~ Part 13~ | Wondering
~*~*~*~
** Wondering (Julia Lester and Olivia Rodrigo)**
~*~*~*~
"Seems like a part of me will always have to lose
Every single time I have to choose
Swore that it felt right, but was I wrong?
Is this where I'm supposed to be at all?
I don't have the answers, not today
It's like nothing makes the questions go away
What I'd give to see
If the grass was greener?"
~ High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
This chapter is dedicated to jaywalker42 !!! Thank you for all the amazing support! I really appreciate it!!!
(comment or PM if you'd like a shoutout!)
Also I drew a picture of Lloyd! It isn't the best I thought I'd show it off anyways! XD
******
Kai didn't often feel nervous. Wait, that wasn't true. Every time Cole went into the kitchen he felt nervous. Let's fix that. Kai often felt nervous, specifically when his friend started to make food, but this time he felt more than nervous. He felt downright terrified.
It didn't help that the person he was doing this whole stupid thing with was Jay, who was famous for freaking out. Kai had tried to put a little faith in the freckled boy but as he sat impatiently beside the hyperventilating kid he began to realize why he had such little expectations in the first place.
"This is a terrible idea!" Jay wailed, pacing around in the NGTV's lounge area.
"What do you mean this is a terrible idea?" Kai yelled, glaring at him. "This is your idea!"
"Yeah, well, I changed my mind! It's a free country!" Jay snapped.
"Let's all calm down and take a breather," Nya suggested. "Maybe I should get you two some water?"
Kai huffed and slouched in his seat. "Get some holy water because when this all goes to the departed realm I'm going to be saying some not-so-nice things."
Cole gasped. Lloyd, who had been approaching with a lollipop he had gotten from the receptionist, was suddenly shoved backwards. "We have little ears here, Kai!"
"Aw come on! I censored it! I could've said h-"
"LITTLE EARS!"
"H, E, double hockey sticks." Kai rolled his eyes.
"You mean hell?" Lloyd piped up, licking his lollipop.
A loud shriek sounded from Cole. Lloyd gave the boy a look. "I know swears exist, Cole. I came from a school for bad boys, remember? Swearing was like another language for them."
Kai narrowed his eyes at him. "Really? What was the worst curse they taught you."
"SHUSSHHHHHH!" Spit flew from Cole's mouth as he slapped a hand over Lloyd's mouth. "That's it! You are a terrible influence!"
Kai shrugged and swatted the index finger jabbed at him away. "I'm not going to deny it."
Nya snickered. "When I was six some kids were laughing and teasing me. I asked Kai what I should do and he said I should flip them off."
Cole made an odd noise in the back of his throat as he stood, grabbing Lloyd by the shoulders and steering him away. "That's it! Lloyd is coming with Zane and me to go see Pixal while we wait."
Zane's head snapped up from where it had been glued to his phone. "What?"
"Nya, keep them out of trouble until I get back."
Nya twisted the cap off of a water bottle and handed it to Jay. She raised an eyebrow. "Who's going to keep you out of trouble? Last time we were here you almost bought an entire wedding cake."
Cole made a face at her. "Details."
"Lloyd, are you willing to babysit?" Nya turned to her friend.
Lloyd was too wrapped up in gnawing at his green apple lollipop. "Hm?"
"Zane?"
"Can someone please inform me of what is happening right now?"
"I don't like this. Why don't you all stay here where I can see you?" Nya grumbled.
"Relax mama bear, I got this." Cole waved her off, already moving for the door. "Besides, if all else fails we have Pixal."
Nya remained dubious but reminded herself that it was Kai and Jay who got into trouble last time. Now that they were under her supervision nothing could go wrong.
"Be back in time for the interview." She told them.
"Geez, it's like you're the older sibling here," Kai complained. Nya flicked him in the forehead.
"That's because you act like a ten-year-old." She snorted. "Good luck with Pixal, Zane!"
Zane sputtered but was dragged away before he could protest.
*******
Zane wasn't sure why he was so nervous. He was always composed but there was something about Pixal that changed all that. Realistically a teenager shouldn't be able to waltz through the biggest corporation of dangerous tech without anyone noticing, much less a group of them. But somehow they made it through the main lobby, up the elevator, and into Cyrus Borg's private laboratory without a problem. Which was a little concerning.
Zane's mechanical falcon friend remained on his shoulder for most of the trip but as soon as they entered, he took off and disappeared around the corner.
"Woaahhh...." Cole breathed as he looked around.
Zane started to go searching for Pixal or Dr. Borg but a loud clatter made him turn. Cole froze under the icy blue glare of his companion.
"Sorry!" Cole scrambled to put the pieces back on the table. Zane sighed and came over, examining the disconnected parts before fitting them back where they should be.
"Zane?" The boy looked up to see Pixal coming into the room. The falcon soaring in and landing on one of the late computer monitors.
"Greetings." Zane gave a small tilt of the lips. "My apologies, I should've called you to let you know we were coming.
"That is alright." Pixal smiled at him, her green gaze widening when she spotted Cole. "Hello."
Cole gave an awkward salute. "Wassup?" More tools fell as he leaned onto the table by mistake.
Zane sighed but turned back to the silver-haired girl. "How are you?"
"I am fine." She blinked up at him. "I was not expecting you."
"We were in the city and thought we would say hi." Zane gave a small laugh, the falcon flew back over to him and landed on his arm. "How are the DNA scans going?"
"DNA scans?" Cole exclaimed, head whipping to look at Zane. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, Pixal said she could run a few tests to see if we could find my family," Zane explained.
Pixal raised her borgwatch, tapping it with her finger and creating a small hologram. She flicked through the floating screen until she got to a string of DNA. "Everything appears to be going as normal. It is taking the computer awhile to go through all the various people in the database. It seems as if your family is not in Ninjago City."
Zane nodded, feeling a little disappointed that they weren't anywhere close but happy that the results didn't come up empty. "Thank you, Pixal." His eyes were warm with gratitude. The girl flushed and glanced away.
"It is no problem." She assured him, switching it off. "I will alert you of anything new that comes up."
"I'm sure we'll figure it all out." Cole patted Zane on the shoulder. "We can do a little research manually and then Lloyd, you, and I will head back to the news station."
As he said that, Cole was suddenly aware of the absence of the small, blonde, boy. "Uh... Zane? Did we leave Lloyd in the lobby?"
Pixal brought up the security cams and did a scan for face recognition. "What is his last name?"
"Garmadon." Cole and Zane said in sync.
Pixal waited a moment but the screen flashed red. "There is no one in the building by that name." The girl reported.
There was a beat of silence as Cole tried to figure out what to do.
"Well, crap."
*******
"Sucker." Lloyd mused to himself as he strolled down the streets of Ninjago City. He wasn't too concerned about being separated from the group. He knew this place like the back of his hand. Of course, he wasn't surprised if Cole and Zane didn't notice his absence at all. That was just how the cookie crumbles when you're Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon.
Instead of going to the tower-like he probably should, Lloyd headed back to the news station and ducked into the side of the building. It had an abandoned parking lot no one used anymore, the tarmac was covered in large fissures. Now the parking lot was positioned on the other side and around the back of the building. But in that abandoned parking lot was something special. A huge wall stared back at him, perfectly secluded but in a noticeable enough spot that people would see any changes later. Lloyd grinned, pulling off his backpack and dropping it on the ground. A hand reached in and grasped the sturdy feeling of the can.
An artist like Lloyd couldn't pass up a beautiful blank canvas. It was like it had been calling for him.
Lloyd didn't have any plans marked out in his head, just his artistic instincts and some spray paint. Ensuring that his hood was pulled up far over his face and the drawstrings secured it tightly, Lloyd was confident that the cameras wouldn't be able to recognize him. Oversized hoods were more than just a fashion choice of Lloyd's.
The boy moved quickly, watching as the bright paint lit up against the grey walls, turning something boring into something beautiful. Large letters built up words, each with the street style graffiti font, layers of shading and wild shapes creating the perfect effect.
When he was finished the boy stepped back and admired his work. Done in bright yellow and green were the words: Rise Up. Lloyd smiled to himself and carefully leant down to do the Green Ninja signature. He had just completed the end of the dragon's tail when he heard the soft roll of tires. Lloyd quickly plonked the spray cans into his bag and turned to leave. Something about the car and its strangely silently engine made Lloyd look up. But when he did he froze in his spot.
The sleek black car pulled into the faded parking lanes, paying no mind to the graffiti artists standing in the shadows. A door swung open and a tall figure came out.
Light bounced off Garmadon's reflective glasses and his lips were pulled in a serious expression. "Why are we parked here?" He frowned and regarded the fast food container that he had stepped on with disgust.
"You said you wanted to stay hidden." the frail man clambered out. "This is as hidden as we could get."
Lloyd watched as his father moved his head, he was started when the man looked straight at him. But he didn't seem to immediately recognize Lloyd in the dark. "Not hidden enough," Garmadon muttered. He slammed the car door and began walking towards the young man. "You, child, how much money would it take to keep your mouth shut for a little bit?"
He looked different. Different from the fractured memories. Different from the faded photograph in his bag. Different from every dad a kid draws in kindergarten. The tight fitted suit gelled back dark hair, and a tall, intimidating, stance.
Lloyd's heart was hammering in his chest. He had played this moment so many times in his head that it almost seemed like a distant memory. But now that it was actually here all the words he had rehearsed got lodged in his throat and refused to come out.
So, Lloyd did what he always did in these situations. He acted. He slipped into the part he had made so easily for so many years.
"Not exactly a good bargaining strategy. Next time I suggest you name the price." Lloyd called, looking up at him from under his hood.
******
Garmadon's brow furrowed as he strolled forward until he was in front of the kid. It was a young kid, no older than fifteen, but he held himself as if he was twenty. Garmadon could make out a slight tremble in his body and his brilliant green eyes held something in them that he couldn't quite decipher. But there was something familiar about him...
When the teenager finally looked up at him Garmadon almost stumbled in surprise. Those eyes... Misako's eyes... Lloyd's eyes. He had stared into those eyes so many times. He had seen so many emotions displayed in their gaze. Wonder, joy, sadness.... now all it held towards him was a guarded expression.
Lloyd had obviously seen the recognition in his expression so the boy just gave him a wry smile. "Hey, Dad."
Note****
If you noticed the last chapter's titles changed then that is because I didn't realize how many words all this would take so... yeah.
Also, if you noticed this was out before the next chapter of Heart Song I keep on promising then... shdodidhsiidbdj shush, I'm bad at subtly procrastinating. I am working on it, and I'm not doing any white lies, and actually have been working on it. It just takes a little longer when you have less enthusiasm. But it will be out!
Have a nice day!
LuckyBugBooks 🐞