Cerise and Gemini- 12 (9 years old in the flashback of the story…)
Renee, Auggie, Jim, Kirk, and George- 3 ½
It was nighttime at Gemini's house. Cerise came over with the twins and they played with Gemini's little brothers while the two elder girls studied.
Music played and Gemini hummed to the song, while Cerise rocked her head side to side. the kids ran around the table and then Auggie thought of something
"Gemini" Gemini and Cerise looked down to see all of the kids. "Why do you wear sunglasses all the time?" Auggie asked.
"Gemini is blind in one eye…" Jim answered
"It's true…" all of the kids turned to her. She took off her blue sunglasses and they saw that she had a slight scar on her left eye and it was damaged.
"Woah…" the kids' jaws dropped.
"I'm sure mom told you three the story and I'm sure that you guys haven't heard my side of the story…"
Cerise typed in her translator. Are you sure about this?
"It's time they knew Cece...You were there too…" Gemini turned to the listening children. You guys were probably too young to remember but I didn't wear sunglasses all the time...You see…"
In the springtime, Cerise, Gemini, Tony, and Rafael roller-skated around Paris. Cerise had to hold onto her beige hat. Cerise wore a red off the shoulder polka-dot shirt with denim shorts. Gemini wore her short hair down. Her outfit contained a black and white striped turtleneck and blue jeans.
Tony and Rafael were struggling on their skates.
"Woah...Cerise, How are you a professional at this…" Tony then slipped at least his 5th time. Cerise came over to him, lifted him, and skated with him and Gemini joined Rafael.
"Hey what's that?" Tony pointed to a restaurant. The kids skated over to the larger restaurant. It looked like an apartment building with a plump chef holding two pans and it was called Gusteau's.
That's Gusteau's...It was a fancy and famous restaurant…. Cerise typed in her translator.
"I bet their food was so good" Gemini sighed.
"And expensive…" Rafael said, looking at his pockets.
"I wonder why it was closed down?" Gemini asked
"Probably no one was going there?" Tony shrugged. "Maybe in debt…"
Then they spotted a few construction workers nearby the restaurant. Cerise skated over followed by her friends.
"Hey what's going on...What are you doing with the restaurant?" Gemini asked
"We're demolishing it...It's been here for a long time...We might even make a museum about this guy," the worker said
You can't do that this is a famous restaurant...It cannot be torn down…. Cerise typed in her translator
"Oh yeah...What are you going to do…"
"We'll protest…" Gemini said. "Tomorrow morning we'll protest…Right guys…"
"Well Tomorrow morning, this palace is gonna get blown up…"
Not while we're here… Cerise typed on her translator.
"DEMOLISHING GUSTEAU'S" Linguini and Colette shouted. The kids told them about the restaurant.
"They plan on doing it tomorrow morning," Tony told them.
"It's been there for so long, they plan on destroying a piece of art…" Anton shook his head.
"Don't you guys worry, we're gonna protest and tell them not to destroy it…All of us…" Gemini spoke proudly.
"Children please, it isn't worth the trouble…" Anton continued.
"So we're not going to do anything about it...We've got to convince them something." Colette sided with the kids.
"Cheri I don't know…" Alfredo timidly started.
"This is your father's restaurant...You're not going to do anything about it…"
"NO way...Cece...Gusteau is your grandfather" Gemini was pumped to find out she was friends with a famous family member.
"Oui…" Colette smiled.
Then Linguini gave it some thought about the protest. "Well...You guys can go...We'll go with you in case anything goes wrong…"
The kids cheered, finally having the support they needed. Cerise told the rats about Gusteaus and they agreed to help too.
The rest of the day was spent making signs for the protests. The rats made their little paw prints known on the signs. The kids made a plan to wake up early in the morning and get there before the demolition started.
The next morning, the kids came as promised but they didn't see the construction workers.
"Maybe they canceled it…" Linguini thought out loud.
"There's no one here…" Francois added. After waiting a few more minutes, no one showed up...the group, at last, gave up
"I can't believe you kids-" Colette started frustrated.
"What if they're in there…" Gemini pointed to the building
"I don't know about this…" Rafael said, timidly
Cerise nodded her head. Gemini walked towards the building with Cerise following after her. They arrived at the front door and Gemini banged at the door
"Open the door...Open up…." Gemini called. Tony walked over to the entrance and knew something wasn't right. He looked at the corner and saw some construction workers nearby and some vehicles there
"Cerise...Gemini, Get away from the door…" Tony warned them.
"I said open up…." then Cerise heard something from the inside of the restaurant. Like a beeping sound. Cerise tried to drag away Gemini
"Cece...What are you doing?" Gemini asked
"We need to run...NOW…" Francois told the girls. Cerise pointed to her ear and Gemini listened for the beeping sound. Gemini's eyes widen in fear and before the girls could run
BOOM
The building exploded, knocking everyone back and flames were set upon the once-famous restaurant. Linguini and Colette watch in horror as the building went down in the fire. The rats appeared from the sewers and Remy dropped his head and ears seeing the fallen restaurant. Then Avalon frantically looked around
"Cerise...Find Cerise…" A few of the rats ran around the front of the building for their owner and they found her near the traffic. They got to her and nipped at her and Cerise began to rise. Then Cerise looked around for Gemini. Tony was dragged Francois and Rafael from the scene.
"Cerise…" Colette picked her up on her feet.
"Where's Gemini?" Linguini asked. Then a cry answered the red-headed man's question. They ran around to try and find Gemini. Cerise finally found her nearby a few cars, crying, holding onto her left eye
"GEMINI" She heard Rafael calling her.
"MY EYE….MY EYE…." Gemini screamed.
Cerise raced to her along with the others.
"We'll call an ambulance" Linguini declared, running to the nearest phone
"...and her parents…" Colette added going after her husband.
"My eye hurts so much…" Gemini cried.
"Gemini...You're going to be okay...Help is on the way…" Rafael and Tony consoled her. Gemini looked at her friend Cerise.
We'll all be here Gemini, just please hang on Cerise typed on her translator.
Gemini continued to cry with her friends by her side until the ambulance arrived as well as her parents
"GEMINI…" Pisces and her husband ran towards their daughter with tears in their eyes.
"My baby girl…"
"Your eye…" Pisces removed Gemini's hand away from her eye and saw a slash on her eye and her eye was bleeding. Everyone around them gasped seeing the damage.
"Mam, I need to get her…"
"Well We're going with her, we're her parents…" Her father stood up for his child.
The wife then turned to a few construction workers coming towards them
"Listen we're only here to-"
"FOR WHAT HAVING the kids nearly killed…" Colette yelled at him.
"CAUSING DAMAGE TO MY DAUGHTER'S EYE...I oughta sue you for this…" Pisces
"This wouldn't have happened if the kids weren't there in the first place. " the lead worker came up to Pisces who then slapped him hard in the face.
"MY ASS...YOU HURT MY DAUGHTER, THE NEXT THING THAT COMES OUT OF YOUR MOUTH IS A WAY TO PAY FOR MY DAUGHTERS EYE…." Pisces then went into the ambulance with her husband to tend to her daughter.
The rest of the kids stayed behind to watch the ambulance drive off.
The next day after school, Cerise, Tony, Rafael, and Francois came to the hospital with flowers in hand and a few more gifts.
"May I help you kids?" the receptionist asked.
"We're here to see Gemini Murray…" Rafael announced.
"I'm sorry you kids can't come in without the parent's permission."
"Please I- we want to know if she's okay…" Rafael argued with the receptionist.
Please it would mean the world to us if we could see her… Cerise typed on her translator
"This is your last warning, you cannot-"
"They can see her…." the Doctor arrived. "She heard you guys in the room and she wants to see you.
"Where is she doc…" Francois asked.
"I'll show you…" the doctor led them to a room nearby the lobby and the doctor pulled away the sheet and there lied Gemini on the hospital bed, a bandage on her left eye. Her parents were by her side and they saw the quartet coming in.
"Wake up Gemmy, your friends are here" Pisces whispered. Gemini slowly opened her other eye and turned to see her friends and she smiled.
"Hi guys…" the kids slowly came over and gave her parents Gemini's gifts
"This is so nice of you guys to do this...Your parents will be worried sick…"
"I'm pretty sure They'll know where we are…" Francois told her
"You know...You kids are very devoted to Gemini...I tip my hat to you 4" then Cerise typed on her translator
That's what friends are for...How is she doing?
"Doctor said since you and Gemmy were the closest to the blast...Wood got into her left eye...In a few days, she needs to have surgery to get it out…"
"We don't know if they'll remove the eye or…." Gemini's father couldn't finish because he began to cry. "She'll have to stay at the hospital for 2 weeks…"
The kids felt terrible for their friend. It pained them too to see Gemini like this. Their hearts were just as shattered as her parents.
"What about the construction workers?"
"Oh, they are paying for the surgery...EVERY SINGLE PENNY in their pockets…" Pisces spoke in an angry tone.
"Mama..am I going to be okay…"
"Yes you are baby girl, Shh, save your strength," her father told her.
Then the doctor came in "Your parents are here for you 4. Then the quartet turned to their friend and they slowly went in for a hug.
"You guys are the bestest friends I've ever had…" Gemini cried. The hug lasted for a while and one by one they all slowly leave the room. The only ones left were Rafael and Cerise. Cerise kissed Gemini on her head and held her hand.
Rafael took one of the flowers and placed it in her curly hair. He left and Cerise gave her another hug before she left too.
When Cerise was being taken home. She looked at the direction of the hospital and then to Linguini and Colette, who felt terrible for her and for Gemini. Then Cerise ran into their arms and silently sobbed in their arms.
"And then for those two weeks...I stayed at the hospital and Mom and Dad were at my side the whole time….Cerise and Rafael visited the most. Cerise wanted to stay by my side during the surgery but she couldn't since she was too young. Then when I got out, She was still there...Cerise was the most devoted." Gemini finished the story and the kids were stunned.
"Woah Gemmy...That was epic…" Georgie finally spoke
"Will your eye ever get better?" Renee asked.
"I don't know...But here's what I do know…"
"Now I know why you were sunglasses…" Jim and Kirk say together.
"Wait, what do you know…" Auggie asked Gemini
"Well, I know that even though I'm blind in one eye, it's not gonna stop me from being something great...Whenever there is a bump on the road and life gets you down...Don't let that stop you from being something amazing...Never stopped Cerise since she's mute...She's still the greatest friend in Paris…" Gemini stated
Cerise just smiled and hugged Gemini. "I also know something else…" Gemini this time was slyly smiling
"What?" the kids asked. Cerise and Gemini smiled
That the tickle monsters are gonna get ya.." the girls then chased after the kids and played with them...taking their minds off of the story Gemini told and their homework.