The Goddess Crystal

Chapter 2: Blue Eyes

"Mom, you left us back there. For dead, I presume?" I say, glaring at Mom, who came over with Dad. "Wait, don't tell me; even if it takes some casualties, it's worth it. Oh, and, how could I forget that killing people is not your job, right?"

"Jillian, don't speak to your mother like that," Dad admonishes, adjusting his glasses.

I snort and raise an eyebrow at him. "So, I'm not allowed to talk that way to the person who's already sent me out on a suicidal mission and left me and my boyfriend for dead in some psychotic politician's house? Gee, thanks for the support, Dad."

"Now, Honey—"

"Don't. Call. Me. That. You're not my parents, not when you're acting like this."

"Jill," Jack starts, putting what I assume is a calming hand on my shoulder. I shrug it off. "Jill, why're you so angry?"

I continue to glare at my parents, enjoying watching them squirm. They deserve it. "Why don't you ask them yourself?"

"Jillian, you can't still be angry—"

"For what?" I ask, tilting my head, smile and voice sickeningly-sweet. "Getting me and Skye shot? Leaving us in hostile territory? Oh, of course not, Mother, Father," Glancing at them in turn, I say condescendingly, "I'm not angry about that. Why would you think such a thing?"

"That's hurtful, Jillian. We did not—"

"Yeah? How'd I get this, then?" I ask, pointing to my blood-seeping wound. They gasp, and I look down and grimace at the—that's not blood. It's cloudy and white, but I ignore my wave of nausea and say, "Mother, Father, did I shoot myself? Surely, I wouldn't do such a thing, would I?"

"Jill, you have to get that checked out," Skye says, worry creasing his forehead. Jack nods. "You didn't tell me it was infected."

"Please, go get that fixed, Honey."

I grit my teeth. "I told you—" Pausing mid-sentence, I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I force a smile. "Yes, I will. But for you two, Skye and Jack. Not them."

"Honey—"

"Let's go," I say, spinning on my heel and start to get away, and I realize, finally, how painful it is to walk. Like fire licking up my leg, speeding its way through my system. Suddenly, my leg collapses under me, sending me to the ground with a groan.

"Jill!"

Footsteps rush to my side, but then the world goes black with pinpricks of pain.

I wake up to sounds of a Hospital, of rustling gowns, clacking glass and the rattling of metal carts and gurneys. When I open my eyes, my vision is white and blinding. I blink and roll over, groaning with pain as it shoots up my leg.

"Ah, easy does it, Jill," a voice says, adjusting my blanket. My eyes snap open and I jerk upwards into a position that vaguely resembles sitting before Jack eases me back down. "You don't want to hurt yourself further, do you? You scared us pretty badly."

"What happened?" I ask, looking around; I'm in a large room, filled with beds. Empty beds. I sigh in relief when I see Skye sitting in a seat on the other side of the bed. "Where am I?"

"Don't worry; you're in the Hospital ward at the base," Skye says, leaning forward in his seat and squinting. "You should've warned us you were faring badly."

"And, what? Make you worry? I'm fine, aren't I?"

The door opens. "No, I'm afraid you're not, "says a Doctor as he comes up, clipboard in hand. "Your wound is infected, though I judge that it's only a few days old, right?"

I shift and wince. "Right."

"Why didn't you seek immediate medical attention?"

"I couldn't."

"And why is that, Miss?"

Shaking my head, I lean back, closing my eyes and sighing. "I got shot when the battle was still going on. I couldn't exactly go outside my house, much less the Hospital."

He stares at me for a few seconds, nods and writes something on the clipboard. "Okay." He looks up. "The good news is that you don't have blood-poisoning. We'll give you some antibiotics, and see how you react, shall we?" He taps an IV bag that I hadn't noticed, nodding at the gauze-hidden needle in the back of my hand. He walks away.

"Wait, where did you guys get the antibiotics? I doubt you could get new supplies right now."

The Doctor looks back. "Your mother stole some while working at the Hospital. That, among other things, was her job."

What is your job, then? The question I asked her not long ago has come back to haunt me, hasn't it? "Oh."

He nods and leaves.

Jack looks at the IV, and says, "That doesn't look like—"

"It's not water, thank the Goddess, if that's what you're thinking. I'd rather not get soaked while in a Hospital cot."

"Still mad?"

"Very." I nod, and then glance around. "Why is the ward so empty? You'd think it'd be full, but..."

"How should I know? I'm just a captain."

I look to Skye, worried at the look of concern on his face. "Skye? Are you okay?"

He blinks and shakes his head slowly, like you do when you're confused. "I should be asking you that."

I smile. "Hey, no fair. I asked you first."

"I'm fine. How is the leg?"

Grimacing painfully, I jostle my leg, sucking in air as pain shoots up it. I yawn and blink. "Bad, but it doesn't help that I'm sleepy."

He stands up, leaning over to kiss me on the forehead. I pout. "We should let you rest, anyways."

"Fine. Wake me up later, 'kay?"

"Jill, we shouldn't—"

"Jack, don't get into this."

Jack smiles innocently. "What? What did I say?"

"Whatever," I say, smiling, then turn to Skye for an answer. "Well?'

"I'll wake you up when the Doctor says it's fine or you wake by yourself."

I glare at him for a while, leg throbbing, then, when he doesn't budge, I sigh in defeat. "Fine. Be that way. Just don't leave me out of the loop."

"Speaking of," Jack says, stretching casually. "There's a library here. Maybe you can kill some time there."

Skye nods like Jack's on to something. "You know what? I'll do just that."

Jack notices the sudden interest. "Is there something I'm missing? Why're you so interested in some dusty, old books?" he says, leaning his elbows on his knees.

I grab the easy opening. "The same reason you aren't interested, Jack." Smirking, I continue, "Reading. Information. Learning."

"Hey! No need to rub in the fact that I don't like reading." He puts a hand over his heart, mock-hurt. "It's a personal choice."

"You're just jealous I got higher marks than you in elementary." I yawn.

"It was rigged, I tell you."

I laugh, yawning again, eyes drifting shut. "Definitely not."

Skye breaks it up, again. "If you don't mind, Jack, I think we should let her rest instead of squabbling with her."

I lean back, eyes closed, sighing.

Jack nods, laughing. "Yeah, you're right." He looks at me. "Have a good rest."

But I'm already fast asleep.

The bed's warm, but the mattress is uncomfortable, so I try to turn over and groan. My eyes open and my vision blurs into focus. My eyes land on the seat next to the bed. Skye sits in it, an old-looking book in hand.

"What are you reading?"

Skye starts, looking up. He smiles when he sees me awake. "Oh, you're awake."

I try to sit up, rubbing my eyes. "Yeah, I am. What are you reading?"

He glances down at the book. "Something from the library. If you're wondering where your cousin is, I don't have the faintest clue."

I watch him as he goes back to reading. "Interesting?"

"Yes, actually." He leans over to show me the page, finger pointing at a paragraph. "See, right here. It's about the Goddess Crystal. Here, take a look."

I look at him quizzically. "You know it's just a legend. Your father—"

"Just read it."

I sigh, glancing down at the page.

The Goddess Crystal: originally emerald in color, this Crystal is said to be imbued with the power to heal any and all ailments. Shards are rare and are called Goddess Gems, due to their common use in high-end jewellery. Depending on the user's intended use, they can change from healing to anything that is associated with magic and a sentient being, usually pertaining to the body of a living being, like humans and animals.

The Harvest Goddess is said to have cut a strand of her hair, which became trapped within diamond. The hair's magical qualities transformed it into the Goddess Crystal, a fabled, revered and lost treasure of folklore.

I open my mouth, confused. "But that—"

A man walk up, cutting me off. "Miss, someone just dropped off this letter for you." He holds out a small envelope.

I take it, looking up. "Do you know who it was?"

He shakes his head. "No, I'm sorry. All I know is she had blue eyes."

I nod. "Oh, okay. Thank you."

He nods and walks away, leaving me staring at the envelope. "What do you think that was about?"

Skye shrugs. "Blue eyes? That doesn't help much. With all the people with blue eyes, it's hard to tell who it is, really. Why don't you open it up and see what it is?"

I tear it open messily. I was never that good at opening letters. A single, small paper is in the envelope, and I pull it out and unfold it. There are only a few lines, the ink turquoise, written in a flowing, curly script.

Lie close to the heart

From my source I shall not part

'Tis my life-giver

I glance up. "What the hell? What's that supposed to mean?"

"I have no idea."

The paper is light, but it seems almost yellowed with age. The yellowing effect might be easy to replicate, but the cracking paper isn't. It seems like it will disintegrate with a touch. I put it back in the envelope.

The Goddess Crystal doesn't exist, right?

The Goddess Gem is actually part of Harvest Moon. You get them if you collect the nine Goddess Jewels, the Harvest Goddess will appear and exchange them for the Goddess Gem, which, if equipped, will slowly replenish your stamina. I twisted the idea into what it is here, being only a part of a much bigger Crystal, and can heal wounds, not just stamina. With other uses, as you've all seen.

What do you think of the chapter? If you're wondering, the bad poetry is written by me, so ignore the bad quality, please. -.- I wish I could write better poetry, I really do.