"I know who that is." She answered, keeping her voice down.
"You've gotta help me find her!" Steven pleaded. "Please. I-I love her. I don't wanna lose her."
Cheryl nodded, walking over and flipping the sign on the Cafe door to Closed. "Look.. Steven, right? Connie was here. She stayed in a motel room across the street. But, one night she up and disappeared. All of her stuff is still in the room. She didn't bail. Something happened to Connie Maheswaran, Steven. And it's up to you to figure it out. She told me all about you- your family, your abilities… If a gem is behind this, which I suspect that there is, you're the only one who can save her."
Steven's eyes welled up with tears as he took it all in. "Have you heard from her since she disappeared?"
"No. Not a word. I'm so sorry…"
"It isn't your fault." A sudden thought struck inside him. "It was Peridot."
"I have no idea who or what that is." Cheryl said honestly. "But find her, Steven. You two deserve each other."
Steven nodded. "Thank you, Cheryl."
"Anytime. Now go and find your Peridot. Then come back, both of you, if you don't mind. I'd like a word with her."
"Of course." He walked out of the diner, and took the bus back home. He had a lot of explaining to do.
"Steven! You can't just run off like that!" Pearl exclaimed.
"I left a note on the counter." Steven explained calmly. He'd expected a reaction from Pearl, and wouldn't flip out on her.
"There's no note, Steven. Nothing."
He stuck his hand in his jeans pocket, producing the note. "I left in a rush. I didn't mean to worry you."
"Even if you had left the note, Steven, you can't just go gallivanting all on your own. You could get hurt!"
"Pearl." Garnet laid her hands on Pearl's shoulders. "Steven's fourteen, and very responsible. Have a little faith in him."
Pearl sighed. "You're right… I'm sorry, Steven. I just get so worried when you're out there all alone."
"It's alright." Steven smiled slightly, nodding sympathetically. "But, I have good news."
"Should we get the others?" Garnet questioned.
"No, that's alright. I'll tell them later."
"I think I know what happened to her."
Pearl's eyes widened. "Steven. Nothing happened to Connie. She ran away."
"She did. And I know where she went. The person she stayed with said that she just disappeared one night, and left all of her things. Connie's not like that."
"I think that Peridot could likely be responsible." Garnet replied. "If it's any chance at all that she's there, we need to go find her."
"We'll need a plan." Pearl interjected. "We can't just storm the base at random."
Garnet nodded. "You're right. I'll go and get the others."
"Do we have a map of the Kindergarten?" Julianna asked.
"We do," Pearl answered. "But it's been partially destroyed, so it's likely inaccurate."
"Still. It might help to have a general idea of the Kindergarten's layout…"
Garnet stood and carefully took the portrait of Rose Quartz off the wall. Removing it from it's frame, she turned it over, revealing a full scale map on the back of the portrait.
"How long has that been there?" Pearl questioned.
"The portrait is merely a cover up to hide the map." Garnet replied. "As soon as the map was made, the portrait was drawn."
Julianna examined the map, trying to remember the brief period of time she'd spent in the Kindergarten. She'd gone there to assist Peridot in returning the injector she'd stolen, which was then returned to a chamber beneath the ground.
"There." She picked up a pencil, writing a small 'x' on the map. "That's where we need to go."
"There's nothing beneath that elevator, Julianna." Amethyst glanced at her and erased the small mark. "It only goes upwards."
The other Crystal Gems began to discuss their plan, and she was forgotten.
Steven placed a hand on her wrist. "I believe in you." He whispered, smiling with encouragement.
She looked at him wordlessly, eyes full of tears. She stood, his hand falling off her wrist, silently exiting the temple. She scaled the cliff the temple was built upon until she reached the very top. She sat on the edge, pulling her knees to her chest. Resting her arm across her knees, she examined her gem. The light reflected off its facets, but she paid no attention to it.
"Everyone always underestimated me… I thought it'd be different here."
With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes, silently willing herself not to cry.
"Do I even belong anywhere?"
"Julianna?"
The blonde looked up. "Oh." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Hey, Steven."
"What's wrong?" He asked, lips turned in a concerned expression.
"People treated me this way back on Homeworld too. So did any humans I tried to help. I wrongly expected things to be different here… I thought it'd be different with Amethyst too."
"I believe in you, Julianna. Your plan is worth a shot, just as much as theirs is. And I'll help you."
"You don't have to do that."
"I want to."
"Alright… Peridot has a hidden room that she dug out underneath the elevator after the Kindergarten's construction was finished, and all the maps were printed. I've been in there before. Years and years ago."
Steven nodded. "We have to sneak in the room somehow. Does Peridot sleep?"
"She always used to… I don't think she would've quit."
"Alright. A midnight ambush, then."
"You sure you can handle that, Steven?"
"I would do anything for Connie. Is a midnight ambush okay with you?"
"Yeah." Julianna answered. "Amethyst keeps me up late at night all the time."
"Okay then, it's settled. Tomorrow at midnight."
Julianna nodded. "Thanks for coming out here, Steven. It means the world to me."
"Anytime… I just, um, don't know how to get down."
Julianna picked him up, and placed him atop her narrow shoulder. "You gonna be okay up there?"
Steven clung tightly to her neck. "Yep!" He laughed and screamed as she carried him down the cliff, nearly falling several times.
"Let's not do that again." Julianna set him down on the porch.
"Sorry about that." Steven chuckled awkwardly.
"Not a problem. Let's just, um, leave the shoulder carrying to Garnet from now on. I'm not exactly built for that."
Steven nodded.
Amethyst came barreling out of the house, tightly hugging Julianna.
"Whoa! Holy shit, Amethyst, you're going to kill me one of these days!" She laughed and hugged her back.
Amethyst laughed. "Where'd you two run off to?"
"Places." Steven answered with a grin.
"You're such a tease, Steven."
"I'll tell you if you catch me!" He bolted down the steps.
"Steven Tag!" Amethyst declared, shapeshifting herself into a purple version of Steven.
Julianna watched from the porch, smiling and rolling her eyes.
What a bunch of dorks.
