SifferKO

The Gem household was never a quiet place. Although the three majestic giants, the three Diamonds (Black, Brown and Cognac) who created the inhabitants of this place, did their best to keep their charges in leash, at least one of them broke out every single day several times. It did not come to rampage, but it often was close to it, especially when it was about stark raving mad Warfstache, Anti the Troublemaker of the next level or almost rudely honest Remus. Or, officially, Morganite, Chrome Diopside and Uvarovite… so this is why Signe was not surprised when she heard hullaballoo from inside the house. However, her opinion began changing when she heard insane squealing, including phrases like “HOLD STILL!” and “I’LL KILL YOU!”. The next moment the door slammed open, and Phlogopite, aka King of the Squirrels, rolled out and pressed his back to the wall, panting. “Kingie?” Signe carefully asked, feeling even stranger: even though the Gems were much older than she could imagine

“Annnd… c’mon, c’mon, c’mon!.. aaah! Not again!” “And the winner is the unbeatable Dark of Heartness!” Bim announced and ducked to avoid a sneaker tossed at him by Anti. The Gems had just been introduced to videogames (Felix brought his old game console to their house), specifically to battle ones like Guilty Gear and Mortal Kombat, and eventually it had turned into a makeshift tournament. Everyone present had played at least once, and, surprisingly, Dark appeared to be the best player – and seemingly the most indifferent. His four-eyed face did not show any hints of emotions when he won, while the rest (especially Anti, Roman and Remus) were practically sparkling with excitement and annoyance. “It’s unfair,” Anti grumbled. “You basically have two brains, and that helps you.” “I think it doesn’t matter, Anti,” Amy stated. “Look, the Host almost managed to beat him.” “Almost.” Anti made a wry mouth. “The Host has his own tricks with omniscience, but even they do not always work.”

“Are you sure that this is a good idea, Roman?” Signe asked, keeping her eyes on the elongated octagonal gem of poisonous greenish color that Roman was turning around in his fingers. “I mean… well… last time…” “I was out of my mind then, but I’ve seen the recordings.” Roman’s cheeks blushed with the same bright red color that was the one of his gem (oval-shaped, located on his right shoulder). “Don’t forget that Janus was the mastermind then and my Diamond was locked inside his gem.” “Janus?” “Perhaps you remember him as Sphene or Deceit. Two-faced and one-eyed jerk… My Diamond wasn’t there to control him. He must’ve passed all bounds because of that.” “You mean, if Cognac Diamond decides, he may let Janus out?” “Uh-huh. But you know what? I’m pretty sure that Janus won’t be able to unleash his cobwebs.” “I thought he looked more like a snake than a spider,” Signe confessed. “Why did you decide to bring the other one back?” Roman moved his finger over the flat surface of the dormant

Most of the present believed that attending the storytelling session was not the best idea, especially when the teller appeared. Some parents even decided to keep closer to their children, for he could easily fit into the canon of a horror movie. It was truly marvelous how one single detail – okay, two – could make such an impression. The teller was a man in a light brown trench coat, whose jet-black hair with a single golden lock was smoothly combed backwards, showing the huge forehead adorned with something similar to a bronze tiara or a headband, which had an ochre-colored gem in the very middle, shaped like a vertical eye. Just the right shape, because the man’s eyes were hidden behind a white blindfold – if they even were there, because the eye sockets seemed to be too deep. “The Host would like to warn you that this is not going to be any ordinary storytelling,” he announced. “He has made sure that you will see everything by yourself.” It was true, for before he began, his

That’s strange, Mark thought, rolling over. Usually the sunlight would strike him in the eyes in the morning at this time of year, but today the situation was completely opposite: on the contrary, not a single sunbeam would appear. He sat up in his bed, and his heart sank: he couldn’t see anything outside, as if his room was ripped out of existence and thrown into nothing. Nah, should read less sci-fi before sleep, Mark thought, attempting to return to reality. The reason appeared to be some kind of a pitch black platform soaring over the town at the height of about a mile, for normal blue sky could be seen near its edges. And this platform was slowly but surely expanding. Gems, Mark thought. Should be their kind of action… No, those couldn’t be them. Gems had strange logic and liked experimenting, but they would’ve never made a whole town their lab! Having forgotten about his plans to properly catch some ZZZ’s at the weekend, Mark hastily tidied himself up and dashed to the kitchen