My Name is Emerald

Seventeen

       I awoke to the smell of waffles. I sat up, stretching, somewhat stiff from sleeping on the floor. I had decided that Lapis needed the couch more than I did. I glanced over to see that the couch was now unoccupied. I stood and made my way to the kitchen, rubbing my eyes.
      "Please, Lapis? Just a little one?" I heard Steven beg.
      "Alright," Lapis laughed. I came around the corner to see a cat made of water bounding joyfully around the kitchen. Steven laughed gleefully and chased it until it leapt into the sink and dissolved. Lapis smiled and turned the faucet off. Steven hopped over to the cabinet and got out the syrup. I sat down at the table.
      "Good morning, Steven, Lapis," I said amiably.
      "Good morning, Emerald!" Steven said happily, serving me a plate of waffles drowning in syrup. "I made breakfast for everybody."
      "Actually," Lapis said with a smile, "I made breakfast. But you did help."
      "Well, I thank you both," I said, digging in to my plate of waffles. I have to say, they were some of the most delicious waffles I had ever tasted. "Where are the other gems?"
      "They went to look for Peridot," Steven replied. I nodded. I should probably be doing the same, I thought. I decided against it. I was still recovering from last night. It occurred to me then that I would probably have to talk to Jasper today. I winced and decided that I would put that off for as long as I could.
      I spent a few hours playing in the ocean with Steven and Lapis. It was fun, but I never really lost sight of the impending task looming over me. I was terrified. I had no way of knowing how Jasper would react. I didn't even know where to start. What was I supposed to say? If I made a mistake it could end in disaster.
      Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl returned later that evening with little to report. Amethyst thought they were on the right track, but Pearl wasn't certain. Garnet said nothing.
      "Garnet?" I asked hesitantly, my voice catching in my throat. "Do you think you could let me into your room? I'd like to talk to Jasper. If that's alright." She considered silently for a moment,
      "Yes. Are you sure you want to do this?"
      "I am."
      "Very well." She strode over to the door and held out her hands, activating the red and blue gems on the door. It opened and Garnet led me inside. The room was spacious and dimly lit, filled with shades of deep maroon like Garnet's skin. She walked around the corner and followed a narrow, stone hallway to a closed door. She unlocked it and pulled it open to reveal a small, sparsely furnished room with a cot and a low table in the corner. The table had been knocked on its side, and its drawer had been removed and reduced to a pile of splintered wood upon colliding with the wall. Jasper whirled around as the door opened, clenching her fists and baring her teeth.
      "Why can't you just leave me alone?" she shouted. Garnet, unfazed, stepped aside to let me through. Jasper took a step backwards and turned away. "Oh," she whispered.