"It feels like we've been walking for hours!"
Cole didn't turn around to face Jay as he responded to his complaint. "That's the fourth time you've said that, and we've only been gone forty-five minutes."
Jay moaned dramatically, kicking at a clump of earth with a powerful swinging motion. "This is ridiculous," he grumbled, "we're never going to find the Celestial clock by walking around the island. This place must be massive! We could be out here for days, and we'd miss it!"
Cole refused to show his team that he agreed with Jay, and only half out of spite. He knew how hopeless the odds were, and he seriously regretted having said nothing when Julian suggested they hunt down the clock in separate groups. Even though they would cover more ground if they were split up, he didn't like the idea of his friends hunting around a dangerous island alone. Especially not Lexi.
"Cole?" He jumped slightly at Nya's words, turning to face her quickly. She frowned, looking him over. "You alright? You seem... agitated." She pursed her lips. "Should we maybe take a break?"
Cole shook his head vehemently. "No. I'm fine, Nya— we should keep moving."
"Oh, come on," Jay whined, coming up behind him and swinging an arm around his shoulders, "we're all tired, Cole. Can't we just take a few minutes to drink some water?"
Resisting the powerful urge to push Jay's arm off, Cole sighed. If he was being honest with himself, he would like to take a break, and he did need water. Besides, he had the nagging suspicion that Nya and Jay had been waiting for the opportune moment to broach conversation with him-- they obviously had something they needed to say. Their eagerness to be paired with him for the hunt could not be because they enjoyed hiking with a mountaineer.
"Fine. But only for a few minutes, then we have to go."
Jay rolled his eyes, but Nya nodded. "Okay," she said cheerily. Too cheerily. Something was definitely up.
"So. Cole." Jay fixed him a sharp look, thought his eyes were dancing, so he looked more goofy than stern. Yes, they were about to have a talk with him. Cole's heart started racing; he'd never been good at this.
"What?" He hoped he sounded clueless enough that they understood he had no idea what was going on. Nya was grinning stupidly, her cheeks slightly pink, and Jay was disguising his chortling behind his fist. "Guys, what is it?"
"Oh, come on," Nya laughed, "don't play dumb-- it's so obvious!"
"What's obvious?" He demanded, now more annoyed than confused. Neither of his friends seemed to care about this, for Jay kept stuffing his fist against his mouth, and Nya laughed even harder and went red as a tomato. "Come on," he said, looking back and forth between them, "just spit it out!"
"You and Lexi," Jay crooned, clasping his hands together before his heart and batting his eyelashes, gazing up at the canopy of trees as if a siren was watching from above. "You like her!"
Now it was Cole's turn to go red. "What? N-no-- I don't, I swear I-- what's so funny?"
Nya and Jay were both doubled over with laughter, wheezing and hacking like they had a lung infection. "Oh, come on," Jay gasped, through bouts of helpless cackling, "you're terrible at hiding it."
"You tense up whenever she comes within three feet of you," Nya said, straightening up and fixing her wild ponytail, "you go red whenever someone says her name, and you're always staring at her, thinking it's no obvious when you look away if she starts to notice."
Cole ran a hand through his unruly dark hair, his face draining of colour. "Is it really that obvious?" He asked weakly, looking at Jay desperately. He couldn't look Nya in the eye, afraid that she would give away what he already knew to be true.
Jay grinned, patting Cole on the shoulder. "Don't feel bad," he said, "you could do a lot worse than Lexi." He smirked, glancing over at Nya. "A lot worse."
Nya swatted him on the arm, rolling her eyes. "Look, Cole, if we've noticed, then Lexi probably noticed, too. And if she hasn't said anything, then she probably likes you back!"
There was a hint of something more in her tone, but Cole was too preoccupied to try and read into it. "But-- what about Lloyd? And Misako? Do you think they know? Do you think they care? What about-- what about Wu? What if he--"
"Whoa, dude, chill," Jay said quickly, "you're just being paranoid. It's totally normal to have a crush on someone."
"Especially if that someone is Lexi," Nya added. Jay and Cole both turned to stare at her, and she threw her hands up defensively. "What? I'm just saying-- you can't tell me she isn't pretty!"
"Fair," Jay assented, "but listen-- Cole-- trust me on this one, okay?" He gripped his friend by the shoulders, looking firmly into his eyes. "If you really love her, just tell her. If she likes you back, she'll tell you, and if she doesn't... well, life goes on."
"That's kind of deep," Cole said, smiling faintly. Jay grinned.
"I'm not a complete idiot," he said, "now come on-- I believe it was you who said we needed to keep moving?"
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It had been an hour since Lexi had spoken, and Lloyd was worried.
They'd woken up to Wu hauling them out of bed and ordering them into their ninja gis, saying that they needed to get a head start on finding the clock. After a brief conversation about how to go about this task, Julian had suggested splitting up and covering as much ground as possible. No one had disagreed (perhaps because, due to the early hour, everyone was still too groggy to think clearly) and so they'd divided themselves into small groups and headed off on their respective journeys. Cole, Nya and Jay went West, Kai, Zane, and Julian went East, and the whole Garmadon family had gone North. Misako and Wu had started out at the head of the pack, but they'd eventually slowed down and ended up at the back. Lloyd had tried making conversation with his sister, but she'd obviously been distracted; she answered everything he said with a small nod and maybe a slight humming noise, but that was it. He'd eventually given up and stepped back, allowing her to take the lead. That had been about half an hour ago, and she was still plowing ahead, head held high, refusing to so much as look back.
"Hey... Lex?" She didn't turn around, which was not surprising but still concerning. "Think we should take a break?"
Lexi shook her head, still not looking back. Lloyd sighed, quickening his pace and falling into step beside her. Lexi took no notice of him, but she had to know he was there.
"Come on," he said, lowering his voice conspiratorially, "what is it? Is it because Mum's here?"
Lexi turned to glare at him, and Lloyd was surprised by how much venom was behind it. "Leave me alone," she snarled. Lloyd bristled.
"Listen," he said, his voice still soft, despite the fact that Lexi had made no attempt to lower her own, "I get it if you hold it against her, but you can't just--"
"This isn't about that," Lexi snapped, "I'm just-- I'm tired. I didn't get much sleep last night."
One look at her told Lloyd that was a lie. Her face was full of colour, and her eyes looked bright and alive. Even Lexi seemed to understand that she wasn't fooling him, but she didn't say anything more. Lloyd sighed.
"Lexi," he said again, "just-- just stop for a second, okay? Just-- just stop." He grabbed his sister by the arm, keeping his grip firm even when she tried to pull away. He steered her sideways, bringing her behind the privacy of a tree, looking her firmly in the eyes. "You have to be honest with me, Lex. Tell me-- what's wrong?"
For a moment, Lexi just glared at him, her eyes brimming with anger and reproach and probably the powerful urge to punch him in the face. Then she seemed to deflate, her shoulders sagging and the fire fading and dying in her eyes. Lexi sighed softly, running a hand through her hair. It was slick with sweat and full of tangles.
"I had a dream last night," she said quietly, sounding almost ashamed, "it-- it was about our fa-- it was about Garmadon." She lowered her eyes, staring at the forest floor rather than at her brother. "It was like-- like we could see each other, almost."
Lloyd frowned. "Lexi, that sounds weird... we should tell Wu--"
"No," she said quickly, "don't, Lloyd-- it's probably nothing, right? It's not like-- I haven't seen him in weeks, so I just-- I just miss him, or something." The way she said it made it sound like missing her father wasn't heartbreaking. Like it wasn't killing her slowly to know he wasn't there. "There's no need to tell Wu; he's got enough on his plate as it is."
Lloyd glanced back at their uncle, who was just now approaching them, looking concerned. He seemed much more worn and old than Lloyd ever remembered him being, and he wondered if it was just him noticing things differently, or if the island itself was taking effect on him. "Is everything alright?" Misako asked, speaking more to Lloyd than to Lexi.
"Yes," Lexi said, before Lloyd could respond, "we were just... tired."
"Me, too," Misako said, sounding relieved, "perhaps now would be a good time to take a break? I think we should head to higher ground; it might be easier to see where the jungle ends, if it ever does end."
Lexi offered her mother a fixed smile, turning away conspicuously and sitting with her back to her family. Misako sighed softly, her eyes glistening, but said nothing. Lloyd smiled apologetically and shifted over so that they were closer. Misako gave him a grateful look.
They sat in silence for a while, Misako and Lloyd sitting close together, Wu sitting a few feet away, scanning the jungle, and Lexi refusing to acknowledge anyone's presence at all. It seemed quite emblematic, that no one spoke, and no one dared move. They did not speak because they had nothing to say, but rather, because what needed to be said was not an easy thing to discuss.
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Kai had thought that Jay and Nya made him feel like a third wheel, but he'd never before been stuck in a situation where he was taking a walk with a long-lost father and his robot son. Given the choice, he thought, he would take Jay and Nya ignoring him any day.
It started out innocently enough-- one of them would notice something, and they'd take a pause to admire it together. But after about twenty minutes, Zane was stopping every five minutes to point out a pattern on a leaf, of the colour of a flower, or the height of a particular tree, and Julian was stopping to have a full conversation about it. Everything on the island seemed to trigger some memory in one of them, and as sweet as it was to see Zane finally emotionally connecting to someone, it was getting annoying.
"Father," Zane said, as if on cue, "look-- the markings on this tree look like claws-- perhaps this island does have wildlife!"
"How interesting," Julian said, and Kai was forced to disguise a groan by covering his hand and coughing falsely. Not that either of them would have noticed; Zane and Julian were too busy ogling at the tree to pay any attention to the third member of their party.
"They're not terribly large," Julian remarked, peering at the claw marks closely, "and not very deep... but that doesn't mean that whatever made them isn't vicious."
"Doesn't that sound like something we should be concerned about?" Kai asked, slightly alarmed, but Zane spoke over him. It was more likely that he simply hadn't heard Kai speaking, and not that he was being deliberately rude, but Kai was annoyed nonetheless. "I estimate it was nothing but a squirrel," he said, "or something similar."
"Very good," Julian said proudly, clapping Zane on the arm. The gesture seemed so normal, so fatherly... Kai tried not to allow himself to feel the surge of jealousy that rushed through him as he remembered how his father used to do the same thing with him. "I see you've stayed just as clever as you were when you were young!"
"Yes," Zane said, sounding mildly confused, "as a robot, I cannot lose any information unless I choose to--"
"I know, Zane," Julian laughed, "it's just a joke."
Zane smiled. It was a warm smile, not the wooden kind that he usually put on when someone made a joke he hadn't understood. "I see. Well, we all have things we struggle to understand."
"Very wise, my son," Julian said, nodding, "very wise indeed. Ignorance is just another stop on the road to enlightenment, and anyone who thinks they know everything is a fool."
Kai grit his teeth, noticing the signs of an oncoming lecture. At the rate they were moving, they wouldn't find a thing, and they wouldn't make it back to camp before midnight. Just as Julian opened his mouth to launch into what would undoubtedly be a long and heartfelt father-son speech, he stepped in between the two, his arms crossed, his brow furrowed.
"Okay, can we please keep the sightseeing to a minimum?" He asked, wishing he sounded slightly less angry. "I don't know about you, but I actually wanted to go out and find the clock, so we could, you know, save the world." He stared into Julian's eyes levelly, unwilling to glare at Zane. "That is what we came here to do, isn't it?"
Julian cleared his throat uncomfortably, glancing at Zane over top of Kai's head. "I-- we know," he said, "it's just--"
"Kai is right, father," Zane said softly, and Kai whirled around. Zane sounded almost... guilty. Regretful. Kai frowned. He had to understand why he was annoyed, hadn't he? Even Zane knew what a third wheel was, and why it wasn't fair to make someone into one...
"We should keep moving," Julian said, turning on his heel and walking away. He had long, powerful strides, and Kai might have rushed to catch up had Zane not grabbed his arm. It wasn't an aggressive gesture, but it was unusual enough to make Kai start.
"I am sorry, brother," Zane said, sounding genuine, "I did not realize that you felt left out. I should not have allowed my father and I to exclude you."
"Thanks," Kai said instinctively, then shook his head. "I mean-- yeah, it's okay-- I mean, I'm just sort of... antsy, you know? I hate this place, and I just... I want to go home."
"It is normal to be homesick," Zane said kindly, and Kai's face went red. "That isn't-- I didn't mean it like that," he said quickly, "I'm not homesick. That's wussy. I just don't like the... vibe... of this island. It's... it's eerie."
"I understand," Zane said, giving Kai a very motherly look, "do not be afraid to talk about your feelings, Kai."
"Ugh," Kai replied. Zane smiled.
They walked along for a few minutes in silence before Julian suddenly called back, "Zane, Kai, look-- these trees are quite old! Look at the markings-- they're nearing the end of their lifespan!"
"Huh," Kai said, pretending to care. Zane, oddly enough, said nothing. Kai turned to him, surprised when he saw that Zane was staring at his feet, looking very... sad? That was odd. Zane didn't really get sad; it just wasn't his thing.
"Zane? What's up?" He asked, reminding himself that no one else was here to see him tarnish his 'tough guy' reputation by talking about feelings. "Everything okay?"
"No," Zane replied bluntly, looking up at Kai earnestly, "I... I am worried. About my father."
"Why?" Kai asked. "You think something's gonna happen to him? He seems like he knows what he's doing--"
"Not that," Zane said, "I mean... the tree, nearing it's death." He sighed. "My father is old, Kai. When will his own death arrive?"
Right then, Kai felt like an idiot. Of course Zane wanted to spend time with his father, of course he looked for every opportunity to talk to him and share memories and swap stories... Kai knew that if it was him who'd been reunited with his father, he would happily forget the world just to spend a few days with him. And Julian certainly wasn't exactly young, and he had spent the past decade or so locked up in a lighthouse, alone... his health was surely poor, and he wasn't long for this world.
"You see it, too," Zane said, taking Kai's silence for confirmation, "my father may not survive the island, yes... but even if he does, his time is short."
"Don't worry about that now," Kai said sternly, gripping Zane by the shoulders, "it won't help anything to spend all your time with him thinking about what it'll be like when he's gone. I lost my parents when I was ten, and I didn't even know they were leaving-- and every day, I'm grateful that I got to cherish what little time I had with them."
Later, Kai would regret his little speech, as it was far too sappy and emotional for his liking, but for the moment, he was glad to see Zane smile softly. "That makes sense," he said, "but Kai... all... all humans die. I am not human."
Kai shrugged. "So? You were made by one, and you have a family-- that doesn't change anything."
"Yes, I know-- what I meant was that you will die one day. Lexi will die. Even Wu and Garmadon will die, and I-- I won't."
Kai's eyes widened. "We are not going there," he said firmly, "I promise I'm not going anywhere, okay, Zane? And when we all die-- which won't happen for a long time, trust me-- you can shut down, or break apart, or do whatever it is you do-- and then we can be together again. Got it?"
Zane nodded. "I... I've 'got it'," he said. Kai grinned.
"Okay, then," he said, turning and facing ahead, "we really need to get going-- that clock isn't going to find itself!"