By Watching Myself Die

The traffic on the way to Beach City was relatively light. Dr. Maheswaran was thankful that the street was mostly devoid of cars. The day before, the road had been congested, and the trip home had taken her an extra half an hour. On days like this, the drive was actually pleasant. Well, normally it was …

Dr. Maheswaran turned her attention to her daughter, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looking forlornly out the window. Connie hadn't said a word since the pair had gotten into the car. She had stared outside for the duration of the drive, absent-mindedly watching as the world rushed by. Her demeanor at home had been visibly different for the past few days; Dr. Maheswaran and her husband were beginning to worry for their daughter's well-being. Turning her attention back to the road, she let out a sigh before addressing the dejected girl.

"Connie..."

"Yeah?" she replied, not bothering to turn her head. Dr. Maheswaran paused for a second before continuing.

"I'm sorry. I know this must be hard for you."

Connie didn't respond. A look of concern came to her mother's face.

"You've been acting…odd these past few days. Your father and I are worried about you. If you need to talk to someone about this, we can…"

"I'm fine," Connie interjected despondently, her gaze remaining on the scenery as it flew by. Her mom let out another sigh.

"…well, just know we're here for you if you need anything."

Once again, Connie failed to acknowledge her.

After driving for another few minutes, the pair finally reached the outskirts of Beach City. As they began to venture into the town, Connie seemed to become increasingly uncomfortable. Finally, the young girl turned to her mother and spoke up.

"Let me get out." Her mother opened her mouth to scold her daughter for her lack of decorum, but caught herself. Her expression softened.

"Are you sure? I can…"

"I'll just walk from here," Connie asserted, unbuckling her seat belt and opening her door. Not waiting for a response, Connie stepped out of the vehicle. The young girl stood for a minute, watching as her mom's car faded into the distance. Finally, she took a deep breath and started her journey to the beach.

As Connie walked, she thought about what her mother had said to her. She didn't understand why they were so upset. The troubled girl knew that her behavior had been less than stellar the past few days, but who could blame her. After everything that had happened, Connie would have expected her mother and father to understand. She would have never imagined that something so catastrophic could occur. The weary girl briefly wondered if she actually did need to go get some help…

Finally, Connie reached the boardwalk and stopped to catch her breath. Looking around, she realized that most of the shops along the boardwalk were closed. Connie couldn't help but feel unnerved by the unnatural ambience. The usually busy boardwalk was entirely silent, save the occasional sound of a seagull and the strong ocean breeze. The town felt as it did when Connie had found it just after the attack. She stopped for a second, letting the cool wind blow through her hair as she looked around for signs of her friends. After searching for a few seconds, she spotted someone across the street. Quickly making sure no cars were coming, Connie crossed the street and approached the stranger. The individual looked down at her and gave a small smile.

"Oh hello. You're…Connie, right?" Connie forced a fake smile.

"Mm-hmm. And you're Jamie." she responded.

"Indeed I am," the young man responded. "You were Steven's friend. I remember meeting you at his house." Connie's expression darkened. Jamie noticed the shift in the young girl's demeanor, and a pitying look came to his face.

"Is that why you're here?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah," Connie replied disconsolately, looking down at the ground.

"I'm sorry," Jamie said. He paused for a second "…you know, he was a really good actor." Connie's didn't react to the well-meant comment.

"Well," Jamie continued, "I have to get going. I guess I'll see you in a little bit. Bye."

"Goodbye," Connie replied, watching as Jamie continued down the boardwalk. After a few seconds, Connie took a breath and continued her journey. As the young girl made her way along the boardwalk, she encountered many more residents. They collectively seemed distraught, plagued by the unspoken truth that hung over the seaside community. Connie could feel the tension in the air. Though repairs to the buildings and roads had been mostly completed, she knew that Beach City wouldn't ever be the same. Noticing Greg's car wash across the street from her, Connie stopped. The weary girl trudged to the entrance of the wash and paused, debating whether or not to go inside.

As she was about to enter the building, Connie heard a faint noise coming from the car wash tunnel. Turning, Connie slowly made her way to the entrance and peered inside. She found Greg sitting with his back to the wall, strumming a lethargic tune on his guitar. He turned towards Connie, and his red eyes widened. She could tell he had been crying. Greg quickly put down his instrument and wiped his eyes.

"Oh, hello Connie," he said sadly, looking up at the worried girl. "How are you holding up?"

"Hey." Connie replied, trying her best to seem alright. "I'm…okay. You?" Greg sighed deeply, picked up his guitar, and continued to pluck away at the strings. Connie walked over and sat down next to him, listening to the melancholy refrain as it echoed through the tunnel.

"It's been hard," Greg finally answered. "It just doesn't feel right. Beach City seems off. Everyone seems different. I know that's it probably just me, but…"

"No, I feel the same way," Connie said, trying to console Greg to the best of her ability. The pair sat quietly for a few minutes, listening to the twang of the guitar strings. Finally, Greg stopped playing, causing Connie to look over at him. She could see the tears forming in his eyes.

"I shouldn't have let him go," Greg choked out. "I should have told him to evacuate with the rest of us. Maybe he would still be…"

"No, it's not your fault," Connie interrupted. "He did what he had to do. There's no telling whether or not you would have been able to escape without him."

Greg stared at her with tear-filled eyes, unsure of what to say. After a minute, he managed a half-hearted smile. Putting his guitar down and wiping his eyes, Greg took a deep breath.

"Maybe you're right. He would be glad that we're all safe." Connie gave a small nod in agreement. The pair sat for another minute before Greg spoke again.

"Almost everyone in town will be there. I'm just glad to see everyone supporting one another through this.

Connie acknowledged him silently, looking down at his guitar. Greg followed her gaze, picked up his beloved instrument, and began to play a slightly more upbeat tune.

"Have you seen the gems?" Connie inquired. Greg thought for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"No, I haven't. They're probably at the temple. You should probably go see what they're up to.

Connie stopped to process his request before nodding. Quickly getting up, the reinvigorated girl turned and exited the wash tunnel. Quickly looking for any sign of the gems, Connie began to walk briskly in the direction of the temple. As she grew closer to her destination, Connie could see the progress made by the residents in repairing the town. All of the tents had been deconstructed entirely; the beach looked as it did before the attack. Many of the shops had been fully repaired. The only structure which remained destroyed was Steven's house. Though the rubble had been cleared, no one had bothered to reconstruct the beach house. The entrance to the temple was clearly visible, even from the other end of the beach.

When Connie finally arrived at her destination, she walked up to the magical door and knocked repeatedly.

"Garnet! Pearl! Amethyst! Anyone home?" she called. After a minute, Connie decided to look elsewhere. As she was about to leave, a voice from behind startled her.

"Yo, Connie."

The surprised girl turned to find Amethyst standing in the magical entrance to the temple. The purple warrior stepped away from the door and looked around for a second before speaking again.

"Good to see ya. How've you been?"

"Alright," Connie replied half-heartedly, looking around the ancient entrance. "Have you seen Garnet or Pearl? It's starting soon." Amethyst's half-hearted grin faded.

"Pearl's still in her room. She's been in there since we heard the news. Out of all of us, she's been taking it the hardest. I don't have any idea where Garnet is, though. She went off somewhere to clear her head."

"Are you doing okay?" Connie asked. Amethyst sighed and looked out at the beach.

"I'm…okay, I guess. It just doesn't feel right. It's weird not having the house here. I'm not used to it being so quiet. Amethyst plopped down at the edge of the entrance, staring out at the shimmering waves crashing against the shore.

"I never thought that this would happen, ya know. I figured the Homeworld gems might come back, but…"

The purple warrior stopped and stood up, watching the residents in the distance. They had begun to gather at the far end of the beach. Amethyst sighed again and looked over at Connie. The young girl noticed the violet warrior looking at her and turned her attention to the beach. She saw the convergence and sighed woefully.

"It'll start in a few minutes," Connie stated. "We should probably get going." Amethyst nodded in agreement, and walked over to the inter-dimensional door. Knocking a few times, she called for Pearl to get out of her room. After waiting silently for a minute, the purple gem shrugged, turned away, and walked back over to Connie.

"C'mon, let's go. Garnet and Pearl will catch up with us." Not waiting for an answer, Amethyst started walking down the beach towards the gathering. Taking one last look at the magical door, Connie turned and began to briskly walk after her.

The pair trekked through the sand, watching as the crowd on the beach grew steadily. Though most of the residents of Beach City were in attendance, the gathering was not excessively large. During the short walk along the beach Connie saw many familiar faces, including several people she had met during the reconstruction of the city. After a bit of walking, the duo encountered Sadie, who was on her way to join the assembly. The blonde gave Connie a half-hearted smile, a gesture which the forlorn girl opted not to return. She just didn't have it in her to smile. Finally, the pair reached the steadily growing group. Turning around, Connie noticed Garnet and Pearl talking to Amethyst. The tormented girl turned her focus forward once again. Wanting to get a better view, Connie began to worm her way through the crowd. After a minute, she finally reached the front. Steven stared at her, an exuberant grin plastered on his face.

Connie looked down at the small photograph in the sand. Several items littered the ground around it: a few candles, several flowers, Steven's charred flip-flop, his novelty backpack, his ukulele…

"They're not Steven's anymore," Connie silently corrected. Feeling herself begin to cry, Connie reached up and touched the crystal necklace she was wearing. Memories flooded her mind, reminding her of why everything felt so different.

Without warning, a voice snapped Connie back to reality. She looked up to see Mayor Dewey addressing the crowd.

"Thank you everyone for coming." He paused briefly, clearing his throat. "We are gathered here today to remember young Steven Universe, who was taken from us before his time…"

Connie stood and listened as Mayor Dewey detailed how Steven was an integral part of Beach City and had sacrificed himself for the greater good. She watched as several of Steven's friends walked up to the memorial and spoke or placed gifts by his picture. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Greg staring at her with a saddened but sympathetic look on his face. He looked at the memorial tearfully before looking down at the mournful girl and motioning for her to go up. Connie stared at the grieving father for a moment before turning and walking to the pile of items in the sand. When she reached the memorial, Connie stopped, trying desperately to hold back tears. Finally, she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Steven…you promised me that you would be careful. That you would stay safe. But you didn't, and now you're…you're…" Unable to finish her sentence, Connie but her face in her hands and began to bawl. Suddenly, the crowd behind her grew unaccountably disquieted. Looking up, Connie slowly turned around and noticed a figure deliberately approaching the group.

The grief-stricken girl's eyes widened, and her heart stopped.