Elastic Hearts

Suspicions and their Inevitable Rise

Connie's P.O.V

I lay awake in my bed, sprawled out above the covers. It's pretty early in the morning, around 5:00 or so, and once I woke, I've just been unable to fall back asleep. Something's clearly bothering me, cause nothing's ever kept me up before, but I don't really know what it might be. I'd maybe ask Mom or Dad for help but again, it's really early, and my parents are known to be pretty grumpy when you wake them up early. So that leaves me to stir on this uneasy feeling aimlessly while staring up at my darkened ceiling that's only lit by the street lamps outside. Sighing, I roll over onto my side and gaze out the window. Beyond all the houses and businesses, the Crystal Gem Temple stands alone but strong. Looking at said Temple, Steven comes to mind. Oh, Steven. Biting my lip, I reminisce on everything that's happened between us these past couple months. In truth, though I know we've both moved past it, I still can't help but feel bad for acting like a bad friend. As I think back even further, I never really realized how much I did it too. I can't really ask for forgiveness at this point because all those happened years ago but maybe I can do something to help him to atone for what I did. But what would it be?

My eye then catches on something on my end table. I touch it and feel my fingers run over the dry and rough texture of paper. At first, my mind doesn't click, so I grab it and get out of bed while walking over to my desk, turning the lamp on to see what I'm holding. Oh yes, it's the drawing of the gem Steven wants me to watch out for. Frowning, my eyes flit over the lines making up the drawing. There have been a lot more strange things going on as of recent and this gem is just one of them. When I went to Steven's party, I noticed that Amethyst and Peridot weren't there, which is quite unusual considering they love Steven immensely and wouldn't dare miss his birthday and on top of that, Pearl, Garnet, and Bismuth were acting awful tense and uneasy before leaving for their classes at Little Homeschool. There's something clearly going on with them and I'm just now starting to wonder if it's all connected. I mean, this gem shows up, Amethyst and Peridot go missing, and now the rest of the Crystal Gems are all on edge? No doubt about it. But there's also one thing all these variables have in common:

Little Homeschool.

Everything points back to that gem settlement. I believe that some investigation is needed in order to make sense of all these different situations. And what better time to do it when everyone's asleep? Looking around my room, I gather everything I'll need, from clothes to the sword Bismuth made, and put it all on my bed. I then change out of my pajamas and slip into some jeans, my brown winter coat, and some spare shoes I use for running. I then fasten the scabbard, with the sword in it, on my back and turn off my desk lamp. Next, I open the window and get out the emergency fire escape ladder from under my bed. It'd be pretty stupid to think I'd jump and not go uninjured right? Anyways, after I unfold it down the outside of the house, I climb out and partially close my window so nobody else can get in while I'm gone. I was thinking about leaving a note so Mom and Dad don't worry but I'll be back before sunrise so everything should be fine. As my feet touch the ground, I look back up once more, seeing my one chance of backing out above me. But, no, I can't give up on this. I won't let Steven down.

I then turn my sights towards the outskirts of the city, where I looked out not that long ago. It's a bit of a walk to get where I need to go but all in all, it shouldn't be too big an issue. Besides, as long as I'm not that noisy, I'll make it without waking anyone up that I don't want to. Feeling some satisfaction in those thoughts, I start down the sidewalk in a bit of a light run, keeping close to the lampposts as they're my only light source. Sure, a flashlight would be a good alternative but running around with it on would only attract more attention in as dark of a setting as the early morning is. House after house passes by me as my running persists, a silent thanks going to my gym teacher for her tips on running long distances without tiring easily. The one time school amounted to anything.