Linked: The War of the Gems - Book 1 Read online

  Linked

  The War of the Gems: Book One

  Alexandra Johnson

  Linked

  The War of the Gems: Book One

  Copyright © 2020 by Alexandra Johnson

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Portions of this book are works of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Editing by Rooted in Writing

  Cover Design by GermanCreative

  First Printing, 2020

  Connect with the author online at www.SincerelySerotonin.Tumblr.com

  Acknowledgments

  As this book took about six or seven years to come from a concept to complete, there are many people I need to thank for their support over the years.

  Thank you to my parents, who never stopped believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself.

  Thank you to the people online, who shared their ideas and helped Linked go from an idea I played around with to an actual novel. Please forgive me for losing your names over the years.

  Thank you to my friends, who listened to me talk for hours about my writing dreams and goals.

  Thank you to GermanCreative on Fiverr, who designed the cover of this book.

  A special thank you to my loving fiancée, Dom, who pushed me to finish the final edit and make my dream a reality.

  And a thank you to Amber Helt, though it will never be enough to show how grateful I am for all your kindness and support in making Linked shine.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Aoi had been on the train for five hours when it reached Irokara. Outside, the world was in bloom. Pink petals fluttered off of cherry blossom trees into the small town she would soon call home.

  It was much smaller than Tokyo, where she had lived before with her father, but they had moved there so he could get a promotion. Aoi had only two options: stay with him, or leave the country to be with her mother. She chose the first. When the train finally pulled to a stop, Aoi stood and stretched. Irokara, here I come.

  Her father was waiting for her outside. He was a tall man with black hair that was beginning to grey around his temples. He wore glasses, but not his usual suit. Today, he was in a relaxed pair of jeans and a button-up shirt, untucked. Aoi was surprised at the change. It was different. She liked it.

  He smiled when his eyes found hers across the emptying platform. She smiled back; she couldn’t help herself. Aoi ran over to him, carefully avoiding a young couple strolling across her path. Her father enveloped her in his arms.

  “Aoi, it’s good to see you,” he said.

  “Good to see you too, Dad. I missed you.”

  “Missed you too.” He released Aoi and walked her to the car. “How were your friends? Three days is a long sleepover.”

  Aoi shrugged. “It was good. Kimi had lots of movies, and Yukiko did everyone’s nails.” She flashed her own blue nails as proof. Nail polish wasn’t really her thing, but it was like her friends were still with her. She’d keep it on. “Did you get everything unpacked?”

  “Almost.” He grinned. “But I think you’re going to like this house.”

  They got in his car and he drove to the edge of town, where her new home was waiting. It was a simple, two-story building, with porches on both the first and second floors. It was painted a pale blue with white roofs. Trees and flowers grew in their yard, making it feel even more like home.

  Aoi got out of the car. “So this is our new place. It’s . . . pretty, I guess.”

  “It is, isn’t it? I made sure to get the one farthest from town so you wouldn’t feel so pressured to go out.”

  They laughed. Both knew Aoi felt more comfortable inside than out. Her father had made sure to choose a house away from the majority of Irokara, for Aoi’s sake. Too many people around brought on anxiety attacks. It had taken her years to make the few friends she had. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to start over in a new town, especially with the luxury of living so far away from everyone else.

  Behind their house was a deep forest. Aoi made a mental note to explore it later. It wasn’t nature she had a problem with; it was crowded cities. It was people. Ironic, coming from a girl born and raised in the capital of Japan.

  They walked inside and her dad showed her around the spacious rooms, finally stopping in the living room on the first floor. Aoi’s laptop was waiting for her on the couch. A wave of relief washed over her as she picked it up. She didn’t know what she’d been thinking when she decided to pack it instead of keeping it with her over the weekend. She gave it a gentle squeeze.

  “You’d better tell your friends you made it,” he said. “They’re probably worried.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “Probably.”

  Aoi sat down, started up her computer, and opened a chat program. Yukiko was online. At once, her fingers began pecking away on the keys.

  Blue: I’m here. Are you excited about school?

  Snow: Not really. You?

  Blue: No way . . . I’m gonna be all alone . . .

  Snow: Oh, that’s right.

  She said it like she forgot. How could she? Aoi had just been at her house. They’d given her a going away party and everything. She and Kimi and Hana were the only parts of Tokyo she was truly sad to leave behind. But Yukiko changed the subject before Aoi could say anything about it.

  Snow: Hey, Kimi and Hana just got here. I gotta go! We’re going shopping!

  Aoi’s hands faltered. Shopping? She didn’t remember them talking about shopping that morning before she left for the train station. It was like they really didn’t care that she was gone. But that couldn’t be right. Maybe they’d just had this planned, and didn’t want her to feel left out. Maybe they were shopping to keep themselves from missing her.

  Yeah, that had to be it.

  Even so, Aoi’s eyes blurred with tears. Hesitantly, she typed a reply. When she looked up, she was greeted with another message.

  [Snow is now offline.]

  Blue: Have fun.

  She had no doubt they would. With a sigh, she took off her headphones.

  Her father paused behind her, a box in his hands. He glanced over her shoulder for a moment before continuing on his path. “Talking with Yukiko?” he asked.

  Aoi managed a small smile. “I was, but she went shopping with Kimi and Hana.”

  “Ah.” He put the box down on a table and made his way to the couch, glancing over Aoi’s shoulder at t
he screen. It was still on the chat program. A few tears glistened on the keyboard. “Why don’t you go outside? No use being cooped up in here if no one’s online.”

  She glanced down at her screen again. He was right.

  “Okay . . .” She turned off her computer and put it aside. “I guess I could take a look around.”

  Her father pulled out a dusty blender from the box. “Don’t go into town alone today. I’m not sure yet how safe it is for a young girl. There could be yankii.”

  Aoi rolled her eyes. From what she’d seen driving through town, Irokara was nothing like the back alleys of Tokyo. It was just like her father to worry about punks stalking the wide, clean streets of a small town. But she was okay with this request. She didn’t feel like meeting anyone today anyway.

  “I won’t. Don’t worry. I’m just going to explore the woods. See you later!” With a wave, Aoi slipped out of the house and headed into the sun.

  The few houses around had space for grassy yards. Their inhabitants were businessmen—the busy kind, lucky for Aoi. They wouldn’t be the type of suburban neighbors who invited themselves over for dinner or intruded too much.

  Aoi headed into the forest clearing, following the dirt path for a ways until it stopped abruptly. Seemed no one thought anyone would want to go this far into the woods. She looked behind her, at the distant light-filled opening she’d come from.

  She wasn’t ready to go back, so she turned her gaze forward. There was no path to follow anymore, so she headed straight. If she pretended the path was still there, it would be easy to go back once she was ready to return home. Light filtered through the leaves in a mottled green mosaic, dancing off her skin as she pushed deeper into the trees. A squirrel ran along the branches above her for a while before scurrying away. The air was filled with a buzzing that created a peaceful hum for Aoi. They kept her moving.

  The forest around her wasn’t scary. Not at all. Not like people. Not like the thought that school would start soon and she wouldn’t have any friends, and the only friends she did have were off shopping without her, even though she didn’t like shopping. No, the forest wasn’t scary at all.

  Wait. What’s that?

  Something shiny caught her eye, breaking her thoughts. She looked in the direction of where the shine came from, but there was only a large, dull rock.

  She stared for a moment, then there it was again. A small, blue shimmer coming from the base of the rock. She knelt down. The rock’s bottom didn’t quite reach the ground, leaving a small, dark space of shade extending down. The shine had come from there. Aoi leaned forward and reached her hand out, then paused.

  Maybe it wasn’t the best idea, pulling something out from a hole under a rock. There could be spiders down there, or other creepy crawlies. More importantly, it could be glass. Aoi needed to be careful.

  She needed to be, but curiosity got the better of her. She’d find out what it was in a moment. She’d know if it was glass then.

  Aoi slid her hand under the rock and took hold of a hard, cool lump of something in the moist dirt. It didn’t cut her hand, and she couldn’t feel any bugs crawling on her skin. All the better.

  She withdrew her hand and stood, holding her hand out to a patch of muddled light. She gasped. In Aoi’s hand was a large, beautiful blue gem shaped like an oval. It left Aoi with a sense of awe and confusion. She couldn’t understand why someone would leave a sapphire—she assumed that’s what it was—alone in a place like this. Why would someone just throw away an expensive-looking jewel—in a forest no less?

  And then she felt it. A burning, pulsing, horrible pain. Her hand was forced shut by that pain. It stemmed from hand and swam throughout her body, filling her until she could do nothing but scream. The pain forced her to her knees, then to the ground. She curled up, her eyes shut tight, tears flowing into her open mouth. She couldn’t take it. She couldn’t stand another second of the pain.

  Then, as quickly as it had come, the pain was gone. Her screams ceased. Her tears slowed to a trickle, then a stop. She took a moment to just breathe and catch her breath.

  It was over. The pain was gone. And she felt . . . fine.

  Her throat was sore from screaming. Her cheeks were tear-stained. Her heart was racing from whatever just happened. But the pain was gone. All things considered, she was just fine.

  Aoi sat up slowly. What on earth was that? Was it the gem?

  That was the only thing that made sense. Hesitantly, she unfurled her fist, afraid the pain might come back when she exposed the gem. She looked at her palm, and her gaze fell upon . . . nothing. Nothing at all!

  “It’s gone!” She sat up straighter, trying to make sense of things. Her brows furrowed. That wasn’t supposed to happen. Weird gems were not supposed to suddenly cause pain and then disappear. And yet that was exactly what had just happened.

  She sighed, dropping her hands into her lap. Whatever it was, the gem was gone now.

  A blue shimmer from her lap caught her eye.

  That’s—! The gem wasn’t gone. It was right there, on the back of her hand, imbedded deep in her skin. How’s this even possible?

  Everything else in this forest had been odd, impossible even. But the impossibilities kept piling up, leaving Aoi more and more confused. The world swayed around her, her focus blurring as her thoughts scrambled around her mind. She could feel the panic bubbling, threating to break the surface.

  She shook her hand, but the gem wouldn’t come off. She tugged and twisted at the gem, but it wouldn’t come out.

  Desperate times . . . Aoi bit the gem. She tried to pull her head away from her hand, but it still wouldn’t budge.

  Aoi yanked again, but her hand slipped off the gem’s smooth surface and she toppled onto her back. Her mind swam, the dappled leaves suddenly too bright. Aoi took a deep breath and laid there in the leaves with her eyes closed, her bejeweled hand resting on her chest.

  Nothing made any sense. A weird blue gem wasn’t supposed to be in the middle of a forest. It wasn’t supposed to cause great pain all of a sudden. The gem certainly wasn’t supposed to imbed itself in Aoi’s hand.

  It was too crazy to be real. But it was, somehow.

  This isn’t supposed to be happening.

  Maybe if she just thought long and hard about this, it would make sense, or maybe it would just go away altogether. So she tried. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in. She slowly breathed out.

  It’s gotta make sense. It’s gotta.

  But a laugh interrupted Aoi before she could think too hard about any of this.

  A chill ran down her spine. She jumped to her feet, eyes wide. She thought everything would be just fine, that she could enjoy the peace and quiet of the forest by herself. She was sure she’d been alone, too—she hadn’t heard any footsteps following her.

  Clearly, she’d been wrong.

  There was no one in front of her, so she turned around. Before her was a woman dressed in traditional Chinese clothes. She wore no makeup and her dark brown hair was pulled into a loose ponytail.

  “Who are you?” Aoi asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest.

  “Forgive me for startling you,” the woman said with a smile. She gave a polite bow. “My name is Hua Mulan.”

  Add that to the growing list of things that didn’t make sense.

  “Hua . . . Mulan?” Aoi was sure she’d heard that name somewhere before. After a few moments, she remembered. “You mean like from the Disney movie?”

  Mulan furrowed her brows in confusion. “I’ve not heard of this Disney . . . My legacy did live on in a ballad. Perhaps that is what you’re thinking of? And, apparently, my spirit lives on in a gem. Funny how these things go sometimes.”

  Aoi shifted her weight nervously. “What do you mean, your spirit’s in the gem?”

  Mulan answered, “It means exactly what it sounds like. I reside within the gem.”

  Aoi looked down at the gem in her hand, then back u
p, then down again. “You . . . live in there?” Yet another thing that didn’t make sense.

  “I do,” the woman replied patiently, but not unkindly. Aoi appreciated that. Then, in a blink, Mulan vanished. Not a trace of her remained.

  Aoi stood in the forest, alone. A breeze rustled some dead leaves by her feet.

  Am I . . . hallucinating? That was the only thing that seemed to make sense. The woman had been there one minute, then gone the next. Or maybe she was dreaming.

  But then she heard the woman’s voice from behind her. “Because I’m not necessarily of this world anymore.”

  Aoi spun on her heel, coming face to face with the woman. “How did you do that?”

  “As I’ve said, I’m a spirit of sorts. And you are the holder of the blue gem.”

  As if that made any sense at all. “The holder?”

  Mulan’s brows furrowed as she frowned. “Yes, the holder. My inner world is in that gem, and you hold the gem, making you the holder of the gem. I see that the legend of the gems was not as popular as my ballad.” Her eyes shone with pride for her ballad, but her reply didn’t answer Aoi’s question at all. Aoi was still confused. Nothing continued to make sense. She just wanted an actual answer.

  “We’re connected, you and I, as holder and spirit.” She spoke slowly, her voice reassuring. “I suppose you could say we’re both linked.”

  Holder, spirits, linked—the pile of things that didn’t make sense was growing.