Chapter 4 - An Old Friend
"Wow…That is so sad, Uncle Omi. I can't believe that happened to you," Raymundo glanced down and frowned at the tragic tale.
"Those kids were such great friends. It still makes me cry just thinking about them having to leave each other," Dojo sniffled after swallowing a mouthful of rice.
Omi smiled at patted his young disciple on the back, "It was not very sad, Raymundo. I am quite certain that my two dearest friends have found satisfaction in the paths that they have chosen for their lives. And I am also certain that your grandfather is watching over them from above. He will always be our true leader," the aging man radiated wisdom as he smiled and gave a quick glance upward to emphasize his point.
The young boy took another bite of shrimp from his chopsticks, "So, can you tell me the story of how I came to live here? Grandpa Dojo always says that it is an interesting story," his eyes glowed with curiosity.
The older monk sighed as he thought back, "Well, it is not the most honorable tale to tell, and I am sure 'Grandpa Dojo' knows that," he shot the little dragon an irritated look
Dojo quickly looked away and stuffed another large piece of shrimp into his mouth.
"Oh, I am sorry to hear that. But, can you still tell me? Please, Master. I believe I can handle it," the young monk persisted in his inquiry.
Omi directed his gaze back to Raymundo and smiled solemnly, "All right, I suppose I can."
He placed his chopsticks on their rest. This signaled that he was finished eating, but also that his food would be too cold to enjoy after he finished telling such a long tale.
"It was not long after Kimiko and Clay left the temple that everything began.
"A young woman claiming to be Raimundo's former girlfriend came to the temple with your mother wrapped in her arms. She explained that, while she was with your grandfather, they had conceived a child, but the relationship had gone sour and ended before they realized it. Therefore, she had been left alone with an unforeseen baby girl.
"Your grandmother begged me to take her child because she claimed she could not care for it any longer. I requested that she do her best to keep the baby (as I personally know the struggles that a child must face when they are not raised by their birth family), but she forced until I could resist no more. Without even telling me her name, she thrust the little one into my arms and ran away, her eyes gushing with tears. Yet, when I called out to her and asked for the baby's name, she told me that she had named the child Abidemi.
"And thus, I was left to raise your late mother as if she were my own. Fortunately, I received considerable help from others here at the temple. Yet, it was a challenge. As you know, it is rare that a woman comes to our temple and so we monks know very little about parenthood. I decided it best to raise her with full knowledge of her father's legacy and she grew to be very proud of her ancestry, even taking on your grandfather's family name of Pedrosa.
"Your mother was not a great warrior like Raimundo was. She could not control the wind (much like you) or fight evil. It is unclear to us if elemental abilities arise only in certain generations, but that is a topic for another day.
"Luckily, there were few times that we were confronted by villains. The only evil that I can remember facing within that time is Jack Spicer. I have heard that Jack Spicer had a son as well, but I have yet to see him with my own eyes.
"Because she did not train for battle, your mother played a large part in running the temple. She took care of much of the cooking, cleaning, caring for plants and other mundane tasks."
"Which we all appreciated, since you can bet your butt that no one else around here wanted to do them," Dojo interjected with a hint of accusation at all of the other monks in his voice, since he had taken on the majority of said tasks in the time before Abidemi's arrival.
Omi did not deny the claim and continued with his story, "Even though she did not fight, we did allow her the honor of assisting with the great burial of the Shen Gong Wu when she was young. Do you remember what I have told you about this?"
Raymundo swallowed his bite of bok choy and nodded vigorously, "Yeah! The Shen Gong Wu were all of those magical items that Grand Master Dashi created. You, Auntie Kimiko, Uncle Clay and Grandpa Raimundo all collected them when they revealed themselves to keep them out of evil hands. But once you had gotten them all, you realized that they were too dangerous to keep on the surface, so you decided it best to bury them somewhere that evil could never find them again, right?"
The master nodded, proud of his student's attentiveness, "That is correct. And, using an ancient magical spell, we put a seal around them so that they would not give off a scent or signal to any form of detection. Even Dojo could not find them now."
Raymundo and Omi glanced over at the pudgy dragon, who shrugged, "The man's right. I couldn't find them if I tried. You never even told me where you hid the dang things! I still feel so left out," he began to sob, leaping onto Omi's bald head in a slithering hug.
The monk felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead, but chose not to bring up the argument again. He put his face into his palm, thinking to himself, I have told you this repeatedly Dojo. It was not my intention to 'leave you out.' I was just being safe and telling as few as possible. We have witnessed Wuya read minds and do not know the powers that other villains may possess. Risks cannot afford to be taken.
The dragon noticed that he was not going to get any pity from either monk, so he scooted back into his chair and munched on some more rice.
"As I was saying, your mother helped us to bury the Shen Gong Wu. And then, years later, perhaps when Abidemi was about twice the age you are now, she met a handsome monk from a neighboring temple. His name was Fong Zhe Qiang; hence your full name, Fong Zhe Raymundo. Your mother chose to give you a title that took elements from both your father and grandfather names, as they were the two men that she had the strongest feelings for in this world.
"The two of them left together and she lived at his temple for a few years.
"After a time, your mother returned, bringing dire news. Qiang had been killed in a tragic training accident in which he had tried to climb a mountain without a safety line."
Dojo sighed, "If only he'd had the Jetbootsu."
Omi shot the dragon a glance so that he knew it was the wrong time to make such an abrupt comment. Dojo apologized, placed his chopsticks on their rest and left the table, leaving the master alone with his disciple.
"I apologize for that, Raymundo. Dojo meant well. He was simply overprotective of Abidemi when she was alive and did not always approve of her relationship with Qiang."
Raymundo waved it off, showing the nonchalant side that he seemed to have inherited from Raimundo, "No worries. I don't mind. But thanks for being considerate of my feelings."
Omi smiled at the boy's respect, knowing that it was one trait that he did not derive from his grandfather's genetics, "You are welcome. Now, I will get back to the story.
"After Qiang's death, Abidemi was heartbroken and came to me with a devastating secret. She was pregnant with her lover's child. It shocked me to hear that she would have Qiang's child, as their partnership had not yet received the blessing of marriage. I could tell that this fact weighed heavily on your mother's heart as well. She perceived your father's death as punishment to her for her impious behavior. Still, I told her that those thoughts should not fill her mind. There were far more important issues at hand at the time.
"Everyone at the temple assisted your mother during her pregnancy. I was even there when she began to give birth and nearly fainted as I rushed her to the doctor to deliver," Raymundo chuckled and Omi rubbed the back of his head bashfully.
"Yet, I had more reason to worry than I realized at the time. You see, as well as your mother was able to conceal it, she was still greatly distressed about your father's death. So much so that she had not taken very good care of herself during her pregnancy. Not because of you, but because she was still in mourning. Trust me when I say that she cared very deeply for you and fought valiantly for your life.
"Her body was under such great stress that the doctors soon realized that she could not deliver you and live herself. They gave her the choice; they could either remove you surgically (which would have killed you) or she could deliver you and sacrifice her own life. She did not even hesitate. She told them immediately that she would sacrifice anything to give you the chance to live. And so, on that fateful day, you, Fong Zhe Raymundo, were born a natural birth, weighing 6 lbs 5 oz, on the first day of November at 3 am."
Raymundo was flabbergasted to finally hear the full story of his past. It was tragic, and yet so epic at the same time! It made him shed tears of joy. He felt so overwhelmed that he could not help but put his chopsticks down (on their rest, of course) and rush over to give his master a massive hug, "Thank you so much for telling me everything, Uncle Omi. It makes me feel fulfilled to finally know all of the truth. I feel at peace now. I promise that I will bring honor to my family; especially to my grandfather, the grand dragon, Raimundo Pedrosa. I will become the most powerful Xiaolin warrior in the world!"
The master smiled proudly at his student's ambition.
Omi had always doubted the way that he had raised the young man, fearing that he had been an inadequate parent-figure. Yet, somehow, seeing Raymundo's reactions and hearing the young man's words of respect tonight validated everything that the elder had done over so many years.
Omi had dedicated so much of his life to raising both Abidemi and Raymundo. At this moment, he finally realized that, although he may not have been the perfect parent or in the ideal situation to become one, he had done a good job. The man embraced his student, shedding his own joyful tears.
"For the love of all things demonic! Why won't this damn spell work?"
Geoffrey Spicer jumped at the sounds of crashing coming from his basement. My goodness! What in the world could Jacki be doing down there? He worried as he wandered down the steps to check on his daughter.
Jeff's daughter, Jacklyn, was furiously throwing her Heylin spell books around the room, which accounted for all of the noise. It's just a simple transmutation spell! How can I not get this right? She pounded her head in frustration, "Argh! What the hell? Turning iron into gold is so 18th century alchemy. How come I can't figure this out? I need a goddamn cup of pudding."
She massaged her temples and walked over to her fridge. Swinging the door open, and nearly tearing it off its hinges, she shuffled through her boxes of cold pizza, jugs of water and occasional glass bottles (she hated the metallic taste that cans gave off) of soda until she reached her stash of pudding cups.
"Hm…Vanilla, chocolate or butterscotch?" She pondered as she grabbed a cup of each and observed them, "Which one would hit the spot right now?" Suddenly, a single cup at the very back of the fridge caught her eye, "Nope! I need me some banana pudding right now," she chuckled and removed the cup of goldenrod deliciousness.
She heard a tap on the door just as she was grabbing a spoon from a drawer, "Jacki! Sweetie, is everything okay down there? Can I come in?" It was her father's wimpy little voice.
She sighed in exasperation, questioning to herself, as always, why her father was always such a baby, "Yes, Jeff. You may enter."
He slowly opened the door and peered through to see his daughter peeling the lid off of a pudding cup. Glancing around, he noticed that a shelf had been knocked to the floor and sighed as he closed the door behind him, "Now Jacki, you know you need to be careful when you throw things around like that, you know you could break something or get yourself hurt. And I would appreciate it if you not call me by my nickname like that. It's disrespectful."
The young teen rolled her eyes, "All right, Father. I apologize," she put a spoonful of pudding into her mouth and grinned tranquilly, "Aw yeah. That definitely hits the spot," she mumbled to herself with a satisfied nod.
Her father sighed, "I forgive you Sweetie. But really, what have you been doing down here that requires you to mutilate furnishings?"
"Well, if you must know," she took another mouthful of pudding, "I'm pratishing my shpells," her speech became slurred through the globs between her teeth.
"Of course you are," Jeff had never witnessed his daughter perform these 'spells' that she always spoke of, and he hardly believed they were real. Yet, she was a 16 year old girl, so he figured that she was just crying out for a way to show her individuality, "And please don't talk with your mouth full."
The moody teen grunted and swallowed her pudding, "Sorry, Father."
He smiled, trying his best to lighten her clearly irritated mood, "I forgive you. I'm going to go outside and water the garden. You're welcome to join me if you would like," he knew that she wouldn't, but he always offered to allow his daughter to spend time with him. He wanted her to know that he could always make time for her, especially if she was feeling down.
However, Jacki, as usual, took his offer the wrong way, "I know that I can join you, you always tell me that. And I always tell you the same answer; no thank you. I'm not an outside person and you know it."
"Yes. I know. The complete lack of color in your skin makes that perfectly clear. It makes me grateful that you're willing to drink milk fortified with vitamin D. I just want you to be comfortable talking to me or coming to me with your problems, that's all."
She swallowed her last gulp of pudding, crinkled the plastic cup in a fist and threw her spoon onto a nearby table in frustration, "Quit making fun of my pale skin! It looks good on me. Besides, the sun is trying to kill me."
Her father attempted to comment back, but she did not pause long enough to allow him the chance, "I don't want to talk to you. I don't have any 'problems' other than the fact that I can't get these stupid spells right. I don't need to talk to a loser like you," she crossed her arms defiantly.
Jeff became frustrated, but kept his emotions in control. He refused to lose control and make the same mistakes as his father before him, "Sweetie, please don't say things like that. You should never be hurtful when it's unnecessary."
Jacki was slightly taken aback by her father's sudden assertiveness and went into a fighting response, wanting to see just how far she could push his new attitude before he caved.
She pushed air through her teeth before shooting back, "And why should I listen to someone like you? You're just a man that acts like some kind of housewife. You do all of the easy things around the house while mom is out working her butt off to support us. She works every single day and you mooch off of her. I can't even see why she would marry you in the first place. You act like such a wimp all of the time."
Jeff pinched the bridge of his nose between his eyes, attempting to hold his composure. Hearing his daughter say those kinds of words hurt him more than anything he had heard in years. The trials of parenting had started to get to him, especially as Jacki had moved into a rebellious teenage phase. His wife constantly reminded him that he should not take it personally, but he could not help it. I envy those who never decide to become parents. They don't have to deal with some of life's worst pains, nor feel many of its greatest joys.
He sighed and finally brought himself to respond to his daughter's argument, "Listen to me, Jacklyn. I won't change who I am just to please you. I tried that for many years with my own father, and it always caused me pain. I chose to live an honest life because I knew that it would be the best thing for the family that I wanted to build. Your mother does not hate her life, she enjoys it. I have always told her that I would help her earn money if she needed it, but she has always rejected my offer."
The young teen stomped up the stairs to confront her father on an equal level, "Maybe she's just too proud to ask for help. That shouldn't stop you from being a man and taking responsibility. You're smart, so why don't you get a job at a computer company or something?
"I'm so sick of how you're always trying to make us a 'normal' family too. We will never be normal. It would have been better if you had listened to Grandpa Jack and become an evil genius!"
The very mention of his father's name brought back horrible memories of the years of abuse that Jeff had suffered through at the hands of the man who was supposed to love him the most. Countless days of being screamed at, told he wasn't good enough and beaten (or at least threatened with such), and all without a single "I love you." He forced the burning lump in his throat to stay down and commanded his heart rate to slow.
"You do not know the kind of man that your grandfather truly was. He only treated you with love because he believed that he could raise you to be evil. I kept you away from him because I wanted you to have a good life, one that you would not come to regret later.
"Your grandfather drove himself to the point of insanity when he could have turned his life around for the better. That man didn't have a real job either you know. He spent years devising some foolish 'world domination' plan, even after all of his comrades abandoned him.
"Do you know where they went? They all moved away and are now living peaceful lives to make up for all of the despicable things that they did years ago. I am good friends with some of them to this day. Ashley is a fine example. She gave up her villainous ways and is happier than ever running a shelter for abandoned cats. Each of the former villains that I have spoken with regrets what they did during their days as evildoers."
Jeff turned and opened the door, "Just remember that your grandfather caused his own death. His madness was completely self-inflicted. He suffered for all of those years, and for what; a bunch of magical toys? He could have gone to any cheap magic store and gotten the same thing! Quit idolizing that man. He was nothing to be proud of. You need to realize that living a normal life is not wrong and that causing the suffering of others is.
"Like I said, you are welcome to join me outside," he finished his monologue by gently closing the door behind him and stepping lightly up the stairs.
Jacki stood for a moment, absorbing her father's entire outburst. But, she soon gave up trying to comprehend his logic and shrugged it aside, "What does he know? Grandpa Jack was a great visionary. Even if he didn't have a job or make money, he had plans to take over the whole world. That certainly proves he had no lack of ambition.
"I know how he felt. He dreamt of creating a world of order. All of the foolish people on this planet will never understand their faults unless they are ruled with an iron fist. I will make his world a reality, just you watch.
"A 'normal' life is wrong. Letting the world go on destroying itself as it is now is the most useless thing anyone can do. I'd rather be evil and have a purpose in life than sit back and watch the world become its own hell. Besides, even if a 'normal' life doesn't seem wrong per se, it's certainly not as exciting as being evil!"
After finishing her soliloquy, she spun around and looked at her beautiful laboratory. Her grandfather had given her photos of his old laboratory when she was young, and she had kept them all her life. It was hardly over a week ago that she had finished modeling the basement of her own home into a near replica of the one she had seen in Jack's pictures.
It filled her with more pride than anything else she had accomplished in her life. Her exemplary academic performances meant little to her. Schoolwork came naturally to her, so she was glad to finally have a challenge which resulted in something she could be proud of.
Only one thing differentiated her laboratory from the one that her grandfather had used so many years ago. She had gotten a tire swing installed, just for fun.
She leapt onto her swing and swayed back and forth gleefully. Even an austere teenager such as herself could appreciate some simple fun sometimes. Looking up to the ceiling, she burst out laughing diabolically, "Just watch me Grandpa. I'll finally bring respect and dignity to the name of Jack Spicer, evil genius!"
She had only heard bits and pieces of her idol's story from her father, but Jacki admired the man all the same. Although constantly told that Jack had become a raving lunatic who refused to give up on stealing the Shen Gong Wu from the Xiaolin, she did not care. In fact, she could not blame him. The idea of possessing limitless power through seemingly simple objects fascinated her as well.
Fortunately, it had not driven her to madness as it had Jack.
After getting his hands on a Wu for the first time, the evil boy had felt an intriguing sense of power surging through his veins. Only when he held one did he feel complete and in control, both of which he considered too good to lose.
Once all of his Shen Gong Wu had been taken away from him, he was overwhelmed by the sense that he was hopeless and weak once again. He refused to go back to his cowardly ways and began to spend every day of his life trying to conjure up a plan to raid the Xiaolin Temple and retrieve as many of the Wu as possible. Yet, no matter how many times he tried, he was always utterly overpowered by the monks and sent back to the drawing board to come up with something new.
The loss of his treasured possessions was not the only stress that drove Jack to madness. Soon after the death of Raimundo and the loss of the Monkey Staff, his final Shen Gong Wu, Jack had been thrown out of his house by his mother. The woman had become sick of caring for a freeloading and disrespectful son. Most of all, she wanted him to give up on his 'plans for world domination' and live a normal life. When he refused to listen to her, she had forced him to pack all of his belongings and leave.
The move into a small, one bedroom apartment forced Jack to leave behind many of his supplies and larger robots. This left him with the plans to create powerful machines, but no materials to do so.
Life for Jack became hell on earth. He hardly bothered to clean his apartment, as he became too busy with his evil schemes. World conquest was far more important to him than a few layers of dust or cobwebs. Never once did it cross his mind to get a real job. Ruling the world would be a full time gig once he got there.
Unfortunately for Jack, he never quite 'got there.'
After a number of months, Jack's mother refused to loan him any more money to pay his rent. With no source of income, he feel into debt and his landlord evicted him, leaving him homeless on the street.
It was around this time that Jack met a young woman whom he had previously known from their years in school together. It turned out that she had always been curious of what had happened to him after she had stopped seeing him in school, and he was happy to tell her that he had been fighting to rule the world. The girl appeared to find his plans fascinating and agreed to help him in any way she could. Jack was thrilled at the prospect of taking in an underling, and gratefully accepted her assistance.
However, what he did not know was that the young woman was intensely addicted to drugs. Not only that, she sold her body to pay her rent and buy the substances which she abused nearly every day.
She did not tell him any of this, and he did not care to ask. What mattered to Jack was that she had a space for him to work in and enough money for the two to live together. The traces of white powder and razor blades littering her tiny mobile home completely escaped his attention.
The two developed a relationship built on lies and pitiful humor.
The young woman did not really care for Jack. She actually assumed that he used drugs too, based on what he talked about. It was only out of charity that she took him in to her home.
At the same time, Jack did not take her seriously and only used her resources to begin manufacturing robots once again. There was little communication between the two, which helped make it possible for them to live the way they did.
The couple had sex occasionally, although there was no love between them. The physical action was emotionally neutral on both parts and only served the purpose of releasing frustration and anxiety.
Even so, when the young woman became pregnant with his child, Jack seemed thrilled. He became overjoyed at the thought of having an evil legacy.
His lover was much less enthused with the idea of a child. Having a baby had not been in her plans and she feared the pain that it might cause her. This included not only the horrid suffering of delivery, but also the financial stress and months spent off work in recovery.
She contemplated an abortion, but did not want to disappoint Jack, who appeared surprisingly excited at the prospect of having a child. And so, she vowed to carry out her pregnancy.
To prevent the baby from being born addicted, the couple agreed that it was imperative that the expectant mother go into detox immediately. This was excruciating for the young woman. Her addiction had grown incredibly severe over many years. Every month of her maternity leave was spent with her wrists and ankles tied to her bedposts, screeching for Jack to give her "just one little hit." The man ignored her by turning up the volume on his headphones as he worked on his robots for hours at a time. He only visited her when it was necessary to feed her or give her a drink of water, both of which she constantly begged for (nearly as much as the drugs).
It was at this time that the young woman began to come out of her drug-induced hallucinations and back into reality. She came to realize that Jack was not really the fun and hilarious man she had pictured him to be. He was nothing more than a lunatic who was totally serious about taking over the world. There were many days that she cried out to him in an attempt to convince him that his ideas were foolish and that he should come to terms with reality, just as she was beginning to do. However, he simply drowned her out and never heard a word of her criticisms.
When the young mother began having contractions, Jack was so anxious to get her to the hospital that he took her in the fastest flying aircraft that he had built. She refused to ride in it at first, but realized that she had no when Jack revealed to her that he did not have a valid driver's license and could not risk getting caught driving her car. Frightened for her life, she climbed into the machine and they arrived at the hospital in time, miraculously without any casualties.
After the delivery, the couple took home a healthy baby boy, who weighed in at 7 lbs 7 oz. The mother showed the child almost no affection and chose to return to work full-time only five days after the delivery.
However, she decided to change her ways. She quit buying drugs and changed jobs to work as a bartender instead of at the strip-club where she had previously been employed. She also gave up her prostitution jobs on the side, knowing that her body would not sell as well after the stress of having a child.
After only a couple of months, she could no longer tolerate her life and told Jack to leave her. The man was flabbergasted and begged her not to kick him out, but she was adamant about her decision. She commanded him to pack all of his belongings, including the child, and forced him out her door. He was hurt by his partner's treatment initially, but did not care enough about her to take it personally. The two never met again.
During this time, Jack made a very lucky discovery. It turned out that his mother had never told him about the rather large inheritance that his father had left him upon passing.
One day, Jack had gone to visit his mother and show her his son, whom he had named Geoffrey (or Jeff, since it was so similar to his own name). During the visit, he was asked to set the table for dinner. While searching for silverware, he happened to notice a pile of letters in a kitchen drawer, all of which had been addressed to him. Each letter contained a substantial check, totaling enough to pay for years' worth of living expenses.
His mother had hidden this money from him to prevent his freeloading ways, but the fact that she had kept something secret when it was rightfully his had infuriated Jack (it made no sense to him as to why the inheritance was split into checks and mailed, but that hardly mattered). Without even glancing at the return addresses on the letters, the young man took all of the checks, along with his son, and disappeared without even saying goodbye. Jack's mother never saw her grandson again and died, tormented and depressed, only months later.
Things only continued downhill for Jack.
As Geoffrey began to grow into a young man, Jack knew that something was amiss. The boy had very little talent in the realms of evil and planning world conquest. In fact, he seemed to have interest in them at all! No matter what Jack taught him, Jeff would never follow any requests. He did succeed at building robots, but only created ones that were helpful for doing simple tasks or making an average person's life easier.
The evil genius became furious that his legacy was refusing his ways and going down a different path. Jeff was his son. Why wasn't the boy growing up to be the demonic mastermind that he had envisioned?
Jack began to loathe the child. The father constantly told young Jeff that he was "not good enough" to be the son of "such a genius," both vocally and in parental practice.
Jeff fully understood that he was hated. Yet, after spending years of his childhood trying to please his father, the young man no longer cared.
Jeff's behavior was not the only thing that put pressure on Jack's life. He also had daily struggles with his plans for world domination. Conquering the world was not an easy task, especially without any Shen Gong Wu to give him the ability to put up a decent fight against the Xiaolin. No matter how advanced his robots became, there was no denying that the monks were always the better fighters.
Thus, he realized very quickly that he needed the Wu. Any of them would do. The problem was that he did not know where to find them because the Xiaolin had sealed them away without a trace. Jack attempted to build detectors time and time again, but failed to receive a signal from any of them.
Sadly, he never knew when to quit and continued in his quest to make an effective radar until the day he died.
Before the time that his father passed, Jeff had already moved out and started a family of his own.
He had tried his best to allow his father to be involved in his daughter's life and hoped that the aging man would become sensible after becoming a grandparent. He had no such luck. Jack refused to give up on his mission for world domination.
The cantankerous older man had even tried to turn his granddaughter, Jacklyn (Jacki for short), into his new legacy, since her father had failed him. Jack sensed a spark in the young girl and began to tell her great Heylin stories from the time she was an infant.
At first, Jeff had assumed that they were harmless tales. However, once Jacklyn grew into a toddler, he realized that they were having a profound effect on her development. She would constantly act out and mumble very frightening things. There even came a time that she and Jack had bragged that she had magical Heylin abilities!
The young father was horrified at the thought of his daughter dabbling into the dark arts. He could not stomach the thought of his father turning the innocent little girl into an evil witch and refused to allow Jack to see her from that point forward.
Unfortunately for Jeff, Jack's influence had already left its mark on young Jacki. She was in love with her grandfather's amusing stories and quirky mannerisms. She also felt a sense of envy that he was able to defy her father and began to refuse punishment.
Her mother was assertive in trying to correct these misbehaviors. However, she worked full-time and did not see nor have the chance to alter the full extent of what occurred between the father and daughter.
Little Jacki had a fire inside of her that begged to be released. That flame burned with hatred for those around her and the way that they behaved.
It began at school. Nearly everyone mistreated her, as well as one another, on a daily basis.
She soon realized that it was not just school. Whenever she went into public, she was confronted with rude attitudes and mocking behaviors from both people that she knew and complete strangers.
The young girl began to develop her own meaning of the word 'evil.' In her mind, 'evil' became completely separate from the mindless, obnoxious cruelty that she constantly dealt with at the hands of ignorant citizens.
Surely this was what her grandfather had meant in saying that he wanted to control the world. He must have aspired to stop the foolish actions of common people and create an orderly environment. And what better way to ensure order in the world than by ruling it himself?
With these inaccurate assumptions in mind, Jacki decided to continue practicing her Heylin magic to carry on Jack's legacy even after his death, which had occurred shortly after their final visit.
Although she was aware of many of her grandfather's faults, Jacki idolized the image of him that she had created in her mind. Unfortunately, her picture was not entirely accurate.
She felt that Jack had been more than a madman out to gain power. She believed that his goals had a purpose. She wanted to think that he felt the same way as she; that he rejected society and was disgusted by citizens of the modern world. She assumed that he was an abused, tortured man and considered them kindred spirits amongst a horde of filth. In her mind, he must have been out to control the planet so that he could do away with all of the hurtful people in life and bring order to a world full of chaos.
Never one did it occur to her that he had simply been obsessed with power. In truth, Jack could not have cared less about improving the world. Sure, killing certain people and doing away with unsatisfactory governments may have improved some things, but those were not Jack's priorities. And there was no guarantee that he would make a decent ruler either. The corrupt deviant only wanted to obtain power and gain his own sense of self-worth.
Regardless of the fact that her grandfather's goals had not been at all pious, Jacki would never know the difference now that he was dead. A piece of her even held some suspicion that Jack had not been the secret hero that she envisioned him to be. Yet, it made her feel proud to have something to strive for. She would not give up on her goals, whether there was someone to back her up or not. She was old enough now to make her own decisions and this was how she wanted to live.
After preparing for years, Jacki finally felt that it was time to launch an attack that would reignite the war that had gone dull so many years ago. What better time to strike than while she was still frustrated with her father? Anger was the emotion that she found made her magic powers the most deadly and, at that moment, she was surging with it. To top it off, initiating the battle would allow her to test the strength of her foes and give her an overall advantage.
She grabbed a box that her grandfather had given her as a gift when she turned three years old (this had been the last birthday that he was able to celebrate with her). After opening it with caution and reverence, she pulled out a scroll and delicately unrolled it onto one of her work desks. The large piece of parchment revealed a comprehensive layout of the grounds of the Xiaolin Temple. Of course, it may have been old and slightly out of date. But, then again, how often do a bunch of old monks do any major renovations? She felt it safe to assume that the layout was still fairly accurate.
Looking over the scroll, Jacki realized that the temple had a surprisingly susceptible defense system and would take almost no effort to sneak through. This would hold especially true if the monks were not expecting an attack and had few guards on duty, which would most likely be the case on any given day. Grinning fiendishly, Jacki began to trace her fingers along a few routes, imagining that her grandfather had taken the same ones during his raids all those years ago, "This is going to be a cinch. I'll do you proud, Grandpa Jack. It's time to teach these Xiaolin Losers what they're up against. They will regret having insulted the Spicer family. Oh, how they'll regret it. All in due time," she let out the evil laugh that her grandfather had honed in her as a child. The basement rang with her cackles and, at that moment, the world witnessed the end of its peaceful era.
Raymundo scrubbed his teeth vigorously, gargled and spit into the sink. He loved the feel of having clean teeth before bed. It was also vastly better than the stench of morning breath.
It always puzzled him as to why an ancient Xiaolin temple would have full working sinks and plumbing. But, he shrugged and figured that it was better not to question a good thing.
His slippers shuffled softly across the wooden floor as he headed for his room, being careful not to cause too much noise and disturb any of the other monks. Everyone else inside the temple had already gone to bed. Ray had stayed up late practicing the Flying Leopard Attack that Omi had taught him earlier that day.
Lying down on his mat, Ray curled up with his teddy bear and heaved a massive sigh, glad to finally rest his aching body. He tossed back and forth for a moment, searching for a good position to sleep in. The mats that they slept on were not well padded, but he had become accustomed to it, and was usually so tired that it did not bother him.
Unfortunately, the moment he found a comfortable spot, the young monk felt an intense cold sensation rush up his spine and send a tremor through his whole body.
What's going on? Something doesn't feel right…Ray bolted up from his mat and dashed out of the room.
He headed outside, trusting that his tiger instincts were keen enough to find something strange and not send him false alarms. At first, he feared that the latter had been reality, as he did not see anything inadvertently interesting on the temple grounds.
Yet, the young man's disappointment was soon overshadowed by fear as he saw an oddly colored gas flowing through the air. It was dark and of an odd purplish-black shade that somehow stood out against the darkness of the night. Having no idea what it could be, he began to follow the trail and hoped that it would lead him to the source.
Unfortunately, he did not find anything when he reached the end. Then, he noticed that the gas was expanding in the same direction that he had walked and turned around to follow it the other way, grateful that no one had noticed his blunder.
By the time he made it to the opposite end of the trail, Ray's body felt heavy, sluggish and weak. With every step he felt as if cinderblocks were chained to his ankles and he could barely keep his head from bobbing forward.
He forced his body to look alive when he found the source of the dark smoke; a young woman who was dressed in a black cloak. At first glance, Ray could not see much of her through the mist, only that she had long hair, was wearing some sort of mask and appeared to be reading a book as she waved her right arm in a rhythmic fashion.
"Hey! Who are you? What are you doing here? Are you the one who is creating this fog?" He hollered to catch her attention.
When Jacki turned around to discover the source of the voice that had called out to her, she saw a young man who looked no older than she, and perhaps a couple of years younger. His dark brown hair flared outward all around his head and spiked at the ends. A pair of robe-looking pajamas draped over his lean and fit body, clinging to his most muscular areas. His dark green eyes portrayed a youthful atmosphere that radiated a sense of confidence and hope, as well as an apparent lack of maturity and experience. Yet, his boyish appearance was not unattractive. He was, in all honesty, quite handsome. Even the pale yellow tint of his skin showed a diversity which would have been rather intriguing to anyone who cared.
But Jacki paid little mind to his appearance.
Instead, she chuckled, deciding to humor him by answering his questions verbatim, "I am Jacklyn Spicer (Jacki for short), a powerful Heylin witch and heir to the evil legacy left behind by my brilliant grandfather, Jack Spicer. I am here to test the might of the Xiaolin warriors. And yes, I am the one who is creating this evil cloud. It is one of my favorite spells. This haze drains power from all those who inhale it, hence why I am wearing a gas mask," she stopped waving her arms and the smoke began to clear.
As the mist faded, the young woman removed her mask and revealed the most beautiful face that Ray had ever seen. The smooth, pale skin of her face shimmered under the moonlight. Her hair was colored a very light red that looked almost pink in the twilight, and her eyes blazed with a deep crimson that nearly imitated brown. The slight curves of her extremely slender body looked appealingly soft and gave off a dark sexiness. Her clothes fit her body well and her face was dressed lightly with makeup. Both of these accentuated every one of her attractive features.
This was Ray's first look at a real female human. He was stunned.
Her voice sounded mesmerizing, "Well, I've told you who I am. Why don't you return the favor?"
At first, Ray was so hypnotized that he could hardly speak, "Um, I am Ray, I-I mean," he shook it off and regained his confidence, intent on not seeming rude, "My name is Fong Zhe Raymundo, Xiaolin dragon in training. I am pleased to meet your acquaintance," he gave a respectful bow.
Jacki gave out a haunting giggle that nearly made Ray's heart melt, "The pleasure's all mine. Say, do all of the Xiaolin warriors sleep with teddy bears?"
Ray swung back up from his bow and noticed for the first time that he had not let go of his teddy bear since leaving his mat. His face turned beet red at her mocking and he hugged the bear tighter, "Hey, lots of guys sleep with teddy bears, all right?"
She was proud to have embarrassed him so easily, "Wow, if you let that get under your skin then I'm going to have some fun harassing you."
Ray was puzzled as he had never heard such talk before. How would she get something under my skin? I don't have any cuts from that mist or anything, do I? He quickly looked over his body, but saw nothing and decided to ignore what she had said.
"A-anyway, I do not mean to be rude, but I must ask you to leave. Outsiders are not allowed on the temple grounds without permission, especially this late at night."
"Is that so? Well, then," Jacki sauntered up to Ray, placed her hands on her hips defiantly and leaned in to stare her opponent directly in the eyes, "What if I refuse?"
The fresh, lavender scent of the young woman's skin knocked Ray's mind into a tizzy and he had to force himself to regain focus.
"I-if you do not leave, then I will have to force you to do so," he backed a few steps away from her and assumed a crouching fighter's stance.
Jacki sighed and shrugged her shoulders, "That's all very intimidating, but I'm not really in the mood to fight right now. Honestly, I intended to launch an attack tonight, but this is kind of boring. I think I'll just go for a walk and look around your temple; do some reconnaissance. Besides, I can tell you don't have the balls to make me leave," she shot him a sadistic grin.
Ray did not know exactly what she meant by saying that he didn't have balls, but he figured it was safe to assume that this was some kind of insult. He knew that it was impolite to hit a girl, but he had no choice. The safety of the temple was more important than a pretty face, even if it was very pretty.
"All right, you asked for it! Flying Leopard Attack!" He leapt into the air and began to spin, but got tangled in a cluster of tree branches that had been above his head. He struggled to get free and finish his assault, but only succeeded in landing in a heap on the ground in front of Jacki's feet.
What in the world is wrong with this kid? She chuckled at the sight of a Xiaolin warrior falling flat on his face in his pajamas, clutching a teddy bear all the while, "Well, that was one heck of a performance! I mean really, you're not even worth messing with.
"I guess I've seen enough for tonight. Still, we should do this again sometime. Invite your friends next time so that I can get an actual challenge, will you?" She whipped her arm up into the air and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.
Ray crawled to his feet and massaged his chin, which had hit the ground especially hard. He brushed the dirt off of his pajamas and glanced down at his teddy bear's chubby face.
I wonder what that was all about. That young woman was awfully rude.
But, she was so pretty. I kind of want to see her again. But, at the same time, I do not. I mean, if she plans going to invade the temple like that again, then I hope she stays away. He pondered for a moment, still staring at his bear.
Suddenly, an idea struck him, which he accredited to his stuffed comrade. What a great idea Teddy! The next time I see her, I will convince her to come to our side! Then we can be friends…or maybe even more. He smiled sheepishly at the thought and cuddled his bear closer. You are the best Teddy. Thank you for the idea. This is going to be great!
The next day, Ray walked across the temple grounds with a confident strut, grinning from ear to ear. He had gone back to bed after his encounter with Jacki and his dreams had been filled with beautiful images of her charming face.
The very thought of her next visit filled him with an anxiety stronger than any he had felt before. This must be what 'love' feels like. He put his hands to his heart and his smile grew wider.
"Looks like somebody had a good night's sleep."
Ray jolted back to consciousness at the sound of a voice approaching. He glanced back and forth, but saw no one.
He knew he was in trouble. Only one resident at the temple could be heard without being visible at his eye level. His gaze shifted downward and confirmed his suspicion of the source of the voice; Dojo.
The little's dragon's curious nature was insatiable, "So, why the happy face? Did somebody have a nice dream?" He asked, swinging his tone suggestively.
"Yes," the young monk gave no details, determined to keep his secret.
"Well," Dojo prompted, hopping up onto Ray's shoulder, "What was it about? C'mon, you can tell me!" He pocked the young man's face with his pointy finger.
Ray turned his head away, ignoring the dragon's prodding, "No, that is all right. I would rather keep this to myself. Besides, you would not understand what my dream was about, even if I told you."
The vague mysteriousness of his response merely served to pique the dragon's interest all the more, "Oh really? Well, if that's the case, then you should have no problem telling me, since I won't get it anyway. Please, just tell me what it was about. You can trust old Dojo to keep a secret."
Ray forced air through his lips, "Psht. Yeah, sure I can," he knew as well as anyone that the little dragon was quite a blabbermouth.
"No really!" Dojo grabbed Ray's shoulders, begging and shaking him, "Just tell me, please! I can't take the suspense. I just gotta know. I promise I won't tell a soul."
"Really?" Ray glanced back to see the dragon nod his head vigorously.
"Well…I guess I can tell you. Just do not let Uncle Omi find out! He would be furious to discover that I had kept a secret like this from him."
"You can count on me," Dojo straightened up and saluted, "I would run straight into a burning building before giving away your secret."
Ray felt convinced and figured it was okay to tell his friend. After all, the young man wanted nothing more than to share his excitement, "Well, you see…Last night, I met this girl…"
After the young monk had finished his story, Dojo was simultaneously shocked, confused and excited.
Ray's description of the young girl he had met was certainly a mosaic of personas. On one hand, he claimed that she was beautiful and charming. While, on the other hand, he said that she was a Heylin witch with aspirations of evil.
The dragon took a moment to analyze all of the information and came to the conclusion that this young woman could not be trusted. She was Jack Spicer's granddaughter, after all.
"What're you thinking Ray? Do you realize how dangerous this girl must be? She's the descendent of a madman! You know how evil Jack Spicer was; he killed your grandpa!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Dojo wished he could take them back. He watched the young man's gaze fall and shift to the side. Oh, geez. Maybe that was a little much. He thought to himself as he placed a scaly hand comfortingly on his friend's cheek.
Ray shook off Dojo's hand with a twist of his head, "But what if she is not really evil? What if she is just being manipulated into being a witch? Maybe she would change sides if we convinced her. I could sense something in her spirit. I think my tiger instincts were telling me not to give up on her immediately just because of her birthright.
"Besides that, Uncle Omi has told me all about my grandfather. He went through a time where he fought for the Heylin side too! I bet if we just give Jacki a chance, then she will abandon her evil ways and come to the side of good," his eyes shimmered with hope and innocence.
No matter how hard he tried, Ray was unable to convince Dojo that the young woman could be trusted. The little dragon had witnessed the evils of Heylin warriors too many times to believe that this one could be any different.
The fact that she was a witch made it all the worse. There were very few people that Dojo had truly hated in his lifetime, but one of them was a Heylin witch. In fact, it was the most famed one in history; Wuya.
He did not know if she was still alive, but he hoped not. He had hated her guts, her physical appearance, her dark magic and everything else that he could remember about her. Just the thought of her obnoxious, snotty voice was enough to make his flesh crawl.
Still, the little dragon did not want to crush his friend's feelings, so he decided not to be too harsh, "Ok kid, I guess I'll let you give it a shot. But if she resists too strongly, you'll have to give up on her, got it?" He waved an index finger in Ray's face to emphasize his point.
The young monk sighed and rolled his eyes, knowing that his stubborn friend was not convinced, "Fine, I will," he did not feel like arguing with a thick-skinned dragon when he was in such a good mood.
Dojo, once again, was not convinced by the boy's words, but decided it best not to get into a fight at such an early hour. He leaped down from Ray's shoulder and began to slither away.
However, before the little dragon got too far, Ray shouted out to him, "Just remember not to tell anyone, especially Uncle Omi!"
"I got it, I got it," Dojo waved his hand dismissively as he rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.
The following week proceeded just as any other would have. The monks trained and studied for hours on end, stopping only to do their daily chores. Most of the chores were left to Raymundo, as he was the youngest student and needed to continue his lessons in diligence more than anyone else.
Of course, Ray felt that if was unfair that he was the only one designated to do laundry, wash dishes and keep the temple structures clean. But, what could he do? He just reminded himself that one day he would not have to do all the chores and that he could command other students to do them instead. Ironically enough, his chores were teaching him the opposite of what they were intended to. Instead of becoming a hard worker, Ray began to relish the thought of slacking off in the future.
One day, around the time that Ray had finished washing the statues outside the grand hall of the temple, a bell sounded to call everyone in for dinner.
The monks all ate at the same time, but generally did not eat together in one room. No one ever felt like setting up dining areas in the grand hall (which was the only indoor area large enough to fit everyone), except for special occasions. If the weather permitted they would sometimes gather outside to eat together. But, for the most part, everyone split into groups with the people closest to them and went to their own spaces for meals.
It was because of this that Omi, Dojo and Raymundo always had time to converse independently over meals. Omi and Dojo had one of the longest friendships at the temple and had always been in charge of caring for Ray, so it made sense for the three to sit together. It wasn't that they didn't get along with other monks. They just enjoyed time spent together in their own little family-like unit.
"So, how was your day Uncle Omi? Did you have a good time studying the ancient scrolls?" Even though Ray sounded sincere, all three of them took his question as a bit of a joke. They all knew that studying scrolls was not entirely what one could consider 'fun.' But, they knew that it had to be done and worded their conversation as if it was enjoyable.
"I certainly did, Raymundo. Thank you for asking. Although, I think I had quite a bit more fun during our short soccer break, even though you got just a few more goals than me," the master winked and his student began to laugh.
""Just a few more?" I got twice the number of goals you did!"
Omi put on a stern face for a moment, but soon joined in with his disciple's laughter.
The two of them always took a break during each working day to play soccer as a way of relieving stress and having some real fun. Omi was not overjoyed that Raymundo was a prodigy and always kicked his butt when it came to the sport. But, he knew that it made his student happy and was glad that the boy had something that could bring him closer to his grandfather, as Raimundo had loved soccer as well.
Dojo kept silent through the whole conversation and once Omi took notice of this he realized that something must be wrong, "Dojo, what is the matter? Is something on your mind?" He turned to his friend and asked inquisitively.
The reason behind the dragon's silence was that he had been completely focused on his earlier confrontation with Ray and had ignored the entire exchange. However, hearing Omi call his name snapped him back to reality and he sat up straighter when he answered, "What? Oh, no, it's nothing. Don't worry about me. Just thinking about stuff."
Omi tilted his head, puzzled by his friend's vague comment, "Thinking about what? You are not usually one to get lost in thought."
Dojo's eyes drifted to the side and Ray entered his field of vision. The boy was waving his hands back and forth as well as slicing his hand across his neck, signaling the dragon not to tell his secret. Suppressing the urge to chuckle at the young monk's reaction, Dojo decided to remain loyal, but also to have some fun, "Just thinking about this story that somebody told me the other day."
"Oh?" Omi's eyes grew wider, showing his attentiveness and intrigue. Ray, on the other hand, thrashed his arms even faster, deathly afraid that Dojo was about to spill the beans. However, he was forced to stop and grin nonchalantly when Omi glanced his way.
The dragon felt devilish and happy to give the young monk a lesson, "Yeah. This one guy told me about some girl that he met once. He's still utterly infatuated with her, even though she's leaning toward the Heylin side. It made me kind of worried, but I'm sure it's nothing too serious. Everybody around here goes a little crazy when they see a girl for the first time. Some monks can even get a little giddy if they've seen one before and it's just been a few years. Right, Omi?"
Omi's cheeks went red as he remembered all of the awkward moments that he had gone through raising Abidemi. Of course, there had been little issue when she was young. However, when her body matured, Omi would sometimes find himself behaving rather strangely. There were moments where he would blush and shift his gaze to places it should not have been. The fact that Kimiko was the only other girl he had seen in his life made him confused and unable to control his reactions.
Curse my dishonorable male instincts. He thought to himself as he smiled inconspicuously, "I suppose so, Dojo," he let out an uncomfortable little chuckle.
Dojo's vagueness and manipulation of words took Omi's mind off the subject completely, giving Ray great relief. That stinking dragon! He's going to get it later! The young monk gave his friend an angry glare and shook his fist.
The little dragon grinned and glanced the other way, giving Ray an 'I don't know what you mean' look.
After dinner, the group dispersed and Ray prepared to take his revenge on Dojo. As Omi walked out of the room, the young monk grabbed Dojo by the neck, preventing the little lizard from escaping. He aimed an index finger at the scaly face before him and readied himself to speak, but was interrupted by a thunderous alarm gong being struck.
Dojo wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, relieved that he was not going to get a lecture. However, the little dragon realized immediately afterwards that they had greater things to worry about.
Each gong in the temple gave off a unique noise. This one alerted the monks that there was something, or someone, attacking the temple.
The moment he heard the warning gong, Ray suspected that the assailant was the exact person he had hoped to meet. He dropped his friend and dashed outside.
Dojo followed close behind the young monk. The little dragon also figured that their enemy was Jacki and hoped to find a way to isolate the two of them, allowing Ray some time to talk to her about his idea.
The Xiaolin duo arrived on the temple lawn to see a massive tower burning in the sunset. It was likely that the smoke had been what alerted the monk who sounded the alarm. There was now a large crowd gathered around the enflamed structure, attempting to extinguish the inferno.
Omi arrived to lead the group, utilizing his power over water to take advantage of a nearby pond and extinguish the flames. As soon as the tower stopped burning, the crowd dispersed and headed off in all directions to find the intruder.
Ray prayed that he would be the first to find her and dashed off. He had faith that his instincts would guide him to the one he sought.
They did not mislead him. He found Jacki in the first place that he went to check; the former Shen Gong Wu vault. She sat tranquilly on the floor with legs crossed and hands planted firmly on the ground.
"Um, Jacki? It's me, Raymundo. Can we talk for a minute?" He approached her slowly, afraid that she may not have a docile reaction to his presence.
Outside, Dojo saw that Ray was not leaving the building he had entered and assumed that the boy had found Jacki within. The dragon decided to take on the responsibility of protecting the two youngsters. He slithered back and forth defensively, making sure that no one was trying to enter.
Omi's instincts led him to the same building that Dojo was protecting and he was puzzled when he saw the little dragon pacing around the threshold, "Dojo? I am sensing a disturbance in the vault. Let me in! The intruder may be inside there!" He dashed up to the entrance but was stopped by his friend leaping in front of him.
"No, no, no! There's nothing in there that you need to worry about! I already checked. This place is fine. You can go search the other buildings."
Dojo was careful in choosing his words. He did not want to break his promise to Ray, but he hated the thought of lying to Omi. By using vague phrasing, he found ways to appease the elder without falsifying the truth, nor revealing any secrets.
The head monk was not completely satisfied with the dragon's responses, but chose to trust his friend, "All right, just make sure to tell me if you see anything suspicious," he conceded and ran off in another direction.
Dojo heaved a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. All right Ray, I bought you some time. Don't waste it. He turned, as if to speak to his friend aloud, before returning to his post.
Within the temple, Jacki acknowledged Ray's presence, smiled and stood to greet him, "Hello there, Ray. How are you on this fine evening?" She put on an evil grin and raised her left hand. The young man watched in awe as a ball of green flame appeared out of nowhere and hovered above her open palm.
"Wow! What is that? How are you doing that?" He asked in awe.
She chuckled softly, finding his reaction absolutely adorable, "You're quite easy to impress, huh?" She began to juggle the ball of flame between both hands and giggled as Ray's eyes followed the little green fireball intently, "It's a new spell that I've perfected since our last visit.
"You see, my friend, spending that quality time with you at this temple last week got me thinking. How could I become a more powerful enemy for you guys? And then it hit me. You all study your ancestors a lot, so maybe I should do the same. I did some research on the techniques that past witches used against the Xiaolin and learned a number of awesome (yet surprisingly easy) new spells and techniques. I'm not going to waste time with wimpy little energy-sapping spells anymore. I can hurt people directly!" A flick of her finger transformed the small inferno into a flaming whip, which she used to slash Raymundo's face, giving him a thin burn across his right cheek.
"Ow!" Ray cried out in pain and grasped his face with his palm, "What was that for?"
Jacki gave out a short chuckle, "For fun."
Ray cringed, but refused to be discouraged. He knew that there must be some way to make her change sides. He had always been told that there was good inside of every person. He had to find hers.
"Listen Jacki, have you ever taken a deeper thought into why you want to be on the Heylin side in the first place? Have you ever considered fighting for the side of good instead?
"We would accept you here. We would care for you. You can relinquish your evil ways and become part of our family. Trust me, we Xiaolin are filled with love and understanding. I really think you would feel better joining us."
Taking a step closer, Ray extended his right hand, while still rubbing his scorched cheek with the other, "Please join us."
Jacki stood staring at the young man, now a bit flabbergasted herself. Did he really just…What is he thinking? Why would he invite me to their side? Dozens of questions ran through her head, few of which she could answer.
However, there was one that she could.
She tossed her whip aside, ran up to Raymundo and slapped him across the face, "No. I am evil. My grandfather is my idol, and I will bring his vision to life. I will bring order to this chaotic world. I won't let anyone stand in the way of my goal. And trust me, you'll be thanking me in the end."
Raymundo put both hands to his cheeks, as either one was injured now. He looked up into Jacki's face, his eyes full of disappointment.
When Jacki met his gaze, her head became clouded. His eyes were like little gems; beautiful, precious and shimmering with tears. Her chest began to feel tight and she could not think straight. The look on his face was mesmerizing her somehow. The two looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like hours, their hearts racing all the while.
But soon, the smell of smoke brought Jacki back to reality. She scrambled for ideas on what to do next.
She realized two things. First and foremost, that she needed to escape before the building burned down. And secondly, that Ray liked her, a lot.
Without warning, Jacki grabbed Ray by his collar and slammed their lips together. She figured that it would be fun to mess with his head and that he would get distracted, giving her time to escape.
What she did not expect was to enjoy it.
She quickly released from their kiss and stared into his eyes for another moment before realizing that this had been a horrible idea. Kissing boys always made her a little giddy, and Ray was rather cute.
Still, she snapped herself out of it, tossed the young monk to the ground and dashed off, leaving Ray in the burning building alone.
The young woman was able to sneak past the dragon guarding the vault and set fire to a few more buildings on her way out of the temple.
I have to get out of here. I need to formulate a new plan…
Meanwhile, back in the vault, Ray sat on the floor in a trance. Sh-she just…wow…my first kiss. That was amazing… He could not even focus enough to notice that the flaming weapon which Jacki had dropped was spreading quickly across the wooden floor of the building.
Suddenly, Dojo, who had smelled the smoke coming from inside the building, rushed in to save Ray. He could not believe his eyes when he saw the monk sitting, motionless, on the floor with a wall of flame growing right before their eyes.
The dragon slithered over to Ray and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him vigorously. Dojo could get no reaction out of him, but this was not terribly surprising. There was a good chance that the monk was under some sort of Heylin paralysis spell.
Dojo realized that expanding in size would prevent them from fitting through the vault's doors. Therefore, the little dragon grabbed Ray by the back of his collar and dragged him out of the building, with great effort on account of their size difference.
As the two slowly came out of the vault, some ceiling supports fell to the floor and the fire spread wildly behind them. Thankfully, Dojo was able to get their bodies out of harm's way before the building began to collapse completely.
Omi came rushing back to the vault after having saved a few other buildings. He used some fresh water from a nearby pond and doused the whole building at once in an attempt to save what was left of the structure.
However, Dojo and Ray had not gotten far from the building before Omi drenched it, and were soaked by the waterfall. The water felt freezing cold from being out in the brisk night air and snapped Ray out of his love-induced trance.
He shook the water from his hair and scrambled to his feet, "Dojo? Wh-what happened?"
The dragon wiped his head and body with his hands to remove most of the excess water. Still dripping, he looked Ray directly in the eyes and retaliated, "Your girlfriend just burned down half our temple and tried to kill you."