The Silent Flower

Chapter Two: The Hidden City

"I could have just transported us close by, you know."

It was mid-July afternoon, and the gang all sat on the large Skiff that Catra had taken from what was formerly known as the Fright Zone. Scorpia had recently been in the process of returning her kingdom to its former glory, so Catra had snagged it before it could be trashed. Glimmer didn't think it was the greatest piece of equipment in the world, but it did the job.

"And miss out on the adventure of flying?" Catra asked as she controlled the machine. "I don't think so, princess. I need some fly time. Come to think of it, I need some fight time, too. I hope I can blow something up."

"We're not here to blow anything up," Adora told her. She ruffled her girlfriend's hair playfully, prompting Catra to scowl and swipe in return.

"Don't do that!" She shouted, a small blush on her cheeks. "And whatever. I'm still wishing for some action. I haven't been able to fight anyone in a long while. Anyways, what's the name of this kid again?"

"Rose."

Glimmer squeezed her staff tightly when she spoke the name, a jolt of pain shooting through her heart. It was Bow's comforting shoulder squeeze that helped her relax.

"It's Rose," she said again. "She'd be eleven now."

"What does she look like?" Adora asked.

"Well, like my mom really." Glimmer smiled lightly as she remembered, a warmth filling her. Some of her best memories came from the time she spent with her little sister. "Same hair color, same eye color, and similar facial features, too. Their skin color was even the same. She looked even more like mom when I saw her in that reality. Oh, she had powers, too. You know how I can move my body through teleportation? Rose could move things with her mind."

"Huh. That's pretty cool," Adora replied.

"So basically look for a mini Queen Angella who can move things," Catra said. "Got it. You think we'll actually find her in that forest?"

"At the risk of sounding like a downer, I don't think we'll find her in the forest," Bow answered. "Not after all this time. Clues though? Yes. I think we'll find something. Maybe the guards overlooked an area when they searched years ago. Look! We're almost there!"

The group gazed over at the vast jungle like area ahead. It looked menacing and ominous from the outside, as if it weren't welcoming their presence.

"Wow. Yeah, that's a lot bigger than I thought." Catra picked up speed, her eyes glaring skeptically. "Are you sure we're going to be able to find anything in there?"

No one could answer.

As they got closer, Glimmer gulped. She had heard this place was huge, but she didn't realize just how much. There was so much ground to cover, and only four of them. Would they be able to find anything in that mess? What if their search produced nothing at all?

"Glimmer?"

She turned to see Bow beside her as the ship came to a slow stop at the forests edge.

"Are you all right?"

Glimmer looked down and wrapped her hand around a small metal pendant hung on her neck. It was one of three pieces. She held one, her mother held one, and so did her little sister. When joined together, it made a star.

"Just thinking," she finally said. "I told mom that she's for sure still alive, but what if we don't end up finding her after all? What if there aren't any clues here and we have to go back to square one? It's been so long. What if something has happened to her already? Not even the guards could find her back then."