Lapis Lazuli's Genie Secrets in a Bottle

Chapter 5: Parent-napped!

After she finally reached her house, Lapis stopped running to take some much-needed deep breaths. Then, she opened the front door and went inside.

"Mom. Dad." the teenage girl called. "I'm home from school."

However, the only thing that responded to Lapis was silence. That can't be right. Lapis was expecting her parents to be home.

"Mom? Dad?" she hollered. "Where are you?"

She checked every room in her to see if either of her parents were around, but Lapis was the only person in the house. Something was very wrong here. So, Lapis desperately tried to call her mom's phone in hopes of hearing from her.

"Come on. Come on." the blue-haired pleaded softly. "Pick up. Pick up."

"Hello. This is Blue Diamond. I'm sorry that I can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message and I'll call back soon." The outgoing message said.

Then, she tried her dad's number. Only to receive an outgoing message from him as well. At this point, Lapis had dropped to her knees in complete dismay.

"Where are you guys?" she said, feeling scared.

That was when Steven opened the front door and walked in.

"Hey, Lapis." he said to his sister. "How was your first day of school?"

"Steven, they're gone!" Lapis cried out.

"Who's gone?" Steven inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Mom and Dad." the teenage girl told him. "They always let me know if they stepped out or if they're coming home late. They know I panic."

"Are you sure they're missing?" her brother asked.

"Yes, I searched the whole house and called both their cell phones." Lapis replied, her eyes welling up with tears. "What if something bad happened to them? I'm scared, Steven."

"It's going to be okay, Lapis." the older boy wrapped his arms around his crying sister in consolation. "We'll figure this out."

"Lapis, there you are." Spinel said as she and her two friends entered the house. "Oh, thank goodness you're safe."

"Uh, who's the boy?" asked Amethyst.

"This is my older brother, Steven." Lapis answered after she composed herself. "Steven, these are my new friends: Peridot, Amethyst, and Spinel."

"Hi, Steven." the three girls chorused and waved.

"Wait." Lapis said. "How do you guys know where I live?"

"We followed your dust trail." Peridot told her.

"Her what?" Steven questioned.

"Her dust trail." Spinel echoed. "Genies leave them behind all the time, but very few humans can see it."

"I'm sorry." Lapis stopped her. "You lost me there. Did you say genies?"

"Sure did." the pink girl nodded. "Lapis, did you ever wonder what your mom's side of the family is really like?"

"I never really bring it up." the blue-haired girl responded. "Mom was always very secretive about her family. I don't think she likes to talk about it too much."

"Your mom was being probably secretive because... she's a genie." Amethyst explained.

"My mom is a genie!?" Lapis queried loudly.

"Yes, and since your dad is human, that makes you a genie/human hybrid." Peridot added. "A true rarity."

"Yep, and we've been looking for you for quite some time." Spinel replied optimistically.

"So, you three are genies too?" the hybrid girl questioned.

"That's right." Amethyst nodded. "And we know what happened to your parents."

"Yeah, Emperor White Diamond kidnapped them and took them back to Zanaraha, the world of genies." Spinel stated.

"That place from Mom's stories?" Steven inquired. "I thought she just made it up."

"No, it's a real place." Peridot verified. "And that's where White Diamond holding your parents captive."

"Mom. Dad." Lapis said as she covered her tear filled eyes with both hands.

"There you are, Lapis." Jamie's voice panted, obviously sounding winded.

"Hi, Jamie." the blue-haired girl said, taken by surprise. "What are you doing here? Did you follow me home?"

"Come on." Jamie answered. "I know your address."

"Okay then, why are you here?" his friend asked as she pulled herself together.

"I wanted to apologize for not being to be help with those bullies." the boy confessed. "I'm sorry I'm not the kind of guy who can save girls from violent hooligans."

"It's not your fault, Jamie." Lapis assured him with pity. "And I like you just the way you are."

"You must be Jamie." Spinel butted in. "Lapis has told us so much about you. Right, Lapis?"

"These are my new friends Spinel, Peridot, and Amethyst." Lapis introduced everyone. "And I think you met Steven before."

"Good to see you, man." Steven greeted the other boy.

"So what's going on here?" asked Jamie.

"I think someone may have kidnapped our parents." Lapis answered truthfully.

"What?" her friend said in shock. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Jamie, that's very sweet of you; but the person who took my parents is pretty sadistic." the blue-haired girl reasoned. "If they beat you to a pulp, I would never forgive myself."

"I understand." Jamie gave her a sad smile. "I just wish I was able to protect you. To be there for you wherever you are and no matter what. I care about you so much."

Lapis' heart was aflutter and her face blushed like crazy as she snapped her fingers.

"Well, I'd better get home." Jamie said, giving his best friend a hug before leaving. "I hope you get your parents back."

That hug left Lapis on cloud 9 with a dreamy look on her face.

Steven cleared his throat, snapping his little sister back into reality and asked, "So what are going to do about this White Diamond character?"

"There's only one thing I can do." Lapis declared. "I have to go Zanaraha to rescue my parents."

"Lapis, I admire your courage; but this is a dangerous mission." Peridot justified.

"Yeah, confronting White Diamond is just asking for trouble." Amethyst complied.

"I don't care." the blue-haired girl replied stubbornly. "An evil emperor broke into my house and stole two of the most important people in my life. It doesn't matter to me how dangerous this'll be. If it means saving my parents, then I'll do it."

"Lapis, wait." Steven halted her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm coming with you."

"Are you sure you want to do that?" asked Peridot.

"Yes I am." the older brother nodded. "Mom and Dad told me that if anything ever happens to them, I need to be there for my little sister. So I'm going."

"Okey dokey, then." Spinel shrugged.

"So, how do we get to Zanaraha anyway?" Lapis inquired.

"We've got that covered." Peridot answered, revealing a beautifully decorated bottle. "This bottle has a portal inside, but it's very powerful. So, everyone hold hands and no matter what happens, don't let go."

Everybody took each other's hands as the green genie opened the bottle. Once she did that, a whirlwind of desert sands began to whirl around the group of five. It swept them up like a tornado and Lapis squeezed her eyes shut as the world around her melted away.