Nya's POV

"Oh my gosh, what is is this? It's so good!" Jay looks down at the food that PIXAL made for breakfast. We fell asleep talking last night, and when we woke up, PIXAL already cooked breakfast. Chamille and PIXAL thanked me for taking over for them, and I made sure to let them know it wasn't a problem. After taking an hour break to freshen up and eat breakfast, I took over for them again.

However, I made sure to sneak Jay in some breakfast. I took off the ropes so he could eat by himself, even though I wasn't supposed to, but he hasn't tried to escape. Part of me is surprised, considering now he only has on vengestone handcuffs, but the other part expected him to not try anything.

"It's an arugula and pistachio pesto quiche. PIXAL made it," I watch as he scoops another bite into his mouth.

"I guess all nindroids are amazing chefs," he makes the observation before eating some more.

"Nindroid?"

"Yeah, like an android, but they're also a ninja," he explains, making me laugh a bit.

"I'm guessing you came up with it?"

"Of course. I came up with it when we first found out Zane was a robot. All of us were shocked. I was so shocked so all I could do was come up with a pun. It ended up sticking," he explains in between bites.

"I forgot that one of your teammates is a robot. He looks really human like. I never would've guessed it," I admit as Jay finishes the quiche. He places the plate next to him before leaning back in the chair.

"Kai, Cole, and I all knew there was something off with him. He always took things very literally, and he was a bit odd. We all liked him, don't get me wrong, but he was just a bit different. When we found out that he was a robot, everything made sense, and it actually brought us all closer together. Part of me feels like he's still a bit insecure about it, but I think seeing PIXAL helps him since he's never met someone else like him." he briefly explains what I'm sure is a long story. "Thank you so much for the food."

"It's nothing. Do you want something to drink?" I offer.

"Do you have something with you? If you don't, I don't want you to get up."

"I think you forget that I'm the master of water," I smirk slightly, pulling out a cup. Focusing my attention on the moisture around me, I pull it towards my right hand before directing it into a cup. When I hand it to him, he looks at it skeptically.

"This isn't poisonous, right?" he checks, scanning the cup with his eyes. I laugh at his hesitation.

"It's the purest water you'll ever drink. My mother actually refuses to drink any water other than this water. She made me make her a giant tank of it for her to drink for when I'm gone," I admit. Still a bit skeptical, he takes a sip of it. After a few seconds, he finishes the whole cup.

"Nya?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you so nice to me? I appreciate it a lot, but the rest of your sisters were fine just keeping me tied up, starving. You even threatened me at first to make me stop talking," at the mention of my first words to him, I get a bit embarrassed.

"I'm sorry about that. They had just told me you were annoying, so I assumed it was true. That changed when you helped me with my invention and saved me from even more agony. That's worth at least food and a bathroom break in my book," I make sure I apologize before explaining my actions. I watch his face as he processes my words. His eyes scan over my face, a unique expression on his face. It makes my cheeks flush.

When there's a knock at the door, both of us startle slightly, stopping our conversation. "Nya?" Skylor says from the other side.

"Yeah?" I respond.

"We're picking up Auntie in a few minutes. If Jay has to go to the bathroom, I'd suggest you take him soon," she advises.

"Alright, thank you."

---

"Do the ropes really need to go back on?" Jay asks sadly as he stretches.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. If Auntie sees that we aren't closely monitoring our captive, she'll be irate," I explain. He sighs. After stretching out his back some more, he sits back down in the chair. "Why aren't you trying to escape?"

"Trust me, I've been held captive many times. I've never been able to escape safely without the rest of my team. Besides, I couldn't get past all of you anyways. I might as well be thankful that you're giving me at least a bit freedom," he explains as I wrap the rope around his arms and torso. He winces. "Do they have to be this tight?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Auntie won't like it if you have even a bit of wiggle room," I secure the ropes wrapping his arms up. Afterwards, I go to his hands, getting a separate rope to tie them together tighter.

"Please don't leave me alone with her," he begs. Seeing him this worried makes me feel bad.

"She's caring, Jay. She's not going to hurt you. Yeah, she gets mad sometimes, but nothing too bad," I try to calm him down, but he's not having it, struggling in the ropes.

"Please, Nya. She might be tame around your team, but she won't give me any mercy. I've heard what she did to Kai, and what she did to his dad right in front of him. She's ruthless. Please, please Nya," he pleads, his eyes staring into mine. The panic starts to set in. His chest rises and falls rapidly. His eyes start to dart around the room.

I squat down in front of his chair, resting my hand on his knee. He seems to ease up a little, "She isn't going to hurt you. Look, I'll try to stay in here with you, but if she asks me to leave, I'm going to leave. I'll make sure I watch you tonight, so you can get a break from the ropes." 

Suddenly, we feel the ship jerk backwards, signaling that we stopped and have now landed. I can hear Auntie get on board, but I can't hear what conversations she's having with the rest of my sisters. Double checking Jay's ropes, I give them a tug, and they barely move. There's no way Auntie won't be impressed with it.

After several minutes, I hear the voices getting closer. "We also got something else when we got the gemstone," Seliel tells her, obviously in the hallway. Their footsteps get louder and louder.

"Oh, what is it?" Auntie asks. Several seconds later, Skylor opens the door for her, showing off our captive. None of my sisters can see since they're behind her, but Auntie's face floods with rage. Her jaw tightens. Her face slightly scrunched inwards.

"You kidnapped one of them?" she says it, trying to disguise her anger for surprise.

"He was getting away with the gemstone, so when I got him, I also got the gemstone," Seliel explains, proud of herself. Auntie glares at Jay, making him even more uneasy.

"Have you guys already exploited him for information?" she asks, looking him over.

"We tried, but he wouldn't budge," Chamille crosses her arms.

"Maybe I can change that. Girls, go train. I'll call some of you back down to watch him when I'm ready. Then, we can take off," she orders. The other girls quickly follow her instructions, but I slightly hesitate after seeing the fear on Jay's face.

"Are you sure you don't want at least one of us to stick around, Auntie? We don't know what he's capable of," I try to find a way to stay without her knowing why.

"No, I'm alright if he has vengestone on. Now, go with your sisters," she glares at me. With my head down, I walk out of the room, the last thing I see before closing the door being the fear on Jay's face.

---

Jay's POV

Once Nya closes the door, my anxiety raises exponentially. My breathing is rapid and shallow. My throat goes dry. The ropes suddenly feel ten times tighter. As I try to squirm out of them, they feel like they increase their hold on me.

The woman, who is undoubtedly Ciara, watches me with pure anger on her face. Her hair is frizzy and grey, falling below her shoulders. Her eyes look black, as if there's nothing inside but darkness. She's thin, her hand resting on her hip. Her nails are sharp, looking as if they can rip through anything. 

"Libber's son, it's a shame we haven't met before, isn't it? I met Lily's son, but he was only a baby then, and I also met Maya's son. I could never forget Kyle." She starts to walk towards me, making me panic more. I try to move the chair backwards, but it does little.

"G-get away from me you...you...witch!" I try to deter her, but she only laughs.

"You're the one in my ship, near my girls," she puts extra emphasis on the word "my", finally reaching me. She reaches her hand out, grabbing the bottom of my face and turning my head left and right. My heart beats rapidly, and I think of any way that I could escape. "You look a lot like her. It's disturbing, actually."

"I don't know who you're referring to, but get your hands off of me!" I try to jerk my face out of her hands. She responds to it by placing her hand around my neck, digging her sharp nails into the side of it.

"Your mother, you imbecile. Who else would I be referring to?" she looks at me again. "Her and Lilly used to go on walks and pick my sister and I beautiful bouquets of flowers. While my sister never really cared, those bouquets meant the world to me."

"You didn't deserve a single one of them, considering you murdered my mother and her entire team," I tell her. As soon as the words escape my mouth, I know I made a mistake. Ciara's hand wraps around tighter, her nails digging even further into my neck. Her glare darkens, her jaw tight.

"You think I wanted to kill them? I loved all five of those girls like they were my own children, but they betrayed me, and no one betrays me," she speaks lowly as I feel my airway close up. It becomes harder and harder to breathe, causing me to panic. "I hate looking at you. I hate seeing the eyes of your mother." When she sees I almost can't breathe, she lets go. She begins to pace in front of me before pulling out a knife.

"Y-you aren't going to use that on me right?" I ask, afraid. She smirks, coming closer to me again. She takes the blade and slowly runs it across my cheek, right below my black eye. It leaves a thin cut that stings.

"If you weren't the only elemental master of lightning left, I'd kill you. You're lucky," she moves the knife to my jawline, creating another cut. "I can't have history repeating itself, and having you on this ship puts that in jeopardy. If I could kill you, I would, trust me." Suddenly, she drives the knife into my arm, causing me to yell out in pain. "I'm going to take these ropes off of you. You are going to flee back to your little team of ninjas and not talk to my girls ever again, got it?" When I don't immediately respond, she twist the knife.

"Yes, yes! I understand!" I reply, causing her to pull the knife out.

"Failure to comply will lead to excessive torture," she warns, and I rapidly nod. She walks behind me and loosens the rope for me to slip out of. "The ship is parked. You can escape out that window. Just be quiet." She sheaths the bloody knife that was just in my arm.

I wiggle out of the ropes, not wasting a chance to escape. With my bleeding arm, I quietly open the window. I climb out, walking quietly along the edge of the ship. When I find the anchor, I climb into the chain, using it to descend. As I finally reach the ground, I hear a piercing scream that makes me break out in a run.

As I escape, I can't help but feel guilty. I left Nya, and the rest of them, alone with that monster.

---

I sit in the police station, a blanket around me and a cup of water in my hand. When I escaped, this was the first place I thought of to go to. After giving me a clean outfit, breaking off the vengestone, and cleaning my wounds, the police commissioner called the rest of the ninja to pick me up.

"Commissioner?" I ask as he works on his little model of a ship. He thought his office would be the safest place for me even though I can take care of myself. He looks up at me.

"Yes, Jay?"

"Do you have records on my mom's murder?" I ask him. His face immediately is filled with sympathy.

"I have all cases about the nasty woman that killed her in a file. I...I don't think you should see them though," he tells me, the last part turning more stern. Before I can respond, the guys burst into the room without knocking. When I turn around to look at them, they all rush me and give me a hug.

"I missed you, blue jay," Cole gives me a tight hug.

"Damn Jay, what happened?" Kai looks at me, seeing the black eye, cuts along my face, and the bandage around my arm.

"Well, Chamille did this," I point to my eye. "And then Ciara went a little knife crazy with me before she let me go."

"Wait, she let you go?" Lloyd asks, confused.

"Yeah, something about not letting history repeat itself and "me being on the ship putting it in jeopardy" or something like that," I shrug, wincing at the movement in my arm.

Once I say that, the four of them look at each other,"By any chance Jay, when you were there, did you manage to seduce any of the girls onto our side?" Cole asks.

"What? No, no. However, Nya is really, really hot," I watch as Kai's eyes narrow at me. "She was also the nicest too. They were all on board for not giving me food, but then Nya sneaked me some."

"Look, we should probably head back to the Bounty. We need to make a plan before the banquet in two days," Lloyd advises, making me raise the eyebrow over my good eye.

"We're still going to that? I guess it'll be fun, but I just assumed we'd be too busy for it. Oh, does this mean we'll get a break? That'd be..." I start.

"My apologizes for the lack of rest, but the Obsidian of Earth is underneath the museum and will appear on the night of the banquet," Zane tells me, making me groan.

"Why can't it just never materialize? That'd make things so much easier," I sigh, standing up.

"Exactly, things would be so much easier," Cole agrees.

"Good luck, ninja. Her again, the fate of Ninjago is on your shoulders," the commissioner tells us.

"Thank you. We won't let you down."

---

Seliel's POV

At the sound of Auntie's scream, the five of us rush towards the room Auntie is in. To get their as fast as possible, I materialize in that room, skipping the hallways.

Auntie is kneeling down, clutching her bloody arm. She's looking out of the open window. To tie it all together, Jay is missing. The ropes that were holding him are lying on the ground.

"Oh my gosh Auntie, are you okay?" I rush to her side. I examine her arm, clearly the result of a stab wound.

Nya is the second to show up. When she arrives in the doorway, she seems confused. She looks around the room, her eyebrows furrowing at the ropes on the ground. "What happened?"

"I should've known not to deal with you young kids. I was starting to torture him for information, but then he slipped out of the ropes. He took the knife I was using, stabbed me, and escaped. I'm sorry girls," she sighs. The rest of my sisters make it to the room while she's explaining.

"I'm going to go get his little blue..." I start to walk towards the window, but Auntie stops me.

"It's alright. The captive was a bad idea anyways. There's too many liabilities. Let him go," Auntie advises.

"My scan indicates that with some stitches, your wound will heal quickly," PIXAL assures Auntie, who smiles at her.

"That's good. Come on, let's go take off. We can deal with this while in the air," Auntie suggests. Skylor and Chamille leave first. PIXAL is next, standing right next to Auntie. As I'm about to leave, I notice Nya standing there, looking at the pile of ropes.

"Are you okay, Nya?" I check as she looks between that and the window.

"Yep, I'm just peachy."

A/N I was supposed to sleep 30 minutes ago but I stayed up to post this (it's worth it)

I bet you guys didn't expect that. A lot of you guys guessed that Ciara would try to kill him, but because of the whole elemental balance thing she can't do that

We're over half way done with this book, but not even a fourth of the way dine with the series. Things are only going to get better from here (I personally enjoy the second book more but hey that's just me)

Thoughts on this chapter? Any predictions?

I'm going to sleep now. I appreciate you all!