Prompt: It's your characters first day at a new school. He or she wants to get a fresh start, developing a new identity. But in his or her homeroom, your character encounters a kid he or she knows from summer camp…
"Today's the day. Today's the day you make a name for yourself. No more dancer, no more actor, no more singer. Today you're just a normal kid who's going to a normal school. You can do this." This was my pep talk in the early hours of the morning, I fixed my shirt as I stared at myself in the mirror. This was going to be a great day, all I have to do is not embarrass myself. My hair looks a mess, I should probably brush this out… but it's already seven fifty, I should start walking if I'm not going to be late. Finger combing it is! I fixed my hair on the way down the stairs as I rushed to the kitchen to grab an apple for the road and my beanie to cover up my hair. I quick goodbye to my dad and then I was off to my first day on high school.
The new neighbourhood would be fun to explore once I get some time off but for now all I can do is admire the view and try not go get lost. "What did dad say? Go straight and your second right, or was it your second left?" I muttered to myself as I tried to recall any of the houses surrounding me. None of them seemed familiar and I stopped, I couldn't very much go wandering around aimlessly now could I? Then two people caught my eye, they had bags on their backs which meant they're on their way to school too. What luck! I jogged a bit to catch up with them and the closer I got the clearer they became. The taller one of the two was a boy with brown and spiky hair, he had a red hoodie and sneakers with a dark jeans on. The girl next to him had a black bob with a red tight-fitting shirt and genie pants paired with black pumps. I couldn't see their faces since I was behind them but it didn't matter, I just needed their help to get to school. I would have asked them for directions but due to my extreme shyness I didn't dare, so instead I followed them, close enough to keep up but far enough not to come off as a weirdo. Just like any normal person would do.
And just as dad had said, go straight and make a right. I was at school in no time and watched the two teenagers meld into the crowd of school children. The boy walked over to another group of people his age while the girl walked over to her own group of friends. He must be in a higher grade than her because he looked older, as did all of his friends. I cleared my mind and walked over to a nearby bench and took a seat, my apple was gone by the time I was halfway to school and I didn't want to dip into my lunch reserves just yet. So instead I opted to take out my phone and pass the time with some music. I put my earphone in, making sure to leave one out so that I could hear the bell, and started playing any random song that came up. While the beats were pounding in my ears I remembered the instructions my dad had given me; "When the bell goes, go to the office. There they will give you your subjects and your homeroom number." So now it was only a matter of waiting for the bell.
It didn't take that long to ring and soon I was in between crowds of talking students as they make their way to homeroom. I detached from the group and went to the office. The lady sitting behind the desk looked friendly, her hair was in a simple braid that hung behind her and the small wrinkles around her eyes and mouth told me that she was fond of smiling. "Hello, um, I'm new and I was told to fetch my things in the office." I squeaked out and gripped the strap of my bag.
She looked up and smiled, "What's your name?" she asked, he voice sounding kind and not as old as she looked.
"Cole Brookstone ma'am." I said quietly and watched as she typed some things on her computer before swivelling around on her chair and reaching for a large file. From the file she pulled out a list of names and a sleeve of other papers. After scanning over everything she handed them to me and spoke up in her sweet as candy voice.
"Your homeroom is class 34 and these are your subjects. Your locker is number…" she typed on her keyboard for a moment before looking up again, "361." She answered as she smiled brightly. I put on a tiny smile as well before I thanked her and made my way to the locker.
"358, 59, 60… 361." I said softly I looked at the red metal door in front of me. After putting in the code that the lady had shouted after I left, I filled the small space with my books, leaving only the first three periods in my bag. When I was done at my locker I walked down the empty hallways trying to find my class. Through some of the door windows I could see teachers sitting at their desks, some were on their phones, and the children where creating chaos in class. It was register period so I wasn't too surprised when a classrooms noise echoed all the way down the hallway. I counted the class numbers until I got to my own, room 34. I peeked in through the small window and saw the class sitting in groups and scattered randomly around the room. What I assumed was my teacher sat next to another group and seemed to be laughing with them as well. It was the same group of boys which I'd seen when I had first gotten to school.
Now I could see the face of that boy, he was laughing with his phone gripped in his hand. His sleeves were tugged up to his elbows, his face was smooth and his eyes were a warm, dark golden colour that matched his tanned skin tone. He sat on the table with his feet propped up on the other desk, he was the definition of popular. And smoking hot. I bit my lip and decided to turn my attention to the other kids surrounding him. A platinum blonde caught my attention, he was pale and had nerds for glasses. He had more of a straight and square face compared to the others. His hair was neatly brushed to the back and he wore a plain white shirt with beige shorts and white sneakers. He looked like a typical nerd which meant that there was hope for me still, but that was until I saw the tattoo on his chest sticking out from under the innocent looking outfit. Are you even allowed to have tattoos? I brushed the thought out of my head, maybe I am doomed after all. When my eyes glanced over the rest of the cream and blue coloured classroom I immediately caught sight of bright red hair. Wow, this school never ceases to amaze me.
I placed my hand on the cool metal of the handle and pushed the door open slowly, the teacher caught sight of the small movement and immediately turned himself around to face me. This triggered a chain reaction, first the popular kids stopped talking and eyed me then the rest of the class stopped and soon the smaller room was draped in silence and everyone's eyes were on me. Terrible way to start your school career, I know.
"So, would you mind introducing yourself to the class?" The sir had stark white hair that was neatly brushed and a small beard that circled his mouth. I did a once over of the class and tried my best not to crumble under the pressure and make a fool out of myself. I'd have to spend the rest of the year surrounded by them so I'd rather not embarrass myself on the first day.
"Hi, uh, my name's Cole Brookstone. I just moved here a week ago."
"Where are you from?" the girl with the shocking red hair asked, her lollipop was swung around the air as she looked at me with a bored expression.
I hesitated for a moment, catching the glances of a few others. First a blonde boy, goldish hair untidy enough to be bed hair yet still neat enough to pull off, he had a green shirt with dark brown pants and green shoes to match. Man, they were all like coloured sweets. Towards the back of the class was a smaller group of guys, dressed in grey and black seeming to be the opposite of the coloured skittles in front.
"I'm originally from Italia but I moved to Ninjago a couple weeks ago." My voice was softer than I intended but it didn't bother the girl. She seemed satisfied with the answer. And considering my heritage no one questioned my lack of an accent, honestly it really only showed when I spoke the language. But having a father from Ninjago really helped me learn to hide it.
"I hope you feel welcome here at our school, Cole." The teacher spoke, his voice sounding raspy, almost as if something was stuck back there. I nodded my head in his direction and smiled a little before moving to the back of the class to the only open desk.
From back here I could examine the whole class without drawing attention to myself. The group of boys were much bigger, and they all had a different colour scheme. There was red, white and green then another boy who was too busy on his phone had a blue jacket on. The red head had her own posse, next to her sat a girl with black hair, but get this, purple streaks. Another girl had green in her hair! She wore a tank top to match and a torn up jeans, I guess it made her look tougher.
I desperately needed to start making friends if I was going to fit in here, the only problem was; with who? Red hair was clearly off limits, it seemed like a 'no boys' kind of group. But then again, the multi coloured skittles weren't any better, I wonder if their initiation involved picking a colour to wear for the rest of your life. They certainly seemed like the popular kind, maybe I shouldn't go there. I looked around the classroom, not a single child was on their own, they all had at least two other kids with them.
That's it, I'm not going to be the lonely kid at the back staring out at the class and wishing I was part of a group, nope. I'll be the lonely kid at the back sketching random people in the class on his own. Yep, that sounded way better.
Pulling out my sketchpad and a pencil I surveyed the room for my muse. It was no surprised that the good looking brunette caught my attention, from this angle his laughing face could clearly be captured in the morning suns light. It started off as an innocent enough sketch, just the bare minimum of detail. But then, I could help but put in the way his fingers loosely held his phone or the way his eyes narrowed when he smiled or even the tiny details of a dragon circling his arm. I have no idea how I didn't notice that at first. Soon, I'd drawn the hell out of him, getting every stray strand of hair and every laugh line on the side of his face down to the folds in his constantly moving clothing. I looked down, satisfied and compared it to the real thing. Colour would look great but I'd rather not be caught colouring in a picture of a fellow student.
I looked down at my watch, it was way past eight and the bell still hasn't rung. I looked to my side, a smaller boy was sitting next to three other friends, though he didn't look too concerned with the conversation since he was absorbed in his phone. He had a pullover on and short black hair, but he was really short. "Uh, hey." When he turned around he seemed a little annoyed but I could turn back now. "I was just wondering why the bell hasn't rang yet."
He sighed, "We never have our periods on the first day of term. You stay here and tomorrow your classes start." I answered with a silent 'oh' before he turned back around and continued chatting on his phone as if nothing had bothered him.
So I was staying here whole day, great.
With nothing better to do and feeling kinda in the mood, I continued drawing. My next target was the green one, he shared the desk of the red one, he too was half contributing to the conversation and half busy with his phone. He was easy enough to draw, but I kept getting his hair wrong. Maybe because he kept brushing it behind his ear, which only caused more hair to fall to the front.
In no time I'd already done three of the boys, the one dressed in white was surprisingly difficult to draw. He had a certain mystery to him, calm but deadly. I was determined to capture that in his neat and put together demeanour, making sure to get his peeking tattoo just right to portray the other side that stayed hidden. He liked to keep his hand on his leg and didn't bother with his hair as much as the others, but rather let it fall over his face. That's something I could admire about the guy, from what I could tell he wasn't self-absorbed and he didn't worry too much about his appearance.
I was down to the last one, blue. He sat hunched over behind the desk at the very front just in front of the teachers own desk. He wore glasses as well, and a white shirt with a royal blue jacket. I couldn't see much of his face but I could tell that he had a notch in his right eyebrow, he also had a bunch of freckles covering his cheeks and nose, the pale skin made them stand out even more. I didn't think about it but when I was adding that barely visible specks to his face, only then did I realise that I knew him.
A week ago while at a camp for foreign students. That was supposed to get me used to the Ninjago culture before I started my first day, I guess it helped a little and seeing kinds from around the world was great. I even met a few people from Italy.
But how did he manage to get into that group on the first day? And why didn't I see him at the front office, and I didn't even see his introduction to the class. I looked down at the drawing, the rough black lines hardly calmed me, and deep down I could feel a slight pang of jealousy hitting me. Maybe he's a social butterfly, something I lack.
I looked back up, my eyes glued to the mess of orange-red hair, if I remember correctly then he's from Canada. French-Canadian? I think so.
His head shot up and I was hit with bright blue eyes, I felt as if I could drown in them. I think I stared a bit too long because he then flashed me the dorkiest smile in the world and he accompanied that smile with a wave. This was weird but I guess it's friendly, I did a small wave back and suddenly four pairs of eyes were zeroed in on me. Oh my shit!
Look down Cole, don't let them see how scared you are, they smell fear. I shuffled my pages and stuffed my sketchpad back in my bag just before a bunch of shadows darkened my already creepy corner. Standing in front of the rest was the brunette, his arms were folded across his chest and he had the slightest of smirks on his face. Behind him were the rest, the green one was still barely paying attention, the mysterious one had a sweet smile on his face. He almost looked welcoming if it wasn't for the expressionless eyes that threatened to kill me in my sleep. The blue one still had that same dorky smile on his face, eyes radiating happiness and freckles standing out vividly close up.
"Hi…" smooth Cole, real smooth. The boy in red raised his cut eyebrow, his smirk stretching a little. A teenage boy was never meant to look this intimidating. I glanced behind him then to the rest of the class; I could see how forced their conversations were as they peeked to my corner every few seconds.
"Jay says he knows you." Oh, that's his name. The boys voice was smooth and held that aura of authority to it, the statement wasn't threatening but rather 'since one of us knows you we need to see if the rest can trust you' kind of feel to it.
"I guess you could say that, we met at a camp. Kind of." We weren't really best buddies at camp, we only spoke when we were teamed up and even then only a few words were exchanged. And from what I remember, he did most of the talking.
"Yeah. Though I don't remember you saying that you were coming to this school, I could have showed you around." Yep, his cheery tone hasn't changed a bit.
"I didn't think we'd be sharing a school."
Their leader, who shall be known as 'The Red One' stretched his hand out, "I'm Kai." He said and flashed a heart stopping smile that made my breath hitch. Please don't let my hands be sweaty, please don't let my hands be sweaty.
I shook his hand and he moved to the side to make room for the boy in white, "My name is Zane." Even his voice held that 'I'm superior to you in every way but I won't show it because I'm nice' tone. Kai then nudged the other boy, 'Greenie', and gestured to me.
"Oh, uh, my name's Lloyd." He said quickly and smiled before turning his attention back to his phone.
Kai rolled his eyes and turned his head to look at me, his molten gold numbing my brain, "Do you want to hang out with us during lunch?" the rest of the group smiled with their leader, I'm sure my uncertainty showed.
"It'll be fun, come on." Before I even had a chance to think, my hand was grabbed by Jay and I was being dragged to their previous spot. The class eyed us all but made sure that a comfortable noise of talking always hovered over everyone, it's like they took turns staring so that it wouldn't be too weird. I took my seat next to Jay which just happened to be next to Zane and in front of Kai. I knew I was blushing, I was certain, I think even my ears would have turned red as I continued to avoid eye contact with everybody else.
"So, tell us a little bit about yourself, Cole." Kai asked, leaning forward. I gulped and clenched my fists. Look on the bright side Cole, you made friends on the first day.
"I-I'm pretty good at sports? I played some football when I was younger. And, uh-" before I could further embarrass myself Jay interrupted. I can't decide if I'm thankful or annoyed at him.
"Cole here is like, super artistic. He went to the – what was it called?" he looked my way with his face scrunched up in though, I struggled to hold in my laugh.
"Marty Oppenheimer School for Performing Arts." I said and smiled when his face lit back up.
Kai raised a brow in interest, "So you can sing and dance?"
"Kind of, I only stayed for a year."
Kai hummed and looked in Lloyd's direction. "Dude, are you even listening?" his toned dripped with annoyance.
Lloyd lifted a finger, asking Kai to hold on for a moment while he finished typing his message. But the brunette was having none of that, he reached over and grabbed the phone out of his palm. "Hey!"
"Pay attention and maybe you'll get it back." Kai pushed Lloyd away and began going through the boys chats. "Oh, who's 'babe'?" he asked and laughed at the boys reddening face.
"Knock it off; give my phone back, man." Lloyd begged and reached over to get it back.
Kai threw the device to Zane and the blonde caught it with ease. "I don't recognise the number." He stated and scrolled through the rest of the chat. "Did you meet someone?"
"That's invasion of privacy guys." Lloyd said and stuck his bottom lip out.
I laughed and so did the rest of them, except Jay who was too engrossed in his phone to pay attention to what was happening around him. I peeked over his arm to look at the screen, and just before I got a good look he pulled away.
"Eh, no. maybe next time." He said while patting my shoulder and smiling.
I huffed just as the bell rang signalling the start of lunch. I followed the group of boys all the way outside to the field at the back of the school, they claimed their spot under a tree further to the side. From here we weren't particularly visible to the rest of the school but we could see them. I watched as some of the younger kids took seats at the tables that were scattered around the court, and I found that this place really like to be divided.
Closer to the school, along the door and window sides you had the small fish – guppies, eighth graders that had much smaller groups that didn't exceed four. Then as the grades rose, the bigger the groups of people, it reminded me of Game of Thrones, marry your kid to a powerful house to gain strength. Only, where were Denerass and Terian and where the hell was Jon Snow?
Anyway, I was happy that I wasn't a loner out here and it seemed as though the people that, I guess are now my friends, were quite powerful.
"Hey Cole, you busy tonight?" it was Lloyd, the blonde had finally decided to acknowledge me, he gripped his phone and kept it well out of reach to the others.
"Uh, not really." I replied while digging in my bag for my lunch.
"Cool, do you wanna join us for a little, hmm, get together?" I raised my head, he had a mischievous smile on his face that made me question his motives.
"What kind of get together?" I asked, I little weary.
He walked over to me, standing at my side with his arm around my shoulder. It looked a little awkward since he was considerably shorter than me, I think he may have been the shortest. "Think of it as a little initiation into our group."
I peeked over to look at the rest of the eyes staring at me. Jay's smile was small and reassuring but I had no idea how trustworthy he was. Zane wore a stoic expression so there's no telling what was going through his mind. And finally Kai, probably the bad boy of the group, had that sweet seductive smirk plastered to his face. God, I wish I could slap it off.
"O-okay." I hope this wasn't a mistake, I'd hate for my first real choice here to be a dumb one,
"Great, come to my house at seven and be on time. It's the cream one opposite that dojo." I nod my head at the instructions. Maybe it won't be so bad. At least I'm not the 'untalented swine' anymore, I swear, those snobbish idiots from my old school will get my fist to their face if I ever see them again.
When school was over Kai offered to walk home with me, his sister tagged along too. She was nice, had that sense of authority just like her brother and you could tell that she was a smart one. She had these bright red lips that drew you to them, light skin but not as pale as Jay or Lloyd's and her eyes were a soft milk chocolate brown. To tell you the truth, I had a hard time believing that they were actually related.
"Dad, I'm home." I called out as soon as I entered the house, only to find the small living space completely empty. I walked around, dumping my bag on the sofa as I entered, and made my way to the kitchen first. I grabbed an energy bar and continued searching. He wasn't in the garage or upstairs so he must have gone out. Wouldn't he have told me?
Never mind.
I went to my room and parked myself in front of the computer. I think I spent about an hour just sitting there and browsing YouTube when a stone hit my window. I looked up and waited a few seconds before I decided to ignore it. I must be losing my mind.
But that's when it happened again, harder and the stone was bigger. "What?"
I made my way over to the glass and lifted it up; unfortunately for me I had terrible timing. "Ah! Fucking hell – ow!" A perfectly aimed stone managed to hit me straight in the face on my nose.
"Sorry!" it was Jay shouting from the front lawn, trying his best to look guilty and not like he wanted to explode from laughter. "Open up."
I turned and grabbed my facecloth from the bathroom before hurrying down to open up for Jay. As soon as the front door was swung open I was met with that same dorky smile from earlier. "Heeey man… hehe." He rubbed the back of his neck. I rolled my eyes and stepped aside to make way for him to come in. "Sorry about hitting you."
"It's fine, I don't think it's serious." I lifted the cloth and gazed down at it, there wasn't much blood but it was hard to tell since the cloth was black.
"Let me take a look." Jay said and moved my hand away while pushing me to sit on the sofa. "Where's your first aid kit?"
I watched him manoeuvre closer to the downstairs bathroom, "It's in that room, the door with the grey handle." I said and only then noticed the slight change in my voice. Soon the ginger sat down beside me and rummaged through the small red bag.
"Why didn't you just knock?" I asked suspiciously, he only laughed as I thought he would.
"I wanted to be dramatic." He smiled up at me, and this time it wasn't as odd as I had expected.
I scoffed and looked away. "Idiota."
"Did you just call me an idiot?" he asked and paused from tearing off a piece of tape. His expression was serious but I could easily see the hint of amusement in his eyes.
"No, no, I would never!" I exaggerated and looked at him surprised.
"You know I had Italian children in my group, I know what it means."
I couldn't stop the smirk that crept onto my face "And they've said it to you?" I asked.
"Well... yes, but that's not the point. The point is that I know what you called me an idiot and I'm not." Jay scoffed and looked at me triumphantly as he folded his arms.
"You done?" I asked while raising my eyebrow.
There was a moment of silence before we both laughed and the ginger boy continued with patching me up. I couldn't stop pulling my face at the uncomfortable and painful sensations. "Stop being such a baby." Jay stated with an annoyed expression while I replied to by slicking my tongue out at his freckled face.
Once he was done I had a very uncomfortable and itchy plaster over my nose, I thanked him and went to the kitchen to get some snacks for my unexpected guest.
"So, what are you doing at my house?" I asked as I took a seat next to him on the sofa. I handed him a packet of sweets and one with chips before I reached for the remote. He stuffed his face before answering me.
"Well, I just thought that I could prep you before you go into the belly of the beast." I gave him a confused look to which he only answered with a shrug. "You saw those guys, probably the most popular group of boys in the school, if you don't count those other biker weirdoes but they wouldn't dare hurt Lloyd, they call themselves the Serpentine." Jay snorted as if these other people weren't worth his breath.
I turned to fully face Jay, "And how exactly would you... prepare me?"
"Easy, I'll tell you a little bit about them so you won't make stupid mistakes and get yourself kicked out." Jay stated and scrunched up his face in confusion as if it was obvious.
So, I was part of a group of popular people? That's a first. "And you know them so well?" I asked sarcastically.
I didn't expect him to answer with such certainty, "Of course dude." He turned to look at me, "As you may have noticed, I tend to get to know the people I meet." He waved a hand and gestured to my house.
I hummed and grabbed the packet of sweets as I waited for him to start his preaching. He dramatically cleared his throat, to which I rolled my eyes to, and calmed his expression before starting. This guy was such a joker, no wonder they wanted to be around him.
"Being head of everything that's anything here at our beloved school, I make it my duty to warn and provide wisdom to all noobs I deem are worthy." I raised my eyebrow, "You should be honoured Cole, not only did I get you associated with the heads of our class but I also got you invited to the house of Lloyd Garmadon, the son of our principal and all this on the first day." I hummed again while stuffing a sweet in my mouth. Was I supposed to treat him like some wise guru now?
"Now, let's start with the guy you've been staring at." Just as I was about to protest Jay held up his hand to silence me. I wasn't staring, was I? "Kai isn't your typical bad-boy, sure he almost never follows the rules and has next to no respect for teachers that get on his bad side, but he's also pretty smart given the chance. He's really good at sports as well so next time you openly stare at the guy, please do it where everyone else is staring too." I nodded my head as I continued eating. "Also, he's pansexual so you have a chance." I choked on my sweet and started gagging. Jay hammered down on my back while laughing.
Once I recovered after that hiccup I told him to continue, this was actually pretty interesting. "Anyway, next is Zane. The 'fallen angel'," he said and made quotation makes in the air while rolling his eyes.
"Did he do something wrong to get that title?" I asked
Jay looked down in thought, "Well, technically, no. He was always smart – genius level, and that certainly didn't change, but since he's been hanging out with the others, he's kind of gotten a reputation for himself." He shook his head, "What I'm trying to say is that the guy can get away with murder when he's in charge." He lifted his hands, signalling that he'd leave it at that.
I stared at him while rhythmically feeding myself with what was left of the sweets. "You are crushing so hard." I stated in an even tone.
Jay hung his head in shame, "I know." That's when I decided to laugh while he adjusted his glasses to hide his embarrassment.
Jay quickly shushed me and continued, "The last one is Lloyd, as I said before; he's the son of the principal and the secretary." That was the women I first spoke to, hmm, he didn't seem like his mother. "So I would advise that you not get on his bad side. But I wouldn't really worry, he's a good kid and if you do then he'll probably prank you before telling his parents." Jay shrugged. "The group actually started with him and Kai, the two of them are really tight. Don't worry twinkle toes, Lloyd's gay but I doubt he'd date Kai even though they'd make a killer couple. Literally. I mean can you imagine the principal's son involved with the school troublemaker? Not only could the teachers not touch them but neither could the students. They'd be like royalty-"
"Jay, you're babbling."
He stopped and I could see the faintest bit of red dust over his cheeks, "Right, sorry. Uh, what I meant to say was that Lloyd wouldn't date Kai because he's already in a relationship with a certain someone, though I am sworn not to break my friends trust." He waved his hand in front of me, dismissing the idea. I replied with a simple 'okay' and a shrug, it's not like it's my business anyway. "Aww, you're not even gonna try and ask?" I shook my head, "You're no fun."
He looked around and smiled. "Well, the rest are all statistics. Skylar Chen has her two followers and has been around the block quite a few times," I pulled my face, "she's really gunning for Kai though. Brad and Gein are in their own little troubling group, but I'm sure we'll be working together soon." I nodded, not understanding any of this social food chain and group stuff.
"And that's it. All you need to know." He looked satisfied before I spoke.
"What about you?" his face flashed between confusion and surprise before settling on embarrassment.
"I'm not that interesting really." He rubbed the back of his neck like earlier. I had a hard time believing what he'd said.
"Yes you are. You know everything about the school don't you, how is that not interesting?" I asked and tilted my head in confusion.
Jay laughed awkwardly, "Well, that's the person I am but it's not me?" he said as though he didn't understand it himself either. "I'm like the Shadow Broker." He said.
"The who?"
"You know, the Shadow Broker, deals with information but nobody knows his face. You only find out who he is when your friend asks for your help to rescue a friend that helped her search for you-"
I cut him off again, "Jay, I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Oh. It's a game that I play. Basically the Shadow Broker is this mysterious persona that deals with information and secrets, but nobody really knows who he is." I nodded my head once more.
"So nobody knows who you are?" he shrugged but nodded his head. "Then how do you get all your information?"
Jay smiled smugly, popped his shirt collar and adjusted his glasses. I rolled my eyes. "Well, Cole, I'm quite brilliant when it comes to all things that run on electricity." And there's that dorky smile again, "I've set up a whole database where I not only store my information but also communicate with people of high importance."
"What about hackers?" I asked, which I found out was actually a dumb question. According to Jay.
"Please Cole, don't doubt my awesomeness. Hackers are hardly a match for my security; I had Zane and Nya work on that."
I was impressed but it only left me more intrigued, "How many people know about this information exchange?"
Jay smiled, but not a cocky one, a genuine smile, "Only you. You're the only other person."
"Me?" I pointed to myself in surprise.
"Yes dum-dum. You." His smile grew and he took the sweets out of my grasp before he checked his phone. "It's past six now, you should probably get ready to leave soon."
I hummed and ran upstairs while leaving Jay – someone I hardly know – alone downstairs in my house. Aren't I smart? As soon as I reached my room I threw my beanie off and grabbed the black hoodie that lay on my bed. I brushed my still messy hair, washed my mouth out a bit and rechecked my clothes before going downstairs. Jay was in the same position as I had left him, channel surfing while eating the last of the chips.
"Ready?" Jay asked and turned to look at me.
"Yeah." I replied and he stood up while switching the TV off. We had just started walking down the sunset coloured street when I looked up at the sky. The clouds on the horizon were painted a soft fiery colour that stretched out and covered most of the surrounding area. It was beautiful. I need to remember to sit outside with a canvas and some paint one evening.
"Hey Jay," he turned to face me, the light reflecting brightly through his glasses, "How do you know everything about our school?"
Jay shrugged, "I looked up the school before I came, plus we moved here a month ago so I got to know the neighbours." He stated and we continued walking, "And I thought I would try something different so I became an information broker."
That's when I realised something. "Jay, where's the dojo?"
The ginger laughed and turned to me with a wide grin across his face. "You would have been so lost if I hadn't come." He stated the obvious, further embarrassing me and causing a slight blush of red to cover my cheeks and trail down my neck. "Don't worry, I know where Lloyd's house is." A few more huffs of laughter escaped his mouth before I nudged him to shut the boy up.
We were covered in a comfortable silence while we continued walking. I admired some of the houses, they were quite modern and many had beautiful gardens. But a lot of the houses lights were off, windows were shut and doors looked locked for the night, it was weird considering that it wasn't even seven yet. I was about to voice my concern and maybe ask a few questions to the boy next to me but I was rudely interrupted when a rough bag was pulled over my head. I thrashed around, trying to get away from my attackers. I didn't have much luck, but as I tried screaming a hand was violently pressed against my mouth and I inhaled a strong smelling gas. It made my throat burn and my eyes watered slightly. My nose was being moved around too, causing the plaster to rub against the new cut. My muffled, half screams barely registered my own ears as my world slowly started turning blacker. My eyelids struggled to stay open, they felt so heavy and sleep seemed like the best option right now. But with all the activity I couldn't just give in, could I? What about Jay? What about my dad? Would my new 'friends' look for me? Not the best thoughts to be going through your mind just before you lose consciousness.
My head hurt, it throbbed with a dulling pain that pulsed slowly through my entire body. It matched my heartbeat, thumping in sync with the muscle. I lifted my hand to rub over my tired eyes, but no matter how many times I rubbed, my vision refused to clear up. All I could see were soft, blurry blobs of white that seemed to stand completely still and just out of reach. The more I tried to focus on them, the more tired my eyes would feel and the hope of seeing clearly became all but a wish that would never be granted.
I decided to feel around to get a better picture of where I was. I wasn't at my house, that's for sure and if this is Lloyd's home then it sure looks weird. The ground was all bumpy, smooth but with steep hills covering the surface. And it was surprisingly soft too, if I pressed hard enough then my hand would sink into the dark grey floor. I tried to look around again, getting the same results as before.
I stood in the semi dark room for a little while longer before the distant sound of voices filtered through the thick silence, they were fuzzy and muffled. I strained my ears to try and understand them. They were quiet though, almost as if they didn't want me to hear them talk.
I began feeling worried, the anxiety resting in the pit of my stomach threatening to consume me. My eyes rapidly blinked as I struggled to clear my vision, my breath quickened and the throbbing of my head pumped faster to keep up with the pace of my heart. My senses were assaulted with all this unknown information, even my ears which tried to separate the voices from the blood pumping in them. My skin felt constricted, I tried waving my hands to feel the force of the wind but I couldn't feel anything. Panic flooded my mind and all I could think about was being stuck here forever, locked up in this torturous hole.
My eyes flung open as I sat up, my breathing was strained but I could see. I could see the soft blankets that were under me, the pillows beneath them that made small hills. My eyes drifted up and as they adjusted to the dimmed room I could see four windows and between them, two lamps, the light bouncing off the glass reflected back onto the bed.
I continued to study my surroundings, the floor was carpet and the walls were a dark maroon. I had no idea where I was or why the people who attacked me brought me here but I knew I had to get out somehow. I was about to stand up when something tugged at my arm, I was tied to the side of the bed by a thick rope and the knot was so intricate that it gave me a headache just looking at it. I groaned and tugged at the tightening rope, maybe if I pulled enough then it would just magically slip off. After about ten minutes of futile tugging at a seemingly indestructible rope I flopped back onto the bed, defeated.
The door creaked open. My head flew up at the sound and I eyed the small opening that showed nothing but a darkened passageway. Amidst the darkness I could make out two silhouettes, but just barely. Before I could begin to understand what was happening, they walking into the room with their cloaks dragging behind them. I tried to make out the faces hiding under the hoods but with the already dimmed room and the dark shadow the cloak was covering them in, it was a bit hard. After the first two came in, another two entered the room, and after them another two. They circled the bed, heads hanging low and hands clasped in front of them. I tugged at the rope again, harder and more forceful, hoping to get away. My eyes were wide as I examined all six figures that surrounded me.
The one standing to my right raised their head and turned towards me, "Welcome." It spoke. Only the voice was… not what I expected.
"Lloyd?" I asked and cocked my head back in confusion, he didn't reply, he only lowered his head again and turn away. The figure to my left spoke next.
"Cole. You've been chosen to join our group." Oh god, is that Kai? "But to do so, you need to go through our initiation." All I could do was stare.
Once his head lowered another one rose, this time it was Zane. "Are you prepared?" he asked.
I was too scared to answer, what if I said something wrong and they decided I wasn't worth keeping. Or what if they killed me?! I know it's unlikely but I don't know these people!
"Uh," my forehead was dotted with nervous perspiration, "What do I have to do?" my voice was meek and I cursed my anxiety for making me shake and struggle for breath.
It was Jay's turn now, "You'll need to answer some questions." The cheery voice was replaced by something deeper, scarier, something that made it slightly harder to get a decent breath in.
"You will also need to bring forth something that will improve our group." That voice was familiar, it took me a minute to put the face of the boy I spoke to in class to the voice I was hearing now. He too was covered and held a frighteningly deeper tone to his voice.
"Like what?" I asked and looked around, there was only one other person that had to speak up.
It was a girl. "What you're good at, Cole." I could hear the smirk in her voice when she answered, that had to be Nya.
But that got me thinking, what am I good at? Singing and drawing really, but even then, I'm too afraid to let anyone see that. I shrunk into the soft covers under me, suddenly feeling very worthless.
"Would you be willing to follow the group no matter what? Always listening to your leaders?"
I turned to look at Lloyd, staring at the dark shadow under his hood. "I barely know you." I answered. I bit my lip and tried struggling against the rope once more before stopping to listen to Kai speak.
"Would you be willing to sacrifice for the rest of us even if it puts everything you are at risk?"
What kind of questions were these? "I don't know any of you, how can I answer these questions?" like before, they ignored me and didn't reply. I heard myself huffing, trying to get air into my lungs, my eyes were burning and I felt myself on the verge of crying.
"Would you be willing to give up your family for us?"
I looked up at Zane, "What the hell dude? No!" my voice cracked. Things were spinning and the next thing I knew, I was heaving. Hunched over with my knees pulled up to my chest while I focused on breathing.
"Would you stand up for us? Would you put yourself in danger for us?" Jay's voice was calm, unwavering even when my loud gasps of air were the only thing cutting through the thick silence. I didn't even look up while I rocked myself, trying to get rid of the panicky feeling overwhelming me.
"No!" my voice was muffled and a sob soon followed after my exclamation.
"Would you keep our secrets?"
I wiped my face, catching my breath and looked up at the circle of people surrounding me, "I just want to go home. I'm not gonna help your group in any way, I'm useless." My mumbling went unheard as Nya spoke next.
"Would you believe us above everyone else?"
"No. I don't know you. I can't give up my family or myself and I have nothing to contribute to you. I can't blindly follow people, especially if I've only known them for a day." I gazed at my tied wrist, red and broken from all my struggling, and ignored the burning pain that crept up on me for now.
When I turned my head back up to look at the people surrounding me they had taken their hoods off. They all wore a knowing smile, except for Jay who radiated happiness and looked like he wanted to explode with joy. Kai had his arms crossed and Lloyd looked satisfied, they were all staring at me which caused me shift around uncomfortably.
"Well Cole, you passed our test." The blonde spoke and moved to untie the knot holding my wrist captive.
"I what?"
"You gave all the right answers. More or less." Jay shrugged and once I was free he hoped onto the bed and hugged me. "Now you're part of our group."
I let a breathless laugh escape my lips while I hugged the ginger back. "So you kidnapped me, tied me up and interrogated me. This is your idea of an initiation?" Zane laughed and rubbed the back of his neck but Kai was the one who answered.
"It was actually Zane who came up with the kidnapping part, Lloyd and Brad wanted to do something scary and the questions were my idea." I raised an eyebrow at the platinum blonde who averted his eyes and looked a little guilty.
"Do you guys realise I had a panic attack and you did nothing?" I was kinda ticked off because of that, it's not something that happens often but when it does then it always leaves a scar.
Jay moved away and sat crossed legs beside me, "It killed me to see you like that but we couldn't do anything, we had to be still and wait until you answered every question." He answered and flashed me an apologetic smile.
"But now that it's over, do you still wanna be a part of our group?" Lloyd asked and threw the rope one side. I rubbed my wrist and looked done before answering.
"Sure."
We exited the room, Jay explained that this was in fact Lloyd's house and they informed my dad that I'd be out tonight. Interestingly though, Zane had managed to get the neighbourhood to play along with them, that's why all the houses were on lockdown. I was impressed to say the least.
"So, are we forgiven?" Kai and I were sitting in the kitchen with the rest, Lloyd was trying to make toast without a toaster and Zane was discussing something with Jay while Brad and Nya were thoroughly entertained by Lloyd's antics.
"You were a bit extreme but I guess you can be forgiven." I shrugged and tried to hide the blush that crept up from him being so close to me.
"You know," he started, "I little birdie told me that you've been shot by cupid."
I could feel my face burning as I covered it with my hand and groaned. It was Jay. It had to be Jay. "I'll make a note to shoot that little birdie later." I said, and I couldn't help but smile as I watched him laugh.
"So, wanna tell me who it is?" I bit my lip and turned away a bit. "I promise I won't tell. Unless it's Nya because then we'll have a problem." I laughed a bit at his protectiveness.
"No, no, no, it's not Nya."
"Then who is it?" He continued to pry, I was reluctant at first but why not play along?
"Well, first of all it's a 'he'." Kai hummed and nodded, waiting for me to continue. "And he's quite the looker." I went on, causing him to smile. "He's also obsessed with the colour red."
He quickly turned his head and looked at me with confusion before looking down at his top, "I'm not obsessed." He mumbled quietly.
I laughed and sipped my drink, "So you know who it is and yet you act dumb." I said and turned to him. He smiled and dragged a hand through his hair.
"Maybe you're not the only one who's been shot by that damn angel." I raised my eyebrow and smiled before replying with a quiet 'oh?' and waiting for him to continue. "Yeah, and I'd like to take this person out on a date if he's interested." He peeked at me from the corner of his eye.
I looked to Lloyd who held up his burnt bread with pride, "I'm sure he'd love to go with you." I said and licked my lips.
Jay slid onto the seat next to me, he pushed his side up against mine and eyed me with a mischievous smile. "What?" I asked and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Oh nothing. Just checking in. By the way, no need to thank me, I enjoy helping the unfortunate and lonely souls." I turned to him with a blank expression, he had that idiotic smile on again. Then I punched his shoulder, forcing him to move away from me. "Ow, dude, I did you a favour."
"And I appreciate that but next time, could you not interfere with my love life." I smiled at him while he rubbed his shoulder, still recovering from the shock of pain.
"Geez, okay Romeo." I rolled my eyes and watched him move away to sit next to Zane. I looked around the room, Lloyd and Brad were in their own little bubble and then it clicked, that was the 'secret' relationship. I smiled and look to Nya and Kai who were laughing side by side, brother and sister bonding. Jay was laughing with Zane, staring at the genius with starry eyes. I continued to sip my drink.
This was certainly an interesting day.
…
Well, I apologise for the length but I just couldn't stop writing. New idea's kept popping up and endings kept changing, now that I think about it, I never thought of a solid ending; I just wrote. This was such a weird experience. This is my longest one-shot ever, 9257 words
Anyway, this was started in Feb ^_^ I found a whole lot of ideas and this is just one of them. Also, I read a book! It's called 'Highly illogical behaviour' by John Corey Whaley. I wouldn't say it's life changing but it was really nice to read, it's about a boy who has severe anxiety and a panic disorder, a girl who wants to become a phycologist and her boyfriend who plays water polo.
I'm also working on Slavery, I swear I'm really trying to finish it and make it as good as I possibly can, I just have a horrible habit of avoiding my problems by ignoring them. I'll try and finish, I promise.
Leave a review? I'll love to hear what you thought of this.
(plus note) Forget leaving a review over here, Go to the author Polydactyly Zodiac and review on their Ninjago story right now. Read and review people! Do you love Zane? – read it. Do you enjoy Mystery? – read it. Do you like detective work? – read it. Can you read? – read it. Are you able to see? – read it. Are you in any way or form able to type words to review? – read it.
It's called; 221b Ninja Street – read it.
PLEASE! It's SO awesome, that its making me start watching a series that I thought sucked.