Angel of Yesterday

November 6th, 2015

38 days left

The pain that coursed through my body made me forget what I was feeling before that. Could pain cover up more pain? For me, I would say yes. I wouldn't say it was a beautiful sight, it was a much painful sight to see the blood flow down the whiteness of my skin. However, it made me feel at peace somehow. Just to know that I indeed feel pain, and not everything was numb. I stuck the tool back into it's sock and under my bed. The gems were out on a mission so I was left alone. They never stay gone long though. They were always worried about me, making it hard for them to concentrate on the mission at hand. To find Peridot.

I put pressure on the wound I had inflicted on myself, waiting for the blood flow to stop enough to wrap my leg up. When I was done with that I made sure to dispose of it that the gems couldn't find it. I did it just in time when the gems got back. “That's why I couldn't see us finding Peridot.” Garnet's voice was loud as I watched the gems walk off the warp pad.

Pearl looked guilty and had tears in her eyes, she backed up as Garnet walked up to her angrily. “Wait, I can explain.” She tried to plead with Garnet. What happened on the mission? What did I miss?

“You've been fixing the hub!” Snapped Garnet. I have never seen her this angry before, it was really nerve racking.

Pearl shook her head trying to defend herself, she had her hands raised in the air. “It really was Peridot! T-The first time ...” She stuttered. Wait, Pearl has been fixing the communicator hub, pretending it was Peridot? No wonder Garnet was so pissed with her.

“You tricked me!”

“No! No, no, no, no! We just needed a reason to fuse! I just wanted to share a few more victories with you!” Pearl cried out, she was up against the wall now, she was shaking all over as Garnet got into her face.

“Those weren't victories!” Garnet was practically fuming, as Amethyst got in between the two girls. I knew she wouldn't let anyone talk down to Pearl, even if she was in the wrong.

“Wait, Garnet! You know, we're so much weaker than you! Fusing with you is like our one chance to feel ... stronger! Don't yell at her for something like this.” Amethyst hands were on Garnet's chest trying to push her back.

Garnet slapped Amethyst's hands away. “Don't defend her! Peridot is out there somewhere and Pearl's been distracting us with ... nothing! That in my eyes is not a Crystal Gem.” Ouch that was a hard blow to the face.

“Garnet...” Cried out Pearl.

“That's enough! I do not want to hear another word come from your mouth. Do you understand me, Pearl? Not another word.” A finger was pointed at Pearl before Garnet stormed off and onto the warp pad heading to who knows where. I stood there watching Pearl fall down to her knees, Amethyst grabbed her up in her arms and just held her there. She lets her cry on her shoulder. I didn't know what to say or do. I didn't like to watch them fight, they were my family and it was hard to see them like this.

November 8th, 2015

36 days left

I was on the couch, I have still not heard back from Connie since the accident. I didn't know if her mom was forbidding to come see me, or she just didn't want to talk to me. It was hard because everybody else wouldn't talk to me. Pearl and Garnet weren't talking, leading to Amethyst not speaking to Garnet for what she did to Pearl. I mean Pearl was in the wrong, but Garnet shouldn't have said Pearl wasn't a Crystal Gem that was pretty harsh. The warp pad lights up, showing Pearl coming back from god knows where she has been for the past couple of days.

“Pearl! Where have you been?” I had asked her from the couch. I didn't feel like moving from this comfortable spot. I saw her flinch before she answers me.

“Uh, looking for Peridot! For a few days straight ... Steven, I know I might have ... disappointed ... all of you. I know Garnet is very upset with me, but I'm going to prove to her that she can trust me again!” Good luck with that Pearl, I am sorry to say, I even know Garnet doesn't forgive people that easily. Speaking of the devil, Garnet walks through the front door of the beach house. “Oh! Garnet! I was just looking for Peridot! She's bound to be somewhere, right? Any new ideas?” Garnet completely ignores her saying nothing, and walks past Pearl. Pearl looks to the floor. “I'm sorry ...” She mumbles.

My head snaps to the door as I heard my dad's voice from outside the front door. Garnet had stopped walking to turn around and face that side of the house as well. “Who wants to go on a -” My dad walks through the door with a piece of paper in his hand. “road trip?!” Pearl and Garnet along with myself, all looked at him holding unhappy expressions. “Umm ... Is this a bad time?” It has been a rather long time since I saw my dad, but I wasn't happy that Garnet and Pearl, wasn't talking to each other.

Garnet walks over to Greg, standing in front of him. She was so much taller compared to the human man in front of her. “No, Please continue.”

“Well, I gotta drive over to the next state.” He said. I tried to rack my brain on which state that was, but came up with nothing until Pearl spoke up.

“Do you mean the Keystone state?”

“Right, the state named Keystone. I met a guy on an internet message board who's selling car wash brushes for real cheap! I just gotta meet him in Keystone and pick em' up!” Was he crazy, going to meet somebody on the internet. He could be some types of killer, or axe murderer.

“I don't like those brushes, they feel weird on your fur.” I had responded to my dad. I was being quiet over here, but I wanted to be part of the conversation.

“Well, do you like motels?”

“Probably!” I had no idea, I had never been to a motel before.

“Think you'd like to stay at a motel with your favorite dad?”

“I don't know if you're my favorite ...” I tried to hide the smile that was forming on my face. I haven't smiled in a really long time and it felt good to joke around with my dad. Especially with the confused expression on his face.

“What? Huh ... oh, you kidder! Come here!” I got up of the couch, and with a limp I walked over to my dad and jumped into his arms. A worried expression was on his face, but he replaced it with a smile.

“I can't wait to get room service!” Or was that a hotel. I had no idea, but the sound of a road trip sounded fun. Maybe getting out and seeing some new things will get my mind off of some things.

“You're thinking of a hotel, we're going to a motel. It'll have a pool, and free ice, and its right next to the best diner in the world!” My dad responded with a chuckle. Oh so it was a hotel I was thinking. Alright, well hopefully this will be as fun as he tells me.

“I'm coming too.” Garnet said quietly.

“What?” Pearl had sounded surprised from across the room.

I gasped, having Garnet along would make it so much better. “Even better!” I said, before my dad let me go to walk over to Garnet.

“Hey, Garnet, I know I'm talking this place up, but ... it ain't exactly the Ritz.” He had whispered to her.

Garnet smiled and shrugged. “I'll be the judge of that.” She had told him.

“Well in that case … road trip!” My dad cheered.

“ROAD TRIP!”

Garnet nods her head. “Road Trip.”

“Wonderful! I'll make sure Amethyst knows that-” Pearl was saying something until Garnet just walks out of the door, she sighed a disappointed look on her face. Maybe she wanted to go too? “Fine!” She strained the smile on her face. “Well … goodbye!”

My dreams they never let me sleep anymore, so when I was shaken awake by my dad I was surprised to find out that I didn't dream at all when I was asleep. I groaned and wiped my eyes to get the sleep out of them. Getting out of the car, I walked over to the door with my dad. “Another great thing about motels,” he says as he opens the room door. “you can drive right up to your door!” I gasped in awe as I looked through the open door.

The room we see has two beds, a closet, and a bathroom. The bed area has a rustic cabin appearance, with a deer picture and wooden back walls. The beds have a multi-colored stripe pattern. The left side of the wall has a window air-conditioning unit, and a window with a curtain. “I'm gonna swim in the pool, order a movie, get free ice! It's gonna be great!” I managed to jump on the bed.

My dad was starting to freak out as he ran over to the bed. “Not before we check for bed bugs, it isn't!” He said as he searches the beds, and Garnet enters, carrying our bags, groaning. Oh come on it isn't that heavy is it? “Good news! We're bugless!” My dad's cell phone lights up. “Oh! That's my cue. Hey, do you mind holding down the fort until I get back?” He asked Garnet who was sitting on the edge of the other bed, her hands-on her knees twitching. She gives a thumbs up with her left hand. “Great. I'm going to see a man about a tunnel brush ... An internet man ... If I'm not back in an hour, call the police.” My dad closes the door leaving only Garnet and I in the room.

I was bouncing up and down on the bed. “Bounce with me Garnet!” I said cheerfully before looking over at the not so good looking giant woman on the bed. I sat down. “O-or we could look at brochures.” I picked up one. “Oh, Keystone Caverns ...” I said trying to make it sound interesting when it really wasn't.

Garnet was appearing very tense as she groans. “Calm down.” What? Was she talking to me? She was starting to pant, when I realized she wasn't talking to me, but she was talking to herself. “I don't feel like forgiving Pearl!” she was starting to shake now. “You don't understand, we must.” Garnet grabs her own shoulders. “If you're not going to listen then you can just- go!” Garnet defuses into Ruby and Sapphire, they screamed as they fell to the floor. I was so happy to see them.

My smile faded as I saw them fighting with each other. Sapphire was sitting, facing away from her lover, Ruby. “We must move past this, Ruby.” She was telling the obvious furious red gem.

“She lied to us so we'd form Sardonyx! She tricked us; don't you feel used?!” Ruby's hands were on the side of her head like she wanted to rip her hair out. She gritted her teeth in frustration.

“Ruby! Sapphire! I uh-” I tried to speak to the couple, but they had ignored me and kept arguing. I sighed, of course there was going to be more fighting wherever I go.

Sapphire turned her head a little to the side to speak to Ruby. “You're choosing to take it personally.”

Ruby curled up in a ball before she started to shout and jump to her feet. “Its fusion, Sapphire! What's more personal to us than fusion!?” Her hands were flying everywhere showing how mad she was about the whole situation. I was sitting on the bed feeling very uncomfortable like I shouldn't be part of this.

“I know, you're still upset.”

“Oh, so it's just me?”

“Of course not.” Sapphire turns to face Ruby, she was expressionless and her voice was monotone. “Can't you see I'm completely engulfed with rage?”

Ruby started to taps her foot impatiently, her arms crossed over her chest. “Well, it doesn't feel like it”

“The sooner we forgive Pear,” Sapphire started to levitate, “the better it will be for us all.” she floats onto the bed sitting right in the middle of it with her legs crossed. Even though she doesn't look pissed, I can feel the heat radiating off her cold body all the way over here.

The red gem that was still at the end of the bed started to yell at her partner, getting way more frustrated, then she should have been. “You're ... not ... as above this as you ... think you ... are!” She grunts, her head started to steam. Ruby started to pace around the room getting more angrier.

“Yes, I am. You can't stay angry with her forever.”

Ruby turned around and points at her girlfriend. “Wanna bet?” The carpet started to smoke underneath Ruby's feet.

“Ruby, the carpet.” Ruby looks down and see the carpet burning.

“You ... can't even ... Argh!” Ruby runs out of the room, slamming the door shut. Well this trip wasn't to thrilling, now was it?

“Nice to ... see you again?” I asked Sapphire, tilting my head.

“Nice to see you, too.” Sapphire responded.

I was getting pretty annoyed with both gems. Ruby had almost boiled me to death when she got into the pool, and Sapphire almost frozen me to death by freezing the whole room, including the bathroom. I was so fed up I went outside. That's when I saw the headlights of my dad's van shine on me. The van parked in front of me. My dad got out of the van, holding up a pizza box. “Hey, Stu-ball, I brought dinner!”

I tried to hold back my annoyance with the gems. “Hey dad, how'd it go?”

“Well, he wasn't an axe-murderer, so that was good. What are you doing outside in your bathing suit? And where's Garnet?” I moved to foot to foot, instantly my dad knew something was up, he looks in the room, and see Sapphire sitting on the bed.

“He's not gonna like that it's square ...” I heard Sapphire said calmly before my dad quickly closes the door and goes back outside where I am.

“Oh boy … Where's the other one?” So my dad knew that Garnet was a fusion? That's interesting. I wonder how much else he knows about the Crystal Gems.

“She's pacing around in what used to be the pool.” I told my dad as he sits down in the back of the van. I followed suit.

“Something pretty serious must be going on if it made Garnet split up. But hey! We can still have a good time!” my dad was sounding worried, but then it faded when he opens the pizza box, revealing it to be a square pizza.

“Square pizza?! What's wrong with this crazy state?!” Pizza that is square. My life is over.

“Son, there will come a time in your life when you learn to accept all pizza.” There are tears in his eyes, and I sighed looking down at my hands.

“Why can't Ruby and Sapphire just ... make up?” It was getting so stressful. I hated to see two of my loved ones fighting, it was as bad as when Pearl and Garnet were fighting.

“Sometimes people that love each other can hurt each other's feelings, without meaning to. We should just give them some space.”

“But I think they'd work it out if they'd just talk to each other!” The moment I said those words I knew they weren't true. I tried multiple times trying to talk to my family about how I felt, and it didn't work. Not one bit, but I said those words anyway. Maybe if I said them enough people will understand what I mean, and then maybe the advice would work.

“Everything will be better in the morning. We'll all go to the best diner in the world, where we'll eat the best breakfast in the world!” I hope he was right because if he wasn't than his advice was just full of crap.

November 9th, 2015

35 days left

We were all sitting at the table in the diner dad told us about. I was playing with a spoon, my dad was whistling awkwardly, Ruby was leaning on the table, facing away from Sapphire, angrily tapping a finger. And Sapphire is sitting patiently as the waitress brings four meals to our table. “Hey!” My dad says, as the waitress hands everyone their food. “Thank you!” I mumbled a 'thanks' as well. I saw Ruby stare blankly at the plate in front of her. We all had the same thing, eggs and bacon shaped as smiling faces. “What's the matter? Not hungry?” Ruby looked up at him.

“Gems don't need to eat, dad.” I had told him.

“Eh ... Well Garnet likes to eat sometimes.”

“Argh! Well Garnet's not here!” Ruby throws herself against the booth seat and crosses her arms, wiggling a foot impatiently. Dad and I awkwardly begin to eat.

My dad was nervous as he spoke, “Mmm ... Oh boy, this really is "The Best Diner in the World"!” Ruby started to shake the table, looking furious.

“You're shaking the table.” Sapphire said something for the first time that morning.

“Oh?!” She punches the table, then continues shaking it. “Hah, I'm kinda surprised you felt anything at all, to be honest!”

“I didn't need to feel, I saw.”

“Eeeverything is just so ...” Ruby shakes the table more violently. “CRYSTAL. CLEAR. TO. YOU. ISN'T IT?!?!” She yelled at Sapphire. Dad and I frantically lift our food from the table, as Sapphire leaned over towards us.

“This will pass. She'll eventually just burn herself out.”

“THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK!” Ruby summons her gauntlet. “I AM AN ETERNAL FLAME, BABY!” Ruby smashes the table, causing everything to fall. “You don't know me!”

“We always fuse. Look at you. Look at what you're going on about ...”

“You don't even know yourself! Hah!”

My dad was smiling nervously at me. “Hey, it's okay pal! We can still save this! Why don't we just bag them up to go, and-” I was done they weren't stopping and I didn't give a crap anymore. I took my plate and smash it onto the floor, before walking outside with tears in my eyes.

“Steven!” I heard Ruby and Sapphire's voice calling my name. I stopped and turned to look at them, tears in my eyes.

(A/N: Now things start to get interesting. Okay, so I might go back and edit this more where it gets straight to the point, but at the moment, thank you for even getting this far, without getting bored of it.)

“I was so happy when Garnet said she was gonna come on this trip with me and Dad!” Ruby and Sapphire look at each other, worried looks on their faces. “Home's been awful! Here's been awful! I thought you wanted to have a fun time, but everyone's been acting awful too! It-It just came with us! I don't understand!” I looked to the ground watching my tears fall. “Is it- is it me?” Ruby was trying to say something, but I shook my head and turned around running into the forest that was behind us. I heard them calling my name as I ran. I didn't stop running until I couldn't run anymore because of the pain in my side. I knew I was far from the diner, as trees were all around me, casting the sun out and all, but darkness were there.

Maybe this was a terrible idea. I had no idea where I was at, no idea where I had to go to get back. I wiped the tears away from my face before falling on my knees almost screaming as a sharp pain went through my side. With all this movement I have been doing, even when the doctor warned me to stop being so active, it was straining the wound and making it take longer to heal. I laid there on the ground curled up in the ball, wishing I had a way out of this forest. “Hey, are you okay? Do you need help?” A deep voice loomed over me, and a dark shadow covered my face. I looked up to see a blue gem with bright pink cotton candy hair staring down at me. “Answer me, are you okay?”

I looked at him, and shook my head, tears were falling down my face. “No. I'm lost. Pissed off. And hurting.” I cried, I didn't know why I was telling a complete stranger all this. The Crystal gems told me to never talk to strangers that I didn't know, but the vibes I were getting from this guy, I felt like he was okay. He held out his hand and I grabbed it being pulled up by immense strength. He was tall, about an inch shorter than Garnet, but still very tall. He had a hiker's back pack on his back. “I'm Steven …” I told him, as I started to wipe the dirt and leaves off of me.

“I'm Matt Tourmaline. Nice to meet you, Steven. How old are you, kid? Where are you parents?” He started to ask me questions as he helped me take the dirt off of my clothes.

“I'm fourteen, I am visiting the state with my dad, and one of my guardians, but they were fighting. I couldn't take it anymore so I ran away. I have no idea where I am. What are you doing here?” I asked him as he stood back looking down at me. He rubbed the back of his neck.

“I am a loner. I just travel to place to place. I have traveled all around the world, this is the second time I have been to the United States. Do you want me to help you get back to your dad and friends? I thought I saw them not to far from here.” He told me, I stood there and thought about it. I wasn't feeling lost anymore, and I didn't want to go home right away. However, I didn't know I can trust the guy either. “Aw, you can trust me. You know. I won't hurt you. Like I said I saw them over there somewhere. A Ruby and A Sapphire right? I bet they aren't just some ordinary Ruby or Sapphire either huh? They are part of the Crystal Gems, right?” I stepped back and almost stumbled. He chuckled. “I am not a creeper. I swear. I used to be part of the Crystal gems in the first gem war. I have been alone since it ended.”

I took a step forward. “Okay, I trust you. Why have you been alone since then?” I asked him and he shook his head. “Not going to tell me?”

“No because I have a feeling it won't matter soon. Plus I feel like you have something you want to discuss. Something that is on your chest? Is that true?” Matt asked. I nodded and rubbed the back of my neck. “Do you want to discuss it?” Should I tell a complete stranger what was going on in my life? Maybe they can understand better than my own family. I nodded. “My camp area is not too far from here.” He held out his hand and I took it, as he leads me to his camp. We sat on logs opposite of each other.

“So, I am not fine.” Is how I started the conversation to a complete stranger that I had just met.