Just as other cities of Earth, Crystal Tokyo never slept but it,
unlike those others, remained safe under the influence of its radiant
queen. That wasn't all she did, for the city was gentle and peaceful at
night, full of soft lights and tranquil habitation. This didn't help to
calm Emerald as the stood on a pedestrian walkway overlooking a tiny river
that trickled calmly by.
"Do you need some place to stay?" an older woman had asked her kindly earlier and she had said no. How could that woman have asked? Didn't her senses warn her that she could be contaminated by the darkness of Emerald's soul? Everyone near her had died and she should still be dead. Why was she alive? How did she even dare to breath the same air as these people who were so good and wonderful? Why...why did she have to have such a terrible past? Why hadn't she been born here instead of on a cold, dead rock over a million thousand miles away?
Emerald left the bridge and wandered down a broad avenue lined with homes, windows open to the warm night.
A baby cried from one of those homes and a light flicked on in an upstairs bedroom across the road. "Hush there." A woman's voice came, kind and familiar, and Emerald looked up. The woman was pretty and gentle as she rocked her child and it was a shock to see it was Prizma and entering the baby's room was Sapphire, his hear tousled and a teddy bear in his hand.
"I found her bear."
Emerald watched fascinated and burned with jealousy as Prizma wiggled the bear in front of the child, who giggled. Prizma tucked the bear in next to the girl and Sapphire's arms encircled her waist.
Emerald turned away. It wasn't fair. But then, Sapphire had always been good and so had the sisters. They didn't have evil staining them. They could fit in. They belonged to someone and belonged here. Emerald walked back to the bridge.
She didn't sleep that night, didn't really need to. When the sun rose she used just enough power to change her clothes and, for once, chose not the wear an identical dress but a plain black dress instead. She went back to the park then, trying to understand the peace of the trees, the joy of the children, the contentment of the adults. The sun hurt her eyes but she didn't care as she tried, vainly, to make it seep through her skin to her heart. But it didn't; it only hurt her eyes and made her back warm.
"Does the princess have any pets?"
Emerald jumped, "What? Oh. Umm. A golden retriever I guess. You?"
"I'm a goldfish kinda guy. How does your kingdom fare?"
"Well," she said, considering. "It's a small kingdom but it's good."
Matthew sat down beside her. "Beautiful day."
"Everything's beautiful in Crystal Tokyo. Can't there be just one mosquito or dirty pigeon?" Her tone was wistful and she wished immediately that she hadn't spoken at all.
"We could go on a tour and I could show you all the not-pretty parts." He said. She couldn't tell if he was serious or not.
"I wish I'd grown up here." She said softly but he still heard.
"Tell me about your childhood in your castle. Did you get in trouble a lot? Did you have balls, then run away at the stroke of midnight?"
"Cinderella wasn't a princess." She answered. "I, hmmm, liked to sit on the roof in my very best dress. It would get all dirty and I was never allowed to go to the balls then. So there were all these rumors that I didn't really exist, or that I was invisible, or mad. But you would know that, being my loyal family retainer."
"But you see, I have amnesia. Or perhaps I was serving your family in another capacity out of the country."
"Man of mystery. What were you up to?"
"Hmmm. Tracking a mafia ring that endangered your highness' life of course." He grinned and she laughed. "Oh, hey, I want to show you something." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.
"Where are we going?" Emerald asked.
Matthew grinned again and continued leading her through the city. Finally they stopped on a large bridge overlooking the sea. "Look down there."
Emerald followed his finger to a black barge loaded down with trash, seagulls swooping over it. "A trash barge?"
Matthew grinned proudly. "One of the not-pretty parts, remember? Will dirty seagulls do instead of pigeons?"
Emerald didn't answer but a smile tugged relentlessly at the corner of her mouth. She looked back down at the barge that was slowly drawing farther away. Even the heavily laden barge, piled high with trash and swooping, dirty seagulls didn't seem so bad here in Crystal Tokyo. And thanks to the magic of the queen, it certainly didn't smell bad.
"Thank you." She said, brushing her hair back.
"No problem. I also know where the flower shop on main takes the dead ones if you're up to more no-pretty."
"That's ok." I'm a not-pretty part. I should be leaving, just like the trash. But I don't want to.
"Take you out for lunch?"
"No, I should go. Thank you." Emerald ran away again.
He doesn't know what I am. If he knew, he wouldn't be around. I'm lying to him. I can't...I can't do this.
"Do you need some place to stay?" an older woman had asked her kindly earlier and she had said no. How could that woman have asked? Didn't her senses warn her that she could be contaminated by the darkness of Emerald's soul? Everyone near her had died and she should still be dead. Why was she alive? How did she even dare to breath the same air as these people who were so good and wonderful? Why...why did she have to have such a terrible past? Why hadn't she been born here instead of on a cold, dead rock over a million thousand miles away?
Emerald left the bridge and wandered down a broad avenue lined with homes, windows open to the warm night.
A baby cried from one of those homes and a light flicked on in an upstairs bedroom across the road. "Hush there." A woman's voice came, kind and familiar, and Emerald looked up. The woman was pretty and gentle as she rocked her child and it was a shock to see it was Prizma and entering the baby's room was Sapphire, his hear tousled and a teddy bear in his hand.
"I found her bear."
Emerald watched fascinated and burned with jealousy as Prizma wiggled the bear in front of the child, who giggled. Prizma tucked the bear in next to the girl and Sapphire's arms encircled her waist.
Emerald turned away. It wasn't fair. But then, Sapphire had always been good and so had the sisters. They didn't have evil staining them. They could fit in. They belonged to someone and belonged here. Emerald walked back to the bridge.
She didn't sleep that night, didn't really need to. When the sun rose she used just enough power to change her clothes and, for once, chose not the wear an identical dress but a plain black dress instead. She went back to the park then, trying to understand the peace of the trees, the joy of the children, the contentment of the adults. The sun hurt her eyes but she didn't care as she tried, vainly, to make it seep through her skin to her heart. But it didn't; it only hurt her eyes and made her back warm.
"Does the princess have any pets?"
Emerald jumped, "What? Oh. Umm. A golden retriever I guess. You?"
"I'm a goldfish kinda guy. How does your kingdom fare?"
"Well," she said, considering. "It's a small kingdom but it's good."
Matthew sat down beside her. "Beautiful day."
"Everything's beautiful in Crystal Tokyo. Can't there be just one mosquito or dirty pigeon?" Her tone was wistful and she wished immediately that she hadn't spoken at all.
"We could go on a tour and I could show you all the not-pretty parts." He said. She couldn't tell if he was serious or not.
"I wish I'd grown up here." She said softly but he still heard.
"Tell me about your childhood in your castle. Did you get in trouble a lot? Did you have balls, then run away at the stroke of midnight?"
"Cinderella wasn't a princess." She answered. "I, hmmm, liked to sit on the roof in my very best dress. It would get all dirty and I was never allowed to go to the balls then. So there were all these rumors that I didn't really exist, or that I was invisible, or mad. But you would know that, being my loyal family retainer."
"But you see, I have amnesia. Or perhaps I was serving your family in another capacity out of the country."
"Man of mystery. What were you up to?"
"Hmmm. Tracking a mafia ring that endangered your highness' life of course." He grinned and she laughed. "Oh, hey, I want to show you something." He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.
"Where are we going?" Emerald asked.
Matthew grinned again and continued leading her through the city. Finally they stopped on a large bridge overlooking the sea. "Look down there."
Emerald followed his finger to a black barge loaded down with trash, seagulls swooping over it. "A trash barge?"
Matthew grinned proudly. "One of the not-pretty parts, remember? Will dirty seagulls do instead of pigeons?"
Emerald didn't answer but a smile tugged relentlessly at the corner of her mouth. She looked back down at the barge that was slowly drawing farther away. Even the heavily laden barge, piled high with trash and swooping, dirty seagulls didn't seem so bad here in Crystal Tokyo. And thanks to the magic of the queen, it certainly didn't smell bad.
"Thank you." She said, brushing her hair back.
"No problem. I also know where the flower shop on main takes the dead ones if you're up to more no-pretty."
"That's ok." I'm a not-pretty part. I should be leaving, just like the trash. But I don't want to.
"Take you out for lunch?"
"No, I should go. Thank you." Emerald ran away again.
He doesn't know what I am. If he knew, he wouldn't be around. I'm lying to him. I can't...I can't do this.