Zodiac High

Chapter 92

Gemini POV: The Crystal
I am surrounded by darkness. I have given a crystal's life to protect Atlantis. I have gone through so much pain just to save these people. And it's the right thing to do. I wish that it could be done without the pain, but as they say 'no pain, no gain.' Anyway, my mid replays the memories of the last hour. Cepheus has saved us twice and we have saved him, and Atlantis, twice as well. As long as Aapeli keeps his word, Atlantis should be safe. I pray that it is. I hate seeing people getting hurt. When we arrived here as we walked to be sold off, something brutal caught my eye. A young man, dressed what appeared to be a soldier's uniform, was being whipped. It was just him alone. When Taurus had lifted us all off of the ground, I made eye contact with the man. I never told any of my friends, not even Aries, of what I saw. Thus, I was so thankful that my dance partner for the third set was that man. He told me his name was Limpet, and he said he remembered me. How much of what he said was true I do not know but I do know that it was him. He winced when I touched his back. His wounds were still healing. Those two memories as well as the one when he confessed he was possessed by Aapeli are the only ones that I can remember. I can't remember anything past that.
As I begin to worry, I come to the conclusion that when my life was taken, my memories were taken. Would that mean that I have the crystal's memories? I was wearing the crystal when all these memories occurred. I let my mind go blank as I search for memories that are not mine. Sure enough, I find them. This crystal has had eleven other masters in all of its time. It gave me the rest of its lifespan. I thank it as something amazing happens. The crystal speaks to me.
"Gemini! Can you hear me?" It says.
"Yes. I can!" I exclaim.
"Glorious! You need to listen very closely. Our time is limited. Cepheus has already started restoring your own lifespan. Aapeli was only able to take one thousand years off of my lifespan,  leaving me with six thousand years. However, these years do not belong to me anymore. They are yours. You will need them. Χρόνος will demand more years off of your life. Use these years to save your friends."
Without another beat, I feel my heart restart. It beats steadily as my breathing returns. My blood pumps through my veins. My senses return. I feel my necklace that I gave Cepheus resting on my neck. I can smell the wonderful roses that I am surrounded by. Sight returns to my eyes as they shoot open. I immediately sit up while I take a gulp of air. I am greeted with twelve smiling faces. All my friends have made it out alive. Aries smiles at me and he offers his hand to me. I take it as he pulls me up into a hug.
"I'm so glad this worked," he whispers.
"Me too," I whisper back.
"Guys, I can't believe what just happened. This is actually insane!" Leo states.
Everyone rejoices as we celebrate a victory. It's all thanks to Cepheus. However, our rejoicing is cut short as we hear a rustling. We all stop as we wait to see appears. Taurus turns her head away into Aquarius's chest. Scorpio stands in front of Pisces as they both stand ready to fight. Virgo stands in front of Leo as vines surround them. Sagi and Cap hold hands as Sagi right hand forms a fist with fire surrounding it.  Cancer holds Libra close as they worry. Aries and I stand ready. Then twelve people emerge: our twelve dance partners.
"Don't hurt us! We promise we are not under Aapeli's control anymore," the one that danced with Pisces screams.
"Thank the heavens! How are you guys feeling? You guys are doing alright, right?" Pisces asks, concerned.
"We are fine. Thank you for freeing us. We fell prey to our desires and let him in. We are truly sorry," Limpet apologizes for all of them.
"You're all forgiven! Right, guys?" I state with a smile; my friends all agree.
"Thank you. Let's return to the party. I'm sure there's still a few songs left," the one that danced with Aquarius states as she leads us back to the ballroom.
Aries and I walk together. We hold each other's hands as we finally let our guard down once again.
"It looks like we can never go to party without having to defeat someone," Aries chuckles. "It's funny how true that is," I giggle in response.
"Well, I think we've proven out worth. Don't you agree?" Aries ask.
"I think we have. Let's just enjoy ourselves. We leave tomorrow," I remind.
"That is true. Let's go and have the time of our lives! It's time to act like normal for once!" Aries exclaims as he lifts me off the ground in a spin. I smile as he pits me back on the ground. We shared a quick kiss just before we rush to catch up to the others. It's been one heck of a night. But, I have throughly enjoyed myself. And I am thankful that we did not have to die tonight. Life is such a precious thing, and you only realize that when it is gone.

Hello! I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter. Just a friendly reminder, there are only four days left of my 12 Days of Christmas. After that I go back to school and update will go back to every two to three weeks. As always, new chapter soon. Bye!