CHAPTER THREE: UNSPOKEN THREADS

Tim headed to the library, holding a thick novel close to his chest. He had finally finished the novel he had been reading – Unspoken. 

He heaved a regretful sigh. 
Unfortunately for him, it was probably his favourite so far. 

He usually read thrillers, mystery, and sci-fi. 
But a novel with a romantic subplot? 
That had been... interesting. 

Despite dramatically tilting his head in disbelief when reading the book – he'd secretly enjoyed it. And now, since he had finished it – he had to borrow the second book. 

Real life was a mess of chaos, disorder and confusion. Sometimes, the disharmony in his books made more sense than whatever went on in the real world. 

The daughter of a wealthy diplomat and an orphaned heir to a fortune grew up, side by side, despite their two-year age gap – only to reunite years later when he’s appointed as her new bodyguard, determined to keep things strictly professional. 
She kept flirting. He kept resisting. 
Until he didn’t. 
Tim scrunched his nose. The characters... they sounded strangely familiar. 

He climbed up the stairs and went through the doors of the library. 
The daughter of a wealthy person and an orphaned heir with a two-year age gap? 

He went over to the desk and flashed a friendly smile at the librarian as she processed the book. 
“Have a nice day, Tim!” 

He paused by the shelves, tracing a finger along the spines of books. 
He knew at least a few people in the city that fit the description – but he didn’t want to admit the two names that came to mind. 
Not even to himself. 

She had a voice louder than his grief and sharper than his thoughts – a voice that somehow always managed to bring him back to reality. 

Suddenly– 
“Boo!” 

There it was. 

Soft hands wrapped around his eyes. 
“Guess who!” 

He wore a knowing smile, removing her hands and spinning around to face her. 
“Blaze Speed.” 

She gave him a cheeky smile. 
“Timmy!” 

*** 

Cherry stood quietly outside the Gemstones’ door, thinking. 
She finally raised her fist, hesitated, then rapped on the wood. 

“Come in!” the Gemstones chirped in unison. 

She drew in a sharp breath before turning the handle and stepping into an explosion of colour, music and pure chaos. 

Each Gemstone had designed their individual spaces with their favourite colours: 
The top left side of the room was a flurry of shades of red and pink. 
The top right side of the room was a mural of musical notes in a violet background. 
The bottom right side of the wall became a painted jungle – almost real. 
The bottom left was coated in purely sapphire blue. 

This was their territory, she realised. This was the first time they had shared a room – especially one this small. And they had made it their own; one that felt more homely and less suffocating. 

“Listen to this, Cher!” Blue grinned 

Blue grabbed her guitar, which was leaned against the wall next to their bed, setting herself down next to Scarlet on her mattress, and began strumming the strings, humming a soft tune. One by one, the other Gemstones joined in, harmonising their voices and creating a hypnotic melody passed down through generations. 

A soft smile played on Cherry’s lips as they whispered the final chord, letting the song fade into silence. 

“What’d you think?” Scarlet asked excitedly, shifting in her seat. “Was it good?” 

“I think–” Cherry said carefully, folding her arms over her chest. “I think you should be careful before James takes that away from you too.” 

Blue groaned, standing up and tossing the guitar onto her mattress. 
“That’s not fair.” 

Sage rolled her eyes, mimicking quotation marks with her fingers. 
“But he’s ‘protecting’ us.” 

Cherry sucked in a shaky breath. 
“I know he’s a little too much sometimes, but he really does mean well.” 

“Besides,” Violet added. “As the oldest, legally he’d be our guardian.” 

Scarlet scoffed silently. 
“He’s not even 18. Here, the laws are different. We don’t get to write them anymore, Vi.” 

“Who says we can’t?” Blue grinned, donning her fingerless gloves. “We’re the Gemstones of–” 

“Not anymore, remember?” Sage interrupted. 

Cherry froze. They hadn’t mentioned their home since... 

Blue flashed Sage an unimpressed stare. 
“Since when did you get to decide?” 

“When?” Sage tapped her chin, curling her lips arrogantly and turning to the vines on the wall. “Shouldn’t you know when? After all – I don’t predict the future, I only rule the nature.” 

“That is enough!” Cherry snapped. It wasn’t their fault, she reminded herself. 

Both girls clamped their mouths shut, biting back their words and swallowing their next reply as Scarlet and Violet exchanged a secretive glance. Cherry always knew how to make them shut up. 

“So,” Violet said slowly, turning her gaze back to their older sister. “Is something wrong Cherry?” 

“Here’s the thing...” Cherry bit her lip and let out an exhausted breath. “James wants us to... build our relationship with Silver and Tim.” 

Scarlet raised an eyebrow, squirming in her seat. 
“This doesn’t have anything to do with me trying to make friends with Flame Speed?” 

“Who’s Flame Speed?” Violet asked. 

“Who cares?” Sage snickered. “The name suits Scarlet so well.” 

Blue gasped dramatically. 
“Forget that! She plans to ditch us!” 

Scarlet shot them a murderous stare, the red in her hair starting to glow brighter and rising from the tips to the darkness. 

Cherry heaved a heavy breath, striding across the room towards the dresser by the window, in between the bunk beds. She picked up the vase sitting on it, tossing the flowers inside to the floor as the others watched. She turned to Scarlet and took a step forward, pouring the water onto her head – extinguishing the fire on her hair. 

“Pace yourself, Ruby,” her tone cut sharp and cold. “You don’t want to burn the house down.” 

Scarlet turned red as the colour from her hair faded away into hot steam. 

“As for you girls,” Cherry shifted her attention back to the other three Gemstones. “Let’s try not to get on each other’s nerves.” 
She placed the vase back on the dresser. 
“Silver’s parents died three weeks ago. I just want to know the best way to approach her without upsetting her." 

Scarlet shook her head violently, the tips of her hair reigniting into a faint ember – the crimson returning to her hair. She glanced up at Cherry. 
“The pain is still raw. She’s still in denial of her parents’ death.” 

Violet nodded with a soft sense of agreement. 
“She’s looking for a culprit; the one who started the fire.” 

Cherry chewed on her lip, taking a mental note of what they were saying. 

“That’s just wonderful!” Sage said with heavy sarcasm. “So why don’t we leave her to her scavenger hunt and mind our own business?” 

“Or–” Blue cut in. “We could just try getting to know her without mentioning the fire at all.” 

Scarlet shook her head in refusal. 
“Completely ignoring the fact isn’t healthy either.” 

“We have to address it to cope with it.” Violet highlighted. 

Blue let her gaze turn back to her guitar as Sage pulled a face, grabbing her book and stretching out on the mattress on her stomach. 

“So,” Cherry repeated. “What do I need to be careful about again?” 

“Let her open up.” 
“Help her with her mystery.” 
“Nothing.” 
“Don’t talk about it.” 
They spoke all at once, each with their own words. 

The Gemstones took one look at each other before launching into a heated argument on the best course of action. 

Cherry’s shoulders fell in defeat, swivelling back towards the door. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea. 

Fluff, who had been resting quietly on Blue’s bed, had awoken to all the commotion. He noticed Cherry leaving and hopped off the mattress, following her outside. 

Cherry shut the door slowly behind her. She caught sight of the rabbit, who had been looking up at her. 
“Fluff...” she whispered softly. “What do you think I should do?” 

Fluff stared at her, deep in thought, before twitching his nose and coughing. 
“Just start a conversation and see where it takes you. Be mindful of what you say, however.” 

He hopped forward, leading her back to her room. 
“Everyone grieves differently. Thus, the answers you received from your sisters.” 

He paused for a moment. 
“Don’t forget Cherylyne, you and your siblings have lost far more than your parents and your home. You have lost your sister, your grandparents, your legacy. Well, maybe not you – but your siblings have.” 

“I know...” Cherry whispered, following him down the hallway. 

“Cherylyne...” Fluff said carefully. “The Garnet Fire isn’t just a tragedy. It’s a reminder to the people of this city... of secrets they buried a long time ago. This isn’t the kingdom you grew up in – this isn’t the darkness you’re used to – but that doesn’t mean it isn’t different.” 

“Different?” 

“Different,” he repeated. “It’s not better or worse. And as for Silver...” 

He glanced up at Cherry. 
“She might need you.”