The cold breeze from The Garden gave Steven a chill, the Sun was already beginning to set and the sky was beginning to get dark, the problem for the human-gem hybrid was that Spinel didn't seem tired, he kept moving and surprising Steven for every corner the place with a smile "Spinel ..." Steven calls tired, the black-haired turns around looking for the gem on his back.

"Touched" Spinel touched Steven's shoulder from behind, the human spins to try to see the gem, but Spinel is back behind him again playing with him "Touched" Spinel teases while still eluding the human "You're too slow Steven"

"Spinel, I have to go to sleep," Steven complains, yawning quickly, but then Spinel grabs him tightly, and watches him face to face.

"Don't go Steven" Spinel exclaims seriously, Steven could notice how the limbs of the gem were trembling and watched firsthand as the frown on Spinel's face frowned.

"But I have to go to sleep, maybe Crystal Gems have already come home and they don't know I'm here" Steven replies with concern, but once again Spinel violated his personal space, the neck of the gem lengthened to meet face to face with the hybrid.

"What is sleep?" Spinel asks curiously, to which Steven gave a small sigh of relief.

"It's when ... you lie down, you get comfortable, you don't move and you don't think about anything" Steven exclaims with a smile while he already seemed to fall out of sleep, Spinel seemed to understand the concept better than Pearl at least. Perhaps while waiting for Pink Diamond, Spinel had finally exhausted her energy and slept for a few moments, so Steven entered in her dreams.

"Then stay here to sleep!" Spinel implores, she closes her limbs even more around Steven's body, who tries to quickly separate from the gem, the most appropriate way of saying it, would be to compare Spinel with a boa constrictor, ready to keep Steven there.

"I can't! Nobody knows I'm here" Steven quickly emphasizes using some of the air he had left, but now Spinel did not respond, his expressionless face was still watching Steven trapped "We can meet tomorrow to play again! I will return to the garden, I swear "Steven promised as he paled over that situation. But Spinel's grip loosened.

"Will you come back? How much time?" The gem asked hopefully, her eyes now bright (but no less dangerous) staring at Steven, Spinel had not taken her eye off at any time of that "squeeze" she gave the human. With joy the human recomposed himself and nodded to the first question.

At first a small smile appeared on Spinel's lips, but then his legs faltered, Pink had also promised to return, and how many years had Spinel been waiting. Why would Steven be different? If Spinel or any gem had lungs, she would have lacked the air because of worry. Spinel on the other hand melted on herself, babbling her worries into the air.

******

In the temple Steven reappears through the portal, waiting patiently for him was Lion, lying on Steven's bed "How are you Lion ?!" Steven asks excitedly to run to jump to his bed, the animal on the other hand just reacted "Today I met a new friend, her name is Spinel, she lives in a strange place while waiting for her friend" Steven begins to tell the story to his pet , but with a big yawn, the hybrid fell asleep quickly.

In a few minutes a second ray appeared through the portal and the Crystal Gems reappeared, mainly to rest after having searched Malachite by the ocean, once again. Amethyst and Garnet went to their rooms in the temple while Pearl watched Steven sleep for a few minutes.

In the morning, Steven gets up a little later than usual "Good morning!" The hybrid greets as he goes down the stairs, Pearl was cooking something for Steven while Amethyst devoured her own food, with no hint of Garnet, apparently.

"Hello Steven ... Amethyst stops eating like that" Pearl greets cheerfully, and complaining about how Amethyst was trying to swallow a gigantic burrito stuffed with various foods "How was it for you while Steven weren't yesterday?" Pearl asks the hybrid while she was cooking again. Steven sat on one of the benches in the house while watching Pearl, suddenly Steven realized that he didn't know whether to tell the gems about Spinel.

"Well ... I was eating and playing music, without problems at home" Steven responds after a few moments of doubt, Pearl fortunately did not give much importance to this, a pleasant silence formed that ended with the presentation of Pearl's food , a cake that Steven began to eat with pleasure although leaving some slices for later.

"Well ... I was eating and playing music, without problems at home" Steven responds after a few moments of doubt, Pearl fortunately did not give much importance to this, a pleasant silence formed that ended with the presentation of Pearl's food , a cake that Steven began to eat with pleasure although leaving some slices for later.

From the bowels of the temple Garnet appeared, she stands on the portal for the next mission to look for Malechite at the bottom of the ocean, Amethyst was the second to go quickly, but Pearl first had to finish cleaning the kitchen utensils Freshly used "Pearl" Steven calls the gem while it is finished.

"Now not Steven, we have to go look for Malachite. Talk to you later, be careful!" Pearl exclaims hurriedly while Amethyst and Garnet waited in the portal, Pearl then with quick steps went to the portal.

"Steven, bye" Garnet says goodbye while the lightning of the portal was activated, the gems happily said goodbye to Steven who returned those expressions of affection. Steven then stifled a groan from his throat.

"I should have asked who Pink Diamond was. Maybe she was friends with Mom? Spinel says Mom should have been one of her soldiers." Steven ponders for a few moments, but quickly reasoning about Pink Diamond, Steven remembers Spinel, so he ran to his room for his Ukulele and takes the leftover cake from the refrigerator, running to the portal to The Garden, where Spinel was still waiting.

******

Although the night was clear, it was dark, Spinel remembered how Pink told her what the other diamonds did when she made a mistake, locked in a kind of tower where you could barely see the sunlight. The Garden was Spinel's tower , lonely, dark and devoid of all life that once appeared there.

Spinel thought repeatedly to follow Steven to his "house" wherever that place was left, but the gem lacked the courage, for the thoughts that came to her mind "What if Pink appears?" or "You can't disobey Pink!", eaten away her courage, Spinel's legs faltered the more she tried to approach the portal. So Spinel had to go back.

Yet there was another fear that eaten Spinel, his new playmate, Steven. What would she do if Steven didn't show up? Spinel would have no more news from the outside world or even perhaps from Pink, if Spinel had no courage to cross the portal, perhaps the human-gem hybrid would be the last being Spinel saw in her entire existence.

In a way Steven reminded him a lot of Pink, it was a kind of ... family memory, of the days when The Garden was well taken care of and full of life, the laughter and smiles had blossomed again, Spinel's gem would shine for such amount of emotion that she felt when experiencing the various games that The Garden had to offer.

If not for the lack of Pink, Steven could not replace Pink.

When the day came, Spinel was still waiting, with an apparent smile as he stared at the portal. For a few moments Spinel thought that it didn't make sense anymore, if a diamond wouldn't come back. Why would the son of a rose quartz return? Fortunately, the gem checked how a portal lightning appeared, and with Steven he returned to Spinel's "home", accompanied by his Ukulele and some pieces of cake.

"Spinel!" Steven greets excitedly running towards Spinel, but on the other hand the tongue of the gem stretched pulling on the conversation worried babble. Spinel's tongue grew disproportionately, but then the gem began to reduce its size.

"Sorry, I was very worried" Spinel mentions when her tongue returned to normal size "Why did you take so long ?!" Spinel asks extending her head to Steven, who then handed her a piece of cake "What is that? Is it food?" Spinel inquires curiously, removing her attention from Steven's "great" absence.

"It's a cake, Pearl made it for me. I wanted to share you a little!" Steven exclaims animatedly, to which Spinel took a bite to the new food, savoring the cream and the spongy texture of the cake.

"This is ... amazing, Steven!" Spinel exclaims approaching her normal size to share food with Steven before continuing to play more games. The gems didn't need to eat, but not even at Pink's court, Spinel had access to such objects that Steven brought to her.

After finishing the cake, Spinel thought about getting up immediately to play with Steven, but there was something to clarify "Wait ... Did a Pearl do this for you? A pink Pearl ?!" Spinel asks, between the emotion and the explosive hysteria, Steven almost chokes on the sudden interest of the gem.

"No ... No, Pearl wears blue and has a color ... rather white, although sometimes her skin can also turn blue. Gems have blood?" Steven explains calmly, thinking about whether gems shared some characteristics with humans, but that Spinel cared little. A pearl with blue clothes? Then it must belong to Blue Diamond or someone from her court, Spinel had returned to a dead end.

"...It's not fair!" Spinel complains after a little sob, starting to hit the ground in anger while she kicked.

"What's not fair?" Steven asks worriedly trying to approach the gem, but she continued in her tantrum for a few moments.

"All this! I can't leave The Garden, but I can't know anything about Pink! Steven, I'm alone" Spinel sobbed shaking and crying, suddenly Steven was hugging her tightly, something unknown to Spinel, who walked away to the human quickly "What was that?"

"It's a hug, when someone is wrong it's good to receive one. It's a ... show of affection, when I was little my dad or the gems gave me hugs, now I give hugs to many people. Spinel, if you feel so bad. Why don't you leave this place? " Steven explains carefully, but as if what he said was obvious, Spinel thought that perhaps the human was too kind for his own good. But it was the question especially that bothered her.

"Steven, a gem, like your mother, you or I, cannot disobey the order of a diamond. Doing so would mean ... being broken, or even worse," Spinel explains almost terrified, her eyes were leaving her basins, literally.

"... Then I'll ask Pearl Diamond for Pink Diamond so she can get you out of here!" Steven sentences with emotion, Spinel's eyes that almost fell to the ground stopped and looked at the human-gem hybrid.

"Would you do that for me?" Spinel asks carefully, to which Steven nodded with a smile, affirming his decision. Spinel began to carve her eyes and return them to her basins, avoiding crying of joy "Steven ... Would you do something else for me?" Spinel asks curiously.

"What do you need?" Steven asks kindly, when a hand of Spinel touched the tip of his nose.

"Touched!" Spinel screams starting to run through The Garden, and since it was part of the game, Steven started chasing her.

"Wait, that was not fair!" Steven complains while he chases the gem. During the friendly chase, Spinel took a sharp turn and Steven fell among the dry bushes that made up one of the walls of The Garden, that was when Steven hit his face against a pink sand and a familiar scent.

The Garden was a structure on a small island in the ocean, which Steven contemplated in wonder, there was literally nothing but the island in that place. From the hole in the wall, Spinel watched Steven, who stood still and lying in the sand "Steven? Did you get hurt?" Spinel asks, at first the gem did not want to approach. Leaving The Garden but staying on the island would be breaking Pink's orders? Spinel had no way of knowing, but when his new playmate seemed to not move.

She took a step "Touched" Steven gets up quickly after touching the pointed tip of Spinel's boots, starting to run along the edge of the island.

Spinel remained silent for a few moments while she heard Steven's laughter running towards the other direction of the circumference of the island, Spinel could not help smiling and laughing in the same way "Steven, that was not fair!" Spinel complains chasing the boy, a strange sense of freedom had invaded Spinel's chest, never similar to something she has experienced before.

******

Somewhere in the middle of the ocean, the Crystal Gems were still looking for the fusion of Jasper and Lapis, but there was something strange about their leader, Amethyst was looking at the bottom, but during those moments, Pearl approached Garnet " Any problem, Garnet? " Pearl asks with concern.

"... Yes, it is ... very rare. My future vision is failing" The highest of the gems exclaims, worrying Pearl instantly.

"Does it have to do with Malachite?" Pearl asks quickly, which Garnet denied, causing her partner to breathe a sigh of relief.

"It has to do with Steven, there is something missing in the puzzle of my future vision to know the possibilities of Steven's future ... something does not fit well Pearl" Garnet complains frustrated, surely coming from the part of Saphire, Garnet turns to see her partner, Pearl was quiet.

"... Steveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!" Pearl screams in a sob of maternal concern, which would have broken Garnet and Amethyst's eardrums, if they had them.