Light in the Universe: Part II (COMPLETE)

Chapter XL: Home sour home

Somehow, Steven doubted that Robert would be alright, he went inside to find him in the corner, reading the Light Prognosticus.

"Hey, are you okay?" Steven asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm alright." Robert responded. "So you're not mad about what Connie said?" Steven asked. Robert closed the book and looked Steven right in the eye and said: "Lardna said much worse to me. Telling me they want me gone is nothing compared to the things that go on at Lardna's place. Buddy, if she found you, that gem in your belly button would be sold for crack"

Steven was admittedly worried. "I'm lucky to be alive. Me and Michael were only two out of the three people who managed to escape alive." He said. "As of when she kicked me out, she has killed twenty-seven children, all males. She gives the girls better homes." Steven was confused. "Isn't that sexism?" he asked.

"No, in her mind, only men were sexist, and all men were sexist, unless she can find a use for them, hence why Aloysius Jones was spared: He could be framed for all the murders, should the police find out." Robert explained. Just then, Amethyst walked by, overhearing the whole thing.

"She needs to be put behind bars, or worse!" she said, outraged. "How has she never been caught?"

"She keeps the house far in the woods with treetops covering it from above, and there's no driveway, just a path where the tires drove. There's no phone service and no internet connection there. Lardna keeps the house extra clean and the only way you'd find the chamber is to activate some hidden switch that reverses the stairs so they go to the basement instead of the second floor." Robert explained. "Plus, she's a witch, and a powerful one, too."

"Like your mother?" Amethyst asked. Robert was confused, for a moment, he thought she was insulting her. "No, really. She's a real witch!" she clarified. "How do you know this?" Robert asked, as he walked out of the barn, seeing his mother taking out some sort of wand out of the pocket and waving it around.

"Hic venit in domum suam!" she spoke, while wearing traditional witches' robes and standing in front of a pentagram. Moments later, a small two-story house that was taller than it was wide walked on tree-like legs to the pentagram. It sat down right on top of it. Robert recognized the house as the one he lived in for the first five years of his life, and it hasn't changed since Aquamarine's attack ten years ago. Everything from the holes in the walls to the TV playing the same movie on repeat were all exactly how it was ten years ago. The house retracted the legs as it sat itself down on the pentagram.

Robert's mother turned to Steven. "I hope we can be good neighbors" She said. "This isn't my house." he said. "I live in Beach City"

Robert's mother looked dumbfounded. "Oh, I'm sorry! Could you show me where it is?" she asked.

The Gems and the Light family went back to the temple, it was the first time in almost a month Robert and Michael were back there. Kalinka was amazed at the architecture.

She stepped outside, but couldn't find anywhere to put the house. The gems led her to an empty plot that wasn't but a short walk to the temple. Kalinka cast the same spell there, and the house walked all the way from the barn to the plot.

Michael and Arya were eager to get back to the way things were, but Robert was visibly uncomfortable. "Oh, I'll get that" Kalinka said, waving her wand at the holes in an intricate pattern, mending them so they looked as if they were never there. It still seemed as if something was bothering Robert. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy your fam's back?" Amethyst asked.

Robert nodded and walked inside. The house's decorations looked like the result if you combine a hint of Halloween and the fourth of July. Robert sat on the couch, watching the rest of the movie from where it left off. Michael noticed something was wrong with Robert. "Hey, bub. What's wrong?" he asked, flopping on the seat next to him. Robert stayed silent.

"Did I...fulfill the prophecy?" Robert asked. Michael smirked. "As far as I'm concerned, we did our part, so don't worry 'bout it. You got, what, little over two more years to be a teenager? Enjoy it, you can finally be a human teenager again! No need to fight anymore! No need to live in fear, No need to search for those stupid melodies anymore! We are finally normal!" he said. "Enjoy it, dude! Tell you what, let's say we play some Minecraft?" Robert declined.

"Oh, come on, Don't tell me you're hung up over Lapis, are you?" Michael said, turning on the old Xbox 360. "Reality is often disappointing" Arya said, butting in and deepening her voice to imitate Thanos. Arya looked at Kalinka. "Hey, Mom, what day is it?" she asked. Kalinka was busy in the kitchen, using magic to make dinner for them. "What, hon?" she asked.

"Nevermind, I'll ask Dad." she said, walking up the stairs. She saw her father, sitting on the bed, updating the calendar. "Hey, Dad, what's today's date?" she asked.

"November 9th" he said. "What's wrong, private?"

"That's only a week from Robert's birthday!" she shouted, but not loud enough for the rest of the house to hear. "I know, and I'm working on gettin' him something." he said, putting on his casual clothes, which was a black long-sleeve shirt with the american flag on the front and back. In fact, not a single shirt he owned didn't have some sort of american symbol or phrase. He only had blue jeans and cargo shorts and various boots. Cowboy boots, Muck boots, rain boots, and the ones he wore the most, his black combat boots. He walked past his daughter and out the door. "Where are you going?" Arya asked.

"To meet an old friend o' mine..." he said.

To be continued...