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            Emily looked over the banks of the Kentucky River, three weeks after she got out of the hospital. The police said they found her on a flat section of the riverbank overlooking the river, but the only one she could find was the narrow strip of land just on the Mercer County side. She went over to the coffee shop in the middle of this nowhere to get a closer look. There it was, a hubcap to her car, and some good knowledge as to whom the men on the bank were. Maybe it was the owners of the coffee shop? She had brought her commuter mug the leader gave to her.

            At least it was open today. There was a girl there, who fixed her a caramel macchiato to sip while she asked questions.

            "Did you notice anything strange here a couple weeks ago?"

            "You mean at the time of the accident? Other than that, no."

            "Well, I think this might be a hallucination, but there were four guys I saw that night."

            "Did they run y'all off the road?"

            "No. I got into some black ice back up the hill on the way home. Had business in Danville."

            "When did y'all see these guys?"

            "It was a little after I crashed. There were four of them, in what looked like Renaissance Faire suits."

            "Renaissance Faire, huh? Y'all must be the leader's daughter."

            "You saw them?"

            "Yeah. They were here that morning, when business was open. They ordered something in that mug of yours, then they discussed something that would happen to his little girl that night."

            "He called me his little girl?"

            "Uh-huh. Then they went back around the shop, but no one could see them there, then they somehow popped up by the coffee shack-right over here."

            The coffee girl then gave Emily a small red velvet box.

            "The leader then said to give this to you. He said you would look like him. He also told me to say not to open it until after sunset, or the color will fade from it. It's one of those pricey evening stones."

            Emily asked her, "Did he say what his name was?"

            "He simply called himself Lord Kunzite." (By the way, it is pronounced "Koon-zite.")

            Lord Kunzite? Emily thought to herself, Maybe I'm the princess of gemstones? Who knows?

            "Thank you very much. You've helped me a lot."

            "The police finished their investigation a while ago. There was no sign of ice damaging the guardrail."

            "Thank you."

            Emily took the box and left. It was getting too weird.

 

*****

            Later that evening, as she got back to her loft, she opened the box and looked inside. It was a beautiful pink stone set in platinum and diamond accents. She put it on her finger, and it fit perfectly!

            The box also contained a note, which said:

 

            Dearest Emily,

 

            I know you have a lot of questions, which I will explain to you in time. Your car had been sabotaged the night you crashed, and I wanted to make sure you are doing well. I also know your parents have told you the truth about your heritage. I will contact you shortly.

 

            Your loving father,

 

            Lord Kunzite

 

            Emily scrunched up the note, threw it away, and finished her papers. She then went to bed at about 2 a.m.. She had another day off in a row, so she could sleep in until 9 a.m., which was the time she just naturally got up, whatever time zone she was in.