Yes! My birthday is three days from now!
I was just relaxing on the Bounty, smiling to myself, enjoying a perfectly good Sunday, headphones in, listening to the Weekend Whip, drawing and thinking about what sensei had said.
Zane and Jay had already unlocked their True Potentials, so I was wondering when I'd get mine.
Cole was outside, eating a sandwich, and as far as I heard, the rest of the guys were playing video games. Nya was there too, but mostly to keep the peace between them.
Then, my peaceful state was violently murdered. "What's that noise?" I groaned. I looked down from the deck to see a minivan driving by.
I heard Jay coming up to see what was going on. The rest of them followed after him. "Can't be my parents. Not their car." Jay shrugged.
"Zane, can you see how many people are in that car? I'm going to teach what 'disturbing the peace' means." Kai cracked his knuckles.
"I believe there are seven people in that car." Zane said. My eyes got wide. "Uh, who are those people?" I asked.
"Two teenagers, two little kids, one infant and two adults. Why?" Zane asked. "Guys, this is the last favor I ask of you. Kill me." I said, handing Kai my Golden Weapon.
"Why? What's wrong?" Nya asked. "It'smyfamily." I coughed. "What'd he say?" Jay asked. "His family." Kai translated before his realization dawned.
He handed Nya his sword and told her to run it through his heart. "Come on, they can't be that bad." Jay said. "Oh yes they can! Except for Carter. He's pretty cool." Kai argued.
"No he's not." I cried. "You're exaggerating. Bethany wasn't that bad last time I saw her." Nya said. "That's because you're one of them!" I yelled.
Nya gave me a look that said, 'rephrase what you just said before I make you.' "You know what I mean." I correct myself. "Wait a minuet. You only have four siblings. Who's the baby?" Kai asked.
"Oh yeah. I never told you. My parents hate me and are insane, so they decided to have one more kid. They should have stoped with me!" I explained shaking my head.
Before anyone could say anything else Cole yelled my name. "Omar! You have visitors!" I walked down the stairs, thinking of all the possible ways to get them to leave.
"It can't get worse than Jay's parents." I told myself. As I got to the door, my mom ran towards me and gave me a big hug, much to my embarrassment.
"Oh, son! It's so good to see you!" She squealed. "Yeah, thanks mom. Why are you guys here?" I asked through my fake grin. "You don't think we'd miss your 13th birthday, do you?" My dad asked.
"I said we should just stay home, order a pizza and call you like normal people, but apparently it's our, 'family responsibility' to be here." My older sister Bethany said.
"I was with her." Carter, my older brother, said. "Because for the first time in the 15 cursed years since she was born this was the first thing she said that makes sense!"
My two-year-old sister Stephanie waved from Carter's arms. "O" she giggled pointing at me. "Hi Omar." My little twin siblings said in unison.
By now, all of the guys and Nya were behind me. "Hey guys." I waved. "I see you've made friends. How have you- No. It can't be!" Mom inched forward towards Kai.
"Kai Alexander Smith, is that you?" "Yes, Mrs James. In the flesh!" He smiled, even though he seemed like he wanted to melt into the floor.
"What's all this Mrs. James nonsense?" My mom laughed, "Last time I saw you I was Auntie Teresa." I stood behind my mother and mouthed. 'I'm so sorry.'
"And where's Nya?" She asked. Nya stepped forward so mom could see her. "Oh my goodness, Nya Alana Smith, you've grown up so much!" She covered her mouth with both hands. "So, so sorry!" I mouthed to Nya.
As she interrogated the two of them on every little detail, Bethany and Carter walked up to me and got ready to, probably, insult me.
"I'm required by parent law to ask. How've you been, Orange Juice?" Beth asked. "Don't call me that." I grunted. "Leave him alone." Carter said to her then turned it back to me and said,
"Where's my money?" "I don't get paid for this. Although I really should." I groaned. "I noticed you have some friends. I really didn't think ya had it in you. Go figure!" Bethany shrugged.
"Omar is a good friend, and he's proven himself worthy in battle." Zane said. "And here, we call him Jittery." Jay added. "Jidder!" Stephanie repeated pointing at me again.
The twins walked up to me, giving me the chance to introduce them. "Guys, this is Bethany, that's Carter, the little one is Stephanie, my Dad's over at the car, and these two are Hansel and Grettel." I said.
"Those are actually their names?" Cole asked. "Nah." Carter shrugged, "That's Mac and he's Cheese." "Seriously." Cole asked. "No, boulder brains. Jack and Mackenzie." I snapped at Cole.
"Where can we sleep?" Mom asked me. "Sleep? Your staying?" I shrieked. "Of course! Why else would we have brought so much stuff?" My dad smiled.
"Uh, you and Steph can sleep in the guest room, Beth, you wouldn't mind sleeping in Nya's room, and you two can sleep in the crow's nest. Mack, you can pretend to be Rapunzel." I said.
"Okay!" Mack beamed. "Absolutely not." Mom scolded. "They'll sleep with us."
"And what about me?" Carter asked. "I don't know. You can sleep on the deck for all I care." I told him. "Or he could sleep in the living room" My mother suggested.
"I see you're still crazy." Beth said. "It's not his fault. He was hit by a tree." Jay said. "Really? I need to ask you guys some more embarrassing stuff." Carter smirked. "We should help with your bags." Zane offered. "Thanks." Beth shrugged.
We helped unload all of my parents stuff (blackmail-worthy things), and gave the tour of the ship. After we were done, Mom told me to watch the twins.
"Kai, watch the twins. I'm gonna get some water, aspirin, and a vial of poison." I told him.
"For you, Carter or your curse-ed older sister." He asked. "Any of the above." I called. I got the water and aspirin, but I was seriously considering the poison.
"Hmm, should I take the aspirin, then the poison, or both at once?" I asked myself. When I got back, I saw Kai on the ground, clutching both shins. But the twins were gone!
"What happened?" I asked. I nearly dropped the water, poison and aspirin! "They ran off. They kicked me in the shins and ran off." He groaned.
"We need to find them before my parents find out-" I started. "Before our parents find out what?" Carter said from behind me. "Uh, we're playing hide and seek." I lied.
"You lost them, didn't you?" Beth asked smugly. "In my defense, Kai did it." I pointed at the Red Ninja. Jay and Cole had come to find us.
"What's going on here?" Cole gestured at Kai. "The twins got away, and we don't know where they are." I said. Just then, I heard a voice.
"Omar says this ship flies. Which button do you think it is?" My eyes widened. "They're at the bridge! Get 'em!" I commanded.
We left Kai on the ground and ran towards the bridge. "I found it!" Mackenzie sang. Just before she hit the button, I dove in and tackled her.
"Hey! What was that for?" She folded her arms. "Don't press any buttons on this ship!" I told her. "But why?" Jack asked.
"Because if I'm not old enough to have a cappuccino, you can't press any buttons." Jay stated. "Can he have a cup of Cheetos?" Jack asked, trying to imitate what Jay had said.
"Oh now I get it. He's cheese." Jay laughed to himself. "How about you watch us train?" Kai walked into the room slowly. "That's boring." Mackenzie wined.
"You can use some of our old weapons." Jay offered. "Okay!" They ran on the deck and Jay gave them the dull, wooden training sword, and one of Zane's old shurikens.
"Are you crazy?" Bethany asked me. "Their too dull to do any damage." I brushed her off. Then I heard a scream.
"Ow! Hey!" Jack hit Mack over the head with the sword in revenge. They started tackling each other and rolling around on the ground, screaming. "Can't do any damage, huh?" Beth folded her arms.
We ran out on deck and Carter pried them apart. "Okay, you two. Let's get you some juice and a snack." I said. They both nodded sadly.
We had Zane make pizza for dinner that night, and mom told some really, um, interesting stories from when Kai and I were little. Dad talked about the new games he's coming up with.
Suspiciously, I couldn't find Cole or Bethany anywhere after dinner. I'll see Cole when I go to bed anyway, and I really won't miss Beth.
The next few days crawled along, filled with, torture from my older siblings, annoying questions from my younger siblings, taking care of my fussy baby sister and embarrassing stories from when Kai and I were kids.
But finally, a mission came up. "A band of Serpentine were spotted at the old Monastery." Nya told us.
"On my birthday of all days? Really?" I asked sarcastically. We grabbed our weapons and got ready to go.
"Can we come?" The twins asked. "No! Stay here!" I commanded. They sulked as we shot off towards the Mountains.
As we came to a stop, we found all the tribes of serpentine there, digging in the smack center of the mountain. We landed right in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. "Ninja! Attack!" A snake yelled.
"Ninja-GO!" We yelled as we ran in to the army. "If you can't take the lightning, get out of the storm!" Jay hollered as he sent one flying.
"Now you're cooking with fire!" Kai shot a fireball from his sword. "Let us give them the cold shoulder!" Zane froze a bunch of them with his Shurikens.
"Come on guys, about time we sent them back to their tombs!" I grunted. "Didn't anyone teach them how to play dirty?" Cole fractured the ground with his Scythe.
We were doing alright, sending lots of them to the emergency room for sure, but then, I felt something tugging on the back of my gi.
I was about to kick the little snakes into the next century, but I saw that they were my little twin siblings! "What are you guys doing here?" I asked while fighting.
"We wanted to see what you were doing." Mackenzie said. "And you said to stay here. We're here. Are there any cookies here?" Jack asked.
"Look, you guys are seriously getting in my way! I'm trying to save the world here and you're just bothering me! Go back to the Bounty and stay there this time!" I shouted.
They looked like they were on the verge of tears when they ran off. We had sent the rest of the snakes running, when I heard the twins voices again!
"Omar! Help!" Jack cried out. I whirled around to see some Fangpyre running away with Jack and Mack! "Hey! Come back with them!" I yelled as I summoned my hover board.
The two Fangpyre boarded a Rattlecopter and flew off! I zoomed of after them, until we made it to the old Monastery. I jumped off and hiked up the Mountain to meet them.
As I approached the top, I found a horde of snakes waiting for me. Worst of all, Pythor was there, looking at the twins as if they were a snack!
I faced them head on and spun my Glaive, ready to bust some heads. "Put them down!" I yelled at them.
"Or what? It's 50 snakes against one puny ninja." Pythor. "Don't make me use my Weapon!" I threatened. "Oh, I'm so scared! Give us your best shot!" Another mocked.
I heard the Bounty in the air abound me, and the guys getting ready to shoot up the mountain.
"Besides, if they're always getting in your way, why do you care if we finish them off right now?" A Hypnobrai grinned.
"Because no matter how much they annoy me, no matter how many times they get on my nerves, they're my family! And I'll do whatever it takes to defend them, even if I go down busting your buck-toothed skulls!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.
I felt the ground shake underneath me, and I could sense the power flowing through my veins.
The others had climbed over the barrier by now, and my parents, Nya, Carter and Bethany were watching too. I knew what was happening, and I'm sure the others did as well.
"So be it!" Pythor yelled as snakes shot arrows and threw spears at me. "Now drop them and run before I put you six feet under!!!" I yelled as I was floating in the air.
A forcefield of time shot out from my chest and froze every weapon and snake in their position.
I could feel my powerful state wear off, as I fell to the ground. I landed on my feet and wobbled around like a drunk lady in heels. Then I fell back first onto the stony ground.
The guys, the twins, Nya, Bethany, Carter and my parents crowed over me.
"What the slurp was that?" Bethany laughed. "True Potential." Cole stated simply. "That was cool!" Jack said. "Can you teach us how to fly, too?" Mack asked.
"Me to! Me to! Stephy wunna fly to!" Stephanie said clapping her tiny hands. "Are you alright son?" Dad asked me. "You just gave me the best idea for a new video game! Thanks bro!" Carter laughed. "Will you need a doctor? How do you feel?" Mom panicked.
"I'm fine, sure. But I might have to lie down until my next birthday." I chuckled.
"Wait wait wait. You ran away from home, school, your family, and your whole slurping, boring, stupid life... to do that? I have never been more proud of you." Bethany exclaimed.
The guys helped me up and took me to the Bounty. As we flew back to our normal location, the Sea of Sand, Zane made some super special Triple Chocolate Cake!
There were 13 candles in their respective number. "My favorite!" I laughed as I stuffed a piece in my mouth.
"Hey, guys! Report to the Bridge!" Nya said through the speaker. She's already had her share of cake and ice cream.
We all walked over to the command center and observed the screen. "I was observing the Monastery here the snakes were frozen in time, and I noticed something. Pythor had escaped." She stated.
"Hey, you're right. Where'd he go?" Cole asked. "He must've escaped as he realized that you were unlocking your Powers." Zane told me.
"We'll get him next time we see him for sure. He's the only smart snake. He's gotta learn not to mess with us sometime." I smirked.
That night, it was time for my family to go home. "Can't we stay a little longer?" Jack wined. "Sorry guys. Time to go home." I said as I hugged them. "But you never showed us how the ship flies!" Mack reminded me as I let go.
"How about this. If you can get your parents to drive the car on deck, we'll fly you guys home." Kai offered.
"Got it, hedgehog hair." Bethany teased. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. "Mom! Dad! Cole and his band of freaks want to give us a ride home!"
"Why are they my band of freaks? Why can't they be Omar's?" Cole said to no one in particular. "Sounds good to me." Dad said as he started the car.
"I think I'm deaf now." My older brother groaned. "Betty woud." Steph told me.
Dad drove the car onto the deck and took a nap. I overheard Cole telling Nya to fly as slow as possible. "Hmm. What's going on?" I wondered as I got my headphones.
As we flew over the mountains, I was looking for Cole all over the ship, but none of us could find him.
When Kai and I were searching the ship, we heard two voices coming from the crows nest. We looked up to see Cole and Bethany chatting.
"It wouldn't be eavesdropping if we just so happened to be close enough to hear, right?" Kai grinned.
"Yes it would." Carter said from behind us. "But I won't say a word. Go cause some trouble."
We scrambled right under the Crows Nest to soak up every drop of juicy information.
"You don't think it would be that hard to to pull off long distance communication, right?" We heard Cole ask.
"Yeah, it should be okay." Bethany responded. "It's too bad you can't stay. We could really use a team member like you." Cole continued.
"Aw, thanks. But before we say anything else..." Beth looked at us from above the boards and peeled one of them up.
We were both recording and struggling not to laugh, so, yeah. Pretty hard to stay hidden.
"What are you two doing?" Beth asked. "Just getting every drop of dialogue from you two. And we're not leaving until we get a picture of you-know-what." I said. Kai and I smiled an evil smile.
"I have no idea what 'you know what' is." Cole whispered. "Just this." Beth said slyly as she kissed him. My phone camera clicked as I chuckled. "Thank you kindly."
Kai jumped down from the Crows Nest. "Gross." I said as I deleted the picture. "What are you doing, that's blackmail until they get married!" He whisper shouted.
"I know I don't have it, they don't." I grinned. "You're turning in to your brother." Kai smiled and gave me a punch in the arm.
Just as we were landing at my old house's driveway, my mom told me to, "Stay right there, I'm going to get something."
She jumped onto the anchor and it sank to ground level. "Your mother seems athletic." Zane said. "That's the most exciting thing I've ever seen her do." Kai said bluntly.
"Like she's known people who've fought before." I whispered to myself.
By the time I was done thinking, mom was back with a shiny, silver blade, and it looked just like my Golden Weapon!
"Mom? Where'd you get this?" I asked in shock. "When I heard you were doing an amazing job with the saving of the world, I made sure to give you recognition. So, I bring to you, the Silver Glaive of Time." My mom handed me the weapon.
"I don't know what to say!" I exclaimed and gave her a big hug. "Say tankoo Jidder!" Little Stephanie giggled and bounced up and down.
We all shared a laugh before letting my family go.