Happy Friday! I'm back and I apologize again for the unexpected break last week. My wrist feels absolutely fine now so I don't even know what happened.
Chapter Seventeen: Night to Remember
The applause was utterly deafening as Laurie stared out into the crowd that was much larger than she had originally anticipated. Apparently more people went out to events of this nature than the orange ninja thought. She stared blankly at the ocean of individuals that looked like nothing more than a large ink blot smeared across a pad of paper. They appeared as a large, black mass that stretched on endlessly and Laurie wanted nothing more than to shield her eyes against the bright, harsh lights that shone down upon her. Quickly, she sneaked a glance to her right, noticing the others waving and smiling as the mayor spoke. The orange ninja could not understand what he was saying though, only that muffled words were flowing from his mouth like a perpetual river.
Another eruption of applause overwhelmed Laurie and she felt like shrinking away from the attention. Why was she even up here anyways? Nya had said something about "the Great Devourer", but she had not been with them when they fought it. Awkwardly, the orange ninja gingerly raised her right hand and gave a small wave. Some of the individuals nearest her clapped loudly and Laurie returned her hand to her side, pulling down on the bottom of her dress nervously. She really should not be up here right now. The audience cheered once more and there was a hand on Laurie's shoulder, pushing her slightly. With wide eyes, the girl turned to see Jay, nudging her to start moving. Happy to oblige, the teenager started moving across the stage, taking the stairs along the side one step at a time.
The bottom of her black flats hit the ground and a wave of relief overwhelmed her. All of the guests in attendance at the event did not seem as intimidating now, the incessant chatter from the collective group seeming insignificant. "I'm so glad that's over," she sighed, turning to see Jay chuckling softly. "What are you laughing at? I felt like I was going to be sick and wouldn't it have been a shame if I just threw up all over you?" The Ninja of Lightning stopped, his face falling slightly. "Now that's what I thought," Laurie grinned.
"No one is going to be sick on anyone," Nya stated, taking Jay's hand in hers. The samurai whisked him away, the two disappearing into the massive crowd. Bodies were swaying in every direction and the orange ninja looked up, her eyes falling on the dozens of chandeliers that blanketed the ceiling, casting a soft glow over the event. Everything here just seemed way too fancy and overwhelming. The biggest "party" she had ever been to was held a few years back, when her mother was giving a small lecture on Ninjago folklore and the newly discovered evidence that seemed to back some of it up. Hundreds of people came to listen to her mother speak about islands, scrolls, mirrors, and what not. Laurie could not remember any specifics; just that she had been sitting in the back, trying to fall asleep.
"Um…you wouldn't want to dance, would you?" came a voice, bringing Laurie out of the past. She blinked rapidly, her eyes falling on Kai. He looked indifferent to everything happening around him, spiky brown hair shadowing his features. "I mean, if you want to that is."
Dance? Honestly, that was the last thing Laurie wanted to do. She took a glance down at the necklace resting against the bare skin above her chest. Kai was trying to mend the relationship that she had so selfishly shattered. You exchanged all of your memories of Kai for your own well being. Belinda's words came back to haunt her, sending a shiver down her spine. She had done this to themselves, to Kai. The least Laurie could do was dance with him. "Okay, but I have to warn you that I have two left feet," she answered, feeling some of the color drain from her face.
The Ninja of Fire gave a small smile, extending his right hand. Slowly, Laurie took it, the two walking into the crowd. Some individuals parted, making room for the two ninja. Suddenly, Kai stopped and Laurie nearly bumped into him, not paying attention to her immediate surroundings. "You're right," the red ninja laughed lightly, "you do have two left feet." Laurie blushed and felt Kai place a hand on her waist before she tensed up. "If you don't want to do this that's fine," Kai said, his words sounding rushed. "I-I mean I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable or anything." His heart was pounding against his chest.
"No, it's fine," Laurie answered quickly, placing her right hand on Kai's shoulder. "I just don't really know how to dance and I'm really clumsy. The last thing I want to do is embarrass you in front of all of these people." The words spilled from her mouth, truthful and vulnerable. She frowned slightly, wanting to crawl in to a hole and vanish. When was the last time she had really had a conversation with Kai? She could not remember. Now here they were at a dance, actually dancing. Laurie looked down at her feet and carefully placed them to avoid stepping on Kai. "You look nice tonight," she said, instantly regretting it. The skin on her face blazed with embarrassment.
Kai's hand grabbed Laurie's free one and he spun her around quickly. Pieces of her hair flung around, falling in front of her face as she stopped. "You look nice too," he replied, gazing into the girl's ice blue eyes. They seemed unwilling to focus on him and the red ninja tightened his grip on Laurie's hard reassuringly. "And, for the record, you couldn't embarrass me." This caught her attention and she locked eyes with Kai, the two leaning forward slowly. You did this to him; you did this to yourself. Belinda's words rang through Laurie's ears yet again and she pulled away, taking a few steps away from Kai.
"I-I'm really thirsty," she awkwardly announced, clasping her hands behind her back. Kai eyed her and gave a small shrug, turning to head in the direction of the refreshments. "No, you don't have to go! I'll go get it myself." With that, the girl began zigzagging her way through the large crowd, muttering several apologies as she bumped into people. The red ninja stood alone, watching as Laurie was swallowed up by the residents of Ninjago. His heart rate slowed and his stomach dropped. It had been wrong of him to think that something like a dance could completely fix Laurie's memories. He did not want to push her.
"What are you doing alone now?" Cole stood with his arms crossed over his chest, eyeing Kai. "Wasn't Laurie just with you?" The Ninja of Earth watched as his friend turned around and nodded slowly. Frowning, Cole brushed his black bangs out of his face and placed a strong hand on Kai's shoulder. "Hey, what's going on?"
What was going on? Absolutely nothing was 'going on'. Nothing had been 'going on' for quite some time now and he had been foolish to believe that a single night could change all that. "Laurie was thirsty and she went to go get a drink," the red ninja replied, gently shrugging Cole's hand off of his shoulder. He turned to look at his brother who just narrowed his dark amber eyes. Kai sighed, knowing that Cole could see right through him. "I've just had a lot on my mind lately," the brunet confessed, running a hand through his spiky hair and instantly regretting it. He could feel the sticky residue of gel now on his bare hand.
Cole gave a small smile, satisfied that Kai was talking honestly with him. He gestured for his friend to continue. Now Kai was thinking that it was not the best idea to start talking. For the past few weeks he had been keeping mostly to himself and ever since Sensei Wu had divulged the rest of Laurie's fate he was feeling even worse. Having someone who was asking what was wrong though was refreshing and Kai quickly found the words just pouring from his mouth. "I still love her, Cole. I've never stopped and it's just been difficult, okay? All I've been thinking about is how to help her remember us and now I'm not sure if that's even the best idea".
"What do you mean by that?" the black ninja asked, absentmindedly adjusting the bow tie that sat crooked around his neck. This was not news to him. It had been blatantly obvious to everyone that Kai still loved Laurie. Well for everyone except Laurie. The only bit of information that kind of took Cole off guard was that last bit. If Kai had spent so long trying to think of a way to help the orange ninja, why would he suddenly decide against it? It was not like his brother at all to just give up on something. No, Kai was too stubborn.
He hesitated slightly before he answered, debating on whether to continue or not. It felt nice though, getting everything off of his chest. What was the harm in continuing? "She already seems pretty happy with things the way they are now," the Ninja of Fire answered, rubbing his temples. "I don't want to swoop in and stir things up before…before…" Kai now faltered, feeling a wave of stress and anxiety crash over him. "Before she dies," he finally finished, loosening his tie with these words. "It wouldn't be fair to Laurie if I rekindled something just before she went away. I would rather be the only one burdened in the situation and I feel like everything is going to happen soon or else Sensei wouldn't have told us about it."
The expression on Cole's face shifted from one of understanding to one of unease. Kai could not place a reason for the change and he started to become flustered. "Don't tell me you haven't been thinking the same thing, Cole. All of these weird stone things popping up in Ninjago and Sensei telling all of us about the rest of the prophecy? It's all going to happen soon: Lloyd is going to defeat Lord Garmadon and, unfortunately, Laurie is going to die! I don't want to be too close to her when that happens." Cole opened his mouth to say something, but seemed silenced, only jerking his head slightly in Kai's direction.
"So…tell me what you really think." Kai's light brown eyes widened as he turned to see Laurie standing behind him. Her face was bright red and streaked with tears, the cup of red punch in her hand shaking slightly. He wanted to say something, try to explain himself, but he was positive that she did not want to hear anything he had to say right now. Kai's lack of words sent Laurie into an emotional tailspin. "Oh, are you finished then?" she asked, the anger in her voice barely masked by the silent tears that continued to slip down her freckled face. "I'm glad to finally hear what you've been thinking recently. I mean who wants to be with the 'dead girl' anyways, right?"
Kai watched as Laurie roughly pushed the cup of punch towards him. He grabbed on to it, flabbergasted, as the orange ninja quickly made her way towards the building's exit. "Laurie, wait!" he called out, snapping out of his daze and following her. She moved quicker, attempting to leave Kai behind, but he was determined to talk to her and set things straight. Leaning forward and extending his arm, the red ninja managed to catch Laurie around her wrist. "Can you just wait a second? You obviously didn't hear everything I had to say!"
Laurie pulled against him, but felt his unyielding grip. Reluctantly, the red head turned around to face Kai, her eyes narrowed. "I think I've heard plenty," she countered, tugging away from the red ninja once more. He let her go and without a moment's hesitation, Laurie turned away and ran towards the door. As she made her way through the crowd she felt as if she was in a fog, not even acknowledging the people she shoved past to get away. Ever since Nya had brought up this event, Laurie knew it was a bad idea. She just did not know how bad everything was going to be.
She pushed open a large, glass door which was the main entrance to the community center. The cool night air felt heavenly against her skin. Wiping away a few rogue tears that had suddenly fallen down her cheeks, the orange ninja turned in the direction of the apartment and began walking. Laurie half expected Kai to continue his pursuit, but, to her pleasant surprise, she could not hear him trailing behind her. Everything around her was quiet and still, allowing her to think and cool down. If Kai had been feeling like this than why had he not talked with her about it? Laurie sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. Even if Kai had decided to talk with her she would not have wanted to hear it.
The walk back home was quiet and uneventful as the teenager attempted to compose herself. Lloyd was still unaware of the details concerning her fate and she still did not want to worry him. Of course, this would be the perfect opportunity to bring it up with him. She would probably want someone to talk to anyways. Laurie would even take Rhea at this point in time. Just having someone that would listen to her would be nice. Settling on the scenario of telling Lloyd everything just seemed like the best option right now. She tried the doorknob to the apartment and found it locked. Remembering that she had locked it herself, Laurie lifted up the mat outside of the door and found the spare key. With a quick turn in the lock, Laurie opened the door and stepped into an empty home.
All of the lights were still on and Laurie felt a sense of unease overwhelm her. "Hello?" she called out, closing the door behind her and walking further into the apartment. The small television that Lloyd would set up in the corner of the room was still on, the menu screen for Fist to Face 2 flickering and two controllers on the ground. A soft breeze whipped around the few strands of red hair that fell down along Laurie's face. She stepped towards the window, suddenly noticing the broken blinds on the floor. Glass crunched underneath of her shoes and the orange ninja backed away, feeling her heart drop.
Something terrible had happened.
"Uncle, are you here?" Laurie asked, raising her voice. Just as she expected, silence answered her. "Oh no," she muttered to herself, finally realizing the magnitude of the situation. Lloyd was gone. Rhea was gone. Her Uncle was nowhere to be found and something had broken into the apartment. At first Laurie had thought that it was Rhea that had broken the glass, perhaps in an escape attempt, but the glass was inside the room. So it had to have been broken from outside. Now she was back on the fact that Lloyd was gone and she had no clue where he could be.
A slight rustling sound skittered across the room and Laurie looked over towards her bed to see a small piece of notebook paper plastered against one of the legs. Cautiously, she stepped around the broken glass and crouched down, procuring the paper. "We have the boy and girl. Come alone to the abandoned warehouse on the edge of town or your brother will die," she read out loud, slowly deciphering the sloppy handwriting. The note was small, obviously on paper ripped from Rhea's notebook, but the handwriting was not the girl's. "We have the boy and girl," Laurie repeated, balling the note up into a ball and haphazardly tossing it across the room. There was only one group of individuals that would possibly want Lloyd: the Serpentine.
What did they expect her to do, surrender? No, she was not just going to give herself up. That was exactly what they wanted and Laurie refused to give any of those darn snakes satisfaction. The floor passed by quickly as the orange ninja paced in front of her bed. She was wasting time. Suddenly, Laurie thought of something. What if she could let the Serpentine think she was surrendering? She had much more control over her element than she had previously. If Laurie showed up without a weapon and then caught the serpents off guard, she could be home free with both Lloyd and Rhea in tow. Alright, she had a plan now, but where did she need to go again?
Flustered with the lack of attention she had given the rendezvous location, Laurie scanned the floor for the piece of paper. It stayed out of sight and the orange ninja let a loud sigh escape her lips. Stepping far away from the glass, Laurie was now on her knees, looking to see if the note had rolled somewhere. Her knees were aching from the pressure of being on the hard wood floor, but Laurie finally found what she was looking for. The note had rolled its way underneath Lloyd's bed. Getting down on her stomach, Laurie pushed away the puffing skirt that was attached to her dress and felt relieved that she was currently the only one in the apartment. The white note stuck out from the dark shadows cast by Lloyd's mattress and bed frame. She stretched her arm out to get it, but her hand hit something else that she had not previously seen. Curious, the orange ninja pulled out the object she had come into contact with.
It was a box, green in color with a lid firmly stuck on to the top. The darker color allowed it to blend in better with the shadows and Laurie had not seen it when she had initially glanced underneath Lloyd's bed. She did not want to invade her brother's privacy, but Laurie felt that if she kept a diary, or anything else along those lines, Lloyd would be combing her part of the room for it. That was what siblings did, right? They sort of got into each other's business. Laurie removed the lid from the box and reached inside.
She grabbed a silver pocket watch, seemingly brand new. Why would Lloyd have a pocket watch? Laurie flipped it over to the back, seeing an engraving. "Time is forever, but youth is short," she practically whispered, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Happy Twelfth Birthday, Lloyd." So this was a birthday present! That explained why it was still in such good shape. It had been given to Lloyd not too long ago. As Laurie went to place the item back inside the box, her index finger caught on the small, notched button that stuck out from the top; it pushed down, opening the pocket watch.
The watch itself ticked on, the small sound quickly filling the otherwise empty room. On the inside of the portion that covered the clock face was a photo. Laurie readjusted the watch in her hand, angling the photo more towards the light. She saw a boy, maybe around her own age, sitting underneath a tree with Lloyd in his lap. His brown hair was contrasted greatly against Lloyd's blonde hair and he wore a grey tee shirt. Well whoever this was he must have been the one who gave this watch to Lloyd. Closing the watch, Laurie placed it back inside of the box, replaced the lid and slid it back underneath Lloyd's bed before grabbing the note.
Carefully, she smoothed out the crumpled ball and finally committed the location to memory. An abandoned warehouse on the edge of town? The only place Laurie could think of that would have such a place would be near Twenty-First and Union. She had heard that no one ever went over in that direction. It sounded like the perfect place for some snakes to hide out.
Feeling unusually prepared and satisfied with her plan, Laurie streamed out of the apartment door and into the night.
Well I hope everything still feels like it's going smoothly. It's going to get more exciting (I hope) in the next chapter.
Thanks for reading, reviewing, and staying with me even when weird things like a wrist injury pop up!