Safer Shores(Human Lapidot)

8. Trouble Back Home

     Lapis stopped walking. "You've almost been shot?"

     "What traveler hasn't? What Gem hasn't? People hate us Gems! And besides, half the people I know have a gun story to tell, I mean, haven't you been in danger like that before?"

     "No. I haven't. I've been trapped with overprotective parents and a sister to protect and live for. I couldn't get shot even if I wanted to be."

     "Oh, really? No guns at all?"

     "Nope. I was the 'safe kid' in my part of the city. I didn't want to be as safe, it was ridiculous and embarrassing how everyone watched out for me every second of my life. If it wasn't for the over protection, I'd be completely normal. But for some reason, everyone wanted or needed me alive, and so I couldn't have at least a bit of danger in my life."

     "Oh." There was a pause before Peridot continued. "Sorry."

     "It's ok."

     "No, it's-it's not. I really shouldn't assume what people go through." She stopped talking, and they kept walking along the beach. "See, my life was reverse. I was ultra cautious, and my family was careful, but in a more normal way. I was always looking over my shoulder, and a while after I met Jasper, I sort of stopped-a little bit. One day, she convinced me to chill out more than I ever had in a long while, and then we were jumped. Jasper was holding them off, keeping 'em still with threats and shoving them into the walls.. my head was spinning, honestly. I knew something like that would happen, yet I completely forgot what to do in the situation, because the shock of it all was that it was real and happening!"

     Lapis nodded. "Fear does that sometimes."

     "I know, and it was a pain too! All I could think of was that I was going to die, and I backed up and tripped over something-some boxes maybe-but one of them got mad at me for doing so and shot. They missed the first time, and the second time, Jasper pulled me up and out of the way."

     "What happened to the gunner?"

     Peridot stared Lapis dead in the eyes. "What I thought was going to happen to me. We would've been arrested, if Jasper hadn't known how to hide the evidence of us being on scene."

     "Damn. That's quite unfortunate for all of you. Thank God Jasper's a sneak."

     "Yeah. But anyway, that's why I thought about leaving. Three years later, the act came around, and people were leaving, so me and jasper left with 'em. Now we're here, so... We're here."

     Lapis nodded.

     "Why did you come here? I-I mean, well there's a general reason why, really, the danger of that city, but, you know. Why for you?"

     "My sister. She called herself an Aquamarine. She was quite the savage, but she was adorable, and was actually becoming much nicer... But then I couldn't find her after school. I looked all over, and when the police came, guess what they said?"

     "What did they say?"

     "They said that it was 'just another kidnapping'. 'Just another'! And they kept looking and looking, and so did my family, when all of a sudden they called and said that they aborted the search. They had to call so many people to tell them that, like eleven families I'm sure."

     "Th-that case made the news didn't it? I seen it I think, something about 'The Eleven' I think."

     "Yeah, it was that one." Lapis sighed. "I was so mad at them. I can't even call that place a home anymore, I was so relieved when I could finally abandon that damned city."

     "Hey Peridot! Lapis!" Steven shouted. The two girls noticed that they have made a loop to his house. "Oh wait, am I still supposed to be avoiding you?"

     "What?" Asked the blonde.

     "No!" Lapis called back.

     "Ok. You two wanna come inside then?"

     Lapis grabbed her acquaintance's arm to pull her away from the beach house when she resisted. "Does he got any movies?" she asked. Lapis didn't know, so she asked, and Steven nodded. The blue haired girl sighed, and they entered the house with Steven to watch some movies.

"So," Steven began, "we've got Lonely Blade one through twelve, Max, Gremlins, Jaws, CPH Movie Two-"

     "CPH Movie Two?" Peridot chimed in. "That's one of the limited addition ones from after season five, right?"

     "Have you seen it before?" asked Steven."

     "I will-after I finish the fifth season. I haven't been able to watch much while on the road."

     "Oh, well I won't spoil anything. Anyway, we also have, um," the boy looked through the shelves, "Dog-Copter, and..."

     "Ooh look, The Conjuring."

     "The Conjuring?" Peridot and Steven exclaimed.

     "Amethyst! Who'd you steal this from?" Steven shouted to the girl in the kitchen.