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"The Laughing Planet"
'Topaz's Story'
Recorded by Ziska Ames
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Chapter 4
Jade woke up slowly. The room she was in was pitch black and
she had to blink a couple times to make sure her eyes were truly open.
She wiggled her fingers and toes remembering what her karate teacher
had told her once.
"Never try to get up right away after a fall or faint. Always
make sure your bones are in the right places."
"Where am I?" Jade asked the question to the dark void in
front of her. She had discovered that she was bound with her hands
behind her by hemp. Her feet were also immobile. She was leaning
against a stone wall. The room was a comfortable temperature and the
floor was dry.
"At least I'm not in a cellar. No rats."
"Are you sure?" A voice asked. The lights flipped on to reveal
Leah standing at the top of a flight of stairs. Jade was in a cellar.
The room wasn't huge, but it wasn't tiny either.
"You! You're in on this?!" Jade screamed. She tried to lunge
at Leah but only succeeded in throwing her shoulders about painfully.
"Yes. I have been since the beginning. Jaecar's gonna get all
your little friends, then... she's going to kill you all." Leah
sneered and leaned down in Jade's face. Jade was livid with rage.
"Why didn't she kill me already?" Jade growled bearing her
teeth like an animal.
"Who knows?" Leah shrugged. "I think you deserve to die.
You're an ugly slut with nasty hair and bad manners." Jade saw red.
"And your friends! Don't get me started. That Kory... she thinks she's
so wonderful. She looked pretty pathetic crying over her brother. And
Kelli. Ha! What a ditz. She's so stupid. But what about Rob and Shane?
The wonder brothers. Jerks, both of them. And..." Leah ranted on. Jade
wasn't listening. She was so mad. She stretched her bonds, but knew
they wouldn't break. Leah was in her face again. Insulting her friends.
"You're friend Jay's a slut, too. Is that where yo-" Leah was
cut off suddenly when Jade spit directly in her eye.
"AAAHHHH!!! YOU LITTLE MONSTER!" She screamed as she hurled
herself away from Jade.
"Don't ever insult my friends again." Jade said coldly. She
glared at Leah from her position on the floor.
"You're gonna pay, slut. When Jaecar gets back, you're gonna
pay." She left quickly.
Just before the door shut Leah turned around to throw one last
insult, but Jade beat her too it. "I was wrong. There is a rat in this
house." she said with a malicious grin at Leah. She screamed in
disgust and slammed the door.
The smile dropped from Jade's face as soon as Leah was gone.
Jade leaned back and relaxed against the wall. What happened
on the way to the store? She thought hard, causing a headache in the
process. Suddenly the memory came flooding back. She sat up straight.
"Oh no! I have to tell the others!"
"I don't know just what happened..." Thora was sitting on the
couch surrounded. Topaz was sitting next to her, gripping Thora's
small hands in her slightly larger ones. "We were walking along with
the groceries, talking, when suddenly I got hit in the head from
behind. I fainted, I guess. When I woke up, Jade was gone and I had
the necklace tucked in my hand. I'm so sorry, Topaz. I know she was
your friend." Thora turned to look Topaz in the eyes. Her blue ones
were flooded with tears that threatened to overflow.
Topaz smiled gently but sadly at Thora. "It's okay, Thora. I
know Jade isn't dead. I'd feel it. I've known her for so long and
she's given me blood a couple times. We have a bond. She's not dead."
Topaz finished with vehemence. Her dark brown eyes were clenched shut
and she was breathing hard.
"It's not your fault, Thora. We'll find Jade." Vanax said.
"Thanks." Thora swallowed and managed a shaky smile.
"I don't understand it. We were sure Jaecar was after Thora.
So why take Jade? And she must be alive. We don't have a body and
Jaecar always leaves the body." Jonquil mussed from his corner of the
couch.
"That's right. The hair was from Thora. I know that. So why
did she take Jade? Was this just a trap?" Lapis asked. She was huddled
in an armchair with her knees pulled up to her chest.
"It doesn't have to make sense." Noki growled. He pushed
himself off the wall and walked around to the window. He stared out as
he spoke again. "Jaecar is a cold blooded murder. Murderers don't care
about patterns or 'making sense.' They just care about killing." Noki
was worried sick about Jade. He still loved her as a sister and he
definitely didn't want anything happening to her.
"Oh no!" Thora suddenly jumped up off the couch. "I have to
walk Mrs. Cease's dog! It's part of my rent." Topaz pulled Thora back
down.
"No. It's not safe."
"But I'll lose my apartment."
"I'll do it." Vanax said suddenly.
"But what if Jaecar gets you too?" Topaz asked worriedly.
"I'll just take the dog around the block. I won't go far.
Where's the dog?" Vanax reassured Topaz with the last directed to
Thora.
"The apartment near the front door on the right side and...
thanks." Thora looked up at Vanax and smiled hesitantly.
"No problem." He said as he walked out.
Jade woke up from a restful nap when she heard something
thudding down the stairs. There was a deep moan from in front of her.
She gasped.
"Vanax?"
"Jade? You *are* alive... well, that's good." He said. Then he
was silent.
"Vanax? Vanax?!" But he was already out again. Jade sighed.
Ten minutes later the doorbell rang. Everybody jumped but
Thora just laughed nervously. "It's only the mail. I forgot about it."
Thora stood up and opened the door. She walked back leafing
through a small pile of letters. She came to one and pulled it out.
She gulped and slowly handed it to Topaz.
Her name was written on the front in what she strongly
suspected was blood. She could fell a hard lump in the envelope.
Slowly she slit the top with a fingernail and turned the envelope
upside down. A ring fell into her outstretched palm. It was a black
foxglove ring. She sucked in her breath and slowly handed the ring to
Jonquil.
He took it slowly and examined it carefully.
It's not his. Please. It's not his, Topaz thought desperately.
Jonquil sighed. "It's Vanax's." He clutched the ring and
slowly stood up. He carefully placed it on the mantle above the
fireplace next to Jade's dahlia necklace.
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Author's Notes!! YEAH!!!
That thing from the karate teacher? I stole that from the book
"Steal the Dragon." Awesome book. Read it.
As you may know by now, almost all my characters are based on
real people. Leah does hate me, just like I hate her, but it was so
hard to come up with those insults!! And none of them are true. ^-^
Mrs. Cease is a spanish teacher at my school. As far as I know.
she doesn't have a dog.
Well, this was a horridly short chapter. I never realized that
before... sorry.
Ja,
Ziska Ames
"The Laughing Planet"
'Topaz's Story'
Recorded by Ziska Ames
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 4
Jade woke up slowly. The room she was in was pitch black and
she had to blink a couple times to make sure her eyes were truly open.
She wiggled her fingers and toes remembering what her karate teacher
had told her once.
"Never try to get up right away after a fall or faint. Always
make sure your bones are in the right places."
"Where am I?" Jade asked the question to the dark void in
front of her. She had discovered that she was bound with her hands
behind her by hemp. Her feet were also immobile. She was leaning
against a stone wall. The room was a comfortable temperature and the
floor was dry.
"At least I'm not in a cellar. No rats."
"Are you sure?" A voice asked. The lights flipped on to reveal
Leah standing at the top of a flight of stairs. Jade was in a cellar.
The room wasn't huge, but it wasn't tiny either.
"You! You're in on this?!" Jade screamed. She tried to lunge
at Leah but only succeeded in throwing her shoulders about painfully.
"Yes. I have been since the beginning. Jaecar's gonna get all
your little friends, then... she's going to kill you all." Leah
sneered and leaned down in Jade's face. Jade was livid with rage.
"Why didn't she kill me already?" Jade growled bearing her
teeth like an animal.
"Who knows?" Leah shrugged. "I think you deserve to die.
You're an ugly slut with nasty hair and bad manners." Jade saw red.
"And your friends! Don't get me started. That Kory... she thinks she's
so wonderful. She looked pretty pathetic crying over her brother. And
Kelli. Ha! What a ditz. She's so stupid. But what about Rob and Shane?
The wonder brothers. Jerks, both of them. And..." Leah ranted on. Jade
wasn't listening. She was so mad. She stretched her bonds, but knew
they wouldn't break. Leah was in her face again. Insulting her friends.
"You're friend Jay's a slut, too. Is that where yo-" Leah was
cut off suddenly when Jade spit directly in her eye.
"AAAHHHH!!! YOU LITTLE MONSTER!" She screamed as she hurled
herself away from Jade.
"Don't ever insult my friends again." Jade said coldly. She
glared at Leah from her position on the floor.
"You're gonna pay, slut. When Jaecar gets back, you're gonna
pay." She left quickly.
Just before the door shut Leah turned around to throw one last
insult, but Jade beat her too it. "I was wrong. There is a rat in this
house." she said with a malicious grin at Leah. She screamed in
disgust and slammed the door.
The smile dropped from Jade's face as soon as Leah was gone.
Jade leaned back and relaxed against the wall. What happened
on the way to the store? She thought hard, causing a headache in the
process. Suddenly the memory came flooding back. She sat up straight.
"Oh no! I have to tell the others!"
"I don't know just what happened..." Thora was sitting on the
couch surrounded. Topaz was sitting next to her, gripping Thora's
small hands in her slightly larger ones. "We were walking along with
the groceries, talking, when suddenly I got hit in the head from
behind. I fainted, I guess. When I woke up, Jade was gone and I had
the necklace tucked in my hand. I'm so sorry, Topaz. I know she was
your friend." Thora turned to look Topaz in the eyes. Her blue ones
were flooded with tears that threatened to overflow.
Topaz smiled gently but sadly at Thora. "It's okay, Thora. I
know Jade isn't dead. I'd feel it. I've known her for so long and
she's given me blood a couple times. We have a bond. She's not dead."
Topaz finished with vehemence. Her dark brown eyes were clenched shut
and she was breathing hard.
"It's not your fault, Thora. We'll find Jade." Vanax said.
"Thanks." Thora swallowed and managed a shaky smile.
"I don't understand it. We were sure Jaecar was after Thora.
So why take Jade? And she must be alive. We don't have a body and
Jaecar always leaves the body." Jonquil mussed from his corner of the
couch.
"That's right. The hair was from Thora. I know that. So why
did she take Jade? Was this just a trap?" Lapis asked. She was huddled
in an armchair with her knees pulled up to her chest.
"It doesn't have to make sense." Noki growled. He pushed
himself off the wall and walked around to the window. He stared out as
he spoke again. "Jaecar is a cold blooded murder. Murderers don't care
about patterns or 'making sense.' They just care about killing." Noki
was worried sick about Jade. He still loved her as a sister and he
definitely didn't want anything happening to her.
"Oh no!" Thora suddenly jumped up off the couch. "I have to
walk Mrs. Cease's dog! It's part of my rent." Topaz pulled Thora back
down.
"No. It's not safe."
"But I'll lose my apartment."
"I'll do it." Vanax said suddenly.
"But what if Jaecar gets you too?" Topaz asked worriedly.
"I'll just take the dog around the block. I won't go far.
Where's the dog?" Vanax reassured Topaz with the last directed to
Thora.
"The apartment near the front door on the right side and...
thanks." Thora looked up at Vanax and smiled hesitantly.
"No problem." He said as he walked out.
Jade woke up from a restful nap when she heard something
thudding down the stairs. There was a deep moan from in front of her.
She gasped.
"Vanax?"
"Jade? You *are* alive... well, that's good." He said. Then he
was silent.
"Vanax? Vanax?!" But he was already out again. Jade sighed.
Ten minutes later the doorbell rang. Everybody jumped but
Thora just laughed nervously. "It's only the mail. I forgot about it."
Thora stood up and opened the door. She walked back leafing
through a small pile of letters. She came to one and pulled it out.
She gulped and slowly handed it to Topaz.
Her name was written on the front in what she strongly
suspected was blood. She could fell a hard lump in the envelope.
Slowly she slit the top with a fingernail and turned the envelope
upside down. A ring fell into her outstretched palm. It was a black
foxglove ring. She sucked in her breath and slowly handed the ring to
Jonquil.
He took it slowly and examined it carefully.
It's not his. Please. It's not his, Topaz thought desperately.
Jonquil sighed. "It's Vanax's." He clutched the ring and
slowly stood up. He carefully placed it on the mantle above the
fireplace next to Jade's dahlia necklace.
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Author's Notes!! YEAH!!!
That thing from the karate teacher? I stole that from the book
"Steal the Dragon." Awesome book. Read it.
As you may know by now, almost all my characters are based on
real people. Leah does hate me, just like I hate her, but it was so
hard to come up with those insults!! And none of them are true. ^-^
Mrs. Cease is a spanish teacher at my school. As far as I know.
she doesn't have a dog.
Well, this was a horridly short chapter. I never realized that
before... sorry.
Ja,
Ziska Ames