Lost

Chapter 18

In the morning he wakes before everyone else. Something is different, though he can't pinpoint what. As if everything around him had snapped into focus overnight. He looks around himself. His dad is snoring away on the couch, cozied up under a soft warm blanket, head resting on a fluffy pillow. His home is the same as ever, wood flooring and walls, stairs leading up to his bedroom, pictures of his family all over the walls, large windows and screen door letting in the, steadily growing, early morning light, all connected to the stone and crystal walls of the temple entrance. Everything is where it should be, and yet something is still, just slightly, off. It takes only a moment for him to realize what it is. It's him, he's what's off... but he's not sure how. Everyone's love and affection has him feeling like he's floating on clouds, yet grounded and focused at the same time, so what could be missing? As he sits he remembers everything his friends and family have done for him and all the fun he's had over the last several days. He feels safe and loved.

...

...

A low rumble in the air catches his attention. His dad falls off the couch with an "oof" when the sound wakes him. As the sound grows louder, the gems all rush out of their temple rooms at once.

"What is it?" Greg asks, rubbing his sore back.

"A ship has entered Earth's atmosphere. It's heading this way." Garnet states, her visor reflecting the rising sun.

She starts walking out the door, "It's okay, let's go greet our friends."

Everyone follows her outside. He's a little nervous, frightened by the ominous sound, but since the gems and his dad all seem fairly calm, he's not too worried. If they're not worried, there's probably no real danger. He follows as well, joining the group out on the beach just as a yellow ship with a long pointed nose comes in for a landing.

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Lars will never tire of the beauty of space. At first glance it may appear to be a mere black void that someone haphazardly threw some glitter into for stars, but up close is a whole other matter. Space, in all actuality, is full of color. Between the light the stars give off, with varying colors on the spectrum, and the colors of the gasses throughout, space is filled with chaotic beauty. Always changing, full of ice and fire, he'll never tire of seeing it all. There's always something new to see!

Right now, however, Lars can't even focus on the beauty around them as their ship rushes back to Earth. They've only been in space for barely a week, Earth time, but a message from Sadie had them all agree to turn back immediately.

Thanks to the smarts of Steven's friend Peridot, Lars and his friends have been able to keep in touch, even out in the depths of space. She programmed a communicator into the ship that's able to connect to Earth's satellites, from any distance, and from there send and receive short messages. According to her it was simpler to modify the more advanced gem tech of the ship, than it would have been to modify earth tech. It was a couple days ago they had received a message from Sadie.

"Something's wrong with Steven. Not sure on the details, he went missing for about a day. They found him, but Greg has had to manage our tour remotely to take care of him."

His first thought was the worst case scenario, that Steven had harmed himself. While thinking about what to reply, and what to do, whether they should return or not, whether they were needed or not, Padparadscha spoke up with a bone chilling prediction of the past.

"Captain! We are about to receive a message from Sadie about Stevens' corruption!" she calls out sadly, large tears beginning to stream down her face.