Chapter Nine

As soon as she was seated at the table, Amethyst blurted out the questions she had kept bundled up inside her for weeks. Starting with: "The Alarm Gathering. Did you plan to stand up and talk, or did you just take the opportunity as it was presented to you?" She directed the question at Topaz, who was sitting across the table from her, smoothing out the jumbled maps and papers scattered all over its surface. 

He sat back in his chair as he began speaking. "Well, no. Not at all. My only purpose for being at the Gathering in the first place was to swipe as many people's wallets and purses as I could. But, when I saw the chance, I took it." 

The girl with the knife, who was sitting next to Topaz, leaned forward, asking Amethyst, "What exactly did he say at the Gathering? Something heroic and blood-churning? Something... Topaz?" The girl glanced in his direction as she finished talking, as if expecting an offended response from him. But Topaz's nonchalant expression remained the same.

"Well...," Amethyst had to think for a minute, because the Gathering had been several weeks ago. "Actually, yes."

The girl, too, sat back in her chair, a smug grin on her face that confused Amethyst slightly. "So he started out with some sort of opening sentence about a change? Then moving on to how we don't need the Leaders, and saying that we need to be united?" As Amethyst nodded her head yes to each of the questions, the girl's satisfied grin widened. "Heard it all before," She confided to Amethyst, jerking a finger in Topaz's direction as she said, "I just haven't yet seen him live up to his word."

At that last sentence, Topaz bolted up in his seat, the girl's observation obviously striking a chord. He glared at her. "You know I am working on it, Larima. It's just that the people around here," He looked across at each of the persons seated at the table. "Don't want to do any heavy lifting. It's a work-in-progress." 

The girl's eye-roll trumped Eudie's --which was saying something. Then she leaned forward again, saying to Amethyst, "I'm Larima, by the way. I think you and I will get along well." She stuck her hand out across the table, and Amethyst shook it, telling her, "My name is Amethyst." 

"Ah. I see," Larima said, nodding her head and returning to her slouched position in her seat. "I was wondering if it was Lolite or something, because of your purple eyes, but we already have a Lollie right here." She then jerked her thumb over to where the girl with the corn-flower yellow hair sat, who waved back. 

Amethyst added Larima and Lolite (AKA, Lollie) to her mental list of the all the Priceless she knew so far. Then she shook her head, wanting to get back to her question-asking. The next one that came into her mind had to do with everyone, however.

"What exactly do the Priceless... do?" She looked down at the faces spread around her, most of whom were glancing at each other as if deciding who should answer. Topaz seemed contented to let his... gang --Amethyst chose that word for lack of a better one-- answer for themselves. Eventually, the person who had been fiddling with the silver whistle pipped up. He sat up in his chair, flipping his sleek brown bangs out of his chalky-blue eyes. 

"I'm sure that Topaz has already told you, but we do small things that make a big difference." He laughed when he saw her confused expression. "What that means is: We don't go around starting riots or killing people like the extremists back then," He glanced at Topaz. "Well, we used to. Things are kinda changing. What he" -- and Amethyst assumed he meant Topaz-- "did with the whole 'speaking up and rallying the people' thing was a little over-the-top. But," he sunk back down into his chair. "As the times change, we need to change along with it." 

That didn't exactly satisfy Amethyst, however. 

"Okay, but before things started changing, what did you do regularly?" She asked the group before her.

The girl with the black eyes, the one who had bounced her legs up and down below the table, gave a breathy laugh. "Not much," She said to Amethyst. 

The man with purple eyes added, "Topaz's pick-pocketing job was one of the highlights of that week," He told her. "We haven't done anything today."

Still rather confused, Amethyst said, "So, you just sit here. All day long. Doing nothing?" Really? So much for the wild, exciting "secret organization" that Amethyst had anticipated. 

"No, silly!" The hyper girl told her. "See these maps all over the table? We're planning!" 

"Planning... what?" Amethyst wanted to know. 

Topaz sat up with a start once more, shooting the girl a look that Amethyst didn't understand. "Nothing important," He said to her, which made Amethyst think otherwise. 

She opened her mouth to say so, but a blaring alarm --reminding her of ones used for the Alarm Gathering, except it couldn't be underground-- cut her off. Everybody was moving at once, jumping out of their chairs and stuffing the maps into a hidden compartment that appeared out of nowhere on the far left wall. In all the rush, Topaz grabbed her arm, dragging her along with him as he and the rest of the Priceless disappeared down yet another secret hatch underneath the table. The crammed into the small space, which was designed to hold 10 people at most. All throughout, the alarm continued to screech but stopped as soon as the door to the hatch closed behind Topaz. 

It was dark in the small room, but Topaz clicked on a light in the far corner, which offered them some relief from the stifling darkness. Slowly, everyone situated themselves, some sitting on the ground and hugging their knees to their chests, others squatting or squeezing into the narrow benches that lined one of the corners. 

Amethyst finally managed to get the question out: "... What are we doing down here?" 

Larima scooted closer from her spot on the ground, saying, "You recognize that alarm?"

"Yes. It sounds almost like the one for when an Alarm Gathering is called," Amethyst said. 

"That's because it is," Larima told her. "Only, it's one we installed ourselves down here, to let us know when an Alarm Gathering is being called up above. It's a precaution." 

"But why are we all hiding down here? There's already the sewers or tunnels or whatever they are above us," Amethyst said. 

The guy with the orange eyes pipped up from the corner, "We don't know if the entrance could be found in all the hubbub and walking around outside. It's just so that we're careful. One time, someone almost did find the hatch! But they thought it was just an ordinary sewer grate, like it's supposed to look like."

"One can't be too safe," Topaz said from across the room, where he had gone after entering the sub-secret room with Amethyst initially. 

So they waited. For what seemed like hours to Amethyst, doing nothing and holding their breath, as if the slightest sound would alert someone to their hiding place situated below 10 feet of solid concrete brick. Then she began to get fed up. 

Amethyst moved from her crouched position on the floor, stretching out her legs which had fallen asleep from being sat on for so long, then saying, "What time is it, anyway? Alarm Gatherings aren't usually called in the middle of the day. And even if it was, it couldn't have lasted for that long." 

Across the room, Topaz looked like he was about to go off on another rant about how "one can't be too safe", and Amethyst was thankful when a girl who had been sitting next to Amethyst answered. She glanced at an old, outdated wristwatch she had on her wrist for the time before saying, "It's 23:30. They must've called a late-night meeting. Strange, because like you said, they're usually in the morning." 

Amethyst was about to interject, saying that she had no recollection whatsoever of there ever being a late-night Alarm Gathering in all her 19 years! But she held her tongue when the girl went on to introduce herself, saying, "I'm Cassiterite, call me Cassy. You're Amethyst, right? Can I call you... Thyst? Or...  or something else? I'm big on nicknames." She gave a breathy laugh, and Amethyst now recognize her as the hyper girl, which she hadn't been able to tell before because of the darkness. She added: Cassy, blue eyes, boundless energy, likes nicknames, to her expanding mental list. 

"Well, most of my family calls me Ame... " she said to Cassy. 

"Ame it is!" Her new acquaintance gushed, earning glares from her co-workers across the small space. Several people whispered, "Quiet!" in her direction. Cassy quieted, shrinking into her corner and not saying another word. 

She leaned over to Amethyst, whispering in her ear, "Sorry. Sometimes I just get excited. Most people don't like it very much."

Amethyst smiled warmly, something she was sure Cassy wouldn't be able to see in the dim light. "It's alright. I have siblings who do it all the time and I'm used to it." Shadows reflected off of Cassy's face as she grinned back. 

They sat in silence for some time, Amethyst happy with the knowledge that she may have just gained her first real friend since joining the Priceless. Larima had been nice, but she was... different. This seemed more real. Not like they had gained camaraderie from annoying the heck out of Topaz. 

After a while, Amethyst leaned forwards and whispered into Cassy's ear, "So, I know Topaz, you, and Larima. But who is everyone else?" 

"Okay, so that's Sugi, the one who let you inside," Cassy told her, pointing to the guy with the purple eyes. "He's kinda... quiet most of the time. The dude with the whistle --don't ask me why he carries it around with him," she rolled her eyes dramatically. "And don't get him started on it, either. It's a big deal. Anyway, he's Kyanite, but goes by Kyan. Um, you know Larima," she gestured to Larima, who was now wiping her knife on a piece of cloth, as if it could get any shinier. "And Paz-- "

"Wait, Paz?"

Cassy giggled. "Yeah, that's just what Carnie, the guy over there with the orange eyes and me call him. He absolutely hates it, but we still do it anyway." 

"Huh," was the only response Amethyst could come up with. 

"Then there's Sphene, who has the green eyes, over there. Then Bloodstone is over there," She pointed to the back wall, where the girl with the short black hair and red-black eyes was sitting. "She doesn't talk much, either. I think Topaz likes her. But anyway, that's everyone that's here."

"And this is all of you? Just... "Amethyst counted in her head. "Eight in all?"

"No. Well, yes. I mean, there are more people, but they don't come around much. They're Topaz's informants, people working on the inside and stuff like that to act as a worm. Topaz tries to keep everyone kinda separated, so there's no danger of us giving each other away if we're caught," Cassy told her, picking at one of her fingernails absent-mindedly. 

"That makes sense," Amethyst agreed. "But so you are all the... main members of the Priceless then? The others are, but not officially?"

"Somethin' like that," Cassy said. Then she grinned, adding, "You're one of us now, too! As soon as Paz gives the all-clear for this silly Alarm thing, you can get marked." 

Amethyst was about to ask her what getting "marked" meant, but she decided against it. She would find out what is was later on. No reason to get worked up about it. 

She forced herself to sit still for ten more minutes, but by then she couldn't stand it anymore. Amethyst stood, her stiff body protesting violently as she went and stepped over the sprawled bodies and feet in the small walkway. She walked over to where Topaz was sitting, tucked into a corner next to Bloodstone and Larima. As soon as she got closer, Larima scooted aside to give her a place to sit. Amethyst nodded her thanks.

Topaz glanced at her, one eyebrow raised almost warily, as if asking a question. "Don't you think this is a little overkill? All this sitting around? We've been here for practically all night," Amethyst said to him.

He sighed, as if about to go into his "one can't be too safe" rant again, but thought better of it. 

"Anybody who may have had the smallest chance if finding your hideout is long-gone," she persisted. 

It must have convinced him, because he sat up, stretching, too. But then, to her dismay, he turned to her and said, "Not just yet." Before she could ask why, he said, "See this on my wrist?" He gestured to a small watch-like thing that Amethyst had never noticed before.  She nodded. 

"It's a communicator designed specifically for the purpose of communicating with each other when we're separated. I have other people stationed around the city, and they'll let us know when it's all --" he was cut off when his wristband beeped, reading a digital message that said: Clear. All clear up top. Feel free to come out, everyone is in their homes. 

Smirking, Amethyst glanced at Topaz, who was looking rather unpleased. He stood without a word, saying to everyone else, "Time to go. It's safe." 

People began moving all at once, standing, stretching, and opening the hatch that led to the room above. Amethyst followed them without a word. As she was stepped off the last rung and onto the floor of the main Headquarters, she saw that everyone else was standing, looking at Topaz, who looked at Amethyst. 

"Time for you to be marked," he said, arms crossed. "If you really think you'll be a good match for our line of... work."

Amethyst debated whether or not to point out that all the 'work' she had seen firsthand was them laying around or hiding. But she nodded, telling him, "I do."  

Thank you, everyone! ^^

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Chapter Ten

Marking wasn't at all what Amethyst had expected. 

The Priceless had led her over to a cabinet next to the cubby where they had hidden the maps and sat her down in a wooden chair. The guy with the purple eyes, called Sugi, if Amethyst remembered right, unlocked a drawer and took out what looked like an opened can of paint. He told her to hold her arm out, she did, and he disinfected her forearm with an alcohol swab. 

She got slightly nervous after that point, thinking that he had cleaned her arm because he was about to puncture the skin. However, Topaz, who was sitting to Amethyst's right, explained what Sugi was doing. The thing that looked like a paint can contained a fluorescent solution. Meaning that it glowed, but not in the dark.  The paint would only be visible if a certain type of metal pendant was waved over top of it. Sugi was going to paint it onto Amethyst's arm. The process was slow, but after a while, she could see the shape that was forming on her arm: almost like the letter P, except that there was a squiggly line that resembled an S running through its stem. The overall effect that Amethyst saw was a P, for the Priceless, with the ancient and hardly-ever-used dollar sign woven into it. 

Sugi was soon done and she only had to wait for a few minutes more for the solution to dry before Topaz handed her one of the metal pendants on a chain to test it with. Amethyst waved the shiny pendant over her forearm, and the P/dollar sign insignia reappeared. 

She admired the greenish hue of the swirling shape now permanently marked on her skin with her new pendant necklace that Topaz had given her, saying that everyone associated with the Priceless owned one; to know whether or not a person they came across really was a member of the Priceless. 

Topaz's 'gang' stood, mingling, for a few minutes. Then, one by one, so as not to draw suspicion, explained Topaz, they left the Headquarters. Going back to their homes to act like nothing had happened and they had not been anywhere else at all. Larima, Amethyst, Kyan, and Topaz were the last people waiting to leave. 

Larima started out next, but glanced over her shoulder at Amethyst. "Do you know your way around here? It's dark as pitch out there, but you can tag along with me to make sure you get home if you want." 

Amethyst hesitated. Then she said to Larima, "You go, I'll be fine." 

Brows furrowed, Larima asked her, "You sure?" 

Amethyst told her that she was, and with a shrug and a backward glance at Topaz, Larima climbed up the ladder and disappear out of sight. 

The people left waiting had to remain at the Headquarters for about a two-minute span until it was safe for the next person to leave. But when Kyan gestured to Amethyst that she could leave next, she shook her head, telling him to go on ahead. 

Then they waited some more, just Amethyst and Topaz now. After a minute, Topaz crossed his arms and asked her, "Was there something you needed?"

Slightly startled by his seeming courteousness, Amethyst opened her mouth to speak. But he continued on, saying, "Or did you just stay last because you really do need help finding your way home?" 

She sighed. "No," she told him, looking at the ground. Then Amethyst glanced at the hatch, about to ask if enough time had passed before another person could leave safely. Topaz stepped over to the ladder, telling her, "Come on. I don't want to have to wait all by myself after you leave. And you're too stubborn to admit that you don't know how to find your way home." 

The look that he gave Amethyst left her feeling frustrated and foolish at the same time. However, she turned and followed. 

They had already been standing in the tunnel-like hallway that was dimly lit by torches, and Topaz had locked up the main HQ behind them. All they had to do to reach the alley above was scale the rickety metal ladder. Topaz went first and Amethyst started up as soon as his feet disappeared from view. There was not much of a light difference from the dank tunnel to the narrow alley. The pitch-darkness and starless-sky made Amethyst realize just how late it was --no doubt well past midnight. 

Mom, Dad, and the twins must be wondering where I am, Amethyst thought to herself. If they haven't called the Authorities to track me down yet. 

She could just make out the faint outline of Topaz's figure up ahead as he waved her on to follow him, and she quickened her pace --not wanting to be out in the open for any longer than necessary. Topaz plowed his way on, twisting and turning down alleys and back-roads that Amethyst knew by like the back of her hand in daylight. She was glad Topaz had insisted she come with him in the end, because by now she would have definitely been completely and utterly lost. Before long, they were creeping up to the backyard gate of Amethyst's home, not having encountered anyone on their way --which was fortunate, Topaz told her. 

She stopped near the gate, not sure what to do or say next. She turned, coming up with a goodbye gesture that she felt was appropriate --but true to his nature, Topaz was gone. 

∞ * ∞ * ∞ * ∞ 

"Where in all the wide world have you been?!" Was the pleasant sound that greeted Amethyst as she stepped into her home. 

Immediately, her mother enveloped her in a hug, her father joining in a few moments later. Then Sera stepped back, the relief on her face giving way to anger. 

"You just disappeared! Without telling anyone where you were going! Amethyst! I expect you to be more responsible!" She glanced at her husband as if expecting him to back her up. 

Howlite looked at Amethyst hard, making her shirk slightly under his gaze. "Curfew started many hours ago. If the Authorities had found you... "

Amethyst grimaced, knowing what the rebounds of that encounter would have been. "I'm here now?" She offered. 

Sera hugged her again and opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off as two sleepy children crept down the stairs. 

They rubbed the sleep out of their eyes and then, recognizing who she was, shouted, "Ame!" And raced down the stairway, crashing into Amethyst. 

"You're back!"

"Where did you go?"

"I was so worried!" They told her, without stopping for breath. 

Behind them, Tom --or, Peri, as Amethyst now knew him-- danced into the room after the girls, rubbing himself against Amethyst's legs, as if trying to convey how worried about her he had been. 

"Dad let us keep him in our rooms tonight," Opal explained. "Just for tonight, because we were all so scared of what might have happened to you." 

Amethyst chewed her lip. Then Eudie asked her again, "Where did you go? You were gone for soooo loooong!" 

Oh, drat, Amethyst thought, realizing she didn't have an excuse for where she had been. She couldn't exactly tell them, "Well hey! I joined a secret organization! You don't mind keeping a secret that could have you thrown in jail or worse, do you?" 

Her father came to her rescue, however. "As Amethyst said, she's here now," he smiled warmly at his daughters, who were still hugging Amethyst so tight she almost couldn't breathe. "And that's all that matters."

"Did you get lost?" Eudie asked. "I bet you got lost." 

Amethyst thought for a minute. "I thought I was going to be lost for a while there, but I managed to find my way home in the end." Which wasn't really a lie. Then, looking at her family standing before her, she told them, "And I'm really sorry for worrying you all so much." 

Drawing Amethyst into a hug once again, Sera said, "As long as it doesn't happen again." Amethyst gave a non-committal answer, muffled because her face was pressed into her mother's shoulder. 

She couldn't say for sure that their worries were over. This wouldn't be the last time she would go to the Priceless's hideout --and even though the work they did seemed ordinary and un-exciting, Amethyst was prepared to expect some danger in the days ahead. After all, things were changing. Only now, Amethyst knew who's side she was on. Working for better, not for worse.  

@Agent Winter- XD Oh my, that's hilarious!

This is a rather short chapter, so expect another following close behind!

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Chapter Eleven

"Sir. Ma'ams."

Emerald turned around, looking at the young man standing before him. "Yes? What is it?" He asked with disinterest. Diamond, who was lounging on a couch behind him and Ruby, who was sitting at a desk to the left, both glanced up. 

"Do you have something to report, Sergeant?" Ruby asked the young man. 

"Yes, ma'am," The Sergeant told her, gulping. 

"Something about that idiot from the Gathering a few weeks ago, I hope?" Diamond asked, admiring her freshly lacquered nails. "Did you catch him? Finally?" 

The Sergeant gulped once again. "No, ma'am."

"Well, get on with it, then!" Emerald told him, getting slightly irritated.

Looking down at his feet, the Sergeant said, "My senior officer told me to report to you with the information that we... " The young man's voice wobbled. "We have yet to see any sign of the fugitive from the Gathering. But," He added, quickly. "The Captain of the Authorities may have a lead. He said to tell you that he is looking into it as we speak." 

Emerald gave an exasperated sigh, fighting the urge to lash out at the young Sergeant for delivering news that was not needed, but he restrained himself. The Leaders were supposed to maintain a united front to the populace. Ruby had almost broken whatever little confidence they had instilled in the people when she had screamed to arrest the speaker at the Gathering earlier that month. 

Diamond dismissed the Sergeant with a wave of her hand, her face a mask, as usual, with the exception of looking rather bored with life at the moment. 

"Well," she said, standing with a graceful flourish from the sofa. "That was unhelpful." 

Free from the watching eyes of the Sergeant, Emerald now unleashed his rage. "Unhelpful? To say the least!" 

"No news is better than that news, I agree, Em," Ruby told him, standing up from her seated position at the desk. "But we have bigger things to think about besides petty protests at an Alarm Gathering. There was another Gathering last night, wasn't there? And no sign of our illusive speaker. So what if he got away? There's hardly a chance that he'll try again, whatever the rebel was trying to accomplish." 

She went back over to her desk, writing something out on a slip of paper and then stepping into the next room to give it to her personal secretary. Emerald and Diamond could hear her talking through the doorway. "Give this to the Captain of the Authorities personally. Make sure he does what he's told." 

When she returned, Diamond asked, "You told him to call the search off?" 

"Quite the opposite. I told him to follow the so-called lead he had and anything else he can find in order to catch the speaker," was Ruby's reply. 

Emerald spluttered. "Weren't you just talking about how useless continuing to search for the speaker is? Then why did you --"

Ruby cut him off, saying, "What would it look like to the people, Em? The people are who we have to impress. If we called off the search, it would say to them that we don't keep our promises and we will let demonstrations like those that occurred at the Gathering to ensue." She paused, shuffling some papers on her desktop. "It will keep the Captain busy, anyway. He is always complaining about how little he has to do in his job."

"So," Diamond began, looking slightly confused. "Keep up the search even though we don't really care?" 

Ruby sighed. "Yes, Di. And do try to keep up. And anyway, we have the upcoming Ball to think about. Enough of this speaker business." Her blood-red eyes glittered, a grin breaking out on her face. "We have to set an example to our people. Mineria won't rule itself, you know. This party is one I want them to remember for all of time."  

@Agent Winter- As one Star Wars fan to another Star Wars fan, thank you!! XD 

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

Chapter Twelve

A door slammed from somewhere in the house and the sound of pattering footsteps reached Amethyst's ears from the living room, where she was sitting with Peri; who had many more privileges in the house than he originally had before. 

"Ame!"

"Amethyst!" Two little girl's voices shouted as they raced into the room. Peri, who was scared by the loud noises, hopped off her lap and retreated into some other part of the house. 

"What? What?" Amethyst asked, shouting in the same tone, though playfully. "Did the world end?" 

Eudie began explaining first. "When the delivery-man came to drop off the grocery rations, he also brought a letter! A letter! How cool is that?!" 

"Very cool," Amethyst told her, wondering why this specific letter was so important. 

"But it's not just the letter," Opal said in a quieter voice than, elbowing her twin in the ribs. "It's what's inside!"

"Yeah! The delivery-man told us what he thought it would say, but you have to open it to see!" Eudie said to Amethyst, placing an envelope in her hands. 

The letter was addressed to "Amethyst Semi-Precious 020 and family" in swirling calligraphy, with their home address below. Turning the letter over, Amethyst saw that it was sealed with a large, curvy L, cemented in wax. Which was odd, since wax was almost completely extinct nowadays. 

"Must be someone pretty fancy who sent this letter," Amethyst said, pointing out the wax seal to her sisters, who were just about dying with anticipation. 

"Open it already!" They both shouted. 

"Okay, okay!" Amethyst told them, sliding her finger under the seal and opening up the envelope. She pulled out a sheet of paper filled with the same swirling font of the address.

Dearest Amethyst Semi-Precious 020 and family,

You are cordially invited to the annual birthday celebration of your most cherished Leader, Ruby Rare 001, in fourteen days time at the auditorium in the center of Mineria. Formal-wear is not mandatory, but dress accordingly to your Classification. We sincerely hope that you enjoy the celebration, and please attend unless you wish unpleasant rebounds for your actions.

With respect,

Your Leaders, Ruby, Emerald, and Diamond.

Overall, the letter left a bad taste in Amethyst's mouth, almost like she had been offended outright --which, re-reading through it, she realized that she had. Along with being threatened with "unpleasant rebounds". Eudie and Opal, however, were ecstatic. 

"A party!!" Opal screeched.

"Do we get to wear fancy dresses? And do our hair up pretty?" Eudie asked, her pink-tinged eyes sparkling. 

"It says: 'Formal-wear is not mandatory'," Amethyst reminded her, pointing to the part of the letter where it read that particular sentence. 

"Aww," Eudie said, a frown spreading across her face.

"But you still get to wear something different than every-day clothes like you have on now," said Amethyst, gesturing to Eudie's simple outfit of leggings and a t-shirt dress. 

Apparently, that was enough, because Eudie said, "EEEEEeeeeee!! I'm so excited!!!!" Then she grabbed her twin's hand, saying, "Come on, Opal! Let's go find Mom so we can start ordering our party clothes!!!" 

They bolted out of the room like rockets, their excited yells echoing through the house once again. Amethyst called after them, "The party's not for another two weeks!" But they paid her no heed. 

Amethyst sighed, glancing back over the letter with distaste. Why have it addressed to me specifically, putting in "and family" as an after-thought? Amethyst wondered. Odd, she told herself. But probably not anything important. 

She folded the letter and put back it into its envelope. Amethyst remembered last year's birthday party for Ruby very well, along with Emerald and Diamond's, which followed a few months after. There had been too many people in such a small room, making the room hot and sticky, and causing the food to run out within a little less than an hour of the party beginning. Amethyst had mostly sat in a corner while her parents attempted to make small-talk with their fellow Semi-Precious around them. Children 10 and under were not allowed on the premises, so Eudie and Opal had been at a baby-sitter's. This would be their first time going, but Amethyst didn't want to spoil their anticipation. After all, this year's party may be completely different from last year's! She told herself. 

The twins would most likely die of boredom before the two weeks before the party were up, and here they already were, choosing outfits a second after they heard about the party. Amethyst stood from her seat on the couch and made her way upstairs to talk to her mother --who was, by now, probably knee-deep in squealing little girls. 

∞ * ∞ *  ∞ * ∞ 

A beeping noise coming from the watch on his wrist startled Topaz, who sat up from his comfortable seat on the floor, next to his maps, and read the message that was being sent through his communicator. 

Invites for Ruby R.'s B-day party have just been released. Instructions to proceed? 

Topaz opened up the key-pad of his communicator, about to reply to the message, but a knock at the door stopped him. He stood, listening for a minute as the passcode was tapped out, then opened the hatch. It was Larima, surprise, surprise. She took in the interior of Topaz's makeshift living-quarters, eyes widening slightly, but said nothing.

"Did you see the latest message on the comm?" She asked. 

"I was just about to send back my instructions when you walked in," Topaz told her. "Wait just a moment."

He then tapped out his reply on his wrist-communicator, Larima watching intently. As soon as Topaz hit 'send', Larima's comm beeped, signaling that it had received a message. She held her wrist closer to her face and read aloud:

"Make plans for infiltration. We want to unnerve the L as much as possible. Report back when you get a rough outline of a plan." 

Larima looked up a Topaz, blue eyes glinting. "Sounds like my kind of a plan," she said. "Cause as much chaos a possible, all while looking fantastic." She grinned. "Tell the operatives that we have our disguises under control; Cassy will get on it right away." 

"I'm not sure that disguises are necessary," Topaz began.

Larima --not to be deterred from the master plan that was already forming in her head, involving intricate and fancy party clothes-- turned as she was walking out the hatch doorway. "You of all people will need a disguise, Paz. The Authorities are still hell-bent on arresting you. And the rest of us might not need the disguises as badly... but it's more fun that way." She winked once, then walked out the door. 

"Tell Cassy that I'll come up with my own disguise!" Topaz called after Larima, who nodded, then disappeared down the hallway once more. 

Topaz went back into his room, locking the door behind him once more. He sat down on his cushion on the ground and got out a clean sheet of paper from the scattered stack to his left. With a forlorn glance at the hair-covered bed where Peri used to sleep --he still missed his furry companion. But he knew that life at Amethyst's home was better for him-- he began writing out his ideas and plans for the party. It was still more than two weeks away, but why not plan ahead? 

At the top of the page, Topaz wrote:

Party disruption:

Larima, Sugi, Carnie, and Chrys. (Special Ops.) 

Backup:

Cassy, Kyan, Lolite, and Sphene. 

Bloodstone?

Topaz paused. He liked to include all of his gang, as well as a few of his special operatives. That left just Bloodstone... and Amethyst. But she is so new to it all, what could she do? Topaz wondered. Under Amethyst's name, he wrote:

Infiltration? Inside job, will be going anyway with family. 

Then he drew a line connecting Bloodstone and Amethyst's names, writing underneath them:

Together. Would make a good team.

With his other notes, he added:

Authorities? Personal bodyguards for the L? Distraction separately? 

Pausing once more for a moment, and glad that he still had two weeks to work the kinks out of his plan, Topaz drew a circle around everything he had written so far, adding:

How?  

Sorry, but you'll have to wait in anguish for a few more days before you can read the next part. I'm going to be out of town over the weekend, but I will try to have another section posted for you by Sunday or Monday. : )