2. Clear Quartz
Clear Quartz
I ran away from the meadow. From Mom. From the idea of losing Mom. From Uncle Everett. From the hunters. From the high-rooted trees. From the lake, its waterfall, and stones that washed ashore. From the entrance, with its cute little yellow daisies. From the now-pouring rain soaking my clothes. I ran away, deeper into the woods.
I ran and ran and ran.
Through the pounding rainfall, I could hear shouting. The hunters were following me. And worse, they were too close.
I wanted to scream.
I couldn’t tell if the water in my eyes was from the rain or the tears in my eyes from the wind. Both, compacted with the rain on my glasses, made it difficult to see far in front of me. My legs cramped, burning from the exertion. I could feel blisters forming on my feet from my Converses. My scars, scratches, and bruises from my slip earlier ached, begging to be tended to. Low-hanging branches snagged on my braids, threatening to unravel them and leaving twigs and leaves behind. The branches clawed at my wet clothes, catching on them and leaving more holes and tears. But I didn’t care. The yells of the hunters were still too close. I had to put more distance between me and them. I weaved through the trees, trying not to trip on any rocks or roots on the ground.
I had to get away.
Suddenly, my feet slipped in a patch of mud, sending me down to the bottom of a ravine. From one side, I saw what appeared to be a cave. Getting up, I ran to it and entered, going as far inside of it as fast as I could to escape.
Inside the cave, I was enveloped in complete darkness. I kept my hands close to the wall to avoid losing my way and to stay grounded. My hands occasionally grazed across something smooth and sharp, and I tripped over large rocks that felt the same, making me curse. My bruises and scratches burned and ached more with the new pains. The deeper I got, the more frequently I stumbled and the sharper the cuts became on my legs, arms, and hands. The shivers from my soggy clothes didn’t help matters, but I got up, found the wall, and kept going despite the pain. I had no choice.
Finally, a light at the end blinded me, but I ran toward it. There, the cave was bright and alive with a colorful light. The expansive area before me had to be several stories high and large enough to fit my house in tenfold. A massive waterfall descended into a turquoise lake to my left. Giant crystal pillars jutted from the ceiling, the walls, the ground, and from ponds of water on the cave floor. They were all taller and wider than me, like tree trunks. Bushes of crystals grew around the pillars and all over the cave floor. The most stunning part was how brilliantly they lit up the room. All the crystals glowed bright, in so many shades of brilliant pinks, purples, blues, and pastels so pale they were almost white. The air here was warmer, too, as if the heat was on high. I walked up to a nearby tower growing from the floor. Feeling the smoothness of the baby pink stone, I knew it was a cavern full of enormous quartz crystals.
Mom would love it.
Well, she would have loved it for me because she saw my passion for it. Even if it wasn’t for her, it was for me , and that was enough for her. She would have been so excited that I had found a place like this and wanted to share it with her. I could almost see her now, whole, vibrant, and alive. We would have made a day of coming here. Before we left the house, she would have filled a basket full of homemade sandwiches, cookies, and teas. She would have brought along an extra basket to collect the crystals that fell to the cavern floor and bring them back home to fill my bedroom with more shiny rocks.
On the way, Mom would have woven all sorts of stories, making the walk feel short. She likely would have told a story about centaurs that guarded the forests and healed the grass and trees from fires—she always loved to use what was around her to tell masterful stories. I would ask if the story had any truth to it, but Mom would wink, like a magician refusing to reveal her secrets. When we arrived at the cave, she would remind me that I had been born in a cave just like this one, surrounded by crystals that were bright enough for her to see her new daughter’s face. Her eyes would have lit up as brilliant as the crystals as she spoke. It would have truly been one of the best days ever.
I shook my head. We could still have that day. I’m sure we could…
I couldn’t see the other side of the cavern around the pillars, so hiding was the only and safest option. I hurried and looked around for somewhere to hide. Eventually, I saw a spot on higher ground that I had to climb a slanted pillar to get to. I carefully climbed, hoping with everything in me that I didn’t slip and add to the damage on my legs. The pillar led to a ledge of dirt hidden behind a ginormous rose quartz tower. The tower was impossibly tall, going from the bottom of the cave to the top of it. It was wider than Uncle Everett’s Suburban. But it was gorgeous, giving off a sunny light. When I arrived at the ledge, I noticed it was radiating a soft warmth that I could feel through my dripping wet jean jacket and shirt without even touching it. It helped to calm my shivers.
I lowered down the pillar and finally caught my breath. A cramp brought my attention to my right hand. I was still holding my mom’s necklace so tightly that my knuckles were white. I relaxed my hand to let the necklace rest there.
In the brilliance of the rose quartz, I could clearly see the always-shining sheen of the obsidian in the pendant against the gold of its chain. The stone was smooth, with only a few parts of roughness to show the imperfections of the stone. I used to think the jagged and dented parts of the rock were from all the times Mom would ding the necklace on the countertop, door, fireplace, car, and everything else within her radius. Mom was rarely clumsy. Most of her actions had a special degree of grace, like the ballerina I aspired to be one day. But despite wearing the necklace every day, she never seemed to get accustomed to its weight around her neck, to how wide the stone would swing out from her. She never adjusted for it. It’s a wonder it wasn’t chipped or broken into pieces. I smiled, remembering the jokes me and Pops would make every time we heard the faithful sound of the stone hitting something.
But then, I remembered all the times she would greet me when I came home from school with a hug or come to kiss me goodnight before bed, even when I got way too old for it. That necklace would graze my skin or get squeezed between us. I always expected the rock to be cold. But the stone was always warm from where it often rested against Mom’s nicely heated skin. When the stone touched me, I always felt a wave of clarity and calm unlike any I had felt before. It was reassuring and peaceful, just like Mom’s presence. Even now, I felt it.
I hoped I would be able to give it back to Mom soon.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps down below. They crunched on the gravel near the entrance of the cave. I straightened and leaned against the rose quartz column. There had to be at least five people from the sounds of their feet, but that was just a guess. Uncle Everett was far better at this than I was. How had these guys gotten past him? Was he hurt? Did something happen?
“Find the girl. Her tracks lead here,” a stern male voice echoed through the cavern.
“Yet, her tracks end here, too,” a woman stated.
“Scatter. Look in every nook and cranny to locate the fledgling. I want that girl,” the same male commanded.
I put my full weight against the crystal. My heart pounded so loud, it was a wonder it didn’t reverberate through the cave for everyone to hear. Quickly, I put mom’s necklace over my head and around my neck. The stone landed heavy against my chest in the same place where it would rest on Mom’s. It felt awkward on me, like it didn’t belong there, but I hoped it would lend me some of its calming energy. I didn’t turn the corner to look down for fear of the hunters seeing me like they had in the clearing. I pushed myself as close to the stone as I possibly could, hoping it would hide me and keep me safe.
I stilled my hand behind me as the footsteps separated throughout the cave. The echoes made it tricky to pinpoint if any footsteps were getting closer to me. I wished I could become one with the stone. I wished for so many things that my brain couldn’t keep up with each one.
Why were my hands shaking so incredibly badly? I wasn’t still cold from the rain. Actually, I felt hot. Why couldn’t I calm my trembling or my shaky breathing? Why were my palms so sweaty?
I was no match for these hunters. I didn’t have any weapons. I knew how to fight a little—thanks to Everett and Pops—but not enough to take on all of them. There was only one exit, and the hunters were blocking it. What was I going to do?
I was trapped.
What was I going to do? I couldn’t shift yet, and I didn’t have any powers like Mom, Pops, Uncle Everett, or anyone else. Pops could control the wind, for crying out loud, along with turning into a flying dragon. My mom could control lava and form rocks made of fire in her hands. Lava! Fire rocks! Not to mention, she could turn into a giant fire-breathing dragon! If they could bring her to her knees, what chance did I have against them? Plus, I had no idea what they did to my Uncle Everett, a griffin-shifter. A literal humongous hybrid between an eagle and a lion! I had always imagined that Mom, Pops, Uncle Everett, and the rest of our tiny family were close to invincible. They could turn into freaking massive creatures and had all sorts of magical abilities. I thought they could take on and defeat anyone. But I was wrong. I was so very wrong.
What was I going to do? They had rifles, bows and arrows, and even freaking swords . They hunted me. And I was stupid enough to not even try to hide my tracks. They clearly wanted me to end up like Mom. They wanted me to hurt. They wanted me to bleed. They wanted me dead .
What was I going to do? What was I going to do? What was I going to do?
I grabbed Mom’s necklace and gripped it tight, hoping for answers. As I held it, I noticed that my hands weren’t shaking, not nearly as bad as I was feeling against my back.
The quartz.
I placed both palms against it. It was warm to the touch. I felt distinct vibrations, too. They were a soothing hum coming from deep within the quartz. I turned around to face the stone. Above me, I could trace the vibrations running through each fractal inside. The hums grew more powerful and complex in the center. It was even brighter there, where I felt and saw the center pulse and pump more vibrations out. It looked just like veins leading to a beating heart, like the quartz was alive, breathing, thinking, deciding.
I had been around crystals all my life. I was born surrounded by them. My room was full of the crystals I had collected. I doodled them in school when I was bored. I loved them. But I had never felt anything like this from any crystal before. Had I just never noticed it before? Were all crystals alive like this? Why was I noticing this now? What did it mean?—?
Down below, I could clearly hear the crunches coming closer. They were only a few feet away now. I could hear the clicking of their guns and other weapons throughout the cavern.
If they found me, it was over.
Suddenly, the quartz pulsed strongly. Its light was brilliant as it hastened, faster and faster. The vibrations contained a tingle now against my fingertips. They were electric and hot, rushing with power at an ever-increasing speed. It wasn’t a painful feeling. Far from it. Each pulse made my fingers buzz. They went from my fingers through my arm into the very heart of me. Each pulse grounded me. My back arched, feeling tiny stabs there. The feeling was like the rocks at the entrance of the cave cutting into me. But this felt like something beginning. Pulling my hands away, my fingers itched with energy. My whole body was full of something raw and glorious, yet oh so familiar to me all at once.
Before I was a part of this world, they were there. My mom loved to tell the story; it was one of her favorites. When she became pregnant with me, she didn’t crave a certain food or want to rest her swollen feet; she wanted to find crystals and surround herself with them. While Mom had always been in love with shiny things like jewelry, she became obsessed with crystals when she started carrying me. The day I was born, Mom was out in the woods wanting fresh air when the time came. She stumbled on a cave full of crystals that lit up brilliantly from the inside out. It was perfect, she knew. Then I was born. Mom always said the crystals lit up the cave, shook the earth, sent sparks flying around the cave, and then my cries. The crystals dimmed. The shaking stopped. The sparks faded like fireworks. And there I was.
Crystals and gemstones had always been there for me when I needed them the most. They welcomed me into the world. They were my confidants as I whispered my secrets to them on my windowsill. They brought me peace when I was having a bad day. They supported me. I knew crystals better than I even knew the woods. I knew them before I could walk or talk. Even when I didn’t know the name of a particular gem, I knew them to my soul. Crystals had always been there to keep me going. Here they were again.
The quartz gave one more parting pulse before dimming. Its vibrations quieted to a delicate murmur. Its warmth dissipated. The heart of it still beat softly. It was still vibrant. But it was different now.
Below, the footsteps crunched closer to me.
A voice inside made itself known: Do what it takes to survive .
I took in a breath. With the energy coursing through me, I flexed my fingers. Twitched them, really. A tiny action.
Suddenly, the crystals started to quake. The whole cave shook with tremors. Instead, the crystals broke apart into shards of heavy, sharp stones. They were swords, floating in midair. They hovered there for a moment. I could feel them, like an extension of myself. It was exhilarating. I had to bite my lips to swallow my giggles of joy. The footsteps came to a stop as the large, still-lit swords stayed suspended in air for a moment. Hesitant.
I exhaled.
Another twitch of my fingers.
They rained down.
I heard a man curse as the crystal shards descended. A bone-shattering crack echoed throughout the cave. A cry of pain soon followed.
Another cry, this one from a woman, rang out as a stone sword pierced through something wet.
My stomach churned.
“That has to be her!” a husky male voice boomed throughout the cave. “Move in! Find her! Take her out like we did the female dragonspawn!”
For a moment, the briefest moment, I had felt a tinge of guilt. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. But hearing him talk about my mother like she was some animal to be hunted… Like she wasn’t a person… Knowing they wanted to do the same to me…
The crystals became larger, longer, sharper. And they fell faster and harder. The cave’s shaking grew stronger. As I pushed on, my back felt like several hands were clawing at it, leaving open marks down toward my waist. I bit down hard on my lip to hold in my cries. My legs wobbled under me.
Focus. Stay alive. You can deal with the pain later. Do what it takes to survive now . That voice again.
It made me push myself harder.
Another wet sound. Then a loud splash as something heavy fell into the water. Another cry of agony with more curses. My shoulders were going painfully numb. Tears flowed down my cheeks. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.
The sound of a radio coming to life sliced through the cave. I paused the crystal storm. The hunters’ approach stalled from what I could hear from my hiding place. I turned around and leaned against the pillar.
A moment.
Two.
Three.
Too many for comfort.
I wanted to step over to the edge of the tower to see where the hunters were. But I was terrified. What if they saw me? I had nowhere to run if they did. I wouldn’t be able to make it past them if I tried, anyway. Plus, the cutting pain in my back was spreading. My legs could barely hold me up. Who’s to say I would even be able to run? Waiting, I willed my body to remain as still as the rose quartz behind me. The only thing that calmed me at all was the presence of that voice, warm and comforting like the quartz.
Finally, a male voice, deep but muffled through a mask, cut through the silence. It was different from the earlier stern voice. “Are you sure, sir? We have made contact with the fledgling, and we’re moving in on her position.”
A pause. My breathing seemed too loud. My hands shook again.
“Copy that, sir.” Loudly, to the entire cave, he said to the others, “Let’s move out.”
“But she’s right there, I’m sure of it,” one of the other men argued. “We are so close, and we already lost three good folks to this monster alone!”
I shivered and blinked back tears. Lost three folks . I did that. I killed?—
You did what had to be done to stay alive. You are innocent. They don’t deserve your tears. Remember what they did to your mother . I nodded to myself, agreeing with the voice.
A woman spoke up. “Yeah, imagine, the pay for two of them! She’s so young, too?—”
The deep-voiced man interrupted, “You have your orders from Safari. Move . Out .”
Footsteps crunched in the cave once more. I could hear groans as the hunters gathered their companions. After a lot of rustling, the footsteps and pained voices receded.
I waited. I waited for much longer than I probably needed to. I waited until I got dizzy from holding my breath for so long. I waited until I had counted to one-hundred. Then I counted to one-hundred again.
At last, when I knew beyond a doubt that the coast was clear, the crystal swords were allowed to fall from the air. They shattered when they hit the ground below. It sounded like rain on a windshield.
I slumped, finally allowing myself to feel exhausted. The quartz was cozily warm against my achy back and shoulders. The cuts and bruises on my legs, arms, and hands were throbbing. I was tired, and all I wanted to do was fall asleep in my bed, to wake up from this nightmare of a day.
I wanted to go home. I was so hungry. I was so worn out. But what if the hunters were waiting outside the cave for me to appear? What if they were ordered to retreat from the cave, but there were some stationed outside, waiting for me to come out? Plus, the ravine was about two and a half miles from my house. I wouldn’t be able to walk there, not right now with how ragged I felt. Let alone run if I needed to.
If they return, we will do what it takes to survive.
I lifted my mom’s pendant to my lips and gripped it with both hands. And then I waited.
After what felt like days of waiting and me straining my ears to hear anything apart from the waterfall, I heard a voice from the entrance of the cavern. This one, though, was familiar and warm.
Immediately, I was put at an ease I hadn’t felt since I left Uncle Ever’s SUV.
“Byrdie! Baby Byrd, where are you? Can you hear me?”
“Pops? Pops!” I called out. I flinched at my scratchy voice. My muscles complained from being in the same position for too long. I wobbled on, my feet and legs numb. I gained more feeling and sureness with each step. I slid down the slanted pillar. My legs cried out when I made it to the bottom, but I didn’t care. I got right back up. I pushed my legs to go forward, to make it to the entrance of the cavern. I called out for Pops the entire way, past the shattered quartz, past the bloodstains on the cavern floor, past this now-tainted place.
In the light of the quartz, I could see Pops was still in his black police uniform for the City Enforcer Department, a special division of the local police made specifically for supernatural beings. His long, thick black locs were twisted back into a ponytail, and he had a well-trimmed beard. If Uncle Everett was built like a lacrosse player, Pops was built like a running back. He was tall, gigantic, and full of muscles. His skin was lighter than my mother’s dark sepia, his being a rich taupe instead. Both Mom and Pops looked as gorgeous as celebrities, and their love for each other was like something from a fairytale. Whereas Mom could walk into a room and immediately make everyone laugh, Pops could read a room immediately and just “get” people. He was cool and calculated with a quick wit from being well-read and making me and Mom watch Jeopardy every night. Mom was fun, free, and a forever party who always knew what to do and say. But Pops was my protector, my secret karaoke partner, and someone I could go to when I just needed a listening ear rather than someone to take action.
I practically fell into his arms when I finally reached him. Without hesitation, his large muscular arms wrapped around me. His tight hug alone made me feel like the last half of my day hadn’t happened. He smelled of sage, rosemary, and citrus, just like home. I fell apart.
“Dad!” I never called him that. “I don’t know what happened. Mom’s hurt! And Uncle Everett is missing! There were these hunters. She looked hurt real bad, and she was partially turned. So, she told me to run, so I ran away?—”
“I know, baby girl. I know everything. You’re safe now, baby Byrd. I got you.”
We’ll always keep you safe because we’ll always be around for you.
I finally gave into the breakdown that had been building since I entered the house. My shoulders shook, causing more irritation to my pained back. I soaked Pops’ uniform with my tears and snot and spit. The only time I breathed was when I coughed through wails of heartache. I was inconsolable.
The only thing keeping me even remotely together was Pops’ arms around me. He didn’t say a single word.
We’ll always be around to keep you safe.
My mom’s voice. She promised I would always be safe with the family around me.
Now, I had no idea where she was.
I had no idea if she was even alive.
And I had never felt less safe than I did now.
I felt as shattered and broken as the crystal shards I had thrown to protect myself.