Chapter 10 - Eventful Morning

It was a frightful sleep Pearl endured, full of pain and bloodshed. She was constantly running in her nightmare, something was chasing her down with murderous intent. A beast driven into a frenzy. She sprinted by mutilated corpses and uncontrollable flames, blood and guts, screaming metal and shuddering pipes.
Pearl tried to look back but only got herself impaled by sharp metal. She looked down as she gasped at the pain, her leg was hanging by only a few tendons and ligaments. She couldn't move it anymore, it was just a lump of meat now.

She couldn't run anymore.

Pearl shivered and tears welled up as the thing got closer. Desperately, she tried to push herself up from the wreckage but she was too weak.
'Nothing is making sense. What's going on?!'

Pearl closed her eyes with a whimper, awaiting death...

She woke up in cold sweat and jumped when she felt something move beside her. Whatever it was, she couldn't move and she was terrified of opening her eyes. She doesn't want to know what it was. She doesn't want to know the truth. Pearl tried to get away but the thing had her restrained and she clenched her jaw.
'I don't want to die like this!' With all previous logic out the window, she opens her eyes and...

...It was only Lapis...

Hugging her closely, protectively even. Pearl slowly breathed out and calmed herself down as she remembered the previous night's event and watched the gentle breathing of the girl in her arms.

"Only a dream..." Pearl silently mumbled to herself and smiled. Lapis made a sound at that and the taller girl instantly tensed, Pearl watched Lapis lazily rub her arm as if to soothe her. 'Had she been doing that the whole night?' The dancer blushed. She was rather taken aback at how the shorter girl even managed to react when she was asleep. 'Is she awake? She must be, or perhaps she's not fully awake... Is she faking it?' Pearl picked up Lapis's arm gently with little resistance, it was limp in her grasp and there was no reaction from the girl.
'She's definitely asleep...'

The dancer shifted slightly and watched Lapis's peaceful expression. It was nice seeing her like this, calm and safe. It was almost as nice as seeing her smile. 'I wonder what she is dreaming about...' Pearl brushed a wisp of bothersome hair out the way, it was soft and tameable unlike some people she knew...

It was at this point were Pearl slapped herself at how weird she was and pried herself off the sleeping girl. She wasn't as elegant as she would have liked as once she had successfully managed to sit up, Lapis yawned and blinked a few times.

"Morning," Lapis said to her with a slight smile,

"Good morning," Pearl replied with a slight blush. She wanted to say something before Lapis said anything, a 'thank you' at least, but all she managed to get out was "Have you ever ate anything before?"

She regretted everything... 'What am I?! An idiot?! How on earth is she alive if she hasn't eaten anythin-'

"No."

"Huh?" Pearl stared at her,

"I have never 'ate' anything before," Lapis repeated, "All I remember is..." She hesitated,

"N-No it's fine!" Pearl instantly said, "what I wanted to ask was if you want to try or... well..."

"I'm okay," Lapis smiled slightly, "but I would like some of that drink you gave me yesterday."

"The tea?"

"Yes."

Pearl smiled brightly, the pride she had in her ability to make tea was something she would never lose "then I'll make you some."

Standing up from the bed, they both headed downstairs and Pearl found the surprising sight of Amethyst sitting up and trapped in a cocoon of blankets.

"Amethyst?" Pearl walked up to her, "You okay?" She put a hand on the shell, a flash of the past hit her as she remembered what Amethyst was like when… 'when Rose died.'

"Wazzat?" Amethyst snored and lifted her head, Pearl sighed in relief. False alarm.

"It's morning, get up." Pearl said bluntly as she headed to the kitchen and grabbed some ingredients for breakfast. 'Pancakes and coffee for Amethyst and just tea for me and Lapis.' She hummed, but when she tried opening the cabinet that contained coffee she was met with resistance. The cabinet wouldn't open like the rest.
'I've stressed about everything lately, but I'm not going to waste time with this.' Pearl sighed, Amethyst will have to go without any hot beverage. 'and I'm alright with that.' The taller girl grinned slightly, the smell of coffee gives her a headache.

Amethyst soon snapped awake when she smelt syrup, 'like usual' "making breakfast Pearl?"

"Yes." Pearl measured the ingredients with immense precision and added them to a moderately sized bowl.

Amethyst smiled and bolted for the bottle of the sweet topping.

"I just started, wait until I actually have made something to eat." Pearl sighed as she put the ingredients in new places out of Amethysts reach, the short girl groaned in protest and sat down onto the couch where Lapis was sitting.

Pearl could hear their conversation faintly, Amethyst asked if anything happened and Lapis denied. Thankfully Lapis never told her anything about Pearl's problems and insecurities, that gave her something less to think about as Pearl continued mixing the batter and making pancakes.

"Oh! I seen a ghost last night!" 'and here's something else to think about' Pearl groaned internally,

"Really? a ghost?" Lapis humoured her as she stood up and walked to the counter with Amethyst.

"It was a girl in a hoodie!" Amethyst continued, the little hint of a smile on Lapis dropped instantly, "she was short! shorter than me! and she spoke to a weird light..." Pearl then placed the food in front of Amethyst and cups of tea on the counter "Thanks Pearl!" Amethyst added.

Pearl and Lapis traded looks as Amethyst began to scarf down her breakfast, she had lost interest for now and it's best not to act suspicious. But when you're still sharing concerned glances whilst drinking tea, someone is bound to notice.

"You two are hiding something…" She grumbled.

This conversation could change into Anything at Any moment, Pearl sweated at the variables. She could ask about the ghost, Lapis, the relationship with Lapis, last night, today… The list went on and on.

"What?" Pearl nervously asked, glancing at the panel at the back again and then to Lapis. "I thought I told you everything yesterday."

"Yeah but..." Amethyst went silent and turned to the panel, "Where does the panel go?"

"The… Basement?" Lapis responded, giving a glance to Pearl,

"Hmmm…" Amethyst hummed,

She abruptly stood up and walked over to the panel and bent down. Pearl was nervous, but there was no way she could open the panel because the key was locked in a drawer in her room.

'Right?'

Her heart dropped when Amethyst opened the panel and uncovered the sealed space.

Lapis backed away slightly and hid behind Pearl, "It's… unlocked?" Pearl gasped,

"You put the key away… How is it open?" Lapis added to her thoughts,

Amethyst quickly ran passed them and grabbed her phone, "Your secrets will never stay hidden Pearl!" Amethyst laughed and dashed to the basement. 'She doesn't know what she's getting herself into!'. Pearl was quick on her feet and was blocking the path, she was going to close the panel again but Amethyst was stopping her from doing so.

"Wha- Why are you getting in the way?" Amethyst grins as she tries to pry open the panel.

"Why are you snooping around the house?" Pearl retorts as she painfully kept the panel down with her injured arm.

"Is your 'dark' secret that bad?" Amethyst chuckled, "do you have like a dungeon or something? a hidden room? Haha! I never knew you had secrets Pearl!"

"You'd be surprised!"

Standing well away from the panel, Lapis watched them fight over it. Pearl never wanted her to get involved anyway, but as she got distracted by her she was pushed aside by Amethyst and the short girl vaulted down into the basement.

"Hidden rooms here I come!" Amethyst laughed,

Lapis helped Pearl onto her feet and they looked at the basement opening. Pearl sighed.

"Can we just lock her in there?" She looked at Lapis, who shook her head silently. "fine… I'll go get her…" she sighed,
Pearl grabbed a torch and pointed it into the basement, she then turned back to look at the other girl. She was nervous and pale. "Lapis, I want you to wait here." She nodded and stood firmly at the entrance of the basement. Frozen in place.

Pearl was not happy about going back into this basement, she swore that she would not come back in here and yet now she was searching for Amethyst. She shivered at the coldness, and looked around the dark basement, ' I should have at least put on a hoodie or sweater for this.' Pearl wrapped her arms around her bare shoulders, they were vulnerable to just about anything. Looking back, Lapis was still at the entrance looking in, at least she doesn't have to worry about her following inside.

Curiosity told Pearl to look at the crack in the wall, but then again curiosity killed the cat and she wasn't going to go anywhere near that opening. Pearl grumbled when she realised that the crack is exactly the place where Amethyst would go into, with a breath Pearl approached the hole and found her short friend peeking inside.

"Are you done poking into things you weren't meant to?" Pearl sighs,

Amethyst turns in surprise and then grins slightly, "You where hiding this weren't you?" Pearl grumbles slightly at this but did not reply, "where does it go?"

"You don't want to know," Pearl mumbled and put a hand on Amethysts shoulder, pulling her away from that place,

"I think I do." Amethyst pulls away from Pearl's grip. Her childish curiosity was, at times like these, irritating to the point of harm. Watching Amethyst trying to get in there, the crumbling of brickwork hitting the floor, it all got a little too much.

"Don't!" Pearl cries out as Amethyst tried to squeeze inside, she jumped slightly. "It's not safe…" Pearl regained control of herself,

Amethyst looked at Pearl for a moment, even in the darkness she could see the shorter girl's sudden concern.

Amethyst was about to reply when they heard a loud thud and the creaking of metal. They rushed back to the stairs and found Lapis hissing in pain at the bottom.

"Lapis!" Pearl dropped to her knees and skid to the cowering girl,

"P-Pearl!" She whimpered and wrapped her arms around the tall girl, burying her face into Pearl's bare shoulder, "s-something pushed me!"

"Or you could have fallen down," Amethyst commented and that earned her a scowl from Pearl.

"I'm here, nothing will happen to you…" Pearl said as she rubbed her back. The fencer watched as Lapis paled, her gaze solely focused on the crack in the wall, "let's get you out of here."

Pearl wrapped an arm around Lapis's shoulders and the other arm hooked under her legs, she felt Lapis grunt in pain, clearly she was holding back a yelp. It startled the dancer and she also paled once she felt something warm run down her arm.

Trying to stay calm, Pearl gently picked her up and rushed up the stairs. The tall girl assumed that Amethyst soon caught on once she seen the red blood on the floor.

"Amethyst, get a towel or sheet now." Pearl held Lapis close, an attempt to stop the bleeding. The short girl rushed around frantically, the mess she made could wait.
Lapis still had her head buried into Pearl's neck and she whimpered quietly. 'Why is she bleeding?' The taller girl glimpsed at the large cuts on her arms and the gash she had in her thigh, she felt some blood soaking into her shirt and barely felt another big gash in her side. Some blood was dripping onto the floor and the last thing Pearl needed was blood stains on her couch.

"Just keep breathing." Pearl felt as if she said this before, "It'll be fine."

Lapis weakly nodded her head.