Stars and Diamonds

Chapter 55: On The Verge

Orange couldn't hear anything over her own ragged breath, struggling to pull in air between her teeth and exhaling it just as fast in harsh, shaky huffs. Sweat dripped down her nose and chin, silently cursing her own long hair as it clung to her. Her mouth cut a hard line across her face as she glared to her left towards the outer ring of the spire to the lone figure stood there. Panting unnecessarily loud, Orange threw her head back as she yelled out across the open room, "Why are you trying to kill me!?"

"Keep running!" Was the ear splitting response of Iris Agate, one thick finger pointed threateningly at her, her other hand going to her hip as she narrowed her single eye at the young diamond, "What did I tell you? You went and left me and became soft!"

Orange let out groan, the comment not the first that had been made to her that day, "I did not! I simply grew bigger!"

"In the gut!" Iris sneered.

Orange cut her eyes to the Agate, slowing the quick pace she had been maintaining despite her growing fatigue just to squinted her eyes in disbelief at the Agate, but she was sure the look was lost on the instructor by her own bobbing movements. "Seriously! I'm not-"

"Keep moving!" Iris yelled over her, her naturally scratchy voice making the words more harsh than they ever could have been without it, "I didn't tell you you could stop!"

Sensing something behind her, Orange turned her head in time to spot two large grey figures advancing on her, the strained face of G9 staring back at her with such intensity that it made the skin on the back of the diamond's neck crawl. Her face was tinted a darker shade than normal, her voice muffled as she spoke from gritted teeth, but the intent could hardly be missed as she spoke, "Oh, you better keep moving, my Diamond."

"Just get in these hands reach, I swear it!" J2 added, who normally kept up with Orange much easier than her counterpart, was panting along side her, skin just as flushed as G9's, an indication to just how long they had been at Iris' disposal.

Orange couldn't keep the grin off her face at the overly dramatic duo, turning around to focus on where she was going as she put some distance between them, just missing as J2 reached out to actually try and latch onto the back of her tunic. Cackling as she heard her groan of annoyance, the young Diamond cocked her head to see the two gaining on her again, spurned on by her amusement, Orange's eyes going wide as she nearly tripped when she realized this and forced herself to move even faster just to keep pace.

"I thought I missed you," G9 wailed, Orange unable to tell if it was sweat or genuine tears sliding down her face, "now I only miss you being away!"

"Hey!" She shouted, once again dodging J2's hands from stopping her moving away again.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Blame Iris and Yellow Diamond!" Orange responded to G9's continued complaining, glaring over her shoulder at her cohorts, turning and smacking J2's hand in her third attempt and childishly sticking her tongue out at her as she retracted her hand, shaking it out at the mark her diamond had left on the back of it. "This has nothing to do with me, I swear!"

"More running, less yapping!" Iris droned in exasperation of the three, eye closing as she shook her head, hand moving up to rub at her forehead.

"Can't I do both?" Was Orange's quick response.

"Do you wantthe whip?" The Agate snapped, eye going wide as her hand balled into a fist, and while the threat created no fear for Orange, it was G9 that reacted.

"My Diamond, respectfully, shut up!" the White Topaz shrieked, the genuine upset in her tone making the comeback on the tip of the young gem's tongue get caught, her partially open mouth, ready to fire back in another witty retort, died in her mouth.