'A couple Million, Thousand words is all I ask of you. Is all I want to say too you.
Yet between you and I,
There isn't even goodbye, only a billion sighs.'
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I woke up to the a pair of deep grey eyes staring straight at me. And I felt a certain wetness on my face.

"Cleo!" I bellowed getting out of bed in a hurry and rushing to wash the dog slather of my face. When I was done, Cleo was still right where I'd left her. Looking expectedly at me, what do you want? I thought.
Then I realised AJ's side of the bed was empty. Was it morning?
I checked the clock, it was barely 3 am.

Where on earth was he?
The thundering had stopped, but the rain still poured dangerously.
I slipped on something to cover me up and headed outside. I decided to go down to the kitchen instead of the roof. I don't know why, but I felt as if the kitchen was the right choice.

Sure enough when I reached down, with Cleo on my heels. I saw a very sleepy AJ almost passed out near the bay window area in the hall. He was wearing a sleeveless loose t-shirt with long holes on the sides. And I could see all his beautiful tattoos. The words, the boat, the dragonfly and of course the Cresent Moon.

I remembered what he had once told me, when I asked him where his three stars were. He'd told me that I was them.

I felt a shiver go through me, I didn't know what it was. I slowly went towards him. There was a computer open infront of him. And he'd drawn a mind map on a piece of paper. There were pictures splayed all over the computer. With articles on the past disappearances traced back to the Emeralds. Pictures of digs, and a few people holding the cursed treasure with wide smiles not knowing the treacherous roads they'd walked into.

In all my sleepy curiosity, I'd stepped a bit closer and on his foot. Which made him yelp up in suprise. In turn making me slip and almost fall onto him.

He however stopped the fall with two firm hands holding me up by the waist. I got up slowly and moved to the side.

His eyes were wide and his hair everywhere. But then when he saw the slow grin came onto my face. His eased as well and we both laughed at my clumsiness.

"What are you doing up so late AJ?" I asked finally sitting down next to him.

He sat up straighter and ruffled his hair before answering.
"I couldn't sleep. I needed to get some sort of a understanding related to the Emeralds, how the hell are they so intertwined with my family?"

"Do you believe that there's really a curse?" I questioned.

He sighed and made a face.
"The articles and many, many strange occurrences do suggest so. Yet I feel that it's more man made than what the eye sees."

"I feel so too. I think it's all some sort of conspiracy. These are very valuable aren't they? And they seem to be the only ones of their kind." I said staring into one of the pictures of the Emeralds.

I knew he was looking at me. I could always tell.

"If only there was evidence. I just—I can't seem to find a thread of that anywhere. I've read through millions of articles. And seen gazillion pictures and videos. I can't make out anything." He said a little frustrated

I was still staring at a particular picture, it was a crowd of people wearing ragged white clothes standing huddled together holding the Emeralds with big cheeky smiles. The white if their shirts long gone now covered with dust and dirt of the earth. One of them was standing to the far left. He seemed awfully familiar. A kind of familiar that brought back bitter memories.

"AJ..," I muttered.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"Isn't that your friend there? In that picture?" I said pointing at it on the computer screen.

He looked at the picture once more, his eyes narrowing.
"Oh shit, that's—"

"Ian? The guy at the museum?" I finished for him.

"Yeah. But he's different here, he's way healthier and his hair is black?" AJ said paying more attention to the picture.

"Yeah! Isn't he a natural red head?" I asked him.

"I've ever only known him as a red head," he replied.
"I knew him as a kid. And then for a year in college."

"College?" I asked confused.

He looked at me and smirked.
"Yeah College."

"You're like 22 right now. You said you've known John and G since you were 7. You've done College?"

"Did you assume I hadn't?" He laughed.

"Well I'm 20. And I'm finishing undergrad? You should be finishing post right now," I answered.

"I finished College when I was 19," he announced with pride.

"What?! You have a degree?" I asked.

"Yeah in architecture. But I never used it. Since I got too tied up with the takers."

"You idiot! You have a God damn degree! You could be working for some big company! I know how talented you are!" I said.

"Yes well, I didn't want to leave the crew. And it was easier conducting heists," he said with a grin.

"You're stupid," I said flatly.

"So I am," he roared, smiling cheekily at me.

"So you're what like a—genius?" I asked next.

"The duality in both your sentences!" He said teasing me.
"I wouldn't say I'm a genius. I just finished school and College faster than the average student."

"In other words—genius!"

He laughed out loud then.
And I just sat there bewildered.

"So why do you think your friend Ian is in a picture with the emeralds and a bunch of other people?" I asked after we'd stopped laughing.

"I don't know! But I intend to find out," he said.

He stretched out and got up.

"What.....now?" I marveled.

"Yeah why not?" He grinned.
"I'm not sleeping anyways."

"Maybe he is? Do you even know where he lives?"

"He's 25, away from from his family and very low on money. From what I know, he dropped out of college very, very soon. He's a security guard for a museum that's not even doing good!"

"Where are you going with this?" I mumbled.

"He lives in the museum quarters. It's a house next to the museum. For staff."

"Oh okay—but how were you with him in college? He seems older," I asked curiously.

"First year. I was 15, he was 18 and a scrawny scared nerd."

"Gotcha," I exclaimed.

After he got up, I did too and followed him to the room.

"You're going to bed?" He asked as he quickly put on a Black t-shirt.
Which displayed his wrapped wound and his bruise. I winced a bit before it got covered up by his clothes.

"Nope I'm changing," I declared which made him turn around.

I was holding up a red t-shirt dress.
"What?"

"You're coming with me?" He asked with wide eyes.

"Should I not?" I said.

"Don't you want to sleep?" He said matter of factly.

"Nope I'm wide awake now," I answered back.

"You want to instead go outside to meet an ass of a friend of mine in the middle of the night? While it's raining," He said.

"See! you understand me," I responded  smiling at him before going to the washroom to change.
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It was 3:30 AM when the rains calmed down a bit. It was still drizzling. But we decided to rush through it all anyway.

AJ got a few raincoats from the back where all the swim wear was kept ironically. Then we made a dash for it till the car, we decided to take Sal's little box of a car instead of the Jeep for obvious reasons.

Once on the road, my breathing became uneven. I was excited and afraid and completely out of my mind. I just wanted a night out! Though this was a stalking and confrontation not a night out to be fair.

"I'm going to stop here," AJ announced when the car came to a bolt before a turn to the museum.

"Why?" I asked.

"This car makes a lot of noise, we don't want anyone waking up. Do you want to stay inside?" He replied hoping I'd say yes to his last question.

I simply stared at him with a look, I knew he'd decipher.

"Right of course, what was I thinking?"

We slipped out of the car and made our way to the guesthouse next to the museum.

It was treacherously dark. And I kept stumbling on tiny pebbles on the road. AJ knew the place like the back of his hand, but I was like a blind person stumbling and tripping all the way.

Near the bend I almost fell over, but he held me back.
My hand clasped around his forearm.

We stopped and looked at each other. Even in the pitch darkness I could make out his expression of gentle concern.

I was about to let go of his arm, when he pat my hand to stay there.

"Just let it be, it'll be easier," he advised.

But before I could utter an answer, we heard a crackling scream and a flash of yellow light from not far ahead.

Now we were running on the gravel laid roads. I clutched on to AJ and kept running towards the strange voice.

There was a man by the side of the beach. He was holding a  yellow flashlight and waving it around madly.

I recognised him immediately and so did my companion. What was familiar about him was the flash of bright red we saw when he crazily flashed his torch and it's beam landed on him.

"Ian!" AJ acknowledged.

Ian seemed to realise his tantrum had been seen by us. So he began to make a dash for it. For what reason though we didn't understand exactly.

AJ took off right behind him. He ran like a hungry cheetah closing in on his prey, there was a madness to him. A madness I'd not seen before. A madness I somehow didn't mind.

In no time Ian was being dragged back from the collar by an agitated AJ.
AJ swung him to the sandy ground and then he was surrounded.

"Aidan my friend, help me. Let me go," Ian begged.

"Not before you answer some of my questions," AJ emphasized.

Ian sighed then blinked in his temporary flashlight blindness and tried to make out who I was.

"Who's she?" He mumbled looking at me.

"None of your concern," I said.

At the same time AJ answered, "My girlfriend."

He had a point.

Ian seemed unconvinced but we didn't have the time for explanations.

"Ian what do you know about the alleged cursed emeralds inside the museum?" AJ asked interrogating him.

"Emeralds! I know nothing of any emeralds! You know me Aidan! I'm just the guard to the mus—" he  claimed.

"Stop lying red head!" I scolded. "Or should I even call you that?"

"You most certainly shouldn't, first it's offensive to red heads everywhere—" he was cut short again.

"Ian she's right, cut the crap. We saw you in a picture with the Emeralds," AJ explained.

Ian made a weird nasal noise before finally giving in.
"Alright," he wailed.

He got up and lent a bit on AJ. We walked till the side of the beach and sat down.

Then Ian began his story.
"Those people you saw in that picture in Fiji were just—"

"Fiji? Who said anything about Fiji? You were at a dig and from the looks of your attire it seems somewhere in the desert," I protested.

AJ looked at Ian with a given up expression. Ian seemed given up.

"Shit!" He cursed. "You saw the one in Egypt!"

"Egypt?" Inquired AJ.

"These people are interested in the emeralds. I go to different places and negotiate terms for the emeralds. I basically sink them in to the hook. And the boss reels them out." He said in distress.

"What is this? Some sort of business?" AJ muttered.

"It's a hoax or a conspiracy," I remarked.
"There's no curse is there? These are just one of a kind emeralds, which a lot of powerful people want. And so a few smart ones are making a great deal of money out of the popular demand and alleged curse?"

AJ crinkled his brow and looked at Ian with a fierceness, "Is that true?"

"Yes she's right. There's no real curse," he said making air bunnies with his hands.
"My bosses are very powerful and discreet. They are the only ones who hold the emeralds. They make deals with powerful people all over the world. For only one emerald. And when it all goes down. The emeralds go back to the authorities and that is, back to the start," Ian confessed.

"How do they get back to the authorities? What happens? What so crazy happens that the world thinks they've gone mad? Or they die? Why do they return such precious and valuable stones?" AJ demanded of Ian.

"It's because of the demand. Right?" I noted looking at Ian's expression.
"It's a whole game, so many dangerous, powerful and most probably politically backed people, mafias all behind the same thing. They must drive eachother insane. Either killing them in action, or compelling them to return the stone."

"Correct again, it is a game. A mad, dangerous, smart game. It's like, when the whole class is cheating no one tells on eachother. Because they have the same to lose. So they battle it out internally. And the teacher doesn't know. That's how the whole curse concept came up," Ian ranted with a weighed down head.

"So all these—investors? Buyers? Clients basically they all know there's no curse?" I enquired.

Ian nodded.

"How does no one run after the bosses? Or the authorities? How come they're safe," AJ grumbled.

"I've worked with these people for five years now. And I have never even heard their names. They're very discreet as I said. It's a big operation man," Ian exclaimed.

"I still don't get how my family or I am involved in any of this?" AJ stated clearly frustrated.

"I only know this much Aidan, that one of your ancestors was the one who found the emeralds. They were on trip somewhere and discovered the stones in a cave, a mine of sorts. From then on they claimed it as their own." Ian answered.

AJ wanted more but Ian backed up.
"I don't know anything else Aidan.....but—"

"But what?" I snapped.

"But I know someone who will," Ian sighed.

"Who?" AJ frowned.

"One of my colleagues, apparently he's known the Jones's for ages. He's an old man who speaks little but knows a lot.
He's very devious though Aidan. Are you sure about this?" Ian asked carefully.

AJ just looked at him, his answer clear in his gold green eyes.

"Okay then I'll find a way to get you in. For old time sakes," Ian said.

"Why were you screaming?" AJ blurted just as I was ready to head back.

Ian was quiet for sometime but then he spoke, "It's Fie, she's not well man. I need to go to her. I need out."

It was as if only those words spoke millions to the both of them. AJ smiled softly and told Ian that once he was done with his mess. He would try his best to help his old friend. Ian chuckled sarcastically and said that Aidan hadn't changed. I'd walked away knowing I wasn't supposed to be there. Disrupting their little talks about the past.

I stumbled my way to the far end and stared at the sea, the moon was finally visible. Clouds, grey and softening were floating not far from the horizon. It was beautiful and black and white.

For the first time that whole week, I felt calm and motionless.

I hadn't realised when AJ and Ian had spilt ways. When AJ had walked to me, had held my hand and guided me back to the car.

Where we sat still and quiet. Their were a million things I wanted to tell him and I knew he wanted to tell me atleast a thousand. Yet we were sitting with our voices mute. The only thing was that I'd never heard silence quite this loud.
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AJ's pov:

By the time we reached home I must have thought through a million possibilities in my head. I knew what to do. That I needed to speak to Urias, that old man Ian was talking about. I'd known him for a short while. He'd come home when my parents were alive. Talked to my parents behind closed doors, muttering and whispering sinister things. I'd always feared him. But I knew it was time to speak with ghosts from the past.

"I'm coming with you," she said snapping me out of my thoughts.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm coming with you, tonight. To meet that old man," she repeated.

Her face was a tangle of emotions, her eyes were puffy from lack of sleep and tears I guessed. She looked tired and sleepy yet at the same time completely awake. The moonlight was casting shadows on her face making her look like a painting hung in a museum. One that would make lost travellers find their way back home.

"Delilah you know it's—" I began.

"Dangerous, not safe, a cult? Yada yada? I don't care AJ. I'm coming with you," she demanded.

I knew their was no point arguing she'd always get her way with me. And it was not like she couldn't hold a fight.

I smiled and sighed.
"Sure thing sweetheart. But have you ever been to a masquerade party? It's like a ball but less—"

"Less what?" She wondered.

"Less gentlemanly," I responded.

"Sounds—perfect," she boomed with a cheeky smile.

I couldn't help the urge to kiss her. I wanted so bad to lean in and brush by her lips. I wanted to touch her, to hold her.

My thoughts creeped into my body and I leaned in. Ever so slightly, my face was inches away from hers. I could feel her nervous breathing. I could peak into her thoughts. A strand of stray brown hair was covering her eye. I gently pushed it back and trailed my fingers from her temple to her ear, to her neck and stopped.

She seemed terrified. As if kissing me was a crime.

Hurt, I pulled back and looked away.
She didn't utter a word. Nor did I.

We simply walked back to the house and slipped into bed.
I knew she was awake, just as I was.

There were a thousand things I wanted to tell her, but I didn't even say one.
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Hey y'all! Here's a late update *sorryy*
The cover for my book has changed as you may have noticed! It's all thanks to the wonderful rosyraspberry please go and check her out y'all won't be disappointed.
Also, I've finally decided this is the last few chapters. There will be a total of 36 or 40 somewhere between.

So yes this is the certified end of my book.
I hope y'all had a sweet ride with it.
As always please do comment, vote and thankyouuuu for all the readss!
Byee
Xoxo💜✨💫

Here are some writers y'all need to check out!
Aditidas1994 MinSugas3DollaChain MyOwnARMY16 SonaNaka004 SoulFromTheNinetees Raraoo1 Jordan_676 TessaHardin007

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Lol bye