Templeschool

50. So Much Fear

AN: Update #4! So in total, today's update included chapters 47 to 50! How many of you guys saw this coming? Also, the song referenced in this chapter is "For The First Time In Forever (Reprise)" from Frozen.

Steven sighed in relief when he finally reached the forest at the edge of Beach City. Lots of people were out and about, and he'd been stopped several times by his friends. They could see how exhausted the kid looked, and most just wanted to check on him. After reassuring them that he was fine, and he was just tired from going on a trip, they relented. It was nice of them, but he just wanted to be alone. Steven shivered as he slowly walked along the path to the grove. It was weird, the forest seemed darker than usual, and it seemed quieter too. No birds were chirping, and as he continued walking along, he noticed that there were no squirrels or other little critters around that he was used to seeing on his walks. He frowned and continued along. Twoie had told him once, in one of their biology lessons, that animals had a sort of sixth sense for danger. Walking through the quiet forest gave him a heavy sense of foreboding. He shook his head and continued forward. "You're just imagining it, Steven. Everything is fine. There's nothing scary about this forest." The kid continued walking through the woods, though he was unable to shake his uneasy feeling. Finally, Steven made it to the glade that housed the garden.

The sunlight that streamed into the garden was a stark contrast from the darkness of the forest. It shone so brightly that it illuminated the pink varsity jacket huddled at the very edge of the garden. Steven's eyes widened as he realized his brother was here. Twoie's knees were pulled up to his body, and his head was tucked in between his legs, arms, and chest, covering his face from view. "Twoie?" His older brother's body stiffened before he quickly stood up. Twoie smiled widely with his eyes closed while he waved at his younger brother. Steven walked a little closer. He could see what Bismuth meant when she said he looked different. The horns on his head really stuck out, as did the spines on his back and his clawed hands. "I know you didn't want me to see you like this, but I'm not scared of you. I'm really worried about you, though. Are you okay?"

Twoie opened his eyes, keeping the grin on his face. Steven couldn't hold back his gasp of shock. The young man's right eye was pitch black with a pink diamond pupil. Before Steven could apologize for his reaction, Twoie chuckled. "Oh, Steven! I'm fine! I didn't think anyone would be here. Can I help you with something?"

It was kinda freaky to the kid. He backed up a step. "Oh, no, I'm okay. I was worried about you because the gems told me about what happened. And then you didn't want me to see you or visit you. It really worried me." Steven nervously picked at the corner of his hoodie as he spoke. Twoie grinned widely at Steven.

"Ah, no need to worry about me. I'm fine here. If you don't need me to help you with anything, then I'm just gonna go." The young man started backing up into the forest. Steven panicked as his brother tried to run. He cried out for him to wait, lunging forward just in time to grab his wrist. "Let go!" Pink light flashed in the clearing, and pink fractals appeared in the air. Steven quickly let go of his brother's wrist in fear as the facets made a barrier between them. Twoie covered his mouth in horror. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for that-! It's just that-!" He didn't finish, turning and darting through the woods instead.

"Twoie! Wait! Don't go!" Although he wasn't as fast as his older brother, Twoie was wildly running through the trees, leaving broken branches and trampled dirt in his path. Steven was able to follow his trail to a new clearing he'd never seen before. It was a grassy clearing with a large boulder on the edge of a cliff. Twoie was standing in the middle of the clearing with his back to him. "Stop running, Starbright! Please!" The time traveler froze at the nickname. "I understand. You've been hurting for a long time, and now you're getting these new powers that you can't control, and it's scary. I know how you feel!" Steven walked closer until he was only a couple of feet away. "It's fine to not be fine, remember? You helped me understand that my feelings mattered when we had that talk after dealing with the mutant gems."