I have been gone for. . . a while. I know that. I always end up apologizing, but there never seems to be a point because I just end up doing this over and over again. But I can't help if I get stuck. If I'm not feeling a story at the moment, I can't just type garbage and then give it to you guys to read. I don't like doing that. But, I'm feeling pretty good again. My mind is back on this story and I'm enjoying writing it again.

Chapter Twenty-Four: One or the Other

Warmth trickled down her throat, but she felt immobilized. Her mind was still trying to comprehend what was happening. The edges of Kai's lips tugged upward into a smirk and he pushed the sword harder. Laurie gasped nothing more than a puff of air as the sound stayed stuck in her injured throat. Kai, stop! Please. This isn't you. Her thoughts screamed relentlessly, begging Laurie to do something, but her body wouldn't respond. Steam wafted up from where her blood spilled down upon the blade of the sword, making the girl feel nauseous.

"What are you doing?"

It all happened so quickly, and then Laurie was laying on the snow, staring up at the grey sky and breathing shakily. Hands on her shoulders propped her up into a sitting position and the gasp finally broke free from her lips. It was such a sad, strangled sound that was elicited, prompting the hands on her shoulders to give a reassuring squeeze. Laurie slowly glanced behind her to see Jay giving a small smile, his hazel eyes filled with concern.

"Let me go!" Kai's voice was barely anything more than a hiss. Laurie's eyes drifted towards the spiky haired brunet. Cole was holding him back, hands firmly planted on Kai's shoulders. The Sword of Fire had been dislodged from his grip, melting an area of snow at the midway point between Kai and Laurie.

Without even thinking, Laurie pushed herself back across the ground, hitting Jay's legs with her back. "Hey, it's okay," the Ninja of Lightning said. "You're okay. Just. . . take a deep breath and try to calm down for a second."

He tried to kill me. Kai tried to kill me. The ghost of his smirk intruded her thoughts and she choked. He liked it too. He was enjoying it. What in Ninjago have I done? Laurie pulled her head down, her chin trailing against the slick blood from her throat, and covered the back of her head with her hands. The cold wasn't even bothering her anymore. It was the farthest thing from Laurie's mind. A whimper sounded against her will and she pulled her knees up to her chin.

"Laurie, please," came a stoic voice. Zane moved the girl's hands away and lifted her head up gently. The bottom of her face was smeared in crimson liquid, thinned where tears had cascaded down her pale face. "Let me take you back to my father's home. I can better assess your injuries there, help clean you up."

Numb, Laurie allowed the nindroid to help her to her feet and escort her back towards the tree. "What happened to the Devourer?" she asked slowly, keeping her eyes down on the ground. When she'd come to, there hadn't been any sign of the serpent. Only Kai.

"It retreated back underground. . . for now. I doubt we have seen the last of it though. We dealt a few decent blows to the Great Devourer's head, but without Kai's help we could not truly defeat it like you had suggested." Zane fell quiet as he pulled open the door to the tree, gesturing for Laurie to take a step inside.

Instead, she sneaked one last glance back at the red ninja. He was on his knees now, looking very confused. Jay had Kai's right arm in his hand, examining the wound he had received from the Devourer's tooth. Laurie's stomach churned at the sight and she finally turned her back on it all, entering the tree and slowly making her way down the spiraling stairs.

"Back so soon?" Lloyd huffed, sitting in front of a workbench on the other side of the room, his arms crossed over his chest. "Must have been fun killing the Great Devourer. Wish I could have been there to see it. But no, I'm too important." He turned towards the approaching footsteps and his eyes widened. His sister was covered in blood. "What happened?"

Before Zane could fully explain the situation to the youngest ninja, Laurie interjected. "They told you that the Devourer was dangerous. Good thing you stayed back in here. This could have been you." The expression on her brother's face was a mixture of fear and arrogance. He wanted to play with the big kids, but seeing the consequences seemed to strike a chord with him.

"Are. . . you okay? What about the others? Are they still. . ." Lloyd looked up towards the top of the tree.

"They are alive," Zane answered, eyeing Laurie suspiciously. "But I must assess your sister's wound before I can conclude the extent of the damage that has been done." The nindroid turned his back on Lloyd, leading Laurie over towards the couch she had originally woken up on. She sat down and watched as Zane used his shurikens to freeze a rag before waiting for it to slowly melt. "Now, do you care to tell me why you lied to Lloyd just now?"

Laurie moved her hair, draping it all over her left shoulder. The ends were crusted with dried blood that blended in too well with the hue of her hair, but she'd just wash it out later. "I didn't lie to him," she whispered defensively. "This could have been him. Kai was cut by one of the Devourer's teeth. He's been infected with the venom. There's no telling what he'll do now. He's. . ." Her voice trailed off and she caught a sympathetic gleam in Zane's eyes. "I didn't mean for anything like this to happen."

"Yet you jumped onto the Great Devourer's head unarmed," Zane rebutted, using part of the rag that was thawed to slowly start wiping away some of the blood around Laurie's throat. She flinched at his touch, pain shooting through her nerves. "My apologies, but this is going to hurt. I have to see how deep the cut is." He continued to slowly remove the blood from around the wound. "It seemed as if you were trying to die back there."

Because I was. "I. . . overheard Cole and Kai talking in the woods before the Devourer attacked. They said you've been analyzing me since I showed up, monitoring me while I sleep." She jumped again, gritting her teeth against the pain settling in her neck. It was a lot more sensitive than she originally thought. "So these. . . delta waves or whatever, you're sure that it only happens during sleep?"

Zane frowned. Kai had cut much deeper than he had originally thought. Laurie was probably going to need a few stitches. "I'm absolutely positive that it only occurs during the sleep cycle."

"So. . . if I'm dreaming, then why does this hurt so much?" she asked, gesturing towards the gash in her neck.

Bending down to quickly pull a first aid kit out from underneath the couch, Zane procured some thread and a needle. "Perhaps it really does not hurt. Pain is a construct of the mind too. If you expect something to hurt, or imagine something hurting, then it will. It is a self fulfilling prophecy of sorts."

Laurie mulled the nindroid's words over in her mind, trying to distract herself from the painful poking and tugging of the stitches being placed into her neck. "How can I tell if all of this is real?" she urged, hoping that if anyone would be able to help her, it would be Zane.

"Well, I am real," the Ninja of Ice answered, his eyes focused exclusively on Laurie's wound. He was almost finished with it now. "And I can assure you that your injury is real. This world is real. And the danger we are all in with the Great Devourer still loose is very real."

The tugging on her neck stopped and Laurie lightly ran her fingers across the stitches, feeling how rough the were. "Thanks, Zane," she said, not fully meeting his gaze. It had taken her a little while to see what was wrong with the other world she had been trapped in, but this felt different. Deep down, Laurie knew that everything around her was wrong, but something was keeping her tethered here. Unless, this is the real world, her thoughts taunted. You only have two choices left now. Either this one is your reality, or the other world is.

But how will you figure it out now?

Everyone excited for the new season of Ninjago? Woot woot, June 29th, baby. So that's when we'll all see just how cool possessed Lloyd can be. And then I'll see you guys again on July 3rd with another update. :)

Thanks for always sticking with me.