"Ash, Nya, there you are!" Cole greets us as we approach. "Meet Hale."
The boys open up their circle and a guy with silver-blonde hair steps toward me. At first glance, I don't recognize him, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know me. I struggle to keep my calm composure.
"Hello, Ash," Hale holds his hand out to me. "It's nice to see you again."
He looks so calm. His gray eyes are still as a morning fog, and his expression is completely unreadable. I can't tell what he's thinking, and that terrifies me more than anything else.
"Yeah, um, it's nice to see you too," I raise my hand for him to take, but instead of shaking it he leans down and kisses the top of my hand.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" he gives me a grin under his long eyelashes, and I choke down a blush as I pull my hand away.
"I guess so," I stammer. It comes out as a question.
"You don't remember me, do you?" he raises an eyebrow, and all I can do is shake my head. He laughs. "It's me, Ash. Hale? Your dad used to help me with my archery, remember?"
I think for a few more seconds, back to when kids would come to our house, seeking my father's instruction. I do remember an archer, but he was a scrawny, short little kid. Nothing like the tall, muscular, angel-like guy standing before me.
"You look a lot different," I say in a flat voice, making him laugh again.
"So do you," his eyes drift down my body, then back, making me blush a little more. "In the good way, of course. How long has it been since the accident? Four years? I didn't get back from my uncle's until a week after it happened."
"You weren't there?"
"No," he answers, "and no one would tell me what happened either. All they said was that something got out of control and a lot of people left, including you."
I bite back a sigh of relief. "I had to," I say. "After the accident, I was separated from my father. I've been searching for him ever since, but I haven't gotten anywhere."
"I'm sorry. I wish I could be of help, but I haven't seen your dad since I last saw you," Hale shakes his head. "But if there's any place to look, it's here."
"Hale's right," Cole agrees. "Ninjago City is filled with people. Someone around here has to know something about your dad."
"I'm sure," I nod a little less enthusiastically.
"Don't worry so hard about it, Ash," Hale gives me a small smile. "You'll find him. I know you will. Hey, if you ever want to talk about the good old days, I'm renting an apartment just around the corner if you want to stop in."
"Uh, sure," I nod. "Sounds like fun."
"Well, if you ever want to come train with us a little, Hale, we'll be just outside the city for a while," Jay says. "There's so little evil plotting these days that there's not much we're doing if you want to visit."
"Maybe I will swing by sometime with my bow," Hale grins. "I've gotten a lot better since I left home; all thanks to what Ash's dad taught me."
Hale looks down at a silver watch on his wrist and frowns a little. "Looks like I gotta run, but I'll see you soon enough," he looks at me one more time. "Feel free to come over anytime you want, Ash."
He gives me a wink before rushing off down the street, and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.
"That was interesting," Zane says.
"Too bad he didn't know anything about your dad though," Kai gives me an apologetic look.
"It's fine," I shake my head. "I'd be surprised if he did."
"But it's still cool that we actually found someone from where you live," Jay smiles. "That's something, isn't it?"
"I guess," I shrug.
"If you don't mind my asking, Ash, what is this accident you and Hale keep bringing up?" Zane asks.
My stomach churns. "It, um," I struggle to form the sentence on my tongue. I hardly know why I'm telling them this, but a part of me wants to brace them for when Fang exposes my secret. "A few years ago, there was a giant fire that destroyed my town. Most of the buildings were completely leveled, and at least a dozen people were killed."
"Is that what your nightmares are about?" Kai asks, earning a punch from Nya.
"Yeah," I admit, clenching my hands as a storm of dark memories swirls to the front of my mind. "It was terrifying. Buildings that stood for decades were swallowed up in just a matter of minutes, there were people who were trapped in their homes by towering flames. I was only a kid then but I still remember the blind panic as people watched their lives be destroyed right in front of their eyes."
I shake my head and shove the memories far into the corner of my mind. "A ton of people left after it happened. I couldn't find my dad afterwards, so I packed up what I had and left to find him. A few years passed and now here I am."
"That sounds horrible," Nya says, her voice weighed with sympathy that makes my stomach roil. "I can't imagine going through something like that."
"You seem very well adjusted for having survived such a trauma," Zane nods. "You must be very strong."
"Thanks," I smile very softly. "I try not to think about it most of the time. I mean, I still have nightmares but I sleep pretty decently every night."
"Well we're here if you ever need anything," Nya says, giving me a gentle smile.
"Thanks," I manage to smile back, but my mind still rages. If it weren't for the accident, I would never have lost my father, and I would never have met Fang. I would never have entered this stupid contract and I would never have been forced to murder these people.
Everything would be perfect if it weren't for me.