I love your writing style! and I can't wait to read more, it's amazing!

Thank you, Quirker!! I'll post the next chapter in a sec. 

Chapter One:

Amethyst awoke with a start. Her mother was shaking her awake, frantically calling her name. Amethyst sat up in bed, and in the gloom and sleepiness of the early morning, she understood what her mother was shouting at her to do, to get dressed quickly and go outside. She also heard the Alarm. Blaring, screeching out its call all throughout their house, all throughout their town. Telling them to all gather in the streets, quickly, quickly, this is not a drill.

But it always was. Pointless drills at pointless hours in the early morning. Nevertheless, her mother always acted like it was the end of the world itself. 

Slowly, just to show that she wouldn't be herded like a pack of sheep, Amethyst slipped on some slacks, a top, and her boots and headed downstairs. 

Her father was waiting for her, pacing anxiously, when she reached the ground floor. "What took so long?" he demanded but relented soon after. "Know what? Never mind. Come on, hurry up." 

They exited the front door together and stepped out onto the street, which was jam-packed with people who were still only half-awake from all over town. Amethyst's Mom had already claimed a section of some standing room near their front steps, with Eudie and Opal beside her. And there they waited, while the Authorities barked orders and separated people into their Classifications. 

Many people went by the surname Semi-Precious, but they were not at all related by blood. Others went by the surname Rare, like the Leaders, Diamond, Emerald, and Ruby, who all had the same last name, but were not related at all. Your last name was not your family's, it was a title that allowed less freedom of rights depending on which last name they had. 

That's just what was done, Amethyst had been told all her life. But she still didn't understand why her family being a Semi-Precious 020 meant that she was better and deserved better than a family of Semi-Precious 022. 

Commons were the lowest of the low. They had names and eye colors like Agate, Quartz, and Amber; Common Stones. 

Amethyst had been lucky. She was just on the teetering point between Common and Semi-Precious, being amethyst. Only because of her grandmother, Amethyst senior, who had no last name --which was not uncommon-- and yet married a Semi-Precious, Amethyst jr.'s grandfather, Jasper. Amethyst, Jr., had never known her grandmother but wished that she had. She had died within the same hour that Amethyst had been born. That's just how it worked. No one quite understood it --why there could only be on Amethyst, one Seraphinite, one Howlite, and one Eudialyte and Opalite alive in the world at one time, they died every time a child with their name and eye color were born-- yet, they all knew that it had to happen. They knew not how it happened, but it happened just the same, regardless of their ignorance. 

Amethyst wanted to know how it happened, why it happened; she wanted to know her grandmother, this other Amethyst. But her thoughts were interrupted before she could ponder further. 

"Get moving," growled an Authority at Amethyst and her family. They were herded --like sheep, Amethyst realized with a pang-- to the community yard, where there was a section marked off for all the Semi-Precious families. 

Amethyst recognized other people from their neighborhood, but most were those she'd never seen before. She hadn't bothered to befriend them ever before --most were children of her parent's friends-- but she still knew their names. 

There was Sunny Semi-Precious 032, with her piercing red eyes, small build, and chin-length blonde hair, standing next to Andie Semi-Precious 013 and his family. Despite his high status, Andie had always been somewhat civil to her. On occasion. As she shamelessly stared, his ombre grey eyes swept over her without recognition, and he turned back to his lengthy conversation with another Semi-Precious about how he'd won his soccer game.

Now, this was the longest part of the ordeal --and most boring, in Amethyst's opinion. They just stood there. Every last one of the Semi-Precious families, and all the other Classifications in their separate groups. It took a while for them to be properly Classified, so while the Semi-Precious were standing, waiting, the Gems were just getting settled. 

It was 04:00 in the morning --earlier than most times the Alarm had sounded-- and they had to wait until the new day to actually begin before they could return to their homes. At 07:00. An impatient sigh escaped Amethyst. 

Eudie and Opal, because they were still considered children at age 11 and were not kept on such strict rules like the adults were, fell back to sleep with their arms draped around each other on the ground, near where their father was standing. No chairs were offered for anyone else, and if they tried to sit, one of the burly Authorities standing guard near the edge of the section marked "Semi-Precious" would yell at them to get back up. If they didn't, and ignored them, well. That was just as bad as if you were caught outside during Curfew. 

Amethyst's mother, Sera -who was not a sociable person- stood there uncomfortably as people around her tried to engage her in conversation. Her father, Howlite, had the uncanny ability to fall asleep standing up, with his eyes closed -as he was doing now. He had tried to teach Amethyst how to on occasion, but she'd never mastered it. She dearly wished that she had that skill now --then she could already be back to sleep instead of just standing here, her thoughts being drowned in the chatter of all the people surrounding her. 

Then across the community yard, something caught Amethyst's eye. It was the Commons --the last of the Classification to be sorted into their group-- being led into their roped off section. There were a lot of Commons and a lot of voices shouting at once. The mass of bodies writhed like a pile of caged snakes. There was almost too many of them for the handful of grey-cloaked Authorities to contain, Amethyst noticed. And just as this thought crossed her mind, she saw a figure slip out of one side of the teeming mass and inch towards one of the alleyways that led out to one of the main streets. Someone escaping from its Classification? 

Of course, Amethyst was not going to tell anyone, much less the Authorities about the risky move she'd just witnessed. In fact, she rather admired this person for being so daring, daring to disobey the people who had instructed them to stay in their group. 

She kept her attention focused on the figure as it slowly crept farther and farther away from its Classification. Instead of fully escaping from its group's sections and high-tailing it out of there as soon as possible --as Amethyst had expected them to do-- the figure went behind the more subdued group of Rares. But of course, the Rares weren't paying attention. They were filing manicured nails, primping perfectly styled hair and chatting away aimlessly, as if this were some sort of celebrity's party instead of an Alarm Gathering. Because the figure was behind the Rares, Amethyst no longer had a good vantage point from which to watch the person from. But she didn't want to gather any unnecessary attention to the person by staring right where they were hiding, either. 

She tried ignoring the figure and went on to start up a conversation with Opal, who had just woken from her slumber on the ground, but Opal was too perceptive. 

"Why do you keep looking over at the Rares?" She inquired of Amethyst. 

"What do you mean? I'm not looking at the Rares any more than I'm looking at you or the Gems or Commons, "Amethyst retorted, trying to steer the conversation away from that topic. 

"Yes, you are." Opal persisted. 

Slightly flustered, Amethyst told her, "Why does it matter if I was staring at the Rares? It's not a world crisis." 

Whatever Opal said in return was lost to the void, because the figure was on the move again, and Amethyst had become distracted once more. She could make it --the figure-- out more clearly now. It was more of a dark shape than a blur, and she could just see the outline of clothing in the early morning gloom. Next to the Rares were the Gems (In rank it was Rares, Semi-Precious, Gems, and Commons), and that's where the person was headed next. 

What in the world are they doing? had crossed Amethyst's mind more than once as she observed their actions. What indeed. 

Because the Gems were closer in her range of sight than the Rares were, Amethyst could now see just what it was that the person was doing as it hid behind each group. Pick-pocketing. Huh. Clever. Why not take the chance, you've already risked trying to escape from your ranks?! Hiding in the shadows of the drooping trees, the pick-pocket snuck behind on the unsuspecting Gems and deftly slid their hand into the person's back pocket or purse, depending on where they kept their loose cash. 

Opal, who had been watching by Amethyst's elbow this whole time, silently, peered into her face and whispered, "Is that who you were looking at? Are they stealing from people?" She could only nod at her sister's innocent inquiries. 

"Well, why?" Opal wanted to know. 

"I don't know." Amethyst saw that the person was finished collecting money from the Gems, and now they were moving on to the Semi-Precious. You had to admit that it was daring, very risky. There were four or five Authorities stationed on all sides of the group of Semi-Precious and Gems, yet this person --this thief-- had managed to evade them all! 

The dark shadow flitted across the small space separating the Gems' section from the Semi-Precious', moving slowly to the rear of the chattering people. Were she and Opal really the only people seeing this? Glancing at her sleep-standing father, normal sleeping sister, and mother in the far corner of their group, Amethyst took Opal's hand in her own and led them around to the back. They had to wedge themselves between many tightly packed people to reach the rear, but in the end, they made it. 

There was one large weeping willow covering each of the groups, and the Semi-Precious' was at the back. It's long, feathery branches caressed the people gently who were standing around and beneath it, like a parent might do to a child. A thin plastic rope had been strung around the outer edge of the Semi-Precious section to mark where they could and could not go, held up by various poles and the massive trunk of the willow tree. Amethyst guided Opal and herself so that they were situated in the deep shadows of the great tree, unseen by the other Semi-Precious and, hopefully, the pick-pocket. 

Opal's pink-flecked eyes glittered with excitement and nervousness as she held on to Amethyst's arm and peeked out from behind the trunk cautiously. Then she sucked in a breath. "Ame! Ame, I think I see something!" she said, pointing with one finger at a humanoid-like shadow that seemed to be coming closer. Amethyst, too, sucked in a breath. 

What to do now? Amethyst really didn't know. I've come all the way over here, to do what? Keep quiet and let them pick-pocket more people? Then again, they're showing that they're willing to stand up to being treated badly... that's not such a horrible thing in itself, is it? 

Making a split decision, and squaring her shoulders back, Amethyst stepped out of her hiding place, right in front of the shadowed figure. Then all of the sudden, they were nose to nose, eye to eye. That is, her purple eyes to their blue eyes. A memory surfaced, one from a long time ago that she thought she had forgotten, flitting across her mind like a bird across a clear summer sky. One word. 

"Topaz?" 

@Quill- Thank you! And yes, the whole 'Classification' thing took some beforehand planning. XD Along with research for all different kinds of gems and jewels... and yeah. ;) 

@Agent Winter- ... Is that wow a good wow??

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Topaz --Amethyst was downright sure it was him-- furrowed his brows, his eyes widening with surprise. "What in the name of--" he began, then stopped and backed up into a corner, pulling Amethyst along with him. "How- how do you know me? You are...  " He squinted into her eyes as if trying to decipher their color. "Alexandrite?" 

"What?! No! I--!" she sighed, looking over her shoulder to check and make sure Opal was alright, and to see if any of the other Semi-Precious had seen them. "My name is Amethyst. About two--" Topaz cut her off, saying, "Right, right! I knew it was something purple..." 

Annoyed, she gave an exasperated sigh, then continued, keeping her voice low and still scanning over her shoulder trying to find Opal. She glimpsed a white face peeking out from behind the willow trunk, and then she was reassured. "About two years ago, you saved me from a bunch of Authorities when I was looking in an alley during Curfew for my sister. Remember?" 

He still looked rather confused, but she could see the gradual light dawning in his eyes. With one hand stroking his chin, he mumbled something about possibilities, then exclaimed, "Ah! Right, the girl with the expensive trench-cape. I remember you." 

Amethyst motioned to his bulging shirt-front where he had not-so-very-inconspicuously stashed the goods he'd stolen, asking him, "And what's all that about?" 

"Pardon? What's, "that"? I--I don't know what you mean." He tried to half-turn the other way so she could no longer see the bulge in his shirt, but it was no use. "That!" Amethyst poked at his shirt. "That's what's "that"!" Then she lowered her voice once more, remembering that there were Authorities very near where they were standing. "I saw you stealing from all those Gems and Rares. I saw you escape from your Commons group. And you would've stolen from the Semi-Precious too, had I not come back here to stop you!" 

Topaz was now looking guilty without a doubt, but Amethyst was more worried about Opal and the nearby Authorities than she was of how repentant he was of his pick-pocketing. She sighed, then told him, "Just wait right here. I have to check something." She crept back around the giant tree, ducking under the plastic rope and heading to the crevice where she had left Opal before she went out to confront Topaz. 

For a moment she panicked, thrusting her hand deep into the shadows and finding nothing but tree bark and roots. Then her hand collided with something that felt like a nose, and she heard an, "Ow! Ame, what are you doing?" She had to lean closer, but sure enough, there was Opal, glaring at her in her little hiding place. Holding a finger to her lips to signal that she still had to keep quiet, Amethyst told her, "Just making sure you were alright. Wait just a little bit longer, and don't go anywhere. I'll be back in a minute."

She returned back to the spot on the other side of the willow where she had left Topaz. Amethyst could almost swear that the shadows were getting thicker and darker. Almost like trying to swim through liquid chocolate, which made Amethyst hungry just thinking about it.  Though it was rather difficult to tell Topaz apart from the dark shadows that matched his skin tone almost perfectly, she managed. As she approached him, she asked, "Is it just me, or is it getting darker in here?"  

"What's that? I--" A loud trumpeting noise cut him off. They both turned, startled, but couldn't see anything more than a few feet ahead of them because of the thick branches and shadows. The noise was definitely coming from the community yard, however, and it abruptly stopped as soon as it began. The chatter of talking people --which had been a buzzing in the background before-- now rose to a clamor. 

Amethyst turned back to Topaz, their eyes meeting, both of them making a decision in a split second; Topaz slinked deeper into the shadows of the massive tree, and Amethyst went back to Opal's hiding place, taking her hand and leading her back to the group of Semi-Precious. 

Whatever in the world? was the only thought racing through Amethyst's head. That, and: We have to get back quickly before Mom or Dad notices that we disappeared. 

Slowly, Opal and Amethyst left the shadowy canopy of the willow and weaved their way back through the crowd of Semi-Precious like they had done before. Over the deafening din of people talking, Amethyst could hear someone addressing the Classifications through a microphone. 

"... appreciate your willingness to gather here today. In all briefness, we, your Leaders, on behalf of the Classifications, have come to a decision regarding the talk of uprising due to strict Curfews as of late." 

As they reached the front of the group, Amethyst recognized the person who was talking. It was Emerald, one of the three Leaders, who was more or less the spokesperson of their Gatherings. His glinting green eyes always sparkled with hidden mirth, as if he were the executor of a fantastic joke that only he understood. His crisp green business suit and caplet shivered slightly in the sudden breeze. Next to him stood the other Leaders; Diamond, being the unofficial face of the Leaders, with her head-turning features, wide, sparkling white eyes, and designer dresses. Then there was Ruby. The quietest of the three, who, in private Gatherings with her co-workers, made the most critical decisions when needed. She was known for her ruthlessness, and Amethyst shuddered as she remembered some of the cruel stories she had heard regarding that particular Leader. 

Eudie blinked the sleep out of her eyes as she got up to join her sister and parents from her spot on the ground. With a rough shake, Amethyst's mother woke up her sleep-standing husband, who was confused for a moment as to why the Leaders were in the community yard and speaking, but quickly caught on. Amethyst and Opal tried to act normal around the rest of their family as if they'd never left at all. It seemed to work, no thanks to the fact that most of them were still half asleep. When they had left the willow hiding place, Opal had given Amethyst a look that she read as, "You will explain who that odd person is when we're back home, won't you?" Amethyst had nodded to reassure her that she would. 

"You, the people, have told us in many different ways that you believe the tighter Curfews that we, your Leaders," Emerald enunciated the word "Leader" so forcefully that the microphone screeched. "Have set as of late are too strict. For your safety, we will not admonish our new rule, but," His gaze swept the throng standing before him, almost as if he were searching for a particular person. "We will make Curfew times longer if we deem it fit." 

The crowd burst into shouts and yells, the angry sounds doubling in volume as the Leaders stepped off the wooden podium without another word. Higher Curfew had been the only talk around town for weeks. Whereas there used to be Afternoon Curfew from 13:30 to 16:00, the Leaders had, out of the blue, announced that Afternoon Curfews would stretch from 12:00 noon to the dinner hour, which was 17:00. Paired with that, the Night Curfew had been minimal; only from 21:00 to 03:00, but it too had been lengthened. Now, from 12 noon to dinner time, you were only allowed three hours of time out of doors before you had to be indoors once again from 19:00 to 05:00 (Or otherwise specified, when dealing with Alarm Gatherings, of course.).

Amethyst glanced at her father, who was shaking his head silently with an odd expression on his face, but stopped abruptly when his wife elbowed him in the ribs. "What if one of the Authorities caught you doing that?" she admonished in whispered tones. Eudie and Opal were rather lost; they only knew that this would cost them less playtime outside. They had no idea any of the trouble it would cause for everybody else later on. 

As the crowd continued with their booing and shouts, Amethyst saw more Authorities appear out of nowhere; most likely sent by the Leaders (Wherever they'd run off to) to stop any negative responses that the people may have had about their declaration. 

Little good that will do, Amethyst thought. Almost everyone -including the Rares, to her surprise- had a negative response! The Commons especially were rebelling, breaking ranks and swarming out of their plastic-taped off section, trying to overpower the handful of armed Authorities that surrounded them. It was more chaos than Amethyst had witnessed in her entire life, living as she had with her obedient Semi-Precious family. 

People next to Amethyst her parents and her siblings were following the Common's lead and swarming all around each other, trying to get at an Authority and start a riot, it seemed. Sera took Eudie and Opal's hands in her own, and, beckoning to her husband and older daughter, led them back towards the large willow --where Topaz had been confronted only a short time ago. Howlite was antsy, fiddling with his hands and trying to peer over the bobbing heads of people as they continued to surge forwards. Amethyst knew that while he tried to live as his wife wanted him to --quietly and obedient to their Leader's desires-- he had a heart for adventure and excitement. He did not often experience those things being a Semi-Precious Merchant. 

Then a loud noise cut through the air, like a knife cutting through hard cheese. The hundreds of heads of people whipped towards the sound, coming from the podium where the Leaders had stood. To Amethyst's amazement, there stood Topaz! He had whistled sharply with his fingers, -she could still see them in his mouth- using one of the abandoned microphones to amplify the sound so all could hear.

"Listen up, everybody!" He yelled. "Who's ready for a change? Huh? That's what I'm wondering. Who's ready for a change? For better or worse, it could go either way." 

The excited crowd shrieked their answer. "We are!"

"And change for the better would be without," he paused, mimicking Emerald with his enunciated words. "our so-called "Leaders", right?" 

"Yes!" the crowd agreed. 

"But we all know they aren't going down without a fight." A smirk played on his lips. "And neither are we if we are united! Enough with the Classifications! Enough with the Rares, enough with the Semi-Precious, enough with the Gems, and enough with the Commons! Enough with the stinking Curfew!! That's why we're here in the first place, isn't it?"

"YES!" 

Amethyst felt an odd feeling come over her, almost like buzzing electricity. She didn't know if it was something Topaz had said, or if it was the realization that she was not alone in her hatred for the caste, the Classifications. Whatever was brewing here, now, she wanted in. As she turned to her family, she could feel her eyes blazing, felt the adrenaline --that's what she was sure it was now--  coursing through her veins.  Her mother looked frightened, as did Eudie and Opal. Her father, however, she knew she could count on. He too gazed at her, his blue eyes burning with a fire she'd never seen before. Just as Amethyst had opened her mouth to join in with the crowd's chant of, "Change! Change! Change! Change!" she heard another voice. 

"Arrest that man!!! Under violation of law and the order of peace!" spat Ruby, -who had reappeared along with the other Leaders --her red eyes glinting with untold rage. 

Immediately, the adrenaline fizzled out, filling Amethyst with dread. Quick as lightning, Topaz dropped the mic and leaped off the podium, landing into the swarming crowd and being completely and utterly swallowed up, it seemed, to the dozens of Authorities who appeared on the scene to capture him. The crowd churned, lifting Topaz over their heads and body-surfing him to the nearest exit --one of the alleys-- making it impossible for the Authorities to even set one foot into the mass of people because there were too many.  

Amethyst was glad that Topaz had safely escaped, but she knew that there would now be a backlash against the people for their outburst. She could no longer see the Leaders; they must've run away again. Already, more reinforcements of Authorities were shoving people back into their sections. 

A female Authority with orange eyes and brown hair tossed ruthlessly into a bun took charge of Amethyst and her family; probably because they were the calmest people around. "Name?" the Authority asked Howlite, clipping on her Lecs and already scanning through the expanse of digital files. "I am Howlite Semi-Precious and this is my wife, Seraphinite Semi-Precious and our daughters, Eudialyte and Opalite," Howlite offered. Less than two seconds passed before the Authority told them, "Cleared. Go back to your home. All work of any kind is forbidden for the day. I suggest you stay indoors." She beckoned them over the where a group of Authorities was standing guard at one of the alley exits. Sera immediately took each of Eudie and Opal's hands in her own and started walking towards the exit; Howlite and Amethyst had no choice but to follow. 

After a moment, the Authority at the exit also pronounced them, "Cleared," and stepped by to allow them to pass. 

As the family strode down the dark alley, through the practically abandoned streets and finally entered their house safely, no one spoke a word. The large wooden door was closed behind them with finality, and, after a moment of silence, Howlite threw the flimsy lock; shutting whatever they had seen out, and them in. 

Sera sighed. "I-- I'll go make the Firstmeal," and she headed down the hallway in search of the kitchen; which was where they had all expected her to go. In times of stress or uncomfort, she was known to try and keep herself busy. Eudie and Opal both simultaneously yawned with great vigor, then decided to go help their mother in the kitchen. 

Amethyst checked her wristwatch, which read as 06:44. Then she looked at her father, who was staring at the ground. 

"What do you think, Dad?" she began. He raised his head to look at her. 

"About what? The Curfews? Or the..." 'Riot' was too strong of a word. A riot had not actually taken place, just an outburst, a protest. The word 'riot' was almost never said aloud, for fear of the Authorities overhearing and even now, after seeing what they had this morning, it was too frightening -to exhilarating- to think about. 

"Well, both," Amethyst told him. Howlite threw a glance down the hallway, saying, "Let's go somewhere that your mother can't hear," and led Amethyst off into the living room. 

The living room was spacious and airy, one of Amethyst's favorite places to be in all the house. The color scheme was gold, one of Sera's personal favorites. Gold and cream settees lined the corners of the sprawling room, with a giant ornate rug covering most of the floor-space. A never-once-used fireplace rose up out of the center, and next to it, a baby-grand piano. 

Howlite strode up to the piano absentmindedly, and began to plunk out a ragtime-style tune, but stopped halfway through the refrain. He sighed deeply and looked at Amethyst, saying, "Things are changing, my dear. Just like that young man on the podium said. However, at this point, we are unable to see whether or not it is for the better." As he paused, Amethyst wondered silently about whether or not she should tell him that she actually knew that young man who had stood on the podium. Kinda. In the end, she decided that it would cause more trouble than the satisfaction that it may have brought her. 

In a sudden moment of outburst, her father yelled, "Why, anything would be better than what we are facing now! Those- those idiot Leaders.... can't they see that their power is slipping? Can't they see how wrong they are in what they force us to do?" He ran his hands quickly through his hair, gazing at his daughter --she could see his eyes filling up with fire and passion as they had when Topaz was speaking to the crowd-- and seemed to come out of a haze. Howlite took a deep breath, then said to Amethyst, "Sorry, my dear. I'm not sure what came over me." 

Just as Amethyst had opened her mouth to answer, Opal rushed into the room, calling them both to Firstmeal. As she walked with her father and sister down the hall, more twisted, tangled thoughts whirred through Amethyst's mind, like gears in a ticking clock.  One of those thoughts was taking up more of her attention than the others, however. And it was the question, Where is Topaz now?  

This is amazing, Vy! I'll get to editing ASAP (don't worry, I haven't forgotten my promise . I'll hopefully get some done this weekend cause I don't have school Friday either.

~Starseeker 

VY! This is so GOOD! I LOVE it! And I'm with Inky--Topaz is adorable. I love him already! And I can't wait to read more!

One, this is ABSOLOUTALY AWESEEOME!!!  And two, i ship Topathyst.