Chapter 102
Finding Light In Darkness

.:Violet:.

With the sun setting behind the horizon, Violet watched with her odd coloured eyes as the two field buses disappeared from her sight. Doesn't matter how hard the others tried to persuade her to go on this field trip, she kept declining. They needed a teacher anyway to stay back with Gene since he lost all privileges to go. But its better she stays with him, it means she could try to face the fear of Vincent through Gene.

Turning her back onto the window, Violet walked through the maze of halls and towards the detention room where Gene was currently locked in. When the door came into sight, she could see the brass handle slightly twisting and clicking. Immediately she knew the orange-hair kid was trying to picklock the door. Taking the keys out of her pocket, she inserted the right key into the lock and she could hear Gene scurry on the other side of the door. When the door opened, the ninja saw Gene back at his seat, looking at the clock. By her feet, she could see two bent paper clips.

"Oh great, it's you." He snarled as a response but Violet took a deep breath before sitting at the front desk. "Came here to finally admit your wickedness or to come and kill me?"

"Don't be ridiculous." She simply replied, trying to stare him down as he did to her but his eyes were much like Vincent's which looked like the steel of a gun. The air seemed to thicken. "We need to talk."

"I don't need a lecture from you." Gene merely snapped before turning away from her. With a shaky sigh, Violet got up from her desk and crouched down in front of Gene only to have him turn the other way in his chair. So she got up and moved in front of him. This time, he didn't move. "You're scared. I can see it by how tense you are, how the tips of your fingers were shaking and by the way you breathe."

"Wow, aren't you observant." Violet said with a tint of sarcasm.

"So I'm right? You're scared of me." And with this a smirk pulled at his lips.

"I'm scared, you got that right but not of you." She admitted. If this was going to work, she needed to be truthful with him.

"Then what are you scared of? Aren't you a ninja?"

"Yes but Gene, fear is an emotion someone is unable to control. But you can't have fear unless you have a reason to fear it."

"What the heck are you talking about?" He demanded, lifting his chin high to show authority.

"You're scared of heights, am I right?"

"H-How do you know that?"

"That excursion the other month when Mister Cole organised for you students to do some basic rock climbing for Health and Physical Education, you refused to go and when you did, you shook so violently. Why are you scared of heights?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Well do you want to know what I mean?"

"… I don't know. Whenever I look down my body freezes."

"Do you know why?"

"No, you're supposed to be telling me that." He hissed.

"You're not scared of heights Gene, you're scared of falling." Violet told him. In her mind, her original approach to this was to be soft so he wouldn't push her away but instead, she could hear a bit of firmness in her voice. But now, she realised her fingers no longer shook and her breaths were even. To her surprise, Gene didn't say anything back. He had no snarky comment. "When people say they're scared of the dark, they're really just scared of what lurks in them as their imagination makes them think that something is out there to grab them. Some people are scared to be in a crowd or a large group of people because they aren't afraid of getting squash but they're afraid of rejection. People that are afraid of the ocean or a large body of water are just scared of drowning and no one will be able to save them."

"I… never thought of it that way." Gene muttered and averted his eyes away.

"To some people, they think fear is a way of showing weakness but fear is really just showing how they're afraid of things everyone is afraid of, they just think of it more. Tell me Gene, is there anything else you're afraid of?" Violet asked, standing up when her knees alerted her with a pang of pain saying that they have been crouching for far too long. But Gene didn't reply; he just shook his head. "Or are you just saying that so you can be the evil son your father wanted you to be?"

"Are you sure you aren't related by blood to Headmaster Wu?" And upon this comment, she laughed – something that Violet surprised herself with. For some reason, she no longer saw Vincent or a gun whenever she look into Gene's grey eyes, instead, she's reminded of a pole. A pole that stands by itself and up tall, not admitting to defeat and not getting knocked down by the wind.

"What else are you afraid of?"

"No, you tell me yours first." Gene declared. Violet mentally sighed as a result. Just when she thought she was connecting well with Gene, he still tries to get things out of her and not her getting things out of him. But maybe, just maybe, if she tell him her's, he'll understand. But then there's a risk he'll use this against her.

"You sure you want to know?"

"Definitely." The kid said, leaning back in his chair and his eyes looked back to her.

"Alright then. There are four things I'm afraid of."

"Four?!"

"Well I suppose three but that doesn't matter." The female said, "I'm afraid of the ocean. Like I said before, people who are afraid of large body of water are just afraid of drowning. I've never learnt to swim. I suppose that fear really awoken when we were sailing to the Dark Island."

"What happened?"

"The waters were harsh, storms were raging and the Bounty was also being attacked by Starteeth. Everyone had to go out onto the decks to try and get them off… But I was being careless and saw a bunch of them of the side of the boat. I hanged onto the side of the boat and tried to kick them off but I didn't notice the huge wave that was incoming so I fell off." Violet recalled, her fingers curling into her palms. Control your fears. You're doing well so far. The nightmares of her drowning resurfaced in her mind and she could feel water surrounding her body.

"What happened after that?"

"Obviously, I went under. My lack of swimming couldn't bring me to the surface, especially not when the waves kept tossing me like a rag doll, a toy at their disposal. I was fortunate enough that Mister Kai dived in after me."

"And he brought you back to the ship?" Gene asked, his voice filled with curiosity.

"No, the waves were far too strong for that. He had to swim while carrying an unconscious me and trying to make sure both of us didn't drown from the waves. We were lost at sea. When I regained conscious, the seas were calm and he pretty much looked like a zombie but nothing was in sight. You see Gene, there are many natural beauties in the world but each of them have a deadly and dark side. You may not even think of it. That incident had scarred Mister Kai and left him fearing the water now too. He barely escaped with both of our lives and now he doesn't want to risk it again by getting into the pool."

"Wow…" Violet slightly chuckled at Gene's speechlessness. But looking down to her hands, they were relaxed, no longer shaking or curled into fists. She was doing it. She was slowly conquering her fears. Well at least to talk about it without freaking out.

"There's three more right?" Gene asked.

"Yes. I'm afraid of being weak. Like you said, I'm a ninja, a ninja that everyone looks up to. Believe me, it isn't easy to be a hero or a saviour. Everyone looks up to you and always hope that 'oh yeah, she'll save us'. That what gets me. If I fail, if I make a mistake, lives are the cost and I let down a whole heap of people. Well technically, I'm not scared for being weak, I'm scared that I'll let people down and lives will be the cost of my foolishness and scared that I won't be able to protect the people I love… which brings in the third one." Violet slightly sigh before continuing. "I'm scared of losing people that's close to me. I watched so many people die Gene. Yes you feel sad that they won't be alive anymore but when you think deeper than that, you know that they'll no longer be a part of your life, creating wonderful memories like they did before. They won't get to see another sunrise or sunset, they'll never breathe again or see. I saw my parents' death, my sisters' and many innocent people."

"Your whole family?"

"Blood related family, yes. I was six when my parents died. I used to live in a village call Cryleas and I'm sure you know all about it but my father was Christian Emerson."

"The police chief that no one stop talking about?"

"Yeah… him…" Violet sighed. "And I guess you now know who my mother is."

"Megan Emerson?"

"Bingo."

"I never knew they had a daughter…"

"Yeah well one night, a group of bandits broke into our house during the night. They shot my father and dragged his body upstairs to my parents' room where my mother and I were. Except I was hiding underneath the bed. They then shot my mother in front of my eyes. They left, they didn't know I was even there," Violet said with a slight sigh to her words but something was wrong. She knew it. Looking at the ginger in front of her, his eyes were casted downwards. "What's wrong?"

"I remember my father telling me a year ago about all his evil deeds and robberies so I can be just like him… I recall him saying about a trip to Cryleas years ago and he killed some police chief in the middle of the night and his 'money-making' wife… I think he's the one that killed your parents with his friends… but please don't get mad at me!" Gene immediately exclaimed as he kept his head facing the ground. If she was truthful, it didn't surprise her a bit that it was Gene's father who killed her parents. Her original suspicion was on Vincent.

"I'm not mad… After the run in with your brother I thought it was him or the people he was working with… It's fine, really." She told him softly. With this, Gene lifted his head.

"Can you continue?"

"Sure. After that, I went to orphanage which I ran away from and lived on the streets for a decade."

"But how did you become a ninja then?"

"Wu found me and took me in. A moment I'll forever be grateful for." Violet smiled softly. "My sister however, she died shortly after I was born but she was returned back to life."

"Wait, that's impossible."

"I know it is, I didn't believe it at first but that's a really long story that I don't want to dwell in. But anyway, when the Great Devourer attacked Ninjago City, she got injured and soon died of her injuries right in my arms."

"I'm sorry…"

"I've learnt a way to cope with the loss and the grief. My family wouldn't want me to dwell in my grieving and my past, they would want me to move on and do something extraordinary with my life, using them as a beacon. But all of this leads up to the last one."

"Lead up? How?"

"My fear of being unable to protect the people I love lead up to my fear of your brother."

"Vincent?" And at this, Gene's voice hardens.

"Look, I'll admit that I did kill your brother. But can I ask you something first, how did you hear about it?" Violet asked with her voice dripping with seriousness.

"It was late at night when his friend came stumbling into our house with wounds everywhere." Gene spoke with disgust as he narrowed his eyes at her. They didn't remind her of the pole this time; they reminded her of the gun. "My brother and him were asked to join this gangster group, if they didn't join they would be killed. The leader was cruel and malicious. He planned the attack on Jamanakai Village. My brother was simply one of his slaves."

Upon this, Violet frowned. She could tell Gene wasn't lying. Not at all but she knew Gene was the leader.

.::.

"Metal? You mean the bird's a robot?"

"Probably."

"That means there are spies watching us." One said grimly and then all their heads looked around.

"Let's report to Vincent."

.::.

If Vincent wasn't the leader then they wouldn't have said to go and report to him. This meant that Gene and his family were told lies.

"His friend said that you came into the village and started killing them all one by one, including some villagers just because they were in your way."

"W-What?!" She cried out, obviously startling the young boy.

"What do you mean by what? You did it."

"No I didn't." And Violet's heart sped up. "Just continue."

"Alright then… the guy said that Vincent put up a good fight with you but you were better. You didn't like the fact that he had the nerve to fight against you so after you killed everyone, you took my brother and tortured him." Looking at the boy, he was shaking with rage. Violet simply gasped with horror and looked down to her shaking hands. She couldn't believe the fact that someone would make up something like that and tell it to a young boy who will obviously believe it. "Why do I get the feeling that isn't true?"

"What?" This took her off guard, looking at the boy again, he's eyes were focused on her shaking hands. He didn't look mad anymore… well maybe a little bit but he also looked betrayed and sad.

"After what you just told me about your fears and the way you react to this stuff… I can tell you aren't acting because you're terrible at that."

"Geez, thanks for giving me a compliment and an insult." She muttered but she couldn't breathe right. Me torturing Vincent? He's the one that tortured me… And before she knew it, the images of that night flooded her mind. Immediately, she stood up and turned her back to Gene. She tried to keep the tears at bay and to come her pounding heart that's pounding to get out to get away from the fear that lurked within her.

"Miss Violet, is everything okay?" And for once, she heard concern in the boy's voice.

"G-Give me a minute." She mumbled before walking out of the classroom.

The images of the night were so vivid. She could see the details of the whip, the pattern on the leather handle and how the ends would drip with her blood. She could remember the way Vincent's lip would curve into that sickening grin and the way his eyes would roam over her body as if she was food for a famish and wild wolf. The fear that surrounded her was only getting stronger. The water that the fear generated was raising high on her body, wanting to drown her. Violet's breaths were short and choppy, her heart pounded so hard that her chest throbbed in pain. The pain that she experienced that night resurfaced on her body, making the ninja fall onto her knees.

No no no, don't let your fear control you. Control it.

She told herself but it had a little effect. She was drowning in her fears. She needed a way to escape and fast. Immediately, Violet thought of the lullaby Kai hummed to her after the nightmare she had on her birthday. And slowly, Violet's hammering heart decelerated making it easier to breathe. The pain she felt subdued and eventually, the fear that threatened to drown her drained away.

"Miss Violet." Violet turned and lifted her head to see Gene standing out of the detention room – not that she cared anymore. Realising the position she was in, the girl stood up and faced Gene.

"Y-Yes?"

"I need to ask you something and I need you to tell me it with a hundred percent honestly."

"Of course." She said.

"I need you to tell me everything that happened from when you arrived to Jamanakai Village that night and left." Gene told her, his voice firm. But it surprised her deeply to hear that he actually wanted to hear her side of the story. And so she did.

They went back into the room and sat down and she told him what happened and all the emotions and feelings and smells she experience to make it appear to him that this wasn't just made up on the spot to make it look like she wasn't lying. Gene's face was set like stone. There were no expressions on his face except for his gingerly brows frowning deeply. Once she finished, she waited for his response.

"That's the real truth?"

"Why would I lie? I'm no good at telling lies…" Violet sighed.

"Prove it."

"Prove what?"

"That my brother actually tortured you."

"Gene… I'm not sure if the scars are still there. There's something in my blood that helps me heal much faster than normal." But with the slight glare he directed at her, Violet heaved a sigh and turned her back towards him. She then lifted the bottom of her shirt, hoping that the scars on her back are still there.

"So this whole time… I thought my brother was the victim; that you were the actual cruel person here."

"I'm sorry Gene." The ninja said softly as she turned around while dropping the hem of her shirt. But she knew she had to distract Gene's mind from the thought of his brother. Being told something that you thought was real wasn't is completely heart wrenching. "Now, you told me you had some other fears?"

Hello everyone and MERRY CHRISTMAS! I'm not dead and I'm so so so so soooooo sorry for the late update and they'll continue to be a bit slow for a while so I'm super sorry for that. We're moving houses and our current house is pretty old and we know we're going to struggle to sell it so we're packing and we're working on the land that we purchase to build our new house as well as renovating our house. So my time to write has been limited. But massive thanks to: MMM, Jayla Fire Gal, ALookIntoMyWorld, LightningDanino23, ElementalGirl, LucinaGamer, MajorCartooniac, ElementzGirl7, FlameNinjaofDarkFire, Kai4Ever, CarlyShi208, Dark Yugi, Samantha Rutledg, KaitheHotHead1 and all my silent readers!

MMM: That will be soon ;)

ALookIntoMyWorld: Yes, I've planned it from the very start of the whole Jamanakai Village thing that Vincent will be related to Gene.

LightningDanino23: Yes, Pixal will be in this story.

MajorCartooniac: Yes, I have realised I have been doing that an awful lot lately but now that we're going into the action of Rebooted, Violet will be setting their relationship to the side and try and focus on the problem that is that hand. But thanks for the advice :)

Samantha Rutledg: I'm sorry to have you confused after the Recovery chapter. But with the proposal, I have an idea for it and I can ensure you it won't mess up any of the seasons. Well maybe not until Possession but I'm still planning for that season. But I totally respect your opinion. Thanks for the advice :)

Once again, thanks for all your support and Merry Christmas! Xoxo – ZaneLoverFan88