Ch 12
Reuniting with their Sensei would have to wait, as the group realized that Ninjago City still had a long way to go from being back to normal. The city was covered in Devourer goo, and there wasn't a single area that hadn't been destroyed somehow by the ancient serpent. Alex could tell that she and the others' work wasn't close to being done, so they all responded with a quick reunion before rolling up their sleeves and beginning to work.
As the citizens and ninja began to organize themselves and get to the task of restoring the city, Alex looked back on the events that had occurred throughout that day. First they had possessed the Fang Blades, sure of their plan to throw them into Torchfire Mountain; then Pythor had stolen them back, leaving the ninja to die as he continued his goal to awaken the Great Devourer. After pursuing Pythor and the Serpentine to Ouroborous, they had failed to stop the Anacondrai from unleashing the ancient beast, which proceeded to swallow Sensei Wu and the general whole. The team from there had to avoid the serpent from devouring them, stop it from destroying Ninjago, and distract it while their arch enemy took their Golden Weapons to kill the snake once and for all.
There had been losses, reunions, and hope building inside each and every one of the team, as they prepared for what the future had in store. Alex felt that the experience had changed them all in a way, especially her and Lloyd, the latter having to deal with his father being a hero and a thief that would face his doom at the former's hands. Alex felt terrible for the fact that she would have to fight her friend's father, who she felt no grudge against unlike the others. She felt as though she understood Garmadon's pain; he was forced to be evil due to the Devourer venom, thus he could never truly feel united alongside his brother and son. Whether he enjoyed the evil at times or not, Alex wasn't sure, but she could still see genuine pain in the dark lord's eyes at the mention of his family. It was similar to how she felt about not knowing her family, and having to stick her neck out for those who chose not to follow themselves: frustrating.
Despite all that, Alex knew she had to accept that not everything that happens is supposed to be to one's liking, which is why despite all of the confusion this venture had caused, she had accepted her destiny to aid others and she quickly grew accustomed to being the Green Ninja.
With that on her mind, Alex began to help clean up the streets of green Devourer goop.
Though they had not worked long due to fading sunlight, the people had made good progress, as the streets were now clean and free of traces of the giant serpent. It truly was amazing how much one could accomplish when united with others.
The team met up for dinner at a nearby restaurant, which had offered the group a free meal as thanks for their efforts. Once bellies were filled, the topic that had been wringing inside of them was up for suggestions: where the group would sleep.
"With the Bounty gone, we have nowhere to sleep, and with this city restoration business, we're going to be here a while," Kai stated.
"Well, we could go live with Jay's parents for now," Nya suggested.
"No no NO!" Jay exclaimed, "I love my family and all, but I can't be expected to spend a few days with them! They can get really chatty and REALLY embarrassing!"
"With all they've preached about you openly to us, what's left to figure out?" Cole's comment got a laugh out of the group, while Jay just rolled his eyes and shook his head, "I don't care! We are NOT staying with my parents!"
"Patience, my students," Sensei interrupted, "I have already spoken to the City Council. They have agreed to offer board for us while the city is under repair, as thanks for our efforts and bravery. However, once the city is restored, we will discuss the issue of finding our own replacement home."
This silenced the ninja for a little bit, before they accepted the offer. They would worry about their replacement home later.
After they thanked the restaurant owners, the group walked down a few blocks to their rooms at the Golden Dragon hotel, where they were given a set of rooms on the top floor. The rooms were divided as such: Sensei and Lloyd in one room, with Kai and Jay adjacent to them; and Nya and Alex across the hall, with Zane and Cole adjacent.
The team bid each other goodnight as they headed into the nicely furnished room for some well earned rest. The two girls agreed to take turns in the bathroom, so Alex lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling while contemplating the situation, waiting for Nya freshened up.
"It's been a long tiring day, hasn't it?" Nya asked from the bathroom. Alex agreed, "We defeated a giant snake, lost and found Sensei Wu, had the Golden Weapons taken, and worked on the repairing of the city. Tiring is a little weak compared to how I'm feeling right now."
Nya laughed, "Yea, my body feels really stiff and sore from all of that excitement. Plus I smell like the Devourer right now." "Like Cole's chili," Alex laughed with Nya as they looked back on Lloyd's comment on the Devourer's breath. "Poor Cole," Nya stated, "But his cooking is seriously terrible." Alex laughed, but quickly went to the door to check if Cole had heard their conversation. Considering the loud snoring from inside, he had not.
After Nya came out, Alex went into the bathroom to wash up. As she fixed up her hair, Alex spoke to Nya, "So are Jay's parents as bad as he says; you know, with sharing his personal information?" Nya giggled, "They're really sweet people, but you can tell they're not embarrassed to start talking about Jay. I feel bad about him being flustered about the stories, but that one story about him kissing a pillow was pretty funny." Alex laughed at this, "Seriously?" "Yea," Nya replied as the two shared a few giggles over the idea of Jay's old habit.
"But over all, I do like Jay for who he is. Sure he can be a bit chatty and weird, but he strives to make me happy and I hope I do the same for him." Alex smiled at Nya's statement, "With the way he looks at you, I think you're doing the right thing." Alex finished up at this point and walked out to her bed, looking to a blushing Nya, who responded with, "You really think so?"
Alex smiled and sat on the bed facing her, "I know so. I may not be an expert in the love field, but the way you two act, I can tell you are going to be a great couple." Nya smiled, "Thanks Alex, you're a great friend." Alex held up her hand, "No problem." The two shook hands, and then spent the next few minutes giggling and coming up with secret handshakes.
After glancing at the clock, which read 12:00 AM, the two decided to get some rest. "Goodnight," Alex said to Nya as she pulled up the covers. "Goodnight Alex, and thanks again. I hope that soon you'll be fortunate enough to have a nice relationship too."
Alex pondered that thought as she lay in bed. She had never considered having a boyfriend in her own world, and the idea never crossed here in Ninjago, what with the Green Ninja revelation and all. But the idea seemed out of reach; as much as the idea of having someone to be there for her made her hopeful, Alex felt as though it would take a lot longer for someone to get used to her as a girlfriend than as a friend, especially with all of her troubles and confusion.
Holding onto that thought, Alex drifted off to sleep.
However, her darkest thoughts had different ideas.
Alex found herself back in the past, facing the man who was the cause of her consistent fear. "Still think you can take me on now, my dear? Well I'm sorry to say that your little rebellion game won't be sticking long once we're finished with you." With a sadistic grin, he gestured to the floor, where cracks began to open under her feet, swallowing her into an abyss that landed her in a dark room.
Alex agonizingly waited there for what felt like forever, until familiar faces came from the darkness; the blackened masks of those who tortured her were now looking down on her, holding millions of blades in their hands, waiting to pry her open. Cruel laughter played around the room as Alex screamed, feeling as though her body was being ripped apart piece by piece.
A voice sounded from far away, "You will be... final... save them... key... Alexandra..."
The voice screamed her name as Alex yelled in agony as the knife by her face descended on where her scar was.
With a final gasp, Alex sat up in the bed, covered in sweat and tears. She quickly glanced around the room to confirm that the events had all been a dream. Nya was still asleep, and the clock read 2:36 AM, meaning the poor girl had only had a couple hours of peace before that disaster.
Wiping away tears and sweat, Alex grabbed a robe and went to the balcony to clear her mind. Down below, the city was glowing with lights, and while few people were out, the place still seemed bustling with action. Up above, a full moon was shining with a calm light onto the city, the only light standing out in the midst of a darkness that reminded Alex of the darkness of her dream, where the masked people had tortured her beyond reason. She shivered out of fear at the thought.
"Alex? What are you doing?" Alex turned to the voice, seeing Cole on the adjacent balcony looking at her in concern. "Oh, I... just needed some fresh air. It's all good." Cole didn't seem convinced at this remark and began to climb over to her balcony.
"Cole, what in the world are you doing?" Alex gaped as the black ninja leaped the gap between the decks and walked over to her. "There's something on your mind, Alex, and I want to know what. Nya and Zane may have not heard your screaming, but I did."
Alex looked to him, "You heard? But..."
"I couldn't sleep, so I was getting a snack from the lobby when I heard you yelling inside of your room. So I went back inside my room to see if you'd come out, and sure enough, you did."
Alex looked away from him, "It was just a nightmare, Cole. Thanks for the concern, but I can handle it." He sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder, "After you told us about your past, I think this is more than just a simple nightmare." He grabbed two chairs and sat her down. "Now tell me what happened."
Alex sighed and began to relay the dream to him. Cole was attentive to every word that Alex said, and when she began to tear slightly, he even wiped the tear away. "Do you think this dream was a part of your past?" he asked. Alex nodded, "Well, it's a past I know, with the people and torture, but the voice was new. I think it may be someone I knew before the amnesia."
"Have you ever tried to regain your memories?" Alex thought about Cole's question, and nodded. "A couple of times, as a way to repay debt, I asked some doctors for advice, but they said the memories couldn't be regained through simple therapy. This kind of amnesia pushes deep down, and can usually never be regained."
Cole looked to her, "But if you're remembering this voice, it may show that you could be starting to regain the memories." He stood up and helped her onto her feet, "I think only time will tell in this case, but I promise I'll help you in any way I can with this. And I'm sure the others will be willing to help, too."
Alex hesitated, but nodded. "If it gets out of hand, I'll tell them. But for now, this is between you and me, ok?" Cole looked a bit annoyed, but agreed.
The two stood in silence for a minute, before Cole grabbed her hand softly. "C'mon, let's get you to bed."
He took Alex back inside, and sat on her bed waiting for her to fall asleep. When she finally did, Cole lingered for a few moments looking towards her before heading back to his room.
Awww :) Cole's such a gentleman, but unfortunately, that doesn't help in improving his cooking.
Hope this was enough of a hint towards who Alex is. I added this filler because 1) There's no way Ninjago was rebuilt in like 5 seconds, and then the ninja had to find a home after all of that 2) After the poll results were in, I had to add the fluff between Alex and Cole
Next chapter will be based on Darkness Shall Rise, I think...
