Hi! I know I'm a day late but I still wanted to participate! Thank you @jayaweekofficial for organizing this again! I'm not gonna say I'll draw a cover 'cause I've only written one chapter so far and it's already day two, so you're gonna get my minimalist canva one for now and probably forever.
Also, I've kinda been having writers block lately so, A, if you read Bound, I'm sorry I haven't updated it, and B, if the writing seems a little choppy/unnatural, also sorry.
"Remind me why I'm here again?" Nya groaned.
"Because I am your legal guardian, and you have nowhere else to go." Kai told her calmly, walking towards the docked ship in front of them and up the metal ramp that led towards the open door in its side.
Nya tugged at her suitcase, which had caught for a moment on the edge of the ramp, then walked quicker to catch up with him as he crossed the threshold into the ship and then into an elevator. "I knew I shouldn't have let Wu graduate me early. Besides, why are you my guardian? It's not like you ever take care of me!"
He sighed. "I'm your only living relative, and Wu arranged a long time ago that I would become your legal guardian when I turned eighteen, if I earned enough money to support both of us."
"But you're only two years older than me! You should be my brother, not . . . whatever!"
"It's only for two years, Nya." She could tell he was struggling to stay calm.
She sighed. "Then why did he even bother?"
"Because he knows I can support you well." The elevator doors opened, and she followed him out.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure when Wu told you you had to be able to support us, he meant go get a job at the pizza shop or something. Not let that talent scout rope you into this mess."
"Don't you dare call it that again, Nya!" She could see the anger building in his eyes, but she didn't back down. "And I'm sure he's happy that at least one of us amounted to something, after all the trouble he put into us."
"Oh, is that so?" He had crossed a line, and they both knew it. "You think you amounted to something in his eyes? You ran away from home to train and form your stupid band! You left us all behind!"
"You could've come with me, Nya," He held her gaze. "I could've given you whatever you wanted–I still can."
"No, I couldn't've! You running away was already enough! I had to stay, be a good student, prove that Wu had been right to keep us and I wasn't an unthankful brat too!"
"Talk about being a brat! Just look at you!" He matched her shouting tone, their voices echoing in the enclosed hallway. "You should be grateful that we have this, and happy for me that I found something I love! But no, you're just twisting the situation, making it sound like you're the good girl, and I just packed my bags and estranged myself or something!"
"Didn't you? That's what it always seemed like to me! Wu obviously cared about us and our futures, to take us in after mom and dad died! And he runs a boarding school, for goodness sakes! Didn't it occur to you that he probably wanted us as his star students? Wanted us to make stable futures for ourselves and end up worth it? But no, you just packed up all your things and left to risk it all with that talent scout!"
Kai paused, his voice turning from furious to confused. "Is that really what you think?"
"Of course! What did you expect me to think?"
He sighed. "I guess it would seem that way from your point of view. But from mine–I felt like we were a burden to him. I always felt like he liked you more than me–you were so young, you hardly remembered mom and dad, and you adapted so quickly, like you were always meant to live at the academy. But I missed our parents, and I got into trouble. I thought if I left, it would be easier. And the talent scout promised me I could be rich–I always planned to pay Wu back for everything when I'd saved up enough. I just–" He trailed off. "I'm sorry, Nya."
If she still knew her brother at all, she knew that was hard for him to say. And she had to admit she had never thought about it his way. "I'm sorry too," She said. "I guess I get it when you say it that way. But you weren't a burden–we were all sad when you left."
"You never seemed very glad to see me when I visited." He pointed out.
"I know." She looked down, watching her shoes on the paisley patterned red carpet. "I'm sorry. It's just . . . it was weird. I got used to things without you. And you seemed so different. You dressed all fashionable, and had lots of pictures of your new friends, and we just didn't talk about the same things we used to."
"Because we weren't the same people we used to be, Nya." Kai said. "You weren't the same either. You cut your hair, and you seemed like such a grownup schoolgirl, always studying your books or bringing your fancy girlfriends around for tea."
"They weren't really my friends." Nya explained. "I mean, I hung around them at school, but I wasn't quite part of their group. I just brought them around because they wanted to see you."
"They did?" He stared at her, and she almost laughed at how surprised he was. He shouldn't be–he was famous, after all. Why else would they be leaving on tour that very day?
"Of course. Just because I've never listened to your music doesn't mean nobody my age does."
He stopped in his tracks. "You've never listened to my music?"
"Did you think I would've, after what I just told you? Your music reminded me that you'd left! Besides, I don't listen to pop. And even though the other girls at school listened to it, they never did when I was around. I guess they thought it was weird."
"But you and Wu never watched our music competitions on t.v., or anything?"
"He offered," She admitted. "But it was so weird to see you on the screen. He even offered to fly me out to go see you perform when you sent me tickets. But I didn't want to miss school, and besides, I knew if I gave the girls free tickets they would like me."
"But you never listened to any of our songs?" Kai reiterated. He couldn't seem to get past the realization.
"Not fully, anyway, and not by choice. I sometimes saw Wu watching your music videos or t.v. appearances. But not often. I just never had much time to listen to music." She felt very guilty, partially because he was her brother and she should've supported him, and partially because she wasn't exactly telling the truth. A few times, when she had felt especially lonely, she'd lie in bed at night and look up Kai's solos and interviews online, and watch the videos just to hear his voice again. But that had only been a few times in the many years he'd been away. And she hadn't listened to whole songs.
"Well, you're in for a treat then, I guess." He said, returning to his usual overconfident self. "I'll make sure to get tickets for you to at least one of our shows."
"Thanks." She reminded herself this was only for a week.
They walked up a staircase, then turned left, Kai consulting a map on his phone. Finally, they stopped in front of one of the numbered doors.
"This is yours." He handed her a key card in a paper sleeve. "I've got to go rehearse with the others, I'm going to be late. Dinner's at six." And with that he left.
Nya stood outside her door for a moment, then pulled out the card and pressed it to the lock mechanism, which clicked and flashed green. She opened the door and tugged her suitcase inside.
The cabin was well-kept, although simple decor-wise and a bit outdated. It was about the size of a small hotel room, longer than it was wide, with a big window in the far wall. The double bed was also at the back of the room, and was made with fresh blue and white covers, which somehow went strangely well with the red carpet that continued in from the hall. Other than that, the room had normal hotel room type things–a desk, built-in sofa, television, and a fogged glass door that led to the adjoined bathroom.
Nya sat on the bed, a bit in shock from everything that had just happened. She felt guilty that she had never looked at things from Kai's point of view–maybe she had been a bit of a brat, after all. Maybe she had just missed her brother so much that she'd wanted someone to blame for his going away. But now she could see that he was happy with this life that she herself would never want, and be happy for him. Sure, maybe it hadn't been great for them to grow up apart, but now that they were older, they could make up for lost time.
To tell the truth, a tiny bit of her old resentment still hung on–it had been there for so long. Part of her wondered, couldn't he have visited more? Was he not allowed to? Or did he just forget about me?
She could hardly blame him if he had–the superstar life did seem exhilarating. Sure, Kai's band wasn't that famous, but the company that employed him certainly had some even more famous artists under their belt, if they could afford to send the band, all of their crew, and one out-of-place little sister around Ninjago in what seemed to be an old cruise ship they apparently owned just for this purpose. She wondered where they'd bought the ship from–she knew they owned it, since the entertainment company's logo was on lots of things inside. And it did make sense–from the outside, it just looked like a small cruise, and you wouldn't guess who it was really transporting.
Nya felt the ship start to slowly move–she and Kai must've been the last ones to board. That may have been her fault–she had been a bit difficult that morning. Now that she was here, though, it didn't seem that bad. She hadn't brought all that much, so instead of fully unpacking, she opened her suitcase and laid it on the sofa. She wondered what she was supposed to do until six–Kai had made it sound like he wouldn't be available till then. That was still over three hours away.
Well, Nya decided, she might as well explore. This was where she'd be living for the next week, after all, so she'd better figure out how to find her way around.
There was a binder on the desk, and she flipped through it until she found a map. She took a picture of it–just in case she got lost. Then she slipped her phone and key card into her pocket and left the room.
Nya wandered around aimlessly, which probably wasn't the best idea. The first few floors she explored were the same as hers, full of numbered cabin doors. But a few floors above her own, she found a pair of glass doors. They were unlocked, and she opened one, stepping onto a narrow balcony. The wind whipped her short hair wildly around her face, and her jeans flapped around her calves. She looked down to the sea below–they hadn't traveled that far in the hour or so she'd been on the ship, but the water was still deep. It didn't scare her to watch the dark blue waves below, however–they were beautiful, and she knew she was safe. She did start to get chilly after a while, though, with the strong wind. She pulled out her phone and tried to figure out where she was on the map, which was tiny on the screen. After a moment she figured out what floor she was on, and after zooming in, she was able to orient herself to her exact location. She turned the handle of the glass door, swung it open, and–
"Ow!"
Nya looked up from her phone quickly, and stepped out of the way of the door, which was swinging back into place. A boy was standing in front of her, rubbing his shoulder where the door had hit him and bounced off.
"Oh gosh, I'm sorry!" She backed up quickly, blushing.
He smiled good naturedly. "It's okay. You must be Nya." After seeing her puzzled expression, he explained, "Kai talks about you a lot."
Oh, right. The boy must be one of Kai's bandmates. Nya was somewhat surprised he would know her so easily by sight. Unfortunately, she couldn't say the same for him. "Um, so, that would mean you're . . ."
"The fans call me "Superstar Rockin' Jay.""
Nya stared at him. "Do I want to know what they call my brother?"
He shook his head fervently. "Definitely not. But, um, you can just call me Jay."
"Okay," She smiled, holding out her hand, and they shook. "Nice to meet you, Superstar whatever."
"It's Jay!" He set off after her as she continued down the hall. He didn't know why he hadn't just introduced himself that way in the first place. But meeting new people, especially pretty girls, made him nervous, and unfortunately, when he was nervous, he made jokes.
"So, Jay. How do you like this whole boat thing?" She asked, looking back at him over her shoulder.
He caught up to her. "Well, when we're famous enough to afford it, I'd rather take one of those high-tech jets. But I guess it's fine. This ship is pretty cool, as long as you don't get seasick like Cole. I was actually going to go see if I could take a look at the engine room."
Suddenly she remembered what Kai had told her earlier. "I thought you guys had rehearsal or something."
"We did, but it was quick. Now the others have private training sessions, but me?" He shrugged. "I got off easy. I guess that's the good thing about not being particularly good at anything."
"What do you mean?" She wished she could tell him something he was good at, but never having seen him perform, she didn't exactly know what to say.
"We're all known for something. Zane, he's got perfect pitch, and he's great at memorizing raps without twisting his tongue up like I do. Cole is the best dancer, although he's spending more of his dance session being seasick than actually reviewing his solos. Kai's kinda known for his charm–he's charismatic, photogenic, you name it. A good actor." Jay winced. "Sorry if that's weird to you."
"Not really." It was weird, but she was kind of used to it. Besides, it was interesting to know these things. "What about you?"
"See, that's what I'm trying to say. I'm not really known for anything useful. I'm just "the youngest" most of the time. I get more dancing than Kai and Zane, but I'm not the best singer." He didn't seem very bothered by this. "I crack a few jokes in interviews, whatever. I'm mostly known for being the little brother of the group."
"Really?" That didn't seem very fair. "I'm sure you're very talented."
"Not like the others. But that's okay, I'm fine with a bit more free time."
"And you're using it by going to the engine room. Where you're probably not allowed."
"Hey, I like that sort of stuff!"
"Engines, or doing things you're not allowed to?"
"Engines!"
"Okay then." She couldn't exactly tease him for it–she liked that stuff too. She didn't tell people about it, though. She had always played her part of being a good student for Wu, and for the girls at school, liking the same things they did. Which definitely didn't include engineering, mechanics, and the engine rooms of ships.
They kept walking until they reached the elevator. Jay pressed the button, and they stood outside in silence, waiting for the doors to open.
"Um, do you mind if I come with you?" Nya finally managed to ask him.
"Sure!" He grinned. "I mean, if you don't mind doing things you're not allowed to." The elevator doors opened, and they both stepped inside.
"Now that I've graduated, I guess I can afford to." She smiled back. "Besides, I like that sort of thing too."
"Really? Kai never told me that."
She looked down. "I doubt Kai ever knew."
"Sorry. I guess he spends more time with us than he does with you." Jay said quietly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way," Nya didn't want him to feel bad for her. "I just don't talk about it much. It's not like many people our age enjoy engineering."
"I know, right?" He sounded upbeat again. "Well, I think it's really cool. I was going to be an inventor, but . . ." He paused, as if wondering if he shouldn't say what he had been planning to. "This pays more. Plus, it's fun. I like my friends, and performing with them. Especially dancing."
"Dancing seems cool." Nya said. "At Master Wu's Academy, where Kai and I went to school, they had a dance elective. I used to want to take it, but I decided to focus on my studies."
"Is that how you graduated at sixteen?"
"I guess so." She didn't know why she was telling him this in the first place. She definitely didn't want to get into how she had always thought she had to be a good student to make up for Kai's leaving. Actually, he probably already knew Kai's side of the story, which was definitely very different from hers.
"Sorry, it's probably weird that I know your age," Jay was saying. "I just hear a lot about you, like I said."
"Like how annoying I am?"
"No! Well, maybe a little." The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out, finding themselves belowdecks, seemingly on the lowest level of the ship. The hall here was industrial-looking, and Nya got the feeling that if this had been a normal cruise, a special crew bypass would've been required to even get down here on the elevator.
The hall was short–the engines of the ship must've taken up most of this floor, and probably some of the ones above, Nya guessed. She and Jay had no problem finding the engine room door. It was bright yellow, with black caution stripes painted diagonally across it.
"I get the feeling that we really shouldn't go in there." Jay said, disappointed.
"I doubt we even could. Everything's probably pretty watertight down here, so it wouldn't be a traditional lock."
"Are you implying that if it was you could get us in?" He looked at her in surprise.
"Maybe." She smiled. "I have a few bobby pins in my hair, and I know how the average locking mechanism works."
"Wow, really? New plan, you teach me to pick locks."
"But all the rooms that we wouldn't get into trouble for breaking into have keycards." Nya pointed out.
"Good point," He sounded sheepish. "I guess we could just wait around here and hope someone comes down, then beg them to give us a tour."
"Why not?" She laughed. "I'm supposed to meet Kai for dinner at six, but I have nothing to do till then."
"Me neither." He leaned against the wall.
She followed his example, making sure to stand far enough away that it wouldn't be awkward. "So, you like inventing things?"
"Yeah, but they usually go wrong, sometimes really wrong. That's how I got this." He pointed to a notch in one of his eyebrows. Nya had noticed it before, and assumed that it had just been put there for aesthetic purposes, to make him seem less young and innocent and match more with the others.
"Really? That must've hurt."
"It did, but it was a while ago. I was testing these gliders I made, but I crashed."
"That sounds scary."
"Well, it was fun until the crash. I think it scared my parents more than me. They like to invent too, but they generally stick to . . . safer stuff."
They kept talking–Jay telling Nya about his other inventions, and her telling him about the ones she had drawn up blueprints for but never been able to make. No one ever came for them to beg for an engine room tour, and they were both surprised when a tinny jingle rang out through the hall.
"Oh, sorry, that's my watch." Jay pushed up the sleeve of his off-white t-shirt to reveal an electronic watch with a blue band, its screen lighting up with a call screen that read 'DirtClod'. He pressed the green button to answer.
"Jay, where are you? Dinner started at six, remember?" A voice came through the watch's speaker.
Nya checked her phone–it was 6:15. She was surprised they'd been down there that long.
"Oh, right, sorry!" Jay said. "I'll be there in a sec. Save me a spot!"
"Jay, this isn't a school cafeteria. We can do whatever we want here."
"Not go in the engine room." Nya said under her breath.
"What was that?"
"Um, nothing. Right. I'll be there!" Jay pressed the red button to hang up.
"Who was that?" Nya asked him as they headed back to the elevator.
"Cole." Jay pressed the button and a moment later, the doors slid open and they stepped inside.
"DirtClod?"
"Oh, that's just my nickname for him, cause he's into backpacking and rock climbing. He goes out in the wilderness and comes back looking like a dirt clod," Jay explained. "He calls me ZapTrap 'cause this one time, I was working on an invention right before we had rehearsal, but I ended up electrocuting myself."
"You electrocuted yourself?"
"Just a little. It was fine," Jay sounded so nonchalant, Nya almost laughed. "Everyone got way too freaked out."
A moment later, the elevator stopped and the doors opened.
"You're coming to dinner, right?" Jay asked.
"Yeah." Nya followed him to the dining hall, which had floor to ceiling glass windows and was filled with round, eight-person tables surrounding a buffet in the middle. She hoped it wasn't obvious that they had been together. Kai was strangely touchy about her and boys, to the point that every time he had come home to visit her, he always practically interrogated her to make sure she hadn't somehow gotten a boyfriend.
It didn't seem to matter, however, since after they both filled their plates, they ended up at the same table with Kai and two other boys, who Nya assumed were the other bandmates, Zane and Cole. There was a seat open on Kai's left, and although there were two open on his right, Nya didn't want to risk Jay sitting next to her. She looked around at the other boys–seeing them together, she realized they were all dressed the same, in blue jeans and oversized, long-sleeved t-shirts with ribbed crewnecks and cuffs.
"Did you get lost?" Kai asked her.
She glanced at Jay, who was sitting on the other side of the table. "A little." It was sort of true–she had gotten turned around, but much earlier, before she'd hit Jay with the door.
"Guys, this is my sister, Nya." Kai, whose shirt was a very pale rust brown, said, somewhat unnecessarily if they all knew as much about her as Jay did. "That's Zane," He pointed to the boy sitting on Nya's other side, who had white-blond hair and was wearing a light gray-blue shirt. "Cole," He pointed to a dark-haired boy whose shirt was a light, dusty olive green. "And Jay was late."
"Nice to meet you." She tried to look as if she had never met or heard of any of them before.
"You too." Cole and Zane said, while Jay nodded and tried not to laugh.
"Are the matching outfits for the show?" Nya asked.
"No," Zane explained. He seemed to be the oldest, and kind of the leader. "It's just so we look good together and don't clash, in case anyone sees us and takes pictures of us."
"That makes sense."
"Is it true that you've never seen us perform?" Cole asked.
"Never."
"Are you coming to the show tomorrow, then? You have to see us in person to really appreciate our killer dance moves. Right, Jay?" Cole nudged him playfully.
"Um, yeah." Jay said.
"I guess I'm coming. Kai was going to get me tickets."
"Actually, I believe tomorrow is sold out except for standing room, seeing as it's opening night." Zane said.
"Really? Damn." Kai sighed. "Sorry, Nya. I should've bought them before. Are there tickets left to any of the shows?"
"I think there's some to the second show." Zane said.
"Okay, I'll get you those. Sorry." He sounded actually apologetic. "I should've known."
"It's okay." Now Nya felt bad. "I'll be fine. Seriously, Kai."
"Yeah, Kai." Cole said, and they all laughed. As Nya learned over the course of dinner, they all had a lot of inside jokes together. She finished eating long before they did, as their stomachs seemed to have no particular limit, and they spent as much time talking as actually eating. She didn't mind, though; she was a little distracted, and didn't mind the extra time to think about everything that had happened that afternoon.
They took so long with dinner (and dessert) that by the time they were finished the boys had to rush off to a meeting and another rehearsal. Nya got up too and followed them out at a slower pace towards the open double doors that led to the elevators.
"Hey–" She turned quickly to see Jay leaning against the doorframe.
"Oh, hi. I'm sorry again about hitting you earlier, I–"
"Seriously, it's fine. I've fallen from the sky and electrocuted myself, remember?" He grinned. "Anyway, it was, um, nice talking to you and everything."
"Yeah," She smiled back. "See you later."
"See you later," He repeated. "Superstar Rockin' Jay, out."