season one, episode six, part one.
WARNING: there is mention of self-harm in this chapter. if you feel sensitive to this topic, please skip over it.
AFTER dinner, you went straight off to bed. Of course, you said goodnight to everyone before leaving, giving all six boys a hug, and obviously, one to Nya. As you hugged her, you felt something cold on her wrist, like a bracelet or something. You backed out of the hug, looking at her arm and seeing the same red and gold bracelet that was worn by the samurai. You were in slight shock but hid it well, and the more you thought about it, the more obvious it was that it was Nya.
"Everything okay?" she asked quietly, not knowing that you were aware of her secret. "I'm just fine," you smiled, before yawning. "Now, as I said, I'm gonna go get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" you waved, before walking into your bedroom. You closed the door, changing into your usual, comfy sleepwear.
And for a few moments, everything felt perfect. The boys no longer held a grudge against Leo, you had stopped having visions, you and Nya were close, Lloyd was a surprisingly good guy and you were getting stronger every day. You lay down on your bed, staring up at the empty ceiling. Maybe things were looking up. That's when you closed your eyes and felt yourself being softly swept into the cold arms of sleep.
Darkness.
。o○☆
YOUR H/C eyes fluttered open, revealing you to be once again in the toxic bogs. You shrugged to yourself, thinking it to be all just a dream. The ghastly smell still poisoned your nose, causing you to hold it in disgust. It was surprisingly way worse than you remembered in your head. All was silent. The nauseating green swamp liquid no longer bubbled, and the birds no longer chirped from the trees above you.
That's when the whispers began. Rushing through the air and straight into your delicate ears. Taunting you. Begging you to come closer.
"Y/N..." the mysterious voice trailed off eerily. "Y/N, my sweet little girl." the now familiar voice sang in a sickeningly sweet way that made you want to gag. It was him. The pathetic man that you called your true father. "Come here, darling." he dragged on. Your eyes searched all areas around you, unable to find the source of the voice. And then you spotted the flower. The same N/C flower that called out to you, if it were even possible. The magical orbs were much brighter and more enticing. You stayed in your place, not wanting to move. "Leave me alone. You sick, twisted man." you spat angrily, backing away from the small blossom.
"Aw, is that any way to talk to your father?" the voice growled mockingly.
This felt real.
Too real.
All of a sudden, you feel yourself being dragged towards the flower as if something had taken over your body and forced you. "I can not leave you alone. You can't get rid of me, even if you wanted to," the man teased, you could almost hear the sadistic grin on his face. "I am your roots, your past and your future. I am everywhere. I'm in your ears, your memories, your mind." he continued.
You clenched your fists in anger, feeling your nails dig into your skin, tearing through the surface of your palm. You didn't feel the physical pain, only the mental part of it. His words were tearing at you, breaking you down, shattering your mind. You felt the warm blood trickling down your hands, dripping slowly onto the emerald grass - but you didn't care.
"Please, stop," you begged, salty tears beginning to fall down your face. The voice continued to mock you, "You will do exactly as I command you to, and if not, then I can just take control of you anyway." he laughed savagely, and you knew that it was true. This entity is stronger than you. He is stronger than you.
"I want you to kill the ninja."
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"NO! No, no, no!" you screamed, tears falling from your face. Nya sat up from the bed across the room. "Y/N! Are you okay?" she yelled out to you, worry laced into her sweet voice. You couldn't answer, being unable to breathe or form words. Nya ran over to you, embracing you into a tight, sisterly hug. She hushed you, cradling your shaking body like a child. "It's okay, just breathe," she instructed calmly. Just then, the other seven burst into the room, looking as shocked and frightened as Nya. Kai ran over to your side, as you broke away from Nya's tight hug, still struggling to breathe accordingly. Cole stood beside you, a fearful look on his face, whilst Lloyd looked as though he was in pain seeing you in this much distress. Jay and Zane stared in horror, never feeling more afraid. Leo held one of your hands, feeling the strange sensation on your skin.
He felt the warm, fresh blood pouring out of your skin. He picked up your hand, observing it closely. He saw the nail shaped cuts in your palm as his mind slowly uncovered what was going on.
Yet, that was not the only thing he felt. As he looked closely at your hand, he watched as a N/C flower fell from your clutch, landing on the place on the bed beside you.
"Nya, what happened?" Leo asked wistfully. "I-I don't know." she gulped, not understanding a thing. "My dad, in my dream, the toxic bog, flower, whispering, control," you muttered, everyone just being able to make out what you were saying. "Kill the ninja," you breathed shakily, your breaths slowing. You backed away into the corner of the bed, ripping yourself away from the others. "Get away from me. I'm dangerous," you warned, making the eight people in front of you become even more confused. "Y/N, you're not dangerous. It's okay." Jay tried to comfort you, but you shook your head quickly. "No, no. You're not understanding. My father. He can control me. He plans to make me kill you." you whimpered softly, hugging your head in your hands. The ninja shared looks with each other, not sure what to say. "I know," Sensei explained. "I have also been seeing your dreams. I know about the necklace, your father, his plans." the man sighed.
"For now, the seven of you shall go back to bed and rest-" Sensei tried to say, but was cut off by Cole. "What? Rest? Sensei, you have to be joking- Y/N just told us that she is being tormented by her father! How can we 'rest?'" Cole cried angrily, not meaning to yell. "Nya, Leo and I will care of Y/N. As for the four of you, I would like you to go back to your rooms." Sensei ordered, no question about it. "Yes, Sensei." the boys agreed reluctantly, storming out of the room.
"Take deep breaths, you're okay," Leo whispered comfortingly, rubbing circles around your hand. When you had finally calmed down, you began to speak. "I don't want to hurt them. But my father is going to force me to," you spoke clearly, looking down at the floor. "I'm sure it was just a dream-" Nya tried to explain, but you shook your head. "No. Look," you instructed, pulling out the N/C flower from underneath you. "It's the one from the swamp and the one from my dream. I think... I think I actually went there." you analyzed. "You mean, you think you sleepwalked?" Leo asked you gently. "I think my father took control of me and forced me to go there, yes," you concluded, finally looking up. "If Y/N is correct, this is a warning. A warning that your father is out there, and planning something evil. We will stop him, but for now, we must prepare. Nya, you get Y/N a drink of water and clean her wounds. Leo, you must sleep." Sensei told the three of you. "Rest well, my child."
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AFTER Nya had kindly treated you, you proceeded to hide the flower in a small box, placing it on top of your wardrobe. You struggled to get back to sleep, and Nya refused to let you stay awake by yourself. So the two of you decided to watch a comedy to lighten the mood. Around halfway through the movie, you heard a light knock at your bedroom door and a few hushed whispers that you would never fail to recognize. "You know, maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe she's not even awake." Jay breathed doubtfully. "Well we can at least try, you never know," Kai answered. "Wait, is that School of Rock I hear?" Cole asked before you pulled open the door. The five boys jumped back slightly in surprise: Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, and Lloyd. "Oh, hey." Jay laughed nervously as your eyes brushed over the five of them.
"What's up?" you asked, leaning onto the door frame. "Nothing, we just came to see if you were alright after what took place earlier." Zane elucidated for you. "Well, I guess I'm feeling better." you shrugged. The boys stood there awkwardly for a few more seconds. "Oh, fine. Come in." you huffed, opening the door wide enough so that they could come in. There were a few tiny squeals of excitement as they sat down on the floor. Lloyd was the last one inside the room, realizing that there was no more room on the carpet. "You can sit here, Lloyd," you called, patting the space at the bottom of the bed. The other four looked aghast at Lloyd, being jealous of the boy. You both sat cross-legged beside each other. You smiled at him kindly, seeing his cheeks turn a shade of pink.
10 minutes later, you felt your eyelids grew heavy and decided that it was time to rest. Your head fell to the side on what you expected to be a pillow but felt a solid surface instead. You looked at what you appeared to be leaning on, seeing the fabric of Lloyd's familiar hoodie. A small smile fell onto your face as you let your eyes close for the final time that night.
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YOU woke up the next morning lying underneath your feather-like duvet, your hair in a perfect braid over your right shoulder. You sat up gradually, slipping out of your bed and heading towards your bathroom. You brushed your teeth before heading towards the door, knowing that Nya would already be awake. Carefully, you edged your way towards the boys' room, creaking open the door so that they wouldn't realize you were there. You figured that after the movie had finished, Nya had either ushered them off to bed or they had left by themselves. Except, they weren't in their beds like usual.
That's when you heard their voices coming from the dining room and you laughed lightly, realizing where they were. Smiling to yourself as you walked, you opened the sliding door to reveal all eight people sat around the table. "Good morning!" Jay grinned, "Never thought you would wake up!" he joked. "I know, I'm a heavy sleeper," you replied, a smirk on your face. "Who did this braid for me? It's beautiful," you commented. "I- It was me. You fell asleep on my shoulder and I decided to put your hair up for you. It might be kind of wavy when you take it out, but you know." Lloyd smiled awkwardly. Your eyes drifted over to the boy as you smiled. "Thanks, I really like it." you complimented him.
"The five of us stayed for a while after you'd gone to sleep, just to make sure you didn't have another nightmare-" Kai tried to say, but was interrupted by Jay. "A while? We stayed until the morning!" Jay boasted. "Er yeah, what Jay said. After you didn't wake up, Lloyd put you to bed," he explained. "You really did that for me?" you asked, almost not believing them. "Of course we did. Just like you'd do that for any of us." Zane affirmed politely. "Thank you," you granted, grateful for what they had done for you.
You sat in between Leo and Jay at the table, a cup of tea in front of you. You barely touched it whilst Jay blabbered on beside you, your mind on the events of last night. You opened your hands out in front of you, seeing the deep, red, nail-shaped marks on your palms. Jay stopped talking whilst the other boys continued to chat amongst themselves, looking over at your hands. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. We're all gonna figure this out together," he spoke comfortingly, talking your injured hand in his own. He closed your small hand into a fist, being careful not to hurt you. You smiled up at him appreciatively. "Thanks, Jay. It means a lot," you told him, before turning back to the others. He held onto your hands for a few more seconds, hesitant to let them go, but he knew that he had to.
Lloyd was talking tactics with the other, discussing how he would defend himself if Pythor was to ever attack. "First, I'd stomp on his tail. Then when he turns, a thunderclap to his ears. Then when he's stunned, I'll disarm him." he described confidently. "Too late, he's already hypnotized you and now your under his control," Cole argued, divulged in the conversation. "Or, he's already put you in a squeeze," Zane added, gesturing with his hands. "Or spit on you with his hallucinatory venom." Kai told him, "Trust me, bad stuff." he warned. "Tell me about it," you mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear. Sensei sat down at the table with a box in his hands.
"Uncle, what's the best way to stun a serpentine if you don't know what kind they are?" Lloyd asked eagerly. "Ah, sadly, it was the sacred flute you five carelessly lost," Sensei explained. "Hey, no, no, no, no, no, we didn't lose it. Pythor stole it." Jay excused with a look of anger on his face, directed towards the serpentine. "Whatever the case, without it I fear we have nothing to combat their powers. We may have prevented them from uniting in the past, but they will try again, and one day, they will be stronger." Sensei disclosed, pouring himself a cup of tea.
"Don't worry Sensei, I've almost reached my full potential and when I become one of the chosen ninjas, we're not gonna need any magic flute," Cole stated determinedly, slamming his fist onto the table for effect. "You're gonna be one of the two most powerful ninjas of all time? Ha-ha! Don't make me laugh." Kai joked angrily, and you knew what was coming next. "Oh, not this bull again-" you mumbled to yourself. "I thought it was decided that I was destined to become one of the greatest ninjas." Zane fought. "Oh, the only thing that's been decided about you, Zane, is that you're weird." Jay fired back at him. The four began arguing loudly and you watched as Lloyd stood up from the table, walking over to Sensei.
"What's in the box?" he asked, captivated. "Your new uniforms," Sensei announced, taking off the lid and revealing what was inside. The four boys stopped arguing almost instantly, their attention being averted. They scrambled over like a bunch of excited puppies, pulling out their new gi. You took out yours, laughing in disbelief at the beauty of it. It was N/C with silver armor protecting the shoulders.
"Nothing for me?" Lloyd asked, disappointment in his bright green eyes. "Oh, um, you get, uh, the box," Sensei said, picking up the box and holding it out for him. Lloyd gave him the 'really?' look, before taking it anyways. That's when the room began glowing red, the sound of the ear-piercing alarm playing once more. "Huh?" you heard Lloyd ask, looking around obliviously. All eight of you bolted towards the headquarters, wondering what had happened. "Sorry to break up the moment, boys, but a small fraction of our slithering friends are stirring up trouble at Mega Monster Amusement park.
"Amusement park? Can I go?" Lloyd asked eagerly waving his arms around to get everyone's attention. "I swear I can help," he promised. "I'm sorry, nephew. You will stay here as you aren't ready for such a thing." Sensei explained sadly. Lloyd groaned, walking back over to Nya and Leo. "What do you say, guys? Time to try out the new merchandise?" Jay asked excitedly.
You used your spinjitzu to quickly change into your new gi before the five of you ran up onto the deck, but before you could go, Leo and Lloyd shouted a quick, 'goodbye!' from downstairs, making you smile for the umpteenth time that morning. You still hadn't taken out the braid that Lloyd had made in your hair, and neither did you want to.
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"THIS new stuff feels like it'll really protect us." Cole asserted. "Yet provides more mobility," Zane added, also loving his new outfit. "Sure, this new gi is cool, but would you rather strut the catwalk or go on a few rides?" You laughed promptly. "I love a good old-fashioned roller coaster, but nothing beats this!" Kai exclaimed, pulling you closer to him by the waist and jumping off the edge of the ship. You soared through the air, the ground getting closer and closer by the second. Kai used his sword to form his motorcycle. You held onto his waist tightly, making sure not to fall. "I didn't say this back on the ship because Cole would kill me, but that gi makes you look totally badass." he complimented, having to raise his voice because of the wind. "Thanks, Kai, you don't look too bad yourself!" you winked, laughing. As you finally reached the ground, Kai stopped his vehicle and dismounted it, letting you jump off too. The other three landed beside you in no more than 1 second later.
"Ha! Check that out! And not a scratch on me!" Cole charged as he strutted forward. There were a group of people, looking distraught, screams coming from all around - however, the closer you got, the less they sounded like screams. They sounded like cheers or cries of happiness. "Ha-ha! Ladies, relax, relax, we have arrived." Jay announced smartly. "Uh, Jay, I don't think they're-" and once again, you were totally right. On the floor was a huddle of serpentine, all tied up. Kai walked up to two girls, "Uh, what just happened?" he asked incredulously. "Oh, you totally missed it, there were like icky snakes, then this mysterious samurai came in and saved everyone." the girl explained. 'Nya' you instantly thought to yourself, trying to hide the smirk on your face.
"He was, like, gorgeous!" the other girl exclaimed. "Hold up, you saw his face?" Kai asked, placing his hands on his hips. "No, but we could totally tell." she awed. You rolled your eyes, almost laughing at how oblivious the two girls were. Nya then walked over, passing two pieces of cotton candy to a few bystanders. "Oh, hey Nya!" you smiled at the girl. "Nya, you're here." Jay grinned. "Of course she is," you whispered, but just loud enough for Nya to hear. She looked slightly taken aback but hid her shock well.
"Yeah, you just missed all the action. He just swooped in, took care of business, and then flew off. It was pretty cool." she explained, brushing off your comment. There were a few voices coming from around the theme park, talking about wanting to be a samurai and how much they adored the mysterious person. "Ugh, who is this guy?" Kai groaned, feeling a surge of annoyance at his newfound rival. "Whoever he is, he's stealing our thunder." Cole agreed, crossing his arms. "And we just got these new ninja suits. Argh! I gotta say it, I hate this new samurai!" Jay yelled, almost like a child throwing a tantrum. "Don't worry JabberJay, you'll get em' next time." you joked, patting his back.
"Do I hear a hint of jealousy?" Sensei asked rhetorically, walking over to the group. "Maybe this can be a lesson for you," he announced, ignoring Jay's grunt. "Oh! Not another lesson." the boy sighed but listened reluctantly. "Hey, how'd you get here so quick?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips suspiciously whilst trying to avert Sensei's attention. Sensei ignored his comment, probably not wanting to expose Nya in front of the others. "The lesson is, iron sharpens iron." the man said vaguely, confusing all five of you. "I do not follow, Sensei." Zane told him, confusion in his voice.
"Healthy competition can help you reach your true potential faster. Do not be jealous of this samurai, let it inspire you." Sensei proceeded further, walking past the five of you. "Oh, Ferris wheel!" Wu exclaimed, completely breaking his 'smart guide/master' facade as he bolted towards it, bumping into and through multiple families as he did so. You shook your head disapprovingly.
"Inspire?" Jay asked out loud, sounding even more confused than before. "Wait a minute. Maybe the old man's right." Kai suggested. "You want us to compete with the samurai?" Cole asked sarcastically, knowing that the chances of them beating the samurai - a dude with a whole lot of complex tech and gear - was little to none. "He's got all the cool gadgets, we don't stand a chance!" he cried. "No, not with him. With us. I say we turn this into our own competition. Whichever one of us is skilled enough to catch this mysterious samurai is probably the best of the bunch," Kai proposed, swinging around his sword as though to intrigue them more. "So whoever learns the identity of this samurai is the one who will be destined to be the green or purple ninja! Ha! I love it!" Jay exclaimed as you observed the rush of excitement grow on his face.
"Thanks, Bill Nye - it's not like that's exactly what Kai's been hinting towards," you spoke sarcastically. "Wait, but how do we know who will be who? Like who's gonna be the green ninja and who's gonna be the purple one?" Cole asked rationally. "Whoever finds out the identity of the samurai first is the green ninja, and then we can hold a showdown to see who's the purple one," Kai explained to the bunch. "If you say the word 'who's' one more time I'm gonna punch Jay in the face," you told them, whilst Jay stuttered and crossed his arms defensively, clearly offended.
"Alright then, it's a bet. May the chosen ones win." Cole laughed.
The funny thing is, you'd already worked out who the samurai was, but you decided you were gonna let them have their fun. "Ninja, go!"
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IMMEDIATELY after arriving home back at the bounty, you were ready to confront Nya. You pardoned yourself from the boys' conversation and walked over to Nya who was looking at the map on the wall, probably trying to avoid you.
You walked up behind her, speaking subtly and quietly, "So, you're the samurai, huh?" you asked rhetorically. She whipped around. "No- I mean, yes. Ugh, can we talk about this somewhere else?" she prompted, feeling slightly frustrated that she had failed to keep her identity a secret. "Okay, let's head to our room, no one will hear us from there," you suggested, before heading off towards down the long corridor. Once you walked inside the room, you allowed Nya in, shutting the door behind her.
"How did you find out?" she wondered, crossing her arms. "Your bracelet. I pay attention to detail, Nya. I'm not stupid." you huffed, not angrily, but softly. "I'm sorry for not telling you, okay? I just- I'm the brains of the group, I work out the coordinates, the secret codes, the information. But then you guys just get to go out there, kick the bad guys' butts and take all the credit," she justified, looking down at the ground.
"I get it, I know what you're saying, but maybe you don't see how much the five of us appreciate you. Nya, we're so thankful for everything you do for us, and maybe sometimes we don't show it, but we love you and honestly, we wouldn't be able to do this without you." you clarified for her, meaning every word. Nya sighed in a sad tone, before leaning forward and hugging you tightly. "So, I'm guessing Leo and Sensei know too," you said, pulling out of the hug. "Yeah, they both supported the idea." the girl replied, clearly nervous. "Hey, don't worry, I'm not gonna tell anyone. This is your thing," you smiled supportingly, squeezing her hand in yours.
She let out a breath of air, clearly relieved. "I'm gonna play into this, mess with the boys." you laughed cheekily. "Thanks, for letting me talk to you about all of this." she grinned. "Hey, we can tell each other everything, right?"
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"OKAY, so I've been thinking and I've decided that we're gonna have to think of something that can trick the samurai into showing us his face," Kai announced as he stopped eating his food. "Like what?" Cole asked, clearly having no hope. "Ooh! Maybe, we could lure him in by pretending to get captured by the serpentine, then we could surprise him and use a huge nuclear weapon to blow him up! Then, his samurai mech will be destroyed, and we will figure out his identity!" Jay suggested loudly. "Erm, sorry to burst your bubble Jay, but we don't have any high tech nuclear weapons just lying around," Leo explained to him truthfully. "Hold on, Jay might be onto something." you intervene, a mischievous smile on your face.
"How about we come up with different scenarios where we're endangered and can possibly gain the samurai's attention? He'll obviously come to save us since he's oh so mighty, and then, we can unmask him." you planned. The table shared looks of approval at the idea, and you could tell that they agreed. You made eye contact with Nya, watching as she laughed under her breath as shook her head.
She knew what you were doing, misleading them to cover her identity. She smiled appreciatively but continued to eat her dinner nonetheless.
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IT was the next morning, and you were feeling very confident about today. It was Kai's turn to take care of Lloyd, considering the fact that he was mischievous and had the mind of a literal 5-year-old, despite being the same age as you - fourteen. Today, the boys planned to attempt to fool the samurai, but little did they know, the samurai has been right under there noses and heard exactly what was to take place.
When the boys asked you what you were going to do to attempt to trick the samurai, you simply replied with a quick, 'eh, I'll pass.'
Zane left early that morning as expected, and came back with no new information on the samurai. Next up was Kai, and then Cole, and, unsurprisingly, they both came back empty-handed. You figured that they had given up until you saw Jay walk around the corner in a frilly pink dress and a light blonde wig. The other five boys - Lloyd included - burst out into laughter whilst you suppressed a giggle, wolf-whistling to catch his attention. "Nice look. Who are you going for? Elle Woods? Wait no, Marilyn Monroe?" you joked, making the four boys laugh even harder. Jay turned around, "Yeah, yeah, well you won't be laughing when I find out who the samurai is, and I'm crowned the Green ninja!" he argued defensively. "Sure, we'll see about that. Goodbye, and good luck, princess Aurora!" you called for the final time as Jay strutted out of the door.
The boys continued to howl beside you, basically in tears. "Now, we wait for his return." you chuckled, before leaving the room.
It was no surprise when Jay returned not a half-hour later, a disappointed look on his face. He took off his weave, placing it on the table and looking down at it in defeat. "You served me well Betty, but now, I must grieve." Jay sighed solemnly, talking to the wig as if it were a person, before collapsing onto the couch. "I knew you'd fail." you laughed, watching as Jay gave you a small 'really?' glare before looking back at the TV. You smirked, having a silent victory. You couldn't wait to talk to Nya about it later. "I can't believe this guy. I mean, for one, he keeps stealing our spotlight, and two, he's way too smart. How are we gonna catch him?" Kai asked out loud.
"Oh, come on guys, we can't let this guy ruin lives. I'm sure he'll get over all of this and back off soon," you explained, trying to lift the mood. "But aside from that, where did Lloyd go? I haven't seen him since Jay left," you asked, looking at Kai since he was the one who was meant to be watching over him. "Oh, I dropped the guy off at the arcade, Cole's gonna go pick him up later." Kai clarified calmly.
Your neck snapped over at him. "You what?" you said, double-checking exactly what words had just come out of his mouth. "You left the former-sort-of-criminal, vengeance-seeking, slightly dull boy at an arcade and expected him to stay there?" you wondered, wide-eyed. "Well, when you put it like that-" Kai started, but you didn't let him finish. "Oh my god, he's probably dead." you thought, placing your hands on your head with sheer panic. "Hey, calm down, I'll go pick him up, okay? I'm sure he's fine." Cole tried to calm you, but you continued to worry.
"I'm coming with you. I'll call you guys if anything happens," you spoke, not letting them have a single word in the context. You grabbed a jacket and stood by the door for a few seconds, waiting for Cole. He rushed over with his scythe, opening the door for you and letting you step out first. He turned his scythe into his vehicle and revved the engine. "Let's go find this son of a-"
words: 5159
A/N: hi all! hope you enjoyed this chapter. i have some really cool stuff for you and nya planned further into the story. also, i've noticed that my story is kinda confusing, so - if you'd like - i can make a small summary of what has happened so far. it's up to you anyways. let me know if you have any questions! i love feedback, so if i've done anything wrong, tell me. hope you have a great day/night!
- audrey💞