Happy Wednesday. No more school for me until May 12. Hooray!

This is the Devourer Timeline.

Chapter Nine: Panic

Everyone around her seemed content enough. Jay babbled on like an idiot, his childish laughter filling the entire room. She gave a small smile, trying to keep herself from laughing. The Ninja of Lightning could make any situation seem better, more light-hearted, even when he was not trying. A breathtaking view of the city sprawled out as far as the eye could see and Laurie just gave a light sigh. Change was always a good thing. It was what kept the world going.

"I don't think I feel as good about this as I did before."

She blinked briefly, focusing past the lights and discerning Kai's reflection in the glass. His brow was furrowed, light brown eyes glinting with a hint of anxiety. "Really? Everything seems relatively normal to me actually," the Ninja of Wind replied, turning around to see Kai. He placed a hand on her shoulder for a moment and squeezed it. A cold chill seemed to envelop her and Laurie grabbed the red ninja's wrist with both of her hands. "Kai, you can tell me what's bugging you. I mean, why the sudden change in thought?"

His eyes shifted nervously for a moment, but he straightened his posture, preparing to say something. A chipper voice called out from across the room, beckoning him over. Kai gave a frustrated sigh and rolled his eyes. "I was just thinking that maybe you were right. I still don't see anything to worry about, but something just feels off, you know?" He watched Laurie give him an understanding nod before he turned to oblige their host.

"Yeah," the orange ninja whispered to herself as she watched Kai engage in a conversation. "I do know."

"No!" She immediately shot up in bed, feeling the thin material of the sheets cling to her bare arms with sweat. Hands shaking, Laurie threw everything off of herself and jumped out of the bed. Pain shot through her ankle as it collided with the floor and she gritted her teeth against it, leaning on the side of the bed for support. "Kai, wait! Something bad is going to happen! I-I just know it is!" Legs trembling with adrenaline and weakness, Laurie tried to stand up on her own, collapsing to the ground seconds later. Breathing labored, she pushed herself up slowly, glancing around the room with tired eyes. "Kai?"

The door to the room opened quickly, slamming against the wall. A somewhat familiar individual entered, dark blue eyes narrowed with concern. Laurie watched as he quickly closed the distance of the room, strong hands gripping her arms and helping her back into the small bed. "Easy now," the man urged, his voice unusually calm, "you seem to be spooked by some dreams. No reason to be alarmed." She felt her lungs burning from the lack of air she was getting into her lungs. I'm hyperventilating, Laurie thought warily, attempting to slow her breathing. A vice seemed to grip her heart, tightening every second. "Everything is all right. Please, take a deep breath and relax."

She just needed to focus. It was obviously just a dream. Shakily inhaling, Laurie held her breath for a brief moment before letting it out. The pounding of her heart was beginning to subside gradually. Think about something else. Think about anything else. Ice blue eyes rested upon the man checking up on her. He was clothed in a pure white sweatshirt that contrasted heavily with his dark blue jeans. What was his name again? "T-Thank you," Laurie managed to say, putting a conscious effort into regulating her breathing. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble or anything." Zane. Now she remembered his name. Kai and Jay had introduced him to her a few days ago. He had been the one that had initially looked over her injuries. "Sorry."

Zane shook his head for a moment. "No need for an apology. This must be very stressful for you. If anything, the nightmares are normal. You could be suffering from post traumatic stress. It is not every day that someone comes across the largest serpent ever seen and walks away virtually unscathed." Very gently, he applied pressure to the area above Laurie's ankle and pulled away when he heard her suck in a breath. "My turn to apologize now. It still feels very tender then?" Zane saw the red head nod slowly and he gave a small sigh. "I would imagine it is just from irritating it. You tried to run to the door I assume? You were yelling for Kai…"

"It was nothing, really. Just a weird dream." She was beginning to remember everything a little more clearly now. Kai and Jay had left to go to the Birchwood Forest. They had a small base out there where they would stay, safe from the destruction of the Great Devourer. It was ingenious really: cold-blooded creatures preferred warm environments. The Great Devourer would not be stupid enough to wander into a snowy, heavily-wooded area. Kai had called a friend of his to come keep an eye on her while she was healing. There's something about her that just makes me feel like she'd be reckless, Laurie recalled him saying when Zane had first arrived. Just try not to let her walk around on it and stuff until you think it's okay for her to do so. "You know what, I think I want to just walk around the village today," Laurie smiled, shifting around in the bed and awkwardly grabbing the pair of crutches that were propped up against the headboard.

Standing and quickly moving backwards, Zane managed to dodge the crutches as the teenager haphazardly swung them around and started to situate herself on them. He felt like it was his responsibility to accompany her on her stroll, but the white ninja collected himself. The girl probably just needed some time to herself and if she was willing to use the crutches instead of aggravating her injury further, then he could trust her not to do anything reckless. "Sounds like a plan," he nodded, gesturing towards the door to the room.

"I remember why I didn't stay here long," Laurie mumbled under her breath, swinging the crutches forward and hopping along the cobblestone roads that ran through every inch of the village. A fountain nearby in the center of the square filled the air with a faintly melodic sound. It was actually comforting, just listening to sounds of the running water, trickling down from the top of the fountain and traveling down the small tributaries that ran through the streets. Sure, Jamanakai Village was really quaint and peaceful, but those were the reasons why Laurie held such disdain for it all. There was absolutely nothing to do. "Maybe there's a candy shop around here somewhere."

Despite the hustle and bustle around her, the girl continued to feel calm. As much as she wanted to be out looking for her father and brother right now, it felt nice to just wander around without a purpose. Maybe this injury was supposed to happen: a way to show her that she needed to take things as they came and just kind of enjoy what was happening around her. The journey is what matters after all. Of course, her destination was not set in stone. Laurie felt as if she would never actually find Lloyd or her father. Perhaps they would stay lost to her forever. Hobbling around the back-streets and more secluded areas, she looked for any shop that piqued her interest.

Then Laurie found it.

Just as small and quaint as the rest of the village, it sat nestled in between two slightly larger buildings. The sign hanging above the door made her smile and she did not hesitate as she slowly made her way to the door and pushed it open. A small bell attached to the door gave off a sweet ring, startling Laurie as the door closed shut behind her. This tea shop actually appeared smaller than she had anticipated on the inside. Then again, there had to be a ton of inventory in the back somewhere. A long counter, the centerpiece of the shop, was absolutely empty. Voice floated in from a room adjacent to the one she was standing in, the doorway being behind the counter. Leaning forward over the counter, Laurie saw a younger boy checking out a box of something that she could not really saw. Noticing a small bell next to a small television monitor on the left of the counter, the girl hit it once, hearing the reverberating ring spread throughout the room.

"Sorry, I'm coming!"

Hopping backwards, Laurie distanced herself from the counter as someone emerged from the back room. He gave her a smile as he wiped his hands on his pants briefly. "Good morning. How can I help you?" he asked, hazel grey eyes kind. Laurie scrutinized him, just feeling herself stare. Shifting under her gaze, he crossed his arms over his grey t-shirt before speaking again. "Are you looking for anything in particular or are you-"

"Lucas," the red head whispered, feeling her breath catch in her throat. What was he doing here in Jamanakai Village? "You're okay! I saw the others earlier, well not Cole, but you weren't there. Here you are though! I'm so glad you're alright. I was starting to think something bad happened to you with the Great Devourer just roaming around and all." She watched as her cousin gave her a hard stare, eyes widening slightly in confusion. "Don't look at me like that," Laurie laughed lightly, leaning most of her weight on her right crutch. "I just worry sometimes. I know you're more than capable of surviving on your own. It's just…family stuff."

Silence spread on for a while and Laurie was beginning to hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears. "I think you have me confused for someone else," he replied, his face a mask of utter confusion. Laurie felt her stomach drop. No, he had to know who she was. They had spent enough time together after he had come out of his coma. There was no way she was confusing him with someone else. This was Lucas. This was her cousin. She would recognize him anywhere. "I can just let you browse if you don't know what you want yet."

"It's me, Lucas, your cousin," the girl urged, feeling the tightness in her chest begin to return. No need to panic, she thought to herself, taking in a deep breath. Just keep calm and try to talk it through. There has to be a good explanation for what's happening.

Shaking his head, Lucas just shrugged. "I'm really sorry, but you must have me confused with someone else. I've never seen you before." He watched his customer's face fall indefinitely and he sighed. "I'll be in the back going through inventory. If you decide on what you want, just ring the bell again." With that, Laurie watched her cousin disappear beyond the doorway and out of sight.

Taking a step back, Laurie took a deep breath. Something was really wrong. She knew who this guy was, or at least she felt like she did, but when she really explored her memories she could not recall actually seeing him before. It was almost like the information had just appeared in her head. The name and face seemed to match what she knew, but then how did she know who he was? He's your cousin, that's how you know, her thoughts spoke. The team, the Mega Weapon, the fights, and the Overlord. He was there through it all.

The Overlord? What in Ninjago was an Overlord? Feeling nervous and a little bit frustrated with herself, Laurie spun on her heel and exited the tea shop as quickly as possible. If something in her memories was telling her that this guy was her cousin, she felt like she just had to believe it. There were other thoughts and memories that were out of place too. These ninja that had saved her from falling to her death, she knew them too. She knew she could trust them, fight alongside them.

Laurie just did not know why.

Thank you so much for reading! See you next week. :D