Morganite was called to speak with Yellow Diamond, and stood before her as she sat upon her throne, surrounded by servants and a gem named Lapis Lazuli on the floor in front of her.

The Queen crossed her slender fingers.

"Peridot told me you have another power, Morganite. I have to say I'm a little disappointed I didn't hear this news from you first."

"I wanted to understand my new ability before coming to you, Ma'am. I apologize for not bringing it to your attention sooner."

"I would very much appreciate it if next time you could let me know immediately. Peridot indicated that you can read minds by touching someone's hand. Is that true?"

"Partially, Ma'am. I can touch any part of their body and know what they're thinking."

Lapis was looking up at Morganite with panic coming into her face. It blossomed out like blood dripping into a glass of water. But the champagne pink gem could not afford to break her gaze away from Yellow Diamond's for too long.

"That's wonderful news. It seems you're getting stronger. Well, I have a task for you. I suspect that Lapis Lazuli here is withholding information. She's going to recount her story and what I want you to do is see if she's telling the absolute truth."

"Of course, Ma'am."

Morganite came to the gem sitting on the floor and took her wrist and placed her light pink fingers around it. The panic was immediate and real enough to nearly shatter the determined face Morganite wore like a heavy mask.

"Don't worry. So long as you tell the truth, everything will be fine."

It won't be fine! It's never been fine! I've been telling the truth, but I'm continuously made to retell my story again and again. They keep me here like a prisoner!

Lapis' brows furrowed and Morganite pulled her arm a little closer and traced it gently with the knuckles of her other hand.

"I know how you're feeling, so let me help you get off the hook."

She began to calm some.

She seems reasonable.

"I try to be. It's nice to meet you, by the way. I'm Morganite."

"I'm Lapis Lazuli. It's nice to meet you."

"So, Lapis. Tell me what happened."

"I was trapped in a mirror on Earth for thousands of years until a human boy came and pulled me out. There were a few other gems there—"

All of this was accompanied by the images in Lapis' memory and all four of them looked familiar. They had similar faces and shapes and voices from the vision Morganite had received from Peridot.

"Are those the same gems that keep breaking the warp pads?"

"Yes, they are."

Don't—Don't think about Steven.

"I see. How did you return home?"

Steven healed my gem and I—

No—!

"I flew back after escaping." But there were so many images of the human boy. He had fixed her broken gem after climbing to the top of her ocean tower. Steven too, seemed to possess certain powers that a normal human child could never have. Lapis attempted to stop thinking about him, but it was a slide show of photos with graphic emotions. They came back stronger each time the owner of those memories tried to hide them away.

Please don't tell them about Steven. He's harmless. If they find out about him, they're going to bring him here and do terrible things to him. I don't want him to get hurt.

I'm begging you, please, keep my secret if only for someone innocent.

"Do you have anything else you need to report, Lapis?"

"No. That was all that happened."

Morganite stood up and looked Yellow Diamond in the face. "She's telling the truth, Madame. There's no reason to keep her here any longer."

There was a very heavy pause. The Queen brought her elegant hand to her lips.

"Are you absolutely sure, Morganite?" Those horrifying eyes were searching around in her soul like a hand dinging through a purse for a tube of lost lipstick.

"Yes ma'am. I am sure. There was nothing she thought about that contradicted her story. As I stated previously, she's telling the truth."

Yellow Diamond leaned back and let out a miniscule sigh. "Thank you, Morganite. You're free to go."

The champagne pink gem bowed, and during this motion she caught Lapis' face. It was full of gratitude she was unable to express due to all of the invisible knives at her back. Morganite wanted to reassure her in some way or another, but she too had a thousand little treacherous daggers pointing into the fabric of her dress.

So she left.

And Lapis was taken away again.