Chapter Three- The X and the Jewel

Chapter Three- The X and the Treasure

 

“Alright where the hell did you go this time!?”  She yelled. “I just put it here last night!” She roared rummaging thru a tower of paper, leaving the room looking like a tornado had just blown up.  

Buzz; buzz.  Her phone’s alarm vibrated.  

“I know! I know! I’ll leave in a minute!  She yelled as she reached over and punched the buttons on her cell to shut the sound off.  “Aha!  I found you, you stupid thing!” She practically screamed snatching up a rather yellow, old looking envelope and stuffing it in her pant pocket.  

She quickly pulled on an off the shoulders knit cowl sweater and bleached light grey skinny’s.  Grabbing her coat and flinging medium sized black duffel bag over her shoulder.  She slammed the door shut and started making her way down the stairs.

Half way down she suddenly yelled “F**k!”  Running back up the stairs swiping her room key she entered the hotel room again walking over to the counter and snatched her cell of it.  Telling it that it was a pain in her a*s and cursing a few more times she returned down to the front doors she stopped to leave a tip at the desk and check out.

“How was your stay Miss X?” An older lady asked politely from behind the counter.

You sure don’t get a lot of visitors do you?”  X asked curiously.

“No miss just enough to get by” The lady replied sweetly.

“Alright well how about you just forget my name” She said keeping eye contact with the lady as she slid two $100 bills across the counter.

“Oh yes miss… What was your name again dear?  My memories not what it used to be?” Then X continued on her way.

She walked out of the hotel doors and looking across the lane a grin slid across her face.  She took a second to admire the short girl waiting across the street.  She was leaning against the side of a 1956 corvette painted in venetian red.  Her wavy strawberry blonde hair framed her face in chaos as her haircut fell over it.  She looked as if she were carved from marble her skin so pale, and every piece of her body perfect.  The cloths she had picked were hugging every asset; a pair of dark blue corduroy artist pants and a black long sleeve V-neck sweater.  The girl looked up revealing her beautiful deep sapphire blue eyes, which sparkled when the sun touched them.  Her name sure suits her she thought to herself.

“Hey X over here!  Are you coming or what?"  The girl called waving her arms above her head.

“Oh Sapphire.”  X mumbled well shaking her head as she started walking across the dirt road.

“I thought you were calling me Saf?” Sapphire yelled as she ran and jumped into X’s arms; X had just barely caught her in time and had to jolt forward slamming them into the side of the car to keep a pickup truck from slamming into them!

“Saf!” Are you ok? X asked, well inspecting her for any damage.

“Ya I’m ok, sorry!  I just missed you?” Sapphire said batting her eye lashes.

X let out a sigh well moving her hand down her face.  “It’s only been three days?  You weren’t even supposed to be here for another week?  I can’t see Jen letting you leave early.”  She said Sapphire dint answer but her expression told X everything.  “Saf?” She questioned knowing perfectly well what the answer was.

“Uh ya… About that…”  Sapphire said making circles in the dirt with her foot.

“Saf…?” X said angry questioning laced thru her voice.

“Well I sort of snuck out! “ A huge smile spread across Sapphires face.

X turned to the sky and asked.  “I thought I was sent here to fight not babysit?  Here put this in the trunk.”  X said pushing her bag in to Sapphires arms.  Sapphire let out a squeak of protest before lugging the bag around the car and putting it in the trunk.  “What do you have in here an elephant?”  Sapphire asked well she shut the trunk and walked back over to X.  Who proceeded to pick up Sapphire and fling her in to the passenger’s seat.  “Hey!  Why can’t I drive?”  Sapphire exclaimed scrambling to sit upright as X hopped over the car door and in to the driver’s seat.  X turned the key and propped one arm up on the head rest and started to back up.  Right before she took off down the road she tossed a small wooden box at Sapphire; although Sapphire couldn’t figure out when she had taken it out or even where she had been keeping it.

“Because we all know how you drive and I’d rather get there in a few hours not a week from now.”  X said rolling her eyes.

“Hey!  I’m not that bad at least I follow the rules!”  Sapphire said getting flustered.

“What is this anyways?”  She said shaking the small box.

“Why don’t you look and find out.”  X said before taking off down the highway.

“Hey!  Some warning would be nice!”  Sapphire yelled over the wind, as she slammed in the back of the seat almost dropping the box.  

“Man you sure say hey a lot if you don’t watch out you’ll turn in to a horse!  X said laughing.

“Oh shut up!” Sapphire spat back.

“Ha-ha!”  X laughed as the wind clawed into her face.  “Look!”  She yelled over the noise, gesturing to where earth seemed to end.  It was nearly the end of the sunset and the moon was just coming up.

“Wow the moon is so pretty!” Sapphire said.  A certain awe in her voice.  Returning to the wooden box she repeated again.  “What is this X?  Is it a clue?”

“Just open it.”  X growled eyeing Sapphire thru the rear-view mirror as her smile turned in to a scowl.

“Okay, Okay!”  She yelled back, lifting the box to eye level; it was a small 3” x 3” Square box, with an intricate carving of the sun on the top and a gold lock on the side. She tried to open the latch but it wouldn’t budge. “It’s locked X?”

“Look in your back pocket” X said without turning her head.  Sapphire set the duffel bag down.

“Look in my back pocket?” She said reaching into it.

 “What the hell?!”  She said as she pulled out a key attached to a leather string.  “When did you put it there?”   Sapphire asked.

“Doesn’t matter.”  X said a grin returning to her face.  Quietly Sapphire turned the key in the box and opened it.

“X!  What is this, it’s beautiful!?” Sapphire exclaimed pulling out a blue velvet necklace.

“It’s a Victorian Choker I picked it up in London, it was made in 1886.”

“Ok but why do we need it? Does it have something to do with capturing Set?”  Sapphire said without looking up, her eyes entranced with the precious necklace.

“March 13 1999.” X said her lip twitching a bit.

“Ok and you’re telling me on of my birthdays why…?”  Sapphire said looking up.

“It wasn’t just your birthday, it was the day you joined the Mother Hawks. It’s been ten years since then.” X said looking at Sapphire expressionless. Sapphire pondered this for a few moments before a look of realization dawned on her.

“Does this mean I’ve been following dead leads for ten years!!?” She screamed.

“It means I’ve been following dead ends for nearly a century, but at least the last ten I’ve had you by my side.” X said turning to look at Sapphire and grinning.

“Look out!” Sapphire yelled as a small wolf like creature darted across the road.  X quickly slammed on the brakes and turned the car in a 360 in an attempt to slow it down.  When they finally came screeching to a halt, the smell of burnt rubber drifted up. Sapphire jumped out to examine her car.  X followed her but didn’t bother stopping to check the car.  She walked out to where the animal had crossed the road but it was nowhere to be found.

 “Ahhh!” X heard Sapphire scream and quickly peeled her gaze from the forest and ran back to the car.

“What, what’s wrong?” X asked

“My car! That’s what’s wrong!” X followed Sapphires gaze to the car’s tires or at least what was left of them. The wheels had been stripped leaving only a few inches of rubber left.

“It’s ok baby, I never should have let X drive you.” Sapphire leaned over the hood and stroked it.

“Well now that I think about it I left my car at the hotel I’ll call them and see if they can tow it down.” X said.

“Great so what do we do till then, and what was that thing anyways?”  Sapphire said unenthusiastically.  X looked over her shoulder to where the creature had run by

“I’m not sure it almost looked like a-“ “ARGH!” X was interrupted by Sapphire

“What now?” X asked.

“I lost the box!” Sapphire said looking at the ground around her.

“What box?” X said a puzzled look taking over her face.

“The box with the necklace you must of spent a fortune on that! Its ok ill find a way to pay you back if it’s broken.  Sapphire said.  X burst out laughing.

“What, what’s so funny!”  Sapphire said angrily.  Moving her arms up and down in an exasperated gesture.

“Saf.”  X said calmly, catching one of Sapphires flailing arms.

“Calm down that choker is for you, and were going to find it.”  Letting go of Sapphires arm she walked back down the road looking for the box.  Sapphire stood frozen on the side of the road unsure what to do or say.

“Well don’t just stand there waiting for the trees to grow.  Here catch”  X said as she threw her phone over to Sapphire.

“What’s this?” Sapphire asked.

“Did you really just ask me what a phone is?”  X said looking back to grin at Sapphire.  “Specifically it’s a phone that’s untraceable to everyone I don’t want knowing where I am.  Now phone the hotel and ask for Jenkins, tell him to send a tow truck with my car.” X said scanning the road for the necklace.

“JENKINS! Jenkins is here!!” Sapphire cried; worry engulfing her face.

“Right you’re not supposed to be here, well not my problem.”  X said an amused look on her face.

Thirty minutes after Sapphires ear had been ripped off thru the phone at the hand of Jenkins and another thirty minutes of searching in the dark Sapphire thought she saw a sparkle.  “Hey I think I see it over there!”  She said running towards it, she bent down to pick it up. “OUCH!” She howled.  And not a moment later X was beside her.

“What’s the matter?”  X asked looking concerned.

“I cut my palm on something?” Sapphire said holding up her hand to examine the blood oozing out of it.

“Ah I see, here.”  X said bending down she kissed it. When X took her face away the wound slowly started to close.  But X stayed crouched with Sapphires wrist in her hand.  Sapphire thought she saw something flicker behind X’s right eye which was a mixture of dark and medium brown with flecks of red and outline by a thick black circle.  Whatever she had seen made her feel unsettled.  It was as if something dark was dancing behind it.  She averted her gaze to X’s left eye and the feeling dispersed.  It was a light blue with flecks of white reminding Sapphire of the stars reflected from a crystal clear water pool, this eye was also encased in a thick black circle.  

“X?  Are you ok?  You seem a bit…”  She started before trailing off..

“Hmm…?”  Said X using the back of her free hand to wipe off some blood that had smeared on her lips.

“I just thought…”  X looked up puzzled and caught Sapphire eyes.  Her stare locking Sapphire in place, something gripped Sapphire with a disturbing mixture of calm and fear causing her to shudder.

“Here” X said well taking off her sweater leaving her in nothing but a black satin bra. She silently waited for Sapphire to take the shirt.

“Oh thanks” Sapphire replied grabbing and pulling on X’s sweater.  She decided to keep her feelings to herself not wanting to upset X. Then she got up and made her way over to the car.  X followed going to the trunk.  She opened it and started sifting thru her duffel bag looking for another shirt. Out of the corner of her eye Sapphire saw the something shiny.  Sapphire walked up and tried to pick up the object.  Horrified at the realization as to what it was she instantly let go.

“X…is-” Sapphire started.

“Souvenir from London.”  X replied not waiting to hear Sapphires question.

 “Please tell me it’s fake.”  Sapphire said giving a pleading look to the statue as if could give a better answer.

“Why it’s not?  Ah ha!”  X exclaimed with a satisfied look on her face as she pulled out a black hoodie.

“You stole that from the British Museum!”  Sapphire yelled accusingly waving her arms around fanatically.

Author's Note

New updated version added/removed parts. Please let me know what you think!

Reviews

[sithlordjp]

Your characters are well defined, and their conversations are engaging. You may want to consider a bit more room to your narrator. This chapter is dialogue driven, which in no way is a bad thing, but it could maybe use a few breathers here and there... Half the fun of a good conversation is the silence in between lines... What are the characters thinking about as they speak? Anyway, just a suggestion. This read really well, best of luck with this interesting project!

[Wingless Fallen Angel]

Dynamics between Saf and X are so funny! Good job!

[AWickedMoon]

I'm glad you saw it like that as thats what I was going for so i'm glad it did work! Also thank you that comment just made my day! :)

[Norma M Sutton]

There are a few typos in the first paragraph, maybe the first couple of paragraphs, but otherwise it is looking good.

[AWickedMoon]

Just a note the Sahen Harris and town of Coltsfoot is supose to be in fancy handwritting!

[Calibaster]

As I said before, needs more commas. I like it! it's a good book!

[AWickedMoon]

Thankyou!

[Calibaster]

welcome

[DarkCrono15]

This was a fun chapter, it definitely had a super natural feel to it! Good job again. You did a great job creating colorful character dynamics between Saf and X. Its early on in your story so I'm intrigued to see how this chapter is linked to your previous one. I would suggest linking them in some way soon.

I would suggest that you utilize spacing in your writing more in this chapter. Maybe make a line break for dialogue, that's what i do often. The whole chapter is two mega paragraphs, which makes it slightly more confusing to read. Just a thought, I'll let you decide if its a good one!

Keep up the good work!

[AWickedMoon]

I’m working on adding more to this chapter I have taken your advice and added more spaces(haven’t put the new spaced version in yet) I didn’t realize it was only two paragraphs until you pointed that out haha! I'm thinking about switching the two chapter’s this chapter has already happened, it is when there just getting in to town, and in the first chapter sapphire is working at the flower shop I’m not sure if that’s what you men by connected :P