"Has the deed been done?" A man asked, looking at an apartment through binoculars.
"Yes Master." A girl bowed and pointed through a window at two boys. "They don't suspect a thing."
"Good." The man lowered his binoculars. "Now we evacuate the scene!"
"PETER! GET OUT!"
"Sorrysorrysorry! I'll never do that again, I promise, Rachel!" Peter cried, shielding his eyes and running out of the room.
Rachel struggled to keep the towel around her petite frame. She frowned and slammed the door. She grabbed up a hairdryer and began to dry her blonde mop of wet hair. "Sheesh, how do I stand living with these guys?!"
Peter sighed and flopped onto a couch in the main room. Another boy looked up at him. "She was showering, y'know."
"I know that now, thanks," Peter growled, flipping over onto his stomach and faced the other boy. "Haddon, ya could've told me."
"Well, I didn't!" Haddon snapped back.
Rachel stepped out of the bathroom, fully clothed and dry. Then she sniffed the air and recoiled. "Ewww, what's that smell?"
"Haven't you ever smelled something burning before? It's obviously smoke." The colour drained from Haddon's face as he said this.
"Then . . . What's burning?" Peter asked.
The three looked at each other frantically and jumped to the window. The first floor of the building was completely in flames.
"H-how long until it reaches the third floor?" Haddon asked, his eyes wide.
"N-not long," Peter replied, worriedly. "It's too dangerous to use the elevator and the stairs will no doubt be engulfed in flames . . ."
"Well, I'm not waiting around!" Rachel cried, standing on the window sill. "Time to put those years of gymnastics and martial arts classes to good use!"
She jumped out the window, grabbed a tree branch, swung around and landed perfectly on her feet. She motioned for the boys to copy her and they did. Rachel's gaze wandered until it landed on a group who were putting out the fire. "Oh no . . ." She groaned.
The one dressed in a green ninja suit was staring at them. He ran up to them. "Who are you? How did you do that?"
"None of your concern, pipsqueak!" Haddon growled, his tall figure looming over the green ninja.
The green ninja gulped, but then the red ninja walked up, his eyes scanning the group. "Answer the questions."
"Why should we?" Haddon asked, with a distinct growl embedded in his voice.
"We're the ninja, we have authority," The black ninja snapped, walking up.
"I'm Rachel, that's Peter and he's Haddon. We've all done years of martial arts and I've been doing gymnastics since I was three," Rachel replied. "Can we go now?"
"Why so eager to leave?" The blue ninja asked, walking up.
"Well, our house was just burnt down. We kinda need to get a new place. Maybe we'll just find some friends . . ." Haddon mumbled.
"But we don't have any friends!" Peter exclaimed.
Haddon smacked Peter on the back of the head. "Shut up!"
"Owww . . . I still don't see how we'll find a new place! That abandoned apartment was perfect!" Peter muttered, rubbing his head.
This time it was Rachel's turn to smack him. "Shut it Peter!"
"Abandoned apartment?" The white ninja asked walking up.
"No friends?" The green ninja asked, pulling off his mask and letting his blonde hair show.
"Yeah! We don't have any friends because we were training with the serpentine-!" Rachel and Haddon both smack Peter again.
At the word 'Serpentine' the ninja got defensive. "Well I guess we have to tell them now, don't we?" Haddon frowned, glaring at Peter who was looking guilty.
"Let's start at the beginning, shall we?" Rachel asked. "We were just little kids living on the streets. We were wandering around in Jamanakai Village when I was sixteen, and those two were nineteen. Then this little kid, who looked maybe ten years old, came demanding candy, with a serpentine army at his back!"
Lloyd looked guilty as Rachel continued. "We immediately hid and watched them get beat up by you guys." She did a double take. "But there were only four of you at the time. Anyways, we decided to stalk the serpentine and watched them get, once again, defeated by you. Then they spotted us just as they sent the kid packing. We kicked most of their butts, and the king or whatever, Skales, took us under his wing. For three years we were stuck underground, being trained by some stupid snakes. Finally, we escaped and have been living here ever since." Rachel looked at the ninja. "Can we leave now?"
"I think we should take you to see Sensei Wu," the white ninja murmured.
"And my parents!" The green ninja reminded them.
"Fine, but we can't stay long!" Haddon snapped.
"It's not like you have anywhere else to be," the red ninja muttered.
"Ooh, you've just struck a nerve!" Rachel taunted as Haddon clenched his fists.
"Can we just get this over with?" Peter asked, whimpering.
"You're such a wimp," Rachel rolled her eyes.
"Come on," Lloyd cried, grabbing Rachel by the wrist. "We're going to the Destiny's Bounty!"
Rachel's head snapped towards Lloyd, her cheeks pink. She grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her head on his back. He moaned a weak 'Ouch' and Rachel smirked.
"You just lost to a girl!" She said in a sing-songy voice.
Lloyd blushed and glared at her. "Well we have to go now anyways!"
"Well then hurry up, Green Boy!" Rachel teased.
Lloyd stood up and frowned. Before he could lash out, the black ninja held out a hand. "Let's stop! We're going. Now."
Then the odd group set out towards the Destiny's Bounty.
