Books in a Book

t h r e e

Georgia opened her eyes in time to see a man pick up a ruby. One that looked pretty familiar. Like the ruby the woman had given her the nigh-

Then she looked around. Really looked around.

Stalls and haggling and all sorts of things in stall to haggle about. A market. 

A hot market.

She looked down. She was still in her matching blue satin pajamas of a plain crop top and flare pants.

And the necklace was clutched in her hand. Missing the red gem.

Without really thinking, she got up and followed him. He was quick and she would have lost him if he hadn't turned to look at something behind her.

She noticed it then. A commotion. She could make out a man's voice, most likely shouting, but not the words.

She grabbed him as he tried to pass by her. She would have been left with a handful of purple jacket because of his speed but he wasn't wearing a shirt and looked like he couldn't afford to let her keep it.

"Uh, hello?" he asked, bewildered, coming to stand in front of her.

"My ruby. " Georgia's  head was pounding and she didn't have time to beat about the bush. Something told her the gem was important. "You picked it up just now. "

"Oh,"he said and he dipped his hand into an inner pocket of the jacket. "Here, Miss. "

He glanced over her head as he handed it to her and she fit the ruby into the claw. She only got to his chin where black hair sat atop his head and a small cap sat atop that.

Her vision hadn't completely cleared but she thought he looked quite hansome as she turned back to see what was occupying his attention.

The noise of the commotion had lessened, almost gone but voices said there was a princess in the market though they sounded unsure. There was just about six men in two straight line with spears walking off. Georgia might have even said they looked like guards.

This dream is too wierd, she thought, I needed to wake up. I'm sure my alarm would be ringing for real now and-

The sensation of the exploding colours, darkness and feeling detached from herself was worse the second time around.

•°•°•

The ruby was glowing and pulsing heatlessly.

It would stop in a few moments. And a few moments after that, the necklace would fall out of Georgia's hand onto the bed when she would jump up from her sleep.

She would then proceed to hop into the shower and get dressed in living room where her waitress uniform was draped over the back of a couch.

Then she would dash out with only the money in her pocket; not bothering with eating breakfast or even finding her phone, as she couldn't be late the third time that week.

She wouldn't look at the time. She would know she was late but wouldn't want to know just how much. So she wouldn't see her Aladdin poster either.

It wasn't of Aladdin anymore though.

Georgia would come back to find the picture of her second favourite story, Beauty and the Beast, hanging on the wall instead. To find that only she knew of the tale of a street rat and a princess. As though she had dreamed it up.

As though it had never really happened.

But right now, the ruby was still glowing.