Ch 8
"I can't believe you actually slapped and spat on Pythor! Kind of rash but also pretty cool!" Kai was having a small sparring session with Alex, going over the details of yesterday's mission.
"Thanks, but I only retaliated how I would with anyone who annoyed me or others I cared about," Alex replied as she dodged Kai's blade and retaliated with a blow using her butterfly swords. "Well then I'm glad we're teammates," Kai smiled as he parried the swords and went in for another jab.
After some jokes and blows were exchanged, the two decided to end the sparring and take a break, sitting on the deck and swigging some water.
"You really are improving, you know. You must have had some training experience to be able to keep up with us AND break my record on the training course." Kai looked to Alex, face full of sweat. She blushed slightly, but since her face was red it was hard to tell, "Thanks. But I'm sure I wouldn't have made it this far without all of your help. Sure I knew how to survive, be stealthy, and wield a knife, but this training has taught me so much more. Thanks to you guys, I can now do Spinjitzu."
"True, guess the four of us are good teachers." Alex smiled at this, "Yea, when you're not screwing around."
"Hey!" Kai looked annoyed but laughed along with Alex as they watched the Bounty sail across the air.
After a while, Kai turned to Alex, "Ready to go get lunch? Don't worry my sister's cooking today." "Sounds neat," Alex said and she and Kai both made their way inside the ship. As she walked downstairs, she clumsily missed a step and tripped, and would have fallen had Kai not reacted and caught her.
"Careful," Kai said, helping Alex up onto her feet and walking her down the rest of the way. "Thanks, but I'm not a child. I can walk myself," Alex replied. "I know, just trying to prevent anything from happening to our Green Ninja," Kai gave Alex a smirk, to which she retorted with a light punch on his shoulder. "Hey save that for the Serpentine," Alex couldn't help but laugh along with Kai all the way to the dining room.
Alex was walking down the hall when she almost bumped into Garmadon again. "I really need to stop running into you. Trust me it's not on purpose." Garmadon just waved away her apology, looking back into the room he had just come out of.
"Were you talking to Lloyd?" Alex asked. He nodded, "He understands what path he must follow, even if that means our paths must diverge. He will help you and the others defeat me when the time comes."
Alex stayed quiet for a while, "I'm sorry that this means you have to leave. And that... next time we meet I'll be prepared to fight you."
He shrugged, "Better you than my own son."
Alex nodded and started to walk away, but was stopped by Garmadon's next words: "Thank you."
She turned to him, "For what?"
"For giving me the eyes to see what I needed to do. Lloyd is my son, and no matter how much evil runs through my veins, I must be there for him to help him understand; to guide him in order to make up for the time I had lost."
Alex let his words sink in, before replying: "You're welcome."
He nodded and before he left, the dark lord turned, "You were wrong with what you told me yesterday, about you having no family."
"What do you mean?" Alex asked.
"You have a family in my brother and his ninja, even in my son. You've touched them and bonded with them in ways you wouldn't believe. You may have been no one in your world, but you mean something in this world."
And with that, Lord Garmadon turned away, leaving temporarily until the time came for the Final Battle.
With the Bounty on its way to Torchfire Mountain, and the four Fang Blades in hand, the team was bursting with triumph. They spent their night celebrating, joking around, and even dancing, which Cole proved to show a great talent in. Luckily this distracted him from the kitchen, where Zane prepared a great dinner for the celebration.
Alex had never been to a party, so the loud noises had made her very jumpy. She found herself standing in the corner, while the others were playing a heated video game tournament. Though she did not join in, she laughed at their jokes and at their fails, and commented on their skills.
"Why aren't you over there with the others?" Alex turned to find Lloyd, staring at her with confusion. "Not used to parties where I'm from, kiddo," she replied as she drank some punch.
"But you're missing out on the fun! You HAVE to join!" Lloyd retorted, "C'mon, let's go!"
Lloyd grabbed Alex's hand and dragged her to the crowd, "We wait for our turn, then we team up to beat the guys."
After a short while, Zane and Cole gave up their controllers to the two, and they found themselves facing off against Jay and Kai in a match.
"What the... what do the buttons do? How do I move?" Alex was so confused. Thankfully, Zane stepped in to help her work out which button does what.
Soon they were off, and despite a shaky start, Alex found herself enjoying the game, and even jumped up in victory at her and Lloyd's first win. The two high fived and fist bumped, Lloyd exclaiming, "We are the best team ever!"
After a few more rounds, they all sat down for some of Zane's cooking, enjoying the array of savory hors-d'oeuvres. This time, Alex sat in the middle of the group, joking and laughing along with the others, recounting stories that she had not believed funny until now.
She finally felt like she belonged, as she sat here with her new friends, every bit of fear, anger and nervousness draining. No more worrying about a place to sleep, about finding a meal, or about angry guards who would torture you to the point of death if they caught you. Alex could be herself, not the hollowed out shell society had wanted her to be, or the kamikaze heroine who rallied people who could not think for themselves. She finally saw who she really was: a kind, funny and intelligent girl who worked hard to find happiness.
Once everyone's belly was full, everyone spread out to do a number of things. Jay was chatting with Nya, Cole was dancing, Kai was playing Lloyd in a video game match, Sensei was drinking tea on the couch, and Alex found herself talking to Zane.
"Do you feel lonely now?" he asked a smiling Alex.
She looked to him, "Not so much anymore. You guys are really changing my life in more ways than you think." Smiling, Zane replied, "I'm glad you are happy. After all you've been through, you deserve this moment."
"Thanks. Honestly though, who would have ever thought I would be the Green Ninja?"
"If my calculations are correct, none of us did but Sensei. Kai especially, since he used to obsess over the fact."
"Seriously?" Alex laughed. "Yes, he was quite persistent." Zane laughed with her too.
"But in a way, I'm glad it was you. It worked out both ways; you getting a new view on your life and the four of us realizing that power isn't everything." Alex looked at Zane as he said this, and nodded. Smiling, she replied, "Glad we're all in agreement, then."
After a long night, the last thing Alex remembered before conking out in exhaustion was an epic dance off with Cole, and Zane carrying her to her room.
