Chapter Text
Most of the girls loved the summer. The warm sun rising early and setting late. So one nice summer evening, Gem had invited all the girl hermit to come sleepover at her base and they all loved the idea.
Very rarely they all had down time to spend together as their ‘girl group’, or as Pearl dubbed it, the ‘gal band’.
Nevertheless when everyone rocked up at Gem’s placed, they all had a smile plastered on their faces. Gem welcomed everyone in. Settling them all down in her bigger lounge, covered in colours of blankets and pillows. Everyone pulls out a few snacks and enjoys a movie.
Gem yawns many times. Her eyes drifting into sleep.
“Tired Gem?” Pearl asks, her extremely recognisable Australian accent seeping through. Stress manages a giggle at how tired Gem’s ‘am not’ face is.
Gem sticks her tongue out and goes back to facing the movie screen.
“Sleep if you need to Gem.” Cleo’s ‘mum’ voice speaks softly towards her.
“Nope!” Gem replies quickly, “I am not being first asleep again!”
Everyone begins to laugh, which soon settles into whispers then silence. Gem was super tired, so of course she was first asleep as always.
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Gem’s eyes flutter at the small spots of light that appear in her vision. She opens her eyes, rubs them and glares at the window. The single strip of sun peeking through lands perfectly inline with her eyes. She turns to face the other way, moving from her comfortable position, coming face to face with a very sleepy False. Gem holds back a giggle as False’s gold locks covering her entire face, with no same direction.
However, very unusually, Gem’s light giggle turns heavy. Her throat feels very dry and her eyes tear up. She sits up abruptly with a gasping cough.
Taking a quick breather to regain herself. She then notices how hot she feels. Her arms feel sweaty, her feet sticky, even her antlers are feeling the warm air.
Gem slowly uncovers the bundles of blankets covering her as she walks over to the kitchen. She sits on a bar stool with a fresh glass of cool water before pulling out her phone.
The weather app reads 18 degrees Celsius at 6 am.
She sighs and scrolls to find the max heat for today. Maybe it would be perfect weather for a beach today.
Before reading the blurry number, someone sits next to her, making her flinch from the noise in the silence.
“Sorry.” Stress whispers as she brushes her hair at the counter. “Why’re up?” She questions.
Gem turns off her phone to face Stress properly, “just woke up- the silly sun was in my eyes.”
Stress smiles at the line, Gem offers her some water or coffee. Stress takes the coffee, a nice latte to start the day.
Eventually, all the girls were up just before the clock reads 7 am. Pearl makes drinks for everyone with a variety of orders, as Cleo whips up a large fruit salad to share.
They all gossip about anything around Gem’s oak wooden table, eating and drinking to their likings. Gem loves hosting and having everyone at her place. It was very inviting and cosy to anyone and everyone. So she sits at the table, munching away on watermelon and apples while listening to Pearl’s extraordinary stories. Gem wonders where and how she comes up with them, but perhaps they are from experience or an imaginative mind.
As Gem finishes her salad and water, she helps Cleo clear the dishes and wash up.
Sitting back in the not-so-neat lounge room, they all continue to chatter away. Gem happily does Cleo’s hair. Pearl uses her full body to express her story telling. Stress creates a flower chain while False cleans her goggles.
8 am and Gem wasn’t feeling that well. Of course she hadn’t shown to act any different on the outside, but coughing more than ten times in the past hour didn’t hide it as much as she liked. Cleo notices everything.
Gem coughs again before going for some more water. She stands shakily up and almost falls back onto Cleo, whose turned around, hands out ready.
“Are you ok Gem? You don’t seem to be doing the best.” All the other girls also face her now, she faces the kitchen.
“I’ve been better.” The line hooks a bitter, not-Gem-like attitude.
“Nope.” Cleo stands, placing both hands on her shoulders forcing Gem to sit again, “I’ll get you some.” Cleo walks out of view.
Gem sits back down as her eyes begin to water again. False is by her side now. When did she get there? Gem thinks as she doesn’t notice that Cleo is already back and also by her other side. Both Pearl and Stress sit from a short distance.
“Gem, what’s wrong?” Cleo asks in her mother tone.
“I don’t know…” Gem’s starts off. To think, she isn’t sure what is entirely wrong. She isn’t getting sick, is she?
“Ok, well do you feel hot or cold?” Cleo starts.
“Hot.” Gem replies, she knows she hot because that what she felt when waking up. “I was really hot this morning.”
“That’s why you were first up?” False buts in.
“That and the silly sun.”
“Gem.” Cleo says more stern. “You should rest today.”
Gem frowns. She doesn’t want to rest for an entire day, it would be a waste of time, their hangout was first!
“Um guys?” Stress squeaks in a morning voice, she sounds so distant to Gem. “I think today’s going to be hot.”
“What?” Pearl says, peering over her shoulder, her eyes go wide “43 degrees?!” She shouts.
All the hermit stare at the two in silence.
Pearl continues, “how’s it gonna be 43 today?!”
“I’m not sure.” Stress answers with disbelief, “maybe we should tell Xisuma this.”
Cleo nods and types away quickly. Gem can’t pick up on the words on screen. She can’t pick up on much really, her vision is much worse than before. She’s dealt with heat before but this time it feels different.
She shouldn’t be feeling this dizzy.
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False reads her own weather app after Pearl complains about the ‘43’.
“I’m not sure.” Stress answers with disbelief to Pearl, “maybe we should tell Xisuma this.”
False sees Cleo nod and type away quickly, Gem seems to be looking over her shoulder. False’s eyes can’t look off of Gem actually. Her skin just looks a tad more pale and her eyes seem glazed over.
As False goes to place her hand on Gem’s shoulder, Gem abruptly collapses onto her. Eyes shut, body limpness.
“Gem?!” False says loudly to catch everyone’s attention. Cleo instantly is by her side, scooping her up carefully and placing her on the couch. “Why’d she suddenly pass out?” False asks the question they’re all thinking.
Silence followed by typing. Cleo was clearly texting Xisuma and updating him about the weather and Gem’s current state.
False loved the summer. But not like this. She really wished it wouldn’t reach 43 degrees today.
She didn’t want Gem to be hurt, nor anyone else to the heat,
and she was gonna do whatever it takes to keep them safe.