ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ :  take me nowhere (Maggie Lindemann)

'Cause nobody's real until they shatter
Poisonous promises will
String you along 'til sweet turns sour
Knockin' you down to take your power

🌿🔥⚡️🌊❄️☄️

It suddenly felt a lot like being at a family gathering, except it was one where the absent father makes an unexpected and unwelcomed appearance. Glancing between both Lloyd's conflicted expression and Garmadon's almost bored stare, I assumed I probably wasn't far off with that feeling.

At this rate, I wished I had spent my childhood watching the show. Maybe then I'd know what exactly was passing between the different expressions everyone was giving. I knew none of them had that close relationship with Garmadon like they did in the earlier seasons, which was a shame. The writers really knew how to kick them while they're down. Happy ending? Never heard of it.

"What," Lloyd clears his throat, his voice wavering before he starts again in a clearer, stronger tone, "What're you doing here?"

"Yeah!" Jabbing a finger in Garmadon's direction without a trace of fear is Jay, eyes narrowed in suspicion, "State your business!" It seemed they knew it wasn't their old Sensei, however they figured that out, I have no idea.

Garmadon merely rolls his eyes and sighs, "I have no business. Like the rest of you, the realm has decided that my presence is needed here, and I have a small hunch on why." His voice lowers as he eyes the group of them with judgment.

The air becomes thick with their conflictions on either side of me, Garmadon on one side giving them the stink eye while on the other side, the ninja are glaring right back. My shoulders sink and I cross my arms, staring between the two parties before rolling my eyes.

"Okay, so as you're all aware, I'm missing a lot of information to even try to understand what's going on here," I wave a hand around in the air, anything but amused, "And while I know it mustn't be easy, but can we cut to the part where Garmadon here starts to explain whatever it is he needs to?"

My pointed stare stays locked on the ninja, knowing they'd be the ones to put up a fight. Kai, closest to me, crosses his arms with a small huff, which I take as an agreement, yet continues to glare at Garmadon across from him. Jay doesn't meet my eyes, idly twirling a piece of his hair around his finger. Nya sighs and nods her lowered head.

Cole gives out a small hum, though his body stays stiff, showing how uncomfortable he was. Zane, like Nya, gives a small nod, otherwise not giving off any other indication of his thoughts about the situation. Lloyd was the one who shifted on his feet, hands twitching at his sides before he too gave a small nod.

"Great." A small part of me felt guilty for them, it was obvious the tension was thick between the two groups but it needed to be put to the side of the moment. "Garmadon, you have the mic." I give him a small thumbs up.

"Thank you." He ignores the looks he was getting from the others, proceeding with his explanation without care, "It seems my disguise doesn't fool the lot of you, which is a shame." His small, borderline cruel, smile has their glares hardening, "I'll cut to the chase; I would like to think I have something you would find of use."

The team watch him closely as he unclips and rummages a hand through his satchel before he pulls out a yellowed and frayed scroll. What I didn't expect was for him to turn and hold it out to me. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion and slowly take it from his awaiting hands, "Why're you handing this to me? You said it was useful to them!"

Garmadon clips his satchel shut, ignoring how I shot a hand out to the ninja, "I did, but I feel it would be more useful to you." He states plainly.

I stare up at him, almost considering throwing the scroll at his face in annoyance. I hold back my impulsive thoughts and inhale slowly. "You know what I said about Wu being worse? I take it back." My monotone voice has him chuckling lowly, my stare unwavering.

A hand on my shoulder has me tilting my head to meet brown eyes, Cole's chin almost leaning against my shoulder as he leans down closer to my face, his voice low, "We can take you back to our place if you need an escape plan." I snort quietly at his tone, knowing he was teasing yet also being serious.

"Cole's got a point."

"Huh?"

The rest of us turn to Lloyd, who had turned his focus away from his father to Cole and I, one hand on his hip. How in the world did he hear Cole from the back of the group? "We should take both Garmadon and Y/n back to the base. Assuming Garmadon doesn't have a place set up permanently, he can live with us and we can take a look at that scroll in private."

I watch him glance around the area. It was quiet, most students were either still in class or hurrying to get back to the dorms. The only people I could see were a few getting to their cars a decent distance away. Why would he be paranoid? The question had my stomach churning. It couldn't have been that bad if someone heard us talking. Nothing we could say would make any sense to them.

Did he think that someone else had somehow appeared in this realm? Someone who didn't have any good intentions? I frown at the thought. That shouldn't be possible, hopefully. I just wanted to deal with the Great Devourer, anything else that wanted to cause a problem can wait. Or better yet, change their mind and leave this realm alone.

"Are you okay with that, Y/n?"

I raise my head and purse my lips at Zane's question. I still had another class to attend, and just thinking about how this whole thing could mean that my attendance would suffer had my heart sinking. I had to remind myself that it was for the greater good. "Yeah," I start slowly with a sigh, "That's fine."

I find myself cramped in the back of their van, my hands placed on my thighs to keep myself from accidentally bumping them against Zane and Cole beside me. While the vehicle was huge (I'm surprised they haven't been pulled over by the police yet), the seats were jammed too close together for my comfort. I was very tempted to unbuckle myself and sit in the middle of the floor where there was more breathing room.

Nya was driving, claiming that the van was her baby when Kai tried to sneak into the driving seat. He was roughly yanked back by the collar of his shirt, Nya's strength nearly ripping the fabric from his back as he whined. He then tried to slip into the passenger seat but that was quickly swooped up by Lloyd. Kai didn't argue, probably figuring he didn't want to be placed in the back with the corrupted version of his father.

The ride was surprisingly smooth, so I didn't have to think too much about making sure I wouldn't be thrown into Cole or Zane. So, I spent the time inspecting the modifications of the van. It was tall enough that if I stood, I would barely have to lean down to not hit my head on the roof. One side of the van had a rack full of their weapons, plus a few extra throwing stars and daggers. They must've been thoroughly strapped down so as to not fall on anyone.

Behind my head was a large rectangular panel, and I briefly wondered what could be behind it. I wasn't going to ask, not wanting to bother them. Nya must've been looking in the rearview mirror as her voice stopped my eyes from roaming around more, instead glancing at her in the driver's seat, "Careful where you touch, there might or might not be a minigun behind your head."

"Well," I swallow and briefly glance at the panel again, imaging a large powerhouse of a weapon just waiting to be fired, "Wasn't expecting that."

"Pretty neat, right?" I catch the proud grin on her face as she drives the van onto a dirt road, the different texture making the vehicle sway, "Took me a couple of days to connect the wiring without blowing the whole thing up, but I'm pretty confident this bad baby could take down a tank or two." She drums her fingers against the steering wheel, too focused on the road to see my dumbfounded expression.

"I helped too!" Jay throws up a hand across from me, eyes squinted as he grins despite the look of doubt everyone casts him from their seats.

Nya chuckles, "Yes, Jay, you helped as well."

"What, you mean by bringing you lemonade when he thought you were about to pass out from overworking yourself?" Kai snorts next to Jay, who deflates like a balloon at his words. "Yeah, I'd definitely call that helping."

My fingers unconsciously play with the faded ends of the scroll as I stretch my leg out to brush my shoe against Jay's knee, watching his eyes flicker up to meet my own. "I actually think that's one of the best ways to support someone. If I was working my ass off, I'd appreciate a nice glass of lemonade."

I watch him spark to life again, his bright grin almost blinding as he elbows Kai, looking as if nothing could knock him down from his pedestal, "Thank you, Y/n! At least someone around here appreciates my efforts." He sniffs, wiping away a fake tear as I chuckle fondly.

After ten minutes of Kai and Jay bickering with each other about the most random of things, the SUV comes to a halt. Cole, being closest to the sliding door, opens it and lowers his back to perform a small bow, "After you, miss."

I shake my head but decide to play along, giving him a small curtsey and a quiet, "Why thank you, good sir." Stepping down and planting my feet against the gravel, my eyes instinctively travel to the manor laid out before me. It was as if it was plucked right out of a fantasy novel, the afternoon sun bouncing off the windows in an enthralling glow.

Its grey and white stone walls stretched as far as two football fields, vines and greenery etching themselves amongst the bricks, reaching for the treetops that barely sheltered the building. Taking a glance through the front glass doors to the entrance hall, I spot a large staircase that splits off in two directions to the second floor, draped with a scarlet carpet.

Following the staircase with my eyes, I spot one of the windows on the second floor open, giving me the chance to sneak a peek inside. My jaw nearly hits the ground at the sight of a glass chandelier, beautiful candles standing tall in their placeholders.

Mentally, I was terrified that if I were to step foot inside that room, my presence alone would have the chandelier clattering to the ground in a heap of shards. "This is where you all live?" I barely get out, voice shaky, unable to look away from the beauty in front of my face as the songs of wild birds complete the living fantasy novel that has done nothing but bless my presence. 

"Yup," Kai was the last to step out of the van, hands leisurely placed in his jeans pockets as he gauges my reaction, his lips twitching with an amused smile as he strolls past me with a nudge of his head towards the building, "The inside isn't too bad either. You should come check it out, unless your jaw is glued to the ground." He teases lowly.

I clutch the scroll to my chest and narrow my eyes at him, "You're making me feel very poor, so you should be ashamed of yourself for making fun of me." I sniff and tilt my chin to the sky, marching past him without sparing him a glance, even when his chuckles meet my ears.

Catching up to the others, Cole sends a smile my way as he holds one of the glass double doors open for myself and his teammates (plus Garmadon). Warm air trickles out from inside, instantly making goosebumps rise on my skin, washing away the February chill that still lingered in the air.

Stepping away from the rustling of the forest and being welcomed into the crushing weight of the mansion had my mind spinning. With the plush carpet now under my shoes, which I fumble to take off once spotting the others doing the same, I take my time inspecting the inside with a held breath. It was gorgeous, with earthy colour tones and dim lighting. To the left was an enormous lounge room, big enough to hold at least thirty people comfortably, especially with the brick fireplace that was waiting to be lit.

To the right was the kitchen, which I could only spot half of with a large pillar blocking off the other half, but it was still fairly impressive. The world's best chef would give his soul to even set foot in the space. From my spot, there were at least three ovens, three! Who needed that many?! The stove tops could hold probably twenty pots, which seemed fitting with how much I could only guess the ninja ate to fit in with their training regimen.

"Would you like a tour at some point today?" Zane's voice brings me out of my thoughts, most likely having spotted the awe written all over my face that I wasn't bothered to mask.

I lick my dry lips and chuckle lowly, releasing my tight grip on the scroll to run a hand through my hair, "I think I'll need it if I'm going to be here more often. Otherwise, I'd probably get lost in the first few minutes of exploring." I huff in amusement at his soft chuckles, the noise almost too perfect to be coming from a person. Then again, it almost slipped my mind that he wasn't exactly human...at all.

The clearing of Lloyd's throat makes me arch an eyebrow, watching the blond glance from Garmadon who had been taking in his new surroundings with much less enthusiasm than I had, to the scroll in my hand and then finally my eyes, "Let's rip the bandaid off, shall we?" Something in his eyes read are you mentally prepared for the contents in that scroll?

No. I forced a smile to my lips and weakly waved the parchment in the air, "Let's see what the universe has in store for you guys this time." I joked lamely, internally cringing at my choice of wording. Was it smart of me to make a small joke about their trauma? I prayed that they were the type to laugh off the bad things that had happened to them, a part of me already knowing the answer to that being that yes, they were. They had to be with what they've been through. How else could they have survived this long, mentally?

Following the large group into the lounge room to a large rectangular table in the corner of the room, I find a spot between Lloyd and Garmadon and rest the rolled-up scroll onto the wooden surface with shaky fingers. Swallowing thickly and praying it had some answers etched into the yellow paper, I begin to unroll, feeling the eyes of the others directed towards me.

Flattening the parchment out with my palms, my stomach drops at the unknown symbols that glare up at me tauntingly. "I can't read this, but I'm guessing it's in your language?" I take a hopeful glance up to the others, only frowning further at their equally confused expressions.

"No, it's not written in Ninjargon." Lloyd mutters beside me, his fingers brushing against mine as he runs the pads of his fingertips under the symbols written in ink, "But it's familiar. I've seen writing like this in some of Master Wu's old scrolls."

"It's Old Tongue." Garmadon was the one to have our attention snapped to him, Lloyd retreating his hand back from the scroll, once again brushing over the skin of my hand, making me keenly aware of the tingles he left behind. "It's an ancient language that was used in Ninjago, and I'm quite surprised to see it used here." He hums, eyeing the scroll with more intent.

"I remember Master Wu saying something about Old Tongue." It was Cole who spoke next, his eyebrows furrowed on the other side of the table from me as his index finger taps against the wood. "From what I can remember, he was able to read it. I'm assuming you can, too?" He tears his eyes away from the scroll to face Garmadon.

"I might be rusty. I don't have my nose stuck in the scrolls all day, unlike my brother." Garmadon reaches for the parchment, sliding it only inches closer to him so I was still able to have my sights on it without obstruction, despite being unable to read a lick of it. He seems to read it over himself before speaking out loud, and the further his eyes travel, the worse the tightening in my stomach gets.

"When the day comes that the dead shall rise, a stranger, marked by fate, will step forth. They will be tested, their courage tried, and push through the secrets buried within themselves. Their journey of self-discovery will be long and torturous, but their determination will see them through. In the end, they will face their demons and make the ultimate sacrifice. Only then will the suffering come to an end, and the Realms will know peace once more. For their success is their only hope for salvation."

Silence hangs over the room, thick and heavy. With my bottom lip torn between my teeth, I stare blank-faced at the symbols, Garmadon's voice echoing around my head. The sinking feeling in my gut hadn't loosened, if anything, it got worse. The scroll was supposed to give answers, not make more. I squinted, trying to make sense of it all.

'The dead shall rise', that was obviously the Devourer being reborn or something, somehow coming back from the gruesome death it received from Garmadon. I understood that, but the rest of the, dare I say it, prophecy, made no sense. Though, a part of me wanted to keep it that way. To continue my life being oblivious to the absolute hell that was going to happen to the supposed 'marked one'. It sounded like nothing but pure pain and torture waiting to be touched.

"That's...a lot to unpack." I wince at the strain in my voice, only now noticing how tight my grip was on the table. The joints of my fingers ache when I release the wood, quickly bringing my fists to my chest and cracking my now sore knuckles. "Now when you said that you thought this would help me more than the others, what exactly did you mean?"

I hated the words the second they left my mouth, dreading what the answer would be yet somehow knowing what it was. Why the ninja were led to me in the first place, why Garmadon had somehow been the one to teach my psychology class, why everything led back to me. I didn't want to accept it, I didn't want to accept that my normal, plain life was about to be turned upside down. I didn't want to accept the future torture that was just waiting for me.

Garmadon must have noticed the faraway look in my glazed eyes, his expression softening as he pushes the parchment back in front of me, "While it's not what you want to hear, and with your expression, I figure you have connected the dots." His voice is low, as if speaking to a petrified animal that was backed into a corner, "This prophecy was written for you."

"No," My instant and firm reply has them shocked, my head shaking as I force a laugh, trying my best to ignore their concerned gazes, "It can't be. I'm sorry, but you have the wrong person." I take a huge step back from the table, from the scroll that has bounced back and rolled up with no one holding it down.

"Y/n," Lloyd's pained expression has tears springing to my eyes, the sight of him already accepting my fate has my gut twisting, "I know how you feel-"

"You don't!" He does. I wipe at the first tear that slips down my cheek, ignoring the pang in my chest when he turns to face the wall with a frown, "This isn't making sense, think about it! I don't have any secrets, none! My family is honest, we talk about everything! So there's nothing to even talk about there, and what? Courage is tried or some bullshit? Tested? What does that have to do with me! My life is normal! I'm normal! So, so you can take that prophecy and find the poor fucker that it's tied to, because it's not going to be me!"

I don't bother hearing any more from them, instead turning to hurry back to the front door, slipping outside into the cold late afternoon air. I paced the driveway for a few seconds, tears blurring my vision before scoffing under my breath and walking down the dirt road, arms crossed tight across my chest to keep in the warmth of the mansion.

Garmadon must have had some screws loose, he was old, so it was a possibility that he was just wrong. The damn scroll couldn't have been about me, it just wasn't possible. This was Earth, not Ninjago, not some other realm where they had some sort of elemental powers or mythical creatures. There were no written prophecies destined to one person, to have the whole world put on their shoulders. It couldn't be possible, it shouldn't.

Yet all the answers were right there to prove that it was possible. This wasn't some dream, these people that have come into my life were as real as my own flesh and blood that ran throughout my body. The only question I needed answered was why. Why me? I had nothing special, no elemental powers, no dragons, no weapons. I was so pathetically weak compared to the people I left at the mansion. They had defeated things worse than the Devourer before, so what was stopping them this time?

My teeth clenched and I groaned into the open air, but never once stopped walking. The prophecy scared me, it terrified me to no end. I tried to run it over in my head. There was some sort of marked one? Was it physical? If so, how did fate mark them? Beauty spots? Nya had those. Freckles? Jay and Lloyd came to mind. Scars? Hell, the whole lot of them had stories behind each one. Yeah, I might have those features, but I held no powers. Nothing. I didn't stand out. I had no noteworthy childhood that would have any answer as to why I was so special.

"Hey!"

I couldn't bring myself to walk any further when the voice called out to me. Pinching the skin of my elbows, I slowly turn around to find Lloyd jogging up to my figure. Instantly, guilt tears its way into my heart after how I easily pushed his comfort away. "Lloyd, I-"

"You forgot these." He stops a short distance away and holds up my shoes with a nervous smile. My eyes widen, darting down to find my socks covered in dirt, leaves and gravel. I hadn't even noticed how the rough path cut holes into the bottom of my socks. "Here." He takes another step forward and holds out my shoes.

I sigh and drop my arms to take them from him, "Thank you." I purse my lips and find the nearest tree to sit against, sliding down the rough bark to plant myself onto the forest floor without a care for my jeans. While picking the leaves and rocks off my socks, I hear Lloyd take a seat a tree over.

The two of us are silent while I work, my eyes having gone dry from the walk. Frowning at the massive hole in my left sock, I mentally remind myself to throw them away when I got home. Slipping my shoe over the now brown sock, I start tying my laces when Lloyd is the first to speak.

"How are you feeling?"

The question stings, and my eyebrows furrow as I turn my head to him. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? I...I was rude and inconsiderate when you tried to comfort me before." I begin slowly, finishing with my laces on one shoe and beginning to put the other on, "You out of anyone would know what its like having a prophecy looming over your head. So," I drop my hands into my lap with both shoes on and twist my body around to fully face him, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, for everything." I pick at the fallen leaves on the ground, frown deepening as I rip the brown leaf apart, "Thinking back on my words, I made it sound like you guys weren't normal. Like I was somehow better than you all for not having some, I dunno, stupid character development and trauma, and I want you to know that I didn't mean it like that-"

"I know." My eyes dart up to his own, green filling my senses as he smiles softly. He turns to rest his side against his own tree, matching my position so we were facing each other. "You don't have to explain yourself, and I can tell you now that none of us even thought of it that way." His words have my shoulders dropping, my stiff posture relaxing as I let out a shaky breath. "I know the prophecy is a lot, but I want you to know that you won't be alone in any of this. You'll have us by your side, and we'll do our best to shoulder some of the weight."

I blink the build-up of tears out of my eyes with a choked laugh, wiping them away with the sleeve of my sweater. "How can you be so nice to me right now when I was such a jerk to you." I hear the leaves rustle at his movement, feeling more than seeing him crouch beside me and place a warm hand against my shoulder.

"Because I've been in a similar situation." He chuckles quietly, soothingly rubbing my shoulder while I clear my face of tears. With a sniffle, I drop my hands to tilt my head at him, meeting his comforting smile with one of my own. "Did you want to stay out here for a little or are you okay with coming back to the mansion?"

His soft question has me internally melting. "I think I'm ready to go back now," I say quietly, accepting his helping hand up with a smile. The air had turned colder, the setting sun casting long shadows over the trees and our figures as we start our trek back to the mansion.

It took fifteen minutes before I was standing in the lounge room again, hands clasped in front of me as I met the relieved faces of the ninja and Garmadon again, Lloyd standing next to me. "I'm sorry for how I reacted earlier. I don't want to make excuses, I was just...I was scared. I've never had something like this put on me before and I needed an escape. I'm so sorry for what I said, and if I said something that hurt you, please know that it was not my intent. I get it if you don't forgive me, I won't blame you."

I watch them, nervously shifting from foot to foot as the group gave each other small glances. Lloyd was quick to forgive me, having gone through something similar to my situation, but would the others feel the same? I'd work hard to gain their trust and forgiveness, I needed their support to get through everything and couldn't see myself without them besides me. I needed them to know that despite the circumstances, they were quickly growing on me.

A rough hand ruffling my hair had me blinking back into reality, Kai grinning brightly as he laughed at my gaping mouth opening and closing in surprise, "We don't have to forgive you for anything, so stop looking like you're about to pass out."

"Huh?"

My dumb response has Nya rolling her eyes playfully in front of me, "You must have forgotten who we are. We go through stuff like this all the time, we know the drill. It's you who'd have a tough time accepting things, so we see where you were coming from." She reaches over and wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling my side against her own as she smiles, "If it becomes too much, which I know it will, you can always come to me, alright? We'll make a girl's night out of it."

"A girls and Jay night!" I hold back my snort as Jay places his hands on his hips, glaring almost challenging at Nya before brightening when he meets my eyes, "But if that's not enough support, then I guess the others can join in too." He drawls, grinning cheekily at Cole, who nudges him with his elbow.

"What he's trying to say is," Cole sighs and places his palm over Jay's mouth the second the lightning user opens his mouth again, "This whole thing sucks, but our support system is strong enough to kick its ass. If you need anything, you come to us. We're all in this together, no matter what fate says."

"I agree." Zane steps between the two, having to force Cole's hand away from Jay's mouth when the brunette begins to reach out with sparks flicking from his fingers, "Our bonds have strengthened after every battle, and we will continue to reach that bond out to you, if you are to accept, of course."

Any previous dark clouds hanging above my head were waved away at the boisterous and connecting energy that flowed through the group around me, and a spark of hope lifted in my chest. While the prophecy still held my heart in its terrifying hands, I wouldn't be alone. There were people to back me up, even when I get to my lowest point.

"Of course." I chuckle against Nya's side, "You guys are amazing, and I feel so stupid for panicking."

"Don't be." It was Garmadon who joined our circle, the rolled prophecy in his hands, "It's only natural." He doesn't hesitate to hold out the parchment for me to take, and I do so with a small frown. "We don't know the time frame on when the Devourer will make its appearance, it could be tomorrow for all we know."

"That's comforting," I mutter, eyeing the scroll for a moment, turning it around in my palms, feeling the weight of it. "But I don't think so, not that quick at least. By the sounds of things, fate will throw a lot at me to prepare for the battle."

"Which is why we should begin your training as soon as possible." My head shoots up to stare wide-eyed at him, his hands tucked behind his back casually, "Don't give me that look. Do you want to go into battle with no knowledge of defence?" I open my mouth but quickly shut it, shaking my head hurriedly, "I didn't think so."

Nya drops her arm from around my shoulders and turns to face me with a bright smile, "He's right. While Master Wu is still missing, we'll be your next best option for training you, with Garmadon's help, of course. That way, there's no way we'll lose."

Her confidence in my abilities almost had me believing in myself, but it was quick to be squashed as I come to a realisation. I would have to give my all, all my effort and time, which meant I'd have no spare time for my classes or my family. Rhiannon would ask questions, especially if I couldn't make it back to the dorms in time.

"You're worried about your classes, right?" Cole raises an eyebrow in my direction, and I was shocked he could read my thoughts so easily. "We could probably work around them if they mean a lot to you. If you have classes in the mornings, we can train in the afternoon and vice versa. I'm going to say it now though, you will be exhausted."

"It'll be worth it." I shrug one shoulder with a meek smile, "I know it sounds dumb, but my classes will help keep a sense of normality, you know?" It'll be a comfort zone outside of training, an escape from the gripping fear of the phrophecy. As if feeling my anxiety, my phone vibrates in my pocket.

My Everything <3:

hey hun, just checking up on you. I waited for you after your class and couldn't find you, everything okay?

also, I'm making my famous ramen for dinner, are you gonna be back to have some?

If not, just let me know! Wanna make sure you're safe x

My fingers hover over Rhiannon's messages, a small smile twitching on my lips. Lifting my head, I face Nya with a sheepish grin, "Hey, is it okay if you take me back to campus? I have classes tomorrow but if we're serious about training, then I'm free until Friday if you want me to come over tomorrow afternoon?"

"Of course!" She reaches into her pockets and twirls her keys around her finger, "The earlier, the better. Now, who's coming for the ride?"

A chorus of shouts have me snorting with an eye roll, the whole gang pushing and shoving at each other as they race for the front door, almost tripping over each other while slipping on their shoes. Nya simply shakes her head and places her hand on the small of my back, leading me past the fumbling boys with a laugh while I sent a confirmation text back to Rhiannon.

Their groans of defeat after seeing me in the passenger seat have my worries vanishing, watching them playfully shove one another into the back of the van with sibling-like banter. Knowing that I would be in their care should have been worrying, especially when Jay somehow fell out of his seat and landed in Zane's lap, but I knew they would train me to the best of their ability and prepare me for the horrors that were to come. As long as I protected those who were dear to me, I knew I could handle whatever the universe threw my way.