This chapter took me FOREVER to write!
I had it planned out then my train of thought
turned into a roller coaster and 8,000 words happened instead
of the usual 2500-3000.
Thanks for the immense support and
RRC and ENJOY
Chapter 3: Something New Something Old
I was curled on the one piece of furniture (other than my bed) that I brought with me as I watched G.A.L.S 2. You could argue that I was too old to watch the movie but it was a classic and no one could tell me otherwise. I was in the middle at laughing at a joke that Hard-hat gal had made when I heard someone knock on my door. I expected it to be Jamie- the mailman- just notifying me that he delivered my mail. Then I heard the knock again. Frowning, I looked at my sweats and tank top disapprovingly but pulled myself to the door anyway. When I opened the door, I was surprised to see Garnet and Steven.
"Hey, guys," I greeted with a smile. "What's up?"
"Hi, Demi!" He smiled and Garnet simply nodded towards me. "Well, we were wondering if you wanna come and hang out at the house?" Steven told me, his large eyes shining brightly.
"Pearl's back at the house." Garnet informed with a small smile. I was about to question her when she continued. "You were about to ask."
I nodded slowly-my cheeks beginning to burn slightly- remembering that she had some type of future vision.
"Right..." I scratched my cheek before looking at my clothes. "Do you two wanna come in? I have to get dressed." stepping to the side I welcomed them with a sweeping motion. "Sorry," I said. "I only have one chair." I laughed nervously rubbing the back of my neck.
"That's okay, Demi. Garnet prefers standing anywaA~AY!" Steven gasped, his eyes growing widely. "You're watching G.A.L.S 2!" he exclaimed running over to my TV, his palms flat against the screen. "And this is the best part- when they find out that Triangle Gal has a secret identity!"
"Yeah! This is my favorite one of the series! I'm surprised you know about it," I commented walking over to him.
"Of COURSE, I know about them! I only have Karen though...I have all the G.U.Y.S!"
"Nice! I think I have all the G.A.L.S if you want them, Steven." I offered. The young Crystal Gem ran up to me, his eyes taking on a star-like pupils once more. Must be a Gem thing...I thought. He grabbed my arms tightly.
"Really?" he whispered almost awestruck. I smiled down at him.
"Yeah, it's no problem! Just let me get dressed and I'll bring them out." I told him, ruffling his curly hair causing him to let out a happy laugh before running back to the T.V. Just as I turned to leave, Garnet placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked at her curiously, becoming slightly nervous when she didn't say anything right away.
"The blue one." was all she said, ending the sentence with a curt nod. I nodded slowly, not really understanding exactly what she meant, and ducked into my room.
Looking around, I realized I hadn't fully finished unpacking yet. Sighing, I dumped out the closest box to me. I worried about what I should have wore, just like I did before the Beach Party, but Steven made this seem casual, so I grabbed my most comfortable pair of jeans and shrugged on a clean tank top before I went to grab the door knob. Just as I began to turn it, I remembered the box of G.A.L.S for Steven. Dashing over to my closet, I grabbed them and then headed out to living room where Steven and Garnet were still waiting for me.
"Hey, guys! Sorry if I took long."
"It was no problem." Garnet replied to me as she leaned off of my counter to her full height.
"Are those the G.A.L.S?" Steven exclaimed loudly running over and politely grabbing the box from my hands- his eyes twinkling. "They're amaziiiing~" he said before looking at me. "Thank you, thank you, thank you thank you!"
"It's no big deal." I assured him. "They've been in that box forever."
"Steven," Garnet said in a low voice, making me arch a curious brow as Steven's mouth formed and "O" shape.
"Oh yeah! Grab a jacket!" He told me with a wide smile.
"A jacket?" I echoed. Steven simply nodded explaining that Garnet said I might get upset if she kept directing me with her future vision. I went to point out that she still was, just through him, but decided against it when he began to admire the figures I gave him. I looked at Garnet who watched me patiently. Sighing, I walked over to the box that had my jackets and grabbed out my two favorites. I grabbed them and turned to Steven and Garnet. "Should I wear the black tank top or the..." I paused, playfully rolling my eyes and took a deep breath. Letting out a small grunt, I continued anyway. "...or my blue one..." I finished shaking my head, I shrugged on the light blue hoodie (the same light blue of Pearl's eyes), with a smile. Garnet's future vision would take some getting use to.
"We should get going you two- before Amethyst and Pearl begin to worry."
"Right!"
Steven walked ahead of Garnet and me as we began to ascend the steps to Steven's house. I tugged the jacket closer to my body when a cool ocean breeze whipped around me. Walking into the house, I spotted Pearl and Amethyst chatting in the kitchen.
"Yo, whassup, D!" the purple gem shouted out as she jumped down from the counter.
"Hey!" I greeted before directing my attention to the taller of the two. "Hi, Pearl." I gave a short wave, I noticed a small smile making its way onto her face. Pearl seemed pleasantly surprised by my appearance as she made her way towards me.
"Evening, Demi. H-how are you?" she asked, her hand gripping her arm limply before letting it fall to rest be her side. My smile widened at her low-key awkwardness.
"I'm good, you?"
"I'm very well. I...well I didn't know you were coming..." she said. "Not that I mind, of course!" she quickly recovered, coughing lightly into her clenched fist. "I'm actually glad you're here." She concluded as she straightened her posture, once again seeming as if she had suddenly found her composure. The sudden change of body language didn't go unnoticed by the other people in the room and Amethyst could be heard stifling a laugh.
"Are you two done yet?" Amethyst teased sticking her tongue out at us. I tried to hide my amused smile when I noticed the aqua tinted blush sprinkling its way across her features.
"W-What do you-"
Pearl was cut off by a large noise outside. We all looked at each other and almost instinctively, we all ran outside and down the steps to find out the source of the sound. The tides were coming up higher than usual, I had noted. To the point that the were lapping at our ankles. I gulped back an almost fearful gasp- there was something not right about the feeling in the air. It was almost as if there was an odd abundance of energy in this area that I couldn't quite place.
"Garnet?" I heard Pearl address the taller gem, but she simply held up her hand as if signaling the former to wait. I began to look around and almost jumped out of my shoes when I heard a large gurgling roar split through the night air. My eyes were wide with fear and my entire body tensed as I watched a drooping figure claw its way out of the high tides.
"What the hell is that!" I exclaimed before watching as Garnet's two hands were suddenly encased by two twin gauntlets, Amethyst quickly pulled out what seemed to be a split-tailed whip, and I watched as a white handle protruded from Pearl's glowing gem, which I realized was a long, light blue bladed spear. They all assumed fighting positions just as the monster sent water projectiles out towards us. Everyone easily reflected them but I stumbled out of the way and ended up landing on my rear.
"DEMI!" I heard Pearl yell, her eyes wide with worry, but just as she was about to make her way towards me, the projectiles morphed into smaller versions of the original monster. A couple of them launched themselves at me, and I was surprised when Steven reacted with lightning fast speed, the creatures dissipating the moment they hit his pink shield. "Steven! Hurry and get her into the house! Keep her safe!" Pearl instructed loudly and I could hear her spear slicing through the air with practiced ease as Steven ushered me hurriedly to safety.
"Stay in here, Demi." Steven told me and I heard a sternness in his voice I didn't even think was possible for the young boy. "Don't worry, Lion will protect you." and with that, he was out the door with a large leap towards the rest of the Crystal Gems. I ran to the window and looked out at Steven as he immersed himself in the battle between the Gems and the water beasts. I furrowed my brow at his last words.
"Lion?" Just as the word left my lips a large pink mass blinded my view of my friends. I stumbled back and was met face to face with a large pink...lion. "Hey...Lion," I whispered, my jaw tightening. I reached out timidly to pet his side, and he immediately began purring. "Good kitty..." I smiled, but it quickly fell as the noises of distress became more apparent outside. I gently nudged Lion aside and ran to where the fight was taking place. The gems were being swarmed by the monsters and I could tell they were becoming a little overwhelmed.
"UGH! Garnet, they keep comin' back!" Amethyst exclaimed, watching as a creature she had just split molded itself back together.
"There's a mother!" Garnet told her punching one of the monsters away from her. "There!" She pointed out further into the water. It seemed like no matter how hard they tried, the "Mother" was untouchable. Constantly sending out little minions to attack the Gems, making it almost impossible to get to her, and when they did send a weapon her way she would just suck the water from the ocean and rebuild herself. She seemed indestructible.
I observed the monster more and realized that there was a large gem in the middle of its body. Pearl had said that the gem was the center of their being. This was obviously a gem monster, so I just had to...
I looked down at my hands, knowing what they were capable of. But there were so many monsters and the mother seemed ridiculously strong. There was stoned I had that increased my control over my abilities as well as the force and power behind them. I had a necklace, one with four different types of the enhancement stones and I used it to help enhance and train my abilities. Crap I left it at home... Then something hit me. I rummaged through my pocket and VOILA! There it was. There as no reason for me to consciously bring it but the last time I used I was wearing this jacket. My blue jacket, Garnet knew...
I draped the necklace around my neck and took a deep breath before running outside. Grunts could be heard mixing with the roars of the small gem monsters as I ran up to the group of fighters. It really did look like a battlefield what with the exploding yellow and orange in the sky due to the setting sun. The vibrant colors reflected off of the water creatures bouncing blinding rays of orange, yellow, and purple everywhere. My heart skipped a beat when I saw Pearl getting close to being completely overwhelmed by the creatures. I took a deep breath and honed in on the enhancement capabilities of my necklace and flicked my wrist sending the monsters flying off of her. Pearl let out an audible gasp and looked at me with shocked and confused eyes.
I hurriedly roamed the sand and spotted Steven fending off the monsters with nothing but his shield. With a sweeping motion, I sent the beasts flying back into the ocean. Steven looked at me with large eyes as he ran over towards Pearl. My heart began to beat faster in my chest when I saw the creatures making their way towards me. Taking a deep, rooting breath I felt my pupils dilate. Suddenly, my entire body was surrounded by a quickly rotating sphere of air that repelled all the monsters that came close to me. I guided my attention towards the tall creature rising high above the water- it's gem twinkling in the descending sun. I centered my energy and created an air spout to lift myself towards the towering monster- not a water spout for fear of the Gem taking control of it with its own hydrokinetic abilities. I still didn't have an amazing amount of control over my aerokinesis so I was relatively unstable in the air. When I realized that a well-placed hit from a water projectile could send me spiraling into the ground I began to panic, that is until I saw the projectiles being destroyed.
"Keep going! We've got you covered!" Garnet's steady voice cut through the whipping wind and water around me. I nodded to myself and realized that I was directly in front of the monster. It seemed as if its only defense were the projectiles and the others were taking care of that. I stuck my hand out straight in front of me trying to use my geokinetic ability to sense its gem and lock on to it. I tugged and pulled and I could feel myself weakening by the second. I had never used my powers to this extent, and my body was beginning to feel the physical effects of it. But I was so close, I could feel it. The way the gem shifted and twisted in my telekinetic grasp, I couldn't let myself lose it. Taking a deep breath, I realized that I wouldn't be able to simply pull it out.
Gathering whatever energy I had left. I created a powerful water and air spout beneath me and quickly formed a large vortex that I shot through the monster as a way to separate its gem from the rest of its body, and in the quick seconds it takes for the water beast to reattach itself, I sent myself spiraling through the weak point I had created, my geokinesis latching onto the monster's gem and pulling it through with me. I felt my body spiraling towards the water as I watched the Gem monster "poof" into nothing. I smiled at my accomplishments, the edges of my vision fading at the edges. I closed my eyes just before I hit the cold water.
When I opened them again, I realized I was being carried hurriedly towards the shore, looking at my savior, I caught a glimpse of alabaster skin before my conscious faded away again. My eyes weren't open the second time I came around, but I could feel the sand on my back and someone put their head against my chest.
"Garnet! Is she alright?! She's breathing, but-but she's still not waking up!" I could hear Pearl exclaim right above me- raw emotion evident in her voice. She was met by silence and I felt her hand grasp mine tightly. "Garnet!"
"She'll be okay, Pearl." came Garnet's terse response.
"Steven, I told you to keep her safe!" Pearl scolded rather harshly. I heard the boy stutter in return.
"I-I'm sorry-"
"She's just a human, Steven!"
"Hey! Lay off, Pearl. She's not 'just a human'. Demisaved us!" Amethyst yelled back, coming to Steven's aid and mine as well.
"But-"
"Amethyst is right, Pearl. Without Demi, we would have been over-powered by the Water Bear." I heard Garnet say, her voice slightly strained. "She'll wake up. She's only debilitated by the excessive use of her abilities. Just let her rest." The pragmatic gem instructed firmly, yet gently all the same. I heard Pearl sniff and I wondered if she was crying. I wanted to open my eyes, to open my mouth. I wanted to comfort Pearl, but reality was slipping out of my grasp again. I could feel myself be picked up effortlessly and carried away, but I dropped out of consciousness before I could even think about where she was taking me.
The second time I opened my eyes I realized I was on something soft, warmth engulfing my body. A couch? A bed? A lap? My mind was too hazy to figure that out just yet. I could feel long willowy arms wrapped protectively around me and I could feel a slow hum resonating through a modest chest. I listened to the voice and realized it was Pearl. My heart swelled at the thought of having the demure gem holding me at such an intimate proximity. Her body was so warm, her embrace so inviting, and I found myself burrowing deeper into her comforting arms. I took a deep breath, my nostrils filling with her scent- one of lemongrass and the ocean- it was soothing.
"You're awake," I heard her whisper. I took note on how calm she was. "I-I was..." she never finished her sentence, but rather held me even closer. By now, I had realized that I was in my room- in my own bed. I wondered briefly if she carried me all the way home. I could feel she wanted to talk about something, I figured it had to do with what happened and I tensed at the thought of the previous...night?
"How long was I-"
"Two days..." She replied quickly- an odd tone laced through her words and I could feel her tense against me. "Garnet assured me you would wake up..." I notice her voice begin to trail off. "Why would you do something so impetuous?" she rasped out. I looked up quickly and caught her red-rimmed baby blues looking down at me tiredly.
"You guys were being overwhelmed-"
"You could've been hurt or worse, Demi!" I noticed how her voice raised an octave as well as its volume. I could tell how upset she still obviously was and I knew it stemmed from her being worried about me. So rather than arguing back, I simply took a deep breath and smiled unarmingly.
"I saw a way I could've helped, so I did." I shrugged. "I saw the opportunity to help, so I did."
"Yes, well..." Pearl averted her eyes with a disgruntled huff. "I saw some tea in the kitchen. I'll go prepare some." The moment she got up, I missed her warmth. She walked gracefully out of my room leaving me to my thoughts.
I was out for two days? That's insane. But then again, I've never used my powers to that extent. Pearl seemed really worried, and more than upset with me.
I shook myself from my thoughts when I heard the clinking of items coming from my kitchen and decided to get up. My legs felt a little wobbly and I had to lean against the wall in order to safely walk into the kitchen. When my living room was in view, I realized all of my boxes were gone. Come to think about it, I didn't notice any boxes in my room either. She must've unpacked my things for me- maybe a nervous habit of hers. I managed to make my way all the way to the small island where Pearl was- almost. I had thought I was in the clear, but the moment I stepped without any trepidation, my knees buckled from under me.
"Aaahg-" I opened my closed eyes and realized I was being held flush against a tall, slender body. "Pearl?" I asked when she didn't release me right away.
"Demi! What are you doing! You're going to exacerbate your condition!" she clamored, and I felt my breath hitch in my throat- my brown orbs falling into light blue, worried depths.
"I-I'm sorry," I stuttered out. "We really need to get out of the habit of this," I jested lightly, trying to lighten the mood. Pearl sighed, pulling up into a standing, stable position. She brought slender fingers to lightly graze her forehead right beneath her gem before pinching the bridge of her nose tiredly. She took a deep breath and continued to prepare our tea. "Pearl...are you okay?" she seemed so phlegmatic, and as far as I could see, that was pretty out of character. "You're acting different," I cringed at the word and waited for her response.
"Garnet said that I should make sure to be tranquil when you awoke- to keep myself calm as to not "freak you out" as Amethyst had put it." She had her back turned to me and I noticed the steady tremor in her voice. "But, I was just-" her shoulders hiked up and I could hear a sob escape her lips. I hurried over to her on my unsteady legs and wrapped my arms around her torso, pressing my cheek against her back.
"Pearl, it's okay. I'm okay now," The gem turned in my embrace and through her arms around my shoulders- her slender frame shaking with sobs.
"I was so scared, Demi!" she wailed into my shoulder. I held her, rubbing soothing circles on her back. "You're human! You're so fragile," she whispered the last part almost inaudibly as she sniffed and pulled away from me. "I'm sorry," she sniffed "This is exactly what Garnet told me not to do..." she let out a small huff, before taking a long, deep breath. Just as she was about to turn around and continue making tea, I reached and grabbed her hand. Her eyes still shimmered from unshed tears, a blush deepening across the pale canvas of her face.
"Do you want to go for a walk," I asked with a small smile. Pearl seemed a little reluctant- possibly at the realization that she wouldn't be able to turn around and busy herself with making tea if things got uncomfortable. "We don't have to talk if you don't want to. Let's just...walk," I offered and Pearl worried at her bottom lip.
"But, you're still weak from-"
"I'm fine," I assured her. "Plus, if I do faint and fall or something, you'll catch me right?" I arched a teasing brow, tugging softly at her hand. After a few seconds, a small smile made its way onto the gems face and she agreed.
"Okay. But just a short one. It's cold outside, I don't want you to get sick too."
"Yes, Ma'am!" I mock saluted with a laugh- one that Pearl returned, but it faded away at an almost disheartening speed. But that was alright. "Okay, let's go!" I said excitedly because I had a plan. I pulled her over towards the door after I hurriedly pulled on my shoes. I threw open the exit, but my movements were haulted when I felt Pearl's hand on my wrist.
"Your jacket," she says sheepishly handing the blue hoodie to me. I smiled at her concern and shrugged it on.
"Thank you," I say softly. "Wait, what about you?"
"Oh! Umm, well-" she scratched at a blue cheek softly. "gems don't get cold."
"Are you sure? I have a couple of sweaters and jackets you might like?" I offered, but she insisted she was okay. I nodded and we were out the door without any difficulties. That is until Pearl noticed that I was leading her towards the Boardwalk- towards the beach.
"Wait, Demi." she grabbed my arm softly, her eyes showing a world of worry. "I don't think you should...we don't know if you're fully covered. There could be more Water Bears out there and I don't think we should risk it." she rushed out, a frown forming on her face. My mouth twisted to the side in thought.
"You have a point, but I really wanna show you something." I pleaded tugging her cautious frame towards the shoreline. She sighed but allowed me to pull her along- I looked at her over my shoulder and realized her eyes were trained on the ocean. As we continued down the beach, opposite of Steven's house and the temple, I noticed she began to relax the longer we walked without any incident. I smiled realizing she was holding onto my hand almost protectively.
"Looks like we missed the sunset," Pearl commented in a small voice, breaking our comfortable silence. I looked towards the darkened blue sky. I smiled, it would be easier to present my surprise like this.
"You really enjoy the sunsets don't you?" Her face lit up with a smile.
"I do! They're probably one of the most beautiful happenings on this planet." she replied. "Sometimes, I feel as though humans often disregard their beauty." she added. A small smile played on my lips.
"Well, then you're going to love my surprise." I grinned up at the confused gem and hurriedly ushered her towards a large, cliff. I stopped us dead smack in front of it and smiled, my hands on my hips. Pearl looked towards the cliff and looked at me.
"Umm...This is your surprise? A cliff?" she asked, her face twisting with confusion. "Oh no. You must've damaged part of your paracingulate sulcus," she said as she brought a hand to cover a gasp. "You don't know the difference from reality and imagination. I knew we shouldn't have-"
I cut her off with a laugh, making her arch a brow. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I managed to finally catch my breath.
"There's nothing wrong with my para- thing." I laughed again. "This is it!" I told her as if it was obvious. I could see Pearl steadily becoming more worried about my mental condition, so I decided to finally relieve her. I walked closer to the cliff and gently placed my hand on it. Almost immediately the portal that was invisible to Pearl, now shown brightly enough to make her cover her eyes before staring at it, her jaw dropping ever so slightly- oranges, pinks, and yellows swirling over her body.
"I don't- what is this? It looks like some type of..."
"It's a portal." I smiled brightly and motioned for her to step closer. She did so- albeit timidly- and I placed my hand over hers and gently ran our hands through the large tumbling mass of energy.
"It's warm." Pearl commented, looking intently at the colors- examining it almost. Or at least examining it the best she can without entering it.
"Okay let me explain." I began, watching as Pearl began to run both of her hands through it experimentally "Other than my elemental abilities I can see these portals. After I moved here, I took a look around and found that there's a lot of them."
"This is impossible. I've been on this beach for the past couple of millenias. We've never encountered these."
"Well as far as I can tell, only I can see them until they're activated...by me."
Pearl cocked her head as she looked at me. I could see questions in her eyes and she was quiet as if trying to find one she wanted to ask.
"You said they're portals? Where do they lead?"
"Well, that's part of the surprise." I grinned knowingly, as I reached my hand out to her. "Shall we?" Pearl eyed me nervously, but eventually nodded- her hand slipping into mine with ease. With a deep and excited breath, I led us through the portal.
"You can open your eyes now," I chuckled, nudging the gem softly. She opened her previously closed eyes- one and then the other. She gasped at the site laid out before her. Her blue eyes shining brightly in awe as she brought a hand up to hide a loud gasp.
"Oh...my...stars."
The portal settled us on a small island of green, thriving land. I looked behind us and it seemed as though we emerged from a beautifully towering, violet weeping willow. It's limbs twisting high into the sky- the reason I brought Pearl in the first place. The sky held a surreal image. Tumultuous streaks of multicolored light twisted throughout the orange canvas- winding through each other, where sometimes vibrant purples and greens clustered against clouds, while pinks and blues shot down into the water- making it seemingly glowing with radiant color- looking almost as if the thick rays were tangible.
Where there weren't vibrant, sharp colors there were other beautiful things- thousands of brightly coruscating stars scattered across the canopy of a magical sky. Small bands of dimly lit rings and spirals signaling far off galaxies almost impossibly noticeable against the orange-ness of the upper atmosphere. There was an extremely large and round orb in the sky, something I later identified as a moon. It was impossibly close, specifically because it didn't seem to affect the softly moving ocean. The sun sat at the edge of the horizon, peeking out just enough to give you a beautifully satisfying eternal sunset- never rising, never fully setting.
"You like it?" I asked, as if I didn't already know the answer. Pearl whipped her head around to look at me, shock still completely evident on her face.
"DEMI, this is amazing!" she exclaimed loudly, returning her hungry gaze back to the sky. "Not to mention geologically impossible! Where on earth is this? And how did we never see this before!?" she asked almost giddily. I smiled at her obvious joy before wagging my finger.
"Nah ah ah. There's one more thing to show you." I led the eager gem towards a bridge. It seemed to be made out of a gray stone, and I noticed how multicolored flowers grew from cracks all the way down its length. I couldn't tell, by just looking, where the bridge stopped- assuming it did of course. Vast amounts of water fell from unknown sources and fed into the glowing sea being pushed by a soft current beneath the bridge. I nudged a still awestruck Pearl closer to the railing.
"Look," I instructed pointing to the water's gently rippling surface. Pearl looked at me oddly before guiding her attention down. Her blue eyes almost popped out of her head at the sight- her jaw dropping lower than before.
"Is that?! How- this is impossible!...isn't it?" she stammered as she continued to gaze through the colorfully clear water. The moment you look into the water, you could see Earth- spinning slowly on its axis, even some of the empty space around it and the moon could be seen. Pearl looked up towards the sky, as if checking to see if it wasn't just a reflection- as if that made this any less impossible. The Earth was oddly small in the depths of the ocean beneath us- so small that we could see the entire thing with ease. I gathered some small flowers from the ground and began fiddling with them as Pearl inspected the fanciful view.
"H-how is this possible?" Pearl asked shaking her head, staring at the blue planet.
"My theory is that- that..." I gestured to the vast pool. "- is a portal somewhere out in space and that if we swim deep enough we'll end up being pulled further down into Earth's gravitational pull and eventually end up spiraling towards it." I hypothesized casually. "But that's just my thoughts."
"Hmm," Pearl tapped her chin in thought. "It reminds me of the puddles in Amethysts room..." I cocked my head to the side at this. "I'll have to make sure to show you later..." she paused before looking at me. "This doesn't make any sense though- for Earth to have these interdimensional worlds and ways of traveling. For humans to have these abilities-"
"Not all humans. I'm special," I interrupted with a playful wink. Pearl continued her mini rant.
"Yes, but Earth is a mundane planet. There's little to no supernatural or extraterrestrial phenomenon and the little there is was brought by gems..." she seemed thoroughly flabbergasted by this, and I couldn't help but laugh. "What?" she asked, confused at my reaction.
"And you said that there's nothing I could experience that would be abnormal and a surprise to you." I smiled mockingly. Pearl's face flushed at my teasing, and I stifled another laugh. She seemed to be embarrassed if the blueness and fidgeting of her hands were any indications so I decided to change the subjects good-heartedly.
"I knew you would like it here." I said leaning against the railing and looking out at the ocean, watching the colors play and scintillate on its reflective surface. "As far as I can tell, from the times I've visited, it's always like this," I turned my head towards her as she stepped closer to me. "A sunset I mean."
"Frozen in time..." she whispered. I noticed how her alabaster skin was basked beautifully in a soft sheen of orange. I reached my hand out towards her, and she took it without question as I led us back to the willow tree. I sat us down at the water's edge and watched as Pearl stared intently at the sea in front of her.
"Penny for your thoughts?" I asked, nudging her gently.
"I never understood that idiom," she commented nonchalantly, before breathing in deeply. "I obviously don't understand humans at all- or Earth for that matter." she finished with a hint of disdain in her sweet voice. "I've been here for the past 5,000 years, and-"
"And what?" I asked. "You were busy saving the Earth," I told her, deciding to protect her pride, even if she was the one attacking it. "These aren't just places you find," I gestured to the scene before us. "And elemental humans don't seem to be common. Heck, I may be the only one out there. Don't beat yourself up over something so paradoxical." I ended, placing my hand over hers. Pearl turned to face me.
"Yes, but I was hypocritical- ignorant even." she shook her head. "I said that humans weren't open to new things, and obvious neither am I. I never even thought to look beyond the initial mundane veil of your world..."
"Well, it's never too late to be curious. I read something once- that the future belonged to the curious. The people who are not afraid to try it, explore it, poke at it, question it, turn it inside out." I recited from memory. Pearl blinked her blue eyes contemplatively. "So go ahead, question it." I said my arm sweeping out to gesture the fanciful view before us. Her mouth twisted to the side as she looked at the frozen sunset.
"You said that it was always like this? That the sun never fully sets here?" She scooted even closer to me, our thighs pressed together.
"Yup," I nodded. "I realized that these places always remain unchanged when I visit them over and over." I elaborated causing Pearl to hum in thought.
"Well, what does that mean in terms of time?" she questioned. I didn't quite understand her question and I think my confusion was noticeable. "Does time even exist here? Can you be here for days, but only be gone from Earth a couple of minutes?"
"Ahh...well...I think it depends on what I need from it," I paused and observed Pearls confused features. Grappling for the words to explain what I meant, I continued. "For example, if I want to escape from an inevitable event, the time within the portal becomes "real time"- I stay here for a couple of days and I'm gone from Earth for a couple of days." I told her. "Other times, if I just want to relax without missing out on my life on Earth, it's similar to what you said- here for days, gone for seconds."
"I see. Yet, the world in the portal itself stays exactly the same?"
"Not all of them. Some have fluctuating weather, some have days and nights."
"So there's different places that the portals lead to? They don't all lead here?" She asked and I simply nodded. "Do the physical conditions of the world respond to you as well?"
"I'm not sure," I replied truthfully. Pearl seemed to be in thought again.
"How is it that you have such a connection to the Earth and these words & portals?" she asked thoughtfully. I shrugged again before twirling the little flower creation I had been fiddling with the entire time in my hand.
"May I?" she looked down at the piece in my hand, her blush suddenly reappearing on her features. She shuffled even closer and tipped her head towards me. I adjusted the intricate flower crown- grinning at the childish gesture.
"Th-thank you," Pearl murmured softly, bringing her slender fingers to touch it softly. Her reflective gem caught my attention, and I found myself running my finger over its smooth surface gently. Pearl gave an apparent shiver and I pulled back as if the gem had burnt me.
"I- I'm sorry!" I apologized quickly, my brown skin burning hotly. Pearl shot me a nervous smile.
"It's okay...you can touch it if you want..." she offered her cheeks a bright blue, one that could rival the vibrancy of the floating colors in the sky above us. She averted her eyes to the ground before they flickered to me almost anxiously. I nodded softly and very slowly brought my hand up to the gem. Its surface was smooth and cool to the touch. I could feel the energy and power that ran through it.
"Hmmm..." I sounded thoughtfully.
"What?" Pearl mumbled out nervously. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Your pearl is beautiful..." I whispered, making her blush stand out even more as it traveled down her slender neck. "I just expected it to be warm for some reason." I said pulling back to let out an odd giggle as I rubbed the back of my neck. "I don't know why. I guess since it's attached to you and since it's the source of your being and what not."
"Well, our bodies are an illusion, therefore, gems don't give off natural body heat." she explained in an odd tone as she cleared her throat gently.
"But earlier, your body was definitely warm," I told her referring back to when I had first woke up. Pearl seemed surprised that I had brought it up, embarrassed almost.
"Oh! I- uh thought it may be more comfortable for you if you're weren't being held by a cold body..." she whispered incoherently. I nodded with a smile and leaned in to expect the shimmering gem again.
"It really is beautiful- perfect really." I complimented sincerely.
"Perfect?" Pearl echoed in disbelief, pulling away to look at me. "It's not a perfect pearl, and neither am I...I'm defective..." she told me, her eyes falling to the ground beneath us. I shook my head not comprehending her.
"Defective? How?," I demanded, and it came out a little harsher than I intended. She proceeded to explain to me how pearls were made- to- serve gems whose only purpose was to be used to flaunt around and symbolize a gem's rank and wealth.
"We're nothing without our owners- without someone to give us orders and tell us what to do..."
"That's absolute bull!" I exclaimed, causing her to look at me in surprise- her eyes holding unshed tears. "Then it's good that you're defective- a blessing even-"
"But without her, I'm petty and dull..." she whispered in an almost defeated voice. Then it hit me.
"Rose Quartz" I stated, understanding what their relationship truly was. "You were her pearl." It wasn't a question.
"Yes," Pearl sniffed, a wavering smile on her trembling lips. "She was wonderful, courageous, and so beautiful..." a sigh of longing left her lips and I couldn't help but feel guilty at the jealousy that began to bubble.
"You loved her." I said, once again a statement rather than a question. Pearl seemed thrown by this. She went to speak, but settled with a small nod. She loved Rose, but Rose chose Greg and they created Steven. This is what Garnet meant, I realized. Pearl had an unrequited love for Rose- a devotion even now- after years of being without her. I took Pearl's startled face in my hands before speaking.
"Don't ever say that you're nothing. You fought against what Homeworld wanted you to be. You fought against oppression, you fought in a war! You are anything but petty. You are unique." I paused, letting Pearl take in my words. I wiped away her stray tears before continuing. "You are your own gem. Your actions and thoughts are yours alone, and you realized that and you fought for your right to be independent. Remember that." I smiled, my initial force subsiding. "You are not petty and dull, Pearl. You are wonderful, courageous and beautiful." I told her, the pad of my thumb unconsciously stroking her soft skin. I smiled how Pearl's face flushed two shades darker than I thought was possible. She now had her hands on my wrist, as if using me as an anchor as the words slowly sank in.
The tears had stopped fully by now and I noticed Pearl's eyes flicker down to my lips. I swallowed, my heart thundering in my chest. Garnet had said to give her time. That meant taking it slow right? But it was hard to do that when Pearl was currently leaning in towards me, her eyes focused on my lips intently. I decided to stay still, dropping my hands into my lap, and allowed Pearl to go at her own pace, but I nearly jumped when I felt her nose gently brush mine. I could feel her breath feathering across my lips, antagonizing close, but she didn't close the distant. We stayed like that, sharing the air between us when I finally spoke.
"May I...kiss you?" I whispered softly, waiting for the request to blow up in my face. I had decided, though, that it seemed like she wanted to- she initiated it, I just had to finish it. Pearl's wide, beautiful eyes finally flickered to mine as she let out an almost inaudible 'yes'. I brought my hand up to cup her cheek, closing my eyes as I brushed my lips gently against hers- smooth and soft. I could feel my heart threatening to burst out of my chest when Pearl's slender arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer. The kiss lasted what seemed like forever and it was filled with an alarming amount of emotion, but I pulled back when I tasted tears.
"Pearl?" I addressed her worriedly, scared that I pushed her out of her comfort zone even though it seemed like she was enjoying it. Pearl sniffed and quickly hid her face in my chest.
"I'm sorry. I really want this." she whispered, her voice muffled by my jacket. "Every since we first bumped into each other, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I couldn't understand why...but now..." she trailed off. "But I can't- not yet, I just I-"
"You need time, and that's okay," I said and Pearl looked up at me, grateful that I understood. She sighed and hid her face in my chest again.
"It's just, with your connection to the earth and to nature...you remind me so much of her. Even the times before I knew about your abilities, being around you felt like being around her. And... I don't want to...be with you just because of that. I need to know that I care about you because of who you are, not because of who you remind me of... I don't want to 'lead you on'." she whispered shakily. I hugged her skinny frame closer to me before speaking.
"You don't need to explain yourself to me." I sighed before resting my chin on the crown of her head, making sure not to mess up the flowers. "You're worth waiting for..." I concluded with a smile, even though I knew she couldn't see it.
"Thank you, Demi," She hugged me tighter and we stayed like that for what seemed like hours. Silently watching the beautiful sky and colorful sea as we enjoyed each others company- as I enjoyed holding her in my arms. It seemed like an eternity before I finally spoke up, saying that it may be better if we headed back home. I noted how reluctant Pearl seemed- the feeling of stilled time appealing to her- but she agreed.
When we stepped out of the portal and onto the sand of Beach City, my eyes immediately felt the absence of color as I stared at the dark blue sky of Earth. I wonder if Pearl felt it too. We began a quiet walk to my house hand in hand, and I noticed that time hadn't really passed since we left. We were both deep and thought, and before we even realized it, there I stood at my doorstep. I took a deep breath, neither of us wanting to say goodbye. It was almost an unspoken agreement that Pearl and I would have to hold off on being around each other, but since it wasn't spoken out loud, I had no idea how long that would be. After a few seconds of thought, I pulled Pearl against my body and kissed her tenderly. Pearl didn't seem thrown by this and wrapped her arms around my waist, kissing me back. I was the one to pull away first, a smile on my face as I saw a blush spread evenly across Pearl's flushed features. She touched her lips gently.
"Just a little something to hurry you back to me," I winked with a grin. Pearl nodded, an unsure smile spreading across her face. "I'll see you soon- hopefully."
"See you soon, Demi," Pearl smiled before turning gracefully on her heel. I watched her walk away until she was all the way out of site before closing my door. Realizing the air in my lungs had become stale, I exhaled. I hadn't even realized that I had been holding my breath.
I lied in my bed, staring up at the dark ceiling, thoughts and images of Pearl swirling in my head. I wondered how long I would have to wait. I wondered if she would ever come back at all. Then a sweet thought hit me. Before we had left the portal, Pearl had asked for my jacket even though she specifically said that gems didn't get cold. That thought warmed my heart. It seemed as if that simple request to keep my jacket while we were separated, foreshadowed that she really did like me. Thinking back to the events of the day, I wondered if this was easier of the hard paths Garnet spoke about and whether I should be grateful or not. Tiredness eventually began to evade my mind, and with the mental image of Pearl basking in the colorfully painted sunset in my mind's eyes, I fell into a restful sleep.
What were your guys thought on this chapter
I took so long to write it that I don't exactly
know the effect its giving the audience
so your input would be great.
Anyway, there's only a couple chapters left so
Stay Tuned~
demiflower14