The Jewel [Closed for Otter Box]

[CloudyBlueDay]

In a steam punk world, two children, best friends for as long as they can remember, are tricky thieves, always getting themselves into trouble. But when they hear of The Jewel, a mysterious diamond that is said to be hidden underground worth millions and millions of dollars, they decide to go looking for it. Little do they know of all the others trying to find this diamond and how heavily guarded it seems to be. What have they gotten themselves into?

 

[Otter Box]

Clay Jenkins ran with everything he could, thighs burning as his pulse raced in his chest and he took greedy gulps of air to make it where he needed to go. He reached his runners high about 3 minutes ago and now the burn was such a sweet one. He could run to the ends of the world if he wanted to, but for now he just wanted to outrun the police. He gripped his stolen goods tightly in the little nook he created with his shirt and spared a glance over his shoulder. He'd made good progress and was far ahead of the older men hired with taking care of the little town they lived in, but all for the better. It wasn't him they were protecting. It was people like the poor baker he'd stolen some food from. All this struggle for a couple of rolls. He thought and gave a laugh as he zipped through crowds of dapper men and fancy women enjoying the weather. Man have Basil and I made ourselves a reputation.


You got to do what you got to do.


The policemen were blowing on whistles, shrill and urgent, and he couldn't care less. But when the whistles didn't work they were more than ready to pull our their pistols. He'd learned that the hard way when an officer let loose a cloud of gunpowder and aimed the bullet right at his foot. It grazed his Achilles' heel and sent shivers up his spine to this day. Who knows what these guys would do when the last one shot a round just because he was disturbing the peace. He needed to get to Basil, and soon. He would be especially screwed if someone gathered the courage to grab him and hold him steady while the authorities covered lost ground.


She should have been meeting up with him at their usual spot and he made a hard left when he got close enough to the marketplace. After a few nimble jumps here and there and with the use of a nifty old grappling hook Basil had made he managed to jump along the tops of the stalls. Windowsills and other ledges were no problem for him at that point, and the whistles got quieter and quieter as he made his way up.


Adrenaline rush for the morning, check, and a bit of food for the partners in crime, double check. The rooftop he agreed to meet Basil on was full of gravel and quite large. Over the years they made a little place for just themselves, featuring a work bench for all of his friend's little inventions and a box for all of the goods Clay decided to keep. He settled down on a large fur rug they'd also acquired through less than legal means and reclined peacefully, waiting for the waves of energy to subside. Riding it out he could feel all of his muscles throb gently and he brushed some sweat from his forehead and brown bangs. the only thing better than waiting so see what the other was going to bring from her day of rebellion was to be able to feel the buzz that accompanied a good cigar. He'd stolen his first one at 13 and he liked to celebrate victories like this with a good drag, which he did as he looked up at the sky and heaved a sigh. It wasn't the best life but it was still good.

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

"Ma, I'm going out, okay? Derrik'll take care of you." Basil called from the living room. She was going to be late, again. She had fallen asleep working on her headphones. Again. Basil's mother coughed, and then called weakly from the bedroom, "Alright.. don't be too long." As Basil gathered up her small and worn out jacket, she passed Derrik in the kitchen, who looked at her from the dining table. Basil glared at him, a glare that said, you better watch ma. And he glared back with his trade mark don't worry, I will glare which was never true. Even though Basil was younger, Derrik was just a rotten lazy lump that did nothing. He couldn't be bothered to lift a finger for their sick mother. One day, Basil promised herself, one day I'll have the guts to punch him in the face. Really hard. And he'll have a black eye for two weeks.


Basil flew out the door and ran to their spot. Even though they'd both been going there for years, Basil still had trouble climbing up to it. She wasn't the most agile person but she could do it, she was just slow. As she scrambled to get up the roof, heaving herself up the parts where she knew she couldn't jump and it overall took her 10 minutes longer. Finally she got to the last ledge, and she could see Clay sitting on the rug, waiting for her. She finally pulled herself up and collapsed next to him. "Hey Clay.. sorry I'm late." Basil smiled up at him apologetically.


Basil's nose crinkled as she realized he had a cigar in his mouth. Clay knew she hated them but he still smoked 'em anyway. She had grown to deal with it but today it was right in her face and she wasn't in the greatest of moods with her brother being a douche and all.. but it was Clay. She would always be able to stand Clay, no matter what he did.


"So," Basil said, trying to ignore the smoke. "What'd ye get? By the looks of it, you got into another chase, didn't you?" She smiled at him and lightly punched him in the arm. She finally got herself to stand up, and she sat back down at her workbench. She was much more comfortable there. Turning around to face him, she picked up the bag that was lying next to Clay. "Oooooh, rolls!" Basil licked her lips and looked over at Clay for permission to eat one.

 

[Otter Box]

Clay might have flinched when Basil plopped down next to him if he wasn't so certain that this spot was reserved for them and them alone. It was located on an abandoned building that had no use except to provide some shade for the market stalls below. No one came up for service checks or anything so no one tampered with their set-up. And with a father in jail and a mother who couldn't bother to show up at all he was happy to have someplace to call his own. His house was too small and empty for any comfort.


Clay took a long drag from his cigar, daring to take in as much as possible without coughing. He blew the smoke out through his nostrils and grinned. "Hell yeah. You should have seen it. They were working up such a sweat you would 'a thought they were going to collapse." He chuckled at the very thought and sat up. His limbs were still recovering from the whole ordeal so he stretched and emitted a happy little groan. It was like waking up after a good long rest and he could hardly wait for another.


As he yawned into his sleeve and then took another drag, Clay nodded and motioned for her to go on. "Those things just recently came out of the oven." He informed her and crossed his legs underneath himself. "Only the best for you." And in spite of his nice words he blew little smoke rings in her direction for the sake of bugging her if nothing else. "Speaking of which, where have you been? I was half hoping you'd swipe us some drinks with this stuff." He couldn't blame her if she didn't want to get up early for some less than legal activities, after all a girl's got to sleep.

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

Basil giggled softly at the thought of all the fat policeman running through the town after Clay, nowhere near him. Clay was fast and agile, and clever. Basil was clever in some.. areas.. but she wasn't the greatest runner. While Clay preferred to get into an actual chase, Basil probably would've snuck in, snuck out, and left without a trace. Their rooftop hang out was incredibly soothing and calming to Basil, sitting with her best friend, eating fresh rolls, breathing in the fresh air. She could forget about all her problems and just.. be someone else. Without problems.


"I don't need to see it. I can imagine it." Basil laughed. "You, sneaking in for fresh rolls, getting caught, running away, running for oh, what, 20 minutes, knowing you? Adrenaline, more running, blah blah blah, rolls." She smirked. His daily routine. She twirled her hair as she imagined Clay and the police officers running behind him, shouting and yelling and blowing their whistles but there was nothing they could do. Clay was nearly unstoppable when he got pumped up.


Basil felt her cheeks flush as he told her 'Only the best for you.' "Awh.. you're so sweet." She pushed a piece of hair behind her ear and gazed at him appreciatively, and then dug her hand into the bag and pulled out a roll. First she sniffed it, enjoying the warm, buttery smell, and then nibbled on it slowly, to savor every crumb. "Sorry," She said and sighed, and then coughed slightly as he blew smoke rings in her direction, just to irk her. Glaring at Clay, she explained. "I woke up late, and I had to take care of ma.. I stayed up way to late last night. I just can't seem to fix this dang watch. I was working on it and I.. kinda fell asleep at my desk." Basil pulled an old pocket watch out of her pocket and handed it to him, frowning at it. "It just won't start!" She cried. All night she had spent tinkering with it, and not so much as a tick from it.

 

[Otter Box]

Clay laughed along with her idly, mind wandering more than anything. As she mused aloud he blinked and took another drag thoughtfully. She was a nice person, as far as friends of his went, and since he didn't have many of those she was probably the nicest person he knew. So often he was reminded of the fact that many people in their town considered him a bad influence on Basil. Whether or not that was true was beyond him and it was a suggestion he never really entertained for too long. The others just didn't understand. She was perfectly capable of walking away and telling him when too much was too much. She was basically his sister, and love hurts, so stark honesty was no stranger to the two of them. And he'd never purposefully put her in danger he couldn't get her out of. The fact that they knocked him down as many pegs as that truly spoke to how little people thought of him as a good person. So be it. He wasn't in the mood to fight it.


"Ah...you're mom. How is she?" Clay asked, softening visibly as he stood and crossed the distance between them to grab a roll and the pocket watch. The tone he took on in that moment was nothing like the tone he usually held when out in public. It certainly didn't fit his boyish voice. He wasn't quite accustomed to...caring. And the flip side to the above argument was that Basil was actually a good influence on him. Made him more of a human being or something like that. Usually things like that were accompanied with giggles so he pushed those out of his mind even faster than the former. Why couldn't they just be two friends? Damn did the world make things complicated.


As he sat back down on the rug he put the cigar out on the gravel and turned the watch over in his hand. He scrutinized it as Basil gave him the run down about her mother. He'd heard stories about her in the past. Usually not good things. She was pretty sick, as far as he knew, and her brother was kind of an asshole. He offered to help a few times in the past if Derrik wouldn't but he noticed that the more he pushed the further she recoiled. Like an animal ready to bound off at any sudden movements. He wasn't too sure why it mattered really, but if it bugged her too much he wasn't ready to push the issue. Just checking in once in a while wouldn't hurt.


After hearing her reply he sighed and held up the pocket watch to see its underside. He bit a chunk out of the bread as he looked and, since he was no inventor and could see no outward issues, he shook it in an attempt to fix it. When that didn't work he shifted his gaze to Basil. "You couldn't fix it?" He asked before tossing it back, chain shimmering as it flew in an arc and caught the sunlight. "Probably a lost cause. What's so special about it anyway?"

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

Basil pressed her lips together as she thought of how to explain the situation with her mother to Clay. She didn't want him to worry, or fuss, or tell her to go be with her mother. She didn't want him to be sorry for her. "She's uh.. okay. I guess." Basil sighed loudly. Way to go, Basil, he won't be suspicious.. "I mean, she's not okay okay, she's not getting better or worse and Derrick is still an ass. Same as usual." She shrugged. Their mother didn't admit it, but Basil knew. She was dying. Slowly, very slowly, but she was dying. Basil remembered her as a once cheerful and bright woman, always bustling around the house and then it all slowed to a complete stop. She rarely even got out of bed now.


Basil continued to nibble on her roll as she thought about her mother, staring into space. Her mother was a kind and caring woman, but lately she had been so pale and weak, it was just depressing. And it was rare for Basil to get depressed. She tried not to think about it, not to dwell on it, as did her mother, but they were both failing. It seemed like Derrik was the only one who had truly accepted what was going to happen. Maybe that why he was such a sour face.


Finally Clay snapped her out of her thoughts as he tossed back the watch. She let out a little yelp as it flew through the air and scrambled to catch it, dropping her roll in the process as it.. well, rolled around on the floor. Luckily, Basil managed to catch it before it hit the ground. Breathing a sigh of relief, she picked up her roll from the ground before glaring daggers at Clay.


"Don't do that! It's not a ball!" Basil tutted, but she couldn't help but smile and shake her head at him. "Yeah.. Ma said that it's been in the family for generations, and it's never worked. I thought I would be the one to change it.. but I guess not." She sighed again as she dusted off her roll and continued to nibble it. Why did things have to be so complicated? She wished they could afford a good doctor. At least get a diagnosis or something.. but Basil wasn't much of a caretaker and neither was Derrik. They were both at a loss, it was a whole new unexplored territory.

 

[Otter Box]

Clay could sense Basil's discomfort when talking about her mother, brushing off more than what was necessary to convince him not to fuss over her. He supposed it made sense that she wouldn't want him to worry, but in a way he was also grateful. As horrible as it was not only to have a friend in such a situation, but to know you can't do anything to help, Clay took some solace in knowing that she was going through it without wanting to cry on his shoulder. Sympathy and empathy had both been difficult for him to grasp his entire life assuming that he'd never been through the same things. Clay's house was always empty, like a shell some crustacean abandoned on the shore that used to be some semblance of home and protection for him. His house was anything but those things, and it never had been. It was small, cold, dark and could hardly support one person let alone the two he was legally paired with. His Dad was serving another sentence in jail and who knows what family his mother had started and also abandoned this time. At least Basil had a place to sleep...which he did sneak into from time to time.


He held his hands up, the palm not holding food splayed outward in a gesture of surrender, and his lip quirked into a smirk that revealed one of his dimples. "Sorry kiddo." He apologized and took down his arms as he bit into more of the roll. He stood as Basil finished explaining as sat beside her on her workbench. Once he roll was settled down gently by his side he clapped his hands against his knees. "Well hell I was only joking. We could totally fix up your pocket watch. We just need to figure out what's wrong is all. Or get you a new one..." he paused as he considered other, more viable options. "What about we sucker a guy out of his money, eh? Make him think it's real valuable and next thing you know you've got a nice lump of cash right in your pocket." Of course his more viable option was never truly viable, as it usually ended up being illegal or involving money.


He recognized this and clapped his hand against her shoulder, wrapping an arm around her so he could hoist her up with him as he stood and made his way to the edge of the rooftop. "Or we could go around town getting some inspiration. Who knows what's out there that could help ya'. Maybe we can get your blood pumping and it'll go right into that big ol' brain of yours." The position his arm was in made it easy to pull her into a headlock and rub his knuckles into her scalp, as affectionate a gesture as he could muster when trying to lighten someone's spirits.


From this height it was easy to see past the grubby little market town they were settled into and through the horizon. Beyond this spot were a series of parks and crowds of green obstructed their view. Hills rolled lazily beyond that, almost blue because of their distance, and looked more like sleeping giants than any kind of rolling object Clay had ever seen...not that he'd seen sleeping giants before either. Now and again the more wealthy folk would grace the tops of their trees with a view of their fourth or fifth floor with mansions looking more like castles than they did houses. Above it all though, blimps and other kinds of hovercraft shot smoke from their backs and glided amongst the clouds, in and out of trade or tours for the wealthy. It was a big town they lived in, and yet the two could feel so small sometimes.

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

Basil smiled up at Clay. Even though they were only one year apart, Clay called her kiddo, and Basil liked it. It made her feel like she had no problems or responsibilities, and sometimes she pictured her father whenever he called her that. Although Basil could barely remember him, she had created a picture for herself in her mind. Tall, handsome, dark brown hair like Derrik, but kind green eyes like herself. She could almost imagine him tussling her hair, sitting with her mother.. everything was perfect..


Basil snapped herself out of it. She had no father. Face the facts, Basil. He ain't here. Basil's father had died many years ago, or at least that was what her mother told her. He supposedly was a fire fighter, and died rescuing children, but Basil, as much as she wanted to believe it, never truly did. Basil always imagined him as a nice man, but no hero. Probably a poor man with no money, but a big heart. That seemed like the kind of man her mother would fall for. At least, Basil hoped.


Giving Clay another one of her signature glares, Basil sighed. "I just told you it's a family heirloom. We're not selling it, getting a new one, or suckering a poor guy. We may be thieves, but you know I'm not good with doing it face to face." Basil frowned. The one time she had tried to lie to someone about something she had stole ended up as a near close call. Basil was almost caught. Luckily the person she had to talk to was a half deaf and half blind old woman. Otherwise, they would've been toast.


"I like the last option. We never really do that anymore, more like we run from the town." Basil giggled softly as Clay sat down next to her, then hoisted her up to gaze at the city below them. She knew what was coming next. The noogie was one of Clay's favorite ways to show his affection, and it made her feel at home. It also tickled. So as she sat there, his arm keeping her from moving, she laughed as he noogied her. The view of the city was gorgeous. Basil was definetly a city girl. She loved the action, and the buildings, and the liveliness of it all. But she loved standing here with Clay, looking down at everything as if they were king and queen and the rest were puny ants. Only up here did she feel special. Down there, she was just another worker ant.


"It's really nice out today." She said softly, trying to free herself from his grip.

 

[Otter Box]

Basil's stark refusal to wreak some havoc despite Clay's most enthusiastic arguments brought a brief frown to his face. Family heirlooms...he guessed it was kind of cool to have something in your possession that your great-great-great grandfather had in his, but the old fart was gone now. And the pocket watch was an old fart by association. She could have left the grunt work to him and rolled around in riches, because what she lacked in charisma he made up for and was never hesitant to spoil her with goods. However, she was up to something, and he figured that was better than nothing.


"It is a nice day isn't it?" he asked and kept his grip on her. That resulted in a bit of a scuffle as she tried to free herself so he settled for letting his hand fall on her shoulder and grinned. Without warning, as if a light bulb went off above him, he adopted even more enthusiasm than usual. It was the enthusiasm of one who was being spurred into action that was, to him, a lot of fun. It was the same strokes of good mood that took over him when he was getting too bored in one spot or with one activity and was more than ready to do something new. "We should go on an adventure or something. That's what type of weather this is."


Finally he let Basil go from under him and tapped her on the shoulder. "Race ya down!" He exclaimed and made his descent without warning her any more than that. An old man who ran a shop just under them raised his eyes warily and looked at him under his brow, but when he saw who they were he went back to fanning himself. It wasn't worth the struggle that fussing over them took out of other people. Clay jumped from ledge to ledge, having mastered these jumps from a young age and landing on the ball of his feet as though it was an instinct, which it might have been. Like a cat. It was completely unfair as he knew that Basil was less likely to be confident climbing down than him, but she had a fair shot in his opinion. Once he landed and brushed the dirt from his knees he straightened up and smiled. "Where to now, milady?" He asked.

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

Basil grunted as Clay kept a tight grip on her. She had hoped that by distracting him by commenting on the weather (his known weakness, ha) she would be able to free himself when he wasn't looking. Of course, that didn't work. She tried to pull her head through, which resulted in a slight choking, then sighed and accepted her fate as she stared at the city below them from Clay's grip. It was kind of awkward from this perspective, as if the city was being rotated by a giant person, but it was a new look on things. It was interesting.


"Uh-huh. Sounds good, Mr. Weather Adventure. Would you like to find the fountain of youth or a dragon?" Basil snorted. Sometimes the days could be boring, but hadn't Clay just outrun the city police and stole a few rolls? Wasn't that enough? Maybe he wanted to go rob a bank now. Sure, maybe Basil craved some adventure, but she wasn't the type of person to just look at the sky and say 'I feel like adventuring'. Something had to be worth it. Especially the way Clay had said it, so nonchalantly, as if he didn't really care.


Basil was quite stunned by him suddenly letting go of her. She nearly lost her balance as he took off down the stairs and almost toppled over. By the time she was running after him, he was already halfway down. "Hey, you cheat!" Basil cried as she tried to follow him, trying to jump like he did and with his speed, but she really could not. She got down two minutes after him. Heaving and wheezing, she put her hands on her knees and tried to regain her breath.


"Jesus..." Basil groaned, standing up. "Anywhere that we don't have to do that!" She didn't like running. And jumping. It made her gut hurt. Basil was not the greatest athlete, despite her skinny physique. Once she had caught her breath, she ran a hand through her own hair. "I dunno. Let's just walk around. Did you hear me, Clay? I said walk."

 

[Otter Box]

Clay pressed the side of his hand against his forehead in order to shade himself from the sun as he watched Basil's thin frame climb down the side of the building after him. He couldn't help but let a close mouthed smile slip onto his countenance as he waited, knowing all too well that this was unfair. But it was all in good fun. He did have to wonder though, what would happen if this were a real chase down a hillside or a building like this?


A sudden chill ran down his spine and he shuddered to rid himself of the feeling. A foreboding, insidious feeling of dread with undertones of deja vu. Like someone re-reading a scene in a book that they know won't end well. He, without being able to explain why, needed to turn away as she climbed down the last quarter of the way.


"Yeah yeah I heard you." Clay spoke through the crack in his voice and held his elbow out for her to take it. He cleared his throat and swallowed the fuzz that had built up in order to flash Basil one of his signature smiles. "Well then we should take a stroll." He said with a significantly stronger air of confidence than what he had before. It was a passing feeling, nothing more than a small bump in his otherwise normal day, and it was forgotten as soon as it was gone. He walked out of the marketplace and through the town with her, chatting idly about both everything and nothing.

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

Basil tilted her head at Clay slightly. They had been together for years, she knew him very well. She knew when he was worried, scared, sad, upset, no matter how well he would hide it. So when she finally made it down the stairs and he spoke, he seemed.. unnerved. Upset. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something was wrong. Did he not like the fact that she couldn't climb down as well as him? That didn't sound like Clay. Maybe something she did reminded Clay of something bad?


If it did, he got over it quickly. Almost seconds later he was smiling his smile and holding out an elbow for her. She hesitated, unsure if he was still okay with her, and part afraid she would get trapped in a headlock again. Basil took his elbow anyway and smiled back, and it was like nothing happened. "That sounds nice." She admitted, and with her free hand she brushed a free piece of red hair behind her ear.


As they walked and chatted, Basil felt sophisticated. Clay was such a gentleman and Basil truly was not, but when they were together she felt almost like a princess. But when they walked through one particular part of the town, Basil noticed a group of large, burly men huddling around a small table with a dirty and old looking piece of paper. Basil could not take her eyes off of them. What were they looking at? She only caught one word. Jewel.

 

[Otter Box]

Clay was content for quite a while and could have walked for hours with her if it stayed like this the entire time. Once they reached the park he was content with nodding at other pairs of people passing by. Some gave the pair wary looks and even narrowed their eyes a bit. Some just returned the nods, tipped their hats, or gave the friends other miscellaneous forms of greeting. Upon leaving the park he yawned deeply and looked around. The police didn't seem to be around, and if they were, they didn't recognize him as the pain in the ass they saw earlier. Which was good. Basil said walk.


At some point he noticed someone who looked a bit disheveled, and instead of wondering if they were okay and offering to help, he snorted and leaned in to point it out to Basil. "Check this guy out." Clay said and nodded in the other male's direction. "He had bed-head and apparently isn't sure how to button things up. What an idiot." He chuckled to himself and half expected Basil to join in. All he received was silence. With a frown he shifted his gaze to her. She had her head turned away from him and was focused on another spot. He stopped their walking and followed her gaze. He had to lean back and forth and even strain his neck to try and look at what she was looking at, but as it turned out he could find nothing of importance except a crowd. "What are you looking at?" He asked, now extremely curious.


Without waiting for an answer, but still expecting an explanation, he lead them over to the crowd. It was an involuntary action--as though he was driven by his curiosity alone and had no control over his legs. All of these people seemed far too muscular for his own good, should something happen, but he was far too confident in Basil and his abilities to care at the moment. Whether or not they could handle it. He heard the word jewel mentioned at well and perked up. "Jewel?" He muttered and looked back at Basil.

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

Basil only broke her gaze from the men to jab Clay in the gut with her elbow as he muttered the word jewel. "Wanna tell the whole world we know where the fountain of youth is, too?" She muttered, shaking her head. She was just as curious and intrigued as he was, but not stupid enough to blow their cover. One of the men realized that they were staring, said something to his comrades, and they all got up. The largest looking man, the one that had spotted Clay and Basil, gave them a long hard glare before rolling up the piece of paper that they all had been looking at and shoved it in his belt loop.


Basil flinched and looked away, grabbing Clay and pretending to be talking about how the prices had gone up in the market these past few days. "And bread is two coins now, can you believe it! Two coins!" She cried, forcing herself not to look over her shoulder. She could hear the men trudge off, each footstep they took felt like it was shaking the entire city. They were so huge. When the footsteps became farther away, Basil turned back around, and saw the rolled up piece of paper on the floor. The same one they had all been looking at. Just sitting there. Waiting to be picked up.


Basil blinked. Was her mind playing tricks on her? Did that man truly drop it? Wow. What an idiot. She could not suppress her smile as she bent down, snatched up the paper, and shoved it in her pocket. Unlike that man, she made sure it would not fall out. Basil grinned at Clay and began to walk away, not waiting for him. Then she started to jog. "Forget the no walking rule. C'mon, Mr. Weather Adventure!" She cried as she picked up the pace.

 

[Otter Box]

Clay hissed sharply, the wind cold and unpleasant against his teeth but it was no match for the dull throbbing that came after a bony elbow into his ribcage. He glared daggers at Basil as he tried to rub away some of the pain but obliged to not speak while they were being scrutinized. He inspected the muscles of some of these guys briefly and wondered how easy it would be for them to tear him in half with their bare hands. A shiver ran down his spine, and it wasn't even cold out, so he turned and smiled at Basil instead as she spoke. Somehow that worked and he silently had to give her props.


He watched Basil pick the paper up with wide eyes and his heart raced as her hand inched closer to the object. It was like reaching a suspenseful scene in those picture films kids liked so much. He was so attentive that he wasn't expecting her to start running and he started. "Hey wait up!" He exclaimed and jogged after her. "What does it say? Basil!" He didn't like being left in the dark and when he caught up alongside her he tried to snatch the paper out of her hand. "Will you just tell me where we're going at least?"


He certainly hoped they weren't running after the thuggish looking men. He could have sworn one had an eye patch.

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

"I'm not going to read out loud, stupid! We're going back to the roof." Basil shook her head and smiled, but did not stop running. She was excited. More then excited. Something different. Something new. Basil didn't care if it was a hoax. Something to take their minds off of all that stupid life junk and all the things that made them feel heavy. Light. She felt light.


Basil found herself giggling. "Oh, come on, now you're the slow one?" They reached their building, and Basil, nimbler than ever began to climb up to the top. She was still slow, but she wasn't struggling as much. When she made it to the top, she sucked in air and took a moment to recollect her energy. Just because she was excited didn't mean she could suddenly run.


When she felt ready. Basil snatched the paper out of her pocket and smoothed it out on her workbench, biting her lip so she wouldn't smile like an idiot. Don't get your hopes up. Calm down, Basil. But she couldn't. "Come on, Clay! Hurry it up!" She cried eagerly. Basil wouldn't read it without him.

 

[Otter Box]

Clay bit his lip as he ran behind Basil, not struggling too hard to keep up but still in the need of pushing his limits. He could feel that familiar nice burn as they ran back to where they’d started that day and he looked at Basil’s back. She was so excited…that much was evident. It was hard not to wonder if she knew something that he didn’t. When that option was removed he couldn’t figure out what it was that had her so happy, which made it quite contagious.


People were no doubt staring on their ascent to their little base on the roof but all he could focus on was what would happen when they got up there. Clay plopped down on a rug and straightened up. “Here here! The reading will begin!” He announced and looked up at Basil intently. “Give us the news, dear.”

 

[CloudyBlueDay]

Basil beamed excitedly as she let her eyes fly over the paper. It was old, crinkled, yellow. It was a map. At first, she didn't know what of, but after squinting to try and see the small words written in messy cursive over certain points, Basil realized that it was their city. Her mouth fell open as she tried to soak it all in. One, big word was planted in the middle of the map. Jewel. It was over a mess of what seemed to be sewer pipes under their very own city. \


"Clay!" She squealed. "Check this out. It's a map." She handed the paper over to him, breathing heavily, so excited she might shriek. Was this for real? Was there a jewel hidden under the city? What if it was a hoax? Those men looked like they weren't the type to enjoy hoaxes, though.