No P.O.V.
Two weeks passed, but the ninja continued to search for Enola. As she feared for their safety, Enola continued to run. Every night she slept cradling the nightmare she had taken her last night there, her only tangible memento.
Eventually, Sensei Wu called the ninja to his room. "Ninja, I have long feared this. Many prophecies have been made of the person who sees shadows. I am afraid if what happened before to Enola does again, her powers may go out of control."
"Sensei?" Lloyd asked. When no one interrupted him, Lloyd continued. "Enola once asked me who my father was. I didn't think about it at the time, but does it mean my father is communicating with her?"
Sensei Wu's eyebrows shot up. "We have less time than I thought. It may be telepathy, something my father possessed. Lloyd, try to talk with Enola. Find where she is."
Lloyd closed his eyes. At first, nothing happened, but eventually, Lloyd felt his mind touch another's.
Enola was resting in a cave, waiting for nightfall. Suddenly, three different voices purged her mind.
Come to me, my dear. Find your destiny. The slithering voice told her.
Follow his advice. Turn to the side of darkness. Lord Garmadon agreed.
Do not listen to them! Stay where you are! The shadows insisted.
Just go away, all of you! Enola said miserably. Leave me alone.
Enola? A new voice entered her mind, and Enola gasped.
Lloyd? She asked. How- Never mind. You need to stop communicating.
Enola, where are you? We're all worried. Lloyd persisted.
It doesn't matter. Cut the connection-
Lloyd? Is that you? My son, help me turn her! Lord Garmadon called.
Yes, be a good son to your father! The Overlord added.
Get away from Enola, you nuisances! The shadows cried.
All of you, just shut up! Leave me be! Enola pleaded, her head throbbing.
Where are you? We need to find you! Lloyd said, ignoring Enola's plea.
Everyone began screaming in Enola's head, overloading her mind. Finally, as a last ditch effort, Enola shouted, Get out of my mind or I kill myself!
The voices became extremely quiet. Lloyd was the first to speak. Enola, what are you talking about?
I mean it! Leave me alone, or I'll pierce my heart with my dagger! Enola responded, dagger in hand.
You can't be serious. Lord Garmadon said, amused.
Do not trifle with her! The shadows were terrified, trying to keep Enola calm.
The shadows know what I speak of. Time and time again in the asylum, I was prepared to die to end my suffering. I can and WILL do the same now. Enola's hand was over her heart, waiting to see what would happen. When the others were silent, she taunted them. I'm pricking the skin...
Don't do it! Lloyd shouted, both in his mind and in reality.
We will leave! The shadows told her. ALL of us.
After a moment, there was complete, blessed silence, and Enola sighed. Leaning against a cave wall, she took out Kai's nightmare. No work. Not tonight. She closed her eyes, falling asleep.
On Destiny's Bounty, Lloyd was pale. "What happened?" Cole asked.
"There were... more voices than me. My father was there, and others. Enola got them to stop by telling them she would kill herself. She's on the edge, alright." Lloyd answered.
"I was afraid of this." Sensei Wu murmured. "Lord Garmadon is attempting to make Enola work for him, and may be having the shadows help him. Ninja, you must find her quickly."
Much later...
It was another five days before Enola finally exited the cave. She mostly slept, making up for lost time while on the run. But eventually, the shadows did speak to her and got Enola to return to her work.
It was a routine shift, which made Enola jumpy. The fact no one was trying to stop her only served to increase her awareness.
Be calm. You might disturb his rest. The shadows advised as Enola removed the nightmare of a five year-old boy.
I can't help it! Nothing's happened. There's got to be something I'm missing. Enola insisted.
Do not worry. We will alert you. The shadows quieted, leaving Enola by herself.
For the rest of the night, Enola was on edge, trying to convince herself there was nothing, but her hopes were deftly shattered when she heard a voice behind her.
"Found you." Kai whispered.
Spinning around, Enola's heartbeat went wild. "What are you doing here?!" She whispered back, terrified.
"Trying to find you. What's going on? Everything was fine, and then you took off. Why?" Kai asked.
"Everything was FAR from fine! Listen, just get out of here now!" Enola answered, but Kai just stood there.
"Then explain!" Kai told her. Unfortunately, before she could say a word, shadows began creeping out of the ground.
No, stop it! Enola cried out.
This... BOY is interrupting your work. We will deal him, now run! The shadows encased Kai, and he sprawled over in pain.
No! NO! Enola was screaming, but the shadows were indifferent to her pleas. Must I use my life as a threat again?
What is important about him? Why do you seek to protect him? The shadows asked, puzzled.
Because I love him! The words tumbled from Enola's mind before she could stop them, and for a moment, Enola feared the shadows would kill him to take away the distraction, but surprisingly, they relented.
Very well. We will not harm him, provided he never stops your work again. The shadows answered, fading back into the ground.
Running over to Kai, Enola quickly took his pulse, and relief came over her when she found it strong. It gave her time to think. Do I love him? Enola wondered, but the answer came from the soft voice which had reassured Enola before.
Yes. You seek to protect him because you genuinely care for him. The voice answered soothingly. It is not something to fear. It added quickly. Rather something to hold onto tightly, a feeling many crave, but is easy to lose.
Slightly better, Enola kissed Kai's forehead gently. She knew she could never see him again without risking the shadows attacking him. "Good-bye." She whispered, but Enola waited in the darkness until the others came to find him. Keeping her distance for their own protection, Enola watched as they helped him up. Once they were gone, Enola took her leave, holding back her tears.
Hold onto the feeling, Enola. Your name was given for a reason. The voice whispered.
By the time Enola reached a small, abandoned shack where she would sleep for the night, she was completely exhausted. Settling on a small pile of straw, Enola took out Kai's nightmare, but before she drifted off to sleep, she remembered the voice's words.
Carefully, as she had never done it before, Enola reached out with her mind to the nightmare. She knew it was his parents, but Enola couldn't tell why, for whatever reason, as it seemed closed off. After a moment of her feeling failure, Enola was sucked into a vortex within her mind, landing in the front lawn of a hospital.
"What in the world am I doing here?" Enola asked aloud, but when no one answered her question, it was clear to her she was in the nightmare itself.
Walking inside, and letting darkened skin guide her (which since her kiss on Kai's forehead returned to a blacken hand), Enola found herself outside an emergency room, where a woman was screaming. Her initial thought of an operation was chased away as Enola heard a nurse shout, "Push!"
Slipping inside, Enola saw a young Kai standing with an unfamiliar man by a bedside, where a woman was lying down, panting and sweating. The sheets under her was bloodstained, and she seemed weak as the doctors around her were instructing her.
"Push!" The nurse ordered, and after one last scream of pain from the woman, there was the loud cry of a newborn child. Quickly, a nurse wrapped the baby in a blanket while a doctor took the mother's vitals.
"Congratulations, it's a girl." The nurse said, but Enola could tell her cheery voice was false. She handed the baby to the man beside Kai, who cradled the girl.
"Dad, can I see her?" Kai asked impatiently, tugging on the man's sleeve. Laughing nervously, the man, Kai's father, knelt down so he could see his sister's face.
"Say hi to Nya, your baby sister." Kai's father said.
"Sir, why don't you come outside with me, and your son can play with his new sister." The head doctor said quickly. Enola followed them outside so she could hear them.
"I'm afraid your wife won't make it through." The doctor murmured. "The birth was extremely difficult, and with her condition, she's likely to die."
"How long?" Kai's father asked, his voice signifying he'd known for a time.
"An hour, at best." The doctor answered. "At worst..." He left the sentence hanging.
Kai's father nodded. "I'll break it to Kai." He said softly, going back inside. Kai was playing making faces at his sister, who was laughing. "Kai, I need to tell you something. You know Mom loves you a lot, right?"
"Yeah." Kai nodded.
"Listen, I need you to tell mommy you love her... and you may want to say goodbye." Kai's father said slowly. "Mom's... not going to be coming home with us."
"Why?" Kai asked, scared. Baby Nya began crying. In answer, the machines began beeping and the doctors surrounded her bed.
"We're losing her!" A doctor cried.
"Kai, you need to do it now." Kai's father said urgently. Slowly, Kai walked up to his mother.
"Mom?" He asked. Her tired eyes flickered over to him. "I love you." He whispered. His mother smiled before closing her eyes and the heart monitor went flat.
The scene twisted and turned until Enola found herself in another hospital room. This time, however, Kai and Nya were teenagers, and their father was the one on the bed. His face was pale, making it easy to see he would die soon.
"Nya, could you leave for a moment?" Her father wheezed. Wiping her eyes, Nya left, and her father turned to Kai. "Kai-" He coughed. "Take care of Nya. Promise me you'll keep her safe."
Kai nodded and his father sighed before leaning back on the bed and closing his eyes, the heart meter going flat.
Gasping for breath, Enola found herself back in the small shack. Leaning against a wall, she sighed. It had been difficult for her to see exactly why the nightmare haunted both. Now it was clearer; for Nya, she blamed herself for her parents' deaths. Kai felt he hadn't fulfilled the promise he made to his father.
The question is, am I better off knowing? Enola asked herself.
Yes. The voice answered. Sleep now, and prepare yourself- the worst is yet to come.