Twenty-Eight

We gathered around Kitty, amazed that she was here. She really was everything I had dreamed she would be. You could almost see her aura. She was good through and through.

Jamie stood one side of me, as always the protector. I could tell from his expression that he felt bad about yelling at Popkins before. My Mum stood on my other side while the rest of the group huddled around us.

"Popkins is right, in any other situation, I'm afraid Cassie would succumb to the SAD spell. But now I am the head of Pearl Authorities, there are ways I can help."

She beamed kindly at me, giving a gentle nod. She was delightfully graceful. I smiled back, feeling somewhat like I was meeting a celebrity.

"As you know, the Mayors of our generations are protected. I know Popkins managed to kill Matthew Perkins, but that was exceptional circumstances and Popkins is an extraordinary wizard. The Mayors are pretty much untouchable."

She got her wand out and walked towards me, still smiling. With the hand that wasn't holding the wand, she touched my shoulder gently.

"Since the moment you graduated, you have shown immense bravery time and time again. You are strong and courageous. You have come back from the brink of death more than once and you have a desire to let people live peacefully as they choose." She paused and swished her wand. She didn't say anything, but neon blue dust fluttered through the air and on to me, sinking through my skin. "Cassie, I am honoured to make you the Mayor of The Sapphire Generation. I know that right now there aren't many of you left, but I trust that you will lead your people in an effective and gentle way. Becoming Mayor also automatically erases any spells that have been placed on you."

My mouth fell open. I couldn't believe it. Me, the Mayor. Jamie was grinning at me, pride written all over his face. I was elated, but couldn't help feeling like a fraud. Jamie had been through years of torture just to be a Sapphire, I was sure he deserved it more than me. But then again, if I wasn't made Mayor, then I would have had to face a painful death.

Kitty stepped back, a satisfied expression on her face. She looked around at all of us, her wand still out.

"As you can imagine, now you are under my authority, things will be very different."

She pulled back her sleeve, and we watched mesmerised, as a delicate, beaded pearl bracelet appeared on her wrist. She held it up to her mouth, just like Maisie had done when she was in Dianne's body. I felt a sad pang at the thought of Maisie. My eyes watered as I focused on Kitty.

"My first act as head of Pearl Authorities, is to make sure that from now on, the Sapphire Generation is left alone. Current and future Sapphires will be allowed to live in peace, in their beautiful world with Cassie as the Mayor. Also, the current Sapphires are no longer at our mercy. They do not work for us anymore. They will live their lives peacefully."

Jamie kissed my cheek, unable to contain his joy. I wrapped my arm around his waist, finding it hard to believe that this was happening. Did we really get to go home and live a normal life now Kitty was head? I couldn't fathom it.

"Word would have spread by now that Matthew Perkins, the Mayor of The Rubies, has erm...passed away." I raised an eyebrow at her choice of words. That was certainly one way of putting it. "Therefore, I would like to announce his daughter, Mel, as the new Ruby Mayor. I am sure The Rubies will welcome her with open arms after being under Matthews direction."

Mel grinned, high fiving Popkins with a woop. A sprinkling of red dust fell over her.

"As for The Emeralds, now I am no longer there, I of course hand over my title as Mayor to the glorious Wizard Popkins. He deserves it more than anyone I know and I am certain he will be the best ruler the generation has seen, even better than me."

She giggled at her own joke while we hugged Popkins in congratulations as green dust settled over him. Kitty cleared her throat and spoke once more into her bracelet.

"Of course, it goes without saying that now I am head, it is completely legal to travel through the generations if you wish. I think it is one of life's most pleasurable moments, being able to travel and learn from each other. However, I will still expect new graduates to pick a generation and belong to it. After this speech, I expect the word to be spread to all generations. For the most part, everything will remain the same. I cannot and do not have the power to suddenly reunite families and make you immortal if you choose The Emeralds. Emeralds are happy to die naturally with age because they live a beautiful and fufilling life. Rubies are proud to be immortal and strong. Diamonds are proud of knowing who their families are. And Sapphires are just unique, which is why there are so few. Our way of life will remain largely the same, apart from new Mayors and being able to travel across the four generations. That is it for now, you will hear more from me in due course."

She dropped her arm, pulling her sleeve over her new bracelet and rushed over to Miles, her hand up in salute.

"Miles, the Mayor of the Diamonds, Shane, will leave you be. He's quite a lazy ruler, but fair all the same. He doesn't get involved much. I hope you find your family and wish you every happiness in your new generation."

He smiled, doing a little twirl of happiness in the air. I couldn't get used to Miles as a ghost. I'm not sure I ever would.

"Thanks Kitty. I appreciate it."

She turned back to the rest of us.

"Right, I need to show my face at head office, being the leader of the Pearls is no holiday, I assure you. I will be checking in every now and then, but for now I wish you nothing but happiness. Because of you, people can now live peacefully in their generations. You should be very proud." She looked at Jamie, the smile fading from her face. "Maisie will be honoured. I will make sure that new graduates know of her story and sacrifice."

He nodded, too choked up to say anything. Kitty made her way around the group, saying her goodbyes. She stopped when she got to my Mum.

"Lucy, I believe you are a Pearl"

She nodded, smiling kindly at Kitty. Her smile was so like mine.

"Your knowledge would be invaluable to me. I know that you have only just been reunited with Cassie, but now you know that she is safe, do you fancy coming back to the office with me and showing me the ropes? After all, who better to learn from than the woman who was literally stuck inside the previous heads body? I will make you my deputy and you can visit with Cassie whenever you wish in The Sapphires. We could change things bit by bit, together. What do you say?"

I let go of Jamie and walked towards my Mum, taking her hands in mine. I had known her for less than an hour but I loved her with all of my heart. She was so familiar to me already. Seeing her visions earlier and how much she had fought for me, I knew that our love could never be broken.

"Go for it Mum. It's a fantastic opportunity. If you lived in the Pearl Gen anyway then it's obviously where you belong. I'll be fine, I promise. And hey, we can even see each other as soon as tomorrow if we want! Kitty has granted us the world."

She pulled me into a teary eyed hug, stroking my hair.

"I'm just so glad you're OK darling girl. Plus, now that I've found you, I kind of have to go back. I need to find your Father."

I pulled back from her, my mouth open. She smiled weakly.

"We got separated when Dianne took over my body. We were both looking for you. He's an Emerald but we were in the Pearls gen when we were captured."

Everything fell into place with her words. It was why I loved The Emeralds so much, because I already had that connection. I nodded, gulping my emotions down.

"Go find him. Help Kitty. I'll still be around whenever you want to see me."

She hugged me, and kissed me softly on the cheek.

"I love you Cassie. See you soon darling."

I smiled as she walked over to Kitty and linked arms with her. The two of them waved at us before walking out of the dome door, shutting it quietly behind them.

The group of us gathered around in a circle. We all looked different now. We were grown up. Bruised and battered. Even Popkins, who had been alive for many years and seen many things, looked like he had learnt a new story. Miles of course, who had once been a Sapphire but was now a Diamond had changed the most. A little stab in my heart hit me as I also noted that our group was smaller. One of us had fallen.

"Well, now that we are all OK and not going to die a gruesome death, I really want to go and see my family. I know they are waiting for me in The Diamonds. Four brothers to wind up and annoy, I can't wait! And my Mum...." Miles paused for a moment, seemingly choked up at the enormity of it. "We will meet up again very soon, I'm sure. But I need to go now."

We nodded in understanding. He held his hand out to Mel and Popkins, who did the same back. Then he floated towards Jamie and held his hand up in salute to him.

"See you soon mate. Look after her."

Miles nodded towards me. Jamie smiled and held his hand up.

"Miles, I can't thank you enough for saving me.... I... I owe you. Of course I'll look after her." He stepped away from me, a soft look on his face. "I'll give you two a minute."

I smiled gratefully and stepped towards Miles, as the other three walked down the dome a little bit, giving us our privacy. Miles flew down so that he was almost at ground level, running a hand through his hair nervously.

"I don't know how to say goodbye to you."

His voice broke. Hot tears burned the back of my eyes as I looked at him, remembering everything we had been through together.

"Then let's not say goodbye. You are going to visit, right?"

He nodded, swallowing hard. I wasn't sure I believed him, but I knew that if he didn't visit me, then I would hunt him down and make him wish he had. I held my hand up in salute and he edged his forward, never taking his eyes off me. I gasped as I felt his palm against mine. His mouth fell open as he stroked my arm, realising that we could touch each other.

I pulled him into a hug, squeezing hard, not wanting to let go. My mouth was next to his ear as he cuddled me back.

"How come we can touch each other? You're a ghost."

My voice was a whisper. He shrugged, then kissed me on the cheek.

"I guess we are more connected than we thought. Take care Cassie."

A tear fell down my cheek as I watched him go out of the dome, disappearing through the door. I walked over to Popkins, Mel and Jamie, wiping the tears from my eyes. Jamie was eyeing me, a confused look on his face. I just shrugged at him, not knowing how to explain what had just happened. He got the hint that I didn't want to talk about it. He took my hand and kissed it gently.

"So, I'm standing in a group of three Mayors. This is so weird."

We laughed lightly, easing the tension.

"I always wondered what it would be like to be the Mayor of The Emeralds, but of course it was only ever a dream. Kitty was the Mayor and I never wished any harm on her. I adore her. But now...well now she's even higher up and I'm Mayor. It's crazy."

Mel nodded, but I could instantly see that she looked troubled, almost even sad. She touched Popkins arm gently.

"I need to talk to you Popkins."

He raised an eyebrow in question. I got the sense it was serious, so I nudged Jamie.

"Come on, let's give them some space."

"No. You need to hear this as well. Stay." I eyed Mel curiously, the feeling inside me indicating that what she was about to say wasn't going to be good. She sighed and looked at the floor. "Kitty has just given us a wonderful gift by being able to travel the generations freely. But I don't want it. I am focused on The Rubies. That is my calling and I think I could be really good for the people that live there."

We nodded in agreement, I knew that she would be a brilliant Mayor. But I didn't understand what she was saying.

"You will be amazing, you really will. But you will also get time to visit with us and we can come to you. What are you saying?"

Popkins was alarmed. He couldn't quite keep the panic out of his voice.

"I'm saying that I need to go and be The Mayor of The Rubies and you need to go be Mayor of The Emeralds. It's never going to work between us Popkins. We are too different. Our lives are too far apart."

The wizard looked crestfallen. I could visibly see the moment that his heart snapped.

"But you do work together. You are made for each other. And now you have the gift to visit each other freely. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are confused."

Mel dared to look up now, first at Jamie who had just spoken, then Popkins.

"I want to be a dedicated ruler like my Dad. I want to take the good qualities from him and blend them with my own leadership. It's going to take time and effort. I don't want to throw a relationship in the mix. I can't. I'm sorry."

Popkins nodded slowly, pushing his round spectacles up his head and rubbing his eyes.

"So you're breaking up with me?"

She shrugged. She was trying to act cool and aloof, but I could see it was hurting her.

"We were never really official. I'm saying that we can be friends. I'll always make you feel welcome at The Rubies, all of you, but right now .....the generation is my priority."

We stood in awkward silence. Popkins put his spectacles back on, crossing his arms over his chest. I didn't know what to say. Jamie shuffled on his feet nervously. Mel hugged Popkins, bit he didn't ease his stance. She sighed and gave Jamie a quick hug, then me.

I hugged her back hard, not sure why this was all feeling like a goodbye. Miles farewell had seemed final and this did too.

She held me at arms length and smiled.

"Make sure you come and visit, won't you bestie?"

I smiled, through the tears that were falling.

"Of course I will."

She took one last lingering look at Popkins who was refusing to meet her eye, then bounded out of the dome without looking back.

I ran over to Popkins, wrapping my arms around him in a huge embrace, my heart aching for him.

"Are you OK Popkins?"

He chuckled lightly and pulled away, a smile on his face. I could see it was taking a huge effort to act normal.

"Of course I am. She's right. Being a Mayor is a big thing, it takes commitment. It's not goodbye, we will all come together again. We are family in our own strange way. I have to believe that, anyway."

I nodded, trying to keep it positive like he was. I hit him on the arm playfully.

"Well I might be Mayor of The Sapphires, but I am still going to come over to the Emeralds and bug you all the time. You can be sure on that."

"She's right, you won't get rid of us easily Popkins. Besides, now Cassie knows her Dad was or is an Emerald, I'm sure she will want to explore the place he came from while her Mum is busy looking for him."

I squealed enthusiastically.

"Yes! You will be fed up of us in no time at all! Anyway, the Sapphires will be much easier to rule than the Rubies or Emeralds because there are so few of us. I'll have loads of free time to pester you!"

Popkins laughed, properly now, and pulled Jamie and I in for a hug at the same time.

"You better. But for now, go home to The Sapphires and just be together. You've earned a break. See you soon poppets."

He kissed us both on the head and strolled away casually. I smiled watching him walk out, knowing that we would always be friends. But it worried me that Mel's and Miles's goodbyes felt so final.

"It's just us now. Come here beautiful."

Jamie pulled me into his arms, resting his chin on my head as we stared at the door our friends had just walked out from. I held onto his arms with tears in my eyes, wondering if everything we had just been through was real.

"Do you think we will ever see them again Jamie?"

He was silent for a moment, then I felt him nod.

"Yes. We will definitely see Popkins. He's like a brother to us. And honestly, I don't think Mel can live without him. She's just telling herself she can. And Miles...well...he can't live without you. I can't really blame him."

I rolled my eyes and turned to face him, my arms circling his waist, our bodies pressed together.

"You know I love you right?"

He grinned, his golden eyes shining.

"I know. And hey, I have to love you because you are now officially my Mayor and you might have me beheaded or something if I don't."

I hit him playfully and stepped away from him, trying, but failing to scowl.

"So you are being forced to love me, is that right?"

He laughed loudly and pulled me back into his arms, kissing me deeply. My heart thudded loudly, my legs turning to jelly as they always did while he stroked my back. We pulled away from each other eventually, breathless.

"I love you Cassie. And I can't wait to go home to The Sapphires with you and just be us. Being together, in our world, without anybody after us....it is literally going to be heaven."

I kissed him lightly on the lips, running my hands through his dark hair. I knew I would never get tired of him. There was still so much to learn about each other, so much we didn't know.

I took his hand, entwining my fingers with his.

"Let's go home then."

We didn't look back as we walked out of the dome, ready to begin our future together.