The seagulls cries echoed around the beach, giving off a relaxed mood to the city below them. A tall gem dashed across the Boardwalk, stopping for nothing. She panted, using one of her gem encrusted hands to wipe the beads of sweat from her forehead.
She was headed for the temple, a large statue carved from a mountain, with a house at the base of the cliff. Her feet pounded across the sand, kicking up rocks as she sprinted to get home. The temple came in sight as Garnet neared the front steps. She raced up the steps, 3 at a time.
Throwing open the door, she scanned the area. "Steven? Pearl? Are you alright?" Nothing seemed unusual, so she stepped inside, keeping her guard up.
"I heard a scream, and came as quickly as I could." Garnet walked across the warp pad, raising her hands, using her gems to open her door to the temple. Everything looked in place, as far as she could see.
Another scream echoed through out the temple, though quieter than the last one, kicking Garnet into action. Sprinting to the source of the ear piercing sound, she found herself in Amethysts room, surrounded by towering piles of garbage.
"Amethyst?" Garnet called out, keeping a watchful eye at the stacks around her. A muffled shout could be heard from afar, which sounded like whoever was screaming was in pain. "Garnet! Was that you?" Amethyst and Steven ran up beside her, looking up for an answer. The taller gem shook her head, walking over to where the sound came from.
The 3 gems were alarmed by yet another shout, though this time sounded more like a moan of pain. The trio raced toward the sound, trying to find their way around in the mess. "Where did it come from?" Steven asked, looking up at the towering piles of junk.
"I'm not sure." Garnet replied, not taking her eyes off Amethysts room. "Wait a minute... Have any of you seen Pearl?" The realization of who was screaming set in, everyone's faces turning even more worried.
"AAAAUUUGHH!" Another cry of pain shot through everyone's ears. The gems raced forward, toward the sound. The scream definitely belonged to Pearl, as it was rather high pitched.
The three found themselves in a room filled with crystals, all different sizes, growing outward from the walls and floor. Garnet walked toward the centre of the room, picking a soft blue ballet slipper off the ground. "She's around here somewhere..." Garnet thought aloud.
A gem softly crying alerted the gems, the source of the sound coming from behind a large crystal. "Pearl?" Steven quietly called out, slowly walking alongside the other gems. Amethyst looked around the corner of the 7 foot crystal and gasped.
Pearl was crying, her cheeks stained with tears. Her blue sash was serving the purpose of tying her arms to her torso, as well as covering her mouth and eyes so she could not see or talk. Her legs were coated in scratches, as well as her arms and face. She was missing both shoes and socks, as well as one of the straps on her blue shirt.
Although the most noticeable thing was her gem. The fact that it wasn't there. Her forehead was completely smooth where her gem once laid.
"Oh my god..." Amethyst turned to Garnet, not knowing what to do. Garnet gently shoved Amethyst aside, kneeling down beside Pearl to untie her. "Shhhhh..." Garnet picked Pearl up, cradling her. "Nobody's hurting you anymore."
Pearls crying stopped, replaced by the occasional sniffle. She buried her face in Garnets arms, clinging for dear life. Garnet began walking out of the temple, motioning for the other gems to follow.
"Let's get you out of here."