Crystal Sides

Chapter 25: Mediocre Excellence

--POV = Virgil--

"I emerged from a Homeworld kindergarten like any ordinary Gold," Roman started, his eyes flashing with memory, "but right from the beginning I knew that I was... different. For a start my gem was a lot lighter than the other Gold's in my facet. So was my skin: their skin was as shiny as pure gold, whereas mine was more like human skin colour. I was nearly shattered - I was accused of being off-coloured. But my Agate fought in my trial and I managed to survive. I still don't know why she helped me that day..." he gulped, "I always seemed more emotional than the other Golds in my branch. I by that, I don't mean I was sad and solemn, I mean, just general emotion, like happiness, boredom and love. They followed orders without question, did their work with vigor and never put a toe out of line. You don't know how much I wished I could be like them. But I still don't know how they bared it."

He paused. His eyes looked close to tears, but a spark of determination flickered within them. I wondered what was going through his mind.

"So how did it happen?" Patton pressed, "How did you get to Earth?"

He took a deep breath, "Well, as Virgil will know, about 50 years ago, on homeworld, they found out what makes gems with a lighter hue - like me - this colour. It's called being faded."

I remembered the breakthrough being a high topic of gossip, especially among Agates and higher ranked gems.

Logan nodded; he seemed to know of it too.

Patton, on the other hand, was looking at us all in confusion, "I've never heard of it," he said.

"Being faded, Patton, is a bit like being defective," Logan explained, "It's a deformation at occurs while in the ground before emerging. It's more of a mental abnormality than a physical one, unlike in a defective gem."

"So you're faded then, Roman?" Patton asked.

He nodded sadly, gazing down at the bed in shame.

Everyone shuffled uncomfortably as an awkward moment of silence hung in the air.

"Continue, Roman." Logan announced.

Roman glanced bitterly up at him before continuing, "One of the main things being faded does to a gem is that it makes them over-emotional and prone to rebelling. I was going to be shattered when they found out, but I escaped. I ran, like a coward, from my trial, and boarded the nearest ship - it was for a team of Rubies, as I learned from the settings, but I changed the ship's course. I didn't know where to go, I was being pursued from all corners, and I didn't even know the galaxy that well. But I kept going. I was blown off course, and I landed here, on Earth. I wandered around for a bit, learned the human ways and eventually found out that there were other gems on this planet. I sent out that online invite, and ended up here, with you three."

"Us four!" Patton corrected.

"I still don't count Remy!" Roman joked.

I smiled, trying to cover my face from the others.

"Well, it seems you've had your fair share of adventure." Logan went to leave the room.

"Yeah, you three's stories are all way more exciting than mine!" Patton left beside Logan.

As I watched them go, I couldn't help noticing that they were holding hands. I smiled.

"I see I'm not the only one who ships them," Roman said.

I glanced at him. He'd obviously noticed me staring, "I can't help it. They're just so cute together!"

"Right?!" he giggled.

"And get this: the other day I walked in on them, and they were, like, almost kissing, I think!" I flipped my hood over my head.

"Well, from the sounds of it, Patton is an awful lot like Noah." I started walking out of the room.

Roman stood up and started to push past me to get out.

Then he stopped.

He looked back and flipped down my hood. Then he brushed the hair out of my face so he could see my eyes. I gazed up at him, my face starting to turn red.

He smiled, "You know, you should really stop keeping your hair over your face so it covers your eyes, or I might actually be able to see their beautiful shade of purple."

He turned and walked away, leaving me blushing at the door frame, wondering what to feel.