Jewel glanced around the group as she spoke. “Before Ella came over to the river’s edge with Skye, I was going to tell Winter about a memory I saw when I read Shade’s mind back in the Pixie forest. But I think that instead of trying to explain it, I’m just going to telepathically send it to all of you to see.” She explained, getting a lot of nods of understanding in return.
Jewel closed her eyes, not because she needed to, but because everyone was looking at her with worry, concern, and a wariness that was making her feel more than slightly uncomfortable and self-conscious. Not to mention that not only was she seeing everyone’s auras clear as day, but she was starting to feel their emotions as well and it was becoming overwhelming.
Jewel concentrated on sending out the memory she had witnessed while perusing Shade’s jumbled mind. She heard hisses, sighs, clucks of disapproval, and huffs as the group was given a front row ticket to how deep Ella’s betrayal ran. But it was Jade’s reaction that startled Jewel the most.
Jade had taken a step back from the group, a low guttural growl escaping her lips, as she dropped to her knees and wailed a sound of fury and pain. Everyone gave her wide berth, but Jewel dropped down on the ground in front of her. She could feel Jade’s pain and rage and it was awakening her own.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Jewel asked as objects began levitating off the ground. It was common knowledge that magic, and powers were directly affected by emotion, and right now Jade’s were running rampant, causing her telekinesis to kick into overdrive.
“That was him. That was him!” Jade roared, her green eyes lighting up with each word. “He’s the one responsible for killing my sister. He’s the one that executed my parents. He’s the one! And she knew. She knew this whole time who he was.” She finished and even though she hadn’t said Ella’s name, Jewel knew deep down that that was the ‘she’ that Jade had referred to.
The Meadow was deathly quiet, as though it too felt Jade’s pain. Pieces of stone and quartz beginning swirling in the air. The branches on the gemstone trees arched at an unnatural angle as Jade’s rage took control over her telekinetic abilities. Everything was beginning to levitate, even Jade, as her coppery hair fluttered abound her head as though she was underwater and not just standing outside. Her jade green eyes were watery but fiery at the same time, and when they caught the light, they looked crystalline in appearance.
Jewel reached out a hand to try and get Jade’s attention, and unfortunately it worked. Jade’s eyes snapped to Jewel’s, and held her gaze for a moment, before roaring and thrusting her arm out. Jewel felt the power of the telekinetic blow and it was so forceful that it actually picked her up and flung her into the river.
Jewel had been so surprised by Jade’s reaction that she wound up swallowing a few mouthfuls of water. She made a pitiful attempt at keeping some of her dignity as she sputtered and clawed her way out of the river’s current, slipping a few times in the process. She knew that Jade was hurting, but Jewel had her own oversized bags of pain and turmoil to deal with, and she felt her anger rising.
“Hey Troll. What gives?” Jewel sneered as she made her way back to Jade who was still levitating and who had a look of fury on her face that transformed her into something out of a horror movie.
“This is all your fault. All of it. Everyone you’re around gets killed or needs to be frozen, so they don’t die. I lost my entire family. Do you have any idea what that’s like? My twin. My beautiful twin. She didn’t deserve to die so young and definitely not by the hand of a Dispatcher. If you had just stayed away, none of this would have happened. I hate you, Hybrid. I hate you!” Jade screamed as she thrust her arms out towards Jewel again, causing pieces of stone and quartz to whip in her direction. But unfortunately for Jade, Jewel was ready this time.
Jewel anticipated Jade’s move before she even made it and ducked and dodged the oncoming onslaught of debris, while using her wind power to bat away a few pieces that surely would have hit her. As Jewel stood, she felt her body thrumming with power. She saw her skin emitting that same glow and she knew her eyes were like pieces of emerald in fire. Jade floated down from her levitating kneel and for the first time looked a bit unsure.
“Uh, Spitfire. Meadow to Spitfire, come in Spitfire.” Rain said, attempting to snap Jewel out of it, but it was no use. Jewel had already been on the verge of a breakdown and now she was getting blamed again for something that she didn’t have control over. It was simply too much.
“Gem……Gem?” Frost said soothingly. “She’s hurting Gem. She didn’t mean what she said. She’s on our side.”
“Then maybe she should have kept her mouth shut.” Lyric proposed. “Draconis has been through more than we could ever imagine and she hasn’t asked for any of this.”
“Agreed.” Dream said. “None of this is her fault, and she certainly didn’t deserve to be flung into the river.” She stated, adding with a nod, “I mean, look at her……she’s drenched.”
“Green……..I know you’re angry, but remember about what we talked about……choices and the prophecy and all that. Don’t do something you’ll regret.” Galadriel stated, his dark brown eyes laden with worry.
“It is her fault.” Jade hissed, a sneer upon her face that reminded Jewel of why she hadn’t gotten along with Jade to begin with. “She has no idea how much pain we have all endured on her behalf. She doesn’t understand how any of this feels.”
“How what feels, exactly, Troll?” Jewel said, giving off a false sense of calm. Her heart was racing, and she felt like her power was about to burst from her like water from a cracked dam. Jewel cocked her head to the side as she felt her own powers taking over. “I asked you a question. How what feels?”
“This. All of this.” Jade answered with a flourish of her arms. “Being separated from loved one’s. Watching them die right in front of you. Losing your entire family in one moment because some lunatic is dead-set on capturing the one individual who seems to always escape death.” She said, taking a step back as Jewel approached her slowly. Jade might have not known when to stop talking, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t slightly afraid of the way that Jewel was looking at that moment.
“I’ve known more pain through my life than you could even fathom. In fact, I’ve known nothing but pain, and abuse, and heartbreak since I was taken from my family by Gertrude Bile.” Jewel said, each word becoming louder and more filled with venom. “I’ve been physically, emotionally, and mentally abused. I’ve been betrayed over and over and over again.” She screamed, stalking towards Jade as she spoke. “I’ve lost my family, gotten one family member back, and then lost him all over again. I’ve just watched a woman, who was more like my Mother than my own Mom ever had the opportunity to be, die right before my eyes. And you dare speak to me about not knowing pain?” She asked in disbelief. “Let me show you what kind of pain I have, and maybe it’ll change your mind.”
“Green! Nooooooo!” Galadriel shouted, lunging towards Jewel but all it took was a flick of her wrist and he, along with the rest of the group were teleported to the other side of the Meadow. Setting her gaze on Jade once more, Jewel allowed her empath power to hit Jade full force, only this time, she wasn’t reading Jade’s emotions, she was emitting her own.
She hadn’t wanted to cause Jade pain, not really. She only wanted Jade to experience what Jewel was feeling. To allow Jade to truly know what Jewel had to endure and battle through each and every day. Because then, maybe, just maybe, Jade would understand that Jewel understood all too well what it was like to feel loss.
Jewel felt a crawling sensation on her arms, probably the Renuviants that Jewel had momentarily forgotten were there, but she pushed those thoughts away and flooded Jade’s minds with her memories, starting with her upbringing with Gertrude. Memories of being controlled to the point of not being able to leave, being hit, being told that she was worthless played repeatedly- different scenarios, but always abuse. She allowed Jade to feel the hope that she had once felt when Shade came
and rescued her. She allowed Jade to feel the betrayal of Manti Sectin, the sting of Emmie Brook’s death, and the disappointing realization that Shade was no better than Gertrude. She allowed Jade to feel every emotion tied to finding out that Hammond Leaks was really her Dad, mere moments before his body was placed in a frozen state. And she pushed forth every emotion she had surrounding Winter’s death.
Jade writhed on the ground in pain, clutching the sides of her head as though that would somehow help, but it was the screaming- the incessant screaming that caused Jewel to pause, because it wasn’t just Jade’s. It was her own as well.
Jewel felt herself being tackled to the ground and embraced in a vice like grip that was both unyielding and full of love. Jewel roared her frustration at not being let go of, but in truth, she didn’t try very hard to break free. Within moments, she saw Jade roll over onto her back, and start to sob. Jewel’s empath power receded and left Jewel with a void. A feeling of nothingness. She knew she should feel bad for Jade. She should feel compassion towards her pain. She knew what Jade was experiencing, she had felt it, and she could see it within her aura. But for the first time in a long time, she just couldn’t bring herself to care. Jade wasn’t the first in a long line of individuals blaming Jewel for things out of her control, but today had not been the day to infer that Jewel didn’t know what pain was.
Pain was the one thing that Jewel had the most experience with and it was the one thing that she desperately tried to spare others.
“Green……Green.” Galadriel said soothingly as he held Jewel in his strong arms and rocked her back and forth. “It’s okay, Green. I got you. It’s okay.”
And the emotional dam broke open. Jewel cried a river of tears and then some. She felt her emotional pain becoming physical as her body was wracked with shudders of unbelievable anguish. She couldn’t have stopped if she had wanted to, and truth be told, it was exactly what she needed. She clutched onto Galadriel as though he was the only anchor keeping her from fading into nothingness, and he allowed it, every now and then whispering that she was special and that if he could take away her pain, he would. Her power ebbed and flowed from her body as it began to warm to an uncomfortable point. She knew she should calm down, but much easier said than done, because the more she tried to calm down, the more her emotions took over. Jewel felt her insides begin to burn, as her power coursed through her veins like hot lava down a volcano. Over and over again, her body was wracked with an all-consuming pain, both physical and mental, until Jewel finally felt her energy depleting. Stars appeared behind Jewel’s eyes and unconsciousness finally offered her some sweet relief.
Chapter Fifteen
The Hospitable Suite
Jewel awakened in a strange bed hours after her meltdown with Jade and Galadriel. It wasn’t the first time it had happened, and Jewel was pretty sure it wouldn’t be the last considering her run of luck since formally being introduced to the magical realm. Jewel looked around the room she was in, trying to gauge where she might be. It was a simple room. One king-sized bed where she was currently residing with soft white sheets, fluffy pillows, and a floral comforter that shimmered to the point where the flowers appeared to be swaying, or perhaps it was just Jewel’s head that was still woozy, she couldn’t be sure.
The walls of the room were a bright white with a few nature-themed portraits sparsely hung throughout. The portraits also shimmered and made the groves, vineyards, and meadows appear to have movement, which was intriguing. The top of the walls had a border that resembled the aurora borealis and a sunset all wrapped up in one. It was simple décor but very beautiful. Jewel looked to the front of the room and saw that there was one ornately carved wooden dresser, a mini fridge, and a television. Jewel could only guess that based on the room’s set-up that she was in a hotel of sorts, but where was the question. It seemed too magical to be in the Human realm, but she couldn’t imagine where in the Magical world would be safe for her and her group to be.
Jewel tried to roll over, wanting to get some answers and figure out where everyone was, but it was easier said than done. Her body felt weak and sore as though she had become flu-ish, and her mind felt like Jell-O. Jewel sat up slowly, her head spinning and nausea creeping up on her.
Jewel began to feel extremely hot, and as sweat began to bead on her forehead, she made a mad dash to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet. Her body began to shake and the contents of what little she had eaten over the past couple of days made its appearance quickly. When she was sure that her stomach had nothing left to emit, Jewel stood, her entire body now feeling like cooked spaghetti noodles, and she made her way over to the counter. Looking in the mirror, she gasped as she took in her appearance. She was at least three shades paler, but it was her eyes that gave her pause. They had dulled to a mossy green color and they held a haunted look to them. Not surprising considering everything that had taken place, but it was still shocking.
Jewel looked away from the mirror, because it wasn’t like she could do anything about her appearance at the moment. All her make-up was in her suitcase and from what she had seen, it wasn’t in the room, so for now she settled on the unopened toothbrush and mint-flavored toothpaste lying on the counter, and proceeded to scrub away the foul taste that all the vomiting had left in her mouth. Her body was still very weak, but at least the nausea was gone, so that was something. Not really feeling a need to rush, Jewel filled up the oversized jacuzzi with hot water, adding a little of the bubble bath she found on the porcelain shelf hanging over it. She slid in, her aching body feeling instant relief. The vanilla scent was pleasing to Jewel’s nostrils and reminded her of a bakery, which in turn made her stomach growl since it was now empty.
“Glad to see you’re feeling better.” A squeaky voice said from the side of the jacuzzi.
Jewel smiled as she looked at the four renuviants who had dropped the whole invisibility thing. “Well hello there. I thought I felt you four crawling down my arms a little while ago.”
The large renuviant let out a squeak that resembled a snort of sorts. “A little while ago? No. You’ve been out for two days.”
“Two days!” Jewel shrieked, sitting up so fast that water splashed onto the four, now very disgruntled, renuviants.
“Yes. Two days. And can you please not splash us. We prefer to be washed with citrus, not water. Water makes us all spotty.” The large renuviant explained.
“Where are we? What happened? Do you four know?” Jewel asked, leaning towards the four renuviants who were trying their hardest to keep their balance on the soapy edge.
“You had a power overload. Your second if I overheard your friend correctly. We were able to stabilize your body so that you didn’t kick the bucket, but we’d prefer it if you didn’t do that again. The amount of power you have is quite extensive, so it was very taxing on all of us.” The smallest renuviant squeaked.
Jewel searched her mind for the last thing she remembered, and guilt washed over her like a wave. “Jade.” She whispered. “Is Jade okay?” She asked the renuviants.
“She’s still very emotional, but no, you didn’t cause any irreparable damage. Would have served her right if you had though.” The skinniest renuviant answered in a squeaky huff.
“Agreed. But the burns you inflicted on the boy were something else. Luckily, the Vampiress was able to heal them fairly quickly, but he took quite a beating when he held you for so long.” The renuviant with two mismatched antennae offered.
“Yes, I’m surprised he didn’t let you go, but perhaps he couldn’t. His skin was pretty charred.” The largest renuviant said nonchalantly.
Jewel’s mouth dropped. She knew the boy they were referring to had to be Galadriel. He was the only one, other than Jade, that had been there, and she remembered him holding her, but she had no idea that she had burned him, and the fact that the largest renuviant had just said ‘charred’ made her cringe. There was no more time to relax, she needed to see that Galadriel was okay, so she grabbed the fluffy t
owel with the acronym HS from off a nearby chair, and the four renuviants immediately turned around to give her some privacy.
“How were you four not injured if I did so much damage to Galadriel with my power overload? I felt you guys crawling on my arms, so I know you were on me somewhere.” Jewel pointed out as she dried herself off and began getting changed into some fresh clothes that had been placed on the counter. Probably thanks to either Rain or Sage, maybe both, considering the maxi dress and sandals were accessorized perfectly and looked like the perfect winter scene.
“We are not affected by fire the same way others are. To us it is barely a tickle. Your power on the other hand was quite intense to endure.” The largest renuviant stated.
“I see.” Jewel said, biting her bottom lip. “Well, I’m sorry if I hurt you guys, and thank you for helping me- again.” She offered genuinely.
“Not a problem. We chose you. Can’t let you die off now.” The skinniest renuviant said.
“And I appreciate that.” Jewel chuckled at the renuviants candor, before offering her freshly lotioned arm for her four friends. “I’ve got to go and find my friends.” She stated as the four renuviants scurried up her arm and became invisible once again. It was a funny thing to know that all four were just hanging out on her shoulders or on top of her head with no one else being able to see them, but it was a comfort to Jewel, nonetheless.
Jewel saw a door within her room and opened it. She was greeted by another door, so she knocked and waited to see who might be on the other side, hoping it was someone that she knew and not some strangers.
Jewel didn’t have to wait very long, because the door whipped open and Jewel was knocked to the ground as Rain pounced on her. She could feel the scurrying feet of the renuviants as they tried to break free from Rain’s hug.
The Council Page 23
