Leave Me Alone

The light of the early morning filtered through the dense canopy and quietly fell upon the forest floor. A light wind whipped up, rustling the leaves and causing the pools of light to quiver, as if shivering in the cool morning air. Birds whistled, carrying a cordial conversation among the treetops. The gentle scene hung in time, unfettered by the outside world and oblivious to a single quiet observer below.

A weary wanderer carefully traversed the verdant haven, fallen leaves crunching with each measured step. He carefully surveyed his lush surroundings, searching for signs of danger lurking in the foliage. As he passed, the sounds of the animals ceased, heralding the passage of the mysterious traveler. Silhouetted in the dim light, he journeyed onward, his mind floating aimlessly. The greenery slowly thinned as his trek persisted. Finally, the forest gave way to a small beach. Several crystal formations littered the sand, gleaming in the golden light of dawn. Weary from the arduous walk, the silent traveler walked to the water's edge and plopped down on the sand.

"Wow, this place is just like I remember it," Steven commented as he adjusted his position in the sand. He took a moment to enjoy the tranquil scenery. Taking off his backpack, he set it down in front of him. Opening one of the pockets, Steven rummaged through his satchel until he located a wrapped sandwich. He pulled it out, unwrapped it, and took an eager bite. The young gem enjoyed his meal as he watched the sun slowly crawl higher into the sky.

"This place is really cool," Steven noted. The waves crashed against the shore, spraying him with mist and widening his smile. "I wish the gems could see this. I wonder what they're doing…"

Beach City…

Pearl's evening had been relatively quiet. She and the others had met earlier in order to discuss the recent incidents and possible solutions. Garnet had asserted that the trio seclude themselves in the temple in order to protect Steven and the other residents of Beach City. She and Amethyst had disagreed; if they were stuck in the temple, then the humans would be defenseless. Nevertheless, the red fusion had maintained her position, and the group finally agreed to avoid the humans. It had been decided that Steven would stay with Connie and her parents until the issue was resolved. Afterwards, the pale warrior had returned to her room, where she had continued to ponder the perplexing situation and polish her collection of swords.

Throughout the evening, she had constantly worried about Steven. Following the brutal attack by Greg, the young boy had been thoroughly shaken. Pearl had been concerned when he retreated into Rose's room, a feeling which only grew as the night progressed. Her unease had finally reached critical mass early in the morning, and she resolved to leave and check on him.

Pearl quietly stepped out of her room, not wanting to wake the sleeping boy in the loft. The sun had just peaked over the horizon, and darkness still filled the quiet abode. Watching her step, the stealthy gem walked to the staircase, nearly running into the coffee table in the process. After successfully traversing the room, she slowly made her way up to Steven's room. Reaching the top, she quietly approached his bed. Pearl stopped abruptly.

Steven wasn't there.

"Steven?" she whispered worriedly. The gem warrior looked around the house for any sign of her young charge. "Steven?" She jumped down from the loft and looked around the room once more. Still, she failed to find him. As she turned to leave and look outside, she noticed something on the kitchen counter. Pearl walked over and picked up what she discovered to be a piece of paper. Unable to make out the words scrawled on it, Pearl shined a light with her gem. Her caution melted away instantly.

"Garnet!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "Amethyst! Steven's in trouble!"

A few minutes later…

Bang bang!

The sudden noise ripped Greg from unconsciousness. Dismissing the sound as an errant raccoon, the half-conscious musician turned over and attempted to go back to sleep.

Bang bang!

Once again, Greg ignored the sound and rolled over.

Bang bang!

His frustration boiling over, the tired musician sat up, crawled out of bed, and opened the back door of his van.

"Hey, can't a guy get some…" He stopped upon recognizing who it was. Amethyst stood before him anxiously. "Hey, Amethyst," Greg said, rubbing his eyes. "What are doing here so early?"

"C'mon," she replied, nearly dragging him out of the vehicle. "We need you at the temple."

"What? Why?" he queried, exiting the vehicle and stretching. Without replying, the purple warrior turned and bolted down the road towards the beach. Shrugging, he took off after her. The pair rapidly traversed the town, their journey unfettered by residents or magical happenings. Finally, Amethyst reached the entrance to the beach house. She stopped and waited as her mortal companion caught up. Reaching the front door, Greg stopped and took several deep breaths before entering. Inside, he found Pearl seated on the couch, wringing her hands nervously. His concern growing, the exhausted musician sat down next to her. The pale gem looked up, and her fear-filled eyes ripped through him.

"What happened?" he asked nervously. Pearl motioned to the coffee table. Looking down, Greg noticed the small piece of paper in front of her. Picking it up, he turned it over and read the hastily scrawled text.

Dear Everyone,

Since we found the weird pyramid thingy, everyone's been acting crazy. Not only is everyone trying to attack me, but no one can trust each other anymore. I'm scared for everyone's safety. So I took the pyramid and left. I won't come back until I figure out what it wants. Don't try to find me.

Love, Steven

P.S. Tell dad I'll be gone for a little while.

P.S.S. Also, tell Connie I won't be able to go to the movies with her this weekend.

P.S.S.S. Amethyst, there's an empty cream cheese container in the fridge if you want to eat it. And we're out of bagels.

Greg re-read the note grimly, his concern growing steadily. Finally, he turned to Pearl, whose gaze was fixed on him.

"We need to find him," he managed to say. Amethyst sat down beside him before responding.

"Garnet already left," she stated. "If anyone can find him, she can."

"Do you think he's alright?" Pearl asked gravely, her voice wavering. "What if something happened to him?"

The room fell silent once more.

Back at the beach…

Steven worked quickly to pack up his backpack and prepare to leave. He didn't want to linger and risk encountering an unknown gem. The lone boy remembered his last excursion to the island, and the encounter with an invisible gem creature.

"That was fun," he commented to no one in particular. "It'd be great if Lars and Sadie were here. We had a lot of fun last time."

By the time he was ready to leave, the sun had climbed above the horizon. Slinging his cheeseburger backpack over his shoulder, Steven stood and walked back into the jungle. He slowly advanced through the overgrowth, listening to the distant chirp of birds. Continuing through the dense jungle, he took the time to enjoy the serenity of nature. However, his pilgrimage was halted as quickly as it had begun.

The young gem stopped and listened. All at once, the ambience of the island had changed. The birds had fallen silent, leaving the wind alone to continue its quiet chorus. Listening carefully, Steven heard the sounds of something rapidly approaching through the foliage. He quickly found a rock and ducked behind it, keeping silent to avoid detection. A mysterious being emerged from the dense undergrowth and stopped abruptly.

"Steven!" the mysterious being called out. He immediately recognized the voice.

"Garnet?" Steven whispered under his breathe. He wanted desperately to answer her call and see the gems again, but resisted the urge.

"Steven?" the gem leader called again. "Where are you? You know I can sense you. Come on out." The concealed boy heard footsteps as the she began to approach his hiding spot. He pressed against the stone and closed his eyes, his heart beating like a drum. Suddenly, a noise came from the foliage. He heard the approaching gem halt her advance. After a few tense moments, she dashed off in the direction of the noise. Steven waited for several seconds before deciding that the coast was clear. Emerging from his hiding spot, he dashed in the direction of the warp pad. He dodged branches and jumped over roots, praying that Garnet wouldn't catch up to him. He frantically tried to think of where to escape to. A branch whipped across his shoulder, causing him to stumble. He regained momentum and continued running. Suddenly, he realized his next destination. Much to the young gem's relief, he reached the warp pad. He jumped onto the magical platform and escaped in a flash of light.

Emerging from the warp, he looked around the barren landscape around him. His gaze fixed on the massive cave entrance before him. Steven took a step back, debating whether or not to enter the ominous cavern. Steeling his resolve, the weary gem advanced slowly into the gaping stone maw. As he continued forward, the light from the entrance faded from view. Stopping, he stumbled around in the gloom until his hand made contact with a wall. Setting his backpack down, Steven unzipped a pocket and pulled out the mysterious gem artifact. The pyramid's light cast an eerie glow through the subterranean chamber. Placing it on the stone floor, Steven continued to rummage through his pack until he produced a first-aid kit, quickly treating the painful gash across his shoulder. After replacing the kit, he zipped up the satchel, picked up the artifact, and journeyed into the murky depths of the cave. His trek winded through numerous chambers and tunnels as he descended further into the unknown. The apprehensive boy remained vigilant as he navigated the seeming endless maze of stone, his expedition lit by the artifact and the numerous crystals which littered the cavern. Finally, Steven emerged from a tunnel to find he had reached his destination.

Holding the artifact in the air, he examined the countless bodies strewn across the subterranean crypt. The shards of destroyed gems glimmered in the light, as if themselves drawn to the pyramid's allure. Steven swallowed his fear and entered the forgotten tomb. As he continued into the grim chamber, he watched the artifact pulsate in his hands. Contrary to his expectations, the rhythmic pulsations continued evenly. A crunching sound drew his attention to the ground. The young gem lifted his foot to find the remnants of a skeleton's jaw scattered on the stone.

"Sorry," he said nervously. The skeleton's vacant gaze remained fixed on the small intruder. Shivering, Steven continued onward. As he journeyed into the cavern, the light of the crystals seemed to dim, basking the tomb in an unholy darkness. Suddenly, something caught the young gem's attention. In the meager illumination, he made out what appeared to be an entrance to another tunnel at the far end of the chamber. Watching his step, the curious half-gem made his way across the silent catacomb. As he was about to reach the tunnel entrance, the floor underneath him began to crack.

"Whoa! Whoooaaaa!" he exclaimed.

The stone gave way, sending the surprised child plummeting into the darkness.

A word from the author:

Hello, everybody!

It's been a while since I last checked in. I haven't had the chance to thank you all, my awesome readers, for your support of this sequel. I wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone who provided feedback and reviews so far, and especially everyone who favorited and followed. Be sure to stay tuned; things are about to get exciting+…

-Lotus