Chapter 12

The next day was the day everyone had been waiting for. Whether it was because of hope or dread was anybody's guess at the moment. It was the day Kai would reunite with his mother, Maya. It was almost eight in the evening and Maya would be coming over to Garmadon's home soon. Zane and Jay were asked to come and met her as well. They thought it would be nice if she met the team who would be helping Kai. Everyone was rushing around the house, trying to make sure everything was perfect for Maya's visit.

They wanted to show her that her son was happy and in safe hands.

After what seemed like an eternity the front doorbell finally rang, signally she had arrived. As everyone waited in the living room, Garmadon and Misako went to let Maya inside. After the court had found her not guilty, the hospital had given her an operation to restore some of her mobility. She still needed to rest every once in a while but she had greatly improved in such a short time. Maya's nervous blue eyes darted back and forth between everyone in the room.

"Kai, Mommy's here," Misako called upstairs.

After a few minutes, Kai came walking down the stairs slowly. With Harumi's help, he was all dressed up in a nice outfit with a large necklace with chunky, colored beads Jay had bought him a few days ago. It had quickly become one of his favorite possessions.

"Kai happy Mama see." He stuttered with a smile as he hugged her. She stood there in shock before looking at Garmadon.

"W-What have you done to make him walk so funny?" She asked in shock. Now that Kai wasn't in that cell, she could finally see her son and, more importantly, the way he moved. Kai looked at his mother in confusion and then turned to Zane, but no one knew how to react. Lloyd and Harumi shifted nervously while Jay and Zane glared at Maya. Garmadon and Misako looked at each other, trying to think of what to do.

"How about dinner?" Lloyd quickly suggested and everyone agreed in a heartbeat.

Without another word, they all headed to the dining room and as everyone ate the sausages and mash potatoes that Misako made, Zane, Jay, and Garmadon tried to talk to Maya about Kai's amazing progress or ask her how she was doing but she didn't say much. It was very awkward.

"Sonic." She finally spoke up as Kai looked up at her, food dripping from his mouth. "Did I tell you that your sister moved away? I don't know where exactly; she didn't really tell me." She muttered and continued eating. The rest of the dinner went by slowly and no words were spoken. Finally, it was time for Maya to leave. As she walked to the front door Kai grabbed her hand tightly and looked at her with pleading eyes. Maya sighed and pulled her son into a gentle embrace before leaving.

After she left, Zane went to put Kai to bed.

The brunette was still upset when he went to bed, unsure why his mother seemed upset to see him, thinking it was his fault. Jay waited until Zane came back down and Lloyd and Harumi went to their own rooms while their parents cleaned up. As Garmadon and Misako washed the dishes, Garmadon couldn't help but feel angry at Maya.

"She could at least taken notice of the project!" He exclaimed to his wife.

"I guess she must be overwhelmed," Misako suggested. "Personally I don't know how I would take it if I arrived in some stranger's house and saw this stranger acting as a surrogate mother to my child." She explained and her husband sighed.

"I guess she must feel pretty powerless."...

That night, after returning from their somewhat disastrous dinner at Garmadon and Misako's house with Maya, Zane and Jay were back in their home, thinking about today's events.

"So I take it no one told her that Kai struggles walking properly?" Zane glared at the mirror in the bathroom joined to the bedroom while Jay was getting ready for bed. He was still furious with Maya for her comment when she first saw Kai since she had been arrested and the way she acted during the dinner.

"Probably; it's also good that you didn't interrogate her either."

"You understand, I'm disappointed." He huffed. "We know so little about Kai's past and she could tell us so much." He sighed as he left the bathroom and sat next to Jay on the bed. The ginger-haired man nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, but remember, the last time she spoke, she ended up in prison." He replied. "Don't forget that the court also sees her as a victim as much as they do Kai." He reminded his partner and he sighed with a frown.

"Do not you want to know why?" He asked him firmly. "I'm not talking as a scientist but as a human being and I want to understand why another living being was subjected to such torture."

"You'll have to be patient and in time we will get the answers to our questions."...

Zane and Jay smiled happily as they prepared for the day ahead. Today was a special day for the team and for Kai Smith. Today was Kai's fifteenth birthday. Since Kai had never really had a good birthday everyone wanted to make this one a day he would never forget. Zane and Jay thought it would be best if they took Kai out into town while everyone prepared for the party. They were currently doing some grocery shopping and Kai was with the friendly butcher, again.

"Here you go, Kai." He smiled as he passed the boy a meaty bone. Kai did what he would always do which was feel the meat and the bone and rub it against his face and fingers. Sometimes it was almost as if he was blind. It was like he didn't trust his eyes.

"How old is he now?" Jay asked as he watched Kai and the butcher.

"Well, according to Garmadon he's now fifteen," Zane explained. Jay just nodded and sighed sadly and watched as Zane went to tell Kai it was time to go...

When Zane, Jay, and Kai walked back into Garmadon's house later that afternoon the first thing Kai noticed how dark it was. The brunette gently grabbed Zane's arm and tried to see through the darkness, fear faintly clawing at his core. For a brief moment, he felt like he was back in that dark room, tied down, with Ray standing over him with a rage in his eyes. Before he could start to panic, however, the lights suddenly turned on. When his eyes finally adjusted to the sudden light, he saw a few people gathered around in the living room with colorful balloons, streamers, and birthday banners all over the house.

At first, Kai panicked but then he remembered he knew these people. They were Garmadon, Misako, Lloyd, Harumi, Maya, and his sister Nya.

"Happy birthday Kai!" They all exclaimed and even though he was confused, Kai smiled happily. The party was truly amazing. The small teen got a robot toy from Garmadon and Misako, a box of chocolates from Lloyd, some new clothes from Maya, a drum from Nya, some toy cars from Zane, a picture book from Harumi, a board game from Jay, and some children movies from a few people at the hospital. Zane watched with a smile as Nya did some catching up with her little brother.

She kept trying to talk to him about what was happening in her and Maya's lives.

She kept trying to get Kai to speak to her, but he was more interested in the new toys he'd been given. She then started telling Kai about when he was a baby and how he once gotten into her birthday presents and pulled the wrapping paper off them. Unfortunately, Kai didn't seem to register what she was saying. As Nya continued talking, Zane felt his mind began to wander. He started to wonder what it must be like to have only memories of pain and sorrow all your life then suddenly being thrown into a whole new world where people you've never known try and show you kindness and love you've never known.

As the party continued, Zane glanced to the kitchen and went to get a drink.

When he got there he saw Jay, Misako, and Garmadon were all waiting for him, a look of worry on their faces. Now that Kai was fifteen it meant that he had finally without a doubt reached puberty. Zane sighed as he took a seat next to Jay.

"I can't believe this happening now of all times." Misako frowned down at her coffee mug. "He only just finished toilet training yesterday and now he's fifteen."

"Well, we knew it would happen sooner or later." Jay sighed.

"Yes, but there is a silver lining to all this," Garmadon said and they all looked at him in shock. "The critical period is over so that means everything he learns now is over the line."

"I guess we're going to find out if Lenneberg's theory is correct." Jay nodded.

"It's not a theory, it's just a hypothesis." Zane smiled. "And Kai's going to prove to us that it's wrong, just wait and see."...