***(Nya's POV)***

~Music Cue~

I finish shuffling through the mayor's office and sigh. I had to wait hours for her to leave so I could go through this place, and there's nothing to show for it. There's nothing at all indicating a link between the mayor and this Unagami person.

She was our best lead, too. The mayor's never been a huge fan of elementals. She's been somewhat supportive of Jay and me in our self-defense classes and small crime-fighting gig, but I've always attributed that to wanting to keep her enemies close.

I don't know what's weirder: Finding something here that incriminates her, or not finding any sort of anti-elemental paraphernalia when she's always been opposed to elemental powers.

I hear movement out in the hall and duck behind her desk. I need to call Jay up and make sure he distracts the staff so I can escape.

I seriously hope he has a good excuse for coming back here after his whole IBS-distraction earlier today. It was good at the time, but it seems a little short-lived now.

I grab my phone from my back pocket and power it on. I manually turned it off earlier so it wouldn't make any noise or light up a dark room when messaged.

However, as the screen comes to life, I feel panic thread through me.

Seventeen missed calls from Skylor?

I unlock the screen and pull up my text messages. I have two from Jay, five from Cole, twelve from Skylor.

One from Kai.

Holy-

My thumb punches his contact to see the message before I can think it through. Words light up the screen like a torch in the back of my mind.

Unknown: hey it's kai u need 2 come back 2 skylor's asap

The message was sent at 1:30 p.m.

Crap – two hours ago?!

I bite my lip and hit Jay's contact next. The two messages he sent me are simple – a heart and some meme he found on the Internet.

Did he already head back to New Beginnings? Did he not try to call me or...anything?

That's not right. Maybe his phone died?

Nya: Could use that distraction now

I start going through some other messages from Skylor while waiting for Jay's reply.

Skye: Where r u

Skye: Shade broke into the house & a bunch of elementals threw a riot here

Skye: We took care of them, but I need u back here

Skye: R u ok?

I scroll through a line of messages all the same and try to suppress the anxiety roiling in my stomach. I'm sure Jay will be here any time now so I can escape, right?

I look back at my message chain from him to find there's no response.

Worry grips my lungs like a noose, and I will it away, sending him another text.

Nya: Partner?

Nya: It's time to come pick me up

I force in a deep breath. Just because everything went wrong at Skylor's doesn't mean Jay's in any kind of trouble. He's probably in our car around the block, eating breath mints and playing Monastery Mayhem on his phone. He'll be here in just a few minutes.

Calming my nerves, I tap out a quick response to Skylor.

Nya: We're fine. Headed over soon.

And as soon as I deliver that message, I head over to Kai's number and quickly add him to my contacts. I write him a reply as well, just so I can keep lines of communication open between us.

Nya: I'll be back soon

I check for a message from Jay again, hoping against all odds I just didn't see it pop in. Maybe he's on his way here now? Maybe he's coming up with a cover story out in front of the building? Maybe –

But there's no reply from him.

I take a deep breath and do something stupid.

I press the 'call' button and just hope his voice won't be loud enough to alert anyone else to my presence.

The phone rings four times, but finally, I hear distinctive rustling on the end.

"Hewo?" Jay asks, his mouth obviously stuffed with food.

Relief and anger flood me at the same time. "I'm ready to go now," I say tightly.

"Oh, sweet!" He swallows. "Sorry I'm just now picking up. I got some snacks from the convenience store down the street, and then I dropped my phone down between the seat and the console, and it was really hard to reach my phone without coating my hand in dirt and gunk and who knows what's between the seats, and I wanted to still be able to eat, so I decided I'd eat first and get my phone second, but then this old lady came along and asked if I had any quarters for parking, and I got my phone from under the seat while I was finding quarters in our floorboard, but I think I must've turned it to silent because I had all these missed calls when I turned it on. Hey, is something wrong at Skylor's? I was just about to give her a ring when you called me."

"Jay, in the two and a half hours you've been off the clock, a lot has gone down," I snap. "Come get me. Bye."

"What –,"

I hang up before he can finish, upset that he considered snack hygiene more important than tracking down Unagami. I mean, seriously? I love him, but I feel like his priorities during missions are sometimes lacking. When he knows I've got everything covered, he tends to slack off.

That kind of trust should be flattering, but it reminds me too much of group projects in high school.

The thing about Jay, though, is that he doesn't slack off when it comes to me. He always pulls through when I need him, and I know from experience he'd give his life if that's what it took to save me.

That doesn't fix his work ethic, though. He still annoys the heck out of me sometimes.

My phone buzzes, and I look down to see a text from Skylor.

Skylor: Can I call u

I bite my lip.

Nya: Nope. In a bit of a sticky situation.

I'm stuck behind a desk hiding from the mayor and her staff. I'm pretty much tied up here right now.

I hear the ringing of a doorbell, then commotion toward the hallway. The sound of the door cracking open drifts toward me.

Good.

"Hi!" Jay says loudly. "I'm here to return those clothes you lent me. Don't worry, I washed them in hand sanitizer!"

I try not to facepalm and slip out from behind the desk. I have to give him credit for creativity.

"What?" Jay asks in mock surprise. "You don't want them back? I promise they're all clean now!"

Pressing my back to the wall, I tiptoe toward the door and carefully place my hand on the knob. The front door is around the corner, so it's unlikely any of the staff will see me unless they're headed this way.

I try hard to listen to my surroundings.

"Are you sure you don't want these back?" Jay asks. He purposefully projects his voice to an unusual decibel so I'm sure to hear him. "If you want, I can wash them here so you know I did it right."

Now's my chance.

I open the door, and a quiet click sounds. I crack it just wide enough to sneak out, then take small, silent steps toward the back exit.

"Boy, it sure does smell good in here!" Jay exclaims. "You must have really great cleaners if they're able to cover the smell of infectious IBS that well! It took Nya months to find a product we could use at home to hide the scent!"

Oh, you'd better not bring me into this. I crawl under the dining room table as I hear a staff member's footsteps come clicking along the hall.

"Oh, of course Nya knows about my condition!" Jay laughs. "How could she not?"

Walker, you may have been in trouble before, but you just earned yourself a night in the doghouse.

The employee finishes passing through the kitchen, and I roll out from under the table. I crawl toward the back doors and finish my exit, not bothering to listen to the rest of Jay's horrific account. In fact, the thought to take the car and leave him here briefly tempts me, but because I care about the fate of our mission, I don't follow through.

I'm reclined all the way back in my seat by the time Jay gets to the car. I am not in the mood to talk right now, and I'm hoping that by letting Jay drive, he'll be too focused on our surroundings to have too much conversation.

I also put Skylor on the phone. After all, it sounds like we should have been back at her house hours ago.

Jay opens the driver's side door. "Why are you in my seat?"

I debate giving him the silent treatment. I really want to.

But I decide to do the grownup thing instead. I cover my phone's speaker with a hand, give him a raised eyebrow, and say quietly, "I didn't want to drive. You've got the wheel, buddy."

He instantly bites his lip. "Um...buddy? You say that like it's a bad thing."

I raise my eyebrows. "Skylor's been trying to get hold of us for hours, and instead of going to help her out, you risked the fate of our mission for snack food." And I thought you could've died.

"What's up with Skylor?" he frowns.

"A bunch of elemental masters stormed her house."

"Oh, gosh!" he exclaims. "Is everyone okay?!"

"Yeah," I sigh. "No thanks to us."

***(Kai's POV)***

I yawn, readjusting the couch cushion behind my back. "I've seen this film too many times." I wave a hand at the television screen.

Stella scowls at me. "I haven't, so shut up."

I scowl at her. "Do you talk to Skylor or Cole like that?"

Rachel, the blonde who helped do my nails earlier, raises an eyebrow. "No, but they're not annoying like you are."

My jaw drops. "I am not annoying! I'm probably the most interesting and gentlemanly guy you girls have ever met."

"Then prove it and quit interrupting our movie," Stella huffs.

Rachel smiles. "Of course, if you'd rather, you could go watch "The Great Brickish Bake-Off" with Zane." She jerks her head in the direction of his guestroom.

"Oh, is that what he left to do?" I release a breath between my teeth. "I think I'd rather follow the storyline of Ramona and Pietro here."

Stella elbows me. "It's Ria and Paulo."

"Right. Whatever." I settle back into the enormous movie room, scanning over the congregation of girls eagerly watching the B-rated film.

At least they seem to have recovered from the scare of earlier. I swear, when I figure out what Shade was doing here, I'll probably end up in prison while he gets a trip to the hospital. He has no business snooping around Skylor's place in the name of 'sanctuary' or whatever he called it.

"Kai?" Skylor asks from behind me.

I crane my neck toward her. "Hey. What's up?"

"Zane's relieving you so we can talk." She turns on one heel and stalks away.

She's been keyed up ever since what happened earlier. But then, she was already upset because I was hanging around her house, so what's new?

I rise from my spot on the couch. "I guess now you guys are stuck with 'The Great Brickish Bake-Off.'"

Stella groans, and Rachel snatches the remote before Zane can somehow grab it and turn off their film.

I follow in Skylor's tracks, heading out of the movie room and into her basement. The whole place has been transformed into a lounge, and I spot Cole, Nya, and Jay seated at the coffee table on the far side of the room. Skylor stands beside them, gesturing me toward the remaining seat.

I pull out the chair for her. "You can sit down. I really don't mind –,"

"Sit," she orders.

I raise an eyebrow at her obstinance. "I'm trying to be nice here, Skylor."

"I don't need it." She crosses her arms tighter over her abdomen. "I guess neither of us will be sitting down. Cole, would you like to fill Kai in on what we've learned?"

He gives a slight nod. "Sure. Kai, you're staying here until we figure this stuff out with the elemental masters."

"Good." I place my hands on my hips and resist a glare at Skylor. "I was going to stay whether you let me or not. You guys need a lot of help around here right now."

Skylor's features tighten. "Look –,"

"Not right now, guys," Cole pleads. "Let's just be peaceable for the sake of the girls, okay? Kai, Jay and Nya didn't find anything while searching the mayor's house."

My sister closes her eyes and rests her neck on the back of her chair. "I find it interesting that we didn't find a trace of anything involving elementals in her office. She's traditionally been opposed to elemental equalization in Ninjago City, so you'd think the place would have some kind of evidence of that."

"Maybe she's reformed?" Jay asks hopefully.

Nya shakes her head. "I don't think so. Otherwise, there'd be something to support pro-elemental legislation in her office."

"Oh." He makes a face. "So...maybe someone ransacked her office?"

"The place didn't look ransacked to me." Nya opens her eyes to look at me. "Thoughts?"

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. "Um...I think that's more your and Jay's territory these days."

"It wasn't always," she shrugs. "The best we came up with is that the mayor cleaned her office of all anti-elemental evidence before it could be searched. Of course, that would indicate that she was onto us investigating her place."

"That doesn't sit well with me," Jay frowns.

Nya raises an eyebrow. "I don't think much does sit well with you when you struggle with a condition as serious as infectious IBS."

"I'm sorry?" I blurt.

"Don't ask," my sister sighs.

Jay lifts a hand in the air. "Okay, okay, I know that was a disgusting cover story, but it worked, didn't it?"

"Who knows?" Nya asks. "If the mayor was really onto us, her staff were probably just instructed to let you in regardless of what cover story you came up with. She would've known we wouldn't find anything incriminating, and she probably didn't want us to think she was on to us."

Cole holds up a finger. "So essentially, the mayor knew we suspected her of involvement in the giant android attack and hid her trail."

My sister crosses her arms. "Jay and I will head back there early tomorrow morning and sneak inside. Our only hope is to catch her doing or saying something incriminating while she doesn't think we're watching her."

"I need you guys here," Skylor frets. "What if we have another break-in or –,"

"We'll take care of it," I cut in. "The rest of us have you covered, Skye."

"Not well enough!" she practically shouts, her tone becoming hysterical.

We all stare at her with the you-sound-like-a-crazy-person look for a moment.

She takes in our expressions, then inhales deeply. "None of you understand what it's like to be responsible for someone who could've died today."

"Are you joking?" Nya sputters. "You know that's the very thing I was terrified of when I was alone at the mayor's today, right? I picked up my phone and saw thirty missed calls, and then Jay wouldn't respond to any of my messages, and I thought –,"

She stops herself midsentence.

"So that's what you're mad at me for!" Jay exclaims. "I knew it was more than you were letting on. Gosh, Nya, you should've just told me –,"

"Jay, please don't go into this right now," my sister practically begs him.

He stops short, then lets out a long breath. "Fine. But I seriously thought it was missing Skylor's calls and the whole diarrhea thing that had you in a tizzy."

"You're in trouble for bringing me into that, too." She crosses her arms.

Cole coughs. "Um...are you two good?"

Jay gives him a winning smile. "We are now, yes."

Nya sighs.

I clear my throat. "But getting back to the point...listen, Skye, I understand where you're coming from." I place my hand on her shoulder and look down into her disturbed green eyes. "I raised my younger sister, remember? And the number of times she got into trouble..."

"I was usually saving your butt," Nya interjects.

I ignore her. "She practically gave me a heart attack every time. But Skye, the team always pulled through to support each other. I didn't need the whole team watching her at once – usually just Jay, since he followed her around everywhere anyway – but as long as she was with one or two of us, I knew she was safe. And she always came back to me in one piece."

My throat clogs up, and I try not to scoff at the emotion. I've been angry at Nya for years now. How could I just let that conviction fade?

I clear my throat. "Anyway, Skye, I understand that you're scared, but you can trust a few caring, competent people to take care of the girls who live here. No need to call in the armed forces." I wink at her to try to lighten up my words.

She stares up at me in disbelief for a moment, then turns to Cole. "You promise that you'll make sure someone's with the girls at all times?"

"Duh. They mean as much to me as they do to you." He offers her a tired smile wizened beyond his twenty-two years.

I resist an eyeroll. I guess my efforts to persuade her weren't good enough. It makes sense that she'd trust someone like Cole more than me, but does she really not like me that much?

"Fine," she says after a moment. "But Kai, when I assign you to watch the girls, you'd better watch them. Don't let them even tinkle without Seliel or PIX outside the bathroom door." And with that, she marches off to go find a better use of her time.

***Aight! So I'm considering staggering the rest of the chapters for this book. I can post three this coming weekend (5/8), then three more the weekend after that (5/15). Depending on whether I add in an extra chapter, I might need a third weekend. Thoughts?

Just so I don't storm you guys with IAW all at once 😁***