Flames of the Past #1: The Man in the Mist (Ninjago Fanfiction)

Chapter 16

"You better back down, before someone you love gets hurt!"

"Take the knife. Try to defend yourself again. I dare you."

"It's time I teach you where you stand. What happens when you oppose me."

"Hurting you is my job. I can't let Jay steal that from me."

"He was in my way of finding you."

"You know this changes nothing. Because you are nothing."

Cole woke up in a cold sweat. He shot up in his bed, gasping for breath. Heart racing, he felt around his neck until he found his necklace and began chewing at the rubber charm. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, struggling to soothe his nerves.

"You got issues, boy."

Cole jumped at Miss Beech's voice and turned his head to find the maid bustling around his room once again. As his heartbeat slowed again, he tucked his necklace back under his shirt. "You again?" he grumbled.

"Did you expect someone else?" Miss Beech snapped back. "And you shouldn't sweat so much while you sleep. Now I have to wash your sheets all over again."

Cole wiped the rest of the sweat from his forehead, moving to the edge of his bed. "I can't exactly help what I do in my sleep, can I?" He smiled as Rainy moved beside him and he ruffled the fur between her ears. "It's not my fault I have nightmares," he went on more to the dog. "Isn't that right, Rainy?"

"Ever heard of therapy?"

Stiffening, Cole glared across the room at the old lady. "I've had the experience," he muttered.

"I mean for your friend," Miss Beech said as she dusted the dresser. "He's not exactly what I would call psychologically undisturbed."

Cole stared at her in puzzlement. "My friend?"

"You really should take your teammates' advice," Miss Beech continued, ignoring the question. "Holding grudges is never a smart way to get through life."

It took Cole another minute to realize she was talking about Lloyd. Scowling, he folded his arms across his chest and looked away. "Oh, so you're against me, too?" he growled. "Like anyone would understand how much I suffer because of Lloyd."

Sighing deeply, Miss Beech turned toward him. "One day, when you're as old as me, you'll come to know that the world doesn't revolve around you. Unless you die before that, of course."

"Excuse me?" Cole shouted. "I didn't wake up here to be insulted, thank you very much."

The faintest hint of amusement crept into Miss Beech's smile. "If your friends won't tell you the blunt truth, I'll have to do it myself."

Cole looked back at her. "Why do you care?" he spat. "You're just some old maid whose probably never even been outside the kingdom! You don't know what it's like to suffer." Shuddering, he wrapped his arms around himself, glancing down at the scar peeking out of his sleeve.

"And you're an immature kid who's more self-absorbed than I thought," Miss Beech responded calmly.

"Self-absorbed?" Enraged, Cole jumped to his feet and stalked over to the maid. "If you want to see self-absorbed, you can kindly go down the hall and talk to Lloyd."

Miss Beech stared up at him, seeming genuinely shocked. "You think Lloyd is self-absorbed?"

Cole kept his gaze steady without response.

Miss Beech scoffed, smirking as she regained composure. "I rest my case," she croaked as she headed for the door.

Cole's jaw dropped. "Well, what's that supposed to mean?"