A few days have passed, and after that confrontation, everything has been relatively calm, as far as that word goes. However, that battle taught me something I'd been carrying around for a while: Amethyst and Pearl don't get along, and although it's obvious, I hadn't wanted to notice. I was so busy thinking about myself that I didn't realize that those around me are also suffering.
I tried to talk to them several times. Well, actually, I did manage to get close, but they always avoided the topic like it was poison. One afternoon, for example, I approached Amethyst. "Hello Amethyst," I greeted her calmly. She responded with a simple gesture while she continued eating. "Hey, I want to talk to you, something important."
She looked up, a little curious, and asked, "About what?"
"Pearl," I answered bluntly.
The change was immediate: Amethyst tensed up as if she'd bitten into a whole lemon. Hey Stevo, I just remembered I have to do something... well, um... I'll be right back, she said hurriedly before disappearing into her room. I stood there, blank-faced, sighing.
As I walked toward the door, continuing my routine fight against boredom, I was surprised to see the three of them come out at the same time. Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst looked at me with a "what are you up to" look on their faces. I, who had been relaxed seconds before, suddenly tensed up. "Uh... I'm training, is there a problem?" I replied nervously.
They watched me in silence for a moment until Garnet adjusted her glasses and spoke in her firm voice. "So, Steven, you have a mission."
"Do I have one?" I asked, puzzled.
"You do," she repeated, giving me no room to reply. "And it will be with Pearl and Amethyst."
"How convenient," I thought in my head.
"And you?" I asked, hoping she would at least join us.
Garnet stared at me and adjusted her glasses again. "I have a solo mission. So take care of yourselves," she said before disappearing into the portal without giving me a chance to open my mouth. The portal's buzzing faded, and the three of us remained wrapped in an awkward silence.
I looked at them with a nervous smile. "Um... will any of you tell me what we're going to do?"
They looked at me, then at each other, but then looked away as if eye contact hurt. Finally, it was Pearl who spoke. Adjusting her voice elegantly, she said firmly, "Okay, Steven, what we're going to do is retrieve a scarab from the Magic Tower."
That's two, but Garnet already has one... I think, Pearl would say now with some hesitation in her voice. I looked at her while Amethyst, with her carefree attitude and just to break the tension, hurriedly said, "We're going, we're going," and dragged me by the arm to quickly leave, leaving Pearl behind. The latter would just shake her head, frustrated by Amethyst's childish behavior.
Eventually, the three of us would reach the tower. What's it called? I have no idea. Garnet didn't tell me, and with the tension between the two of them, I was embarrassed to ask. So we just kept moving. The place was strange, with rocks floating in the air that we had to avoid by jumping or ducking. The atmosphere was magical, but what was weighing on me the most was the noise behind me: Pearl and Amethyst arguing nonstop.
I'm patient, much more so than I let on, and I try to keep an open mind. But listening to them without Garnet around to balance them was like having two hammers hitting my head over and over again. I stopped dead in my tracks, but neither of them noticed; they kept walking and arguing.
Come on, Pearl, you can't take that joke seriously, Amethyst complained.
Joke? You call coming into my room and changing all my swords a joke? I spent days looking for them. Do you know how frustrating that was? No, of course not, because you're not organized, Pearl retorted, her tone growing increasingly tense.
I'm not organized, Amethyst repeated indignantly. I'm organized in my own way. If you come into my room, you have no idea where my things are, but I do. Yours is predictable; mine is more freewheeling.
The two of them continued walking and arguing, unaware that I was watching them from behind with a mixture of concern and exhaustion. They'd calmed down a bit compared to other times, but I'd even heard them insult each other by mentioning my mother, and that... that hurt and made no sense.
With a mental sweat, I continued walking behind them, without interrupting, even though the knot in my stomach grew tighter.
Amethyst, shut up, you're stressing me out more than I already am, Pearl snapped.
Stress you out? Of course, it's always me to blame, isn't it? It always has to be my problems. Don't you ever think that you're to blame too? Amethyst retorted, raising her voice.
Suddenly, Pearl stopped and frowned. "What... are you doing?" she said softly, realizing something was wrong.
Looking ahead, she noticed I was no longer with them. Her face changed instantly.
Oh no, she muttered nervously.
Amethyst tensed too, though she tried to hide it.
"Where's Steven?" Pearl cried, already panicking. Her eyes darted around desperately. "Where's my baby?" she exclaimed, searching everywhere.
I, completely oblivious to the chaos that had been left behind, continued calmly climbing the tower stairs, unaware of what was happening below or the emotional storm that was about to break loose.
They were terrified, searching everywhere, even screaming desperately. I, at my most schizophrenic, was thinking about a thousand different things; on this astral plane, I wasn't fully present, so you can imagine how scared they were. Pearl screamed at Amethyst, her voice cracking with anguish. Amethyst, it's your fault we lost Steven. It's my fault," Amethyst exclaimed, completely confused. "How can this be my fault?" Because we were arguing with you, we lost Steven now. I don't know where he is. He's probably alone, terrified. Oh my God, is he hungry? Pearl repeated, her nerves on edge.
Amethyst looked at her in shock, not only because Pearl was blaming her for Steven's disappearance, but also because of all the possible consequences that were running through her head. Dying of hunger sounded exaggerated, but the thoughts were there, like poisoned needles. How can that be my fault? Amethyst countered mentally. You were arguing too, and on top of that, I was the one who noticed first. You were the one ranting at me, and now you want to blame me. If it weren't for me and I didn't react, you wouldn't even notice he was missing. It even seems like I care more about him; it doesn't seem like you're the one calling him "baby," Amethyst thought, venom in her gut.
Pearl froze. She knew Amethyst was right, but out of pride, she wouldn't let him know. So, the two of them spent about five minutes talking even more about who was to blame instead of looking for Steven. Steven was already arriving and was listening to two monkeys arguing over who was right. She looked to the side and, in a nearby tree, saw two monkeys actually fighting over a banana. After a while, as they shouted and shoved each other, one of them broke the banana in half so they both had their share. Steven couldn't help but smile, a bead of sweat on his forehead, reminding them of someone.
He stopped thinking too much and his mind calmed. It was thanks to that that he heard the screams getting closer and closer. He quickly started running, walking right into something he had wanted to avoid.
"You're useless," Pearl shouted, her eyes full of rage, her voice echoing like breaking glass. "I know I'm useless," Amethyst replied through tears, her throat cracking with frustration. Do you think I asked to be here? Do you think I asked to be created? Do you think I want to be here with you? No, I didn't want to, I don't have a choice, and I had no choice. The words trailed through the air like invisible blades, leaving both of them breathing heavily, panting as if the weight of the world were falling upon them.
In the midst of that painful silence, they both heard soft footsteps, each one approaching as if it belonged to a ghost. It was Steven. He walked calmly, as if he didn't hear anything, as if the air weren't so heavy. They froze, their gazes lost in space. Did he hear that? they wondered silently, fearing that Steven had heard that fragile and broken side of them.
Steven, with an innocent smile, raised his hands. "Hey, girls, you left me far behind. I was staring at some very interesting monkeys," he said, pointing behind him, his voice trying to ease the tension. "Well, we're still ahead, aren't we?"
With that calmness, Steven walked forward. They looked at each other, took a deep breath, and with a slight snort, began to follow him. This time they didn't take their eyes off him, focused, aware that he had slipped through their fingers earlier. Better not to talk, they thought, as their eyes followed the boy's every step.
Steven felt a drop of cold sweat running down his neck. Why? Because he knew that in the middle of an important mission, it wasn't the time to talk about feelings, much less about open wounds. And even if they could talk, it wouldn't be in the best way. He could take a step to help them, yes. Could I really help them? Possibly. Would they want to be helped by a thirteen-year-old and take his opinion into account? It was fifty-fifty.
In his mind, Steven was clear. In this world, in this version of Steven Universe, he wouldn't follow the same steps. He wouldn't take too many risks in a relationship that might not heal immediately. He would help them, of course he would, but he needed to find a better time to talk. Not when their minds or their gems were so disturbed.
Steven walked around the tower, which for some reason looked quite similar to the one in the water. It was imposing and beautiful, almost majestic in its design, and despite the silence that reigned between the three, the air was thick with tension. Steven, on the other hand, remembered fragments of the series and knew, more or less, what would happen next. This suited him, so he decided to go with the flow.
Suddenly, as if the universe wanted to add a comical touch to the moment, a goat appeared beside him. The three stared at it with absolute seriousness, as if facing an otherworldly threat. Amethyst frowned and exclaimed aloud in surprise that perhaps it was a gem. Steven, without losing his composure, picked it up and replied matter-of-factly that no, it wasn't a gem. It was a normal goat, made of flesh and organic life, he said, rubbing its head as if it were a treasure and holding it carefully to protect it from what was to come.
In the middle of the tower rose a huge dome, an empty space that conveyed mystery. The four, now including the goat, entered slowly. Pearl, always attentive and serious, moved forward to confirm there was no danger. After a few seconds of observation, she declared with some confusion that there was nothing. The place where the small central tower housing the scarab should have been was completely empty.
Amethyst, with her nonchalant and logical manner, commented that the beetle had probably gone for a walk. Pearl couldn't help but snort in frustration, causing Amethyst to raise an annoyed eyebrow. "What's going on?" Amethyst thought, somewhat irritated by Pearl's attitude. Pearl, with a superior air, retorted that it was impossible for a beetle to go for a walk.
Amethyst crossed her arms defiantly, wondering what Pearl was implying. Pearl, with pride in her voice, confidently replied that it must be hiding.
Steven watched them silently, glancing sideways at the goat, which in turn looked at him as if waiting for him to restore order. With a calm smile, he intervened before another verbal fight could break out. "Listen, girls," he said calmly, "what if the beetle has a feeling of familiarity with this place?" What I mean is that perhaps, like beasts or even humans, I can have a sense of belonging to a place I call home. Then, perhaps I should return here of my own free will.
The thought floated through the air like an unexpected spark, momentarily pausing the tension between Pearl and Amethyst.
End of Chapter 10.