Thick As Thieves

Empty desert, blazing sun which almost decomposed the animal skull on the sand. Ruby and Monica walked in a steady pace, the large leather hats shielded them from the sun, a find mesh that cooled the dry air covered their faces. 

"Are we there yet?" Monica asked.

"How am I suppose to know?" Ruby sighed.

"We're pretty deep into the desert, it should be anywhere..." Monica looked at the legendary map, the mesh blurred most of the details. 

With a yelp from Ruby she snapped her head up.

"There it is! There it is!" Ruby pointed at a chrome blue shine.

"Yes! Finally!" 

Both ran desperately toward the object, hat's falling behind. 

Four hands uprooted the chrome blue gene lamp from the sand with a vast speed. 

"Rub it! Rub it!" Ruby told Monica while she rubbed it vigorously.

"Rub It yourself!" Monica's shout filled the air as she rubbed it too.

With a harsh burst the lamp flew upward away from their hands, A blue hue glowed luminously, their arms covered their eyes until an explosion of smoke made them cover their eyes. 

"You brats!" The yell echoed with no walls, Ruby and Monica felt their bone marrow move. 

"Hi..." Monica tried to wave to the gene.

"My first wish is money!" Ruby declared enthusiastically, Monica gulped.

"Oh yeah?" The gene tilted its head in sarcasm.

"Of course! Wait why don't I tell you all three once so you fulfil them at the same time..."

Before Ruby could continue the gene pointed at her with his finger, a laser beam fired from his finger. Monica flinched, closing her eyes for half a second only to open it on her friend's evaporation.

Her eyes moved rapidly only to see a small piece of paper falling to the sand in the space her friend occupied a second ago, her hands reach instinctively to the paper, finger stiffening in order avoid crushing the paper.

"...What the..." Monica murmured.

"That's what you to get you entitled bozo. Four hands? Some people has sensory issues." The gene clicked his tongue, retrieving to its lamp unceremoniously. 

"The world proportions are weird!" A tiny high pitched voice came out of the palm tree sticker. 

"Ruby? Are you there?" Monica tried to inject calmness into her tone.

"I think so?" The voice came out of the palm sticker.

 Monica assisted the situation, opted to take a slow approach. She sat up her tent, lighted up fire before it got dark and collected her thoughts while sipping hot nesquik, staring at the blue shine.

She blinked quickly as her resolve gathered itself.

"Y'know Ruby...Maybe money wasn't everything, like they all said..."

"...I'd rather not think about it. Because then I'll get stuck in the thought train. Whether it's everything or nothing I'm gonna get my family to a better place!" 

Monica listened, staring at the glowing fire. Looking at the palm sticker will shatter the few collected thoughts in her head. 

She walked slowly toward the lamp, stopping before getting too close. 

"Um, We are terribly sorry about what happen. Could you please return my friend? We'll make it up to you!" She uttered and waited silently for many long minutes, standing still.

"Find me the best chapstick." The voice finally told.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, I want the best chapstick. My lips can't anymore."

Monica almost offered her own chapstick but she quickly realized that it's too thick and sticky for the gene with sensory issues.

"Well give me some time to go to the city and fetch that for you." She reasoned.

"The best chapstick isn't in the city, it is here."

She asked for a clarification, waiting and waiting but the gene didn't elaborate any further. She theorized it went to sleep.

'I can't go to sleep. Wind, insects or anything could happen to Ruby...' She though to herself as she wandered in a circle after sliding the sticker inside a small envelope made of cardstock paper.

"How can the best chapstick be in the desert?" Monica asked.

"I think I have an idea about that..." Ruby supplied.

"What?"

"When I studied the map of the desert there was a mention about a highly nutrients cactus near the central oasis."

"So?"

"The inside jelly of the cactus is light enough but can be an effective chapstick." Ruby simplified.

"Oh."

At dawn the temperature was merciful. Monica ran fast toward the oasis.

"Don't tire yourself out." Ruby reminded.

"It's all right, you know best how tough I am." She burned her anxiety about the situation with every stride. 

She amped up her speed when the gray-bluish line of the oasis appeared in her vision. Many cacti became visible too.

"Yes! Finally!" Monica said as the cactus was almost at arm reach.

"No, wait!" Ruby cautioned.

Monica slowed her pace, looking at her footstep she saw something buried underneath the sand. 

A Nile crocodile jumped out of the sand, mouth open. 

She pulled her leg last minute, jumping backward.

In a split second her thoughts raced. 

'Going back now? No. I can a dagger, I can fight it...What if Ruby get crushed??' 

The sticker noticed the shallow breathing of the other.

"Monica, listen to me, don't worry! Just follow what I say!"

"But..."

"We can make it , we do that all the time don't we?"  

Monica nodded, the sticker couldn't see that with the cover of the envelope but she didn't need to in order to sense her friend's resolve. As instructed Monica quickly stuck the palm on her forehead before executing the next order.

"Run forward and jump above the crocodile!" 

Long steps accelerated, the crocodile opened it's mouth upward.  

Just before crashing into the it Monica jumped with all her might, landing behind it.

"Now what?" Monica took a stabilizing step forward.

"When it turns to you. Use me!"

"Do you want us both dead?"

She didn't have time before the crocodile was heading toward her, she took the card stock envelope, aimed the the enemy.

With a swift motion she hurled the envelope. The pointy edge hit the crocodile's eye.

"Now get the cactus!" Ruby yelled, sticking to Monica's forehead as she ran.

With the knife out Monica was about to cut the cactus hastily, but it downed on her.

"I'm sorry, cactus-san. Must be tired of being hunted down all the time but I really need a part of you..."

"Hmm! What a polite kid. I'll allow you a little, from my right side though. Don't touch the left."

After that Monica somehow managed to run away from the crocodile she rushed even more to the gene. A part of the cactus in her hand.

"Ah! Finally!" The gene said while applying the gel on the lips.

Another laser beam hurt Monica's eyes, but Ruby was back with it.

"I'm very sorry!" Ruby apologized to the gene, now in its lamp again. They poured good amount of sand on it before leaving.

"I think I should start thinking about it, figuring out my own things from now on..." Ruby told her friend, looking at the clear sky.

"Yeah..."

And they walked back home.