Guardians of the Diamond Book One: The Rose

Chapter Fourteen

The world was shaking. Wait, no. I being shaken. "Five more minutes," I muttered, keeping my eyes closed and attempting to stay curled up under my covers.

"Kate, it's nine o'clock. Wake up!" Matt shouted. I rolled over onto my back. I groaned, pushed myself up on my elbows and turned my head to look at my sister. Jessica was still nestled up, sound asleep in her own bed. That wouldn't last too much longer because Matt was setting out to wake her up as well. Unlike me, though, Jessica didn't even respond to Matt.

"Matt, you know that nine o'clock is still pretty darn early," I said as I swung my feet over the side of my bed. I stretched my hands to the ceiling.

"Yes, but nine o'clock is nine hours into the day, which is a lot," he said in response.

I rolled my eyes. "Matt, don't get all technical. Why did you feel the annoying need wake us up?"

Matt took a seat in Jessica's desk chair. "See, Kate, I'm not sure whether or not you are aware of this but there happens to be a vampire after us because he supposedly wants to be immortal and we apparently have what he needs to achieve that," Matt said. "And Dad and Gilda are going to be home later today, so we need to start whatever we have to start early so we can try to be here when they get back. I don't want to raise any questions that I don't know how to answer."

I had almost forgotten about R. K. after sleeping through the night. Almost, but sadly not entirely. It felt like that was the first time I'd slept without any dreams in ages.

"I get you not wanting to be suspicious but, Matt, we don't have to worry about Dad because he knows about all this. Well... kind of." I reached over to my nightstand to pick up Mom's journal. I threw it over to Matt.

He caught the journal effortlessly. "What's this?" he asked me as he inspected it.

"Mom's journal from way back when. Read all the way to September 21st and you'll get more information on all this... or get more confused about everything," I told him. "It's like a very vague backstory."

He opened it up and began to read just as Jessica finally decided to get up with a groan. After several minutes, Matt closed the book and looked up at me with more emotion than I had seen from him in a while.

"That's why she died? Because of us," Matt stated with a mix of emotions. "That is so messed up! She said the diamonds are supposed to protect us, but they couldn't even protect her. And what was that about every fifth generation? What happens to every fifth generation?"

"I don't know, Matt. It's what the witch Bursula warned her about and then she must not have listened. But, I'm glad she didn't listen. I'm not glad she had to die, of course, but if she did do what Bursula told her to do, we would be under an evil witch's care... or maybe already dead and I am not about that. Mom was protecting us," I said firmly. "And I don't know about the 'fifth generation' thing. I was hoping Jonathan or Dad could explain that one."

"Yeah, I guess they might be able to if you're right about Dad really knowing. Wait a second. Bursula?" Matt said slowly. "R. K. mentioned her yesterday. He said that she'd 'out done herself'."

"What are you guys taking about?" Jessica asked as she yawned and stretched.

Matt handed her the journal and told her to read. When she was done all she said was, "Oh."

I twirled my earring in my ear. I twirled it so much, it popped out of my ear. I held it in my hand just staring at it. "The spell was broken," I whispered, mainly to myself. "How am I just now remembering this?"