𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓. || s.u. - 𝘗𝘓𝘈𝘕𝘚 𝘛𝘖 𝘙𝘌𝘞𝘙𝘐𝘛𝘌

f o u r

"Uh, (Y/n)?" you froze instantly at the sound of your mother's voice. "Sweetie, where are you going? It's getting late, you know."

You swallowed and let out a nervous chuckle as you stood up, having just finished tying your shoes. "Oh, um . . ." you looked away from your parents' confused eyes and rubbed the back of your head, trying to think up an excuse.

"I'm, uh, just heading over to (F/n)'s house!" Your mother quirked a brow. "Really? This late?"

You began to sweat, clutching your house key tightly. "Um, yeah?" Your parents gave you a look, and you quickly added on, "I-I mean no! I just, uh, forgot that I was meeting up with them today, that's all! All I wanna do is head over there and maybe reschedule our meeting?" God, you were a terrible liar.

Your parents shared a glance with eachother, seemingly having a silent conversation. You began to grow even more anxious than before and started fiddling with your keys nervously, when your mother sighed and placed her hands on her hips.

"Okay," she smiled. "But don't be gone for too long, understand?"

You blinked, surprised that she had bought your lie, but then a nervous chuckle escaped your lips as you slowly turned around and opened the door.

"U-um, right!" You looked to your parents from over your shoulder and did your best to give them a believable, reassuring smile. "See you at dinner!"

And with that, you sped off, leaving your parents standing at the front door by themselves.

A moment of silence passed, but then your mother sighed and lifted her phone up; revealing the 'unknown' ID that had contacted her. "Our daughter is a terrible liar," she stated, turning around and walking back into the house.

Your father sighed and nodded, walking up to the front door and closing it.

"Yes, she truly is," he chuckled.

■•□•□•□•□•□•■

You rocked back and forth on your heels as you (im)patiently waited for the bus to arrive at the bus stop. As you did so, the breeze suddenly picked up, and you involuntarily shivered and wrapped your arms around yourself in an attempt to remain somewhat warm.

"I really should have brought a jacket . . ." you muttered, biting your bottom lip in frustration.

Luckily for you, though, the bus turned up soon after those words had left your lips, and you perked up at the sight of the vehicle and quickly climbed on — after paying, of course.

"So, you wanna tell me why a girl such as yourself is out this late?" the bus driver asked as he watched you sit down in the front seat, your shoulders slumped tiredly.

"Wh-what do you mean?" you muttered, yawning and rubbing your eyes tiredly.

The man hummed and shrugged his shoulders, returning his attention to the road. "Well, I just figured that kids your age would be at home studying for school and such. Not heading out to visit a place like Beach City in the middle of the night!"

You chuckled nervously and looked out the window, rubbing the back of your head. "Uh, well, to be honest, sir, I'm heading over there because I think something serious happened to a friend of mine. I just wanna make sure that he's okay, you know?"

"Ah," the bus driver nodded in understanding, his bushy mustache shaking with his movements. "I see now."

After that, he went silent, and you internally sighed with relief at the fact that he was no longer asking you anymore questions.

"Hang on, Steven," you whispered, leaning against the cool glass of the window and clasping your hands on your lap.

"I'm coming . . ."

Another yawn escaped your lips and your eyes began to grow droopy. A short nap won't hurt, right? you thought to yourself, yawning again and bringing your knees up to your chest.

Ever so slowly, black dots began to cloud your vision, and you could have sworn that sleep was about to overcome you, when—

DING!

Almost immediately, you sat up and your eyes widened. Quickly reaching for your phone, you pulled it out of your pocket and turned it on, hoping that the notification was from Steven and that he was alright.

(F/n): (Y/n), what the heck is going on??

You frowned, a hint of disappointment hitting you at your very core as you sighed.

"Oh . . ."

Shaking your head, another sigh left your lips and you began to slowly type up a response.

You: Sorry, (F/n), I don't have much time to explain. But Steven's in trouble right now, and I have to go see him and make sure that he's okay.

You hit 'send' and got a response soon after.

(F/n): Wha??! (Y/n), please don't tell me you're running away from home!

You rolled your eyes. God, you were so tired.

You: No, (F/n), I'm NOT running away from home! I'm just heading over to Beach City to check up on Steven.

(F/n): You're WHAT?! Why!!?? What's happening over there????

You groaned and your head fell back. Blowing a strand of hair out of your face, you moved around in your seat until you were laying down on it, your head leaning against the bus's wall.

You: I. Don't. Know. (F/n). All I got was a text from a close friend of Steven's claiming that he and Beach City are in danger. Could you stop with the questions now, please? I wanna take a short nap.

Hitting 'send' again, you put your phone up and turned to lay on your side; using your hands as a pillow, of the sorts.

And with that, you fell asleep, ignoring the sound of your ringtone going off and the short 'DING's that followed after.

(F/n): (Y/n)?? (Y/n) are you there?

(F/n): (Y/n), I've let your parents know what's happening!

(F/n): (Y/N) (L/N)!!!

■•□•□•□•□•□•■

"Uh, little lady?"

Groaning, you pushed yourself up from your laying position and yawned, squinting at the bright rays of sunlight shining down upon you through the window.

"Ugh . . ." you shook your head and started to try fixing your messy hair. "What happened—"

"We've arrived at Beach City, young lady."

Just like that, you froze and your eyes widened. Your hair slipped through your fingers and fell back into its original place as you straightened and whirled around; staring out the window.

"B-Beach City . . ." you muttered, slowly standing up.

You gasped and suddenly sprinted out of the bus, but soon ended up tripping over your own feet and falling to the floor, but you ignored the pain and stood up again.

"S-Steven!" You ran off of the bus and found yourself standing at a bus stop, which stood atop a hill.

"Steven, I'm com . . ." your eyes widened and you stopped running, coming to a halt as you took in the sight before you.

". . . ing . . ."

A monstrous roar echoed throughout the skies, and the ground shook.

This wasn't the Beach City you remembered seeing in those TV commercials.