Enola's P.O.V.
Sprawled in my bed, I struggled to control my breathing. A week had passed since the voice of evil had first spoken to me, and since then every night it whispered to me.
Was I scared of the voice? Hardly. Terrified? Completely. To make matters even worse, who could I turn to? The ninja (excluding Kai, by a thin thread) already thought I was working with Lord Garmadon. Nya might be accepting, but to what length? Sensei Wu had seemed shaken when I told him about the nickname 'Queen of Shadows', and that was without saying Lord Garmadon was the first to say it. The truth was, there was no one I could tell without fear of major consequences.
Come to me. The voice was speaking again. Come and I will show you the way.
Get away from me!I plead.
Not until you fulfill your destiny.The voice answers in a rough voice.
Let her be.The shadows whisper, but the voice pounces.
Do not listen to them! They deformed you against your will! Align yourself with me, and I will not force you into anything!The voice insists.
All of you, stop! You're killing me!I scream. What don't realize is I've shouted in reality, clutching my sheets and sobbing.
The only reason I do realize it is there's a knock on my door, and Nya opens it. Quickly I feign sleep, a feat I am excellent at after the asylum. "Enola? Are you awake?" Giving her no response, she shrugs and leaves, assuming it was a dream. If only it was!
Sighing, I curl up in my bed and try to fall asleep.
Sadly, slumber is just more torture. My dreams are nightmares, first of myself turning black and causing destruction wherever I go. Next I stand on a pile of bodies, cackling madly with Lord Garmadon and the dark voice. But the last is the worst of them all. From afar I watch as my black body is laid to rest in a shallow hole in the earth with a blank rock to mark it. And rather than my family mourning me, my parents are smiling widely, and Cassie is laughing along with Jamie in her arms.
Screaming, I awaken to find them dreams. Quickly I check my arms, and ironically, to my relief the only parts black are my right hand, wrist, and an inch or two of my lower arm. My eyes flood with tears and I sob uncontrollably. Of all the power I have to remove nightmares, mine are the only ones I can never see and always change. Worse yet, I can never rid myself of them. They are always there, the shadows withinthe shadows.
Collecting myself, I set out to the deck. The pull to leave is stronger than ever, the nightmares out there devouring their prey relentlessly. Shivering from the cold, I close my eyes. "Let this be a dream. Let this be nothing more than a dream, a nightmare. Let me awaken five years ago to restart." I beg the night sky. Of course, nothing happens, and I'm forced to return to my bed, the voices whispering in my mind until I fall asleep again, this time without nightmares.
Hours later...
A knock on my door awakens me from slumber. "Go away." I mutter, curling up in my nest of blankets, but the knocking continues. "Go. Away. Now." I repeat, but the door opens anyway.
"Enola, what's going on? You've been in your room for a week." It's Kai, and for some odd reason I feel the need to reply even though I should just go back to sleep.
"I said go away. I need to sleep." My voice isn't convincing, so it's easy for him to tell I'm lying.
"Really. You've been sleeping for twelve hours." Kai looks at me skeptically. "Nya wasn't the only one who heard you scream out last night."
My eyes widen. "Don't say a word." I plead, sitting up.
"I won't if you say what's going on." Kai tells me.
"Fine. I had a nightmare last night." Technically true, and nothing to really worry about. Kai raised an eyebrow but thankfully didn't ask further.
"Nya wants everyone in the bridge. you should come." Kai leaves, and I figure Nya will come and get me anyway, so I shower quickly and change into fresh clothes before going to the bridge, where Nya's explaining something about Lord Garmadon, which I find myself tuning out... Until I notice something.
A shadow is moving, creeping towards Jay, who is holding the ship steady at the controls. Another is behind Nya, and a final is standing in the middle of the room, holding a knife.
What are you doing?I ask, but the answer turns my stomach into knots.
Queen, you must do your work. Every minute here is another lost. The shadows chant. We tried to not force you, but we have been left with no choice.
The first shadow grabs Jay, shoving him and sending the ship out of control. The one behind Nya grabs her and begins choking her, while the one with the knife prepares to slash Sensei Wu's chest.
Stop it! Stop it now!I plead, barely keeping myself from shouting out in reality.
You must leave, and never return!The shadows cry. I hold back my tears before I answer.
Fine! I'll leave before sunrise tomorrow.I promise. The shadows, satisfied, melt back into the earth, leaving me crushed.
"What just happened?" Cole asks, pale.
When no one answers, least of all me, everyone just thinks it was a mechanical error, making my job even harder. But when night falls, I put on my cloak and leave a note.
I'm sorry. I have to leave for your own protection. The pull to duty is too strong. Please understand.
-Enola
Finished, I walk slowly. My boots aren't exactly silent, but no one awakens. The ever-growing pit in my stomach is almost unbearable when I reach the ninja's room, only to stop. A nightmare catches my attention, one that seems vaguely familiar. Quietly as possible I slip into the room. Jay, Zane, and Cole are all sleeping soundly, but Kai tosses and turns, the force of the nightmare racking his body, suggesting he's carried the weight for a long time. Gently, I place my hand on his forehead. His expression softens instantly, and for a moment I half fear and hope he'll awaken. But nothing happens, and with a sigh I remove his nightmare.
It flows out slowly, almost reluctantly. I cradle the sphere that seeps out, and (Am I imagining it?) the sphere seems to snuggle closer to me. Let it go. It's just a nightmare.I try to convince myself but as I make to release it, I can't. Tears run down my face, and finally I tuck the nightmare in my cloak pocket, where it settles. I force myself to hold back tears and I run to the deck. One last look back and I jump over the railing, setting off into the night.
A few hours pass. Eventually I reach a small cavern where I rest. I take out the nightmare, cradling it. I can sense the shadows' disapproval, but I ignore them. I wonder if they've woken up yet.Shrugging the thoughts away, I fall asleep.
Next day...
By the time I awaken, the sun is low in the sky. Good. If I must continue my work, then at least I can travel as I used to, by moonlight. Tucking away Kai's nightmare, I begin walking again.
Nothing is off as I arrive at my first city. No Stone Warriors, no ninja, nothing. My first job is a young beggar girl asleep at the pavement. Murmuring to her as she awakens, she smiles, probably thinking I'm here to give her food. Instead I take her nightmare, but she continues to smile. "Thank you... Mistress." The girl whispers before falling asleep.
I feel like a fraud the rest of the night after that. A Mistress of Shadows wouldn't abandon her work as I did, and for what? My own security.
Nonsense Enola. You have returned, and that is all that matters.The shadows insist.
As if.I say miserably. By sunrise the town has been cleansed of the worst nightmares. I feel guilty, since I can never help everyone who needs my assistance. Perhaps one day, I will have touched all the souls of Ninjago, but not today.
The sound of rockets snap me out of my thoughts, and Destiny's Bounty comes in view. I run into a nearby alley, grab my cloak folds and the shadows conceal me. The ninja and Nya slid down the anchor as the townspeople awaken. "Was the Mistress of Nightmares here?" Kai asks. Interesting- they know people have given me a name rather than find out my own, which I will need to shed soon.
The people, oblivious, don't know, and I feel safe until the beggar girl walks up. "I saw her here."
"Where?" Nya asks nicely.
"Over by a street corner at night. I was having a nightmare, and she woke me, taking it away." The girl smiles, not realizing how scared I am. I see the ninja look around, and could swear Kai's eyes fix at me before going on.
When they're preoccupied once again, I flee. Running as fast as I can, tears blurring my vision. If they manage to find me... I don't want to think about it.
Tonight I'm so alone.
This sorrow takes a hold.
Don't leave me here so cold.
Slowly, my feet move and drag me across the desert sand. I feel the pull of nightmares in one direction, and the pull to return to Destiny's Bounty in the other.
I've waited all this time,
I've wasted so much time.
My tears increase. What if I never see them again in my running?
Don't leave me alone... I'm...
Falling in the black!
Slipping through the cracks!
After a moment my knees buckle and I fall to the ground. My head is in my hands, and I sob.
Falling to the depths! Can I ever go back?
Dreaming of the way it used to be!
Can you hear me?
The world swirls as my shoulders shake. Even though they are no longer after my body, the shadows will always be in control.
Falling in the black!
Slipping through the cracks!
Falling to the depths! Can I ever go back?
Falling inside the black!
Falling inside, falling inside the black!
Shaking, I rise and stumble to a near cave before collapsing against a rock. Taking out the nightmare, I hold it close to my chest, sobbing. Slumber comes as I cry.
*If anyone wants to know, the italics are song lyrics from the song 'Falling Inside The Black', by Skillet. Also, I may have a poll on my page soon! Too early to tell, but I write about it in an update if it happens. Before I leave you, how would you guys like a Christmas fic? Say in the reviews please!*