Flames of a Phoenix //Ninjago - Next Gen\

Six

You should really have kept your secrets to yourself. Thanks to your stupidity and arrogance, you've given yourself away. If you hadn't have been in such a big group, maybe I wouldn't have been able to practically smell the stench of Dark Matter dripping off of you all. I'm giving you one warning and one warning only. Unless you want all of your families six feet under, you'll give yourself up willingly when it's time. You know I'm not someone you mess around with. When I see fit, I will find you again and you will surrender yourself to me. Better wish your family goodbye, cousin, as you won't be able to speak to them again. Time is running out.

- Xander'

"Wait, hold on." I was barely able to hear Jade with how loud the ringing in my ears was pulsing. I shakily raise my head from the paper to see the woman frown deeply, "There was a lot to process. Can someone break it down for me?"

Nya, who had been reading the note from over my shoulder takes a step back, "What I gathered was that whoever this Xander guy is, he somehow knew we visited the Bizzaro's?" She fixes her gaze on my frozen face as if expecting me to agree with her.

"It also said something about a cousin?" Kat whispers softly, the woman nibbling the edge of her thumb anxiously. I watch her glance off to where the machete had been thrown from, like she was waiting for the person to attack them again.

"This is on me." I could only mutter coarsely, my windpipe feeling like it was closing in on itself. I could feel their curious and scared eyes on me, waiting for me to speak again. Inhaling shakily, I raise my chin to look each of them in the eye, the paper in my hand being crushed ever so slightly. "I know him, and I wish I didn't. I'm so sorry for dragging you all into this. I should have just kept everything to myself, then you wouldn't have all been threatened by my own cousin. I'm so stupid, I knew this was a bad idea—"

I cut myself off by clamping a hand over my mouth, salty tears brimming my eyes as my heart rate spikes. What have I done? What have I done, what have I done, what have I done? Everyone's in danger now thanks to my selfish reasons. I thought things were bad enough before, but I was so fucking wrong. My family, my friends, even my own son was now in danger because of my secret keeping self.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." I have to force myself to open my eyes, the shocked face of Jade being the first thing I see through blurry vision. She softly shushes me, wrapping her arms around my middle and bringing my body flush against her own. "Calm down, okay? Just take a second to breathe. We're all here, everything is okay."

The feeling of her hand rubbing soothing circles on my back has me crumbling against her. My cheek rests against the top of her head, silent tears dragging themselves down my cheeks as I hiccup. I couldn't bring myself to look the others in the eye. Knowing that they were witnessing my breakdown when I usually held myself strong made me feel weaker than I already appeared.

"Just take your time, okay?" Maddy smiles softly at my tear streaked face, the others standing beside her wearing the same face. "We can talk more about this tomorrow when everything has settled, alright? How about we go home, give the guys their dinner and sleep this all off so we have a clear mind tomorrow."

I simply nod my head, holding Jade a bit tighter to me as my breathing starts to slow down to its regular cycle. Despite the note saying that time was dwindling, I just needed a day to let everything sink in. Tomorrow, I would explain everything to them and we'd work something out. Like we always do.

"You sure you don't want any, Maddy? Jade seems to enjoy it."

Blinking away the memory from an hour before, I turn my gaze away from the table to see Kai grinning towards Maddy just across from him. He holds out a spoon of his curry to the woman, who in return scrunches up her face and shakes her head.