Jasper stayed still in front of the door of the beach house. Peridot was fidgeting next to her but at least she was quiet. The quartz gem's eyes remained closed as she listened for any sounds inside the building for several minutes. Finding none, Jasper opened the door and entered, walking straight to the warp pad. She had to wait a few moments for Peridot to gain the courage to enter the house and to head over to the device. The green gem looked like she was about to get sick or run away screaming or perhaps both. She placed a shaky hand on the warp pad and immediately her eyes were no longer green but rather linked to the warp pad's system, thousands of bits of information flying across her irises. She frowned in concentration as she tinkered with the device's lock with her technopathic powers. Jasper watched Peridot work, impressed that the green gem did not need her limb enhancers to gain access to the pad's inner workings and reactivate it.

"There," Peridot said after five minutes. She removed her hand and got on the pad itself. The technician took a deep breath to calm her nerves before glancing up at Jasper. At the focused look on the quartz gem's face, Peridot's calm façade broke as she resumed playing with her fingers. "I'm starting to have second thoughts. Lapis is probably flying about over the ocean and no- Agh!"

Before Peridot could deactivate or even get off the warp pad, Jasper activated it and a tunnel of light surrounded the two. They floated in nothingness for a few moments before the light and beach house disappeared. They were now standing in the middle of a jungle, shaded by the large canopies. Jasper looked down at Peridot who's eyes wouldn't stop roaming their surroundings as if anything was going to pop out from the shadows and attack them.

"We're here," Jasper said, stepping off the warp pad and heading in a seemingly random direction. She heard frantic running behind her and knew that Peridot decided to follow her instead of warping back to the temple and warning the others.

"We shouldn't be here," Peridot whispered, closing the space between her and Jasper even more. She looked up at Jasper and noticed that the quartz gem was sure with her steps, like she knew exactly where to go. Peridot did not know whether to find the thought comforting or unnerving. She never went to Mask Island herself so she wasn't sure where Jasper was leading her. Peridot suddenly wished that she was back at the barn where everything stayed the same and there was metal that she could protect herself with. She should have at least brought her tablet.

Jasper turned her head to look at the smaller gem and saw the confliction playing on her face. "This is more important than whatever ridiculous notion you may have about this place." Even as the words left Jasper's mouth, her stomach coiled into painful knots. She knew where Lapis would be on this island and going there meant meeting some very unpleasant creatures. Many of which wanted her dead.

"W-where are we going?" Peridot finally asked. She looked about and could have sworn that she seen the tree with a chunk of bark missing eight minutes ago. Peridot worried that Jasper was lost and leading them in circles. A shaky hand pushed up her visors as she gulped. What if she never got back to the warp pad and Lapis showed up at the barn with Peridot walking aimlessly on Mask Island?

"We're going to a beach on the island," Jasper answered. She halted and lifted her head, taking a long sniff before turning left. She glanced down and saw that Peridot was unconvinced. "I know where I'm going."

Peridot shook her head and pushed up her visors again. "How? This forest probably goes on for miles!" She pointed to a tree to the left, this one having three gouges scarring the trunk. "I saw that tree before! We're lost!" she yelled, her hands gripping her hair. Peridot began to pace back and forth as she continued her tirade. "We're lost and it's my fault! I should have stayed at the barn and sent you back to the temple! I shouldn't have reactivated that warp pad! What if Steven finds out?" Her eyes widened considerably as she stopped pacing. "What if Garnet finds out?" She turned around and stared up at Jasper fear paling her face. "She's scary when she's angry and she'll probably tie me to the fence again. I don't want to be on a leash!"

Jasper rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "That fusion won't find out and neither will the brat. Besides, he thought Lapis was in the barn so he shouldn't care if we're going after her. We'll find Lapis and get back before anyone realizes we're gone." The quartz gem gestured to the tree that Peridot pointed out earlier. "We've never seen that tree and I do know where I'm going."

"How do you know where you're going!?"

"Because I remember." Jasper hesitated before adding, "I remember being Malachite and seeing the jungle from the beach. If we keep heading west, we'll eventually hit the beach and then all we have to do is look for Lapis." Jasper ducked her head as she walked under a tree branch, hissing in agitation when her horns scratched into the bark. She looked down at the green gem, expecting Peridot to make some smartass joke or at least snicker. However, the technician was too busy looking around them in search of the water gem to realize what Jasper just did.

"You care for Lapis a lot," Jasper commented, bending low to avoid another branch, this time taking great care that her horns did not scrape against it.

"We live together so of course I care about her!" Peridot said, sounding a little offended at Jasper's casual statement. Even as she talked, her eyes did not cease their searching but her cheeks did become a shade darker.

Jasper scoffed at the explanation. "I live with the pearl and I know for a fact that she is waiting for any reason to fight me." Her lips lifted into a feral smile as her claws itched to be dragged across something. "Perhaps I'll give her one after we find Lapis."

Peridot's eyes finally settled on the bigger gem. "You really think that is a good idea?" she asked in disbelief. "You want to help me find Lapis, bring her back home, and then get in a fight with Pearl?"

A nod was her response. "It's been too long since I've had a fight." Jasper frowned soon after as a hand lifted to brush through her hair. "Although, the pearl wouldn't be much fun since she's weak."

A small chuckle escaped Peridot before she could stop it. "Amethyst told me that Pearl makes up for her lack of physical strength with speed and willpower. She's also smart too and I suppose you can say she is an adequate strategist." Her chest puffed up as she declared, "Not as great as me of course."

Jasper suddenly stopped walking and Peridot bumped into her. Before the green gem could share a few choice words, she was silenced by the warning rumble that shook Jasper's chest. For a moment, Peridot thought that the growl was directed at her but she noticed that Jasper faced straight ahead with her eyes flashing from one spot to another as if they were searching for something.

"J-Jasper?" Peridot took a step closer to the quartz gem and tried to peer into the shadows of the forest. She couldn't see anything but she knew that Jasper did and whatever she saw she didn't like. Peridot glanced up at her and gulped at the feral look on Jasper's face. Her deadly fangs were bared as a growl continuously left her mouth and her eyes were piercing and angry. Peridot had no doubt that Jasper was ready for a fight and whatever was causing this reaction from the quartz gem was about to be shattered.

"Stay behind me."

Peridot almost let out a squeak at Jasper's voice. She didn't think that Jasper could form a coherent sentence at this point. The quartz gem bent down until her hands were touching the ground. She stalked a few feet ahead, her body staying low to the ground as if she was some tiger about to pounce on her prey. Peridot would have found the entire situation hilarious if she wasn't so freaked out now. She scrambled over to Jasper but a low hiss made her stop. She tried to look at whatever made Jasper upset but she still couldn't see anything past the vegetation. Peridot cocked her head when she started to faintly hear drums beating in the distance. She glanced at Jasper who was still stalking forward carefully like she was cautious of making any noise at all.

The two continued to travel like this, Jasper on all fours walking like a big and dangerous cat and Peridot trying her hardest to catch up with her and still be quiet. The sound of beating drums grew louder and Peridot could now hear indistinctive voices. She knew they were getting close to something but she had no idea why Jasper was leading them towards it.

"We should go around them," Peridot whispered to Jasper. When she didn't get a response, she huffed and reached out to tug at Jasper's shirt or hair to get her attention. A moment later however, her hand fell to her side. Peridot knew that it was better to simply follow Jasper, no matter how strange the quartz gem was acting, than to try to fight her and wind up poofing without finding Lapis.

SNAP!

Peridot couldn't help the little shriek at the sudden sound of a dry twig snapping under her foot or how Jasper's head whipped around to glare at her with slit pupils. She was about to apologize when the sound of drums abruptly stopping and hurrying caused her throat to close. Peridot just alerted whoever Jasper was stalking of their presence and might even cost them their lives. Jasper rose up on her two feet and bent forward so that her horns were ready to ram into anything. Her fingers curled into savage claws as her body tensed.

A minute passed and nothing happened. No monster leapt out of the shadows and Jasper didn't go in charging and left Peridot exposed. The quartz gem's chest rose and fell as she took heavy breaths, presumably trying to distinguish how many enemies were nearby their scents.

Finally, the underbrush in front of the two gems rustled and Jasper released a battle cry that sounded more like a roar of a deranged animal. Peridot shivered at the sound, infinitely glad that she wasn't the one that had to face the once-corrupted gem.

The underbrush continued to rustle until something jumped out of it. Rather than a corrupted gem or any other horrifying monster, a watermelon in the shape of a dog ran up to the two, barking happily all the while. He sprinted to Jasper and jumped at the quartz gem's legs, his tail thumping on the ground. Jasper stared down at the watermelon dog in confusion, her fangs still bared for a fight.

Peridot peaked from her hiding spot behind Jasper's body and watched the watermelon dog pant and try to climb Jasper. "You were chasing that!?" Peridot had the sudden urge to punch and kick Jasper. "I thought we were going to be attacked!"

Jasper still didn't say anything, staring down at the dog. She slowly relaxed her stance and watched as the dog ran in circles, trying to catch its own tail. "I uh," she said perplexed. Her eyes flashed back up as the underbrush rustled once more. Three watermelons walked out of the vegetation, each in the rough shape of Steven and each carrying a spear. When they caught sight of Jasper, they all dropped their weapons and ran up to the quartz gem. They stopped a foot away from her and stared up at her with their seed eyes. One stepped away from the group and laid a hand on Jasper's knee. It started to pat Jasper's leg and the two others quickly joined in. They patted her as if they couldn't believe that Jasper was truly there. After a few pats they started to hug her legs. "What is going on?" Jasper asked, completely confused by this turn of events. She had expected the watermelon creatures to attack but they were hugging her! She had no idea of what to do and she looked down at Peridot.

Peridot however was too busy staring at the creatures with a slack jaw and wide eyes. She snapped out of her stupor and shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea but they seem to like you."

"But why?" Jasper asked, bending down to push away the watermelon Stevens. When she started to push two of the watermelon Stevens, they simply started to hug her arms. She had no clue how to get them to stop hugging her. "They should be trying to shatter me, not embracing me! Malachite-"

At the name of the fusion, the watermelon Stevens opened their eyes and as one hissed angrily.

"Maybe we shouldn't use that name around here," Peridot suggested once the hissing stopped.

Jasper was about to agree when she felt a tug on her hand. One of the watermelon Stevens gave her arm another tug before letting go and running forward. The other two and dog quickly followed the leader. "I think they want us to follow them," Jasper said, still unsure of what was happening.

Peridot nodded in agreement and the two started to walk where the Stevens had been running. After a few minutes, they walked onto a freshly plowed field. Several other Stevens were towing the soil and at the sight of Jasper, rushed over to her to start the process of patting and hugging her. More and more watermelon Stevens came over to pat and hug Jasper like it was a ritual of some sort. Small watermelon Stevens had necklaces of flowers in their hands and tried to get Jasper to wear them.

Jasper growled lowly as the sound of laughter reached her ears. She looked down at Peridot who seemed to have broken her silence to laugh at Jasper. The sound brought the attention of the Stevens away from Jasper however and on to Peridot. The laughter immediately stopped and Peridot's eyes widened in fear. She tried to move closer to Jasper but the Stevens were too quick. They pulled her into a tight hug with Peridot becoming stiff and her cheeks flaming a brilliant forest green. "Jasper help," she squeaked, struggling against the watermelons' holds.

The quartz gem would have gladly left Peridot to the watermelons devices for the way that the green gem had laughed at her but she needed her to help find Lapis. Jasper reached down and picked up Peridot by the nape of her uniform. Peridot grabbed onto Jasper's arm like it was a life preserver and stared down at the Stevens, fearing that they would jump up and grab her. With the technician out of reach, the Stevens resumed their hugging of Jasper's legs. Jasper simply endured the touching, figuring that it was a smidge better than fighting all of them. She could have easily destroyed them but she didn't want to find Lapis covered in goop.

"Why do they like you so much?" Peridot asked, still clinging to Jasper's arm. She scooted herself up so that she was now hanging from Jasper's neck like she was some sort of living back pack. If Jasper wasn't paying so much attention to the watermelon Stevens she would have thrown Peridot off or at least growl at her. Peridot had to move some of Jasper's hair to the side so she could look down at the watermelons. They had stopped hugging Jasper and was now peering up at the both of them. Peridot wished that they had gone back to the hugging, the seeds for eyes were very unnerving, especially when they don't blink. "Didn't you try to destroy them as Malachite?" Peridot whispered to Jasper.

The Stevens heard the whisper however and as one hissed at the name. Jasper whimpered in pain at the sound, it was much louder now there were at least twenty watermelon Stevens instead of just three hissing. She raised her fists but after a few moments the hissing stopped and the Stevens resumed their staring. Jasper relaxed her hands as it finally occurred to her that the watermelon Stevens didn't associate her with Malachite. To them, the fusion and Jasper had nothing to do with one another. Jasper shook her head in wonderment, these creatures weren't attacking her because to them she was a stranger! She grunted when Peridot yelped at the sudden movement and gripped at Jasper's hair for support.

"Stop tugging," Jasper yelled at Peridot who stilled, her hand still clenching Jasper's hair however.

"Stop moving around then!" Peridot yelled back.

Jasper growled at her but it was cut short by a tug of her hair. She was about to grab Peridot and leave her at the mercy of the watermelon Stevens but movement caught her attention. The Stevens looked at each other and moved so that an aisle was created that led to the two gems. Another watermelon walked through the aisle but this one was much older than the others and wore a straw hat and dress. He walked up to the two of them and lifted his stick to point at Jasper, the seeds rattling inside the dry fruits at the end. He turned around and started to walk away, the other watermelons cheering as he went but not leaving their spots.

Having no other choice, Jasper began to follow the old watermelon. He led them through a village of some sorts. Watermelon Stevens all stopped what they were doing to look at the two gems. They would run up and give Jasper a quick pat and hug before moving away so another Steven could do the same. Jasper was now used to the strange ritual and took her time to look around, hissing when Peridot would accidentally pull on her hair whenever she turned her head too quickly. Occasionally a family of Stevens would leave their straw houses and their child would try and pat Peridot as well as Jasper, but Peridot was well out of their reach.

"Where is he taking us?" Peridot asked.

Jasper had a feeling she knew but she shrugged like she didn't. The two entered the village's center and saw a half-destroyed statue of a watermelon Steven baby. Half of his face was gone and his left arm was embedded into the ground a few feet away. The leader turned his head and looked pointedly at Jasper. The quartz gem met his gaze and lifted her chin. The others may have made the distinction of Jasper and Malachite being two separate beings but the leader knew better. Still, he simply shook his head and continued his trek without calling any attention to the trio.

"Jasper, look." Peridot pointed off to the statue's side and Jasper turned her head to look. There were several mounds of dirt and on each mound was a necklace made of pink roses. There had to be at least thirty mounds where a farm could have been created or several straw houses. Jasper had no clue of what purpose the mounds served and knew that Peridot didn't either. Something told her that she was the cause of the mounds and for some reason, guilt chewed at her belly. Jasper pushed the feeling away and studied the roses, wondering where the Stevens found them on this island.

Rattling brought the gems attention back to the leader. He had lead them to a cliff at the edge of the village. Jasper grimaced at the cliff and looked over at the water. The leader had led them to where they had once sacrificed the Stevens to Malachite. She looked down at the leader. He nodded his head once and lifted his arms to imitate the statue in the village's center. He left the two of them to go back to the village without another word.

Peridot let go of Jasper's shoulders and jumped down to the ground. She looked about in search of Lapis but Jasper was still staring at where the leader had left them with a frown. Peridot walked this way and that, looking down the cliff and at the nearby vegetation. "Lapis isn't here!" Peridot finally said after five minutes of fruitlessly searching. She marched in front of Jasper and pointed in the direction of the village. "He led us on a wild goose chase!"

"No," Jasper said, turning her back towards Peridot. She marched to the edge of the cliff and kneeled down to look at its face. She could still see the gouges on the rock from her battle with Alexandrite. "He led us here because Lapis is here."

"Where?" Peridot asked. "There's nothing here but a few rocks and sand! We're lost!"

Jasper glanced at Peridot and then went back to surveying the landscape. "We can't see her because she's not on the island."

"But you just said she was here!" Peridot took a deep breath to calm herself and fixed the visors that had become skewed. "Where then is Lapis Lazuli?"

The quartz gem turned her head to look at Peridot. Even though the green gem tried to act calm and collected, Jasper could easily read the worry in her eyes. Jasper sighed and pointed to the ocean. "She's there. She's protected in water and can defend herself with the entire ocean if she must."

Jasper got back up on her feet and bent down to pick up Peridot. Peridot gave a squeak and slapped Jasper's arms but the quartz gem held on. Ignoring the curses that Peridot was hurtling at her, Jasper jumped off the cliff. The curses turned into a terrified scream and instead of punching Jasper, Peridot gripped at her shoulders and buried her head into her chest. Jasper landed with a thud on the beach and let go of Peridot. The green gem had such a strong grip on her that she didn't fall down on the sand. Peridot was panting wildly as she glared at Jasper.

"Don't ever do that again!" Peridot yelled, letting go and landing on her feet.

"It was the quickest way off the cliff," Jasper said, her eyes scanning the water around her. She knew Lapis was there and knew that they were there thanks to Peridot's scream. She took a step forward but backtracked as two hands made of water rose from the ocean. Jasper gulped at the sight of the ice-tipped fingers, feeling her heart pound at the thought of what they would do if they landed a hit on her.

Peridot didn't seem to notice the danger they were in because she ran towards the hands, calling out Lapis's name all the while. A third hand snaked out of the ocean and slammed into the beach, separating Jasper and Peridot.

"What are you doing here!?"

Jasper almost smiled at the voice until she realized that the question was directed towards Peridot. She could just barely make out a figure walking out of the ocean and Peridot running towards her. Jasper growled and tried to walk around the barrier but it grew and icy spikes formed from the surface. She stopped and could hear Peridot talking to Lapis and perhaps gesturing towards Jasper but she couldn't make out the words. The wall faltered and slowly receded back to the ocean, revealing Peridot and Lapis.

Lapis looked horrible. Her skin was a dull blue and there were bags under her eyes. But worse was the way she was looking at Jasper. She looked at the quartz with such hatred but Jasper knew that it was to cover an even more dangerous emotion. Fear. Jasper held her hands up in a display of peace.

"I just want to talk," she said.

"No," Lapis turned around and started to head back to the ocean. "Just go." She looked down at Peridot. "You should go too." Lapis had to turned her head away from the hurt expression and two wings of water sprouted from her back.

Jasper growled and charged at Lapis. When she was a few feet away, she stopped, her eyes watching the hands movements. They stayed where they were but she knew that it wouldn't take them even a second to rip her apart. "I came all this way to see you and I'm not going to let you run away again." Lapis still hadn't turned around and Jasper snapped. "Look at me damn it!"

Lapis whirled around and Jasper took a step back on instinct. The water gem looked so tired but also very angry. "Why can't you just leave me alone!? I don't want you, can't you get that!?" She took a step towards Jasper and several more hands rose from the ocean. "Do I have to shatter you for you to finally leave me be?" When Peridot tried to say something, Lapis looked at her. "Don't get involved."

"I'm already involved," Peridot said incredibly. "I'm the one that reactivated the warp pad so we can come here and bring you home!" Peridot looked close to tears but she wiped angrily at her eyes before yelling, "I'm the one who brought Jasper here because obviously you wouldn't come back if it was just me!"

"Just you?" Lapis repeated. The hands began to lose form and dissolved back to the ocean. Lapis turned so that she was fully facing Peridot. "I needed to be alone. I thought you knew and understood that."

"Of course I know that but it doesn't change the fact that you left without saying anything." A few tears did spill from Peridot's eyes and she slapped Lapis's hand when it reached out to brush them away.

Lapis flinched at the slap even though there was no way that it could have hurt her. The water that formed her wings fell onto the sand, forgotten. She looked down at the silently crying gem with conflicted eyes before whirling around to scream at Jasper. "This is your fault! If you just stayed corrupted in that bubble none of this would be happening!"

Even Peridot was shocked by the venom in Lapis's voice. Jasper felt her heart plummet but another emotion quickly overtook her pain with its intensity. A furious snarl ripped out of Jasper's throat as she stormed over to Lapis. She glared down at her as she poked her chest, too angry to feel satisfaction when Lapis stumbled back. "My fault? You think you're so innocent!?" She jerked her head down at Peridot who was now watching the two with a fearful expression, unsure of what was going to happen. "You're as much responsible for this as I am," Jasper growled. When Lapis's eyes faltered for a moment, Jasper knew she hit the jackpot. "You cannot continue to pretend that those months never occurred. You can't pretend that Malachite never existed!"

"Stop," Lapis whispered, taking a step back.

The quartz gem knew she was probably going to regret saying the things she did but right now she couldn't care less. Lapis had no right to act like she did nothing wrong, like she had nothing to do with every tear that fell out of Peridot's eyes.

Jasper only took a step forward, not fearful of the fact that Lapis had the entire ocean at her disposal. "No," Jasper snarled. After all this time just waiting, Jasper was not going to stop. Not until she had her say in all of this. "You don't get to act like a victim of circumstance, not when I'm still here." Jasper rested a hand over her chest and felt her heart pound. "I have done some terrible things in my lifetime but I have the balls to admit it! I attacked you and interrogated you when you arrived on Homeworld defenseless and alone! I used the information I extracted from you to come back to this fucking planet so I could destroy it and anything that would otherwise remind me of my failure to stop that rebellion eons ago. I even tried to use you to in the form of Malachite to shatter the Crystal Gems and that brat!" She pointed at Lapis with a vicious grin. Her arm began to hurt as if lava was flowing through her veins instead of blood but the rage Jasper felt overruled it. "But you used me instead! You used Malachite as my own prison. As my own personal hell! You hurt me every minute I was stuck as Malachite! I only wanted control of Malachite so I could end it but each time I was close to overpowering you, you used the ocean to break me and pull me back under you. I was trapped for all those months and I couldn't do a fucking thing about it!"

"Stop!" Lapis yelled, backing further away. The water was now lapping up at her feet but none of it came to her defense. She didn't try to summon her powers or fly away. Some part of her knew that she needed to listen to Jasper but Lapis just wanted Jasper to stop talking. She glanced down at Peridot who was staring at Jasper in shock, unable to stop hearing how dangerous Lapis really was. Lapis closed her eyes and shook her head. She was going to lose Peridot if Jasper kept talking but she couldn't make her stop.

"Do you want to know why you were able to keep me there?" Jasper continued. She didn't wait for the water gem to answer. "Because a part of me knew that I deserved to be trapped on this miserable planet! I was created here, in a reject of a kindergarten! I wasn't able to protect my Diamond, I wasn't able to do the one purpose I was created for! I couldn't stop Rose Quartz from shattering her or stop her rebel army from taking earth from Homeworld." Jasper panted and the pain grew from her arm to her chest. Every breath was like swallowing glass but Jasper continued, "I was a failure as a soldier so I let you take me as your prisoner. I took everything you gave, all the insults, all of the abuse, because I thought that I deserved nothing less!"

"Shut up!" Lapis screamed, her hands covering her ears so she wouldn't have to hear Jasper. She didn't want to be reminded of what she was capable of, of what she had already done.

Lapis attempt to block out Jasper only served to infuriate Jasper even more. She wrenched Lapis's hands away from her ears as she roared, "NO! You knew that I didn't want to be Malachite but you kept me there, chained like some kind of beast!" Lapis's image blurred as tears stung in Jasper's eyes. Or maybe that was the pain reaching her brain. "You forced me to stay as that abomination even when I begged you to let me go!"

"ENOUGH!" Peridot ran in between Jasper and Peridot tried to push them apart. Jasper let go of Lapis's arms with a scoff and took a step back. Lapis covered her mouth with one hand as the other fisted in her hair. She couldn't look at Jasper or Peridot, just staring at a space in the sand as tears flowed from her eyes. Peridot looked at Jasper and gasped. She pointed a shaky finger at Jasper's arm and the quartz gem glanced down.

Several spikes jutted out from the turquoise spots that littered her arm, each spike surrounded by weeping blood. Jasper whimpered and gripped one of them. She tried to pull it out but the pain was too great. The quartz gem realized she was reverting, soon she would be nothing more than a mindless monster. Her head snapped back to the other gems. Lapis was looking at her, shaking her head and whispering, "My fault," over and over again.

Jasper couldn't take it anymore, she turned around and ran for her life. She heard Peridot calling her back but she leaped up, climbing the cliff with her claws. When she reached the top, she saw that the leader of the watermelon Stevens had returned. Jasper didn't wonder how long he was there, she just barreled past him. The quartz gem ran through the village, all the Stevens once again stopping what they were doing. Instead of running up to hug her, they were staring at her and talking to one another in concerned voices, gesturing to the spikes that were now protruding from Jasper's back. Jasper tried to give a threatening snarl but it ended up becoming a yowl of agony as one of her ribs snapped under the pressure of her morphing body. The Stevens immediately rushed to her side, all of them patting her in an attempt to calm the quartz gem. The only watermelon that did not run to her aid was the leader. He stood in front of the statue and watched the ordeal. Jasper whimpered and got up on her feet and hands, jumping over the Stevens with a pained groan. She ran away from the village and through the jungle. Several times, Jasper crashed into a tree and downed it. She felt the branches claw into her body and rip at her clothes and flesh. Jasper tried to ignore the pain as much as she could as she ran through the jungle. She finally found the warp pad and activated it as soon as she leapt on it.

"Find Rose, find Rose," Jasper whispered like it was a prayer. She convulsed as her uniform began to rip at her back, the spikes growing larger. She gripped at her gem, it felt like it was made of acid but that was not what concerned her. Underneath the scorching heat, she could feel her heartbeats become weaker and weaker as her body reverted back to her corrupted form. The last thing she saw was light surrounding her as the warp pad activated.