"Blowing Bubbles"

The week that followed was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Connie and I spent almost every day together, exploring Beach City and its surrounding areas. She showed me her favorite spots to read, introduced me to the local wildlife, and even brought me lunch a couple of times when I couldn't scrounge up anything to eat.

In turn, I told her vague stories about places I'd been and people I'd known, carefully avoiding anything that might give away the truth about my origins. Despite my guardedness, we grew closer. Connie's quiet curiosity and genuine kindness were a balm to my frayed nerves, and for the first time since arriving in this world, I started to feel like I might actually belong here.

On the seventh day, we found ourselves back at the beach, the sound of waves crashing against the shore a familiar backdrop.

"I can't believe how many shells there are here," Connie said, crouching to pick up a particularly shiny one. She held it up to the sunlight, turning it over in her hands.

"Yeah," I agreed, scanning the sand for any interesting finds of my own. "It's like a treasure hunt."

She grinned. "Exactly! My mom always says it's a waste of time, but I think it's relaxing."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This one's perfect," Connie said, holding up a smooth, iridescent shell.

Ethan chuckled, adding it to the small pile they had started. "You've got a good eye for these."

"Thanks! Maybe we could make something out of them later," Connie suggested, her voice light with excitement.

Before Ethan could respond, they both noticed someone approaching from the distance. A boy about their age, with curly messy black hair and a pink shirt, was wheeling a bicycle through the sand. His face lit up when he saw them.

"Hey!" the boy called, waving enthusiastically.

Connie tilted her head. "Do you know him?"

"No," Ethan replied, watching as the boy approached.

The boy stopped a few feet away, his wide smile contagious. "Hi! I'm Steven. I saw you guys over here and thought I'd say hello. I, uh, live up there!" He pointed toward the towering structure of the Crystal Gems' temple.

Connie smiled politely. "Nice to meet you, Steven. I'm Connie, and this is Ethan."

I gave a small wave. "Hey." But inwardly I was contemplating how I should interact with the timeline moving forward.

Steven seemed a little nervous, but his enthusiasm didn't waver. "So, uh, are you guys collecting shells? I used to do that all the time! It's fun, right?"

"Yeah," Connie said warmly. "It's relaxing."

Before the conversation could go further, a faint rumble shook the ground beneath our feet. Steven's eyes widened. "Whoa, did you feel that?"

My stomach sank. I'd learned by now that tremors in this world were rarely harmless. "Yeah. We should probably—"

Before I could finish, the cliffside above them groaned ominously. Rocks began to break loose, tumbling toward the shore where they stood.

"Look out!" Steven shouted, rushing forward.

Instinctively, Steven's gem activated, summoning a glowing pink bubble around all three of them. The falling rocks bounced harmlessly off its surface, but the impact sent the bubble rolling across the sand and down the slope toward the water.

Inside the bubble, Ethan and Connie clung to each other, wide-eyed with shock.

"Uh, what just happened?" Connie asked, her voice shaky.

Steven grinned nervously. "Oh, uh, my gem did that. Cool, right? Except… I don't really know how to turn it off."

"Great," Ethan muttered. "Does that mean were stuck?" I continued feigning ignorance for the time being.

"For now," Steven admitted. "But don't worry! I've been in situations like this before. We just need to figure out how to pop it."

The bubble floated to a stop near the water's edge, leaving the three of them trapped but unharmed.

"What do we do now?" Connie asked, her voice tinged with worry.

Steven thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. "I've got an idea! Let's go to the Big Donut. Maybe Sadie and Lars can help!"

Ethan and Connie exchanged skeptical glances but ultimately nodded. With Steven leading the way, the bubble began to roll, carrying them through town toward the Big Donut.

----------------------------------------------------------‐-------------------------

This continued for a while with Steven taking Connie and I on a wild goose chase across beach city. from the big donut to the pier.

currently where at fun land with steven pushing the bubble forward, It had been over 2 hours now and I could see the worry plastered on Connie's figure. "What your idea this time?" I asked genuinely since I didn't fully remember every event from the plot after not watching it for years now.

Steven continued to roll the orb and we somehow ended up on roller coaster tracks which did no favors in alleviating the tension in our group.

"Alright here the plan we get hit by the roller coaster and the bubble will pop!" he said excitedly.

I made an audible face palm. "If the bubble pops we'll die, if it doesn't will be flung and still die." I announced my voice carrying a weight of tiredness to it. Steven looked confused for a moment and gradually began understand what I had said but it was two late. The tracks began to rattle quickly back and forth as the coaster barreled towards us.

'Was I actually about to die, again, to a rollercoaster?' I thought skeptically and worriedly. Inches from us the vigor of the tracks grew but instead of a rollercoaster crashing into us we got shook of by the ferocity of it sinking us into the bottom of the ocean.

The bubble plunged deeper, the light above growing dimmer as we sank. Connie let out a muffled scream, clinging tightly to Steven and me. The pressure in the airless bubble didn't seem to change, but the weight of the situation pressed on all three of us.

"What now?" Connie asked, her voice wavering.

Steven scratched his head nervously, glancing around. "Uh… Don't panic! I'll figure something out."

I took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. "Steven, is there a way to guide this thing back to the surface?"

Before Steven could answer, a shadow loomed in the murky waters around us. All three of us froze as a giant, segmented worm-like creature wriggled into view, its glimmering, orange-hued body undulating like an underwater nightmare.

"W-what is that?" Connie whispered, gripping my arm.

Steven's eyes widened. "Oh no… That's a corrupted gem creature. It must be causing the tremors!"

The creature's glowing eyes focused on us, its body shifting direction to head straight toward the bubble.

"Okay, we're in trouble," I muttered, trying to rack my brain for anything from the show that might help. Something about Steven's shield, his mom's legacy, and—

The worm swam right past us, heading for a patch of glowing seaweed nearby. The three of us let out a collective breath as the creature began gnawing at the plants.

Steven grinned. "See? It's not interested in us! It just wants… seaweed?"

Connie, still on edge, shook her head. "Steven, that thing almost gave me a heart attack! We have to get out of here before it changes its mind."

Steven's grin faltered. "Right, right. But… uh… how?"

Suddenly, the worm's glowing eyes snapped back toward us. It let out a low, guttural screech, causing the bubble to shudder. I gasped, knowing what it was now after.

"Your bracelet! It's glowing!"

steven looked down and his face sank. "That's what it's after. It thinks your bracelet is part of the seaweed."

Steven's expression turned determined. "Then we'll give it something else to chase!"

He reached for Connie's bracelet, but hesitated, her voice trembling. "But it was a gift from my mom…"

Steven looked at her gently. "Don't worry, we'll get it back. I promise. But right now, we need to get that thing away from us."

Connie swallowed hard, then nodded, slipping the bracelet off her wrist. Steven grabbed it and held it up. "Okay, here's the plan. I'll toss it as far as I can, and when it goes after the bracelet, we'll figure out how to pop this bubble."

I frowned. "Steven, can you even throw it through the bubble?"

Steven blinked. "Oh… good point."

The worm let out another screech, its massive body slithering closer. Time was running out.

"Give it to me," I said, holding out my hand. "I'll press it against the bubble and see if it can go through."

Steven hesitated but handed the bracelet over. I carefully pressed it to the edge of the bubble. To my surprise, the bracelet phased through the barrier and floated into the water.

The worm's attention snapped to the glowing object. It lunged for the bracelet, and the three of us watched as it disappeared into the depths, chasing its false prize.

Connie sighed in relief. "It worked."

Steven cheered. "Yes! Now we just have to get this bubble to… uh…"

A sudden jolt shook the bubble, and it began rising rapidly, carried upward by a burst of water pressure. The trio clung to each other as we shot toward the surface. When we finally broke through, the bubble floated gently to the shore, wobbling before popping with a soft "poof."

We tumbled onto the sand in a heap, coughing in equal measure.

"We… we did it!" Steven exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air.

Connie sat up, brushing sand from her skirt. "That was… terrifying. But also kind of amazing."

I shook my head, my heart still racing. "Let's try to avoid any more near-death experiences for today, okay?"

Before Steven could respond, a flash of light drew our attention to the cliffs. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl stood silhouetted against the setting sun, their expressions a mix of concern and pride.

Garnet adjusted her shades. "Not bad, Steven."

Pearl rushed forward, wringing her hands. "Steven! Are you hurt? What happened?"

Amethyst smirked, nudging Steven with her elbow. "Looks like you've been making friends."

Steven beamed. "Yeah! Connie and Ethan are awesome!"

As the Gems started to clean up the aftermath of the worm's rampage, Steven turned back to Connie and me. He held out his hand to Connie, a sheepish smile on his face.

"So… friends?"

Connie hesitated, then smiled and shook his hand. "Friends."

I watched the exchange, a small smile tugging at my lips. Maybe, I could find my place in this world and survive after all.