Chapter 11: Nothing to Sneeze At
The next morning, Steven came into his Lapis' bedroom to wake up his sister.
"Good morning, Lapis." the boy said. "Pearl sent me to wake you up. Ready for more genie magic lessons?"
No answer came from the hybrid girl, but Steven could see her shivering like a leaf under the blankets. He came closer and saw that his sister's face was pale with dots of sweat, red hot cheeks and nose, and watery eyes.
"Lapis, what happened?" Steven gasped.
"I'm sick." Lapis answered in a congested voice before going into a fit of wet coughs.
Her genie friends popped their heads in the doorway after hearing the coughing fit.
"Did you say that you're sick?" asked Peridot worriedly. "Genie magic can get unpredictable when genies are sick."
"It's no big deal." the blue-haired hybrid assured her. "I've gotten sick before. This isn't my first rodeo."
"Rodeo?" Spinel raised an eyebrow.
"Lapis, we don't know how sick you really are and neither do you." Pearl argued. "You could have a serious illness for all we know."
"Perhaps we should consult the genie physician to examine her." Garnet suggested.
"Good idea." the pale genie agreed.
"Uh, did anybody even consider how we're going to sneak Lapis to the doctor's through streets that are crawling with outlaws?" Amethyst asked.
"We'll all go together." Bismuth stated. "Criminals usually don't target large groups. But, we still need to keep a low profile."
"Then, let's get moving." Peridot declared.
Garnet led the group, her head peering around the corner to check if the coast was clear.
"Alright, everybody." the magenta genie instructed her friends. "Follow my lead."
The others filed cautiously behind her. They darted into alleyways and behind sale stands in case an unfriendly figure came their way.
Bismuth cradled Lapis in her arms as they went. Steven noticed that the poor girl was shaking harder than before and she was groaning in pain.
"Hang in there a little longer, sis." her big brother urged her. "We're almost there."
After what felt like eternity, the eight friends finally made it to the genie clinic. Pearl knocked on the door rather frantically.
"Fluorite!" she called out anxiously. "Fluorite? Are you in?"
The door opened to reveal a genie who looked older than everybody in the group. She had turquoise colored skin, dark teal eyes, and mint green hair. She wore a loose, translucent teal kimono over a dress made up of a sky blue top and a royal purple skirt that hid her feet.
"Pearl." Fluorite said. "What brings you and your friends to my clinic?"
"Our hybrid friend Lapis is sick." the pale genie answered. "And we're not sure how bad her illness is."
"Bring her inside, quickly." the turquoise genie urged the team. They made absolutely no haste to do so.
Lapis' body was gently laid down on a cot that Fluorite had in her clinic.
"So, how bad is it, doc?" asked Amethyst.
"I'm glad you all brought your friend here so urgently." the medical genie stated. "This is no standard illness, even in our terms. The pathogen in Lapis' system is infused with dark genie magic. The good news is that it's treatable. I just need some time to whip up a pharmaceutical. It might be awhile
"Okay, we'll just watch Lapis until you get back." Garnet stated as Fluorite stepped into another room.
Meanwhile, Jasper had sent three new goons out to capture Lapis. Their names were Hessonite, Pyrope, and Demantoid.
Hessonite was a tall genie with an afro of blonde hair, red and white eyes, and light orange skin. She wore a red orange crop top with mango colored detachable sleeves, gold cuffs, glittering orange harem pants, scarlet sandals, and a red scarf tied around her waist.
Pyrope was roughly the same height as Hessonite. She had violet red skin, magenta eyes, and crimson hair in a perm. She wore a maroon top with pink ruched sleeves, a thin light pink sash, cherry colored baggy harem pants, bright red slippers, and raspberry colored scarves that hung from silver bracelets on her arms.
Demantoid was the shortest of the trio. She had light green skin, dark green hair with a matching unibrow, and bright green eyes. She wore green slippers, a jungle green crop top, gold and green bracelets, and rainforest colored harem pants.
The villainous trio were spying from across the street through the clinic window.
"Come look everyone." Fluorite's voice called out. "The medicine's ready."
Steven and the others filed to join the medical genie in the other room, leaving Lapis alone to rest for just a moment.
"The girl's alone." Hessonite whispered. "We'll never have a better opportunity to snatch her than this."
"Then, let's move now." Demantoid suggested.
The evil trio raced across the street and snuck into the clinic to grab the sleeping hybrid. Pyrope carefully slung Lapis' body over her shoulder as she and her partners made an immediate retreat.
"Kidnappers!" Pearl's voice cried out.
She and the others caught the criminals in the act from the clinic door.
"So much for sneaking out undetected." Pyrope commented.
"It doesn't matter." Demantoid said. "We got what needed. Let's get back to Jasper."
"You're not going anywhere with our friend!" Bismuth bellowed as she sent a burst of magic at the thugs.
The evil trio was knocked to the ground and Lapis was knocked off of Pyrope's shoulder. The poor hybrid girl was left lying helplessly in the middle of the open street.
"Ow!" Pyrope whined, having landed on her bottom. "That really hurt!"
"Imbeciles!" Hessonite barked at her and Demantoid. "Grab the girl and let's go!"
"No way!" Steven roared. "You're not going anywhere with my sister!"
"Maybe you guys should stick around." Demantoid retorted. "Emphasis on the stick."
She snapped her fingers and in a cloud of dark green smoke, a puddle of green slime appeared below the feet of the boy and his friends.
"I can't move!" Garnet struggled. It was just as worse of a battle for everyone else too.
"This is so gross!" Peridot jeered.
"I wish-" Steven attempted to say, but was knocked and pinned down by the others trying to get free.
"Now for the girl." Pyrope proclaimed as she and Demantoid returned to kidnapping the weak half genie.
"Help me!" Lapis said weakly reaching her hand out, her voice barely a whisper.
All of a sudden, Pyrope and Demantoid were about to grab her when they were knocked back by a white blur.
The sick hybrid gazed up and saw a masculine figure fighting off the trio of criminals.
The male stranger wore a large turban, brown boots, white robes, and a matching cape. A white mask covered his face, obscuring his mouth and nose. And, there was also a sword in a holster on his brown belt. Lapis couldn't see his face, so it was hard to tell if he was a genie or a human.
Finally, Demantoid and Pyrope decided that they have had enough.
"You're crazy!" the light red genie cried out. "Let's get out of here, ladies!"
She fled from the scene with her dark comrade close behind.
"Cowards!" Hessonite howled before turning back to the genies still stuck in the slime. "This is not over!"
The bright orange genie followed her two partners back to Jasper's hideaway.
The male rescuer approached a still ailing Lapis and carefully picked her up in a bridal style.
"Who are you?" the genie girl murmured.
The stranger put a finger to his lips and shushed her before saying, "Let's get you somewhere safe."
Lapis was especially close to her savior's chest which felt very warm. It was ironic considering since she was already hot to the touch. In the stranger's hold, the young girl started to nod off with the savior's heartbeat lulling her to sleep.