Lapis Lazuli's Genie Secrets in a Bottle

Chapter 8: Teachers are Your Friends

It may have taken Lapis and company until the second sunset, but they finally made it to the hideout where Garnet, Bismuth, Pearl resided.

"You guys are going to love Pearl, Garnet, and Bismuth." Spinel told Lapis and Steven. "They're a great audience."

She gave the door a good knock and a few seconds later, the door opened and the group of five were greeted by a skinny genie.

She had pale ivory colored skin, baby blue eyes, and pinkish orange hair. She wore a light blue top with matching shorts that were held up by a yellow belt, a long translucent pink cardigan, robin egg blue slippers, and a gold anklet and bracelets.

"Well, it's about time you three got back." she said to the three shorter genies before turning to the hybrid. "And you must be Lapis Lazuli."

"I am." Lapis nodded.

"My name is Pearl." the pale genie introduced herself as the two of them shook hands. That was when she noticed Steven. "Is that a human with you?"

"He's my brother, Steven." the genie  hybrid explained. "Don't worry. He's cool."

"Well, come on in." Pearl ushered the five friends inside. "Hurry. Genie outlaws are especially active at night."

Lapis, her brother, and her friends followed the pale genie into the abode. A majority of the house was full silky curtains, spongy loveseats, and cushy beds with comfy blankets and pillows.

"Garnet! Bismuth!" Pearl called for her housemates. "Our little friends are back with Lapis."

Two more genies appeared in the den in a cloud of magenta and gray smoke.

"Lapis, Steven; these are my friends Garnet and Bismuth." the pale genie introduced the two new genies to the two siblings.

Garnet had magenta skin, red and blue eyes, and an afro of black hair. She wore a mauve long-sleeved shirt over a light fuchsia top, a red sash, baggy light red pants, a gold necklace, and pink curly toed slippers.

Bismuth had grayish periwinkle skin, black eyes, and rainbow colored hair in dreadlocks held by a mauve headband. She wore a bright purple top, a red sash like Garnet, baggy maroon harem pants, and black shoes.

"It's nice to meet you." Lapis said in a friendly tone. "My brother and I heard so much about you guys."

"And we've been looking forward to meeting you." Bismuth smiled, ruffling the hybrid's blue hair with her hand.

"So, you need somebody to teach you how to use your genie magic." Garnet guessed.

"Yeah, and my friends tell me that you three are the best in your field." the blue-haired girl replied.

"Well, some might say that we're the best." Pearl blushed.

"If you guys could train Lapis to be a good genie, I know she'll be more than a match for White Diamond." Spinel said enthusiastically.

"Easy there, eager beaver." Bismuth slowed her down. "Lapis has a long way to go before she can face Emperor White Diamond. Genies have to learn many magical skills before they can face off against bad guys like him."

"But, Lapis can already change into genie attire." Amethyst debated. "She has a lot of untapped power. White Diamond won't stand a chance against her."

"It'll take more than being able to change outfits to vanquish White Diamond." Pearl shot back.

"I don't care what it will take." Lapis spoke up. "I just want to be able to fight White Diamond and save my parents who are held captive in his castle."

"Then, you'll have to pay attention to every lesson we give you." Garnet declared. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, completely." the hybrid girl nodded.

"Now, the first thing we're going to teach is about wish granting." Bismuth began.

"But, I've been involuntarily granting wishes since before I could ride a bike." Lapis cut in. "And granting wishes uses up so much energy for me. It always makes me feel tired."

"Yes, but we're teaching you how to not grant wishes." Pearl explained. "You see, the genie who is closest to the wisher is the one ends up granting whatever that wisher may wish for. So in order to keep yourself from granting random wishes, you should keep a far hearing distance."

As the young hybrid was paying attention, Spinel was eating a bowl of what looked like jalapeno peppers. Suddenly, she let out a scream because the spiciness had kicked in.

"These peppers are so spicy." the pink genie panted. "I wish I had a glass of water."

All of a sudden, Lapis snapped her fingers and a glass of water appeared in Spinel's hand. Steven and the genies were all staring in shock.

"Did Lapis grant that wish?" Pearl stammered.

"No way, that's impossible." Peridot disagreed. "Genies can't grant wishes for other genies. They can only grant wishes for humans."

"But, Lapis is half human, remember?" Garnet reminded her. "So she can grant wishes for humans and genies."

"The only person I can't grant wishes for is myself." Lapis brought up.

"Don't feel too bad." Amethyst told her. "No genie can grant their own wishes. Believe me, I've tried."

"But now I've got to be careful around other humans and other genies." the genie hybrid sighed.

"Well, do what I told you and don't stand too close to a wisher." Pearl said.

Everyone looked out the window and watched as the last of the second sun sank into the horizon.

"It's getting late." Bismuth stated. "Why don't we call it a night and continue the lessons tomorrow."

"I'll show Lapis to her bedroom while you and Garnet show Steven to his." Pearl said, walking off Lapis.

Lapis was sitting on her bed wearing the nightgown that was given to her feeling tired and unable to sleep at the  same time. Without her mother around to sing to her, the young girl was too jittery to even lie down. Maybe she could sing her mom's lullaby to herself.

So, she cleared her throat and started to sing the song's melody in an attempt to relax and maybe fall asleep. Meanwhile, Pearl (who just happened to be nearby) was listening to Lapis' beautiful singing voice, poking her head in the doorway.

"What was that tune you were singing?" she asked, startling the hybrid girl who had no idea that the pale genie was even there.

"Oh, it's a song that my mom sang to me ever since I was born." Lapis answered. "It always made me calm whenever I was upset or tired. I understand that makes me sound kind of babyish."

"No, no. It's okay." Pearl said. "It's sounds like you and your mother have a very special connection."

"It's true." the young genie showed a sad smile.

"You miss her and your father, don't you?" her friend asked.

"Yeah." Lapis nodded, feeling like she's was on the verge of tears. "I hope they're okay. I know that White Diamond must be torturing them right now while they're being incarcerated."

Pearl then held the young hybrid girl in a comforting embrace that reminded Lapis very much of her mom.

"You should get some sleep." the pale genie recommended as she lay her friend down on the bed and drew the blankets over her. "Goodnight, Lapis."

"Goodnight." the young girl replied, her voice trembling.

With a clap of Pearl's hands, the lights went off and the pale genie walked out of the bedroom. Lapis closed her eyes and started crying herself to sleep.

Pearl joined Bismuth and Garnet who were waiting near the doorway as the weeping carried on. Hearing the hybrid's sobs in the dark just broke their hearts. They had to help this girl in any way they could.