{Location: The clinic}(Seliel's POV)
I breathe heavily as I open the door, I have a large black duffle bag on my back which was not seen by anyone as it looks ridiculous to carry such a thing. I head to the back room, set the bag down on the desk, open the cabinet door, then place the bag back in. I pull open the zipper, 9 cassette tapes are tossed around inside. I couldn't find tape number 9. I think I left it in my jetpack or something. I push the bag further in then shut the door. I look around my fingers glide over multiple medical procedures. All in my Mom's handwriting. This was her life and joy, helping people.
"I'm guessing you putting your Mom's tapes back is taking a little time." Dad leans in the doorway as I slowly make my way out. Oh yeah, we were supposed to meet for lunch. I guess saving animals out of trees and traffic stole my focus.
I look around, this place never seemed like it could ever get its fill of people. I have a feeling it won't now. My fingers land on a small 'how to' acupuncture pamphlet. "Nah. Just trying to relax in this place before something crazy happens."
Dad folds his arms, it's a busy day for him, full of banquets and judging the town chili competition, "What? Something incredibly dangerous happens in this sleepy town?"
"Yeah. I hear it started when some guy with the name of James moved in," I take my helmet off for a second as my face is boiling.
"And I heard it only got crazier when the Phantom Ninja arrived." Dad holds the door open as I leave, "I believe you have something important?" He holds his hand out as the cool morning air sweeps my cheek.
I dig around in my belt pockets, then pull out a small silver key, "How'd you know I had this?" I let the key drop into his hand.
He locks the door to the clinic then puts the key in his jacket pocket, "Because I know you. Maybe not as well as I should." He rubs the back of his neck, "I'm sorry for keeping my distance. Mabey if-"
"Dad," I shoulder bump him, "You're the Mayor. I've know the back of your head better than your face since I was 6. I know you're busy 25/8."
"25/8?" He raises an eyebrow.
"25 hours a day, 8 days a week." I smile lightly as he switches the hand he holds his briefcase.
"First off, that's horrible math. Second, it's quite true." Dad steps towards the town, which is quite as there are seconds to lunch break, "I really could use a vacation."
"Where'd you head?" I resist to pull out my phone and text AJ again.
"Definitely somewhere sunny. Mabey Green town." He half wiggles his eyebrows.
I shake my head, "After how bad you wanted out of there?"
"You know," He leans down by my feet and grabs a small blue tulip, "I don't know why. Maybe I don't want to go back there, I think I'd rather time travel, tell younger me to just wait in front of a certain lady's room." Dad brushes his thumb over the pedals then gently places it in my hair behind my right ear, "It's wired how we can be nostalgic for earlier years and forget the bad?"
"I actually get that," I pull the flower out of my hair, it's just like the one people honored my Mom with a while ago, "Like how I wish to just live in some sort of limbo before the first attack," Why couldn't those stupid ninjas just stop the danger? Mom would be here, maybe she would have told me stories of her past instead of me having to listen to a recording, "I'm still mad at the ninja, but I also don't regret who I've become since then."
Dad chuckles, "Aren't humans just wonderful. So complex."
"Yeah," I smile, "I think I could use a break from feelings."
"Sorry," Dad tips his hat, "You signed up for feelings the second you poked that cute little head of yours into the world." He picks the flower from my hand, placing it in my hair again.
"Dad," I try and keep embarrassment out of my voice and cheeks as I hope he won't say what I think he will.
"Why? I was just going to say how you're the cutest Seliel-bear in all of Ninjago." Dad covers his mouth as he snickers.
My cheeks heat up as I pull my hair in front of my face. The flower falls out of my hair and to the ground, almost getting stepped on by me.
"Relax," Dad pulls my hair out of my hands, "Next to no one's here."
I push my hair back as I bend down and pick up the flower, "So, what time will I see you surface again?"
"Just after 6 tonight. And I'm bringing home chillie. So no cooking tonight for me."
"And tomorrow is Saturday, my turn for breakfast." Maybe I'll drop my CJ's and pretend their pancakes are mine. I feel bad for Dad's and my stomach tomorrow morning, "How about burnt yet runny pancakes?"
"Are you sure you didn't really want to take that home ec class back in high school?" Dad chuckles as my watch reaches 11:30.
"I thought cooking wouldn't be so hard." I fold my arms as Dad calms down.
"Cooking ramen noodles since you were 12 is one thing, but burning pancakes while keeping them runny, that makes you special, sweetheart."
"Are you done half embarrassing me?" I point behind him as his staff has somehow found him and still needs him.
Dad sighs then kisses my head, "And it shall continue later tonight." He manages to pick the flower from my hands again, "I love you, Seliel."
I push him off of me, "I love you too, Dad. Now, isn't it time for another day, another dollar?" I pull on my helmet and hide behind the corner of the building.
He waves as he's immediately surrounded by his secretaries with boxes of binders and pens, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." He's swallowed into the mass of people as I turn around.
I might be able to save people from all kinds of evil, but even I'm not ready for face the evil of Miss Jane's organizing spreadsheets.
I head back home. I really need a shower. As I walk, I play on my phone a little. I have no idea why but I'm getting stupid alerts from some old Ninja app I have. What's even weirder is that I thought I deleted it. I keep tossing the icon back into the trash and pressing the uninstall button but the next second is me becoming more and more frustrated by a stupid app. "Fine," I leave it alone as I open the front door to my house, "What is so gosh darn important that I keep getting these notifications?"
I open the app, all it is some mission they're on. It's not like it'll be here. I roll my eyes as a second alert pops up. Only from a different app. I hit the view icon, someone sent a massive joke to the town. Some strange looking man with eagle wings and blue tattoos are sneaking into the mines. I give an even bigger eye roll as the text read, 'Bigfoot in Crystal Pass.'
I head up to my room, "First, Bigfoot looks like an ape. Second, they debunked that. Third, Bigfoot doesn't have wings dummy." I exit that group text and tap AJ's goofy face of her sticking her tongue out.
I sit on the edge of my bed which is for once made. I can't even count how messages have been from me and not her. 'AJ, I can explain.' 'It was a misunderstanding.' 'Actually, several misunderstandings.' 'But I was wrong.' 'I'm sorry.' 'You were right.' 'Hello?' 'AJJJ!' 'Please talk to me.' Many more cover the screen as I start remembering my heartache when she left.
I throw my phone on my pillow as I sigh, "She's just busy. She's in detective school or police college or whatever the correct term is called." I roll over and pull up the last selfie we took together, "She's probably got a whole group of new friends." I set my phone down as I sit on my bed, "So why do I feel like I have the socialness of a potato?" I almost curl up into a ball then I shake my head, "She'll come around. I don't have anything to worry about. I'm Seliel Amana Quartzstone. I've made a lot of friends before and I'll make more." I swing up and stand on my legs, moving over to close my blinds, "As soon as I stop talking to myself."
Then my laptop scratches with snow then a male officer I recognize as Jimmy specks, "This is officer Tayler, I am watching on first and Pearl street as what l can only describe as two men with animal wings and several sharp weapons are holding a food truck hostage. Can I get some backup?"
"Sure," My imagination starts running wild as I have something other than saving small critters to occupy my time, "Does the grim and ghostly kind work?"
{Location: First and Pearl street}[Minutes later]
I catch my breath for a sec. I see the officer below my hasn't fared well. Especially how he's tied to the top of the food truck and the two suspects he mentioned are raiding it. I'm sneaking along the topside of the mines. This has to be some kind of fad, one of the people are super buff and has again like skin and brown hair. The other is also buff, wearing a loincloth, blue tattoos and has a long sword. I army crawl the next few feet as my helmet shows me details about them. Only to really show me nothing. What are these people?
"Well," A high pitched and annoying voice belongs to a female wearing black armor, a black sweater over her shoulders, has bright blonde hair in a ponytail and purple pants walks out from under the tunnel and stares at me, "I wouldn't call them people," I'm frozen as she snaps her fingers to the guys raiding the food truck, "Why do you hide? I know where you are."
Fine then. I stand up, fold my arms and stand close to the edge, "You must be new here." I flip down, land on my feet and quickly pull smoke bombs out of my belt.
The woman sneers, "They are," She points to the two as they pull out identical short swords, "Me. Well, I've been to this world a few times."
World? This chick isn't from around here but she does look human, "Then you should have gotten the message of normal people don't tie people up."
She huffs as the two guys come close, "Normal. That's boring." She touches her forehead as her sneer grows, "Seliel. What an interesting name."
I throw my bombs down as I step into the shadows, "Who's Seliel?" I pronounce my own name wrong. But who is this lady and how'd she figure it out so fast?
"You, sugar." The lady holds still as I sneak behind the weird looking guys. I pull out a small stick no bigger than my palm and hit him just a little under his head. He crumples like paper as I pull out my kama and catch the other guy's wing thing. I pull down, expecting cloth, feather, and glue. Instead, I somehow manage to draw blood despite not being near the guy's back. I almost whisper, what the, but hold my tongue as I kick the back of his knees. He falls as I hit him in the same spot I hit his friend. The smoke begins to clear as I put away my palm stick and grab my other kama. Somehow, the woman managed to grab the officer and hold a knife to his neck, "Let me see." She touches her head as the officer stays calm, "This is the perfect hostage. A police officer, and you're...upset at an officer. A friend?"
I slowly step closer as her grip gets looser, "None of your business." I spring in and slip my blades between her arm and the officer and pull him out, "Your only problem is me."
She rolls her eyes as her armor glows purple. I'll say it again. Her ARMOR GLOWS! She pulls her hand back, then strikes me on the chest over my heart. I'm forced to let go as I slide back on the loose dirt. "Then I'll be done with it quick. You're only a pathetic human." She pulls off her sweater to show me a cast over her right arms, "I fought against harder people last evening."
I grip my kama, looking ahead at my attacks, "Then you've never fought the Phantom Ninja before." I charge her again. Only this time I manage to surprise her with a roundhouse kick to the stomach.
She pushes me off, "I wonder what's under that armor," She catches my next hit and flips me over, "Oh, right. Nothing but a normal, human girl trying to prove she's a big shot." I keep rolling as I try making her mouth eat dirt instead of talking, "Go ahead, normal. What's the best someone as average as you can throw at me?" Her armor glows again and now glowy purple weapons appear out of nowhere.
My eyes widen for a second as I get to my feet. I wasn't ready for this. I have to corner her and finish her off later, "Easy," I point behind me, "It's in there." I pretend to walk into it. Think, Seliel. What's important enough to get a stranger to go down there. Then some myth from second-grade class with Mrs. Glad hits me, "Ever hear of the first dagger of the Overlord?"
Her eyes widen as she holds still, "You mean it's here?"
"Oh yeah," I put my hands on my hips as my voice changer makes me sound like a cartoon character, "Just head down do a little digging and I bet you'll find it." If it even exists, "Just look for the shiniest crystals. Should be around there."
The purple lady sneers, pulls on her sweater, "You have no idea how much I needed that information." She walks past me as I watch the officer try and handcuff the two knocked out guys, "Don't mind if I look for it first?"
"It'll just make this a fair fight." I wink under my helmet. I think of all my wonderful supplies back home, "It is a bit of a walk," My eyes flicker down. Is she wearing 5 in purple heels? That's bizarre, "Are you sure you can make it in those kind of shoes?"
She glares a little at me as the officer calls in for back up, "I'll be fine." She walks down a few steps then pauses, "I have the feeling, we'll see a lot more of each other soon."
"So what do I call you?" I fold my arms as the strange looking guys easily break out of the handcuffs and walk past me, "The purple lady?"
She turns around, her sickening purple eyes are far from my eye color, "Jezzie will do. Later." She descends as I turn then book it towards the cemetery. It's a maze down there, it'll take her all night just to find the shiniest crystals I described.
This is so gonna be an easy fight.