Categories > Original > Fantasy > The Crystal's Keeper
The next morning, Kaylee woke on her couch. A blanket was over her, along with a pillow underneath her head.
She shifted her legs in an effort to get more comfortable, and sighed.
Her hand, as if having a mind of its own, stretched to her forehead to wipe sweat off. Her eyes glanced at her hand, which was closed, and saw something silver dangling from her grasp.
Kaylee opened her hand, to reveal a gorgeous necklace.
Surely this wasn't that dirty thing she found last night!
Speaking of last night…what happened? All she remembers is leaving the park with a mucky necklace, and then waking up on the couch.
Kaylee stretched her limbs, and got to her feet- no sooner getting head-rush.
She lazily entered her kitchen, which was painted ever-so long ago an annoyingly bright shade of green. Her stainless-steal sink was full of dishes, causing her tidy instincts to take action. As she finished packing up the dish-washer, she looked at the clock beside her.
7:56a.m.
Her brother Kenneth walked into the kitchen a few moments later.
His layered black shoulder-length hair was styled in an edgy way, and his skin was pale, due to him not going outside often. His brown eyes had bags underneath them, and his pajamas were twisted and wrinkly.
"Where were you last night?" He asked groggily. "You know that mom and dad don't like us out of the house past 8:30p.m."
"None of your business," she grumbled in response. Kenneth shrugged as he opened the fridge, and chugged down a carton of apple-juice.
"If you make me pancakes, I will love you forever," he said with a smile.
"So you don't already love me forever?"
"Forever on top of forever…?" Kenneth widened his smile, flashing his white teeth like the Cheshire-Cat. Kaylee studied his face for a moment, before giving a sigh.
She glanced at the time, seeing that it was 8:00a.m on the dot.
"I don't have time to make you breakfast this morning," she said, "I'll do it tomorrow, if you get up earlier."
"Awww…" Kenneth whined, "How 'bout we go to McDonalds then? You won't have to cook~!"
The only female in the room gave her brother a light glare.
"We’ll be late for school."
"So? You skip Home Room all the time."
"That's the kind of attitude that gets you all those Ds in class, you know."
Kenneth shrugged as he slipped his shoes on.
He usually doesn't get dressed for school. Half the time their parents are lucky if he leaves the house with a shirt on. Fortuitously, this time he had a shirt on- along with sweat-pants that read "Born to Be Wild" going down his left pant-leg.
"I'm going to McDonalds. Come if you want, but if you do, don't be such buzz-kill," he grouchily grunted.
The sound of the front door shutting echoed throughout the house.
Kaylee looked up at the clock again, but this time she caught herself. That was the third time this morning.
Why was she so obsessed with time all the sudden?
~
Kaylee roamed the halls of her school, the necklace (which she discovered was a crystal necklace) now around her neck. She couldn't leave it home for some reason. It just didn't feel right.
Kaylee's friend, Jessica, was seen in the near distance. Jess approached the wavy-haired girl with a broad smile, a magazine in hand.
"Did you know that, as women, we're walking all wrong?!" She asked with a gasp. "Apparently we're supposed to walk, always staring with her left foot, and maintain a slow speed. But when we pass boys, we're supposed to speed up to make it look as if we're in a hurry. However! If we pass a boy we really like- like fantasize-level like- we are supposed to look over our shoulder and give him a four-finger wave!"
Kaylee took the magazine from Jessica, and gave her a 'really?' look. Jess took her magazine back, and stuck it in her bag.
Kaylee's eyes drifted to her wrist, as if somehow expecting herself to wear a watch.
"K?"
"Hum?" Her attention was turned towards Jessica once more, but instead of meeting a giddy expression, she met a worried face.
"Are you all right? I asked you something twice and you didn't answer me…"
"Sorry, what did you say before?"
"Do you want to try this technique with Thomas?"
It took all of Kaylee's might not to snicker.
"The captain of the football team," she wheezed in between fought laughs, "There's no way that he-."
"Oh, he's coming!"
The half-dazed teen lifted her head almost immediately, and felt Jessica link her left arm with hers. They began to walk at a normal pace, but when they were about to pass Thomas, they sped up. Just as he turned back around to see who passed him, both girls faced him and gave him a four-finger wave.
For a moment he stopped what he was doing, and blinked to clear his confusion. He eventually shrugged it off, and continued to walk down the hall with his buddies.
"What was that supposed to accomplish," Kaylee whispered.
"I have no idea, but whatever it is, it's brilliant!"
~
Kaylee sat with Jessica at lunch, both almost bored to tears. They picked through their meal, which was almost identical. They both had a veggie wrap with ranch dressing, tomatoes, lettuce, and feta-cheese, and a small bag of Sun Chips.
The only differences were that Jessica's bag of Sun Chips was cheddar, and Kaylee's was original.
"So, how's life at the Brook house?"
Jessica nudged Kaylee, who was slightly annoyed that she said her last name.
"Fine, I guess…"
Jess hummed, her eyes drifting to her bag of chips. "Every time you say 'fine I guess' you really mean 'don't ask me if you want to live'. So~, what's wrong with Kaylee, hum?"
"You really are suicidal aren’t you," Kaylee chuckled.
Jess gave her friend a wink.
"You know it- and stop avoiding the question. Tell me what's on your mind, before I use extreme measures."
Kaylee raised an eyebrow, making Jess face her with nod and her best 'oh yeah' expressions.
"You wouldn’t believe me, even if I did tell you…"
Jess snickered.
"We've been best friends since the first grade. By now, you can tell me that you hear voices, and I would believe you."
…
Kaylee glanced down at her necklace, and back up at Jessica.
"Sigh I don't know…but ever since I got this necklace, I've been action super strange."
"What necklace?"
Kaylee's eyebrows furrowed. She gestured to the crystal necklace around her neck.
"Um…this one: the necklace I've had on since we met up in the hall this morning? You seriously didn't notice it?" Jessica looked at where the necklace was, and raised a brow in confusion.
"Kaylee, I don't know what you are talking about. You aren’t even wearing a necklace."
Kaylee's mouth dropped, glancing between the necklace and Jessica.
"Are you sure you're feeling all right, Kaylee? Maybe you didn't get enough sleep last night. I'll go with you down to the nurse so you can leave school early, if you want…"
"No, you're right. I'm just tired." Kaylee looked away from Jessica after the words left her mouth.
This was insane. How can Jessica not see the necklace that was clearly around her neck? She could feel it bounce against her torso when she walked; she can pick it up and look at it in her palm, for crying out loud!
"Lunch will be over soon. You should eat. Maybe it will make you feel better," Jessica said, giving Kaylee a pat on the shoulder.
She shifted her legs in an effort to get more comfortable, and sighed.
Her hand, as if having a mind of its own, stretched to her forehead to wipe sweat off. Her eyes glanced at her hand, which was closed, and saw something silver dangling from her grasp.
Kaylee opened her hand, to reveal a gorgeous necklace.
Surely this wasn't that dirty thing she found last night!
Speaking of last night…what happened? All she remembers is leaving the park with a mucky necklace, and then waking up on the couch.
Kaylee stretched her limbs, and got to her feet- no sooner getting head-rush.
She lazily entered her kitchen, which was painted ever-so long ago an annoyingly bright shade of green. Her stainless-steal sink was full of dishes, causing her tidy instincts to take action. As she finished packing up the dish-washer, she looked at the clock beside her.
7:56a.m.
Her brother Kenneth walked into the kitchen a few moments later.
His layered black shoulder-length hair was styled in an edgy way, and his skin was pale, due to him not going outside often. His brown eyes had bags underneath them, and his pajamas were twisted and wrinkly.
"Where were you last night?" He asked groggily. "You know that mom and dad don't like us out of the house past 8:30p.m."
"None of your business," she grumbled in response. Kenneth shrugged as he opened the fridge, and chugged down a carton of apple-juice.
"If you make me pancakes, I will love you forever," he said with a smile.
"So you don't already love me forever?"
"Forever on top of forever…?" Kenneth widened his smile, flashing his white teeth like the Cheshire-Cat. Kaylee studied his face for a moment, before giving a sigh.
She glanced at the time, seeing that it was 8:00a.m on the dot.
"I don't have time to make you breakfast this morning," she said, "I'll do it tomorrow, if you get up earlier."
"Awww…" Kenneth whined, "How 'bout we go to McDonalds then? You won't have to cook~!"
The only female in the room gave her brother a light glare.
"We’ll be late for school."
"So? You skip Home Room all the time."
"That's the kind of attitude that gets you all those Ds in class, you know."
Kenneth shrugged as he slipped his shoes on.
He usually doesn't get dressed for school. Half the time their parents are lucky if he leaves the house with a shirt on. Fortuitously, this time he had a shirt on- along with sweat-pants that read "Born to Be Wild" going down his left pant-leg.
"I'm going to McDonalds. Come if you want, but if you do, don't be such buzz-kill," he grouchily grunted.
The sound of the front door shutting echoed throughout the house.
Kaylee looked up at the clock again, but this time she caught herself. That was the third time this morning.
Why was she so obsessed with time all the sudden?
~
Kaylee roamed the halls of her school, the necklace (which she discovered was a crystal necklace) now around her neck. She couldn't leave it home for some reason. It just didn't feel right.
Kaylee's friend, Jessica, was seen in the near distance. Jess approached the wavy-haired girl with a broad smile, a magazine in hand.
"Did you know that, as women, we're walking all wrong?!" She asked with a gasp. "Apparently we're supposed to walk, always staring with her left foot, and maintain a slow speed. But when we pass boys, we're supposed to speed up to make it look as if we're in a hurry. However! If we pass a boy we really like- like fantasize-level like- we are supposed to look over our shoulder and give him a four-finger wave!"
Kaylee took the magazine from Jessica, and gave her a 'really?' look. Jess took her magazine back, and stuck it in her bag.
Kaylee's eyes drifted to her wrist, as if somehow expecting herself to wear a watch.
"K?"
"Hum?" Her attention was turned towards Jessica once more, but instead of meeting a giddy expression, she met a worried face.
"Are you all right? I asked you something twice and you didn't answer me…"
"Sorry, what did you say before?"
"Do you want to try this technique with Thomas?"
It took all of Kaylee's might not to snicker.
"The captain of the football team," she wheezed in between fought laughs, "There's no way that he-."
"Oh, he's coming!"
The half-dazed teen lifted her head almost immediately, and felt Jessica link her left arm with hers. They began to walk at a normal pace, but when they were about to pass Thomas, they sped up. Just as he turned back around to see who passed him, both girls faced him and gave him a four-finger wave.
For a moment he stopped what he was doing, and blinked to clear his confusion. He eventually shrugged it off, and continued to walk down the hall with his buddies.
"What was that supposed to accomplish," Kaylee whispered.
"I have no idea, but whatever it is, it's brilliant!"
~
Kaylee sat with Jessica at lunch, both almost bored to tears. They picked through their meal, which was almost identical. They both had a veggie wrap with ranch dressing, tomatoes, lettuce, and feta-cheese, and a small bag of Sun Chips.
The only differences were that Jessica's bag of Sun Chips was cheddar, and Kaylee's was original.
"So, how's life at the Brook house?"
Jessica nudged Kaylee, who was slightly annoyed that she said her last name.
"Fine, I guess…"
Jess hummed, her eyes drifting to her bag of chips. "Every time you say 'fine I guess' you really mean 'don't ask me if you want to live'. So~, what's wrong with Kaylee, hum?"
"You really are suicidal aren’t you," Kaylee chuckled.
Jess gave her friend a wink.
"You know it- and stop avoiding the question. Tell me what's on your mind, before I use extreme measures."
Kaylee raised an eyebrow, making Jess face her with nod and her best 'oh yeah' expressions.
"You wouldn’t believe me, even if I did tell you…"
Jess snickered.
"We've been best friends since the first grade. By now, you can tell me that you hear voices, and I would believe you."
…
Kaylee glanced down at her necklace, and back up at Jessica.
"Sigh I don't know…but ever since I got this necklace, I've been action super strange."
"What necklace?"
Kaylee's eyebrows furrowed. She gestured to the crystal necklace around her neck.
"Um…this one: the necklace I've had on since we met up in the hall this morning? You seriously didn't notice it?" Jessica looked at where the necklace was, and raised a brow in confusion.
"Kaylee, I don't know what you are talking about. You aren’t even wearing a necklace."
Kaylee's mouth dropped, glancing between the necklace and Jessica.
"Are you sure you're feeling all right, Kaylee? Maybe you didn't get enough sleep last night. I'll go with you down to the nurse so you can leave school early, if you want…"
"No, you're right. I'm just tired." Kaylee looked away from Jessica after the words left her mouth.
This was insane. How can Jessica not see the necklace that was clearly around her neck? She could feel it bounce against her torso when she walked; she can pick it up and look at it in her palm, for crying out loud!
"Lunch will be over soon. You should eat. Maybe it will make you feel better," Jessica said, giving Kaylee a pat on the shoulder.
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