Author's Note: Hey Guys! I'm currently going through and re-editing every page of this so that the POV is clearer! So no more commenting about that! Message received! How the POV works is like this: I'll state the name of the person whose POV it is in the first 3 sentences of a paragraph. If I don't, then the POV stays the same from last chapter.
Pearl: It was a bright and sunny day at the Temple at Beach City. Amethyst was eating mayonnaise by the jarful. Garnet was in her room, meditating. And Pearl? She was giving Steven, age four, some vegetables for lunch.
"No Pearl! I want cookie cats for lunch!" yelled Steven.
Pearl replied, "Well I don't know what human children normally eat, but Greg told me to feed you lots of vegetables."
Greg, Steven's father, had been given a music deal a month or so back. He had since performed five concerts, all of which had sold out with thousands of tickets each. But Greg had known that Steven would need not only a semi-structured childhood, but gem training too. So he left Steven at the temple. He'd be visiting at Christmas in six months, only to leave again.
"Well, I'm pretty sure I've never had cauliflower and lentil soup for lunch," Steven said with a pout.
The soup had been made with warm water and the first vegetables Pearl had seen at the super market. The discount section of the grocery store was at the front, piled with things no one wanted. Just like the cauliflower Pearl was now trying to feed Steven.
A knock came at the door. Pearl walked over, pondering who it could be. "I wonder if it's Greg. I wish he'd never come in the first place. He steals Rose from us and then leaves us with her baby son, with only a few tips on what to do. But no, it's fine. If Steven needs his diapers changed, saving the city from a corrupted gem can wait for later.
Pearl opened the door. "You're not Greg," Pearl said scornfully, looking at the town's recently elected mayor, Mayor Dewey.
Mayor Dewey coughed. "Hello, Beach City citizen! I'm here today to talk to you about-" he started.
Pearl glared at him. "Please leave. Human aren't allowed here." Pearl started to close the door, but Mayor Dewey stuck his foot in.
"Actually, I'm here on business," he said.
Pearl sighed. "Are you finally going to take down that ridiculous statue of yourself in town? Do you need our help? I would be very glad to tear that hideous thing down," Pearl asked.
Mayor Dewey started to respond, looking a little hurt, but Pearl interrupted him. "Or are you going to tell us that you humans are finally going to take care of yourselves for once, so we don't have to save you? Or maybe you want to pay us because of all the times we've already saved you so that we can finally take care of this human child. Or maybe-" Pearl said, her voice beginning to take on an edge.
Mayor Dewey hastily said, "Actually, I'm here because of your… adopted child…" Mayor Dewey glanced at his hand, reading the smeared name he'd written there. "Steen." Mayor Dewey realized that it was smudged, so he did his best to recall the correct name. "I mean Steven. You haven't registered him for any sort of school, and the semester starts next month on September the first. It is the law that-."
Mayor Dewey was cut off by Pearl. "Oh yes, well if it's education you want, then I have his teacher right here." Pearl pulled out a silver mirror with a cracked, polished, blue teardrop stone on the back out of her gem.
"Ms. Pearl, a mirror can teach your child about what he looks like, but-" Mayor Dewey was cut off again.
"This mirror can show Steven any place in the world. Here, I'll even show you. Anything to get you out of here faster. Mirror, show me Mayor Dewey's statue in town." The mirror responded to Pearl's command, and showed a picture of Mayor Dewey's large statue being spray painted golden.
Mayor Dewey's eyes sparkled for a moment, but then he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but this mirror isn't-" Mayor Dewey was cut off again.
"I've shown you his teacher, now please leave." commanded Pearl.
Mayor Dewey started to argue. "Ms. Pearl, please try to understand that-"
Pearl sighed and yelled into the other room. "Garnet, this human won't leave us alone."
Garnet walked over to the doorway, looked at Mayor Dewey, and threw him into the shallows of the ocean. Mayor Dewey shook his head, spat out water, and said "Whatever. I'm not paid enough for this." and walked away.
Steven ran over to Pearl and Garnet. Is it true? Am I going to be taught by that mirror?"
Pearl looked at Garnet and said, "Well, I suppose so."
Steven grabbed the mirror, laughed, and ran off towards the beach, singing "Yay learning! I got a new toy!" Pearl smiled lovingly at Rose- no, she smiled lovingly at Steven. They weren't the same, she told herself. But she couldn't shake the feeling. Did she only love the child because of the mother? Could she ever see them as two different people? She walked away from the window and warped to the rose covered battle field.