Her life had fallen into a horrible nightmare of repetition. She couldn't remember what it felt like to respect herself or even have thoughts that were her own, and not ones that had been planted for her.

Jasper slammed the door as she stormed out of the apartment in a drunken rage, while lapis lay crumpled on the floor like a forgotten piece of paper discarded by an irritated artist. It had been like that for what seemed like a awful forever. Jasper would be a normal, kind of grumpy person, then for no reason at all she would go out, get way too drunk, and come back to a helpless lapis. There was no relief.

Lapis awoke on the floor the next morning to the sound of her alarm and the throbbing of her split lip. "Ughhhh" she groaned as she put a cool hand over her eyes. She straightened out and stood up before looking around the apartment before spotting a mirror over a shelf that held a potted plant and some phone books they never used. She walked slowly to the mirror, never breaking eye contact with the fragile looking reflection held there.

Lapis ghosted her fingers over the splotchy bruise that already discolored her otherwise pale features. Dark shadows racooned both of her sad blue eyes and made her seem years younger than she was. Her lips trembled and she saw the bloody cut that mared her petite mouth next to the black piercing that her and jasper had gotten together as an anniversary gift celebrating two years of their bipolar relationship.

Her blue hair clung to her face with sweat and she turned away from that haunting mirror and walked to the bathroom to get ready for work. She worked two alternating jobs on the weekdays, one at jenny's, a local coffee shop that was the popular hangout of ditching high school kids and college dropouts, and the other at a local dollar store on a the nearby college common grounds that was usually deserted except for the few kids that wandered in to buy energy drinks and condoms. She signed up to go to classes at the college a few days a week from 11am to 3pm, although she rarely went.

Lapis pulled off her shirt ran a hand down her pale freckled arms surveying for further damage, but finding nothing. She took a quick shower to wash away the scent of sweat and alcohol off her skin and try to scrub of the blood that had dried to her jaw and lip in the night.

She turned off the water and rubbed her hair down with towel. Lapis glanced at the clock on her phone before pulling on her close and leaving the bathroom. The apartment that jasper and lapis shared wasn't the biggest in the world, but it made sense for the two of them. When they had first moved in, the little two bedroom one bathroom apartment had seemed like a dream come true.

They we're finally independent adults, no one could tell them what to do or when to do it. They were there on people. Now this place felt like a tomb. The ash gray walls that lapis had once learned to trust and call home, had turned the rooms into a icy prison where color went to die. The bright windows let in the light of smoky clouds that seemed to add to the macabre atmosphere of the apartment. Anyone who walked in could tell you this was a house, not a home.

Lapis gave a final glance to the empty shadow enslaved rooms, before walking into the hall and down the stairs to the bland lobby and out the glass doors into the the bitter icy air. She looped her headphones into her numb ears as she walked down the sidewalk, and tried to avoid eye contact with the hundreds of other blurry faces that passed her by. Eventually after a few jarring moments she arrived at the coffee shop.

She took the key ring out of her jacket pocket and stuffed her headphones there as a replacement. She pushed the winter chilled door open and walked into the darkened shop, flicking the lights on as she did. The shop was cozy and filled with a drowsy warmth from the overnight heater. Tables scattered themselves about the room as well as several chair, in the corner next to the shop display window, was a sitting area with several soft chairs and pillows as well as a plush carpet that contrasted with the dark hickory floor.

This small shop was a place lapis could relax the hard knots in her muscles and stomach. It was a place that even the most damaged could seek sanctuary even for a moment. She walked behind the counter and grabbed her green apron off of a stool that sat in behind the counter and pulled it over her head, tying it in the back. In the back room several industrial ovens sat waiting for the moment to be turned on and heated for use.

She walked over and lightly pushed the switch on the panel on the wall sending a humming current throughout the room. The ghost of a smiled danced on her face, twitching her lips. She turned back to the shop and turned on the coffee makers that sat on the counter behind the order counter. The scent of coffee and mint filled the empty space in the shop.

Lapis walked to the door and flipped the welcome sign from 'closed' to 'open' and stared for a moment at the children playing in the street. After that, the shop slowly but surely filled with people, coming and going. About ten minutes after lapis arrived, her coworker came in to help with the morning rush.

"Hey lapis, sorry i'm late." Pearl said in an apologetic tone.

Her usually neat peach hair was a bit ruffled and her cheeks slightly flushed, as if she had been running. "It's fine pearl! Really," lapis said. "I opened up on my own just fine." Pearl smiled sadly and finally met lapis' eyes. Her smile fell when her gaze found the cut and bruising on lapis's face. She glanced around the shop, and decided that there were few enough people to be absent for a moment. Pearl's urgent hand gripped lapis's upper arm and pulled her into the back room.

Pearl let go of lapis's arm and brought her trembling fingers to her lips. "Lapis…" Pearl trailed off, her voice lost in the choking silence. Lapis flushed pink and looked down. "Its nothing pearl, i tripped and hit the corner of the coffee table…" lapis managed a weak smile, trying to console her worried friend.

Pearl looked like she wasn't going to believe anything that lapis was going to tell her. She composed herself and reached out to brush the deep cut on lapis's mouth. Lapis flinched so hard she thought her muscles would snap. Pearl pulled her hand back quickly and returned the to her previous posture, covering her mouth.

She shook her head, her eyes sad. "Lapis, you can't keep letting her do this. You can't stop me from doing something to make her stop." Pearl said in a torn tone. Lapis took a step back and turned around so she wouldn't be facing Pearl. "I'm not letting her do anything!" lapis defended. "I fell. That's it. Nothing else, Okay?!"

Pearl shook her head in retaliation.

"You have to let me tell garnet!" pearl cried.

"I can't just sit here and let her do this to you!" Pearl said, defeated. Lapis's eyes teared. "Please pearl. I'm asking you this because you're my friend. Please stay out of this." Pearl looked at lapis for only a few seconds before she realised that she wouldn't get any further with the topic, so slowly she let it go.

The day carried on eventlessly. Until somewhere in the midst of the final rush hour, a unfamiliar girl walked into the shop, and shifted lapis's rainy cold world to one that harboured sunlight.