Chapter Twenty-Two

Cole

"Rachel," whispered Cole.

Silence. Cole stands in the hallway alone. He presses his ear against the door to the girls' room and faintly hears footsteps coming his way. He backs away and sees the door crack open. Rachel peers through with a questioning look on her face. Cole waves, then she slides through the door frame and silently shuts the door behind her.

"What?" she asks.

Cole shrugs, "I just wanted to talk to you".

"Is it important?" she asked.

"Well," he started, "I just-".

Rachel raised an eyebrow. The girls had already gone to sleep and had no clue Cole was at the door. Rachel had only noticed because she had been getting ready to go to bed and had passed by the door when she heard him.

"Come outside with me," she whispered.

Rachel grabbed hold of Cole's hand and walked him out of the hallway. The two of them crept through the monastery doors and made it out into the courtyard. Jasmine flowers stuck up from the ground, filling the air with their sweet scent. It made Cole think of the last time he smelled that scent. Perfume: the one his mother used to wear.

An instant sense of nostalgia kicked in, and the cobblestone ground and garden took him back to a distant childhood memory. One where he was alone, without a mother and a friend, until he crossed paths with the little girl with the brown braided hair.

He had skipped school one day and wandered off into a nearby valley. There, he had found a big wall of rock and climbed up to the top to rest on one of its ledges. Each jagged edge fit smoothly into the palm of his hands which each claw to the top. The view was nothing special, just a sea of grass and bamboo in the distance, but it was enough to give some peace of mind. At least he wasn't at school dealing with the bullies and the adults who didn't care.

"Why are you by yourself out here?" a voice asked.

Cole jumped, "When did you get up here?!"

"I've been up here," she responded. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

"Look who's talking!" Cole sneered.

"I already have all the education I need, but it looks like you still have some things to learn".

"Wha- Who are you?"

The little girl shifted over and sat on her side, "I'm Rachel".

Still puzzled, he responded, "I'm Cole".

"I know."

"You know?! What are you, some kind of witch?"

Rachel snorted and squealed with laughter.

"I mean-" little Cole stammered, "Err. Um".

"Your face is turning red," she giggled.

Cole blushed even harder, "So?!".

"It's a sign".

"God, you're weird. Do you always say strange stuff like this?"

"Usually, to some at least".

Cole pinched his eyebrows and groaned, "So, are you going to tell me or what?".

"Hm?"

"You said it was a sign".

"Mhmm".

"Of?".

"You already forgot what it was you were angry about".

Cole's eyebrows softened, and he felt himself loosen up. His shoulders drooped as he looked away.

His memories were some of the only parts of his life that left him both scarred and content: happiness because of the moments he spent with people who cared, people who left a good impact on his life. Where would he be right now if it were not for those moments?

Cole smiled, "You haven't changed one bit".

"Neither have you," Rachel snorted. "Still hard-headed".

"You know," Cole began, "I don't think I ever got the chance to tell you this-"

"You're welcome!" she stated proudly.

"You didn't even hear what I was going to say!" he whispered.

"You were going to say that you were grateful you had somebody like me in your life, happy that you got to know me, happy that I was one of the only people there for you, etcetera," she gave her a little shake with the last word. "You're welcome, but it was just my work, you know".

"With that stunt from last year, you and the girls pulled, believe me. I know".

Rachel tucked a strand of her loose hair behind her ear, then folded her arms across her chest as she sighed. It was a cool night. No longer was there silence filling their ears, but instead the chirping of the crickets.

Under the moon's full light was a beautiful sight to Cole. Surrounding him was the dimly lit setting of the garden flowers poking up from the dirt and cobblestone ground. The weeds poked through in between the cracks of the stone with blooms of new jasmine flowers waiting to grow around the edges. It wasn't this sight that caught Cole's attention.

"But," he spoke. "It was something I needed".

Rachel's braid fell over her shoulder. It was not just remembering their time together that made Cole have peace in mind, but now it was seeing her on a night like this, under this moonlight, and in her indigo kimono. Jasmine scent in the air, crickets chirping through the wisps of grass- it all made the moment relaxing to him. It was enough to prompt him into thought. Cole bent down and picked a flower from a shrub.

"These were always my favorite," he said, staring at the flower. "Very nice and pretty. I know I don't show it, but they always made me happy".

Rachel smiles. Cole does the same, then leans in to place the jasmine flower in her hair and takes a step back to admire it.

"It suits you," he says.

Rachel's smile turns into a smirk, "So, this is what you wanted to talk to me about?".

"No," Cole replied. "This hasn't happened before. I can't sleep".

Rachel stops. She reaches out and takes Cole's hand in hers, "It was too much for you all to see".

"I don't think that's what's bothering me," Cole responded.

"Then what is?" Rachel asked.

Cole searched for his words, "All the things we've fought off– they seem like nothing compared to this. How are we supposed to beat this?".

"I can't tell you that," Rachel replied flatly.

"Rachel please," Cole pleaded, "I hate seeing the team like this, and the fact that I barely know what's going on makes it worse!"

Throwing his hands down to his sides, Cole furrowed his eyebrows together. Lurking behind him was an uneasy feeling. He knew that everyone in the monastery had fallen asleep, and while he could not say the same for himself and his teammates, he sensed that this conversation was not only being shared between him and Rachel. Something was off.

"Come down from there," Rachel suddenly said aloud.

Jay and Zane swooped to the ground with two low thumps and rolled back up to their feet to meet their full height. Zane's eyes flickered on and gave exposure to his face in the dim dark of the night.

"Buenas noches," Jay muttered meekly.

"What the heck were you guys doing up on the ledge?" Cole growled.

"Sightseeing," Jay snarked. "You guys seem to be having a nice night".

Cole glanced over at Rachel. She still had the jasmine flower in her hair.

"Not really," Cole replied.

"Neither were we," Zane responded.

Jay rubbed the back of his neck as he stared at the ground, "Mainly me, but Zane helped me out!".

Zane smiled and gave Jay a nudge.

"That's what brothers are for," said Rachel. "Is it just you guys out here?"

"I believe so," Zane answered. "When I left, Lloyd was asleep and Kai was not in the room with us. I understand we have all struggled a bit since our return from 'The Unknown', but my sensors indicate a probability of trouble".

"What's that mean, Zane?" Cole asked.

"I do not detect Kai anywhere near the grounds of the monastery," Zane replied.

"He's not here?!" Rachel exclaimed.

"My scanners indicate that he is nowhere to be found within these perimeters," Zane replied. "I sense trouble".

"I don't like that," Cole remarked with a hint of worry in his voice. "I know he's a big boy, but with all of this going on there's no telling what he can get into, especially alone!".

"Where could he have gone?" Jay questioned. "Where do we even start? There's like nothing around here, except for a bunch of rice fields and a river-"

"Oh God," Rachel covered her mouth.

"What is it?" Cole asked.

"River," Rachel muttered.

Cole's expression turned to shock, "Jeez. Seriously, Kai?!"

"You don't think he-" Jay started.

"I believe he did," Zane interrupted.

Rachel's flower fell out of her braid and landed softly on the cobblestone. Raising both her arms to her head, she took her braid and coiled it into a tight bun then spun into a brightly colored dark blue tornado, changing into her gi.

"We've gotta make sure he comes back safe," she stated firmly. "He's looking for Blaire".