Chapter 1

In the backstage of a downtown singing club, Nya sat by herself in front of a vanity table, carefully drawing an eyeliner pen across her eyelid. She would be performing in front of a roomful of people tonight. She couldn't go out without a mask.

The door to the room suddenly swung open, and the noise from outside immediately made its way into the formerly quiet room. People were shouting, scrambling around to serve the customers drinks and food. It was what overwhelming sounded like.

A woman with a black headset peaked into the room. "You're on stage in two minutes, Miss Smith," she said, before closing the door again, drowning out the noise.

Nya turned back around, and she looked back at the mirror. All she saw was how much she resembled some sort of doll, with her faked features and dark eyeliner.

Nya got down from her chair and pulled down her disgustingly short dress so it wouldn't reveal anything unsavory while she was performing. She tugged on her long black boots, and mussed up her hair a little more.

After taking another glance in the mirror, Nya took a deep breath and walked out to the hall. She held her head high, refusing to let her nervousness show.

It was, after all, just another night.

Jay sat at his desk in his office, looking over the documents in front of him. His head hurt from the stress of working a nine-hour day, with his thoughts jumbling around, ceasing to make sense. The words on the page had begun to blur together, like dripping wet paint. He felt like he could barely breathe.

Jay leaned back in his chair, rubbing his sore eyes. He seriously needed a break.

Standing up from his cushiony office chair, Jay smoothed down his suit jacket, shaking out his hands and his head. A fruitless effort to wake himself up.

He crossed the room and went to stand in front of his huge window positioned at the other end of his office. The lights of Ninjago City stared back at him as if heaven itself was glaring brilliantly at him, and hell was right here, in his office, the hellfire burning his life away.

Jay took a deep breath, feeling himself feel faint with frustration again.

He needed to get out of here. Just for a little while.

Jay checked the time. It was still early in the night. He still had a chance.

Smiling to himself, Jay practically dashed across the office and grabbed his coat from the rack. He threw it on as he walked through the door and shut it behind him.

As he passed his personal assistant's desk, Jay gave a half smile to the woman sitting in the chair.

"Take rest of the night off, Skylor," Jay called to her cheerfully. "I'm going out for the night. I'll see you tomorrow."

Skyler looked up from her desk and returned Jay's smile.

"Thanks, boss," she said, waving. "Have a nice night."

With a final wave, Jay tugged his coat tighter around him as he got in the elevator, and immediately pressed the button for the first floor.

Nya walked out into the hallway, still adjusting her dress, when she caught sight of a familiar-looking man at the other end of the hall. Her eyes grew wide as she realized who it was, and she walked faster towards him.

"Kai?" Nya said, and the man smiled softly in response. "What are you doing here?"

"Here to support my sister, of course," said Kai, and wrapped his arms around her in a tight, suffocating hug. "I got bored in the shop and wanted to come to see you."

"You almost never come out," said Nya, hugging her brother back. "It's good to see you."

"You're on next, Miss Smith!" a woman voice suddenly interrupted, and Nya turned around, rolling her eyes.

"I got it, I got it!" Nya huffed. "I'll be there."

The woman stalked off out of sight as she rounded the corner, her high heels clicking away. Nya turned to face her brother, and he smiled at her.

"I know you're busy," Kai told her. "I'll go. I'll see you from the audience."

At that, Kai went away too, exiting through the back door next to them. Nya exhaled softly and began walking towards the other end of the hall, ready to perform.

Jay had been wandering around the streets for what felt like hours, desperately thirsty for a drink. He needed a beer, or a soda. He didn't care.

He looked around and realized that he was in a totally different neighborhood. It wasn't like the part of town he was used to, like his high-rise office. This was like the slums, where hungry people lurk and 'lil hoodlums run around making trouble.

Of course, Jay didn't care about this, either. He was just looking for some sort of escape. Anything.

As Jay walked across the sidewalk, he came to a door with tinted windows, black and dirty. A glowing sign zapped the words NINJAGO JAZZ CLUB, but Jay was more focused on the sign that read NIGHTLY BAR below it.

A bar. That was more than good enough for him.

Quickly, Jay entered through the door, pushing it open, and was immediately blown away by shock.

The entire club was beautiful inside, with shiny hardwood floors on the deck and a glistening chandalier on the ceiling. The walls were covered in brilliant red wallpaper, with fake lighted torches hanging a foot apart, decorating the walls.

Jay looked up in amazement, and then his eyes fell upon a stage at the end of the room. There was only a microphone there, with a guitar sitting on its stand, waiting to be played. A lime-green bead curtain hung behind it, as if hiding the back-stage locations.

"Hey, you having anything or not?"

Jay turned around and was faced immediately with a dark-haired bartender with bushy eyebrows. Then Jay remembered why he was here in the first place.

"Oh, yeah," said Jay, clearing his throat. "Um, you got a beer?"

The bartender smirked, and he reached underneath the counter and took out a bottle, placing it right in front of him. Then he walked away to another part of the bar, leaving Jay alone.

"Thanks," Jay said to no one. He picked up the bottle and took a sip.

Then immediately Jay spat out the drink in a wide spray. God, it tasted terrible.

"Wow. You're really new here, aren't you?"

Jay turned next to him and came face-to-face with another man with spiky hair. He was looking at Jay with an amused look, as if ready to tease him, but had decided against it.

"Um. Yeah. First time." said Jay, setting the bottle down. He stuck out his tongue in disgust. "Yuck. What is that?"

The man on the stool laughed. "It's this joke beer that Cole here gives to newcomers just to mess with them," he said.

"Cole?" Jay asked, curious. "Who's that?"

Once again, the man looked like he was holding back some sort of cheeky or smart-ass phrase, but he had decided to bite his tongue.

"The bartender. Cole." the man said with a smile. "He does this all of the time."

The spiky-haired man then turned his head from Jay and waved down the bartender at the other end, who immediately came walking over.

"Cole," said the man. "Come meet my new friend."

"Your new friend?" the bartender, apparently called Cole, said boisterously as he leaned on the counter. "This guy?"

"Yep," said Kai. "Can you give him some real beer? It looks like he's had a rough night."

Jay startled. "How can you tell?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"It's obvious," Kai answered with a laugh as Cole put the beer down. "We've seen people like you come through the door all of the time. Workaholics, people like that. Just looking for an escape."

"Yep," said Cole, directing a knowing smile. "He's definitely got that look."

Jay snorted a small laugh and took a swig of the beer that Cole had given him. As the taste hit him, Jay hummed in satisfaction.

"Apologies, but you seem to be in my stool."

Jay startled as he turned around, and came face-to-face with a pale blonde man who was looking at Jay curiously.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Jay. "I thought it was empty."

"Go easy on him, Zane," said Kai. "This is Jay. He's a workaholic, and my new friend."

"Well, nice to meet you," Zane smiled. "I'm Zane Julien. Sorry about the troubles my friends may have cause you tonight."

"Oh, no worries," Jay nodded. "I like your accent. You're from England?"

"Yes, just visiting from Manchester Academy," Zane said in his British accent. "I'll be here all week, and then I'll have to get back to my work."

Just as Zane had finished speaking, the area's lights suddenly dimmed, and the club went quiet and dark. Jay turned his whole body, looking around the room. The only light was the spotlight shining on the stage, and now somebody was walking out.

A woman revealed herself from behind the beaded curtain, and softly brushed away a lock of her dark hair falling to her shoulders. She was wearing a shiny sequined dress going down near her knees, and enough makeup to almost cover her face.

As soon as he saw her, Jay's chest seized. He stared at the beautiful woman and watched as she sat down in the small chair on the stage. She took up the guitar on the stand next to her and held it close to her body, her fingers resting on the strings.

The woman leaned forward and spoke in the microphone.

"Hello there, everyone. Nice to see you all again," she said, her voice soft and cautious. She let out a quiet, nervous laugh.

Scattered cheers were heard all around the club, and Jay looked around as if trying to identify the people. Then his eyes turned back to the woman on stage.

A moment passed, and she began to strum her guitar, with the soft plucking of the strings sounding throughout the entire room. It was like the music was wrapping everyone in a blanket made simply of sound.

"This one goes out to all of you here." said the woman over the notes, and her voice was low and audible through the speakers. Jay sat up in his seat, like something else was completely grabbing his attention.

After a minute of strumming, the woman began to sing.

The notes seemed to wash over Jay like a soft wave, and it took him a long moment to realize that the woman wasn't singing in English. The song was, in fact, completely in Spanish.

The unfamiliar and yet beautiful words mixed right in with the song, and each note fit perfectly in with the melody of the strings. It was transfixing, and it made Jay almost close his eyes.

"El color de tus ojos..." the singer breathed out. "Despertó mi interés...Y solo tengo..."

Jay turned his head towards Kai. "Who...who is that?" he said, his eyes fixed upon the club singer.

Kai leaned in to whisper into Jay's ear. "That's my sister, Nya," he said. "Isn't she great?"

Jay couldn't tell if he nodded or not. He was too focused on the name that Kai had said.

Nya.

"She has been performing here for quite a long time," Zane whispered. "According to Kai, that is. Just to earn some extra money."

Nya continued to strum her guitar on stage, her fingers practically brushing against the strings to make the soft melody. Everybody else in the room seemed to be in a trance as well, but not as much as Jay was.

Nya's voice was strong, confident. It didn't matter that she was singing in Spanish. It had just mattered to hear her voice.

With a final strum on the strings, the woman Nya finished her song, and she looked up shyly at the audience.

And then that's when her eyes met Jay's.

For a small second, it was like something had actually reached down inside of his gut and squeezed something hard. She was almost certainly looking at someone behind him, most likely her brother, but Jay could feel something else. She was looking at him. She must be.

Her eyes were blue, something that Jay hadn't noticed until now since he had been so concentrated on her performance. But now that he had a good look at them, it was like he was able to breathe again.

Nya seemed to hold his gaze for several long seconds and then turned away, looking down at her guitar. She stood up from her chair and bowed. It was only then that Jay realized that everyone was applauding.

Kai elbowed him in the arm, looking at him in concern.

"You look a little pale, Jay," said Kai, talking above the applause. "The beer getting to you or something?"

A hand was on his shoulder, something else that he hadn't realized. It took him an embarrassingly long time to realize that the hand belonged to the bartender Cole.

"Y-yeah," said Jay. "Yeah, I'm alright."

"You sure?"

"For sure."

Jay looked away from Kai and glanced back to the stage.

But the singer, Nya, was already gone.

The lights had come back not long after the performance, and everyone seemed to be going back to their previous business.

Jay had taken the time to get to know the man Kai and bartender Cole better. It turned out that that the two have known each other for years, since grade school. Kai's father had owned a blacksmith shop at the edge of the city, in a rural area in the middle of everything. Cole's parents were regular customers there, so incidentally, the two boys grew up together. Zane had gone with them to school, and the rest was history.

Jay found himself laughing more than he had in a long time and actually felt genuinely happy around these men that he just met. They were so interesting, and they were so easy to talk to.

He opened up to them about several things too, which actually felt fantastic. They even laughed whenever Jay told a joke; one time Cole laughed so hard that beer came out of his nose and he spilled it all down his shirt till it was soaked through.

Jay was telling them another story about the hilarious embarrassment his parents gave him on picture day, when there was another laugh that came from behind him.

When Jay turned around, he was surprised to see that the person behind them was Nya, the woman from the stage. His smile disappeared, turning into a mesmerized expression.

"Hey, there you are," Kai said from behind Jay. "You were fantastic tonight. Everyone here loved you."

"Thanks," said Nya, a blush on her cheeks as she put down her bag.

Then her eyes drifted down to Jay's, who instantly felt the amazing power of her gaze take over. Jay swallowed hard.

"Hi," said Nya, smiling at him and sticking out her hand. "I don't think we've met. I'm Nya."

Jay shook her hand, struggling to find something to say.

"Oh, hi," said Jay, stumbling over his words. "I-I'm Jay. Jay Walker."

Nya chuckled lightly. "Jay Walker? Really?"

"Yeah," said Jay, rubbing he back of his neck sheepishly. "My parents have a messed up sense of humor."

"Oh, that's not even the half of it," said Nya, laughing. "My brother Kai's middle name is Black."

It was Jay's turn to let out a chuckle, and he turned to Kai, who was sitting red-faced in his stool.

"Kai Black Smith?" Jay asked, huffing a laugh. "Oh, wow."

Kai's face reddened more, but he was laughing behind his hand, which had gone to his mouth in his embarrassment. He shrugged as he smiled.

"Yes, yes," Kai joked. "I'm a blacksmith, my name is Black Smith, ha ha."

Nya laughed with him, and Jay let himself look at her, and the way that her eyes crinkled and how her laugh sounded like tinkling bells on a Sunday morning.

Nya seemed to stare back, her eyes shining with Jay's, and it was like some sort of weird magic. The moment only lasted for a second until Kai spoke again.

"So," Kai said to Nya. "When are you ready to go?"

"Oh," said Nya, as if she had just realized Kai was talking, and she turned to him. "Um. I'm pretty tired, actually. I'm ready to leave now."

"Oh. So soon?" Jay said, unwilling to keep the disappointment from his voice.

"Yeah, sorry, Jay," said Kai, and he clapped a hand on his shoulder. "But hey. There's a picnic in the park tomorrow at noon. You should come along, you know, if you want to."

"It'll be at the Ninjago park," Zane added, sipping on his drink. "I'll bring around some fritatas if that would be welcome."

Jay liked at the idea of seeing his new friends outside of the bar. It certainly couldn't hurt to skip lunch at his desk tomorrow.

"Yeah, sure, I can make it," Jay said. "Um. Could I possibly have your number so I can get in contact?"

"Here, use mine," Nya said immediately, and Jay could actually feel his eyes brighten. "I'll give it to you now."

Jay looked at Nya, who had written down her number on a napkin from the bar. She gave it to him, and their fingers brushed for a moment. Jay's breath nearly hitched, but he quickly choked it down and turned it into a small cough.

"Thanks," said Jay, looking at the napkin instead of at her blue eyes again. "I'll keep in touch."

"Great," said Kai, smiling. "We've got to go now. We can walk you out if you'd like."

"No, no, I'll be fine," Jay said quickly. "I have to take a cab anyway back to my office. But I'll definitely see you tomorrow."

Jay looked down the bar and made eye contact with Cole, who was still taking someone's order at the other end of the bar. He waved to him, and the bartender waved back with a smile.

Then, building up his courage, Jay turned back to Nya and grinned at her shamelessly.

"I guess I'll see you around, then," Jay said, using all of the confidence he could muster.

"Definitely," said Nya, smiling back at him. "And I hope I see you tomorrow."

Jay couldn't ever describe it, but he felt a surge of giddiness rush through his veins from just the words that Nya had said.

Later, as Jay walked out of the club, he decided against taking a cab. He had enough energy to walk anyway.

As the sound of his footfalls hit the pavement, Jay could only think about the face of the beautiful club singer.