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

I knock on the girls' bunkroom door and clear my throat. "There's a member of the male species outside who'd like to speak with you all."

For a moment, all I hear is silence. Then the unmistakable giggles of a dozen teenage girls ring like long-unheard music in my ears, and several pairs of feet thump toward the door.

It opens just a crack to reveal one blue eye. "Can we help you?"

I prop a fist on my hip. "Well, it seems to me there's a perfectly good volleyball court in the backyard that hasn't been used since winter. It needed a little sprucing up, but I think it's ready now for a match or two. Anyone want to join me?" I toss the volleyball I found up in the air.

More giggling ensues from inside.

The door cracks open a little wider to reveal a gaggle of girls gathered in front of me.

"I feel outnumbered," I grin.

One of the older ones props her hands on her hips. "I don't know that any of us are huge volleyball fans."

I roll my eyes. "Oh, please. Skylor used to love volleyball – she played varsity her junior year of high school. She would've played her senior year, but she was running her dad's noodle business at that point."

Another girl shrugs. "Most of us are more into softball. Sorry."

My jaw practically drops. "So I just spent all morning – two hours – cleaning up your volleyball court for nothing?" I mean, seriously? No appreciation for that – no nothing?

The giggles erupt into full-blown laughter, and the girl who originally spoke holds up a finger. "Can you give us a moment?"

I nod dumbly as she shuts the door in my face, still flabbergasted that I just got totally rejected. Has Skylor seriously trained her girls to think that all guys are jerks they should completely avoid? It's not like I'm asking them out! I'm twenty-two, and they're, like, fifteen! Eesh!

"Just wait," Cassie says from beside me.

I swivel toward her. "Holy – how'd you get there so fast?"

She just laughs her gentle chuckle. "I'm here to join you and the others."

"For volleyball?" I frown. "None of the other girls want to play. It's like –,"

She shakes her head, smiling. "Just wait."

The door suddenly cracks open again, and the older girl pokes her head out. "Go get changed and meet us in the living room in ten minutes."

"But – I thought you didn't want to play?" I ask. "Or...is this some game in itself?"

She just rolls her eyes. "Go get changed into something you can get messy."

"All I have are my suit from last night and this stuff I borrowed from Cole." I look down at my oversized t-shirt and dad khakis and can't help but feel a little disappointed. The guy has no taste.

"We'll take care of that," she grins. "Go wait in your room. We'll have Mr. Cole lend you something else." She makes a shooing motion in my direction.

"O-kay," I nod slowly. "Sure. Whatever."

Cassie slips past me inside the room wordlessly.

"Go!" the older girl commands me.

Gosh, I've got to learn some names around here.

"Fine," I sigh, turning around and trudging away. "But I'm warning you, I'm well-trained in the art of the ninja and can probably figure out your plan before –,"

She slams the door shut before I can finish speaking, and the whole room erupts into laughter.

Oh, boy.

What have I gotten myself into?

Ten minutes later, I'm garbed in Zane's fluffy pink robe and seated comfortably on Skylor's sofa. Something that smells of cucumbers and feels like plastic is coating my face, and three different girls are giving me a manicure.

Well, at least they're not jerks to me.

I glance over at my right hand and watch as pale pink polish is brushed over my thumbnail. "So...you all have yet to introduce me to yourselves."

"I'm Stella," says the smallest one. "But for the record, you didn't introduce yourself to us, either."

"Everybody knows who he is," says a girl with frizzy blonde hair. She's currently removing a cuticle from my left hand.

"He's Skylor's ex-fiancé," she continues as though I'm not right here. "He and Skylor were about to kiss on the front porch last night. Remember him?" She smiles at me. "I'm Rachel, by the way."

Stella eyes her. "Duh, I remember him. Plus, he's been plastered all over Voyager travel ads lately. I just meant that it'd be nice to get an introduction." She goes back to carefully painting my nails.

The third – a dark-complected girl who's picking out a glitter coat to use for a final layer – suddenly drops the bottle of polish she's holding. "Omigosh, you're right! He is the travel ad guy!" She beams at me like she's just struck gold. "You're, like, famous!"

I smirk. "Not to mention that I'm the former fire ninja. You probably know me from several places."

She laughs. "Dude, literally everyone who works here is a former ninja. We're used to that. Modeling and acting, though – that's new." She leaps off the back of the couch, grabs a magazine from the rack in the corner, and races back with it in hand. "I saw your ad in here just the other day!"

I raise an eyebrow. "Skylor still gets paper magazines? I thought she switched to digital a few years ago."

She shrugs. "All us girls get paper copies because they're easier to share." She says the last word like a curse.

"Nice." I extend the painted nails of my right hand toward the light. "Very opaquely subtle." Whatever the heck that means.

"Thanks," Stella smiles. "I think I might try the same shade myself. Then we can match." She giggles at the prospect. But then, given that giggling pretty much identifies every female but Skylor and my sister, that's not surprising.

Jay also giggles a lot, come to think of it, but he's not female.

I glance to the side to see Cassie observing all the commotion with that gentle smile of hers. She's not participating, but she seems to be enjoying herself all the same.

It still seems kind of sad to me.

I wave my painted hand at her. "Cass, do you want to match nails with Stella and me?"

She shakes her head gently. "I'm just taking everything in. I've been waiting so long to experience it all."

I raise an eyebrow, but the motion is awkward given that I have the equivalent of cucumber oatmeal plastered on my face. "What do you mean, you've been waiting so long?"

Her smile broadens. "New Beginnings hasn't been complete for a long time, and I know we won't have this time forever, so I have to enjoy it as long as possible." Her features tighten, and she casts a glance at the older girl who talked to me earlier.

I frown. "I'm...still confused."

She doesn't reply.

Magazine-girl clears her throat. "Cassie has to balance half her life living in the future and half living in the past. Skylor's helped her focus her powers so she doesn't see the futures of others unless she tries, but since she already knows so much about what's going to happen..." She bites her lip. "I guess she just has trouble relating to everyone else."

I watch Cassie, my heart squeezing. "Or maybe she can relate to people, but she relates too well. I mean, if she can really see everyone's futures, then she might know people better than they know themselves."

I wonder...would she tell me my future if I asked? There's so much I'd like to know.

And it seems she has a particular liking for me. I don't know whether that's a good or a bad thing.

"Kai!" Cole shouts from the other side of the house.

I jump. His voice sounds like a...warning?

I leap to my feet, years of ninja training kicking in all at once. "Everyone," I order, "get to the nearest safe –,"

A cloud of smoke suddenly appears before me, and I create a ball of fire in my hand.

Right as I remember I'm wearing nail polish. Back in the day when Skye and I were together, I'm pretty sure she mentioned something about not getting nail polish near –

Fire.

I jump in pain and immediately extinguish the flame, wincing at the throbbing feeling in my hand. I know it'll be over in seconds – as the master of fire, my burn injuries are always mild if present – but ouch!

A low chuckle sounds. "No need to attack me, fire-boy. I'm just here for sanctuary."

I look up from my injured hand to see a guy around my age with chiseled features and jet-black hair.

And...he can use the power of smoke. I recognize it as one of Skylor's abilities.

But the master of smoke is...

Shade.

My lips turn down in a snarl. "You lousy son of a –,"

Rather than resorting to mere insults, I create a flame with my unmanicured hand and face my enemy head-on. I advance on him, growling, "Get the heck out of here before somebody calls the fire department on your burning body."

He laughs again – a deep, gravelly sound that makes me wonder what Skylor ever saw in him. Makes me want to smash his face in.

Okay, that's probably not a good idea given that there are minors watching. Still, for everything this rat has done to Skye – and for breaking into a girls' home – he deserves a little physical punishment.

"Believe it or not, I have rights to be here," Shade says, holding up his hands in surrender. "You can't legally make me leave. I haven't done anything wrong."

I resist an eyeroll. "I'm pretty sure breaking in counts as something wrong."

He hitches a shoulder. "I'm here with all the other elemental masters. We all want a safehouse, and this place is the closest we're getting."

I can't help but laugh at his absurdity. "Seriously? A safehouse? What is this, some animated movie where all the elementals kicked out of fairytale paradise and end up migrating to an ogre's house? Allow me to say my feelings on that." I clear my throat, then launch a flame at him. "What are you doing in my swamp?!" (***Shrek reference ;)***)

He poofs out of the way just in time, reappearing behind the couch. "I wouldn't try that if I were you."

I watch in horror as the flame catches on Skylor's kitchen table. No, no, no!

I make a break for the kitchen sink, grabbing the spray nozzle and aiming it at the table. I stretch it as far as possible and spray it all over the fiery area.

The weak flame is suppressed in only a moment, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

Thank you, Destiny Writers.

My eyes dart back to fourteen frightened teenage girls – well, except for Cassie, who watches the whole scene unfold with some surreal peace – and feel anger rise in my chest.

"If you dare lay a finger on them," I growl, advancing on Shade, "I swear I will reach down your throat and light you on fire from the inside."

"I'll just vanish first," he chuckles, teleporting from behind the sofa to a spot next to the television. He grabs the nearest girl by the shoulder, and something within me snaps.

I make a running leap for Shade, tackling him down to the ground. He tries to vanish again, but I knock my fist against his face before he can concentrate enough to disappear. And then I just can't stop myself – I slug him once, twice, three –

"Kai!" yells a familiar voice. "What the helm is going on here?!"

I slam my fist into his jaw. "He tried to grab one of the girls!"

"Kai, he's unconscious!" Skylor grabs my shoulder. "He's unconscious. Let him go so we can get answers out of him!" She reaches out and halts my fist by grabbing it with the power of metal.

I blink. He's unconscious. Calm down, Kai – he's unconscious.

I swallow hard and turn my face to Skylor. "He broke in," I pant, my voice somehow hoarse. "I told him not to lay a finger on the girls, Skye, and he did. He deserves to die."

She looks at me as though I'm nuts. "How did you – are you hurt? What's on your face?"

I open and close my mouth. That's what she's confused about?

I look up toward Skylor's troop. "Get to the nearest safe place in the house. Shade said there were more elementals outside trying to get in."

Skylor shakes her head. "The police are here to disband the riot outside. Is everyone okay?" Her eyes worriedly study each of her girls.

I look up at the one Shade touched. "Are you okay?"

She nods, her face blank.

I sigh with relief and bewilderedly turn to my ex. "Skye, what's happening?"

***(Skylor's POV)***

I run a hand through my red curls, stress weighing down my chest like a sack of potatoes. It's been an hour since the crowd of elementals outside was dispersed and Shade was taken in by paramedics. Apparently, Kai did a number on him in a matter of seconds.

All my girls testified in Kai's favor that he was only defending them from Shade, so after questioning by the police and some skeptical looks, he was acquitted for the day.

Nya and Jay haven't responded to any of my calls or texts. They're across town doing surveillance, but surely they would've heard about what's happened by now, right?

It has me tapping my foot on the ground in worry over them.

"Hey," Cole says, joining me in the dining room. "Everyone's cleared out. Zane's volunteered to help me double-up on security for the night, too." He brushes his shaggy locks from his eyes. "You okay?"

"Yeah." I smile at the table, then up at him. "Just peachy."

"Sure." He drums his fingers over the table. "So Kai gave Shade a warning not to mess with us, huh?"

I look away out the window. "I don't really want to talk about it." If it weren't for Kai, who knows what would have happened?

Cole sighs. "You know...you're not going to like this, but –,"

"No." I shake my head. "The answer is no."

Cole ignores me. "You should ask Kai to stay here until we get this all worked out. Chances are, lots of elementals are going to try sneaking in here until we get that android-situation figured out."

I bite my lip. "How did the elementals even figure out that they might be in danger? We're the ones who linked the robot to a possible anti-elemental creator, not the police. That's not public information, and it's not even confirmed. If it was, we would've told them and advised them on what to do next."

"None of them said where they'd heard about it," he shrugs. "Maybe we could have Kai go to the hospital and threaten Shade if he doesn't spill whatever information he has?"

I roll my eyes and swivel toward him. "Quit pushing the whole Kai-situation."

"I kid, I kid!" he smiles tiredly. "But in all seriousness...Skylor, Kai fought for those girls like they were his own. Remember how upset he used to get when anyone did anything to Nya? Even at training, he would go harder on any of the guys who accidentally hurt her. I remember she and I squared off one time, and I accidentally ran her into a wall." He rubs the back of his neck. "She wasn't even hurt that badly, and Lloyd had to pull Kai off me when we matched up later."

"He has anger issues. I don't need that around the house." I cross my arms tightly.

"He's a hothead, but I wouldn't say he has anger issues." Cole hitches a shoulder. "He's just protective. It's how he's trained himself to be after years of raising his sister as his own." He places a meaty hand on my arm. "All I'm saying is that I'd sleep better knowing we have the extra security, Skye. You focus on running the home with a little help from PIX. Zane, Sel, Kai, and I can up our defenses, and maybe we can get Jay and Nya in on it."

"We don't need Kai," I argue. "If Jay and Nya help out, that's already five people. And isn't Lloyd coming home from college soon? See, Kai doesn't even need to be part of the picture."

Cole lets out a long sigh. "Well, we're already understaffed around here. I mean, your cook's probably not coming back until this whole android-thing dies down, and I'd hazard to guess no one else is going to want to come help out after what happened today. At least, not soon." He wipes a palm over one leg of his jeans. "And...uh...we don't need social services taking the girls, away, Skylor." He looks up at me with serious brown eyes.

I bite my lip. "You don't think they'll..." But the possibility looms in my mind.

The government could take the girls away from me if they considered this place unsafe. They have every right to – every reason. If I were in their place, I would take the girls back.

Tears sting my eyes. "No – no."

"I don't like it either, Skye, but it's what we're facing here," he sighs. "Our only hope is to super-staff this place with security and prove that we can do a better job of caring for the girls than social services can right now."

I look helplessly up at Cole. "But – what if Kai's somehow a bad influence on the girls? I've worked so hard to help them avoid people who will take advantage of them, and Kai –,"

"Look, Kai may have been a jerk, but he never took advantage of you." His stare pierces through me. "And he's not even the guy he was two years ago when you broke things off. He's matured. He doesn't have it all together, Skylor, but I think you'll see keeping him around as a great decision in hindsight." His expression eases into a smile. "Besides, did you see how he interacted with the girls earlier?"

I shake my head. "I got here in the middle of the riot you and Sel were breaking up outside."

He smiles. "He's with the girls right now. Why don't we go spy on them for a moment?"

I nod slowly. I left the girls under Seliel's care for a bit and honestly had no idea Kai was hanging out with them.

I need to keep better tabs on him.

I follow Cole toward the TV room. Through the giant glass doors, I can see Seliel leafing through one of the girl's gossip magazines, not paying any attention to what's going on. Zane stands guard in one corner of the room.

~Music Cue~

And Kai is standing in front of the TV, yelling as the characters in the girl's favorite romcom kiss.

"This isn't even accurate!" I hear him yell through the glass. "These characters have absolutely no chemistry! They agree on everything, they never fight, and they're both boring as heck! Why does Skylor let you girls watch this crap?"

"They like it," I mutter under my breath.

Maggie, one of my seniors, grabs Kai's arm and shoves him out of the way of the television. "It's better than you wanting to watch that stupid action flick!" she exclaims. "Bro, you want to talk about boring characters?"

He scoffs. "Those characters were not boring! The lead is a guy who's been in the military all his life, he's been divorced four times, he has to fight a giant monkey –,"

The girls all erupt into laughter.

"It's a good movie!" he sputters. "Someone needs to introduce you girls to true art!" He looks toward one of the beanbags. "Cassie, you seem to have pretty good taste. I mean, you liked my cooking this morning, and that's enough for me. Would you say that Rodzilla vs. Gong is a stupid movie?"

I can't hear her quiet response, but I see Kai's eyes widen in shock.

"It is not an overrated movie!" he practically yells. "Fine. Fine! Why don't we watch a movie that Skylor always made me watch back when we – when we were, uh, with the ninja team?"

"Finally!" Maggie shouts. "Some taste."

"I wouldn't call it taste," Kai sighs resignedly. "But it's better than this garbage."

A pillow goes flying off the couch and whacks him in the face.

"Hey!" he snaps, grabbing the cushion off the ground and throwing it back. "What was that –,"

He's suddenly barraged with couch pillows and laughter, and he ducks for cover.

"Oh, it's on!" he cries over the raucous noise.

Cole places a hand on my shoulder, and I look up.

"Kai's not going to hurt them," he says reassuringly, smiling down at me. "If anything, I think he'll do them a lot of good."

My throat goes dry as I look back through the doors. Kai dives behind a mound of pillows and tosses one used sock-ball at the girls, resulting in a chorus of screams.

I have to clear my voice before I can finally speak.

"I...guess he can stay."