his own hold. i willingly let go of the gun, permitting him to get it. he suddenly clicks a button on the grip of the gun, making it release the magazine full of bullets and fall to the ground. the clank of the metal bullets sounds in the air, the once loaded gun being empty and not a threat or weapon to be used anymore.
"you can now stand up, z."
the man scrambles quickly to stand up, hiding behind niall's body, using niall's body as a shield.
"god, it's even his birthday today. sorry mate for that surprise birthday present from my sister," niall comments.
the man, or should i call "z" mumbles something i cannot quite hear and understand.
"what the fuck is happening," i blurt out.
niall raises one brow at me, a teasing glint reflecting in his gaze at me.
"is that how you greet your brother?" he smirks, putting his hands on his hips.
my mind did not comprehend its next actions, and all i know the next thing i did was throw my arms around his shoulders, jumping to wrap my legs around his waist like a koala, for a big warm hug.
niall's familiar scent and perfume invades my nostrils and his warmth engulfing my whole body. he instinctively catches me, wrapping his arms around me as we hug in front of my still opened door. tears welled up in my eyes uncontrollably as it seemed like every memories i have with niall suddenly flashes in my head, from the day we met in a small convenience store in new york up until the last goodbye we had in dunkirk three years ago.
"i have missed you so much, ni," i cry out in his shoulders, trying to breathe in my nose since my sinuses are clogged up from me sobbing.
"there is not a day i'm not thinking about you, thinking about when i'll be with my sister again," niall confesses, his voice breaking from much emotion.
the long embrace ended too soon, i once again stood on my feet on the ground. me and niall pull away from each other, i look up to see him wiping the tears that formed in his eyes.
niall pulls me back once again to him, him kissing the top of my head until he lets me go once more.
once again, my mind did not comprehend its next actions.
i raise my closed fist to punch him on his chest, just strong enough to lightly inflict pain and not the intention to knock his breath out.
"emerald!" niall whines in surprise.
"where the hell have you been!" i raise my voice.
"well i'm about to tell you that if you will just kindly let me and z in on your house," niall smiles, big smile that means something behind it.
"why the fuck did you let that man the one to knock on your door!" i counterback with a question.
i hear a cough behind niall, making me and niall look at him.
"oh! where's my manners? emerald, this is my friend zayn. and zayn, you know her, my baby sister," niall quickly introduces, waving his hand between me and this guy zayn.
"hi i'm zayn malik, it's nice to finally meet you," the pretty man stretches his arm for a handshake, his british accent with a twang of new york accent evident as he speaks.
i cross my arms around my chest, raising my eyebrows at him, still skeptical and cautious of zayn.
a moment of awkward silence lingers in the air, zayn shying away from my stare at him and bringing his hand down.
"emerald! be nice to him!" niall whispers.
"no, no. it's okay horan."
"horan?" i suddenly wondered. zayn once again looks at me, a confused look on his face.
"h-horan? niall horan right, you're niall horan mate?" zayn stammers.
"you know his real name?" i question, surprised him knowing seemingly too much about niall.
"he bloody knows yours too now let us in on the house," niall waves nonchalantly.
a gasp emits from my throat. "what? how? you know our protocols in the team! about private information, even not using real names!"
niall rolls his eyes at me, swinging an arm to put on my shoulder, pulling me beside him.
"zayn can be trusted, i promise you. he's a good guy, trust me," niall states with a smile.
i glare at niall while he was still smiling down at me. i finally sigh and shake my head at him. i bring my gaze once again to zayn and raise my own hand for a handshake this time for him.
"emerald gonzales," i introduce myself, still being distant and skeptical.
he beams at me and shakes my outstretched hand eagerly.
"i'm zayn. zayn malik," he reintroduces himself once again.
"i'm sorry about err, you know, hitting you down there," i apologise to him.
"don't worry about it, niall warned me that would happen beforehand," zayn smiles, shrugging it off.
"why did you let him the one knock on the door!" i hiss at niall who still has his arm wrapped around my shoulders, lightly hitting him on his chest.
"looking for some thrill and action this evening," niall smiles sickly once again at me in response.
"i could have killed him here and then."
"you're a robber, not a murderer."
my eyes widened when niall just casually said that, in front of a complete stranger.
"niall!" i hiss again, looking at zayn then him back once again.
"oh, he knows! that's why he's with me today," he assures me back.
"don't worry i'm not some sort of secret spy or fbi, you can trust me," zayn backs up.
i just furrowed my eyebrows at niall, still confused with what was happening.
"where's the jewel?" i ask.
after my question as if on cue, two cars pulled up and parked in front of my house. one car being a bright yellow lamborghini and the other one, being a silver audi r8, parking respectively beside niall's car which is a black land rover.
wow, my own black mercedes convertible is not lonely anymore in the front yard.
"who were you asking for again?" niall teases, squeezing my shoulders.
from the bright yellow lamborghini, a woman got out and much to my suspicion, the only person i know who will drive a bright coloured car like that came out.
zemira.
another person came out from the passenger seat, a dark gloom expression resting on her face as she rolled her eyes at zemira.
davina.
"i am never riding with you again!" i hear davina grumbles, stomping her way towards where me, niall, and zayn are still standing holding several food paper bags.
zemira with a big smirk on her face, pushing her sunglasses off her face up until it is resting on the top of her hair.
"you're just mad i didn't let you drive my car," she replies to a fuming davina.
"i am mad because you keep on running over the bumps! making these foods almost spill from its containers!" davina yells.
zemira is not phased with davina's yelling and just continues smirking even more, pissing dav even more.
"oh shush, it's like we were riding a rollercoaster on the way here."
on the silver audi r8, james dean walked out of the car as i expected. his familiar blonde hair standing tall in his head, baby blue knitted sweater clad his body together with brown trousers and gucci sneakers. he opened his passenger door to retrieve more boxes and paper bags, slamming the door once emptying the seat.
atticus.
"oi, are you still fighting?" atticus asks the two women who stopped and walked back to help him carry all the boxes.
"you should've let me ride with you, atti," dav grumbles.
"oh we are stronger than ever! the ride on the way here cemented our friendship even harder!" mira happily informs atticus, eliciting an eye roll from dav and a snort from atti.
ruby, topaz, and diamond walk together towards me, sapphire, and zayn who just stood there silently watching them reach us.
"oh good lord goodness gracious! emerald gonzales you are alive!" zemira shouts in excitement, speeding to run in front of me. as soon as she reached me, she did not think twice hugging me with the paper bags still in her grip and niall still on my side.
"let me go first," niall whines, removing himself from the hug.
"let me carry that for you," zayn reaches out to get the paper bags in mira's hold.
"we have been looking for you, in like forever! from all over the world!" zemira exclaims, pulling me finally in a bone crushing hug.
"well i have just been here in corsica, france all along," i squeak out, trying to hug zemira back.
"you sure don't want to be found, huh?" she comments back, making me go silent as we hug each other tightly on my front porch.
"now zemira don't hog the boss all over yourself and let us greet her too," i hear atti say from behind.
zemira finally breaks the hug, a big grin painted on her red lips. she grasps my face in between her hands before giving me two pecks on both of my cheeks.
my classic zemira, oh how much i have missed her.
"boss!" atti greets brightly. my heart warmed at his familiar greeting and how much i have missed seeing him.
"come here and give me a hug, james dean."
atti soon wraps his arms around my waist for a hug, my arms automatically making their way on his shoulders to hug him back with much force. the baby blue knitted sweater feels soft against my face, making my heart swell because this just means that he went to see his mother since he once told me how his mother loves knitting and crocheting. i feel my feet being lifted off the ground and soon i feel atti spinning us together still in the hug, making me squeal and laugh at his actions, burying my face in his neck.
"you don't know how much i have missed you, em," atti states, bowing down lightly to kiss the top of my head like niall did earlier.
"i've missed you so much too, atti," i smile warmly at him, reaching out to squeeze his hand.
i turn my head to look at the last jewel member i have yet to hug and talk to.
"davina," i start.
she raises her brow in recognition and i roll my eyes at her. i move towards her and hug her tightly, dav silently chuckling.
"you're not easy to find," dav mutters in my shoulder.
"well you found me now," i exhale a chuckle.
"you know i'll always wait for you, whenever you want to be found," she replies.
"so you wait for me in the sky?" i grin.
"i'll wait for you 'till the world falls aparts."
with that, we broke away our hug and i scrunch my nose at her.
"the world is falling apart already, you have found me now," i wink at her before turning my back to face everyone again.
"so?" i inquired.
niall gestures in the open front door and i roll my eyes at them playfully.
"oh my god? there are five strangers in front of my house whom i don't even know at all? for all i know they could be thieves, should i let them in?" i fake shock and ask myself, keeping my laughter.
i walk towards the open front door to open it widely for everyone.
"well for all we, five strangers, know, this house we are entering is the house of a robbery mastermind," zemira replies, making all of us laugh together.
"come in, darlings."
everyone starts to walk in the house, and i make my way towards the living room just to see the steak still waiting for me.
"ooh, is that a steak?" niall asks and i slap his arm.
"you all disrupted my evening and don't you all dare eat that steak, let me eat that in peace. i thought there was a killer in front of my door, i was ready to even beg for them to let me eat that precious steak for one last time," i say, arranging the pillows on the couch for them to sit on.
"it looks marvelous and appetizing," atti commends.
"thank you, my beloved. you're the only one who can appreciate my cooking skills."
"it looks shit to be honest," zemira counters and i turn around to glare at her, making her raise her hands in surrender.
"anyways," i change the topic. "what's with the boxes you're all carrying?"
i see them putting all the food on the table where my steak is sitting, then i saw a birthday cake box.
"well it's zayn's birthday here," dav mumbles.
"oh yes, happy birthday, zayn," i nod at him, him nodding back at me.
"and all of these foods are for us. time to celebrate since we're all finally reunited and alive!" atti announces happily.
"well these foods are maybe nothing compared to the amazing dinner dishes you probably eat every sunday with your neighbours," niall says nonchalantly.
i freeze at niall's words, my eyes widening in shock and confusion.
"how did you know that i go to dinner with them every single sunday night?" i ask.
everyone froze at what they were doing and suddenly, the whole living room was more interesting than staring back at me.
"well…" atti tries to start but trails off.
i raise my eyebrows at all of them, still no one returning their gaze on me. i look at each one of them, niall who is pretending to dust off the painting that is hanging here in the living room, davina who is still arranging the food in the table, atti who is playing with the lavender lilies i got earlier in the flower vase, zemira who is opening the drawer and examining the guns and knives i have hidden in the said drawer, and finally zayn who is sitting on the couch while playing with his nose ring and his other hand holding his crotch which i kneed extremely hard earlier.
my eyes widen still when i remember what i did to him, and to think its his birthday today.
"you guys can answer me later. wait for me here until i grab something in the kitchen. no one touch my steak and drink my wine!" i loudy announce, leaving the living room to head to the kitchen.
i reach the kitchen and head straight into the freezer, getting some frozen peas i have stuck in there and a clean kitchen cloth to wrap it around. i do not know exactly what to do to ease the pain of getting hit in the crotch, and i have seen this kind of technique once or twice in movies.
i went back to where everyone was and walked to sit beside zayn, handing him the makeshift ice pack.
"here. i'm sorry for kneeing you again earlier," i genuinely apologise to him once again, meeting his brown hazel eyes.
"honestly, no worries. you're forgiven," he laughs, taking the frozen peas out of my hands.
i look up to see everyone watching me and zayn and upon me looking up, they all break away their gaze and continue to pretend doing something.
i roll my eyes at them, reaching out to retrieve the knife and fork beside my plate.
i stab the steak harshly, emitting nails on chalkboard sound scrape, making me grit my teeth and squint my eyes at the unpleasant sound it created. i hear small gasps and feel everyone's stare at my next moves. i start to cut a small piece of my now cold steak, bringing a piece of meat on my meat.
god, it is still delicious.
"you guys can sit down, you know," i say after swallowing the steak, not looking up at them.
i hear the shuffle sounds of feet sitting on the L-shaped couch. i bring the glass of wine to cleanse my palate, sighing at the heavenly taste of white wine.
"you can all either start to eat now or start to talk for how long you are all spying on me or maybe do both, i'm pretty sure you're all hungry," i state, bringing my gaze on them.
"well it's not really spying," atti smiles sheepishly at me.
"go on then," i shrug and continue to eat while they try to start speaking.
"we spied on you for two months," davina drops.
"davina!" i hear niall, mira, and atti whisper hastily at dav.
"i'm listening," i nod, urging them to continue.
i hear collective sighs before niall starts to speak and explain.
"you are so hard to find, em, and it's funny because we all thought you wouldn't be here in france while hiding, maybe you'd be in asia, but you were here all along. then atti finally tracked you down six months ago and found one of your off-shore bank accounts through your credit card," niall explains.
"then we start to make a plan on how we can verify it's truly you all along, then decide to make a plan to just observe you for two months from afar, not going near you and approaching you yet," dav continues.
"then we saw you seemingly living a normal peaceful life, having a routine. you work, buy flowers, visit your old neighbours, then go home. sometimes you go to the beach by yourself or with your co-workers for a swim, then decline their invitation when they ask you to go drink with them. then every sunday, for two months straight, we notice how you always go to your neighbours and have different themed dinners. you'd sometimes even grill in the backyard, just the three of you," zemira states.
"you're extremely happy, and we haven't even received a single sign from you. if you ever want to be found or not, so we decided not to come up to you first and just observe you for two months," atti ends the explanation.
i swallow the guilt down my throat and blink a couple of times to get rid of the tears starting to well up in my eyes.
i hold an index finger up, catching their attention. "let's make one thing clear."
they all move closer to pay attention to my next words.
"don't ever come near jaspé and perle. i don't want any harm on them, and i'm not saying you guys will harm them. it's because of who we are. even though i'm well aware that i'm dangerous for them but i'm selfish i know, i still keep on pretending i'm not fucked up and almost the most wanted person in england and continue making them a part of my life. i don't want them to be dragged to my hell life and past, just please i don't want any harm to be linked to them."
i see their facial expressions soften at me, nodding in understanding.
"we know how much you care for them," niall says.
"you protect them, we all protect them as well," zemira firmly states.
this time, i am the one who nodded at all of them in understanding. i swallow the last piece of steak before contemplating my next words, drinking a glass of white wine.
"i am sorry."
upon saying those words, everyone's face morphs in confusion and breathes out a gasp of confusion.
"what for?" dav asks.
"because i never gave a sign. because i thought i could pretend to be normal and fall down in the illusion i could erase my past and start a new life. because i never put an effort in finding all of you," i further explain, tears welling once again in my eyes.
why am i being so emotional today. get a grip, emerald.
"that is understandable, we all have been like that in the first year or so. we thought we could all start over and forget the past, live a new identity," atti smiles at me warmly, making me smile in return.
"but we know you're still on a mission even being in this kind of life," niall hints.
i bite my lip and nod in confirmation. "i was. i am."
i look at my side and see zayn giving me a concerned look, him being the quietest person in this room.
"i don't want to be found because i don't want to be back yet in our crazy life. this is the longest time i had in my whole life to be able to focus on one thing, which is…" i suddenly trail off.
everyone stayed silent and let me finish on my own. i take a deep breath and accept finally as to why i am really here, to why i do not want to be found at all.
"looking for my mum," i confess.
everyone remained quiet, their faces holding a sympathetic expression which i do not like the most.
"oi, stop! i don't want your sympathy or any pity, i'll be okay," i wave them off, trying to lighten up the mood. they all chuckle at my attempt, returning the positive energy in the room.
"now that finding my mum is my only mission in life, it's harder than i thought. i have nowhere to begin, no trace of her, not even a photo for reference, all i have is all the emerald jewellery she left me and the statement from the old lady who has taken care of me in the adoption house that we have the same eyes. hell, i can't still move on that i lost the necklace my mum gave me and all i have is this, her emerald engagement ring," i continue explaining.
i lift my left hand and show them my left ring finger where my mum's engagement ring lies. the ring is a big solitaire cut of a deep intense toned dark emerald stone, its colour being regarded in the spectrum of being an exceptional and rarest form of emerald. the solitaire cut gemstone is sitting on the thick platinum band of the ring, securing the stone in place. i have searched the origins of this emerald ring or even who has the rarest emerald stones in the world and did not get any signs that could be helpful in finding and tracking down my mother. this solitaire cut emerald stone is however one of the most expensive kinds of gem. the former queen victoria iv from the british royalty or monarchy, which is the mother of the reigning king of england and northern ireland at the present moment, has this kind of rare emerald cut stones as well. it is one of her famous prized jewellery possessions, her being the only one owning this type of one of a kind emerald stones, being the most expensive emerald in the world and to exist.
well her own set of emeralds and my mother's emerald engagement ring which is in my possession. i do sometimes wonder what if my mother is connected to queen victoria iv? or the royal family? because i wonder where this ring came from. it would be fun to imagine having royal blood, but that is extremely impossible and out of reach.
everytime people see me wearing the ring, they all automatically assume i am a taken and an engaged woman.
"now enough of that sappy shit, we are here to celebrate, yes? now go eat and tell me where did you all meet and all your stories, i have missed you all," i wave off once again, changing the subject.
everyone started to get their paper plates and get food from the variety of options laid on the table.
"well we are all in for a long night," atti chuckles, making everyone laugh in agreement.
"i miss us being together, god i can't believe i missed all of you bunch of idiots," mira teasingly remarks, earning scoffs from around the room.
"oi! you're the only idiot here," dav protests with a roll of her eyes.
"well that's up for debate," mira teases back.
"shut up you two idiots," niall butts in, earning a laugh from me, zayn, and atti.
"before we go further, i think it's important to recognise a new person in the group? yes?" i ask all of them, gathering their attention.
"ah, yes! a toast for zayn malik everyone. happy fucking birthday, mate!" niall raises his glass for a toast, me doing the exact same and turning to look at zayn and bumping our glasses together.
"you should have told me it's your birthday and would have gotten you a nice present, not a surprise present from me kneeing you in your crotch," i joke at him, nudging his side.
everyone falls in a fits of laughter, zayn shaking his head as he chuckles it off.
"however, i am still suspicious of you. now tell me, why is zayn here with you all," i say, directing the question to the jewel, niall in particular.
niall finishes the remains of his wine on his glass before putting it down and setting it on the table.
"well, zayn is a new addition to the jewel team," niall nods at zayn, the latter eyeing my next reaction.
"a new addition you say? enlighten me further," i raise my brows at him, being serious instantly.
"yes. he will fill in the driver role of the team, he is the best driver and drag racer i have ever met in my life," niall proudly brags.
i cross my legs and lean back on the couch further, keeping my strict gaze on niall.
"and who agreed with him to be a part of the group? as the leader i am not informed of this decision?" i further question.
"the majority made him the part of the group, all four of us," niall shrugs, still sporting a smile on his lips.
i turn to my left to look at zayn, assessing him.
"and how can we be sure he's not like the last one we had, like onyx?"
"we have been friends for almost three years," niall informs me.
"and i know actions speak louder than words, but i am willing to do everything to show you my loyalty and i am truthful," zayn nods, butting in.
i heave a sigh, cracking my fingers as i contemplate my next words.
"why would we need a new addition in the team then?" i inquire.
after my question, everyone turned to look at each other and sent eye signals with one another on who would answer my question.
"well you see, we have a plan…" atti answers for everyone, cutting himself off and not giving more information.
"a plan huh, i am pretty sure i know what that means then," i say in amusement.
they all nod in excitement, making me roll my eyes at my friends.
"spare me the details later, let's all catch up first before going straight to business," i shake my head at them with a grin. the familiar rush of adrenaline rushing in my body, craving for excitement.
i suddenly remembered something, making me raise my hand to halt them and get their attention.
"if the majority made you as a new member, then you are now a member of the jewel. before we proceed, i am sure niall has told you about the code names we use in the group, am i right?" i turn to ask zayn, him nodding at my question.
"do you have your preferred gemstone code name?" i ask.
"i actually haven't thought about it," zayn replies, his british accent ringing in my ears.
"well you're the one who gives us our own titles," zemira interjects with a chuckle.
"what am i? the queen of england? to present you all your titles of my choice?" i roll my eyes at her, making everyone laugh.
"you can decide for me," zayn says, giving me the decision to think of his own code name.
i turn my head to assess him, to what gemstone he might fit in. there is no denying he is beautiful, about his gorgeous looks. he looks so mysterious on the outside but bright on the inside, like hidden gem need to be opened up before finding out his trueness and authenticity. he looks like a ball of brightness, a hidden sunshine in the group. he looks like having a tough shell on the outside as a cover and protection, yet once you open and break him up, he is soft and a true gem at heart.
i just know the perfect gemstone for him.
"our gemstone code names represent how i first perceive them," i start saying. "niall being sapphire because one can get lost looking at sapphires, rich dark blue colour that entices and attracts one's attention. it often steals the show when it is exhibited and shown in the room, extremely much like niall. he is a talented grifter, one could get lost in his charm and the way he moves. also, his eyes resemble sapphires, that is why i picked that stone for him.
"then ruby for zemira. a dark red gemstone yet a bright red gleaming stone when exposed in sunlight. much like zemira, she is a dark red gemstone at times where she is stubborn and hard, yet still beautiful. when exposed to light and we have cracked her shell, she becomes a bright red gleaming stone. she shines when she is with other people, burning like a fire. she is fiery and courageous, that is why ruby is fit for zemira."
"i then chose a diamond for atticus. diamond forms under pressure, extremely much like atticus. he has been under so much pressure from his life and his own personal struggles, but he overcame it slowly and surely, resulting him being stronger than ever. he became a diamond under the scrutinised eyes from his environment, from the pressure he was put on ever since he was a child. with all of that, he came out as a bright hard diamond."
"topaz is for davina. topaz is a bright yellowish-orange kind of gemstone, represents fire in my eyes. davina loves the fire, she fights fire with fire, literally and metaphorically. she is a silent killer, a silent person yet when she speaks up you can get burned from the gravity of her wise words. with that, topaz extremely and only much belongs to davina."
"and i am emerald, because literally my name is emerald. well i'm emerald because my most prominent feature is my emerald eyes, the one i inherited from my mother. emeralds are also hidden, hard to find at times, yet extremely precious and valuable, as to what niall always reminds me. you can always explore other types of gemstones, but you can't deny that an emerald is something that will always attract you, its richness in colour, the power of its strength as a stone, extremely much like me. my friends decided emerald for me, so i went with them. emerald is only for emerald."
"and for you, zayn," i open my hand motioning him before i continue. "first glance at you and my impression upon meeting you, you look so mysterious on the outside but bright on the inside, like a hidden gem that needs to be opened up before finding out its trueness and authenticity. you look like a ball of brightness, a hidden sunshine in the group. you look like having a tough shell on the outside as a cover and protection, yet once you have been open up and break up, you are soft and a true gem at heart."
"so what am i then?" zayn wonders, twisting his body facing me.
i smile widely at him as i stare at his eyes.
"pearl. you're a pearl now, zayn. welcome to the team."