Illuminate : Chapter 12

Gabriele's POV

Cole and I had planned the prank perfectly. All that we needed to do now was put it into action.

"Kai? Zane? Can you come over here for a second?" I called sweetly. Kai flipped gracefully off of the mattress, and Zane quickly ran over.

"Yeah, Gabriele?" Kai asked.

"Did you guys get all the water out of the mattress?" I asked. As they answered, I watched Cole carry the barrel of soapy water up behind them.

"That's great, guys. Now, can you carry some sheets to the clothesline?"

"Sure," said Kai.

"Of course," replied Zane.

"Okay, let me get them out." As I leaned over to pull some sheets from my barrel, Cole lifted his barrel above his head and dumped it on Kai and Zane. Those poor guys didn't know what hit them.

"Oh yeah!" I yelled. "Ultimate payback!" I high-fived Cole. Kai and Zane were pretty angry, but then they laughed.

"Well played," Zane complimented me. I curtsied and replied,

"Thank you, kind sir. Seriously though, I do need you guys to help me, just not with the sheets. Cole, pick up that mattress and get it off of the deck. Go put it back on your bed. Kai, Zane, you guys go get six scrub brushes." The boys all dashed off.

I can't believe that they actually listen to me. I started pulling out the wet sheets and hanging them up on the clothesline. Once again, it took them forever to do those simple things. I had hung up everything by the time they came back.

"Good, you guys are back. Cole, can you dump out this barrel on the deck over there?" I asked, gesturing to the other end of the ship.

"Sure," he replied. When he came back, I inquired,

"Kai, did you get the scrub brushes?"

"No, but Zane did."

"Whatever. Zane, give Kai and Cole two brushes each. You keep two for yourself. Now take some rope and tie the brushes to your feet. You're going to skate the deck clean."

"Like roller blading?" asked Kai "or ice skating?" added Zane.

"Exactly!" With any luck, the boys could get the deck sparkling by the time I finished cooking lunch. Cole had turned around and was trying to walk away.

"Cole, where are you going?"

"Um, I was, going to go train," he said.

"But we're cleaning the training deck. Come on, tie on your scrub brushes."

"But I…" his objection died away as I put my hands my hands on my hips and glared at him.

"Why do I have to help? Zane and Kai can do it. I'll look silly."

"You ditched the last job, and you're not going to look that silly." He simply glared at me. I giggled. Cole took forever to put his scrub brushes on. By the time he stood up, the others were already scrubbing the deck.

"Come on, Cole!" they called. He tried to shuffle forwards, but the soap on the deck make sure that he didn't get very far.

"Cole, try to glide," I called.

"How am I supposed to glide?" he yelled back. I sighed. He really was stubborn. I walked over to him.

"Okay, Cole, lean over slightly," I instructed. "Act like you're about to start running. Then, instead of picking up your feet, push them forward. Swing your arms as if you're running and it will give you momentum. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, I guess," he replied.

"Okay then. Go." He followed my example, and soon he was actually moving. Before I could turn around and go inside to cook lunch, however, he lost his balance and fell.

"Cole, are you alright?" I yelled as I slid over to him.

"Yes," he answered as he tried to get back up. He fell again.

"Here," I said as I offered him my hand and started to move again. He kept his eyes on the ground as he pushed his legs forward. I could see the determination etched into his face. This time, as he slid across the wood planks, his balance was perfect. Although he was moving, I could see a core of immovable stone flickering beneath his muscles. It was like he was turning into his element. I could have stood there forever, watching Cole, but the burning sun on my skin reminded me of the time. I reluctantly went inside to make lunch.

Cole's POV

I couldn't even begin to think about what I felt when Gabriele first hugged me. In her embrace, I remembered the one moment that I had always tried to reject, push down, and keep out of my mind. It was when my mother had died, and I knew. But this time, my feelings could not be suppressed. They threatened to completely overwhelm me until Gabriele squeezed me even tighter. Suddenly, I wasn't alone in my pain. A warmth spread through me, and a picture popped into my head. The picture was of a sunrise. The pale light of the sun ran across the cold earth, revealing every bump or cup in the soil. As the sun rose higher, the dirt seemed smoother, more full of life. It was almost like I was trying to tell myself something. I was the earth, cold and rough, until the sun came and revealed all of my problems and smoothed me out. The sun could only be Gabriele. Her very presence gave me energy and happiness, and when she smiled, oh gosh, it made me feel different, like I wanted her to smile forever. Maybe, just maybe, I did have a crush on Gabriele. She was the most strangely amazing person I had ever known. Too soon she jumped out and started to blush. I wanted to describe all that I had felt, but for some reason, it was like she already knew.

"Thank you," I said, trying to convey. Suddenly, she started talking about a payback prank that we could play on Kai and Zane. My mischievous side came out and I grinned. She stared at me for moment, but then she quickly shook her head and started explaining her idea to me.

Gabriele's POV

When I went inside, the darkness made me blink. It was a stark contrast to the midday sun outside. My mind replayed my morning over and over. I was happy. The catastrophe of my first day of training had been averted. As I thought, my hands were starting to work. There wasn't much food in the pantry or refrigerator.

I'll have to get Nya to steer the Bounty to a town. Since they did have bread and cheese, I started to make grilled cheese sandwiches. My thoughts drifted towards Cole. He made me feel, well, different. It was like just being around him made me feel secure and safe. When he smiled it was like I could never be sad or worried. I still didn't think that I had a crush on him, though. It's too cliché. But when I thought about when he held my hand, and when I hugged him (my cheeks burned at the thought) and when he was gliding across the deck, I wasn't sure. He was so strong, and his muscles were huge to show it. He was a lot more mature than the guys that I knew, so much so that he really needed to loosen up. The best part of him, though, was his eyes. They were striking bright blue calmed by gray. If he was trying to hide his emotions with a scowl, his eyes showed what he really felt. I had caught myself staring into his eyes today, but I turned away pretty quickly, so I hoped that he hadn't noticed. He was definitely the most interesting person I had ever known. I had thought that he was simply a strong leader; I never stopped to think about Cole as a person. That realization shocked me, and I almost cut my finger while I was cutting vegetables to serve with the sandwiches. I looked at the clock. I had spent nearly thirty minutes thinking about Cole.

This is ridiculous. He's interesting, but not that interesting. Just then, Nya waltzed into the kitchen.

"Oh, there you are. Where have you been for the last couple of hours?" I asked.

"Hours?" she replied, genuinely shocked.

"Oh, I forgot. You've been with Jay. That surely made the time fly," I teased. Her smile grew wider, but she only blushed slightly.

"Gabriele, I have had the most amazing day ever! And I thought that Jay didn't love me." I laughed at her exuberance.

"I'm glad that you're so happy," I responded, "but seriously, where have you been?"

"On the roof," she said, "watching you all." I froze, and I think that my face went white.

"Why, uh, I mean, what did you, um, see?" I asked nervously.

"Everything. I thought that I told you to no break his heart."

"I'm not! I might have a crush on him, maybe, but that doesn't mean that he likes me, or that I'm going to break his heart!" I retorted.

"So you do like him!" taunted Nya triumphantly.

"Fine! I like Cole! Happy?" I replied, almost yelling.

"Very." I stared at her for a second, my cheeks burning, until we both started laughing. When I could speak, I said,

"Nya, I apologize for trying to pressure you into telling Jay that you love him."

"Oh, it's fine. I get to return the favor," she replied. Trying to change the subject, I asked,

"So, other than watching me, what did you and Jay do?" Now Nya blushed for real.

"Come on, Nya, I just told you about my first crush," I urged.

"Cole is your first crush? Okay, well, Jay was my first kiss."

"Nya, that's great! "

"It was wonderful. And he asked me on a date for tonight."

"I'm so happy for you." Nya was practically beaming. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know. Jay wouldn't tell me."

"Ooh, how romantic!"

"I know!" Nya exclaimed. We were both giggling like middle school girls by now. We hugged. Suddenly, I remembered what I was doing in the kitchen.

"Hey Nya, will you help me deliver these lunches to everyone?" I had plates of food ready.

"Oh, you made lunch? You're so kind! Usually, we work through lunch, or just grab a piece of fruit."

"Really? How do the guys survive?"

"We are usually fine. What's wrong with eating light?"

"Nothing except that ninja train all day, almost every day, and because of that, they need lots of protein. You can't be that active on fruit. It will make your blood sugar crash."

"What you're saying is that the guys aren't eating enough protein to continue training this hard, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, if the guys eat protein and other good stuff, and a lot of it, then they could do more?"

"Exactly."

"That's fascinating!"

"You think so?"

"Of course! You should tell that to Sensei!"

"Okay. Where is Sensei?"

"Oh, I don't know. I haven't seen him all morning. He's probably meditating."

"Oh, okay. I'll try to give him his lunch."

"Then I'll take the lunches to the rest."

"Great. I'll see you in a bit." As I walked away, I was thinking about how much I liked Nya. She was strong, dependable, and cheerful almost all of the time. She reminded me of the fact that I was supposed to graduate within a month, and that I needed to tell my family about me being a ninja. Suddenly, I ran into Sensei Wu. He caught the plate that I dropped.

"Why thank you, Gabriele. I am very hungry."

"Oh, you're welcome, Sensei." I was about to ask him about how I could reconcile my two lives but then he unwittingly interrupted me.

"As I was meditating, Gabriele, I saw what everyone on the ship was doing." My face paled and my heart raced. Is it not possible to keep a secret around here? "I must congratulate you for your excellent lesson this morning."

"What?" I was really confused. I wasn't teaching anything.

"Kai was forced to jump and play, stretching his legs. His usual style involves his arms only. Zane played and relaxed, and he did not use his abilities. Jay has gained confidence, something that I have been trying to teach him for a while, and Cole is finally facing his memories. Through that he is learning trust and balance."

"But I didn't do that, I mean, I had nothing to do with Jay and Cole."

"Yes, child, you did. Cole used the topic of you as a base leading to Jay's relationship with Nya, which caused Jay to admit how he feels about Nya, which will cause Jay to propose to Nya tonight." Here I interrupted Sensei.

"Really? That's amazing!"

"Yes, it is. It will give both of them peace; thus increasing their Spinjitsu abilities."

"But Nya isn't a ninja."

"Not yet. I was going to ask her to join the team today. However, Jay would enjoy telling her. Will you please take this to him, and tell him what I told you? I was to eat this sandwhich while it is still hot. Thank you again for making this, Gabriele."

"Um, okay. Would you happen to know where Jay is?"

"He is currently in his room, asking Kai for permission to propose to Nya."

"Oh, okay. Thank you, Sensei."

"You are welcome, Gabriele. Oh, and I contacted your employer and they will be sending you your final paycheck soon, and you will be graduating at the same time as the rest of your class. I will talk to your landlord when we pick up your clothes, and I will arrange something with him. I will have Nya steer the county to your house tomorrow so that you can tell your family."

"Thank you, Sensei. I was just about to ask you for your assistance on that."

"You are welcome." He walked to the deck and disappeared into the light. The box that he had handed to me was not very big and almost flat. I lifted the lid and I saw a neatly folded ninja outfit. It was a majestic purple. There was a note in a flowing hand that read,

Nya,

Ninja of metal. Welcome to the team.

I ran to the guys' room. So many exciting things were happening, and I had only been here for about half of a day!