Connie's POV
I'm sitting in my room reading the 'Unfamiliar Familiar' series for the millionth time when boredom strikes. Hard. I decide to text Steven and see what he's up to. I send the classic conversation starter 'Hey, what's up?' to Steven and wait for a reply. Ten minutes go by and he doesn't reply. Then twenty. Then an hour. He's probably just on a mission I tell myself. His life has always been more interesting than mine. I open my diary and look at the picture I have of us stapled on the front page. I had a heart drawn around Steven in invisible ink so that if anyone got a hold on the journal they wouldn't see. As much as I want to tell Steven I like him I just... can't. It's just too big of a risk. I've done some... overly extensive research in what my odds of everything turning out alright would be if I told him the truth. I've accounted factors like how he handles his everyday relationships, what makes him blush, and things like how easy it is for him to let go of things. I just... don't know enough to get to a conclusion. I know I'm being ridiculous, but my biggest fear is losing him altogether. If telling him would just make things weird it's not worth it to me. I look back at my phone and there was still no response. I lay back on my bed and stare at the ceiling, waiting for something to happen. But nothing does. I wonder what Steven's doing right now...
Steven's POV
Turquoise is swinging at me with all her might. I try to recollect my thoughts and fight back, but she seems almost unaffected by everything I am doing. A shield to the head might as well have been a poke on the arm. Then I get the idea to try and turn off the hologram projector. I can't find any off button (or maybe there was, it's kinda hard to focus when someone's trying to kill you), so I just summon my shield and smash it with all my might. Turquoise starts to malfunction, but then she walks over to the mess I just made by smashing the control panel and pulls out a circular stone with an octagon pattern in the middle. I think that it's her gem. But, how did it get there? Is that what's being controlled by the panel thing? I notice that it has a small crack in the middle, possibly because of my shield's impact. Then Turquoise reaches back with her gem in her hand and somehow gets it to phase into her upper back, like a normal gem. Then she punches a hole in the wall and just leaves. After she does this, the entire arena fades away into nothing. I call for Lion to take me home, and in a few seconds I'm on his back, riding away again. My arm is still bleeding badly. I lick my hand and use my healing saliva to seal the wound. For some reason, I still have a scar. Then I realize that I hadn't really trained at all. Everything I had just gone through was a waste. Lion seems to sense my wave of depression and stops to put me down. I just sit down and cry into my hands. "If I can't even do this when I'm training how am I supposed to protect you on real life?" I say out loud to myself. "If I'm not brave enough to to fight than how am I ever going to be brave enough to tell you.. I love you. I love you Connie."
