It is Friday and boy am I glad. Not only because today starts my weekend, but because it's time for another update. Please enjoy. :)

Chapter Eight: Pasts Revealed

"Cursed?" The thought seemed absurd. How could someone become cursed? Laurie's thoughts drifted back to her own predicament. Destined to die; in a way it was like a curse, omnipresent and foreboding through all aspects of life. The orange ninja cringed slightly. Thinking about life was beginning to scare her more than death. Death was bound to happen to everyone eventually and life was terribly fragile. Why did death have to come to her so much sooner than she would have liked? "How did it happen?" Laurie finally asked, eager to learn more.

Rhea was surprised by Laurie's curiosity. In fact, it was making her feel slightly uncomfortable. Why would anyone be so interested in a curse, especially one that could result in death? Taking in a deep breath, Rhea began her story, the pen flying back and forth wildly across the paper. My parents were killed when I was younger. I think it was seven years ago, but I don't really remember. We were sailing, always on the ocean and always moving. We found this island way far away from the coast of Ninjago, but it wasn't on my dad's map. My parents decided we had to go exploring because the island was probably undiscovered, so we docked on the shore and got off.

The island was beautiful actually. That much I can actually remember perfectly. There were so many trees and plants that I'd never seen before. It seemed like a great place to be, but then night fell. There were so many noises coming from everywhere. I was scared and my mom told me to hide in a nearby bush, so I did. This man came out of nowhere, but I didn't really get to see his face too well. It blended in with the darkness. He used his swords to kill my parents. There was just so much blood. I think I screamed, but I don't really remember that either. He turned towards me and his eyes were just the brightest shade of green. I thought he was going to kill me too, but something stopped him.

Laurie's eyes were wide with both fear and anticipation. Just the thought of this happening to Rhea when she was so young hurt her. No one should ever have to experience something of that magnitude, having to watch her parents murdered in cold blood. It was a wonder Rhea was not more psychotic. Well then again she had tried to kill Laurie twice in one day. That was pretty psychotic just by itself. "I'm really sorry that all of that happened to you, Rhea. Really, I am, but it doesn't explain how you were cursed." She watched as the blue haired girl blushed slightly, returning to writing down on the notepad.

Sorry about that. Anyways, I'm still not exactly sure what stopped the man, but it was some glowing orb. It hissed something and the man just stopped, but then the orb came at me, told me it wanted to raise me. I was too shocked to think at the time so I just nodded my head. There was a flash of light and a burning sensation on my face. The scar was there. The orb told me that if I ever spoke I would die and that a vow of silence was necessary in order for me to properly live. So here I am, just kind of wandering around. I've kind of forgotten already what it's like to talk, but sometimes I'll almost do it without thinking and then I have to stop myself. Rhea could feel the tears beginning to fall down her face. Her past was just so painful and she always kept its content and details buried down deep within herself. In fact, she was positive that Laurie was the first person she had ever told. So even though I have the possibility of dying every day I still don't want to. Why do you want to die now?

Living a life without words; no wonder Rhea always looked so lost and alone. Laurie could not help herself as she pulled the young girl into a tight embrace. She felt Rhea tense up, but did not release her. "I'm not sure who has the worst end of the deal" Laurie whispered, feeling Rhea lay her head down on her right shoulder. "I'm sorry that you've had to go through so much in your life. You're still really young and no one should ever have to deal with anything like that. I'm really sorry."

Rhea wrapped her arms tightly around Lloyd's sister. This moment felt surreal, but completely genuine. Tears lightly rolled down her face as she closed her eyes. Laurie, she was supposed to kill Laurie, but that seemed as if it were becoming increasingly difficult. Rhea remembered back to the day she had received her assignment, when she noticed Laurie and Kai walking across the dying grass of the park. She remembered how much Laurie had reminded her of her mother, the twinkle in her eyes and the small smile on her face. For some reason in this moment of pure compassion and empathy it felt as if Laurie was her mother. Laurie began to pull away and Rhea's heart ached for the warmth and comfort that was replaced by the chilled, night air. "Well, you asked me why I want to die so now it's my turn to talk." That was right, the young girl was still curious as to why Laurie was perfectly fine with death now.

Frowning, the orange ninja wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm supposed to help my brother" she started slowly, letting the words stay suspended in the night air. "There's this prophecy that Lloyd will defeat the Dark Lord and restore peace to Ninjago. Well, I guess Sensei Wu thinks I'm this 'Legendary Ninja' who is supposed to aid Lloyd during his fight." Laurie gave a long sigh, gazing out over the brightly light skyscrapers that were scattered throughout Ninjago City. "It's just that, as the one person destined to protect Lloyd, I'm supposed to sacrifice myself in order for him to complete his destiny. I'm going to die and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it."

There was a gentle hand on Laurie's shoulder and she whipped her head around to see Rhea just staring at her. The girl's large, brown eyes were extremely unnerving. She slowly handed the orange ninja her pad of paper. You don't know when that will be though. Laurie pushed the message away, back towards the young girl. Of course she did not know exactly when she was going to die, but that seemed to make it all the more real and terrifying. Her demise could come tomorrow or in two years. What sort of life was worth living if every day was ruled by the fear of death? That was no life at all.

"I don't want Lloyd to have to see it, but I know that there is really nothing I can do about it. He's going to be there, battling the Dark Lord alongside myself and the others." She pulled her knees back up to her chin and hugged her shins tightly. "I guess it's ironic that this is my destiny, to die for the one person that I had spent a majority of my life attempting to see again." Rhea's puzzled expression made Laurie give a slight smile. "My past isn't really that great either. You see, my mom is an archaeologist and when my father 'disappeared' she sent Lloyd off to boarding school and allowed me to travel with her since I was older. She was always looking for something, an artifact of some kind, but she never shared the details with me. My mother always told me that it was extremely important and it could possibly bring our family back together." Wistfully, Laurie allowed her ice blue eyes to drift down towards the barren asphalt. "I ran away before she found it, if she ever found it. I had learned about whom my father really was and I despised him. Two years went by and I was trying to learn the art of Spinjitzu, but that didn't really work out like I thought it would."

The memories of her childhood came flooding back. Tumbling down a small rock formation and scrapping up her bare knees somewhere out near the Caves of Despair. Watching in wonder as the Mountain of Impossible Height whizzed by from the window of the covered caravan. The sad smile on Lloyd's face when he waved goodbye, suitcase in hand, and disappeared out of Laurie's life. She blinked, feeling a hot tear run down her right cheek and fall onto her collarbone. "Sorry" the orange ninja apologized quickly, feeling herself blush slightly. "I didn't mean to bore you or anything, Rhea. You're life has been even more difficult than mine so I can't complain, not even in the least bit. I guess the point of it all was that I wanted to die now so Lloyd wouldn't have to see it happen later."

Rhea scooted herself a little closer to the melancholy teenager, feeling the bottom of her jeans scrap against the tar on the roof. She took the notebook and pen, quickly forming a message that she hastily shoved over towards Laurie. Don't try and find the easy way out. Lloyd would be hurt either way. There was an unusual tug at the edge of her lips, pulling upwards slightly. Was she about to smile? No, she had not smiled in years, why would she be doing it now? With mixed emotions, the young girl watched as Laurie's eyes widened and she turned her attention away from the notepad.

"You know what; I was being selfish and I never really thought about Lloyd at all. I was only thinking about myself." Rhea was absolutely right, Lloyd was her brother and she should not just give up on life just because she was afraid. Laurie had a family now, comprised of more than just those who were physically related to her. She was not prepared to give up for their sakes. "I just have to enjoy whatever time I have left" she continued with a grin. "Thank you, Rhea, for making me realize that." The irony was plain and simple; it took the girl who had been trying to end her life to make Laurie see that she actually had a life worth living, even if it was going to be shorter than anticipated. "Just, please don't tell Lloyd. I don't want him to worry about me, alright?"

With a nod, Rhea took the small notepad back and shoved it into the right pocket of her lavender wind breaker. The pen sat next to her, practically blending in to the tar on the roof. Small streams of faint golden light were beginning to peak over the horizon. Impossible, both she and Laurie could not have been outside all night talking. A dainty, white object floated right in front of Rhea's face and she jerked her head backwards. The strange entity came at her again once more, choosing to settle down on her nose. It was soft and tickled, causing her to blush.

"What a pretty, little butterfly" Laurie laughed, seeing Rhea's reaction to the winged insect. "I think it likes you".

A butterfly? The term was unfamiliar. With a shaking hand, Rhea attempted to touch the creature's small, flawless wings. It left its perch on her nose and fluttered around in the air before landing once more. Rhea put her hand down, positive that this being was not fond of being handled. It was such an odd experience, having this living creature just sitting upon the tip of her nose. She crossed her eyes, attempting to see it better. Two thin antennae curled over themselves in almost a spiral pattern. The butterfly turned around, its left wing lightly trailing the bridge of Rhea's nose. Its stark white wings were not as plain as the girl had first imagined. The one closest to her was adorned with intricate patterns, only visible due to the slightly raised nature of the markings. They seemed to be outlined in the lightest shade of purple. She continued to just stare at the creature, taking in every portion of it. Rhea decided that she liked butterflies.

Without warning, a warm wind blew across the roof and the butterfly shuddered, using its spindly legs to try and hold on to Rhea's nose. The force was too great and the creature relinquished its hold, diving into the fading darkness. Rhea felt her heart leap, her frown deepening. She had actually liked that small and insignificant creature. It reminded Rhea of herself, small and always wandering. Did butterflies ever find permanent homes? Perhaps she would never know. A small sigh escaped her lips as she quickly got to her feet, grabbing the pen on her way up. She gestured towards the opposite edge of the roof and Laurie nodded. It was time to head back inside now. They would both have to try and sleep while everyone else was awake. Hopefully it would not be too difficult.

"We definitely need to catch some shut eye" the orange ninja stated plainly, patting Rhea lightly on the shoulder. The two crossed the tarred roof and Laurie lowered herself slowly over the edge, relaxing when her shoes made contact with the rusting metal of the fire escape. She offered Rhea a hand and was honestly surprised when the girl accepted her help. Rhea jumped down next to Laurie and the two girls traversed the remaining stairs quickly.

The apartment was silent when they entered, Laurie closing the door softly behind them. She made her way across the wooden floor and quickly procured a set of orange pajamas from the top of her chest of drawers. Without another word, Laurie made her way to the bathroom to change. The lights flickered on slowly and the orange ninja stared at herself in the mirror as she changed. There was her scar, hideously snaking its way across her abdomen. She shuddered slightly before remembering that her situation could be worse. The incident with Belinda may have left both physical and emotional scars, but Laurie's thoughts drifted to Rhea's story. There had been a brief time when she herself had been mute, when she had first been kidnapped. It was maddening, but only temporary. Rhea, she would not be able to talk for the rest of her life.

Laurie exited the bathroom and froze when she did not see the young girl. Had she left when no one else was looking? The orange ninja wanted to kick herself. She had obviously been tricked into feeling sorry for Rhea, distracting her enough so that the crazed girl could escape. Laurie did not care if Rhea had saved Lloyd, she was not getting to let her out of her sight. There was still the matter of her motive for wanting to kill Laurie. That was still buried somewhere deep inside of her. Angry, Laurie stormed over towards her bed, ready to grab her weapon and begin a hunt for Rhea. A small cough from the corner of the room caught her attention though.

Rhea was curled up in the corner by Lloyd's bed, the same place she had spent the entirety of the prior day. Her lavender wind breaker was folded up underneath her head as a makeshift pillow, her arms left bare from the plain, white camisole that adorned her small frame. She shivered slightly as she grabbed the two curved weapons from her hair and placed them on the floor beside her. Laurie frowned, realizing that she had been jumping to conclusions. "Hey" she whispered urgently, advancing upon the young girl. Rhea craned her neck towards Laurie, curious as to the sudden bought of conversation. "You can sleep in my bed if you want. I was going to just pull up a chair beside Lloyd anyways. I'm still worried about his injured shoulder."

Sleeping in a bed? Rhea tried to remember the last time she had slept in an actual bed. The ground and an occasional tree had provided all of the necessary shelter she had ever needed for the past few years. Awkwardly, the young girl sat up, her eyes resting on the single empty bed. She waited for Laurie to say something else, or withdraw the invitation, but she did not. Grabbing both her jacket and karambits, Rhea slowly made her way over to Laurie's bed. She threw the few objects in her possession under the bed and hopped up onto the orange comforter. It was so warm and soft. Hastily, she found her way under the covers and was already out by the time her head hit the pillow.

Laurie smiled, feeling a warmth rise up inside of her. The last thing she had ever expected to feel was sympathy towards the girl who had tried to kill her. She returned to the single wooden chair that was still positioned next to her brother's bed and took a seat. The brick wall outside of the window made it difficult to tell what time it actually was, but Laurie was positive that the others would be waking up shortly. She sighed, slumping down in the chair slightly and crossing her arms over her chest. Laurie's eyes had barely closed before she was consumed by the darkness of unconsciousness.

Sorry about the length of some of those paragraphs. They looked a lot shorter in my Word Document and then they take up so much space and make the chapter look super short on here. XD

Thanks for reading, reviewing, and sticking with me. I appreciate it and have a great weekend! :D