Wulfenite didn't know how long it had been, but she knew one thing; there was a metal prison surrounding her, forcing her to remain a simple gem for who knows how long. She growled in frustration as centuries rolled by, human after human passing down her gem, unable to break her chains and reform her hard-light body.
With a drastic sigh she watched from the shop window, her sight fuzzy but nonetheless functional. No-one had dusted her since her last captor had sold her for a tidy profit to an antique shop. She grumbled at the complex line of humans she'd been in the possession of over the years until she reminded herself that they had no way of knowing what the chains do to her.
The first one? She had assumed Wulfenite dead, the gem all that was left after she was found. She was far too young to remember the specifics, and so the memory of the bulky gem disappearing in a puff of smoke was rearranged to be the Sunstone dragging her away to who-knows-where, leaving behind the gem.
Her gem.
The girl caged her, then tied her to a string, after which she was worn for many years. She took it off every night only to put it on again every morning.
Then one day, she forgot to put it on, and never came back.
The next day, a quiet, unhappy girl placed the necklace around her neck, and her luck turned around. Wulfenite sympathized with the brokenhearted granddaughter, and silently cheered her on from the necklace, which she never took off until her dying day. Her daughter inherited it and moved on to achieve many things.
And so, the legend was born that her gem - the necklace - was somehow magical, that it granted luck to any who bore it, a confidant who would aide them in life.
Not far from the truth, honestly.
And so, passed down from human to human, Wulfenite learned about the world, and about life. She learned many skills from her humans, from simple farmers to owners of corporations, all across the world, in the hopes that one day she would be free to use these skills, that she would finally have her body back.
And so, she was here.
The times in shops were... interesting, but also quite boring if you consider that all you can observe is humans observing you. The shop owner was a gentle-hearted but busy man that didn't really have much time to care about his bored, odd son or his employees; he had a business to keep afloat, after all, and valuable antiques to keep in tip-top shape.
She sat in her prison and waited.
It was the summer of who-knows when. All she could see was the birds flying by, the sun in the sky, the beauty of the world around her passing her by as humans on the street rushed past, far too busy to look at the necklace in the display case.
Then, she caught sight of the pale son gripping the hand of another human. A human girl, a pretty girl with a sloppy grin and a sweet laughter as they slowed near the shop.
"I live here!" Wulfenite heard the son say, smiling up at the shop sign, which read 'DALLSON'S ANTIQUES' in big, bold letters written to imitate some sort of fancy script. Literacy and language were a few concepts Wulfenite was eager to test out - not that she'd get to anytime soon.
"Wow..." The girl grinned, looking at the display cases. Wulfenite fully expected her eyes to drift over her without a care in the world, so she was surprised when the human stopped and stared at Wulfenite in awe.
She placed a single hand on the window and smiled. "This necklace, here, Denver," She murmured. "It's so pretty."
Wulfenite felt her cheeks... well, at least what would be her cheeks, heat up in a shy happiness. She didn't think she was that pretty...
"Do you want it?" Denver inquired, a bit surprised. "Pa said nobody wanted it since it wasn't really very rare. Just... antique-y."
"It's so pretty though!" She argued. "Pretty doesn't have to be rare."
True, Wulfenite agreed to herself. You already have such a pretty planet.
The girl watched the gem for a few more moments. "I think I'll get it."
"Wait, weren't you saving up for that video game?" Denver said, raising an eyebrow. "And I thought you didn't like jewelry?"
"I like this jewelry," She said firmly, walking in. Denver followed, and Wulfenite strained to listen to the conversation.
"Sir?" She called, getting Denver's father's attention.
"Can I help you?" he inquired helpfully, looking a little tired but nonetheless eager to aide her.
She pointed, presumably to Wulfenite. "I'd like to get the orange necklace in the window, the one with the square gem. How much is it?"
"You know what, m'girl?" he said, getting out from behind the counter. "It's not very valuable, so since you're a friend to Denver here, I'll pass it on to you." he chuckled. "but please, take good care of it. It's a very special necklace." He gripped her chains, and for the first time in at least two years Wulfenite felt her gem move, her dust being shaken off. He walked back to the girl and hung it around her neck, simultaneously snapping off the tag with a firm pull.
"Thank you, sir!" She grinned. "I'll take very good care of it!"
"I know you will," he agreed wholeheartedly. A bit more serious, he continued, "just a warning though... it's been said that that gem has a spirit inside it. Take very good care of it, and I'm sure the spirit will take care of you." he pulled up to his full height and let out an amicable laugh. "Not that it's true, though!"
Wulfenite felt a bit miffed, but was simply happy she wouldn't be neglected any more. The girl and Denver exchanged glances, and they chuckled along to humor him.
"See you two later," he called as they left, Denver and the girl - Emma - waving back to him. They ran off again, headed for the lighthouse.
The lighthouse, or more specifically the room, was a small space in the wall of a large, circular building which towered above the cliff, shedding light on the ocean. The two of them giggled as they broke a chocolate bar between them, simultaneously eating their halves and giggling wildly. Emma stopped, however, and Denver gave her his full attention.
"I wonder what your Dad meant when he said there was a spirit in this necklace," Emma considered, stroking Wulfenite's gem softly. She wouldn't admit to it, but that actually felt pretty great.
Denver smirked. "Oh, nah. I was there when he bought it off the other guy, he's way off with the story. It's a good luck charm sorta thing, bunch of businesspeople wanted it about a century back. It's apparently very good at listening to your problems." They held back their laughter for as long as they could, but it still happened anyway.
Emma stopped and began cleaning off Wulfenite with the hem of her dress, which Wulfenite was happy for. Finally, her sight was clearer, and she could see where she was more clearly then a bunch of vaguely colourful blurs.
She listened intently to the human's conversation, how Emma's caretakers were a pair of women who adopted her a few years back, how Denver and his Dad moved into Beach City because there was a group that often got strange and unique antiques that they had no idea what to do with (though he apparently hadn't found them yet), how they spent every weekend going on their own little adventures.
Wulfenite smiled to herself. These two were some of the sweetest humans yet, she could just taste it on the tip of her tongue. She eagerly awaited being a vessel for Emma's worries and concerns. She was ready to serve again, and at long last, learn again.
"We should probably go home," Denver commented, looking up at the moon. "Not like Dad will miss me, but..."
"Don't say that!" Emma scolded him. "He'll miss you a lot!" Denver gave her a weak smile and got up.
"You're right. Let's go home." He offered his hand, and she took it, allowing him to help her up from their nook in the lighthouse.
"You'll be back tomorrow, right?" Denver inquired, his insecurities leaking through. "For our next adventure."
"Yeah!" She agreed wholeheartedly. "And I'll bring my necklace, too." She touched it lightly. "Thanks for leading me to it. I like it a lot."
Denver chuckled, a light blush creeping onto his face. "It was nothing," he amended, though his silly grin was far from modest. "See you tomorrow, then."
"Yeah, tomorrow." Emma smiled, and after a short, lingering moment where they gave each other a last glance, Denver dashed out and over the hills to head back home.
Emma looked down at Wulfenite, holding her gem up so that Wulfenite was staring right at her. "You know," she admitted, "here's something, if you really can hear me. I really want Denver to see that he's more than some freak of nature, like some people think he is. He's always telling me he wishes he wasn't Albino so people didn't stare at him... but I think he should be proud. He's quite pretty, really." She smiled. "Maybe... maybe you can lend him some luck?"
Wulfenite would have smiled back if she could.
Of course I will.
And so, time went on. Wulfenite watched Denver closely to make sure that he was okay, and she watched Emma closely to make sure she was okay. It was a good deal, because Emma continued to talk to Wulfenite regularly, every day in fact, and even studied by reciting her notes to Wulfenite. There was a tingling warmth inside of Wulfenite that she didn't shoo away, as she might have done so many cycles ago. She let it in with open arms, and she loved every minute of it.
Emma pushed herself into her summer dress quickly, glancing at the mirror and nodding, before grabbing Wulfenite and hanging her over her neck. She stormed down the stairs and waved to her mothers quickly, before dashing out the door and hopping down the steps in excitement. With any luck, Denver would already be at the bottom floor of the apartments, waiting for her...
She spun around the post and stopped at the doorway, huffing heavily. Looking around, she sighed and went to sit down and wait for him, plopping herself down on the ground. She winced at the crinkling sound that erupted from beneath her and promptly got up, looking behind her for what she'd sat on.
Reaching down, she picked up the note and stared at it carefully. She stretched it out and read it, her body becoming cold and numb.
I'm sorry, I couldn't take it any more. I wanted to be strong but I guess I'm not.
-D
She growled, a deep guttural sound that erupted forth, fierce and frustrated. "That idiot!" She hissed, getting to her feet. "He needs me, dammit... think, Emma, think, where would he go..." She considered all the places she knew where he might have gone to... get away. The beach was too obvious, and nowhere near people, so... the forest was likely.
She stuffed the note in her pocket and dashed off, ignoring her surroundings. She brushed past a man who seemed to have ignored her completely until he reached into his pocket and pulled out the very same note.
"That idiot," he hissed, sending a hand through his sunshine-yellow hair. "Poor kid probably thinks her friend's gone and kicked the bucket someplace..." With an exasperated sigh he entered the building.
She would be back soon.
A/N: Hey again! Thanks for all the feedback!
Quick apology for the negativity in the notes last chapter, I was... ded in the 'It's 3 AM' sense. Regardless, I hope you've enjoyed Wolfie so far! Next chapter will be longer since cool stuff will happen, so hopefully that makes up for this shorter chapter.
Catcha later folks, and remember to read and review! It means a lot to know you enjoy the story!