***Okay, guys! Sorry for the REALLY late update this week, but I've been busy. We're going to try for two chapters this weekend. This book should only have three chapters left, then an epilogue! We're almost done! Then, it's onto two more ten-chapter shorts, and after that...the Jaya/Kailor book! Yay!
And yes, there's a lot of Jaya in Lloyd's POV. That's the last spurt you're getting until the epilogue. I finally added "jaya" to the tags for this book, since I realized how much of the book I was actually dedicating to the ship. Whoops.
And instead of music, you get ten minutes of funny anesthetics videos off Youtube. You can't tell me Jay isn't saying or doing having that stuff, guys.***
***(Lloyd's POV)***
It was a long car ride back to the monastery – I took my bike, while Cole, Jay, Nya, and Edna sat in the earth drill. Apparently, Jay alternated between crying and throwing up every five minutes, and Nya's covered in both tears and...well, barf. That just made Jay cry more, but she shrugged it off and said she never wanted to wear that outfit again, anyway. Too many memories.
Kai's at the police station, demanding they get justice for his sister. Zane's at the school computer lab trying to get the inappropriate photos of Nya taken off various websites.
Now that we're finally back, Nya grabs something out of her dresser. "You'll be okay without me, Jay?" she asks.
She has become his guardian for the past two hours, threatening to turn off the video whenever Cole or I bait Jay with questions. We've managed to keep the camera out of her grasp – barely.
Jay whimpers. "I need you, though."
Cole helps him into Nya's bed. "The rest of us will be here, buddy. Nya just doesn't want to smell like throw up anymore."
Jay puts his hands over his eyes. "I'm sorry, Nya. Your whole room is gonna stink like it now!" His voice ends in a sob.
I pat his shoulder. "She's used to having boys around, Jay. You think she doesn't have air freshener strong enough to protect us when Cole forgets to wear deodorant? And I think stinky Cole's worse than anything that you throw up." True statement.
"Hey!" Cole exclaims. "I don't smell that bad. Girls still love me. You're just trying to make Jay feel better."
"No comment," Nya calls, sailing into her bathroom. "And can someone get Jay a glass of water? He needs to wash some of the nastiness out of his mouth if he's going to get any rest."
Edna rises. "I'll go get you a drink, Son."
"Thanks, Mom."
As she leaves, Jay snuggles into one of Nya's pillows. "It smells just like her," he sighs.
I bite my lip and look to Cole. Now that she's gone...
He sees my expression and grins wickedly. "Jay, what's the one thing you would say to Nya if you had five minutes left to live?"
He moans miserably. "In my darkest nightmares, it's not me who dies, but her. And it's like she's been poisoned or something, and she weakly calls out my name as she falls to the ground, and I catch her just before she can hit the dirt, and she tells me that I have to make my last wish so I can defeat an evil Djinn, and I say, "No! Not if that means losing you!" And she caresses my cheek and manages to say that she never wanted to be on an all boys' team, anyway. And I'm like, "No, Nya! Don't say that!" And she's trying to comfort me, but it will never work, because I can't be comforted when the love of my life is dying in my arms!" He's weeping uncontrollably.
Nya slams open her bathroom door, coming out in old jeans and a ratty t-shirt. There's no makeup on her face.
"What did you do to him?" she demands, her voice laced with anger. She comes to sit beside him on her bed and hugs him protectively.
Cole's face is white. "N-nothing!" He gives me a look that says, 'If we show her this part of the video, we're done for.'
I groan. And we were just about to get Jay confessing he's in love with her on tape. It would've been priceless to see her reaction! But we'll have to delete this portion. I don't want to wake up to Nya holding a knife at my throat.
Speaking of Nya, she's currently using a wet paper towel to clean up Jay's face. "You need a new shirt. This one's a little...messy."
I come to sit at his other side, helping pull off the clothing.
"But this is my favorite shirt," Jay mumbles.
"Trust me, it'll feel much better to wear a new one." I begin to pull it up over his head, and he doesn't have the strength to resist.
Nya helps me get his sleeve off. "We need to talk once he's taken care of," she whispers.
I nod. "Yeah. Cole and I are counting on it. Zane's already doing what he can to threaten some of those websites with a lawsuit. The kid's a tech genius."
"What lawsuit?" Jay asks.
"Nothing, Jay." Nya retrieves his water from Edna and holds it to his lips, helping him drink.
Edna coos. "Aww, you're such a sweetie, Nya. It really means a lot that you're doing this for him."
"He deserves it, Mrs. Walker." She sets the glass down on her bedside table. "Are you comfortable, Jay?"
He wipes at his eyes. "Yeah. You're so nice for letting me have your room."
She rubs his shoulder. "You're welcome. Hey, I'm going to go have a talk with Lloyd and Cole, okay? But your mom will be right here to take care of you."
He gives her huge puppy dog eyes. "I'll miss you, though. I don't want you to be gone, or I'll freak out."
"This is something the others and I really need to do, Jay. I promise we won't be gone for long."
"Will you tuck me in?" he asks softly.
Nya swallows a laugh, pulling the blankets up around him. "Will you be warm enough without a shirt?"
"Mm-hmm. As long as you're okay with me being shirtless in your bed."
We all blush. It's a good thing Kai's at the police station, or he would have Jay's hide.
"I-I don't, er, mind," Nya stammers.
"Good," Jay smiles. "Just because you probably think I have germs."
"I really don't care. I spend all my time around boys. And believe me, Kai has some gross germs, and we shared a room back at my old house."
Jay gets a sick face, and Nya helps hold his head over the side of the bed as he throws up the water he just drank.
"I'm sorry," he mewls, crying. Again.
She sighs. "It's okay, Jay. I guess you can't keep anything down right now." She gives him back the glass of water. "Just swish it around in your mouth this time, okay? Then you can spit it out, and you shouldn't have to throw up again. All the food and water you've had must have been regurgitated by now."
He does as she says, looking absolutely exhausted.
I clear my throat. "Nya really does need to talk with us, Jay. We can leave you with your mom, though."
"I need you, Nya," he sniffles. "I don't want to be alone."
She cradles his head close. "It's okay. Cole, do you have your headphones on you? Maybe he could listen to music while we talk."
Cole pulls out his BorgPod, and Nya sets Jay up with a song. She hands him the headphones, and he yawns.
"I'm tired," he says sleepily. "Will you kiss me good night, Nya? I've never been kissed by a princess before."
Cole holds his stomach because he's laughing so hard. I make sure the video is still running. Nya blushes again.
"We're still on the princess thing, huh?" she giggles. Then, her lips come down on his forehead. "How was that?"
"Magic," he sighs.
She hits the play button on Cole's BorgPod. "Get some rest, Jay."
He cuddles up next to her, closing his eyes and steadying his breathing.
I cough, trying to bring things back into order. "So, we obviously need to get the police involved in this whole thing with Nya. Kai should already have that done."
Edna bites her lip. "What...'thing with Nya'?"
Oh. Forgot she was here. "Um, Mrs. Walker, it appears someone has stalked Nya and posted...er...inappropriate photos of her on social media."
"And all around school," she grumbles. Jay reaches out and pulls her close to him, and her cheeks flush as she tries to readjust her position so he can use her like a human teddy bear.
Cole smirks, but I elbow him. If we say anything about Jay being in love with her, she'll get angry and tell us to stop making fun of him. How is it that she doesn't understand he's head over heels for her?
Edna pales. "Inappropriate...? Oh, now...that's not very nice."
"No, it's not," Nya grouches. "It's absolutely vile. Lloyd, has Kai texted you anything about his status report with the police?"
I look down at my phone. "Nothing except complaints about their ineptitude."
She groans, trying not to wake Jay. "How did someone even get my photo? I never just walk around in my underwear! I wear clothes! I'm a normal human being!"
I clear my throat. "Speaking of modesty...don't think I didn't notice what you changed into when you got back. You're not turning into a grandma again, right?"
Her eyes shoot daggers at me. "If people are going to exploit my body, Lloyd, I'm going back to wearing what I did before this summer. No makeup, no sleeveless shirts, no bikinis."
"None of those things make you a target for exploitation, Nya. It's not your fault."
"Yeah, well, I'm not about to let it happen again." She fluffs the pillow underneath her head. "The shorts can stay, though. Those are so much more comfortable than – "
A siren suddenly sounds, and the three of us jump. Edna's eyes widen, and Jay...well, apparently, Nya turned the music up loud enough that he can't hear.
"That means there's trouble," I bite out. "We need to call Kai and Zane. To the deck!"
Cole and I race outside while Nya desperately tries to crawl out of Jay's arms. By the sound of it, she won't be joining us for a few minutes.
My hands slam down on the keyboard attached to our scanners. "It looks like...my father," I bite out. "He's in Ninjago City!"
"Get a load of the visual," Cole frowns. "He's underground."
"Figures. I'll program the coordinates into the earth drill and my bike. Can you call the others?"
"On it." Cole whips out his phone. "We'll be down Jay, but we should be fine. Nya hasn't quite mastered her element yet, but she's got Jay beat in hand to hand combat."
"You forget that she hasn't actually fought with us on a mission yet." I run to our vehicles and plug in the location information.
My phone buzzes, and I quickly pull it out to see Harumi's trying to call me.
"Sorry," I sigh, hitting the 'decline' button. "I'm a little tied up right now, but I'll call you back when I get a chance."
***(Harumi's POV)***
I swallow. "U-Ultraviolet? Are you down here?"
She sent me the address for some old abandoned mine on the outskirts of the city. I guess it is pretty discreet.
"Ultraviolet?" I call again, rounding a corner. My phone flashlight illuminates rotting wood and insects I'd rather not encounter again.
High-pitched, chilling laughter sounds from not far off, and I know I've found the place.
I still can't wrap my head around it. Lord Garmadon wants to meet...me. Why? I mean, he's never had much to do with the Sons of Garmadon, and now he thinks the low man on the totem pole is of interest.
I swallow hard. Whatever he has to say, I need to hear. He knows my parents' last wishes for me. And then, after I fulfill those, maybe I can finally make peace with my family's death and be ready for a relationship with Lloyd. He's the only person I trust, at this point.
I take a deep breath, straightening my spine. This is it.
"Ultraviolet," I say calmly, coming around what I think is the final bend in the shaft. "You mentioned someone wanted to see me."
Her eyes gleam in the lamplight. "Harumi, meet Lord Garmadon."
I look to her right to see a tall man with four arms and brown eyes flecked with red. Gray hair sprouts from a head with odd shape: He almost appears to be made of a dark cloud.
The sight is fear-inspiring, yet all I feel is awe.
"Lord Garmadon," I say reverently, bowing my head to the ground.
"Miss Jade," he addresses me, a cold thread in his voice. "Or should I call you by another name? You aren't really a Jade, are you?"
"No, my lord. My parents died two years ago." I believe you knew them.
"Get up," he chuckles. "I know very well you're aware of my relationship to them. And I promise you, my child, we'll get to that. First, I'd like to ask you a few questions about my son."
"Lloyd?" I gasp, giving myself away.
Wow, I am really bad at this 'evil genius' stuff. Or at least the 'genius' part.
"Yes, Lloyd. You've become close to him and his team, haven't you?"
"I...yes, my lord. If you're referring to his elemental friends."
"Have you really not figured it out?" he smirks. "Do you know what their powers are?"
"N-no." Am I supposed to?
"Allow me to help you. There's Kai, the master of fire; Jay, the master of lightning – "
"Wait. Are you saying...that Lloyd and his friends are the ninja team that's risen up against you?" A bunch of teenagers?
"Indeed," he grins. "Care to guess which ninja my son is?"
I'm taken aback. "It...it all makes sense now. Lloyd is the green ninja, the leader. The one bent on defeating you."
Garmadon scowls. "And he will not succeed. Miss Jade – may I call you that?"
"I go by Harumi."
He nods slightly. "Harumi, tell me all about these friends of yours, and I'll tell you what you'd like to know about your parents."
I bite my lip. "That...wouldn't be right. Lloyd trusts me."
A dark finger comes to stroke under my chin, lifting my face up to the thick, moisture-ridden air. "Harumi, you know what it's like to have trust broken. Hasn't everyone done it to you at some point?"
I inhale sharply. "How do you know so much about my life?"
"Because I was you, and I've found a better way. Everyone in my life betrayed me – my brother, my father, my wife. And now my son is being raised up to betray me, too."
I shake my head. "Lloyd couldn't cross anyone."
"Hasn't he betrayed you?" Garmadon hisses.
"No. Everyone else has, but not him."
"Then just wait. He will." The lord rises from kneeling in front of me. "Rumi, I could use your knowledge of the ninja, if you'd like. We could perhaps work together to defeat them. I just need you to get close enough to them, and I'll take care of the rest. And then you could find out what your parents always hoped you'd do, and I could provide you with real trust. I could make it so that no one will cross you again."
"No one would cross me?" The offer looms over me. "How do you propose to do that?"
"Power," he smiles. "With enough power, you can instill fear in the hearts of others, and then they won't betray you."
"I...like the sound of that," I admit. "But Lloyd – I don't want him to love me out of fear."
Garmadon shoots me a disgusted look. "Then he will never love you. The only way to ensure anyone's devotion is through terror."
I breathe deeply. "I don't know. Do...do you promise not to hurt him?"
"Of course. He's my son. Why would I want any harm to come to him?"
I think about this for a moment. "Okay, I'll help you. You promise you'll tell me the truth about my parents?"
"I will reiterate their very words."
"Then...it's settled."
And after this, I can make things right with my real family, and I'll finally have the chance at a normal life – a life where I have friends I can trust and the boyfriend of my dreams. I hope.