The visitors
—Dad... Can I ask you a question?
Steven is a short, stocky 14-year-old boy, and for some time, he's been uncovering some unsettling things about his mother...
—Sure, son, tell me.
—Mom... Did she ever tell you anything about... Pink Diamond?
—There were some things your mom didn’t like to talk about... I never asked for explanations.
—Why not?
—Your mom and I talked about a lot of important things, kid, music, cartoons... the sand between our toes... You know... feelings. We both made a lot of mistakes. I thought disco music would come back. She started a war. I think she felt like she had to confess everything to me, but I told her that the past is the past...
Greg sighed, putting an arm over his son's shoulder and smiling.
—The only thing that matters is who you are now, and who she was... she was an incredible and special being.
Steven smiled as he looked at the half-gem resting on his belly. He sighed and hugged his father.
—Goodnight, Dad.
—Goodnight, Steven.
Steven got up from the stairs and headed for the door of the house. The Gems weren’t there, but he didn’t mind. He went through his nightly routine and climbed into bed.
He could remember the dream he had earlier while watching a movie with his dad. He couldn’t fully understand it. It wasn’t like the usual dreams he had, from a third-person perspective. This one was from his point of view. First, there was a lot of noise, then he could see he was flying in some kind of wooden zeppelin, and when the zeppelin started shaking as if it were being attacked, the dream changed drastically.
He saw some flowers, he was in a meadow, and when his dad woke him up, he noticed he had been crying.
Steven prayed as much as he could to not have those weird dreams again. They felt sweetly familiar, but at the same time, they unsettled him. He sighed again and closed his eyes, trying not to think about it so he wouldn’t dream it again.
When Steven woke up, he was crying again, thick, colder tears than usual, but he just wiped his face before calling his best friend, Connie, to tell her about his dream.
Connie, who was a bit taller than Steven, even while sitting beside him, excitedly threw some papers onto the floor.
—Ah... Sorry, I’ll pick them up later, it’s just... when you told me about your dream, I thought I’d seen it before...—Connie pulled out an old book and placed it on the table.
—That’s it! The palanquin.
—Actually, it’s pronounced; the palanquin.
Suddenly, interrupting Connie, a bright light appeared on the other side of the room.
—The Gems! They must know something about this.
—That’s true.
—Let’s go.
With determination, they both ran towards the teleportation platform with the book.
—Hey, do you know anything about this?—Steven opened the book in front of the three Crystal Gems, showing the detailed drawing of the palanquin.
—Mh... Steven... It’s time you knew the truth... And the truth is... I have no idea what that is, I’ve never seen it.
Pearl, a tall and thin gem, laughed and gently pushed the purple gem aside.
—Sorry, Amethyst, let me see.—Pearl leaned towards Steven and looked at the illustration for a few seconds.—W-well... It seems like some sort of illustration in... Some kind of diary.
—Come on! You know what I mean... I had a dream about this thing... Connie and I were wondering—
—Steven... Why are you and Connie—
—You can’t go there!—Finally spoke the elder gem, placing a hand on Pearl’s shoulder to stop her from speaking.
—Why not?
—Yeah, why not?—Amethyst crossed her arms next to Steven, both staring at Garnet.
Steven sighed when he saw neither of the two older gems intended to speak.
—I thought there would be no more secrets from here...
—Um... Steven... We...
—Does this have to do with Pink Diamond? I know my mom shattered her... What is it you can’t tell me?
Pearl covered her mouth, fearing the worst.
—Please, Steven, you’re making Pearl feel bad.
—No! I’m the one who’s feeling bad!
Connie and Amethyst took a few steps back when they noticed the growing tension.
—We won’t go to that place. Rose never wanted you to see that...
—Rose wanted... What about what I want? I’m tired of being lied to... Rose was my mother... Don’t I deserve to know the truth?
—This is not the time.
—I don’t care... I want to go there!
—Steven...
—I... I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have brought the book...—Connie scratched the back of her neck with regret and shame.
—No! You did the right thing bringing it, it’s a lucky thing to find some information without having to go search for it!
The room fell silent. Steven kept his eyes closed, his hand pointing at the two older gems. Pearl, still with her hands covering her mouth, stared at Steven with wide eyes.
—Connie, I want you to give me the book.
—Okay... But take care of it, I have to return it to the library in a week...
—Thanks.—He muttered as he walked past her.
—Wait, Steven. Where are you going?
Garnet approached Connie and placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her from following the boy.
Steven was sitting on the stairs of his house, staring at the lighting of the palanquin.
—Steven...—She called him.—Don’t go, please... You have to trust me.
—I don’t get it, Garnet, you’re normally the one who doesn’t lie to me.—Steven pointed at her in pain.
—I don’t want to do it, Steven, really... But if I tell you why you shouldn’t go, it will only make you want to go even more.
—How? Now I really want to go!
—I shouldn’t have said that... You can’t go because I can’t go with you.
—Why not?—Garnet fell silent.—Garnet! Why not?
—I... I’m scared... I’m scared of her...
—Who? What? Her? Who?
—Oh, great, now I’ve made it even more interesting... Steven, please... Don’t go...—Garnet took off her glasses.—For me...
Steven sighed and looked away from the gem.
—I won’t...
—I know.
Garnet watched as Steven left. She sighed one last time before going back into the house.
—So... Steven is gone?
—Yes...
—Connie, you better go home.
—Yeah, sorry for the trouble I caused—
—You didn’t do anything, Connie.—Garnet shook her head.—It was us...
Connie didn’t know what to say, so she just nodded and left.
Garnet sat in silence on the kitchen island, letting the weight of her thoughts envelop her. For a few seconds, she just stayed there, motionless, her gaze lost in an undefined point. She knew Steven had the right to know the truth, to see for himself the place where everything had happened. After all, he already knew his mother had shattered Pink Diamond, so why deny him the chance to witness the scene of that decisive act?
But fear paralyzed her. A deep, suffocating fear took hold of her inside. It wasn’t just the uncertainty of what Steven might feel or discover, but the real danger that lurked in the shadows. If she saw them, if her cold and ruthless eyes rested on them, it would be the end. She couldn’t risk that. Garnet, who was always strong and unbreakable, was now truly scared.
—Um... Garnet?—Amethyst called.—Did you invite someone over?—Though the comment was made humorously, it didn’t stop the fusion from frowning.
—What do you mean by—
The question hung in the air when the teleportation platform lit up. Amethyst took out her whip, Pearl did the same with her lance, and the three Crystal Gems got into battle position, ready for anything.
—No!—They heard as the light faded.
Six children. Six human children had been teleported to their house.
Pearl approached, still defensive.
—Who are you?—She pointed her lance at the nearest one, a light blonde boy with a scar on his cheek, garnet eyes, and pointy ears.—Answer.
Even though the gems didn’t fight humans and had sworn to protect Earth, that didn’t mean these humans had appeared on a platform made specifically for gems, and by gems.
—Pearl, stop, they’re just kids.
None of the six children were paying attention to the gems. Seconds later, the shortest one began to cry, soon followed by a brunette girl.
—Hey, guys, are you okay? Wow, Pearl! You really scared them...
The gems put away their weapons after seeing the children’s vulnerability. After a few minutes, all six were sitting on the couch in the living room, with the gems carefully watching them.
—How did you get here?
—We don’t know.—Answered one of the girls, with dark, braided hair, wearing big glasses, rubbing the hand of the youngest one in the group.—We wanted to get to the human world... But... I’m not sure where we are...
Pearl looked at Garnet, wanting to know what she thought about them.
—What are your names? Where do you come from?
—I’m Willow, we come from the Burning Isles... It’s... Complicated and long to explain.
—We have time, Willow. I’m Pearl. She’s Amethyst.—She introduced her friends.—And she’s Garnet. We don’t want to hurt you, you’re kids and humans, we promised not to hurt humans.
—We’re not humans.—Spoke impulsively Gus, who was already calmer.—I wish we were...
—Gus!
—Gus! Shh!
—You’re not humans? Ha!—Pearl scoffed.—Look at your skin, soft and fragile, plus, humans have pointy ears.
—Hey, Pearl... Steven doesn’t have pointy ears...
—What? Eh? Oh! You’re not humans... Wait.—She fixed her gaze on the two only pairs of round ears.—What about you?
—We’re human.—Answered the tallest one.—I’m Nova, he’s Hunter, and she’s Amity.
—I’m Gus, and she’s Luz, the human. Well, and Nova’s human too...
The Gems exchanged glances. Amethyst scratched her head in confusion.
—Okay... What’s going on here?—Said Amethyst.—You come from a place called "Burning Isles"? And you’re half-human, half what?
—It’s—answered Luz, glancing at her friends—. We come from another world, well, I come from the human world but then I went to the demon world, a place full of magic and strange creatures. But we don’t know how we ended up here... Is... Is this the human world? I mean... My world.
Garnet adjusted her glasses, analyzing the kids.
—If you’re from another world, that means the teleportation platform...—She fell silent for a few seconds—. Shouldn’t have worked for you.
—Well... it worked—Nova said, crossing her arms—. And now we’re here not knowing how to get back.
—Where exactly are we?—Asked Willow, looking around—. This doesn’t look like a demon realm...
Pearl frowned.
—You’re on Earth. In a place called Beach City.
—Okay, so we are in the human world, my human world.—Luz sighed in relief.
—And what are you?—Asked Gus, leaning forward—. Humans?
Amethyst burst out laughing.
—Ha! No, we’re Gems.
—Gems?—Luz repeated, confused, glancing at Nova—. Like... precious stones?
—Something like that, but cooler—Amethyst replied with a grin.
Amity sighed, crossing her arms.
—Well, whatever you are, it seems like you know more than we do about this place. Can you help us understand what’s going on?
Garnet clenched her fists.
—Maybe yes... but first, we need to make sure of something. If you got here through our teleportation platform, that means something out of our control is happening.
—And is that bad?—Asked Hunter.
Pearl nodded.
—If something is altering our systems, it could mean a bigger problem.
Luz looked at her friends, worried.
—So... can you help us find a way back home?
Garnet sighed.
—We’ll try. But first, we need to understand why you’re here.
The six kids nodded, not knowing that tonight would be the beginning of something much bigger than they could ever imagine.
—Wait... When King pushed us through the portal, we were in the human world... And suddenly we were here, I mean... That platform didn’t take us from the Burning Isles here, it took us from the other side of the portal here.—Nova tried reasoning.—But I still don’t understand why.
—In theory, the platforms are made for gems... It's not possible that it worked for you. Not only that, but except for a few platforms that we have, the others are destroyed.
Willow and Nova exchanged glances.
— I... uh...
— Nova. — Willow stopped her. — Are you sure?
— Yes, Willow, if anyone knows something, it's them.
The green-haired one nodded, and immediately, Nova lifted her shirt slightly, revealing half of a pink stone on her navel.
— Do you think this has anything to do with it?
...
Pearl was sitting on the couch, motionless, as her mind sank into a whirlwind of thoughts. Luz had gotten up and gone to the bathroom, followed shortly after by Hunter. Meanwhile, Willow and Gus were exploring the house curiously, observing every corner carefully, as if the place hid answers to unasked questions. In front of Pearl, Amity and Nova stood expectantly, their gazes heavy with unease, trying to decipher what had disturbed her so much.
Garnet had left just a few minutes ago, leaving behind cryptic words about a dark future and someone named Steven. In the kitchen, Amethyst, carefree as always, chewed on a soda can, as if it were just a simple snack.
Pearl, however, couldn’t share that indifference. Her face was buried in her hands, covering her mouth, her eyes wide, and her breath shallow. She felt the weight of secrets and lies pressing down on her chest, suffocating her, choking her. She wanted to speak, to release the words that swirled in her throat, but fear paralyzed her. She couldn’t move, couldn’t react. All she could do was stay there, trapped in her own silence.
— Um... Pearl... You've been like this for fifteen minutes... — Nova warned. — Could you... Tell me what's going on? I've had this stone since I was born, and no one has ever been so alarmed before...
— No... No... It's just... I... Wow... Where have you been? Have you always lived on those Burning Isles?
— Um... Yes? I suppose.
Pearl took a deep breath, trying to organize her thoughts. She looked at Nova cautiously, as if speaking aloud might break something, something that maybe couldn’t be fixed afterward.
—No... It can’t be that simple.— she murmured, more to herself than to anyone else. Then, she fixed her eyes on Nova.—Did you say you’ve always had that stone? Since you were born?
Nova nodded slowly.
—Yes… It’s always been there. Why?
Pearl squinted, and her expression hardened.
—I…— Pearl brought her hands to her mouth and looked away.
The silence thickened around them. Amity and Gus exchanged worried glances. Luz, who had just returned from the bathroom, froze as soon as she noticed the tension in the room.
—Pearl?— Nova insisted, a mix of nervousness and curiosity in her voice.
Pearl looked down at the floor. She knew that once those words were spoken, there would be no going back.
—That stone… It’s not a stone, Nova, it’s a gem. A gem like mine.
A shiver ran down Amity’s spine, and Gus opened his mouth to say something but stopped. Nova, for her part, furrowed her brow.
—So what if it is?— she asked, crossing her arms. —What does that mean?
Pearl took a moment to respond. When she did, her voice was barely a whisper.
—It means you’re like Steven... You’re half human, half gem...
—What!— Amethyst shouted. —I thought Steven was the only one.
—He was, but… We all knew that the other half of Rose had to be somewhere…
—Um... Pearl?—Luz called cautiously, having gotten lost in the conversation. —Who is Rose?
—Rose Quartz... She’s the leader of the Crystal Gems, and…
—The mother of Steven.—Amethyst finished.
—And yours, Nova.