Well, it's Tuesday so it's time for another update. Please enjoy. :3

Chapter Three: Rope and No Hope

"So she saved you and then attacked you?" Cole was leaning back against the wall near the bathroom, brushing his dark bangs out of his face. His amber eyes fell upon the single chair that sat in the middle of the room. A young girl had been tied to it with thick rope. She looked both frightened and peeved, but the black ninja did not blame her. It was not every day that you were taken to a house and questioned by strangers.

Laurie straddled a seat near the dining room table, draping her arms over the back. She now wore an orange tank top, changing out of the ripped garment she had arrived home in. "Yeah, but you should have seen her with those weapons. I wouldn't be surprised if Skales and the other Generals never showed their faces around here again." A small chuckle escaped Laurie's lips as she thought of the Generals cowering in fear of a small girl. "In all seriousness though, she's got some fight in her. Maybe even too much for her own good." Her ice blue eyes locked with the girl's who rudely stuck her tongue out at Laurie.

There was the sound of rhythmic banging that filled the room. Lloyd was sitting down on the green comforter of his bed, kicking both feet back and forth. They hit the wooden bed frame, but he did not seem to notice. His attention was solely on the girl who appeared to be around his age. "Do you talk?" the green ninja asked, jumping to his feet. He slowly approached the chair, noticing the girl eyeing him wearily. "It's okay if you don't, we just want to know what's going through your mind."

Rhea looked up at the boy, her brown eyes sad. She was very scared, being surrounded by all of these strangers. With nervous energy coursing through her body, the young girl attempted to move her arms even the slightest. The rope was extremely tight. She glanced over at the white ninja, the one who had been given her trouble for the past month. He sure had tied her up tight. Rhea gave a small sigh before turning her attention back towards the red head.

This was all her fault, trying to fight back. Never had a target been so difficult or stubborn before. Rhea could feel utter hatred welling up inside of her small body. "Do you see the way she looks at me?" she heard the red head say, gesturing wildly. "This girl does not like me at all guys. I know I bumped into her while I was out, but I don't think that's a justifiable reason to want to kill someone."

"Who are you?" came a harsh voice, making Rhea feel insignificant. Her eyes quickly darted over to an individual she had not previously seen before. He wore a red sweatshirt, his hands shoved deep into the conjoined pocket of the garment. Dark brown hair was spiked up in all directions and the aura of hostility that wafted off of him was rivaling that of Rhea's "father". She gulped, watching helplessly as he slowly approached. "Who are you?" Kai repeated, now standing next to Lloyd. The blonde boy took a small step to his left, expanding the distance between himself and the red ninja.

With a fluttering heart, Rhea attempted to sink even lower into the chair, but the rope prevented this maneuver. An ice cold sensation gripped at her heart as the angry individual in front of her waited for an answer to his question; an answer that she could not give. Was there any chance of escape? Her mind wandered, trying to formulate any possible scenario that would result in freedom, but she found none. All Rhea could do was sit.

Kai narrowed his light brown eyes and gave a frustrated cry. "This isn't working! She isn't saying anything!" He rubbed his temples furiously, alleviating the slight tension headache that was beginning to form. Of course his relationship with Laurie was beyond repair at this moment in time. Even though she was trying to remember what used to be, Kai's heart was still broken. It ached every time he looked at her. Even so, he was not going to allow anyone to harm her, not even a little girl.

"Just try and be patient" Jay sighed, pulling out one of the seats next to Laurie. She glanced over at the blue ninja as the squeaking of the chair against the floor panels erupted throughout the room. With a sheepish grin, he decided to continue. "It's not like she's going anywhere" the Ninja of Lightning chuckled. "You know…because she's tied up…"

They were more stubborn than she had anticipated. As much as the situation was frightening and uncomfortable, Rhea decided she could play the game as well. She was just going to keep her mouth closed and wait until the enemy was exasperated. Then she would be released, free to move around the city as she pleased.

"We can't keep her here forever. Her family is probably worried about her."

Overwhelming and crushing sadness threatened to break the stone wall that protected Rhea's heart. She could almost feel the stinging tears behind her eyes, a sensation that had been absent for years. Rhea glanced over at the boy in green, the one who had spoken. Their eyes met and she could see the shadow of disappointment that lay beneath the surface of his emerald irises. Had he lost his family as well? Without realizing it, Rhea shook her head back and forth slightly, sky blue bangs falling into her eyes.

Lloyd raised an eyebrow before glancing over at Kai. The red ninja seemed just as surprised as he did. "So, you don't think your family is worried about you?" Lloyd asked carefully, his tone soft. His thoughts drifted back to a particular night on the Destiny's Bounty. The ninja had just taken him in after a fit of rebellion with Pythor at Darkley's School for Bad Boys. Sensei Wu had just concluded a story about serpents and how duplicitous they could be. He left, leaving the door open slightly. Lloyd could still remember the advice his Uncle had given his brothers. The best way to defeat your enemy is to make them your friend. He watched as the young girl's complexion became paler and she averted her gaze to the ground.

Laurie could see her brother seemingly staring off into space. It was obvious that he was thinking about something. She crossed her arms on the back of the chair and rested her chin lightly on them. Then Laurie felt her eyes widen when Lloyd walked behind the back of the girl's chair and began tugging at the knots. "Whoa, what do you think you're doing?" the orange ninja asked. She could feel every muscle in her body tense up.

"What's she going to do?" Lloyd replied, voice strained. The knot had been tied extremely tight and he could barely get a grip on to it, let alone attempt to undo it. "Zane has her weapons and she's in the home of six ninja and a samurai." His fingers slipped in between a slightly loose section of the fraying rope and Lloyd pulled hard, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead in miniscule drops. The feeling of accomplishment coursed through his veins as he felt the rope fall away from the girl.

The air in the room felt heavier, tension absolutely palpable. Laurie was holding her breath, one eye closed tightly. She was preparing for the girl to attack or bolt for the door, but she remained in the chair. Her brown eyes were wide and darted around the room quickly. The orange ninja assumed that she was just as surprised by Lloyd's actions as the rest of them. "What if she tries to do something?" Laurie whispered, but it echoed through the silent room. No one moved.

Rhea felt as if she could not breathe. Perhaps freedom was not what she needed. The ropes had almost acted like a barrier against the strangers and she saw that now that she was free. Cautiously, she jumped to her feet, but felt a rough hand grab her upper arm. It was the spiky haired guy, his eyes seemingly ablaze with hatred. "Zane, tie her back up" he stated plainly, his iron grip painful. Rhea watched as the white ninja, apparently Zane, slowly started to make his way towards her.

"No guys. The best way to defeat your enemy is to make them your friend!" It was the boy again, talking utter nonsense. Rhea rolled her eyes. The best way to defeat your enemy was to kill them obviously. Her thoughts drifted back to the red head, only feet away. If only she had her weapons this would be a great opportunity to just finish the job and escape. "Uncle told you guys that and it worked. Let's try it again."

Surprisingly, Rhea felt the red ninja's hand release her. Her mind was racing, telling her to run, but she stayed rooted on the spot for some reason. She was face to face with the boy now, his emerald eyes smiling. "I'm Lloyd" he grinned, holding out a single hand. Rhea's first instinct was to grab his arm and throw him across the room, but that would probably just get her tied up again. No, she had to play calm in order to get out. Reluctantly, she extended her right hand and shook his. The gesture was extremely awkward and uncomfortable. Rhea let go just as quickly, shaking slightly. "So, what's your name?" he finished, crossing his arms over his chest.

Her name? Rhea opened her mouth and closed it quickly, her heart hammering against her chest. With a quivering hand, the girl made a fist and moved it sporadically back and forth. Kai and Lloyd just stared at her, their faces blank and confused. "I believe she would like a writing utensil" Zane piped in, his voice even. Rhea nodded, happy to know that there was at least someone who was competent enough to pick up on what she wanted.

Cole ran over to a chest of drawers that lay idly near the kitchenette. He yanked on one of the wooden knobs and procured a small pad of paper and a pen. With a neutral expression, he handed the items to Rhea who just blinked slowly. She flipped open the pad, listening as the paper rustled along the spiral binding. The click of the pen seemed to echo throughout the room before Rhea slowly wrote something down. With a sigh, the girl turned to paper towards Lloyd who had to squint to see the tiny, sloppy print.

Rhea.

The single word seemed to alleviate most of the tension in the room. Lloyd felt both relieved and annoyed. So if they had just given her something to write with earlier they could have avoided the waves of frustration that came with her lack of communication. "Okay, Rhea" the green ninja replied, lightly pushing the pad back towards her. "So, you can't talk?"

He watched as Rhea bit her lip and pushed her bangs out of her face, thin fingers lingering over the small, star-shaped mark near her right eye. How had he not noticed that previously? Was it a birthmark? The scratching sound of the pen tip on the lined paper brought Lloyd back to reality. She was still writing, something longer this time. Rhea held the pad out to Lloyd and relinquished her hold on it as he grasped it with both hands.

No, I don't talk. The small print bounced all over the paper, having no rhyme or reason to its placement. It was as if she did not write often. Each letter was askew, some landing on the lines while others floated oddly in between the white spaces. The message continued though, halfway down the page. I know your name and you know mine. Can I leave now? Lloyd's face fell.

"What's she saying?" Laurie asked, refusing to leave her current spot at the table. She was afraid that if she approached Rhea there would be a fight, but her curiosity was so great. The one thought that lay heaviest on Laurie's mind was why? Why did Rhea save her only to attack her? "Come on, Lloyd. What's she saying?"

Kai craned his neck in an attempt to read the paper. His eyebrows rose suddenly as he glanced back at Rhea. "You think just because you told us your name you can leave?" disbelief was obvious in his tone. The girl nodded in response, crossing her arms over her chest. Kai let out a long breath, placing a strong hand on Rhea's shoulder. "No, I don't think so. Maybe you didn't notice, but you tried to hurt someone. You're not getting away that easily."

It had been worth a try. Rhea shrugged Kai's hand off of her shoulder and jumped backwards, landing in a crouch. She would just try and fight her way out of here. The odds were not in the young girl's favor, but she did not care. The best way to escape was to make sure there was nothing in the way to prevent it from happening. Seeing everyone still stupefied, Rhea bolted over to the red head and yanked hard on her arm.

Laurie fell off of the chair, hitting the wooden floor hard. Rhea was dragging her across the ground, heading towards the kitchenette. What just happened? There was shouting and shuffling all around, but the orange ninja could not keep her focus. Blood was pounding hard against her inner ears, fear coursing through her veins. Suddenly there was a sharp object at her throat. Rhea knelt on the floor beside Laurie, a knife to her throat. Laurie was surprised by how fast the young girl worked. It seemed as if she were seasoned in fighting and, unfortunately, killing.

"Enough!"

Everyone in the room turned their attention towards the door where an elderly man stood. His narrowed eyes were visible despite the shadow that was cast downwards by his hat. Laurie took this opportunity to survey the situation. She turned her ice blue eyes on Rhea, whose attention was solely on Sensei Wu. With her left hand, she tore the knife from the young girl's hand and threw it across the floor. It made a loud thud as the handle met a cabinet, causing Lloyd to jump slightly.

The ninja lowered their weapons and visibly relaxed. Sensei Wu stepped aside, allowing Nya to enter the apartment. "Nya tells me that we have a new guest and I came to see her" the aging man stated plainly, resting the bottom of his walking stick on the floor. He noticed the young girl kneeling on the ground near the kitchenette, one hand gripping his niece's arm and the other resting by her side. "Ah, here she is" Sensei Wu smiled, closing the distance between himself and Rhea.

Rhea felt the air leave her lungs. She was trapped yet again. Freedom, it had been so close. Using her own target as a shield seemed to have been the perfect plan. Rhea would have been able to escape and carry out her mission at the same time, but not anymore. The aging man bent down and Rhea released her hold on Laurie who quickly got to her feet and walked back towards the others.

"Hello there" Sensei Wu said, nodding slightly. "It seems that you will be staying with us for a while."

Alright well that's that. Feel free to review because those are always nice. Thanks for sticking around to read my story because I appreciate it. Have a great day! :D