Sally, The Crystal Gem

Lose Some, Gain Some

Sally opened the door. Her mother ran up and pulled her into a hug.

"Where have you been?! I was worried sick, wondering all over Beach City looking for you!" She yelled.

"About that... Mom... I'm uh... Uh..." Sally choked on her words, she couldn't do it. She didn't want to hurt her mom.

"Well? Wait... Is this about yesterday? Because I am so sorry. I shouldn't have said that. But you know that there is no such thing as magic. You just... It's like I said, small birth defect." She said. This made Sally angry, and her words slipped right on out without Sally even noticing it until she heard her voice.

"I'm moving out. I'm going to stay with my other friends so I can learn how to be a gem and use my gem." Sally said, chin up high.

"Uh... You can't move out... You're not old enough..." Her mom said.

"I'll live right down the beach, don't worry." Sally said.

"Uh... I guess this is a good time to tell you... Once we moved here, I got a call from a job I applied for. I forgot about it when we moved here. When they called back, they said they would accept me. But they are all the way back in Dallas, Texas. I planned to let this be like a little... Vacation before we moved back into Texas..." Her mom explained.

"What?! And you never told me about this?!" Sally yelled.

"Well, I've barely seen you since we moved here! You're always gone, playing Gem games with your friends!" Her mom yelled.

"Grr... I'll show you! It's not fake! It's real!" Her gem glowed brightly and her staff summoned. Her mother backed away fearfully. "I told you! I have magic, or powers or whatever! I'm a freaking alien from a planet called Homeworld! They buried my gem in the ground and I was made! You should have believed me all those years like Dad did! Dad always believed my gem glowed when I was happy or sad! Dad always watched the visions it projected, the dreams it showed! He believed me! He was the only one I had and I lost him! Now that I have people who are like me, I need them! Why can't you just accept that?!" Sally growled, her grip on her staff getting tighter.

Her mother was speechless. She was astonished, she was scared. But most of all, she felt guilty about never believing her, calling her delusional. She couldn't process anything in her head at the moment.

"Are you even listening?!" Sally's voice cracked as she yelled, a tear staining her face.

"Um..." Was all her mother could get out.

Sally's staff disappeared. She walked up to her mother and hugged her.

"You can go back to Texas. Get that special job of yours. I can stay with the gems and learn how to be what I was made to be. Please, Mom. Just... Believe me this time and let me go." Sally said. Her mother sighed and hugged her back.

"I believe you." She whispered.

* * *

Sally waved goodbye as her mother drove off, away from Beach City. Sally turned and began walking down to the temple.

She entered it, being greeted by the Crystal Gems.

"Hello, Sally." Pearl waved. She noticed the laptop and trolley case. "Did your 'mother' let you move in?"

"Yeah. She had to leave and so she let me stay here with you guys." Sally said.

"Very good. Now we can teach you how to be you." Garnet smiled.