Hey-o! I am on a ROLL! I've got it goin', I tell ya! And I feel AMAZING! I know I'm not a super fantastic writer, but I'm good enough to get out my ideas for fanfiction, and even though I'm not popular, neither my story, every single view, every single comment, review, follow, fav, everything, it makes me absolutely euphoric, and I love it! You guys mean the world to me when I'm writing, and I don't think I could stretch this enough. Just one review for each chapter gives me so much confidence and gives me reason to continue writing, cus it just makes me so happy! I hope it doesn't sound like I'm trying to set y'all up to give me a million reviews (though that would be cool). I'm just glad to have a few people who genuinely enjoy reading my stuff. Anyway, now we've got that gushy stuff out of the way, I can get right to the story. Enjoy, and thank you so much!
-LizzyLucky
Once Zane and Kai had finished up, they headed for the kitchen for breakfast. Zane immediately set to preparing the mealing, preheating the kitchen's griddle and gathering supplies. He had found a new recipe and decided he wanted to try it out. It was always fun to try new foods, both in the sense of cooking and eating.
"Whatcha making?" Jay asked, peeking over Zane's shoulder as he grabbed a bag of bread.
"I'm trying a new recipe. French toast." He said simply.
"Toast? That doesn't sound like a very good breakfast." Jay said, scratching his head as he watched Zane.
"Not by the name, I suppose. The recipe itself, though, makes it seem more extravagant. You coat bread with raw egg, and sometimes a little cinnamon, then you cook it on a griddle, or a frying pan. Once it's cooked, you can eat it with syrup, powdered sugar, cinnamon and sugar, jam, butter, or any other breakfast topping. It sounded pretty good. Kind of like pancakes." Zane explained, opening the fridge and looking for a carton of eggs.
(This is legit, by the way. I eat it for breakfast all the time. It's one of my favorites. (= )
"Hmm. Sounds interesting. Except the eggs part. Who would want eggs on their toast? Or their pancakes?" Jay shrugged his shoulders back and creased his eyebrow.
"There are eggs in pancakes, Jay. It doesn't make them taste like eggs, it just adds a sort of breakfast-flavor. Like adding salt. It doesn't make the meal taste like salt, it just enhances the flavor." Zane said matter-of-factly.
Jay looked like he was trying very hard to focus and failing. His eyes drifted upward in thought and after a moment, he shook his head.
"Whatever." He said, smiling awkwardly. Zane chuckled.
Jay walked off to the breakfast table, which was buzzing with morning chatter.
Zane set to work, coating the bread slices and laying them across the griddle. He hummed softly to himself.
His mind wandered as he worked, thinking back once more to the strange dream he had. It really seemed to have occupied his free time as of late. It was still just so… Surreal, to him. It didn't make sense. He himself was the only person he recognized. And aside from the bounty, he couldn't recall having been to any of the places he'd seen in the faded scenes. The voice wasn't familiar either. Of course, it was more of a whisper. It did become more of a voice at the end, though. And what it said was pretty chilling, too.
I don't want to die! It echoed in his head, haunting him. It was absolutely terrifying, if he thought about it. Especially mixed with the setting. Everything had become black, with these strange flashes, like lightning, he remembered, which were red. The rumbling and the red light gave the phrase an even more eery feeling. At the same time, though, he felt sad. Almost devastated. He was afraid for the owner of the voice. He almost felt like he was supposed to know her.
Wait, her? Where did that come from? He couldn't even tell if it was a male's or a female's voice during the dream! Was it just because of the girl that they'd found earlier?
The girl! Oh, heavens! Was she okay? What if she was the same girl in…
"No, Zane, that's ridiculous!" He muttered to himself, rubbing his forehead in frustration. He was so confused! He was trying to think about too many things at once.
"What's ridiculous?" Kai's voice questioned from behind Zane, who jumped in surprise and almost dropped the bowl he was holding, now filled with raw egg. Kai chuckled.
"Sorry." He apologized.
Zane smiled, almost chuckling himself. It wasn't very often, but he was occasionally involved enough with his own matters that one of the ninja did manage to startle him.
"So what's up?" Kai asked, noticing the perplexed expression on Zane's face.
"I was just… thinking." He said.
"About that dream?" Kai took a step forward to look more directly at Zane.
The nindroid remained silent.
"Can I take that as a yes?" Kai sighed and put a hand on Zane's shoulder.
"You wanna talk about it?"
Zane looked like he was considering it for a moment, but shook his head and turned silently back to the griddle. He grabbed a spatula and slid it under a piece of bread and flipped it over, revealing a perfectly cooked brown color.
Kai's shoulders drooped. He knew it was only a dream, but after everything that'd happened, it seemed to be the tipping point for Zane. And if he was still lingering on it even just a day later… Well, he was worried. No dream, or nightmare, should leave this much of an effect, especially not with their Nindroid friend. He was known for that sixth sense.
The same thought from the day before returned. This dream could be important. And not just for Zane.
"Okay, Zane. I won't push. But if it's bugging you that much, just…" Kai turned to the door and held it open.
"Consider letting us know. We can help you figure it out." He exited the room without another word.
Zane's mood had taken a turn. He was in a pretty good mood before. Humming, cooking, he felt so upbeat. That stupid dream came up again and ruined it all. And he made it worse for himself by selfishly keeping it to himself. He didn't know what he was afraid of. That he'd be embarrassed?
Ha! Like he hadn't done that enough. Was it just because he felt lonely?
He did feel lonely. His father wasn't really around anymore, and he'd lost his falcon, as well as the opportunity to look for it. But neither his father nor his falcon was involved with the dream, nor the other way around.
And it couldn't be because he was afraid. The dream itself was terrifying, but he'd be less afraid knowing the ninja were helping him. He'd feel less lonely knowing it was shared with his brothers.
Maybe it was because he was afraid to hurt them? But it didn't make any sense. Again, he was the only person in his dream he knew. It didn't affect the other ninja at all. The dream itself sounded like a child's nightmare after a scary movie. But he was a nindroid. He couldn't have regular dreams… Could he? Every dream he'd had to this point had been important. It had shown something that was happening. Or something that had happened. Or something that they were working on at the time. What else was there? They showed things that were about to happened. Things almost like hints for coming events.
He dropped his spatula, surprising himself. He hadn't even thought about that! Was it something that was going to happen? Hints? Clues? Warnings? In which case, the blurred figure in the scenes from his dream could have been any of them! It could involve the others! The voice could have been any of theirs! And even if his somehow thinking it was a girl's voice was right, that still could have been Nya or Misako! It very well could have been any of the Ninja's family members, too! They could be in danger! And the longer he kept it to himself, the more the threat grew!
He took a step backward and held his head, feeling suddenly very flustered. Why exactly it was that none of these things had occurred to him before was beyond him, but they did now, and he felt absolutely blown away. But not in a good way.
Zane swallowed and started breathing more heavily. The whole kitchen began to spin. He couldn't tell what was happening and his mind was clouded with confusion and consumed by a choking fear he didn't even know existed. Everything blurred and he suddenly wasn't even aware of what was going on around him. He could barely register the griddle in front of him, or the food on it, which was beginning to burn. He looked at the spatula at the floor, and couldn't remember how it got there. He looked back up to the counter, which had a plate on it, filled with strange looking slices of bread. He became very dizzy and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus.
He heard something in the background, and something grabbed his shoulders. He opened his eyes again, almost panicking, and saw someone standing in front of him. He couldn't even tell who it was, just the color red. He looked to his left and saw another figure and the color black. On his right, blue. He heard something behind him, too. He started to turn around but little spots began to cloud the corners of his vision. The whole kitchen began to tilt at an odd angle and the fuzzy spots consumed his vision. All he could hear were panicked shouts and a lot of yelling, but it all sounded garbled.
The last thing he saw before colliding with something cold and hard were four blurry figures above him.
Ow. That was the first thing that registered.
Zane's eyes squeezed tightly as he began to regain his consciousness. He groaned and turned his head to the side before lifting a hand to his head to locate the source of the pain.
"Zane!" Someone said. It was so loud! It rang in his head painfully and he groaned again. He opened his eyes and blinked to adjust to the light.
"Are you okay?" The same voice said. He turned his head slowly to the sound and saw Nya standing in front of him. He blinked in surprise. Without answering, he turned his head once more, staring up at the ceiling. It was textured and white-washed. He quickly realized he was laying down on something soft. But also really... Firm. Kind of hard at the same time. He rubbed his thumb on it. It was rough. Good, okay. Well, at least, it was good if it actually was rough.
"Zane?" Nya repeated. Zane turned his head to her once more.
"You okay?"
"Yes." He said simply. He placed a hand at his side and started to push himself up. Nya didn't complain, but she stuck out a hand in case he needed steadying.
"What happened?" He asked. The last he could remember was realizing that his dream could actually involve the other ninja, and that he was cooking breakfast. After that, everything was a blur. And it made him uncomfortable when he tried to remember.
"We're not sure. Jay told me that they heard something clatter in the kitchen, so they went to check on you. He said that when they got there, you were hyperventilating. Panicking. From what else I was told, it sounds like you couldn't answer anybody properly, and then you just blacked out." Nya explained.
"Are you sure you're okay?" She added.
"I… Don't know." He answered honestly. He wasn't okay. Not really. But he was just so confused and unsure of his own feelings that he didn't know what to call 'not okay.' And that was it. Confused. He couldn't think of another way to describe it at the moment.
"Do you know what caused you to black out like that?" She asked. Despite the fact that she was younger than he and the rest of the ninja, Zane was certain that she was becoming very mature, to the point that she was sometimes seen as a figure to look up to rather than the other way around. In some ways, Zane saw her more like a mother or an older sister than a dear friend who was, in fact, younger than he was.
"I'm not certain. I may have… overloaded my systems. I have had a lot on my mind." He answered. He was trying to keep his answers as undisputed as he could. He didn't really feel like explaining his dream and his concerns for his friends at the moment. He planned to tell them sometime today, just not… Not now.
"Hmm. Okay, I guess. I can't think of anything else. If you've got a lot going through your head, I guess that…" She trailed off, unsure how to finish the thought. She paused for a moment, deciding to end it there. Then,
"Oh! Your head! That could be it! How many times have you hit it, again?"
Zane reached his hand up toward his head for probably the millionth time, remembering the now throbbing bruise there.
"Three. Unless I landed on it when I blacked out, too." He said. The very idea was ridiculous. His head had had enough attention over the last two days!
"No. Kai said that he and Cole had managed to catch you before that could happen. But aside from maybe being stressed, that head injury's all I can think of that might have caused you to black out. Hitting it that hard in the same spot, three times, tends to be enough." She said.
"Maybe I should check for a concussion. I know it's not as likely for you, but still." She stood up and gestured for him to sit up more fully. He did so, turning so that his feet were on the ground. Now that he was awake enough to think about where he was, he realized that he was on the couch in the spare room. Tables, bandages, icepacks, heatpacks, medications, and everything inbetween. He and Nya were the only people in there, and he had no idea how long he'd been out. Either way, the ninja were elsewhere.
"How long have I been passed out?" He asked, almost afraid to know the answer.
"Only a few hours. It's lunchtime now." Nya replied, beginning to unwrap the bandage on his head.
Inwardly, he sighed with relief. He was glad to know he hadn't had a major incidents. A few hours wasn't nothing to worry about, though.
As Nya worked on inspecting the bruise on his head, muttering a "hold still," every now and again, Zane's mind began to drift. He grew bored, he realized. That didn't usually happen, and especially with everything there was to think about. To occupy himself, he decided it best to try to sum up what had been happening the last two days. Yesterday morning (over a year ago for my most faithful readers), he had a nightmare. He woke up, and hit his head on the bunk. Kai greeted him, and he went to have breakfast. Cole made pancakes, which were much improved from the last time he'd made them. When Kai asked about his dream, he became distracted and didn't eat. He spent most the day looking for his falcon until everyone else left for family activities. That's when things began to turn. He tidied, baked pie, tidied again, looked for his falcon, read some books… Then when he ran out of things to do, he tried to lay out his dream on a piece of paper.
Zane lurched suddenly, sitting up to his full height. That paper! Shoot!
"Zane! Goodness gracious, no wonder you keep hitting your head. What's up?" She sighed and shook her head amusedly.
"I just remembered something that I left on the…" He paused, having spoken without thinking.
"That piece of paper we found last night? I think Sense has it. And I promise we didn't read it, if that makes you feel any better." She said, giggling when Zane puffed a breath of relief.
"I apologize. I-I just kinda… It just occurred to me that I didn't put it away." Zane said, flustering himself.
Without warning, Nya burst into laughter and put a hand over her mouth.
"Did I say something strange?" Zane asked confusedly.
"You're just kinda cute when you get all flustered." She said. Zane, unsure how to react, turned his head back into place so she could continue, remaining silent. He wasn't used to such… compliments. He'd grown up to know the other ninja, not one of which was a girl.
The two continued this way for a few minutes, Nya gently picking through his hair to make sure there was no further damage than the bruise.
"I think that's it, Zane. It doesn't look serious, and I don't think it's really done much to affect you, in all honesty. Just try to get some rest tonight, okay?" Nya suggested, rewrapping his head.
Zane smiled and nodded. He stood up and walked towards the door. He was hoping tonight would be completely unlike last. He couldn't get a wink of sleep, and just when he was about to-
"Oh!" He stopped and turned around.
"Where is the girl from last night?" He asked, suddenly realizing that she wasn't anywhere to be seen. He awoke on the couch that he last saw her on, and she wasn't anywhere else in the room.
Nya made a face that said 'Oh!' and she turned to look at Zane.
"She woke up about a half hour ago. Garmadon and Misako have volunteered to watch after her while she eats lunch. Why don't you go meet her? Last I heard, the other ninja were getting along with her pretty well." Nya said, gesturing in the general direction of the dining room.
Zane seemed satisfied with her answer, and walked out into the hall, in the direction of the dining room and completely unknowing of what to expect. She must not have been a bad guy (gal?) if the other ninja were getting along with her. Then again, he may have been missing some form of sarcasm from Nya, but he wasn't going to find out either way if he didn't go to meet her.
Turning a corner, he decided he was going to take it easy for the rest of the day. They had gotten a good distance from the attack, and it had been a pretty wild couple of days. Today was a day to prepare, plan, and get up their energy. Especially considering what happened, it was probably a good idea to just let it be a restful day. Maybe this new girl would help with that, too. That, of course, depended entirely on what she would be like, though.
Zane opened the door to the deck of the bounty and stepped outside, getting a bit of a deja vu at the action. It was similar to how he started his morning yesterday, both inside and outside the dream. He walked out onto the deck and took a deep breath, reveling in the fresh scent and blue skies. There was still snow on the ground below them, where they had apparently landed while he was passed out.
Despite the fact that his falcon was probably in the Serpentine's grasp, Zane couldn't help but to scan the skies for his companion, somehow hoping to see it.
And, again like the morning before, there was a loud clatter of metal on wood behind him, leading to the kitchen. He turned around, this time not so startled, to find not Cole, but Jay.
"Aw, man! There goes a half dozen sandwiches!" He groaned, bending down onto his knees to help clean up the mess.
"Did you prepare lunch?" Zane asked curiously. The sandwiches now scattered on the ground looked to be simple balogna and cheese, and since he'd missed out on breakfast, they made his mouth water.
"Yeah… There's more sandwiches inside, but still! That's a lot of sandwiches!" He paused.
"I saw you standing out here, so I thought I'd bring one to you. I guess I didn't think to just take one instead of the whole tray." He said, then chuckled sheepishly.
"Oh. Thank you. I was about ready to come in though. I'd like to meet our visitor." Zane said, gathering the sandwiches onto one of the trays and standing up.
"Our visitor? Oh, you mean that girl! She's really nice." Jay said, standing up as well, two other, empty, trays in hand.
"That's good." Zane replied. The two walked into the kitchen, placing trays on the counter, and Zane throwing away the soiled sandwiches.
The stopped, standing still for an awkward moment, then turned for the dining room door.
"What's her name? Did she say?" Zane asked, suddenly curious.
"Oh… Yeah… Um, we don't know." Jay replied. Zane looked at him curiously.
"What do you mean? Did you not ask her?"
"Uh, well, no. We did ask her, but she's…" Jay stopped just before pushing the door open. He thought for a moment, the turned the handle decisively.
"She's mute."
Ahh, I do like those dramatic chapter endings, don't I? I always feel like they're not actually dramatic enough, or like they're dissatisfactory. I mean, of course they are, they're all cliffhangers, but I mean.. Like dissatisfying cliffhangers, like I cut someone off in the middle of the second to last sentence instead of at the end of the last sentence. For a cliffhanger. I dunno. That's probably just me. Also, I realized my chapters are actually getting longer, not shorter. That's good! It means I'm really starting to get more into my writing, and I'm very pleased! Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! It's almost like starting the story again, and this is where the interesting part of my summary comes in. Once we have most everything in my summary resolved, that's when the real real action starts. I have a couple of surprised I'd like to throw in, and they honestly might make themselves known early, seeing as how I write these as I go, instead of planning them. The whole Zane passing out thing wasn't part of my plan for this chapter, or the story at all, really. But it happened anyway. It makes things interesting, doesn't it? Look out for the next chapter, and tell me what you think!
-LizzyLucky