Days passed, and the house was already as good as new. Although, to be honest, they remodeled my room a bit—the one most affected by the disaster. Thank God for bringing me here, the television was still in perfect condition. I swear my blood sugar nearly dropped when I saw everything around it was smashed to pieces... but luckily, I'd left the console on top. So, all good.
The kitchen... I thought, glancing at it. Well, that one half survived. At least the floor now had a more elegant finish, and I have to admit I liked it.
The days passed without anything out of the ordinary. I went on one more mission with the girls, but nothing significant: just a mythical bird-like beast, which ended up being defeated with a Pearl spear and an Amethyst whip. Easy, no complications.
That afternoon I was returning, walking toward the teleportation platform. My gaze fell on my mother's door, the one that always generated a mixture of intrigue and anxiety in me.
Open up... I murmured firmly.
The door remained motionless, indifferent to my pleas.
With a sigh, I lifted my shirt to reveal my gem. A bead of sweat trickled down my forehead as I added, "Aren't you going to let me in... or what?"
The gem responded with a small flash.
"Did you shine... or is it just my mind playing tricks on me?" I murmured, staring at the door, which was exactly the same as before.
And so my routine repeated itself: after training, I'd come here, stand in front of the door, and make a fool of myself. Because, to be honest, there was no other word to describe this strange "training."
Finally, I decided to stop insisting. With a resigned sigh, I turned on my heels and left the beach house.
I walked toward the beach in my flip-flops, because there was no way I'd wear sneakers in a place like this. Although, come to think of it, couldn't the Gems invent some kind of custom footwear to keep sand from getting stuck between their toes? My mind wandered with these absurd ideas that, as often, led nowhere. But they still kept me entertained.
Looking ahead, I was pleasantly surprised to see someone. It wasn't unusual to find people on the beach, although today it was particularly empty; only that one person remained. What really caught my attention was that I recognized the girl. Looking at her more closely, how could I not? It was Connie. She was on the beach wearing a light dress that highlighted her cuteness even more, and it made me blush a little.
I immediately thought of what I remembered from the series, of that bright circle. Should I bring it to her? I wondered. Without realizing it, my feet had already carried me back to the house. I found myself staring at the cooler, and I didn't know when I'd gotten there. I shrugged, picked up the ribbon, or whatever it was called, and put it in my pocket before calmly walking back to the beach.
As I approached her, Connie noticed my presence and greeted me politely. I continued walking straight toward her. There was something in her expression that made me stop for a moment; I could tell she was a little nervous. It wasn't a problem for me, but right at that moment...
A rock fell from above, carelessly dropped by the same kids Lars always wanted to hang out with. After dropping it, they continued on their way, not thinking about what they'd done. I didn't think much of it at first, but then I looked at Connie. She was the first to notice the shadow cast over her body as the rock descended rapidly toward her. I ran without thinking, faster than I had ever run before, and with an instinctive movement, I summoned my bubble. The impact resonated as the rock hit the surface of the sphere, stopping above it. Connie had been saved for just an instant. The girl was terrified, her breathing labored and her eyes wide open, though she tried to regain her composure by clumsily adjusting her glasses. Even so, the tension in her trembling hands was noticeable. She murmured a timid, "Uh... hello, thank you very much," accompanying her words with a small bow.
I looked at her, still disoriented. I couldn't remember ever running so fast, not even during the missions with the gems. "Hello," I said, my voice a little tired, "are you okay?" She took a deep breath, slowly recovering, and answered more calmly. "Yes, I'm fine. Again, thank you very much for saving me."
I smiled at her, and noticed her face flush a little. "My name is Steven, Steven Universe. What's yours?" She blinked, snapped out of her daze, and answered firmly. "Connie, Connie Maheswaran. Nice to meet you," she added with a shy smile that brightened with each word.
We were silent for a few seconds, until she looked around with some intrigue and asked if I minded explaining what we were trapped in. Ah... yes, I replied, a bead of sweat running down my temple. It's my bubble, a very resilient bubble, I clarified, remembering that in the series I'd even managed to descend to the depths of the sea, withstanding pressures capable of destroying anything.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I looked directly at her and noticed Connie staring at me with eyes so wide that I swore for a moment she'd need my healing saliva to return them to normal size. Her pupils shone with fascination, and in a voice full of emotion, she said I was magical, that I could do incredible things, and asked me what else I was capable of.
I was slightly startled by her enthusiasm, and the bubble immediately disappeared, making her step back to regain her composure. She cleared her throat and, with a firm posture that barely concealed the curiosity consuming her insides, added that she just wanted to know if it was possible. I noticed how she was holding back, like a champion, the urge to ask more questions.
"Well..." I murmured, reaching out to summon the shield. The gem's glow lit the air for a moment, and then the solid object appeared before us. Connie, wide-eyed, approached almost immediately and touched it carefully, as if afraid it might crumble at any moment.
"Is it... made of light?" she asked in amazement.
"Yes," I replied with a bead of sweat on my forehead. "It's some kind of reflection of the light projected by my gem in its physical state... or something like that," I improvised as I watched her circle the shield with admiring steps.
"Can you let go?" she asked in a curious voice.
I nodded and untangled it from my hand, placing it in her arms. Connie marveled, examining every inch of its surface as if it were a lost relic from the age of the dinosaurs. Honestly, when I thought about it, my shield wasn't that bad.
Lost in my thoughts, I watched her try to imitate me, lifting it as if she wanted to hold it in the air like I was. However, the weight overcame her, and the shield fell from her hands. "Oops, sorry," she muttered quickly, embarrassed.
"Don't worry," I replied with a smile. "You can drop the shield as many times as you want; it's almost unbreakable."
Her eyes widened, surprised by this information, and she immediately asked with contagious enthusiasm if she could throw it. "Sure," I said, pointing to the rock that had nearly crushed her just a few minutes ago.
She picked up the shield with a childish twinkle in her eye and began to throw it as if it were a newly discovered toy. She spun it, caught it, dropped it, and picked it up again, giggling softly each time she held it. In my thoughts, all I could wonder was when this had all turned into an impromptu shield class. Well, what we call classes these days... ha, I thought with a touch of irony as I stared at that scene.
Suddenly, I realized something. Amidst all the distractions, I had never asked her why she was there. I snapped out of my thoughts just as she approached me again and seized the opportunity. Perfect, I thought, and quickly blurted out the question. So, Connie, what are you doing here? This beach is too lonely for you to be lonely.
She froze for a few seconds, as if my words had surprised her, but she reacted quickly. "Well," she said, a little nervously, "I like the sea." Her gaze shifted to the waves lapping at the shore, and her voice softened. "I like it, but I haven't been able to... and I don't think I'll ever be able to reach the bottom. It's so beautiful what's hidden down there, all that nature..."
She began to speak enthusiastically, mentioning facts and details I actually already knew, but the passion in her voice made her seem different, like someone who truly meant what she was saying. I, for one, remained thoughtful. Speaking of seeing the sea... I muttered to myself, I should take advantage of this opportunity. I'll make a friend and look at the sea while I'm at it. You're clever, Steven, very clever," I mentally congratulated myself, even though I was probably grinning like a fool.
She continued talking for a while longer, but finally gave me back the shield. I let it fade, as if the glow had faded along with the conversation. Connie tensed as she watched him disappear, but noticing that I remained calm, she relaxed too, smiling at me somewhat shyly.
I walked a little closer to her and, with a genuine smile, asked if she wanted to go to the ocean. Connie stared at me for a few seconds, seeming surprised, even confused. "Uh..." she mumbled, not knowing what to say. "Well, you know, I can take you to the ocean in my bubble. It's very sturdy, you know," I added lightly to break the tension. She hesitated for a few moments, as if assessing the situation. "Think of it as a trip with friends, what do you think?" I said, extending my hand.
Connie looked down at my hand and murmured something about friends with a mixture of hesitation and shyness. Finally, almost without realizing it, she took it. In that instant, I summoned my bubble and circled it around us. "Okay," I said calmly, "you have to walk beside me." She nodded, and we slowly began to wade into the ocean.
Connie was a little scared at first; her steps were unsteady and her breathing a little faster. But as she watched me walk calmly inside the bubble, she began to think that maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. Well, if he kills me, he'll die too, she thought, but at that same instant, her eyes flew open. Why did I agree so easily? My God, my mother is going to kill me. By the time she realized, we were already far from the seashore.
I agreed to go out with a stranger, she repeated to herself in her mind. A damned outing... now there are only two options: either I get kidnapped or I have a friend. She glanced at Steven, who was walking with his hands in the gaps in his jacket, calm, as if he weren't doing anything out of the ordinary. He even raised his hand to wave at a fishing boat passing by, where a pale man was proudly showing off his net full of fish. Connie took a deep breath; her heart was still racing, but something inside her calmed down. Well, maybe he's a friend, she thought. Her first friend. And that thought brought a shy but genuine smile to his face.
End of Chapter 8.