It's Friday which means that it is time for another update! :D
I just wanted to take this opportunity to say that I do not own Ninjago or any of the characters from Ninjago. I only own Laurie and Rhea. Also, I wanted to give a big thank you to Pebble900 who kind of dedicated the publishing of her story "When One Divides" as a birthday present towards me and some other people. That was really nice, thank you. :3
Chapter Two: Shopping, Snakes, and Saliva
Laurie inhaled deeply, staring down at the dress that adorned her thin frame. It was a flaming red hue that seemed to glow in the bright, fluorescent lights of the dressing room; only slightly darker than her own hair color. The subtle embellishments that were sewn into the bodice sparkled every time she moved. Feeling self conscious, Laurie pushed the spaghetti straps farther up her shoulders, practically up to her neck, and tried to pull the bottom of the dress down further. It rested just below her knees, but the orange ninja felt as if it were too short. She was not used to wearing anything like this.
"Are you done yet?" Nya asked. Her tone was chipper and slightly impatient. Laurie could tell that Kai's sister was thoroughly enjoying herself. Despite the excitement that had previously consumed her at breakfast, Laurie felt awkward. Yes, she enjoyed looking at the different articles of clothing that were available for purchase, but trying them on was entirely different. Especially when it was a dress that Nya had picked out for her. "If you're done getting dressed you should come out and show me what it looks like."
Fear gripped the orange ninja's heart as she continued to examine herself in the mirror and adjust the bottom of her dress. It puffed outwards due to the extra layer of black, mesh-like material underneath. The puffy skirt twirled as Laurie turned, unwilling to face Nya. She grasped the metal doorknob of the dressing room and turned it, exiting her safe haven.
Nya immediately gasped, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. Laurie looked absolutely beautiful in the dress, though she did not seem particularly comfortable. Despite her pale complexion, the bright dress seemed to fit the orange ninja. The samurai watched as Laurie tugged at the bottom of the dress and almost slid across the tiled floor in her black socks. "You look amazing, Laurie" Nya smiled wide, clasping her hands behind her back.
"I don't feel amazing" Laurie muttered, stepping up carefully onto a slightly raised platform that sat in front of three mirrors. The bright, industrial lights in the ceiling shown down on her and she squinted, raising her right hand in an attempt to block them out. She gazed at herself once more, really taking in the red dress that currently clothed her body. All Laurie could think about was Kai, his light brown eyes sad and distant. She shuddered slightly and felt like she was going to throw up. "I look like a clown".
With a frown, the orange ninja hopped off of the circular platform and bolted back into the dressing room, accidentally slamming the door behind her. Laurie leaned backwards and felt the hard metal of the doorknob against her spine. Her reflection gazed back at her, seemingly terrified. All she could think about was Kai. If he was always on her mind than why was she not able to remember him like she used to? She had been told that he had not always been so melancholy and reserved, but that was all she knew. Laurie wished more than anything else to remember a time when he used to smile; when they were both happy together.
Frustrated, Laurie unzipped the side of the dress and stepped out, quickly changing back into her normal attire. After slipping her sneakers back on, the orange ninja procured the dress from the floor and carefully placed it back on the hanger it came on. She exited the dressing room with the dress in tow and was about to place it on the nearest garment rack when Nya stopped her. "Laurie, you looked so good in that dress. I want to buy it for you."
"Why?" Laurie asked nervously, her skin feeling slightly clammy. "I really didn't look all that great in it. Red is definitely not my color…" Her wavering voice trailed off slightly as her ice blue eyes met Nya's gaze. Laurie could tell that the samurai was being both kind and serious. "I mean, yeah, it fit nice, but I don't wear dresses. It's not really my thing, you know?"
Nya grabbed the dress from Laurie, a smirk playing on the edge of her lips. "It could be your thing" she teased, draping the garment over her right arm. Laurie looked so scared and her skin seemed paler than usual, almost as if she were sick. "You may not know it, but red is a color that looks good on you. I hope you realize that." Then she turned away from Laurie and slowly made her way to the register. "Consider it a gift from me to you" Nya finished, her raised voice startling the absentminded cashier.
"Yeah, well, I'll be waiting outside then" Laurie yelled, shoving her hands into her pants pockets. She really needed some fresh air to clear her head. What would Kai think if he ever saw her in that dress? Had they ever been out together wearing semi-formal clothing like that before? Her mind reeled and raced through different scenarios that were all fictional as she tried to recall anything about her past relationship. Laurie bumped into someone and broke her trance. A young girl looked up at her, long blue hair tied back with some clips. "I'm really sorry" the orange ninja quickly apologized, rushing past the girl to get outside.
The crisp city air had never felt so welcoming. Laurie breathed it in and leaned back against the outer wall of the boutique she had just emerged from. Why was it that something as innocent as "girl bonding" had turned into an absolutely awful time? The orange ninja sighed and felt a strong gust of wind blow past her. She hugged her arms tightly, taken aback by the sudden chill of the air.
Danger is approaching. Please make haste…
Laurie straightened her posture and glanced around the area warily. The wind had not spoken to her since she had attempted to escape from the Black Bounty. Her immediate surroundings seemed to be clear though, so what danger was there to worry about? On edge, the orange ninja walked towards a small alley that lay off to the right of the sidewalk. She kept her gaze down on the concrete, examining the plethora of cracks and crevices that adorned it. There was someone in the alley; Laurie could hear a voice drifting on the slight breeze. With narrowed eyes she gazed around the corner and inhaled sharply.
Skales was actively engaged in a conversation with Fangtom who currently stood with his arms crossed over his chest, just listening. Laurie strained to hear yet still remain out of sight. A large dumpster sat near the intersection of the main street and the alley, a gap between it and the alley wall. Quietly, the orange ninja ducked behind it and made herself as small as possible. She could not see what was happening now, but at least she could hear.
"Pythor may have betrayed us, but we can still attempt to kidnap the Garmadon brats on our own" Laurie heard Skales hiss. She held her breath while hugging her legs to her chest. "Yes, we have failed in the past, but I have a feeling that this time we will succeed with our plan." Laurie now knelt on the concrete, feeling the small pebbles digging into the bare skin of her shins and knees. She had to go find Nya so they could go back and warn the others that the Generals were planning an attack.
A loud bang reverberated through the small alley and Laurie's eyes widened. She had gotten to her feet without realizing it and had lost her balance, her right shoulder making contact with the hard, grey metal of the dumpster. Laurie was crouched down, rubbing her aching shoulder furiously and hoping beyond hope that neither of the serpents had heard her. Everything went silent and the orange ninja was beginning to think that both Skales and Fangtom had left.
"Look what I've found" laughed a familiar voice, his Romanian accent evident. Laurie turned to her right and saw Fangtom eyeing her, both heads showing fangs. Without thinking, the orange ninja lunged to her left, scrambling out from behind the dumpster and trying to run back towards the boutique. She was without a weapon and still had not completely mastered Spinjitzu. Suddenly there were scaly hands on Laurie's arms, pulling her backwards. She leaned forward, trying to break away from the grip, but lost her footing and was dragged back into the alley. "What luck, Skales! It seems that one of them came to us."
Laurie was yanked upwards by her arms, feeling her shoulders twisting. With gritted teeth she sent a kick into Fangtom's tail, but felt all the energy drain from her body when his grip only tightened. Her breathing was labored when Skales slithered into her line of view. "Thank you for saving us the trouble of trying to take you from the ninja. That's one less brat to worry about." His lips pulled up into a menacing smile and Laurie attempted to shake off Fangtom yet again.
"I'm actually out with someone" the orange ninja challenged, her jaw set and eyes narrowed. "If I just disappear than they'll know something is up. The others wouldn't let Lloyd out of their sight anyways. You'll have just me, sorry to disappoint you." This threat did not seem to faze the Hypnobrai General who just crossed his arms over his chest. Laurie's gaze fell upon the street that lay only feet away. If she could just get away long enough to find Nya…
Someone leaned out from behind a wall, big eyes locking with Laurie's. The orange ninja immediately recognized the individual as the girl she had bumped into while leaving the boutique. Why was she here right now? Laurie shook her head slightly, trying to get the girl to go away. It did not work. The girl inched her way forward, getting closer to Skales. "Look at this, Skales" Laurie heard Fangtom say. "We have another uninvited guest."
The Hypnobrai General turned to see the small, blue haired girl and gave a laugh. "Are you the cavalry?" he asked sarcastically, finding nothing but humor in this situation. He turned back towards Laurie who was struggling harder to get away from the Fangpyre. "Is this the 'someone' you were referring to? She's a pipsqueak, nothing more. We'll take her with us as well."
"No" the orange ninja breathed, her heart fluttering in her chest. The last thing she wanted was for this poor girl to be dragged into her business. "She's just a little girl!" Laurie turned her attention towards the stranger who was pulling the twin clips out of her hair. "You have to run! Go and get out of here!" With disdain, the orange ninja watched as the girl frowned deeply. There seemed to be an unfathomable hatred reflected in her dark brown eyes.
She gripped a hair clip in each hand, jabbing her index fingers through a small hole in each. They glinted in the low light, the parts that had been hidden in her hair. Laurie recognized them as small blades. The girl leapt forward, using the curved blade in her left hand to rake Skales across the back. He cried out and turned around just as the young girl jumped up, digging the weapon in her right hand between the snake's shoulder blades. Skales backed up into Laurie, throwing the small blade to the ground.
Laurie grinned, leaning back against Fangtom and using his support to lift both of her feet into the air. She kicked Skales in the back, laughing slightly as the Hypnobrai stumbled forward. Sprawled out on the ground, he looked up at the small girl who gripped her remaining blade tightly in her left hand. She brought it down vertically, sighing when Skales rolled to the side. The curved metal struck the ground, making her entire arm shake.
Unsteadily getting up, Skales glanced back at Fangtom nervously. "Release the girl" he growled, edging away from the blue-haired stranger. "I'd rather live to fight another day." With narrowed eyes, the Fangpyre General pushed Laurie to the concrete. She tried to break her fall with her hands, but only managed to scrape them up. Blood smeared across her pale skin as she watched the two serpents retreat in the opposite direction, ducking through a large hole in a chain link fence.
With an exasperated breath, the orange ninja grabbed for the small, curved blade that lay next to her. It had been a miracle that she had bumped into someone that was armed. Laurie stared at herself in the lightly blood-coated weapon. She had never seen any blade like this before, so small and easily disguised. The girl behind her was visible in the reflection, holding her left arm out steadily and swinging the blade in her possession horizontally.
Laurie ducked suddenly, holding her breath as she felt the displaced air blow her hair around. She rolled forward suddenly before turning to face her attacker. "Hey, I'm not trying to hurt you" Laurie snapped, getting to her feet quickly. She held the unusual weapon in her right hand like a dagger. The blade curved upwards, looking awkward. "Thanks for helping me, honestly, but I'm not the bad guy. Those snakes are the bad guys."
The girl pursed her lips and charged forward, sweeping her weapon horizontally yet again. Laurie jumped backwards slightly, watching as the blade caught the material of her t-shirt. It ripped and the orange ninja could almost feel the pain of Cole's scythe in her abdomen once more. She fell to her knees, still gripping the girl's weapon. "Why are you doing this?" Laurie yelled, watching as the strange girl came at her again.
Blades collided and the sound of metal against metal echoed through the alley. Laurie got to one knee, both hands tightly gripping the tiny hilt of the weapon. The girl was stronger than she thought, pushing hard to sink her blade into Laurie. Sweat began beading on the orange ninja's head as she watched the end of the enemy's blade creep closer to her throat. It was a losing battle and Laurie used her bent knee to launch herself backwards.
A small grunt of effort escaped the girl's lips as she fell forward, her face making contact with the concrete. The blade in her left hand skittered across the ground and Laurie quickly procured it. The girl stood up, wiping the blood that oozed from a small cut on her cheek with the back of her hand. With disdain she realized that she was no longer in possession of her weapons. She widened her stance, bringing her fists up in front of her chest. There was no need for weapons. Rhea would take the girl out with her bare hands.
There were hands gripping her shoulders now and Rhea looked up in shock to see the red head's companion frowning. "What in Ninjago is going on here?" she asked sternly, chocolate brown eyes narrowed. Never had Rhea felt so helpless or scared. It seemed that her "father" had nothing on this girl. She could feel her body shaking with pure fear. "Don't want to talk, do you?" Nya continued, grabbing Rhea's left wrist with one hand. Rhea pulled against the black-haired girl, but could not get free from her iron grip.
"She saved me from Skales and Fangtom" Laurie answered, approaching the pair. She held both of the girl's weapons in her right hand. "Then she started attacking me. It was like she wanted to kill me or something!" The orange ninja looked down at the blue-haired girl who was staring daggers. Why was this strange, little girl trying to hurt her? Without warning, the girl spit at Laurie who gave an enraged cry. "Do you see this, Nya? She hates me for some reason!" With a mocking face, Laurie handed over the blood coated weapons to Nya who threw them in her purse.
Rhea tried to reach for them, but Kai's sister yanked hard on her wrist. "We'll just have to take her back to the apartment with us then. Maybe she'll feel like talking then." With wide eyes and a palpitating heart, Rhea was reluctantly dragged out of the alley and down the street. Not only had she failed in successfully killing the red-head, but she was now in the hands of the enemy.
Was this chapter okay? I love reading reviews so if you truly are enjoying this story I'd like to hear from you. Thank you to everyone who has already followed/favorite this story. It honestly surprised me and I really appreciate it. See you guys Tuesday for another update! :D
P.S. The picture of Rhea wasn't drawn by me. Xion98 drew it for me a few months ago so all of the credit goes to her.