Chapter Nineteen: Bottled Water
It was Monday, June 19th, and there was a heavy scent of something burnt in the air.
It was probably just the coffee.
"Oh for fuck's sake!" Ruby screamed, throwing her hands to the air. Sapphire stood beside her, trying to calm her down, urging her not to cause a scene. Again.
To the side, Garnet watched them with apprehension. She had been feeling a familiar tightness in her shoulders all morning, the same one she'd feel whenever she was angry about something...
She just wasn't sure what she had been so angry about.
"You look tense, Garnet," Bismuth quipped, punching her in the shoulder. "But then, maybe it's none of my bismuth, eh?"
Garnet groaned and rolled her eyes. Affectionately, of course. It was hard to stay angry about anything, with Bismuth making bad jokes at every opportunity.
Everything is fine
"It's probably nothing," Garnet replied. Because it was the truth.
Her family was fine. Everyone was happily hanging out in the lovely Slow Roast Cafe, as usual. Steven and Connie were leaning against each other, sound asleep on the couch. Pearl and Amethyst had finally stopped fighting and were talking amiably again. Rose was defusing the situation between Ruby and Sapphire. A terrified Peridot desperately clutched at Lapis's arm. And Bismuth was here with her.
Everything Is Fine
Garnet paused. One of these was not like the others. Her gaze slowly backtracked to where Peridot and Lapis stood.
Lapis was glaring at Garnet's direction. No, at the person beside Garnet.
Bismuth.
eVeRyThinG is fiNe
"YOU!" Lapis growled, her eyes turning dark and mirror-like, her hair tousling as if blown by an unfeelable wind. She yanked her arm out of Peridot's grasp and raised it high above her head, summoning all the power of the Earth's oceans to her bidding.
From the other side of the cafe, Connie yelped, startled awake. A drinks bottle flew from her hand. It soared through the air and knocked Bismuth squarely in the face.
Everything went dark.