Chapter One: Happy Birthday

Steven opened his eyes. The strange, unfamiliar, surroundings and sour taste in the air forced him to sit up. Around him stood the wreckage of what was once a great stone city. Everything had been reduced to rubble. Low laying green fog prevented his eyes from recognizing anything further than a few feet away.

Slowly he made it to his feet, swaying slightly as a wave of dizziness struck him. He took a few cautious steps over large chunks of stone that littered the ground.

"Where am I?" He asked himself. Steven squinted, trying to see beyond the line of fog but failed.

"Hello!" He yelled. His voice fell flat in the rancid air. He wasn't sure what time of day it was; looking up he could only see dense clouds.

Steven pressed on, convincing himself that staying where he was would be pointless. Was he on earth? Had he been transported to another planet? Was there a warp pad nearby? A countless number of questions buzzed through his head clouding his thoughts like the fog had his vision.

A cracking noise forced the buzzing in Steven's head to stop. He froze, realizing that he had stepped on something that wasn't rock. He bent down and picked up a flat rectangle that was covered in wrapping paper. Instantly he recognized the clown design on it; he had wrapped it himself. Suddenly his memory came flooding back.

"Connie!" He screamed. Panic replaced what was once confusion.

"Connie, where are you?"

He dropped the present and began to clumsily run over uneven ground, calling for his friend.

"Connie, please answer me!"

It was supposed to be perfect; he had been planning things for so long. He only wanted the day to be special. Connie had been sad that she didn't have any friends when all the other girls at her high school got along so well. He wanted her 16th birthday to be so great that she would forget about the gossip and rumours being spread about her. Instead of eating cake or watching a movie they were in the middle of nowhere, at least that's what he hoped. If Connie wasn't there then he didn't know where she could have been. They were in the kitchen when there had been a bright light that consumed the temple; that was the last thing he could remember before waking up. He had to find her.

"Steven?" A soft female voice came from his left causing him to stop in his tracks.

"Connie?"

"Steven, Help."

He ran towards the sound of her voice.

"Connie, are you hurt?" He called.

"Please, help."

"Connie, I'm so sorry-" He cut himself off as an angular figure began to appear through the fog. He slowed to a stop as he recognized who was standing in front of him.

"Surprised to see me?" A nasally voice said in a mocking tone.

"Peridot?"

~End of C1~