Kai's ninja buddies don't stick around very long. After some horsing around and general conversation, they exchange see you later's and take off into the sky. The villagers scatter as well, continuing their chatter as they meander back to their farms and homes in the valley.

At some point during the revelry, Nya wandered away with a heaviness in her chest. Maybe it's dumb to just run from it, but she's dreading the inevitable conversation.

The "we're leaving Ignacia" conversation.

Now she's perched on a fencepost along the road, intently studying the horizon. She missed the last part of November, when the air becomes crisp. The leaves have lost their bright colors. It's the brown "in between," right before winter's entrance.

Nya shivers a little, but stays. It's hard to see Walter's house from this angle, but if she focuses really hard, she can spot it behind a row of trees.

"Hey," Kai says, startling her. Must be that ninja training, teaching him to be all stealthy.

"Hey."

Kai climbs up next to her, swinging both legs over the fence. For a long while, they just sit there quietly. The silence is numbing, in a good way.

It's almost unnerving, how still everything is now. No evil dimensions or warlords or color-coded dragons. Like the storybook closed. Like it never happened.

Nya wishes it never happened.

Or maybe she wishes it never stopped. This is the hard part, after all.

"So . . ." Kai starts slowly. "Whaddya think?"

Nya inhales softly. "About what?" she says on the exhale.

"Y'know. About the guys. About—everything."

When Kai talks about it all, his voice changes. He sounds truly happy, with this energetic spark in his eyes. His smile doesn't look tired or forced.

Nya doesn't dare ruin it.

"I dunno." She swallows. "They're cool."

But Kai's not easily fooled. He leans down, angling his head so she has to look at him.

"C'mon. Be honest, Nya."

She'd like to be honest. Really, she would. But—he just seems so excited. He's been given fresh purpose, a new perspective on life. Kai feels special. He has found belonging.

If Nya were to crush the fragile glimmer of his spirit, she would never forgive herself.

So she turns to him fully and smiles. "I'm serious. It's all really cool. I—I'm happy if you're happy."

Which—y'know, the last part is true.

Kai lights up, satisfied, and returns his gaze to the countryside. The corner of Nya's eye catches a glint of something shiny—she glances at Kai's back.

Strapped to his bright red outfit is a gleaming sword, crafted entirely from what looks like real gold . . . or perhaps something even more precious.

Nya recognizes it. The Sword of Fire, the one Garmadon was hellbent on retrieving. The one that has, like, magical powers or something. And speaking of powers, Nya distinctly recalls Kai's flaming, sparkly tornado.

Geez, she has so many questions. She thought Kai would be a fountain of stories and ego, gushing about how cool he is now, but—

He's mostly quiet, eyes on the view. Nya risks another glance at him. Kai's smile has faded, replaced now by a pinched sort of frown. He's thinking about something.

"What is it?" she asks gently.

Kai rolls his bottom lip between his teeth, debating. With his expression clouded over like this, he looks so much older.

Finally, he sighs. "I was—really worried, you know."

Nya's heart clenches at his tone. Kai isn't good with words; to say that out loud, he must really be hurting.

It's almost gratifying, in a strange, comforting sort of way. Like the universe is telling her, sure, Kai has new responsibilities now, and friends, and a dragon, but he still cares about you.

He's still her big dumb brother, and she hadn't really paused much to consider things from his point of view. It must've been all kinds of stressful, not just cool backflips and high-fives with his buddies.

"For a while . . . I kinda thought I might've lost you for good," Kai continues unsteadily. "Sensei wouldn't let me go after you right away, and I—well, I didn't know if—"

"I'm okay," Nya assures, nudging him. "It wasn't that bad."

Kai raises a stern brow.

"Okay maybe it was pretty bad," Nya relents. "Obviously. But I knew you were coming! I could feel it in here."

Overdramatically, Nya presses a hand to her heart, turning to give Kai a woeful look. It gets a laugh out of him.

"That much faith in me, huh?" He smiles wanly.

"Duh. You can't get rid of me that easily."

"Shut up," Kai chuckles, elbowing her. Nya laughs with him and feels that customary swell of warmth flood through her.

She'd worried that Kai might not be the same after all the chaos, that maybe he'd be too mature for her or something. It's nice to be reinforced. Kai looks a little stronger, sporting a few scrapes and bruises, but still her best friend. Still a massive dork.

"So. You're a superhero now?" Nya asks, changing the subject.

Kai shakes his head humbly. "Not really. I mean, maybe? Sort of. We're not exactly the Fantastic Four, but—ya know."

"Then what's this do?" Nya reaches playfully for the Sword, but Kai jerks away hastily.

"Whoa, don't touch it," he warns. "I still don't know what it's capable of. Not yet, anyway."

Nya hums thoughtfully. She almost asks about the inevitable upcoming changes, but it'll just spoil the mood. She wants to keep this lighthearted energy for a while, after everything they've been through.

She leans back a little, kicking her heels.

"So. What's uh . . . what's his name?"

Kai frowns. "Who?"

"The blue one. He's pretty cool."

"What, Jay? Yeah, he's cool, I guess. I mean, a bit of a chatterbox, but he's kinda been growing on—"

Evidently, Kai finally notices the significant look Nya's giving him. He balks, waving his hands.

"Ohhh no. No. Not in a million years."

"He's kinda cuuuute—"

"Absolutely not."

"But what if—"

"You're thirteen."

Kai and Nya bicker back and forth, bouncing between serious threats and joking remarks. Most of the teasing comes from Nya's end. Apparently her interest—however vague—with Kai's teammate doesn't sit well with him. This, of course, only gives Nya more reason to annoy him with wistful sighs and suggestive comments.

She's missed this. The loose, comfortable way she feels when she and Kai are together. Sure, he's currently threatening to clobber Jay with a shovel if he makes any moves, but Nya knows he's not serious.

Probably. Maybe.

Actually, there might be a degree of truth to Kai's words, but—whatever. She's getting off track here.

"What're you so scared of?" Nya laughs.

Kai pushes her hand away as she tries to mess up his hair. "Nothing. Just remember the rule: no dating till you're sixteen—"

"What! You're not even sixteen—"

"So? As official-unofficial guardian, I make the rules. And I say sixteen."

"Well I say, that's stupid."

"You're stupid," Kai grins, giving Nya's shoulder a shove. She shoves back, a little harder. Kai pushes again. So does Nya. Eventually, the two siblings are involved in a faux-vicious game of chicken, wobbling atop the fence posts.

And for a handful of joyous moments, they're the only two people in the world. Life is just simple. How it used to be.

"Whoa—!" Nya yelps as Kai shoves a little too hard and she tips backward.

Kai's gasp of oh shoot I'm sorry is barely audible as Nya tumbles into the grass, one ankle thwacking against the fence. Before she even has a chance to discern which way is up, Kai's crouched next to her.

"Are you okay? Sorry, I didn't—it was totally an accident, I know you're pretty banged up already and I—why are you laughing?"

Sure enough, despite being sprawled out in the dirt, Nya is shaking with silent laughter. Kai frowns, not understanding.

"Are you—did you hit your head? Nya, stop laughing—"

This only succeeds in encouraging it, though, and Nya bursts into a full fit of hysterics, hugging herself as she lies there. Kai looks on with confusion until Nya's mood latches onto him and he can't help but laugh right along with her.

We're crazy, Nya thinks. Her life is being ground to pulp in a blender. She barely survived a kidnapping-slash-fiery-death. Dragons are real and her brother is a ninja and the world as she knows it is ending.

And somehow it's hilarious.

Here they are, lying on the side of a dirt road, gasping for breath. If this were someone else's story, Nya wouldn't believe it. But it's real. And it's crazy.

This is her life. And Kai's life, too. And Nya knows that once she gets up—

Once she acknowledges what lies in the not-so-distant future . . .

It'll all come crashing down again.

So for now, Nya sits up on her elbows and laughs with her brother, clinging to the last normal moment they'll ever have here. The last dwindling spark of childhood.

oOo

"—so Sensei Wu hid the four weapons in different parts of Ninjago, where Lord Garmadon could never find them."

"Wow," Nya breathes, where she's curled up under a blanket next to Kai.

She's been listening to him tell the story of—well, everything. The more he reveals, the less stable Nya feels. They've been oblivious for so many years.

Right now, her whole world is this couch. But beyond the shuttered windows, past the chipped wood of their walls . . . a whole separate reality is unfolding.

"And there's this group of special people—Sensei calls them the Elemental Masters. People who have these crazy powers, like—I dunno, commanding the ocean, or splitting the ground open under their feet. And Nya—you'll never believe this."

She looks up at him. "What?"

Kai leans closer, eyes all ablaze with fascination. "Our dad was one of them."

Nya blinks once, clutching the blanket tighter as the words register slowly.

Their dad . . . had elemental powers? Did their mom know? Was she scared? And how did he get the powers?

Nya rubs her temples, grimacing at the rapidly onsetting headache. She doesn't usually partake in information overload right before bed. Kai's been filling her in for—hours, she realizes after glancing at the clock. And the end of his tale is nowhere in sight.

"What . . . what was Dad's power?" Nya asks. She figures it's one of the safer questions to ask, all things considered, but Kai's response throws her.

"Fire," he says smiling. His grin widens when he continues, "Same as me."

At that, Nya's brain performs a screeching halt-and-implode. A mental short-circuit.

She'd known Kai has some sort of bizarre ability now, but he'd just finished explaining Spinjitzu and how he figured out how to do it. Nya wasn't prepared for more.

"It's genetic?" Nya asks.

"I think. I'm pretty sure elemental parents have elemental kids."

Okay, fine, she'll buy it. But—

Wait just a minute. How come Kai has cool powers and Nya doesn't?

Or—does she? Could that be possible? Can two kids get their parent's power, or only one? There are probably rules for this stuff, but gosh, Nya doesn't know any of them.

"What about me?" asks Nya, offended.

Kai has the decency to at least look sorry when he says, "Uh . . . I think—I mean, I'm pretty sure you're just . . . normal."

Nya's spirit sinks. "What? Why?"

"It doesn't work that way."

Nya crosses her arms. "Who made you the boss of elemental powers?"

"I'm not! Sensei said the powers get handed down to one heir. I guess I—well, maybe I have Dad's powers because I was born first."

"What about Mom?" Nya's grasping for straws and she knows it, but still . . .

"Sensei didn't mention her. I think he would've, if there was something important about her."

"And what? He just knows all this stuff?"

"Well, he's a Son of the First Spinjitzu Master, so . . ."

"Oh . . . yeah." And so is Garmadon. Nya had almost forgotten.

"Sensei was good friends with our parents before—everything. He knows what he's talking about. I'm sorry."

Ugh. So her doofus of a brother gets to have fire powers, but she gets zip. Typical.

How come he had to be born first, these elemental guidelines are so dumb. If Wu's a descendant of the First Spinjitzu Master, can't he just—y'know, change the rules or something?

"—have to keep training, so we're ready to face Lord Garmadon when he returns," Kai is saying. "Our weapons have powers we don't even know about yet. It's our job to unlock them."

It's our job to keep the family business running, Nya wants to say, but she keeps it to herself. All this magical ninja stuff is way over her head and she'd like for things to go back to normal now. It was fun for a second, but—

It's getting too real, too fast. Everything needs to slow down—

"That's why we're moving into the monastery."

Kai drops the bomb very matter-of-factly, like he's stating the weather. Or the time of day. Not like he just dug out Nya's worst fear and plopped it in her lap.

She'd known this moment was coming. But now that it's here, Nya's entire consciousness shuts down.

"The—the what?"

Kai lanches into another long-winded speech about what the monastery is and what it's like to live there, but Nya's not really listening. She's trying. Really hard. But her own frantic anxieties are roaring in her skull.

It's happening. It's actually happening. We're leaving.

Life is changing now. The changes aren't approaching anymore, they're right here—

"—so cool, and you'll love the guys, I promise. Not Jay, though, you're not allowed to love Jay—"

"We're moving?" Nya asks. It comes out quieter than she'd anticipated, but Kai doesn't seem to notice.

"Well yeah. I mean, if I'm gonna be a permanent part of the team, we can't stay here. The monastery has all the training equipment and—"

Kai stops when he sees the look on Nya's face. "What?" he asks.

Nya twists her mouth, wanting to tell him everything. This is Kai. She shouldn't be afraid to talk to him, they've been joined at the hip since, like, birth (except for the first three months of her life, in which Kai didn't like her at all—but they don't talk about that).

Point is, she shouldn't be holding back right now. Kai needs to know how she feels. Otherwise there might be no turning back.

She's assertive now, right? Assertive and grown up and strong. She's allowed to speak her mind.

But—FSM, Kai's so happy . . .

Nya fixes her expression. "Nothing. It's just so—so exciting, you know?"

"I know, right? It's like—this whole other world has been waiting out there, and now we get to be a part of it."

Nya smiles shakily, tucking her legs further beneath her. Leaving Ignacia? Living with a group of strangers? Abandoning everything Nya's grown up with, everything she's learned to appreciate and—

"I swear you won't get bored or anything, the monastery's really cool. I mean—you can't come on missions, obviously, but there's tons of other stuff to do. Like—video games. And you can help with the cooking and stuff—"

Kai keeps going, rambling incessantly. Nya lets it trickle in one ear and out the other. She seethes in silence.

Can't come on missions? Help with cooking? What does she look like, a housewife? She survived the freaking Underworld, Nya deserves some credit, geez.

After all this time running the shop together, Kai's gonna shove her aside like some little—useless—

"Okay," Nya grinds out. "I'm going to bed."

Kai looks at her. "Oh—already? I thought you—"

"It's been a long day. It's been a long month, honestly."

"True." He eyes her. "Are you okay?"

Nya gives a strained smile. "Yeah. Just tired."

She leaves it there, swiftly retreating to her bedroom. Nya can feel Kai's eyes on the back of her head but she doesn't look back.

Sleep does not come easily. Among the scattered nightmares about the Underworld, Nya has new things to worry about. They're not supposed to actually move. They have to stay here. In Ignacia. Where life is predictable.

Adventure and action sound great, but not yet. Kai's only fifteen. They're both minors, living on their own, which is already pushing it. And now . . .

Her fear is confirmed to be valid. Kai's ninja life does not concern her. She's not involved.

It'll be like living near Kai. Not with him.

Not cool.

Nya sleeps on and off, waking up sporadically and usually in a cold sweat. The moon cycles through the sky, its beams filtering onto the floorboards.

Finally, Nya wakes up at 7:35 in the morning and can't fall back asleep. Which is good, she remembers, because she's gotta meet up with Aiden today.

For what might be the last time.

After the past couple weeks of chaos, Nya knows Kai won't let her walk to town alone if she asks. So she goes with the other option—not asking.

Her bedroom window has always been perfect for sneaking out, so Nya throws on a jacket and climbs right through. Pebbles slide under her feet as she jogs down the hill. The morning air, brisk as it is, bites at her ears. Low on the horizon, she can see the sun waking up.

Nya reaches town in what might be record speed—she missed running more than she thought. Now she's frozen on the edge of the center marketplace.

It looks the same, mostly. Somehow, she'd expected everything to be rearranged and new. That does seem to be the trend, as of late.

No one bats an eye as Nya wanders through the middle. She wonders where Aiden may want to meet—neither of them had offered a location, and Nya doesn't see him.

As she roams, her attention snags on a conspicuous stack of crates, blocking the entrance of an alley.

I wonder . . .

Nya heads over and recognizes the alleyway immediately. It's where she found Aiden and the kitten, years ago. Someone has clearly tried to discourage others from entering, but Nya's not about to be hindered by some dumb boxes.

She shoves a few crates aside and spies a hole big enough to crawl through. And standing inside the alley is Aiden himself.

"Hey, you found me," he beams.

"Yep!" Nya rights herself, dusting off. "I had a hunch."

She approaches him cheerfully, but they can't seem to find any more words. Nya's the one who suggested the meet-up in the first place, so she should probably take the lead. But where to start?

Why had she done this, exactly? Oh, no. She's far too antisocial for a one-on-one with a boy, there's no way—

"So . . . you're moving?" asks Aiden.

Okay, straight to the point then.

"I . . . yeah." Nya looks down. "My, uh—my brother . . ."

Aiden is frowning. Frowning like he doesn't believe whatever half-baked excuse she's trying to force out. Nya sighs.

"Look, I'm gonna be honest, okay? But you have to promise not to think I'm crazy."

Aiden nods, looking ironically unsure. "Okay."

And Nya tells him everything. Everything she can remember, everything she can think of. It's not easy by any means, and she doesn't miss how Aiden's frown keeps deepening. Some of her facts are out of order—Nya can't be bothered to keep everything chronological. It's all a big mess, no matter what way you spin it.

By the end of her long-winded recount, Nya feels airy with relief. That lasts a whole two seconds before the anxiety is back, because oh, she just revealed everything to this boy—this cute boy, and now he must think she's gone off the deep end . . .

Alongside that, there's a slowly rising dread, reminding Nya that this information might not have been hers to tell. Not that Kai ever mentioned it being a secret, but how can she know for sure?

Maybe she wasn't supposed to tell anyone, maybe she's in big trouble now—

"You're messing with me," Aiden finally says, smiling crookedly.

Nya shakes her head. "I wish."

"You're telling me . . . Ninjago is in mortal peril and your brother is our last hope?"

"Him and his friends, yes."

Maybe if the situation wasn't so dire, Nya would've burst out laughing. It does sound ridiculous, she knows that.

Unfortunately, she's forced to sigh in solemn acceptance, watching as Aiden's face loses its color. He looks away for a long moment, processing.

"You're serious?"

"Dead serious."

It's a while before either of them says anything else, but Nya understands. If she'd just been told that the Lord of Darkness was loose in Ninjago and the only weapons that could stop him were in the hands of teenage boys—

She'd be concerned, too. And she is. Heck, this whole thing sounds like a poorly written fantasy novel (and Nya would know—she's read dozens). But usually when she doesn't like a story, she can just close the book.

Not this time.

At last, Aiden takes a breath. "So you're a ninja now?"

Nya blinks. "What? No."

"I thought—"

"My brother's the one with the fancy powers," Nya explains sullenly. "He's got the looks, the skill, and now the special abilities."

Aiden looks down. "Not all the looks. Or skill."

It takes a moment for the comment to register and when it does, all Nya manages to do is laugh. She feels her cheeks heating up, probably as red as Kai's new ninja outfit. She and Aiden exchange hesitant smiles.

"Tell me more," he says, grinning.

For a moment, Nya's pleasantly stunned. But she has plenty more to tell, and talking to Aiden comes easier than anything ever has.

Eventually, the morning light grows harsher and Nya recognizes it's time to go home. Aiden asks if he can accompany her on the walk, and she says yes.

On the way, they chat a little more about elemental powers and Lord Garmadon—Nya tiptoes around some more sensitive topics. She purposely had left out the "kidnapped and trapped in the Underworld" part. Aiden doesn't need that on his mind.

He's taking everything surprisingly well, though. While he'd initially been skeptical, Aiden seems like he believes her now. And why wouldn't he? Nya couldn't make this stuff up if she tried.

The only thing they have yet to cover is . . .

"This might be goodbye," Nya says as they approach Four Weapons. It's still fairly early. The sun's rays peek through the tree branches. Nya thinks she can hear a woodpecker somewhere. And a frog.

Aiden looks at her. She stares back. And there's something in the air, buzzing with anticipation. Like something is about to happen.

Aiden takes a step forward. Nya stays where she is, eyes wide and unblinking. They look at each other some more.

"Does it have to be goodbye?" asks Aiden.

Nya's heart stutters. There's a noteworthy tone leaking between Aiden's words, but she can't place it. For a miserable moment, Nya panics as all coherent thoughts crash together in a train wreck.

"I—I guess not," Nya finally manages. "Maybe we'll see each other around. Sometime."

"Yeah."

More uncomfortable silence. Nya is overcome by the urge to be closer, to touch him somehow. Briefly she considers a hug, but she doesn't have practice hugging cute boys, she'd be sure to screw it up somehow. But what else is there?

Kiss him.

Nya falters at the thought, quickly banishing the idea. KISS HIM? They hardly know each other. She doesn't even—they don't—she can't—

With a jolt, Nya realizes she's been staring at Aiden's lips. She averts her eyes rapidly, breath catching. What is happening—

"Nya?"

Heart leaping in her chest, Nya whirls around to find Kai standing in the doorway, arms crossed in the way that usually means she's in trouble. His eyes are narrowed curiously, brows pinched in the middle. Do you know this kid? says his expression.

Clearly Kai just woke up, hair poking out scruffily and pajama pants creased oddly at the ankles. He's sizing up the situation.

Lightning fast, Nya analyzes her situation, trying to see just how badly this could end.

To recap: this is goodbye, cute boy standing here, I want to kiss him, my brother is watching.

In other words, the most explosive recipe for disaster she has yet encountered.

Her eyes flick between Kai and Aiden, who are both looking at her with questions in their eyes. Different questions. And since Nya's whole life is changing and everything is being flipped like a pancake on a griddle, she decides she probably has nothing to lose.

Nya closes the distance between Aiden and herself. He's at least a head taller than her. She can see every individual freckle on his face.

He blinks at her.

"Not goodbye," whispers Nya.

Then she rises quickly on her toes and plants the softest of kisses on Aiden's cheek. She expects that to be the end of it, but just as she's stepping away, Aiden pulls her back in by her arm—

Their lips meet.

It's just a second. Maybe half a second. Or maybe eight seconds, Nya wouldn't know. She's pretty sure her entire brain goes absolutely dark. Dark with shock, with fear, with utter embarrassment because Kai is standing right here—

Nya stumbles back, eyes locked with Aiden's. He gives her a careful smile.

"Take care. And stay cool, okay?"

"O—okay."

With a cheeky wave, Aiden heads off, leaving a very flustered Nya standing in the slowly spreading sunlight. She has a handful of quiet seconds to replay the moment in her head—or, what she remembers of it. Then—

"Ahem."

Nya winces, turning laboriously to face Kai.

"Uh, I'm sorry, what was that?" he demands.

"That was, um . . . Aiden."

"Who's Aiden?"

"Remember when I found Allie, like forever ago? Aiden and I were trying to fight off those mean kids? And then he ran away? Does that ring a bell?"

"Vaguely."

Nya spreads her hands. "I guess we've sorta been . . . talking?"

"Talking, huh? What I just saw looked a lot like kissing—"

"Don't make it weird, Kai."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just didn't realize you've been running around kissing random guys—"

"Okay, first of all," Nya interjects, "I'm not running around kissing anyone. And second of all, Aiden's not random."

"He's random to me."

"So?"

Tired of this exchange, Nya brushes past Kai and stomps inside. He follows, scandalized.

"So? So I don't know him! How long has this been going on, anyway?"

"Not long."

Nya plops down in a kitchen chair, massaging her temples. Her lips tingle where they had touched Aiden's. It had happened so fast, she didn't even have time to process what was going on. She hardly had time to enjoy it.

Did she enjoy it?

The thought crosses her mind and Nya goes cold. It was barely a peck, just the tiniest little kiss. Not a big deal.

But it was on the lips. She wasn't brave enough for that. That's why she went for the cheek, that's why she pulled away so fast.

She wasn't ready . . .

Kai leans against the cabinets, looking thoughtful. "Wow. I can't believe my little sister started kissing people before I did."

Nya shakes her head, mostly to herself. Because she's not kissing people. She was kissed. And it wasn't what it was supposed to be.

"That was my first," she says to the tabletop.

Kai's expression changes, softens a little. The words scramble around in his brain, trying to form the right response.

"It was?"

"Yeah."

"You . . . don't seem very thrilled."

"I'm not."

"Oh."

Some silence. Nya stares into the void for a while, reliving the kiss over and over. She keeps fighting for some kind of revelation, for the lightbulb to click on. For the burst of oh, I actually liked it a lot and it was perfect!

Instead, all she feels is disappointment. And a hint of betrayal. Like something very special was stolen from her just now.

Eventually, she hears Kai shuffling over. He drops a hand to her shoulder.

"Sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay."

"So—that guy kissed you without your permission?"

Nya thinks. "Mmm . . . sort of?" When Kai darkens, Nya rushes to reroute. "I mean—I initiated it, technically. But I didn't know—"

"I'll kill him."

"Kai, chill." Nya yanks him back from his beeline to the front door. "Just forget about it, okay?"

"But he—"

"He's here. And I won't be. So, whatever. End of story."

None of it matters, Nya realizes. Regardless of how she feels about Aiden, she's leaving. It's not like she'll ever get the chance to find out what could've been.

It's obvious that Kai's not quite satisfied, but to his credit, he doesn't push it any further. This may be the first time Kai let something go when Nya asked. She's almost suspicious.

Kai nudges her. "Well, c'mon then. We have packing to do."

He spends the rest of the day breezing through the house, gathering up what few personal belongings they have. Nya lets him. Her theory is, if she can't see things changing, they're not changing.

Denial! Works wonders.

Yet, Nya spends no time idly. Her day is booked by getting some work done on the mech, which is coming along nicely. Metal scraps and tools lie scattered over the floor, half-built appendages lean against the wall.

She keeps her door shut and locked, not that Kai comes knocking anyway.

That night, after reading another chapter of Mechanics, Motors and Mobility, Nya curls up in bed and rolls over to look at the wall. She raps her knuckles against it three times.

"Good night," she says loudly.

Kai's muffled voice replies, "Night," from his own room.

Nya smiles at that. Nice to know some things never change.