Happy Friday! Alright, let's just get moving right along, shall we? Honestly, I had so much fun writing the first part of this chapter. Also, I like delving into and exploiting the emotional fears of characters. Enjoy. :3
Chapter Thirteen: Liar
A subtle breeze blew its way across the entirety of Ninjago Park. The green grass rippled like the waves of a small ocean. Laurie sat upon the vegetation, dressed casually in a pair of denim shorts and a plain orange tank top. Her knees were pulled in close to her chest as the warm sun cast its rays down upon her. It was nice and peaceful, the only ambient sounds being the whistle of the wind and the occasional call of an undetermined bird. She gave a sigh and rested her chin in between her knee caps. The day was absolutely beautiful, but she felt as if something was terribly wrong. She felt empty.
"What are you up to?" asked a voice. The sudden pressure of a hand on her shoulder, made Laurie whip her head around. Kai stood behind her, a kind smile on his face. He knelt down behind her, his dark blue jeans contrasted heavily against the bright green grass. Laurie swiveled herself around to face the red ninja, resting her palms slightly behind her for balance. "You're just sitting here all by yourself. Needed a little peace and quiet?"
She let out a breath and gazed into Kai's eyes. "I guess so," Laurie answered plainly. The wind picked up slightly, blowing her hair around her face. Frustrated, she attempted to fix the mess, but quickly gave up. "I'm not by myself anymore though. You're here with me."
Kai stood up suddenly, a flash of pain shadowing his features. "If you want me to leave, I'll just go." The red ninja shoved his hands into the conjoined pocket on the front of his sweatshirt and turned on his heel, walking away in the direction he had come from. His gait was slow, but it seemed as if his silhouette was growing smaller quickly.
Laurie got to her feet, stumbling slightly, and ran after him. "Kai, wait!" she called out, feeling her bare feet pound hard against the ground. He did not turn around to acknowledge her and Laurie willed herself to go faster. She could feel the muscles in her legs and thighs protesting, but she attempted to ignore them. A stitch was beginning to form in her lower, left abdomen. The orange ninja squeezed her eyes closed as the cramp pulled harder, demanding her attention. Yet she still continued to run. When Laurie finally opened her eyes, she was alone once more. Kai had disappeared.
The scenery around her seemed unchanged. A single, shady oak tree sat a few feet away. The grass continued to sway in the light breeze. Surrounding the park were the large skyscrapers of Ninjago City. Laurie fell to her knees feeling confused. She had ran after Kai, right? Her aching muscles were leading her to conclude that the answer was "yes". If that was the case, then why did it appear as if she had not left the spot she currently occupied?
"Hey, Laurie, what's up?"
She turned around to see who was addressing her, still kneeling on the ground. It was Jay, a large smile plastered across his face. Cole and Zane stood on either side of him, waving, while Nya slowly walked up to join them. "Not much," she replied, her breathing uneven and slightly labored. "Kai was just here. Did you happen to pass him?" He could not have gotten too far away. Then again, he had traveled in the opposite direction. She turned her attention back towards the oak tree. "He was here and then he was just gone." Sighing, Laurie returned her ice blue gaze back to her four friends.
They were gone.
A frigid gust of wind exploded across the park and Laurie wrapped her arms tightly around herself. The sun had disappeared behind menacing looking clouds. The distinct rumble of thunder echoed throughout the area and a bright flash of lightning streaked across the sky. Laurie felt her heart rate quicken and she quickly made her way over to the lonely oak tree. The shade cast down by the towering branches and leaves made the teenager feel even colder. As she leaned back against the trunk, the rough bark scratched the exposed skin on her shoulders.
"I always thought it was the dark that scared you, not storms."
Tensing up, Laurie looked down at the ground to see Lloyd sitting next to her. His blonde hair blew wildly in the strong wind. "I'm not scared of storms" she breathed, suddenly feeling calmer. Laurie repositioned herself, sliding her back down the bark of the tree and taking a seat next to her brother. Without thinking, she grabbed for the green ninja's right hand and held it tightly in hers. "You haven't seen the others, have you?" she questioned, scanning the area in front of them. Rain was beginning to pour down in sheets, causing her visibility to decrease.
The young boy shook his head. "No, it's just you and me." Rain drops were breaking through the umbrella-like canopy above them, plastering sections of his hair to his scalp. His green tee shirt was slowly becoming a darker hue. Laurie felt her own hair stick to her cheeks and neck as the rain came down even harder. The roaring of the thunder was barely audible over the sound of the precipitation hammering down against the foliage above them. "You wanted to know, didn't you?" Lloyd asked suddenly, turning his attention on his sister. "You wanted to know about my healing power; about the scar on my shoulder, right?"
Laurie felt her heart skip a beat as she met Lloyd's emerald green eyes. She did want to know. It all seemed so odd and mysterious. As she opened her mouth to answer, something shining in the distance caught her attention. Squinting, the orange ninja attempted to make out the object that was refracting light, but she could not. The rain was pouring down incessantly. "Hold that thought and I'll be right back," she answered, getting to her feet. There was the faint outline of someone standing out in the grass. "Don't move, Lloyd. I'm coming right back." Then she ran.
The slick vegetation was unforgiving on her bare feet, causing the teenager to stumble and slip often. She tripped, landing hard on her knees and hands. As if a ghost, the mysterious silhouette seemed to stay distant from her, just out of her reach as she made her journey. The rain soaked every inch of Laurie, the water dripping off the tip of her nose and eyelashes. Getting to her feet, she continued her trek towards the figure. It was growing closer now. Laurie held her right hand up above her eyes, attempting to shield her vision from the rain. There it was, right in front of her now, the shining object held in the stranger's right hand. Unfortunately, the object was a blade.
Holding the blade was Rhea.
Her grip on the single karambit was intense. Laurie could see the young girl's knuckles turning white. Slowly, the orange ninja backed away; Rhea followed her, eyes hidden by the long, blue bangs that were plastered against her forehead. A creeping grin spread across her tan face, causing a lump of panic to rise in Laurie's throat. She turned back towards the oak tree and bolted. Every chilled breath rattled through her chest as the slippery grass attempted to trip her up. Laurie did not dare take a glance back to see how close Rhea was. No, she needed to get Lloyd and get out of here. The unmistakable form of the towering tree was growing closer with each step. Using every ounce of energy she could muster, the orange ninja shot forward, until her sprinting was stopped by an invisible force.
It felt like a wall, solid and unyielding. Laurie banged her fists against the air, trying to find a way to get to the tree. She could see Lloyd, only feet away, his head bowed down slightly. He stood slowly before approaching his sister. The strong wind pushed against him and Laurie was terrified that he was going to blow away into the storm, but his path was straight and steady. He was inches from her now, separated by the invisible barrier. Lloyd lifted his head, his expression emotionless. "You said you'd never leave me," he stated plainly. "You promised."
A hand grabbed Laurie's left arm, but she knew who was behind her. The orange ninja could not take her eyes off of her brother. He looked so indifferent to the entire situation, yet there was something hidden in his eyes: disappointment. "I'm not going to leave you, Lloyd" Laurie cried out, feeling hot tears slip down her cheeks. It felt as if they were burning her icy skin. Once more, the teenager attempted to push her way through the barrier. "I promised and I won't break that promise!"
"You're a liar." With that, Lloyd turned away from his sister and disappeared into the pouring rain.
Rhea's grip on Laurie intensified. The orange ninja turned to face the small girl, feeling lost and scared. Her assailant looked up, brushing her bangs to the side with her free hand, the blade of the karambit nearly grazing her forehead in the process. Laurie felt her blood run cold as she stared into Rhea's eyes. They were reminiscent of those of a wild animal, no regret or remorse, and instead of the usually dark brown color, her irises were a bright green. Reaching into the pocket of her windbreaker, Rhea brought out a single piece of paper and handed it to Laurie.
With shaking hands, the orange ninja took the note. The paper almost immediately started to disintegrate in her hands as the rain took its fury out on it. Despite this, the message was clear. Ink from the paper dripped down the pale blue lines as the single word continued to stare Laurie in the face. Then the paper could not bear the weight of the precipitation any longer. It fell to the ground with a loud thud and lay in a messy pile, but the word haunted Laurie and echoed the last words Lloyd had said to her.
Liar.
She fell to her knees without the strength to stand. Rhea moved her left hand from Laurie's arm to her shoulder, gripping it tightly. Then she brought the karambit around and buried it into the left side of Laurie's chest. The orange ninja barely felt the metal blade pierce her flesh or muscles. She was a liar and she was alone. Blood began pouring out of the wound, soaking into the material of her tank top and mixing with the rain. Light rivers of crimson made their way down her abdomen and legs before falling to the earth. The warmth of the blood felt nice, better than the icy rain that had been soaking her to the bone for so long now. Laurie fell on to her right side, arm pinned between her body and the ground.
It was cold now, colder than it had previously been. The rain came down even harder, shrouding Rhea from Laurie's view. Sighing, Laurie could feel a bubbling sensation deep within her chest. She shuttered to even think what was happening internally. The cold was spreading now, to every region of her body. It felt terrible, freezing from the inside and out. No warmth whatsoever. Blood continued to seep out of the wound and Laurie managed to pull the karambit from her chest with her left hand. The rain washed the remnants of blood from the blade and Laurie gazed at her own reflection in the metal.
Her skin was completely white, devoid of any pigment. Even her freckles seemed to be drained of their color. The light in her ice blue eyes was dying with her, beginning to dull. She threw the small weapon away, as far as it would go. It was swallowed up by the unrelenting rain storm. Tears continued to stream down her face, but they no longer felt warm. In fact, she did not feel much of anything now.
Laurie's own reflection, the face of a liar, was the last thing she saw before she was enveloped by darkness: the one thing that truly did terrify her.
A shaky gasp escaped her lips as she shot up in bed. There was a pain in the left side of her chest and Laurie quickly threw the covers off, expecting to find a deep wound from Rhea's weapon. There was nothing there of course. Slowly, Laurie began to realize that the pain was only from the rapid pounding of her own heart. She threw her legs over the bed, feeling the cool air of the apartment envelop her. Every inch of her body was covered in sweat, her red hair sticking to her neck and face. It was only a dream, but it had felt so real and terrifying.
"Whoa, are you alright?" asked Cole, a single bushy eyebrow raised in both confusion and concern. Laurie turned towards the leader and gave a small nod. She felt utterly nauseous and clammy. "You don't look alright to me," he continued, crossing his arms over his chest. "What happened; just a bad dream?"
There was a lump that sat idle in Laurie's throat and she swallowed hard, attempting to push it away. "Yeah, a really bad dream," the orange ninja breathed. Slowly, everyone was beginning to stir around her. She had awakened in time to start the day along with everyone else. Her eyes drifted to Lloyd who sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes furiously. Laurie's stomach felt heavy and sick as he turned towards her and gave a sleepy grin. Without returning any gesture, the teenager quickly jumped out of her bed, grabbed a gi from her dresser, and headed straight towards the bathroom.
Being closed off from everyone right now was extremely comforting. Laurie looked at herself in the mirror. Her skin was pale, but not devoid of any color. The freckles on her face were noticeable, a light brown. She breathed a sigh of relief and placed both hands on the sink as her head bowed slightly. There was still some time left, a little bit of life left in her. Without much else to do, Laurie began changing into her gi while contemplating the purpose of her new found abilities. Perhaps this all had to do with her prophecy. That made the most sense at least.
"You're a liar."
The words suddenly made their presence known as she thought about her destiny. Laurie froze while tying the deep orange sash around her gi. She had to tell Lloyd the truth eventually. He had to know in advance that his victory depended solely on her defeat. A chill ran down the girl's spine and Laurie hastily finished tying her sash, moving now to pull her hair back. What if Lloyd felt betrayed by the news, refused to talk with her because she had promised to never leave him? With a set jaw, Laurie made up her mind. She was going to tell Lloyd the truth and it was going to be today.
Ignoring the shaking of her hands, the orange ninja pushed the bathroom door open and entered into the main room of the apartment. Everyone was busy running about, grabbing weapons and heading towards the door. "Sensei is waiting!" Laurie heard Jay call out as the ninja quickly made their way out of the home. Nya followed closely behind, trailing behind a very reluctant Rhea. Feeling a sense of encroaching urgency, the teenager turned towards her bed to procure her staff, but frowned. The ledge that it normally sat on was empty. Sighing, she turned back towards the door.
"Come on, sis, let's go!" Lloyd gave a large smile, grabbing Laurie's right wrist and practically dragging her across the wooden floor. His hand reached the metal doorknob, turning it quickly and throwing the door open. They were out in the city now. Laurie could see the others turning down a street not to far up ahead, on their way to the dojo. "You should focus your training on figuring out how to control your elemental powers," the green ninja stated plainly, tugging Laurie forward. She could tell he was excited, pure enthusiasm running through his veins. "Maybe the guys will let us train with each other! We both need to try and master your element before we have to fight Dad –"
There was an emotion making its presence known inside of her. Unfortunately, Laurie could not tell if she was feeling slightly elated or anxious. "Wait, the Dark Lord from the prophecy is our father?" she asked curiously. Yes, she loathed him with every fiber of her being, but Laurie was not sure that she would be able to watch him die. Of course, she would already be gone before that happened. "Lloyd, are you sure you're ready for that?"
A flicker of doubt crossed her younger brother's face for a second. It was quickly replaced by determination and something else: underlined anger. "When the time comes I will be ready, Laurie. It's my destiny after all. I'm not going to let you guys down." Lloyd stared hard into his sibling's eyes. "I can't do it alone though. That's why I need you and the others beside me."
Destiny. The word itself was slowly beginning to make Laurie feel ill. Walking to the dojo with Lloyd felt like walking towards her inevitable death. "Hey, Lloyd, I have to talk you about something." She took a deep breath, attempting to figure out the right way to tell her brother about her own destiny. "You see, I'm not…"
Lloyd grabbed Laurie's hand, the two continuing to walk down the street. "I know what you're going to say, but I just want to tell you that I know you can do it." He did not turn to face her, but the teenager could tell that her brother was smiling. "We're all a little nervous about the final fight, but if we stick together and train I'm sure that everything will turn out just fine." They both stopped once they had crossed the street, finding refuge on a sidewalk. "Now, what did you want to say?"
Laurie placed both of her hands on the green ninja's small shoulders. His blonde hair was blowing slightly in the light breeze. A half smile had crept its way across his and the red head gave a long sigh. She had to tell him now. Never again would Laurie get up enough courage to actually tell Lloyd what she wanted to tell him. "I'm not…" She bit her lower lip and closed her ice blue eyes tightly. "I'm not sure if you're going to be able to keep up with me when we start training." Every nerve inside of her body seemed to be frozen in ice. Laurie mentally kicked herself, watching as Lloyd laughed. She just could not bear to tell him the truth.
"You don't have to worry about me, sis," the young boy chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'd worry more about yourself." He smirked before turning on his heel. The dojo lay not too far away. "Just try and keep up!" Lloyd started running, his feet pounding against the concrete. Inhaling deeply, Laurie rushed after him, deep in thought. Why was she doing this to Lloyd? Would it really be better for him to not know her fate? For right now, the answer seemed to be "yes".
"I'm not going to let you win, Lloyd," the orange ninja stated plainly, pushing herself to run faster. The oddly shaped wooden sign that hung above the door of the dojo grew nearer with every step. Laurie could actually see the faded yellow and white paint that adorned it now. Her brother continued to have the lead in their little race. Another lump was beginning to rise in her throat. There was no possibility of her actually beating Lloyd to the door.
She had just lied, yet again.
More story progression in the next chapter, I think. Haven't written it yet, but I'm planning on it. Unfortunately, I wouldn't expect an update for this story for the next two weeks. Next week is the final week of classes and the time that I should promptly begin studying for finals. Finals week is the week after that. Don't get me wrong, I like to work on writing as little breaks here and there, but I don't think I'll get enough done for a chapter. Just, don't get your hopes up, okay?
Well, thank you for reading, reviewing, following, and all of that good stuff. Honestly, you don't know how much it means to me to actually have readers. Seriously. I'll see you on May 3rd. Have a great few weeks! :D