Greetings to you all again! We are on to Chapter 9. Yeah! Please tell me what you think about my story.
Illuminate : Chapter 9
Gabriele's POV
When I woke up, I jumped out of bed, excited about becoming a ninja, but then I fell right back into bed. I didn't want to show any of the ninja or Nya how bad I was going to be.
But if I never try, then I'll never get better.
"I'm going to go out there and I'm going to do the best that I can. If I fail, then I can only get better, right?" I asked myself. I was about to put yesterday's outfit back on when Nya stuck her head into the room.
"Hey Gabby, what's your address? We need to get you some clothes suitable for living up here."
"Wait, what time is it?"
"8 o'clock. Why?"
"Oh my gosh! I never sleep this late!"
"Your body probably needed the extra rest to deal with the unexpected stress and emotional overload that you experienced yesterday. I slept late myself. Anyway, the boys are training, and I need to know where to steer the ship. Come on, nobody will see you in your pajamas if we got to the control room quickly."
"Um, okay." It was then that I realized how inappropriate it was for Cole to be in my room last night. I hoped that nobody had seen us. However, the door had been open, so that made it less wrong, I guessed. My thoughts were interrupted by Nya's chatter. I listened intently because these were all details about my new partners. When we reached the control room, Nya said,
"Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't asked you a single question like 'Did you sleep well?' or 'Do you need anything?' I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Cole came to check on me last night." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I blushed furiously in light of my previous thoughts. Nya stared at me for a second, but I held her gaze, trying to prove my innocence.
What do I have to prove? I'm telling the truth. Why am I embarrassed?
Nya asked, "What did he do that is making you blush?" My eyes widened in shock as I answered quickly,
"Nothing! It's just that I realized how inappropriate it was for us to be in a bedroom together. The door was open, though."
"Okay. I believe you," Nya answered with a smile. "One thing, though. Don't break his heart, Gabriele." She moved to program the ship's new coördinates.
"What?" I asked, pretending to be confused. I knew what Nya was assuming.
"Don't break his heart," she repeated.
"I don't plan on it. He's my hero, not my crush."
"Are you sure?" Nya wondered.
"Yes. He doesn't feel anything for me, I'm sure." He was one of the most loved guys in Ninjago. He could have almost any girl that he wanted, just for the asking. Why would he like me? Besides, he had only known that I existed for about seventeen hours. If people get crushes that quickly, those crushes are based on looks. I knew that I wasn't that pretty, and I was fat. An incredible strong ninja like him who was so ripped deserved a girl who was perfect.
Wait, did I just think "he's ripped"? Why would I care?
"What color are his eyes?" I heard Nya ask.
"Gray fading to blue," I answered automatically. The I slapped myself. Nya turned to me and smirked.
"Now are you sure that you don't have a crush on him?"
"Yes!" I retorted. Nya's question about his eyes had triggered a rapid succession of images of Cole. I told myself to stop, and my body responded with the feel of his arms around me last night. This was really getting annoying. I forced myself to focus on the scenery flying pas the large control room window. Suddenly, I realized just how late it was.
"Oh! I need to go change!" I said and rushed off to my new room. I quickly put on my former outfit. When I thought about my conversation with Nya, my cheeks burned.
Why do her questions bother me? They are unfounded and ridiculous. I will ignore them.
With that resolution, my cheeks seemed to return to normal. I straightened my shoulders and smiled.
I can do this.
Cole's POV
I woke up to a bucket of cold water being poured on me.
"What the…" I yelled as I jumped up.
"Good morning," Jay called.
"Salutations," greeted Zane. Kai just grinned evilly. It was him who had thrown the bucket of water on me.
"Pleasant dreams?" he asked.
"Yeah, why?" I replied.
"You were smiling in your sleep."
"And?"
"You never smile when you sleep. Did it have something to do with hugging Gabriele last night?" I stiffened. Both Jay and Zane turned to Kai.
"You didn't tell us about that!" yelled Jay.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to remain calm.
"When I was walking to our room to get some cheat codes," said Kai.
"Hey!" interjected Jay.
"I thought I heard someone crying," Kai continued, shooting a glance Jay's way.
"It sounded like it was coming from the spare room. I walked over, and I looked through the open door. There was Cole, acting all sweet and comforting, hugging Gabriele as she cried." There was silence for a second, but then Jay said,
"Dude, you're moving really fast, but I've got to admire your style." By now I was furious, but I forced myself to remain calm on the outside.
"Kai, that is not true. Jay, I was not 'making a move' on her."
"Then what were you doing?" inquired Zane. I summoned up all the dignity I could while standing in sopping wet pajamas.
"I went to Gabriele's room to see if there was anything she needed." Kai interrupted me with a cough that sounded like "goodnight kiss." "We talked for a while, and I learned that she is scared about becoming a ninja. She is afraid that she is not strong enough to learn to fight. I tried to comfort her by telling her about how many times Kai failed the course, but she was still sad. I didn't want to leave until she was happy, so I hugged her around her shoulders. She was sitting on her bed, with her knees pulled up to her chest. When I hugged her, she started crying. When she stopped crying, I left. There is nothing wrong with," I finished. Then I decided to get back at Jay.
"You have no room to talk, Jay. When's the last time that you did something with Nya? You accuse me of moving too fast in a relationship that I don't have when you're practically ignoring Nya! Do you still have a crush on her?" Jay turned white, then red.
"No."
"Then why were you holding yesterday?" Kai asked. Jay was literally in a corner now. I had walked towards him until he was pressed into the corner in between the door and the wall. Jay mumbled something.
"What was that?" I asked.
"I. Love. Her!" he yelled. "Are you happy now? I am in love with Nya." I took a step back. Jay had drawn himself up to his full height and was practically yelling in my face. I don't think that any of us had ever seen Jay this angry or powerful. He looked like he could disintegrate us with a glance.
"At least I can admit my feelings like a man," he said. Just then, someone knocked on the door. I pulled Jay out of the corner and opened the door, expecting to see Sensei ready to reprimand us for shouting, but Gabriele was standing there, practically beaming and pushing Nya into our room. I was shocked. I had never seen Nya like this. She looked like she was about to laugh and cry at the same time. Jay looked at her like she was a ghost.
"Did you hear?" he asked in a hoarse whisper. She nodded. Suddenly, she dashed away, pushing Gabriele out of her way. Jay dashed after her. I tried to stop him at first, but he was surprisingly too strong for me.
"What the heck just happened?" I asked to no one in particular.
"Well, that was unexpected," Gabriele commented, "But that was much better than anything that I could have planned."
